Walking down the long corridor Amanda still felt shaky, desperately hoping she would not be sick again.
“Miss Amanda, I am sure you have figured it out by now, but Vince asked us to move you out of your condo. Your roommate, Daniel was given the remainder of your half of the rent through the end of the year. I think you should call him because he was very confused as to what was happening.”
A ghost of a smile crossed her face. Amanda could only imagine what Daniel was thinking. She had only informed him about Vince and the fact they had been dating for a short time just last week. Daniel’s head must have spun around like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist. No matter, Amanda was relieved to be out of the condo with Daniel.
“Okay yeah, that is good idea.” She paused for a moment, “Alex, can you do me a favor?”
The light flipped on in the pantry and Alex began moving things around, when he looked back and said, “Sure anything, Miss Amanda.”
“Can you just call me Amanda, please?”
“I can absolutely do that,” he said looking at her and smiling. “Hey! I found some chicken broth and saltine crackers.” He was holding them up in her direction. She nodded and took a seat at the breakfast bar.
“I cannot believe I got food poisoning. That is totally embarrassing. Did I throw up a lot in front of Vince?”
“Not in front of Vince, just me,” he said winking at her.
“Oh God, I am so sorry,” she said burying her face in her hands. “I’m so completely embarrassed.”
Grabbing the can opener and the sauce pan he looked at Amanda and said, “I’m not sure if you know this about me, but I have seen far worse in combat.”
“Yes, I suppose that is true.”
Amanda propped her arm up on the bar and rested her chin in her right hand. She watched Alex carefully pouring the broth into the saucepan and then stirring it. He took a glass from the cupboard on the left side of the refrigerator and poured some Gatorade.
“Dr. Sherman said you were to rest and if you experience any more symptoms, we were to get you some over the counter meds.”
“Fabulous, thanks for looking out for me, Alex,” she replied.
The smell of broth filled the kitchen. Alex placed a few saltines in front of Amanda with the glass of Gatorade. Looking at her and smiling with both hands firmly placed on the counter, he said, “That is not a problem. I am just glad you are feeling better. Now, take a small bite of the cracker and a few sips of Gatorade. We will have you feeling better in no time.”
“Oh shit! I need to call work. Oh no. No. No. No!” Amanda jumped up from the bar and was frantically looking for her phone. She remembered it was in the bedroom on the nightstand.
“Amanda. I called your work and spoke to a gal who said her name was Katie. She was informed that you were ill and that is why you were unable to go to work today. She didn’t believe me,” he said with a deep sigh placing the bowl of broth in front of her.
“Yeah, she’s kind of a bitch. So that doesn’t surprise me.”
“You know,” he paused in a dramatic like fashion, “I used to listen to your radio show all the time, back in the day.”
Amanda looked up from her bowl and stared at Alex. She was noticeably startled. Swallowing hard, she said, “You…you know who I am? How did you listen if you were in Afghanistan?”
“Amanda, there’s no need to worry. Vince had me look into your past, but it seems your past is nothing that the public doesn’t know already.” Smiling sweetly at her, he continued, “Besides, I was in Kosovo and only in Afghanistan for one tour. I retired from the Army over seven years ago.”
“Yeah, I guess I don’t have the best track record,” Amanda huffed. “So are you from Michigan originally then?”
“We all have things in our past that we aren’t super thrilled about, but that is precisely why they are in the past. We learn from our mistakes and move on. Nope, born and raised in Detroit.”
“You sound like someone speaking from experience,” she said eyeing him intensely.
“Like I said, I’ve seen war and it is ugly. But, I would go again…” his gaze shifted downward.
Amanda smiled sweetly. She had a question on the tip of her tongue and she felt comfortable enough to ask Alex.
“Alex, have you…have you killed anyone?” she asked with a bit of fear in her voice knowing what the answer could be.
Alex was standing at the sink rinsing his bowl and spoon. He turned around and gave her a half smile saying, “What do you think Amanda?”
She paused for a few seconds and replied, “I think you have.”
Alex’s phone began to ring. “Excuse me Amanda, but I need to take this.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen. “Hey boss. Yes, everything is good here.”
Amanda could no longer hear what Alex was saying, he was already down the corridor past the wet bar. Amanda checked her phone, there was a message saying she had twenty percent battery remaining. Hopping out of the chair she took her bowl to the sink and began rinsing it out.
A few moments later Alex returned and said, “Vince has to stay in New York this weekend. He’ll be calling you once he reaches his apartment.”
A frown appeared on Amanda’s face upon the delivery of that news, another lonely weekend without Vince. She padded back to the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. Half an hour later her phone rang, it was Vince. They stayed on the phone talking and laughing for over an hour. Calmness swept over her body as she drifted peacefully to sleep.
Chapter Seventeen:
Emily
The California breeze tousled Emily’s long brown hair as she attempted to tame it by putting it back in a low ponytail. From the passenger seat of the silver BMW 328i convertible, she peered through the grey tinted lenses of her sunglasses at Ethan, who was driving them over the Richmond San Rafael Bridge towards Sonoma. Ethan had managed to convince Clark to give him and Emily that Friday off. Ethan had plans for them to spend a romantic weekend together before they needed to be in Los Angeles the coming Monday.
Enchanted by the idea of spending time with Ethan in Wine Country she agreed to the plan without hesitation. Emily had only been to California once, and all she saw then was LAX, before departing for Hawaii. So she was overjoyed at the opportunity to be able to view the stunning countryside and the rugged Pacific coastline, especially with her tour guide being a handsome native of the Golden State.
Emily’s phone began to buzz. It was a number she did not know, but she decided to answer in case it was work related.
“Hello, this is Emily Greene.” The wind was so loud. It kept her from hearing clearly who was on the other end of the line. No sooner did she end the call than her phone began to ring yet again. It was another number she did not recognize.
“Miss popular today, aren’t you?” Ethan said smiling. Emily gave Ethan a half smile and shrugged as if to say sorry.
“Hello, this is Emily Greene.”
“Emmmilllyyy. Are yooouuuu going somewhere ttthhiiisss weekend?” a strange raspy voice groaned. “Are you with Ethan? Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? I thought WE were friends, Emily,” the voice on the other end was snarling and laughing. Emily did not respond and immediately ended the call. Someone was trying to rattle her, but why?
“Hey Em, are you hungry?”
“I’m starving, Ethan,” she replied with a flirtatious smile.
“How does sushi sound?”
“I think having sushi in California is pretty much a top priority.”
“Great. I know the best place in San Rafael,” he said placing his right hand on her left knee.
Ethan and Emily arrived at Charlemagne Winery just before five in the evening, a beautiful hilltop property with breathtaking views of rolling vin
eyards, landscaped gardens, picnic areas and natural wetlands. Inspired by Mediterranean design influences and architecture, the estate displayed ornate tiles, covered walkways, roundabouts and a long winding driveway that went up to the property upon passing through the main gate. Gorgeous water fountains and trellises covered in ivy and flowers spanned the grounds. The building that housed the tasting room, marketplace and several large banquet halls was a stunning stucco façade with a clay tile roof.
The tasting room was packed with tourists and wine enthusiasts trying award winning Italian and California/French varietals. Ethan and Emily walked up to the bar and a young blonde woman wearing a white polo style top with the logo of the winery on it asked, “Which wines would you like to sample today?”
“We would like to try some of the California Varietals, the Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir please.”
“Which one would you like to try first?”
“Let’s go with the Sauvignon Blanc. It’s best to try whites then reds and the sweet wines should always be first,” Emily said.
Ethan looked at Emily and then towards the young blonde and just smiled.
“Very good, that is correct,” the young woman said.
Ethan smiled at Emily, whispering in her ear, “You look insanely beautiful today. Have I told you that?”
Emily blushed and replied, “Thank you Ethan.”
The young woman returned with the drinks and said, “Now you will notice the…”
Ethan casually leaned into the bar and slowly waved his hand in the air in her direction. “I’m Ethan Carlson. Do you know if my parents, Tom and Jillian, are here?”
Both Emily and the young girl exchanged looks of shock. She seemed to be mesmerized by Ethan, and after several seconds she snapped out of her trance, replying to him, “Uh…huh…yes, Mr. Carlson they are in the office upstairs.”
“Kami is it? Call me Ethan, please, Mr. Carlson is my father.”
She nodded her head and replied, “Yes, my name is Kami. I am so sorry Ethan.”
“No need to apologize, Kami,” he assured her after taking a drink.
Emily set her glass on the corner of the bar. She turned to Ethan and said, “What the fuck Ethan? Are you crazy or something? Why didn’t you tell me this was your family winery?”
Ethan only smiled and winked at her. He was quite possibly fucking with her. Emily knew that Ethan’s family owned a winery, but she had no idea he was planning to introduce her to them and as what, his girlfriend?
“Ethan, don’t you think it’s a little too soon? I…I …mean what will they think?”
He reached out, took her hand and delivered a light kiss to her palm saying, “Emily, it’s only dinner. Please don’t worry. They will love you.”
“Ethan, I don’t like surprises, and this quite frankly is a surprise.”
As they finished the last sip of their Pinot Noir, Ethan took his money clip out and handed a fifty-dollar bill to Kami. She smiled and said, “Mr. er…Ethan this is too much, you are too kind.”
“I insist you keep it, Kami, and thank you very much for the drinks.”
Taking Emily’s hand, Ethan led the way as they turned and walked away from the bar. Threading in and out of the crowd they came upon a grand tile staircase with wrought iron railings. They made their way upstairs, and Emily suddenly became quite nervous.
Is he taking me to meet his parents now?
She wanted to pull away and run to the bathroom to check her makeup and pop a breath mint. Emily’s phone began to buzz again. She grabbed it out of her purse and saw it was the same number from earlier and hit ignore.
“Who keeps calling you?” Ethan inquired.
“It’s a wrong number,” Emily replied, her voice was tight. “I am sure when they hear my voicemail message they will realize they have the wrong person.”
They reached the top of the stairs, and Ethan clutched Emily’s hand, pulling her in close to him. Moving his hands to her waist, Emily looked up at Ethan. He lowered his chin and his lips met hers.
“Come,” Ethan purred with a devious grin. “I want to show you something.”
Ethan led Emily down the backstairs. He stopped in his father’s office and grabbed a key. Thank God, the office was dark and Emily didn’t get a formal introduction right there on the spot. She wished Ethan had prepared her to meet his family- this was a bit unfair. She could curse him for forcing her into this awkward situation.
As they continued down the hallway they stopped in front of a door that unlocked a circular room. The outside was covered in Field ledge stone, and the door was solid wood with a rounded top. CARLSON EST. 1970 was branded precisely in the middle. Ethan flicked on the light. Emily’s mouth gaped at the sight of all the bottles that surrounded the space. Not only was there a full bar, but there were two high-top tables that sat four people comfortably. To the right there was a plush seating area with a brown leather couch that could easily seat eight. Wood beams crisscrossed the ceiling. Gorgeous wrought iron sconces lined the walls along with vintage photos in black textured frames featuring the winery and the people through the years.
“This is one of our four private tasting rooms.” Ethan grinned, and Emily could see the gold flecks around his iris’ gleaming. He looked like a kid in a candy store.
“Ethan, this room,” she paused. “This place, it’s spectacular.” She ran her hands over the stone, traced the lines of grout and the bottles, magnificent in color. People go into old libraries and run their hands over shelves lined with first editions inhaling the scent of warm leather, rich mahogany and aged notepaper. This was Emily’s library, new and vintage wines with the lingering scent of oak barrels and cork soaked with the luscious fruit of the vines.
“Em, what would you like to try first?”
Stunned and overwhelmed by the amount of choices, Emily shook her head and said, “I can’t decide, you pick.”
Ethan selected last year’s Pinot Noir and poured two glasses for them. Emily situated herself on the couch. Soft music came began to pour throughout the room. A smile slid across Ethan’s lips as he joined Emily in the seating area.
“A toast to you Miss Greene, oh how you’ve tamed the wild beast within me,” he offered with a devious smile. Emily giggled and took a sip of the wine that made her cheeks pucker and taste buds tingle.
“Yeah, you were kind of a jerk before you got involved with me,” she teased.
Ethan moved his lips up the base of Emily’s throat to her jawline where he began fluttering feather light kisses. Emily’s body radiated with tingling heat, and she felt a low hum in her belly. The hum was all Ethan’s doing. He stirred emotions in her body and feelings she never knew were there.
His touch—expert and gentle when he needed it to be; other times it was raw and merciless. Emily didn’t care how Ethan possessed her or claimed her body. He owned her, and Emily was all too happy to be owned. The object of one person’s desires and affections—it was thrilling.
Ethan took Emily’s mouth, covering her soft lips with his, kissing her jolted sparks causing her skin to prick with heat. Emily placed her wine glass on the table in front of her and pushed to her feet. She reached under her skirt and slowly removed her panties handing them to Ethan. Ethan’s eyebrows shot up at her sudden silent suggestion. Emily climbed on top of Ethan.
He stopped her and said, “Not here.”
Confused she knitted her brows together giving him disappointed expression. Embarrassment washed over her, and she quickly reached for her panties feeling rejected by Ethan. Grabbing her by the wrists before she could push to her feet, Ethan pulled Emily into his frame. Hurt and confused she tried to wriggle free.
“Miss Greene, when I said “not here” I meant not on the couch.”
“Oh,” s
he hummed. Her breathing escalated when Ethan picked her up and carried her over to the bar.
“Stand here, face forward, press your palms flat to the table and put your feet on this brass bar,” he instructed calmly.
Emily did as she was told. She was a few inches off the floor standing on the brass railing. She heard the buckle of his belt followed by the sound of his zipper. She tried to sneak a look over her shoulder, but Ethan cleared his throat saying, “Eyes forward Miss Greene.”
Her stomach tightened and her thighs began to quiver. Ethan wasn’t even touching Emily and she was excited with anticipation. She thought she might come undone at the mere grip of his arm around her waist. He brushed his lips to the back of her neck. Emily felt his warm breath hit her earlobe sending a rippling vibration down her spine. Lifting her skirt with the other hand, he said, “Arch your back and guide me in, Miss Greene.”
Emily gasped when she felt Ethan’s erection on the swell of her bottom.
“Take me,” he growled. “You’re the driver, baby.”
Emily leaned her body forward and widened her stance. Pushing off the curve of the bar with her hands, she rolled her hips to meet Ethan, easing down until she covered the hard length of him. She winced at the pain still tender from their early morning tryst, or rather multiple trysts. Once she began her slow rhythmic movements, Ethan cupped her swelling breasts. Skin tingling, stomach fluttering, her body had now become accustomed to instantly responding to his touch. Emily’s pace quickened as she became more aroused. Her palms glistened with dampness as she broke out in a light sweat.
Emily was losing her grip, on the bar and she let out a whimpering cry. Her core trembled as she clenched around Ethan in desperation. Noticing Emily’s struggle to maintain her balance, Ethan gripped her hips tightly allowing her to regain control.
Fifteen Weekends Page 9
