by M T Stone
“Me, too.” She smiled. “It’s kind of strange to finally be alone with you.”
“Yeah, with no one monitoring us.”
We both laughed and simply enjoyed being with one another as we cruised down the highway toward Napa. I had lined up several surprises for Jillian, and if all went well, our lives would change dramatically over the coming months.
“You have a beautiful little daughter,” I told her, angling to learn more about her parenting ideas.
“Thanks. She sure loves this car of yours.”
“It is pretty shiny.” I laughed. “I think your mom likes it, too.”
“Yeah, they both like shiny things,” she replied, shaking her head and smiling.
“So when does Hannah start school?”
“She’ll be going into kindergarten this fall.” I could see a look of worry instantly creep into her eyes.
“I’m sure it will be hard to let her go.”
“I just wish would’ve had this windfall of cash sooner. Then I could’ve gotten her into a better program with a smaller class size.” She fell silent, staring out the window.
“Relax.” I squeezed her hand again. “It will work out.”
“I know. I just need to focus on what I want,” she replied sarcastically.
“Right, but without the sarcasm.”
“Sorry… It’s just…”
“Just what? Aren’t things turning out exactly how you wanted them to?”
“So you think that I was focused on you sweeping me off to Napa Valley for a romantic weekend?” she asked with a smartass grin rising to the surface.
“I know that’s exactly what you were focused on.”
“That and Carter spending the rest of his life behind bars,” she replied with a slight twinkle in her eye. “You’re right; things are turning out pretty good.”
“So, what are you going to do about Hannah?”
She hesitated for a moment, studying my expression. “I’m going to relax and trust that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.”
I didn’t reply, but simply nodded my head. Even though she underplayed it, everything had worked out about as good as possible. Suzanne would continue to pay us any royalties that accrued, while freeing us from any further restrictive contracts. Going forward, Jillian and I could do whatever we desired and my plans were already in motion.
~~~
Chapter 21
Jillian
Everything seemed strangely backwards as Dalton and I held hands, driving through Napa. After nearly two months of a purely sexual relationship, we finally had our first real date. He was so calm and relaxed that I found it incredibly sexy. Most of the men that I had spent time with were anything but relaxed. I think I’m over my attraction to rich, powerful businessmen. They seem to have their fair share of issues, especially when it comes to relationships.
“Where are we going?” I asked as we turned off the main road and headed north on Dry Creek Road.
“To a beautiful little vineyard that I discovered a few months ago. You’re going to love it.”
“As long as the wine and scenery are good, what’s not to love?”
By the look in his eyes, I knew there was something he wasn’t telling me, and it was starting to drive me nuts. He almost seemed giddy as we pulled up to the rustic wooden buildings that were nestled between a grove of trees and endless rows of green grapes.
“Is this place even open?” It certainly wasn’t the most impressive vineyard that I had visited.
“It’s open just for us.” He jumped out of the car and came around to my side. “I figured since you are a self-proclaimed ‘wine connoisseur,’ you would enjoy this.”
Walking around to the front of one of the buildings, we were greeted by an older gentleman who introduced himself as Chester.
“Come, sit,” he said in a thick European accent. “Who is this beauty?” He reached out for my hand and gave it a kiss.
“This is Jillian. She’s a huge fan of bold, red wines, so I knew you would be able to accommodate her,” Dalton told him.
“Would a Malbec be okay to start with?” he asked me.
“That would be perfect.”
While he went to retrieve the wine, a younger woman came out with a basket of fresh bread, olive oil, and a plate of various cheeses. “This is Chester’s daughter, Syrah,” Dalton said, introducing her. “She’s the one who showed us around last time.”
“Hello, Jillian, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, arranging everything neatly on the table. “It’s nice to see you again, Sir.”
“It’s nice to see you, too. Your father seems to be doing better.”
“Yes. He’s been doing better since we decided to move back to Italy,“ she replied quietly.
After she departed, Dalton told me that he had recently lost his wife of over forty years. The only relatives that he had other than his daughter, were all back in Italy. Syrah and her husband suggested the move, and Chester immediately agreed that it was time to go back home.
He had come to California on a business trip forty-two years earlier, fell in love with a beautiful blonde, and stayed. Together, they built a small winery and a house that was just up the hill. After her death, his health and outlook had begun to decline.
Chester returned to pour a generous glass of his 2011 Malbec for each of us, as well as a small glass for himself.
“You don’t use a wine glass?” I thought it was odd that he gave us each an oversized Riedel wine glass, while he drank from something that looked more like a juice glass.
“He still drinks from the same type of glass that his father and grandfather used back in Italy,” Syrah answered on his behalf.
“I talk with my hands,” he added. “I’d knock over those big things.”
“A toast to Italy, family, and tradition,” Dalton proposed, holding up his wine glass.
“Here, here,” Chester agreed.
What a cute old man. It’s sad that he lost his wife. At least he gets to go home and be with family. My thoughts flashed back to my mother and Hannah. I hope they are having a good time.
Dalton
After enjoying a delicious dinner of roast pork tenderloin, heirloom tomatoes, and fingerling potatoes, Chester and his daughter departed, leaving us with two additional bottles of wine. He had told me that he would spend the night in Napa with his daughter and son-in-law. That way, we could enjoy full use of the property for the night. I was looking forward to having the house all to ourselves.
“Why did they leave?” Jillian asked with a seriously confused look on her face.
“They wanted to give us a chance to get comfortable and see if we like the place.”
She just sat there staring at me for a moment.
“Do you see that big open area to the right of the house?” I asked her, pointing to a thirty-acre plot of land that had nothing but grass growing on it.
“Yes,” she replied hesitantly.
“Would you consider helping me develop it?”
“What type of development?”
“Residential. Condos or Townhouses, something along those lines.”
“Are you going to work for Chester and Syrah?” she asked, still not understanding where I was going with the conversation.
“No. I made Chester an offer on this place last night, but I told him that I needed to spend a night or two out here to make sure we liked it.”
“Wow, a winery?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “What do you know about making wine?”
“Absolutely nothing, but Chester assured me that the winemaker would stay. He lives right over there,” I told her, pointing to his house, which was just a half-mile down the road.
“I honestly don’t know what to say.”
“Let’s take a walk,” I suggested after seeing that she was a little overwhelmed by the massive reveal.
“I’m thinking that instead of making the wine and selling it to tourists like all of the other wineries, we should
develop housing for a few dozen couples who would all like to be part of a winery,” I explained to her as we walked up the cobblestone path to the house.
“That’s a good idea. I’m sure a lot of people would like that.” I could see her wheels were already turning.
“Okay, stop,” I told her as we reached the large wooden deck on the front of the house. “I want you to open your mind to the possibilities and then turn around.”
“Oh my god… it’s absolutely beautiful,” she exclaimed upon seeing the view that had sold me on the property months before.
“That’s exactly what I thought when I first saw it for the first time.” The way the rays of the setting sun splashed against the green grapes and tan soil was almost majestic. It was one of those scenes that could never be truly captured by a picture or painting. “Breathtaking” was the only way to describe it.
“I want to share this place with you and Hannah,” I told her, reaching once again for her hand.
“Wow, I don’t even know what to say, Dalton. We haven’t even had a chance to really get to know each other yet,” she responded, shaking her head as if shock was setting in.
“I understand, Jillian. You don’t need to commit to anything right now,” I assured her. “I just wanted to know whether or not you liked the idea.”
“I love the view. People would pay big bucks for this view.”
“That’s why Carter wanted to buy it,” I told her. “He planned on retiring here.”
“So you came out here with Carter to look at it?” She asked with a glimmer returning to her eyes.
“Yeah, he asked me to ride along when he checked it out. I was wishing the whole time that somehow I could buy it.”
“Now with Carter in prison, you can.” She smiled, realizing what had happened.
“Exactly. The day after he was arrested, I talked to Suzanne about it.”
“And she told you to go for it?”
“She even asked if I needed help with the down payment.”
“You don’t need her help. I’m in!” she said without a second of hesitation.
“Really? I didn’t think you wanted to rush into anything.”
“This is a real estate joint venture,” she declared. “Working together will give us a chance to see whether or not we can really get along.” She reached over and gave me a slap on the ass.
“Good idea,” I agreed, reaching over to give her one back.
“Fifty-fifty partners?” she asked, squeezing my ass cheek in a gesture that has been called our Ass Shake.
“Partners.” My thoughts flashed back to the first time I picked her up in the limo. At that moment, I couldn’t have imagined standing here with Jillian at my side.
“Look right over there,” I said as the sun struggled to hold the horizon.
“Is that what it looks like?”
“If you think it looks like a grade school, the answer is ‘yes.’” He smiled and pulled me tight. “The average class size is less than twenty and it’s practically in walking distance.”
“Well played, Dalton.” Well played.
Epilogue
One Year Later
Raven
“That’s a wrap!” Suzanne yelled, cutting the final scene of what had been dubbed Raven’s Return. After months of procrastinating, Gunner and I had agreed to do one more set of shows. After all that Suzanne had done for us, we felt that it was the right thing to do. Besides, the extra money would help us move ahead with our condominium construction project at the vineyard.
“You guys are a blast!” Victoria Love came over and hugged both of us once the show was over. “I’m going to miss you two.” Victoria had become one of the regulars after it was clear that Carter would not be returning to the dungeon. Renegade kept her hidden away until all of the dust had settled. Then they both returned to the dungeon on a fulltime basis.
Blade and Amber had taken over top billing once Gunner and I fled to the countryside. They both seemed happier than either of us had ever seen them. Amber was able to buy a new house and had been trying to talk Blade into moving in with her and Abby. Even though Blade had come a long way emotionally, it didn’t appear that he was quite ready for that level of commitment. Hopefully he will someday.
Sapphire had taken some time off, but had returned feistier than ever after a short break. After spending a few weeks with J.O., they parted as friends. She missed the action and he needed some rest. Going from celibacy to Sapphire was a pretty big leap for anyone in his mid-fifties to make. Soon after returning to the dungeon, she recruited a new sub that went by the name Dragon. I met him in the hallway a couple of times and it appeared as if he would be tough enough to stand up to her punishment. The guy was built like a brick shithouse and looked like a street fighter. I wonder where she met him.
“Let’s get going, babe,” Dalton said as he exited Suzanne’s office.
“Is she alright with us being done?”
“Totally. She’s interested in one of the condos, too. You need to send her a few of the floor plans and any other info that you have.”
“Awesome! They are going to be all sold out before we finish building them.”
“That’s fine with me.” Dalton smirked. I was waiting for him to remind me that it was his idea, but he held back this time. “Let’s go out and celebrate before heading back.”
“I haven’t been to La Folie in forever.” My mouth instantly watered at the thought of fine French cuisine. “It would be right on the way to Mom’s.”
“Whatever you desire, my love.”
“I love it when you say that.” I shot him the look that let him know that he would be rewarded later on.
After a beautiful meal, topped off with a decadent Soufflé au chocolat, it was time to pick up Hannah from Mom’s house. As we drove down the narrow streets, it seemed strange that I no longer lived in the city. It was even stranger to realize that there was very little about it that I missed, other than the great restaurants and Amber.
Gunner
I’ll never grow tired of the way Hannah’s eyes light up when she runs out to meet us. Evelyn had taken her out shopping, so she had another new outfit that she was dying to show us. She’s going to look just like Jillian when she grows up.
“Gramma wants to know when her condo is going to be ready,” she announced as she strapped herself into the back seat. Yes, I decided to trade the Ferrari for a new Mercedes. I knew it would be a little more practical now that we lived out in the hills.
“I told her that we haven’t even started on them yet,” Jillian scoffed.
“She’s just excited to be able to come out and spend more time with us,” I assured her.
“She’s welcome to come anytime, she doesn’t need her own condo for that,” she added.
“She’s also wondering when you two are going to get married,” Hannah declared in a very matter-of-fact tone. “When are you getting married?”
“We haven’t really talked about it, honey. I’ll make sure you and grandma are the first two to know.” Jillian smiled and shook her head.
“I can’t believe how much has changed in the past year,” I commented. It blows my mind every time I think about it.
“It is crazy. When I looked at the calendar this morning, I realized that it was exactly one year ago today that you and I visited the vineyard for the first time,” she replied, reaching over for my hand.
“It’s gone really fast. I can’t believe how much work we’ve done on the place.”
“And now the big project begins.” She raised her eyebrows and sighed.
“It will be fun. Besides, this time we will be making money instead of spending it.” That’s a huge plus in my mind.
“Thank you for having such a brilliant idea,” she whispered, leaning into me. “It’s like my dream came true.”
“Hey, it was my dream, too. I’m just glad we get to share it.”
Raven
That night, after Hannah was asleep, we both
stood in front of the sliding glass door in our master bedroom, looking out at the moon lit valley below. He’s such a natural father, I thought while wrapping my arms around his waist. Over the past year, he and Hannah had formed a very special bond. She knew that Perry hadn’t cared about her, and conversely, Dalton showed her how much he cared on a daily basis.
“I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than I am right now.”
