Salty Sebastian (Smirk Series Book 3)

by Jen Luerssen

  “I have good news that may solve our problems for now,” Mikey says as she sits next to me.

  I turn to her and her expression is serious but worried. “I need good news.”

  “I hired us an intern. She’s just graduated from Davis and only has intern experience but she has a lot of it. She has spent time in Germany, France, and Italy too. She’s young and not experienced enough to replace me, but she knows her shit.”

  “Why is she taking a job as an intern if she’s so amazing?” I ask.

  “This was her twentieth interview and she just wants to get her foot in the door somewhere. Clearly, she’s overqualified to be our intern, but maybe we can try her out and then promote her to something more permanent if she works out.” Mikey has her hands folded in front of her chin like she’s begging me to go along with this.

  “Wait, you said you already hired her?”

  “Yes, mainly because she got three calls from other wineries while I was showing her the vines. I had to act quickly, and I could tell she liked me and was impressed by us.”

  “Great, but how does this solve any of our issues?” I ask.

  “Well, she doesn’t need a lot of training and can jump right in. I already set her up in one of the cabins so she’s willing to be on call. Plus, her dad is Sig Becker.” Mikey says this like it’s a huge deal and I have no idea who her dad is.

  “That’s all great and fast, and you are still technically my partner and have hiring rights. I have no objections, as long as we get along. Who is her dad?”

  She claps her hands. “Only one of the most famous designers ever. I’ll let that pass since you’re a dude. I don’t think you have to worry about getting along, she’s got a similar sense of humor to mine and is stupid hot. Which is too bad for you, no sticking it in the intern.”

  I hope my face is covering an appropriate amount of distaste. “Mikey,” I say laughing, “I’m going to miss you.”

  “Aww, Sebass, I’m going to miss your sexy ass too.” She stands and pulls me up. “Come on, let’s go meet Kit.”

  ***

  As we approach the east side cabin, the same one Frank and Joe stayed in over the summer, I can hear music blasting. It’s “One of These Nights” by the Eagles. Ugh, she already has crappy taste in music. Mikey turns to me, she knows I’m not a fan of seventies rock. I’m more of a nineties grunge kind of guy. Mikey knocks on the door and the music is turned down.

  The door swings open and the occupant squeaks and turns and runs. She is only wearing a bra and some minuscule booty shorts. As she retreats into the bedroom, I see a flash of color on her back.

  “I’m sorry, Mikey, I thought it was just you. I’ll be right out,” she rasps out. “I was doing my work out.”

  I look around the small living room where the sofa has been moved so it’s flush to the wall and in its place is a small trampoline, some weights and an open laptop. Looks complicated and I feel grateful that running does it for me. I do pull ups and core work too, but it’s all simple and I look pretty good.

  Suddenly thirsty, I head to the kitchen to get some water. “Mikey, do you want anything?” I ask.

  “Dude, this is her space now, you can’t just help yourself,” she chastises. “But yes, I will take a water, I’m parched. It’s so hot. I’m ready for it to cool down.”

  It is unseasonably warm for the beginning of November, but it will be chilly and rainy soon enough for me. The bedroom door opens and I chug my water down.

  “I’m so sorry I made you guys wait.”

  “No worries, Kit, Sebastian made it back from the airport so I wanted you two to meet right away,” Mikey says.

  I rinse my glass out and turn just as the new intern flips to catch her long hair in a ponytail and secures it to her head. When she flips back up, my heart sinks to my knees.

  She is exactly the same, but possibly more beautiful than I remembered. I remember every last detail too. Her mossy green eyes meet mine and she looks surprised but pleasantly so.

  “Holy shit, it’s you,” she says her hands out in from of her.

  Mikey looks back and forth between us, confused. “You guys know each other?”

  Kit laughs and I’m taken back to one of the best nights of my life. I made it my mission to get that throaty and sexy as fuck laugh out of my mystery girl as often as I could. Even when I had her spread out on the hotel bed, my mouth between her legs. She must have a memory too because her cheeks turn a pretty rose color.

  “We knew each other for one night,” she says and turns to Mikey. “It was a Vegas thing.”

  Mikey looks at me, eyes wide and mouth agape. “Kit is your Snow White?” I press my fingers to my temple, regretting the boozy night when Mikey and I shared some of our exploits.

  “Aw, that’s so sweet, you told her about the night you railed me so hard I may have blacked out?” Kit says and yep, she’s the same no-bullshit woman I met and fucked two or so years ago.

  I puff up a little. “That was indeed me. Nice to formally meet you, Kit.”

  She laughs and extends her hand to me. “Kit Becker, naughty kitten, wine savant, and all-around stellar employee.”

  Her hand is small in mine and I take my other hand and cover hers. “Sebastian Simeon, expert railer, wine business savant, and all-around stellar boss, or so I’ve been told.”

  “Oh my god, you two are killing me. Should I leave?” Mikey jokes as Kit and I separate.

  “No way, we need to celebrate this weird ass day,” Kit says and they high five.

  I realize a few things as Kit and Mikey open a bottle of wine in celebration of her hire and I guess our reunion? First, seeing her again has thrown me, second, I can’t sleep with the intern, and lastly, I still want to, desperately.

  Salty Reunion

  Kit

  As I live and breathe, my Huntsman stands before me. The dude who changed my life in one night. I can’t believe he’s here in front of me. My initial reaction was excitement but now I’m feeling slightly nervous. A strange emotion for me. My dads made sure that I felt confident and self-secure my whole life. It worked because I basically feel like I could take on anything with them at my back. I know how lucky I am and try to live every moment with that in mind.

  Sebastian is here, and he’s my boss. My heart skips but I am not going to let this derail my plan. That plan is to be the youngest head winemaker in Sonoma. Mikey currently holds that record and is the only reason I took this internship when I am way over-qualified. She and her family, The Natales, are idols of mine. When I interviewed, she let me know that this was a temporary internship that should turn into an assistant winemaker position quickly for the right person. I’m that right person, dammit.

  My experience is different than most. I had an opportunity to work in Germany and France in apprenticeships because of my dads’ connections. I’ve had two internships while in school and have participated in crushes almost every year of my life. It took a trip to Europe to bring my passion for wine to the surface but once I knew what I wanted, I went for it with laser focus. There were bumps, to say the least, but I’m on track now and I’m not letting a one-night stand in Vegas derail me. Even the hottest night of my life.

  Mikey opens a bottle of Pinot Gris as I take three glasses out of the cabinet. I’ve been here two days but I’ve made myself at home quickly. I let out a long exhale.

  “Kit, you sure you’re okay?” Mikey asks quietly. “You seem a little less ‘rah rah’ about it all.”

  I wipe my sweaty palms on the skirt I threw on when I answered the door in my workout bra and booty shorts. I can’t tell if I’m still sweaty from the workout or nerves.

  “I guess it just hit me that this could go badly and if it did, I would be the loser,” I say lifting one of the glasses for a big gulp. “This job means everything to me, especially in the long run.”

  Mikey gives me a sympathetic look. “I know that and we will make sure Sebass does too. You’ll just have to be grown-ups about it.”
>
  “Who has to be grown-ups?” Sebastian sits at the bar that is the only barrier between the kitchen and living room. “If you’re thinking I can’t be one, then you are underestimating my ability to stifle and hide my feelings.”

  “Sebass, this is not the time to bring up your inadequacies. We want Kit to continue to work here. She is over-qualified for the intern job but wants a shot at my job because she has goals and knows she’s the shit.” Mikey sips her wine and scrunches her nose. “This tastes weird,” she says and takes another sip.

  “I can handle our past if you can,” I say, staring him down.

  “I’m sure we both can, just as long as we have clear boundaries and respect.”

  “What boundaries do you need?” I ask, smiling. ”I think I remember your safe word was ‘poison apple.’”

  “I’m not sure yet, but how about we keep it all professional for now.” He smiles, ignoring my safe word comment and sips the wine. “Tastes fine to me, Mikey.”

  I too take a sip and the wine dances on my tongue. It’s crisp, light, and a little peppery, just what a good Pinot Gris should be. “It’s delicious. It held up well.” Pinot Gris is a quick to market wine that can be released not too long after fermentation. This one released last winter and is delightful.

  “Ugh, I don’t know what is wrong with me. My taste buds are in revolt.” Mikey dumps the rest of her wine and fills the glass with water. “Let’s cheers it out, folks. To Kit, the woman who is saving our bacon and our monkey.”

  “To Mikey, the only reason this place is a success,” Sebastian says not bothering to hide his sad little face. I decide to lighten the mood.

  “To Sebastian, may his business skills be as memorable as his railing skills.” We all clink our glasses as Mikey and I giggle at my inappropriateness.

  “I feel like we all need a reset. I’m a pretty easygoing boss, but I’m still the boss,” Sebastian says with a serious expression. What the fuck is his problem? I mean, I guess he has a point, if we are going to be able to work together, he needs to have my respect.

  “Fair enough,” I say, “but you’ll get used to my occasional lack of filter. I promise I’m a great employee and a fantastic listener.”

  “So, you really were in Vegas for the Vintner’s conference, not the Furry Convention?”

  Mikey perks up. “Yes, now I remember, there was a manly stag that brought you together. Ugh, why can’t you just live happily ever after? That’s like the best first meeting ever.”

  “Pretty sure I wouldn’t want to tell my children that mom and I had hours of sex in a Vegas hotel room after meeting four hours earlier,” Sebastian says and I get a little prickly feeling down my spine.

  “Wow, I feel so special. Aren’t you just a sprinkle of salt in my coffee?”

  He gets a look from Mikey and a shoulder punch. “What the hell, Sebass?” She turns to me. “He isn’t usually this judgmental, especially about himself.”

  “I feel like there’s nothing I can say right now to make any of this better,” Sebastian says then finishes his wine. “Nice to meet you again, Kit, hope you enjoyed your first day off. We start at 7am tomorrow. See you then.”

  As he heads to the door, I feel all kinds of bad about the whole meeting. “Wait,” I say and he turns back to me. “I’ll be there and I will rock your boss socks off, Salty Sebastian.”

  He half smiles at me. “Ugh, this is going to be something that sticks, I can already tell.” Then he’s out the door.

  Mikey turns to me and we high five. “Oh my gosh, Salty Sebass, I love it.” She takes her phone out and types a few things and then puts it in her pocket. She looks a little pale. “Is the room spinning for you?”

  I walk to her and put my arm around her waist. “You okay? I have some almonds if you need a snack.”

  “No, I’ve just felt weird all week,” she says before shoving me out of the way and heading past me to the bathroom. I hear her retching and I feel bad because she clearly doesn’t know she’s pregnant yet.

  Salty Wine

  Sebastian

  Fucking nicknames. Generally, I’m a pretty easy going guy, but I’m also a successful business person so I can also make difficult choices. Never in my life have I been called “Salty” though. When I was younger, my mother called me “mon chou” which is cream bun in French. She said it was because I was so sweet. Every girlfriend I had until the disaster that was Wendy told me I was the sweetest guy they’d dated, ‘almost too nice’ I got a few times. Now, since Wendy, I’ve been on a few dates but nothing serious. Joe mentioned to me that I seemed like a bit of a dick to Lia when I first met her. Lia is something special and I’ll admit I had an instant crush.

  You’re probably wondering about Wendy. I thought I was going to marry her. I was 100% in love with her and thought it was a done deal. About three years ago I came home from the winery after being there for over 20 hours straight. At that time, the Thirsty Monkey was still up and coming and had just released our first vintage. Mikey and I were working around the clock and barely sleeping. Wendy and I had a small condo in downtown Sonoma because the housing on the vineyard was under construction. Now I live in a custom-built house on the property and it’s the best.

  Anyway, I was exhausted, happy to be home, and barely awake. That’s why I almost didn’t notice the strange car in the driveway that was bouncing gently and all steamed up. I walked right by it clueless until the toot of the horn. When I turned, I thought someone was honking at me. Boy was I wrong. I traced my steps back to the strange car and when I looked in the window, I saw a guy I’ve never seen with his head thrown back, hand on a woman’s hair. Clearly, he was enjoying a stellar blow job. Probably why I didn’t realize it was my girlfriend right away. She never gave me head, ever.

  I bent over and rapped on the window. His face turned to me in irritation and then smiled, all while keeping his grip on Wendy’s hair. She must not have heard the knock on the window because she continued her job. Instead of making a bigger scene, I went inside, locked all the doors and windows, using the chains on the doors so she couldn’t get in. Then I went upstairs, took a shower and passed out. Once she had realized I had caught her, she tried to get into the house and called my phone several times. I was far too tired to deal with her.

  You’d think she would have been apologetic or contrite. Nope. She was mad because I changed the locks the next day and put all of her things haphazardly in boxes and dumped them in the driveway. I refused to speak with her and in retrospect, I see that as an immature response, but I literally had no time to deal with breaking up with her in a more grown-up manner. I simply cut ties and went on with my life. My love life has not recovered since and Frank will tell you that I’m a scared little boy who pushes women away, and he’d be totally right but I’d never admit it to his face.

  Wendy fucked me up, and I know it. My most significant romantic event since her was an anonymous night of sex in Vegas. I even tried to go there with Mikey, I was too pretty for her she said. When she met and immediately got together with Frank, it made sense. He’s a little rougher around the edges. Joe is classically handsome and I’m the pretty and sexy one. We know the effect we have when we are all together. So, yeah, that’s the reason I’m a grumpy jerk to women I like. If I can keep them at arm’s length then they can’t smash my heart to bits.

  Kit is a wild card for me. We’ve already been together and the safety of that one night only bubble allowed me to open my heart and mind to her. It almost makes no sense, but I’ve never felt closer to a woman than I have with her. Having her here as an employee is messing with me, to be honest. For the past week, Mikey, Kit, and I have all worked together to make sure Mikey’s departure to take over her parents’ much bigger winery goes smoothly.

  Am I disappointed that my partner of almost five years is ditching me to run a globally successful business? Yes and no. For one thing, she won’t be abandoning us completely. She has promised to help with bottling in the winter and with our ne
w section of Cabernet vines.

  The more time I spend with Kit, I realize that she has a vast knowledge of everything wine business. Mikey or I can tell her something and she either immediately absorbs it and applies it or takes it up a notch to make it better. She already has reorganized our tasting room and we now have two more tables for people to sit at and taste.

  It’s Monday which is the traditional winery day off. We are closed to the public so the day is less hectic but there are always things to do here. I spent most of my day sending invoices, paying vendors and doing payroll. I like all of the busy work of owning a business. This is good because Mikey is allergic to it. My favorite thing about the Thirsty Monkey? Designing and rendering all of the marketing materials. Every wine bottle has a Sebastian original on it. I paint, draw or design on a large scale and then we shrink it down to create something special to go along with the Pinot Gris, Cabernet, or Moscato bottle. Our wines have won awards but our labels have won even more.

  Art is my true passion and life’s work. I just happen to also love wine and be good at handling money. My two best friends, Joe and Frank, were with me at the School of the Arts in high school. They are talented musicians and I was there for fine arts. I went on to Stanford and they both went different routes. They are all coming up this Sunday for our end of the season picnic. November through March are pretty mellow times for us. We are still open but not nearly as busy. So, naturally, we have a party to note the end of the nuttiness that is spring, summer, and fall in the wine country.

  I lock up my office, grab a bottle of Cabernet from the bar and a glass and take them outside. It rained most of the week but it’s nice today. Seawitch follows me out and lays at my feet while I open the bottle and pour myself a healthy glass.

  “Care to share?” That sexy rasp kills me as I notice Kit walking to where I’m sitting. I nod and she pops into the tavern to get a glass.