Mr. Pink

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Veronica shoots me a glare as I enter the banquet hall where the tasting is taking place. I don’t have to look at my watch to know I’m exactly thirty-two minutes late. I timed it that way, heading up to the penthouse suite after I left the bar and pouring myself another bourbon. A little rougher than the Van Winkle 25, but Miles stores my only bottle of that in the safe behind the bar.

Maybe I should have taken a walk, because all I did while I was killing time, was go over every movement the stunning redhead downstairs made. The way her chest rose when she caught me staring. The demure cross of her legs, the strength of her grip on the crystal. The sweep of her lashes when she dropped her gaze. I’m captivated by the memory of her as I stare out over the city. I still hear her voice, ringing in my head like a siren, and if I’m smart, I’ll lash myself to the mast like Ulysses, because I’m quite sure if I hear that husky lilt another time, I’ll be powerless to walk away.

“Veronica,” I murmur, dragging myself back to the present and giving her a kiss on the cheek the way she likes. f*****g diva, acting like royalty. I don’t know how Nico stands it.

She shoots icy daggers at me, the kind that can freeze your balls. “It’s about time,” she snaps. “Did Nico show you who’s on the list?”

“He only just walked up, darling,” Nico answers, clearly pissed.

Veronica turns her wrath to Nico. “And if you’d been doing a better job of keeping tabs on your brother this wouldn’t have happened.”

Declan, my twin, raises an eyebrow and turns his face away before Ronnie can see his smirk. At least I’ll have a conspirator tonight. Dec’s a little more political than I am. He gives all the f***s I don’t, and so far, he’s managed to work that to his favor, both with our parents, and in his life. s**t just seems to happen for him. And I’m happy for him. I have no need to be jealous of his success. He’s driven in a way I’m not. He clears his throat, turning back to Ronnie. “Calm down, Ronnie. Jason’s a sneaky bastard. You can’t blame us for not knowing. We took him at his word when he said he was through with the wine industry.”

“Will someone explain to me what’s going on?” I growl, ready to ditch everyone and head back upstairs. Or better yet, see if Gorgeous Redhead is still hanging around the bar.

Nico thrusts a pamphlet my direction. “Page three.”

I flip it open, and there, underneath the heading “Moonbeam Acres”, is my half-brother Jason’s name. Listed as associate winemaker. I huff out a laugh, shaking my head. “Dad’s gonna s**t his pants.”

“Ya think?” Declan chuckles.

“Okay, so Dad’s gonna freak. But honestly, what’s the big deal?” I glance at the pamphlet again. Prairie, Kansas. “It’s not like Kansas is the Napa of the Midwest.” Even I know enough about winemaking to know that nothing notable comes from Kansas. “If Jason wants to go play winemaker east of Egypt, what’s it to us?”

“The Case family name,” Nico grits. “People expect a certain quality when they see our name. He’s undermining us.”

I snort. “Isn’t that going a little far?” There’s a reason I prefer beer and spirits to wine. It all tastes like grape-juice to me.

“This is a matter of family honor,” he blusters. Beside him, Veronica’s red pouty lips pull deeper into a frown. She’s had it in for Jason ever since she ditched him for Nico, but as far as I’m concerned, they’re all assholes.

I try, but don’t quite succeed at not rolling my eyes. I can’t believe I gave up Reservoir Dogs and a drive along the 101 for this. “Great. So what’s the plan?”

“We work our way around the room like we planned,” Veronica says.

Of course that’s her plan. She wants to see how the other wines stack up against Jason’s so she can use that as ammo. Acid rises in the back of my throat. She really is a b***h, and I have half a mind to go find Jason and give him a head’s up. Once upon a time I worshipped the ground he walked on, but that was before he bailed on us. And I’m not about to insert myself in the middle of family drama, because that would make life anything but headache free.

“I have plans later, so if we’re going to taste, let’s get going,” prods Dec.

Plans, huh? Declan keeps an apartment in the city, and I’d bet even money he’s got a plaything in bed anxiously awaiting his return. Maybe two.

I trail after the three, not making any attempt to mask my boredom. Rows of winemakers waiting for a chance to pour their best juice. Hopeful expressions that say they’re hoping to be discovered. And I get that. One good write-up, one social media influencer gushing about so-and-so’s best kept secret, and their stock could be sold out in less than an hour. I should give lots of shits about this, but I don’t.

I smile at a young woman with t**s for days and hold out my glass. I should flirt with her, chat her up, but all I can think about is peeling back the black lace dress of a certain redhead. One I’ll likely never see again, I remind myself. I should go for the low hanging fruit, but it suddenly seems less appetizing.

We make our way around the room. I hold out my glass for pours from pretty ladies, but to be honest, aside from sweet or dry notes, it all tastes pretty rank to me. I glance down at the pamphlet. Moonbeam Acres is three away. I hang back, wanting to stay above the fray. Nico, Jason and Veronica together in the same room is like a bad chemical spill, and I want to stay as far away from that as possible. Until I catch a glimpse of fiery hair. It’s her. I straighten and push forward. So she was here for the tasting, too? My day just got a helluva lot luckier. But as I approach, Nico, Veronica and Jason are already at it. Their booth is crammed full of people. The man Jason’s age looks faintly familiar, but I can’t place him. Gorgeous and another blonde, along with an older guy have closed ranks around a third woman with yellow corkscrew curls. There’s definitely a standoff going on, but I only have eyes for Gorgeous, and my feet pull me forward as I catch the tail-end of something Jason’s saying. “Just being an asshole.”

“Who’s being an asshole?” I ask, keeping my eyes locked on Gorgeous. Her eyes flash as she meets mine.

“Your brother,” she spits out in that husky voice that buzzes through me like an electric shock.

“Well aren’t you a sweet, spicy thing?” I shoot back, unable to hold back a smile. I’m skating on thin ice here, but the way her eyes light as she directs her ire at me says she’s ready for a lot more than verbal sparring.

“I don’t let my friends swing in the wind,” she snaps with a glare.

While I don’t have a ferociously loyal bone in my body, Gorgeous here, wears that trait well. So well, arousal pumps through me.

Nico points to the display board. “Take a look at the photos of the vines. I think you’ll be surprised by what you see.”

I flash Gorgeous my most charming smile. “Excuse me, princess.” She carries herself more like a queen, but I’m curious to see how she’ll respond. She seems like the kind of woman who’d take offense to that kind of endearment. “I’d love to stay and chat, but duty calls.”

I’m not disappointed. She trails after me as I join Nico who’s studying a photo of grape vines. “You don’t know the first thing about duty.”

Feisty little thing. I like her passion, and naturally, my thoughts turn back to a more… pleasurable form of it. Is she the kind of woman who mutters filthy things before she comes? Does she scratch? Or bite? Or does she hold it all in and then lets go with the magnitude of a 7.8 earthquake? My balls ache with the desire to know.

Nico hands me a photo. “See that notch in the left lobe?” His voice vibrates with outrage.

I recognize the leaf. It’s our family’s proprietary strain of cabernet franc grapes, and it’s all over our vineyard. I may not pay attention to much where our wine is concerned, but it’s been drilled into me since before I was a teenager how special this vine is. “Where did these come from?”

“Obviously, they were stolen.”

That’s quite an accusation. Even from my brother. And the irony isn’t lost on me that Nico of all people is accusing Jason of stealing something.

“The question is when and by whom?” Nico continues.

Jason’s hand fists, and for a second, I wonder if my brothers are going to come to blows. It wouldn’t be the first time one of us has pushed Jason too far.

But I’m much more interested in figuring out how Gorgeous is connected to this bunch. She can’t be friends with Jason, so she must know the winemaker, which I’m guessing is the curly-haired blonde, judging from the stricken look on her face, and the fact that Gorgeous and the other blonde have gone honey badger on us. But then how in the hell does she know Miles?

“Austin, find Dec. We need to lodge an official complaint,” Nico orders, spinning on his heel. I wink at Gorgeous and follow, but I have no intention of getting embroiled in this fight. Nico can fight his own battles with Jason. That’s one family fight I’m not taking sides on.