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“Yes, we involve as few people as possible. Exporting the amount of wine we sell is very illegal. Often, we’ll also send other types of liquor, weapons and art. Never anything too—hectic.”
“Hectic?”
“Some of our rivals are involved in slavery, human trafficking—a much darker side to the underworld of the mafia. A side I have no wish to be involved in.”
She nods tightly, biting at her lip. The information seems to relieve her, but I know she still struggles a little with the fact that I'm mafia. Over time I hope she will see that, despite what I do, I am a good man—I am the perfect man for her.
The main reason I brought her here was because I know she’s uncomfortable with the illegal aspects of our family income. I wanted to make it clear to her that we aren’t up to anything cruel or evil, anything that would heavily taint my karma. Or hers, if she became more involved with me.
I’m just trying to get her to let her walls down and get to know me better. I know once she stops pushing me away, or holding me at a distance, she will see me for the man I can be for her. Because I can be everything for her.
We climb the ornate steps up towards the entrance of the old building. Creepers are growing up the bright white walls, adding to the ambience of the farm.
“This place is absolutely beautiful,” Tia says, looking around in awe.
“I rather enjoy it out here. Away from the city noise and smell. It’s peaceful. You can breathe some fresh air, enjoy the sky—"
“I love it,” she says excitedly. “Can we see where they make the wine?”
I didn’t expect her to be so curious about it all, but I’m pleased that she is. Her face is bright with happiness, a massive smile spread across her cheeks, and her eyes are shining. She’s wearing the necklace I bought her. It’s glittering in the sunlight, but her eyes are still the most beautiful thing shining and catching my attention.
“Come on, let’s do some wine tasting first—then I’ll take you down to the cellars and you can see the wine barrels and the entire fermenting process.”
Tia can’t seem to get enough of the beautiful vineyards. The sun is shining perfectly above us, creating the most gorgeous day for a wine tour.
We are sitting outside on the large wooden deck, overlooking the rows and rows of grape vines. She swirls the dark red wine in her glass, watching as it stains the inner wall and then flows back down, then tilts it towards her nose and gently breathes it in.
“I can smell—is that oak? And—wait—I think itscranberry?” she grins, hoping she got it right.
I chuckle. “You’re pretty good at this. Cranberryandmulberry.” I sip the wine, letting it wash over my tongue before I swallow it.
“You aren’t supposed to swallow,” she laughs, her cheeks pink from the wine.
“I don’t always do what I’m supposed to do. Besides. You’ve swallowed every time.”
Her eyes grow wide with the naughty thought that immediately infiltrates her mind.
Swallow. Not spit.
I chuckle and shake my head.
Then, because I’ve wanted to do it all day, I lean towards her and kiss her. Gently, slowly. She seems to stiffen, freezing beneath my lips, nervous and tense. I don’t stop, though. I keep my lips pressed against hers, feeling the softness of her mouth, tasting the red wine on her tongue.
I lean back and stare down at her. Her eyes are wide and glittering wildly. I smile and pick up my wine glass again. “Alright. What can you taste in this one?”
After tasting the last four wines, we talk about which is our favorite and find that we both like the same one.
“I’ll have a crate sent to the house and stored in our wine cellar,” I confirm.
“Can we see the wine cellar here now?” she asks excitedly. “I’ve never been shown how wine is made before. It looks so fancy whenever I see massive wine cellars in movies.”
“Of course, come on. I didn’t take you for much of a movie watcher. When do you find the time?”
”I really like movies. But in all honestly, I've only had time to see one or two a year lately,” she laughs.
I slide off my seat and hold my hand out to her. She places hers in mine, and I lead her through the building towards the cellar doors and down the massive stone steps, our feet echoing against the stone ceiling.
The soft orange glow of the lighting above us creates a romantic atmosphere in this stone cave.
