She shakes each of our hands, and I glance at Liam, confused. Who the hell are the Smiths?
Liam leans over and whispers, “You know, the Smiths, like in the movie.” I laugh. It was the movie we watched on the plane ride over, although there wasn’t much watching, since we couldn’t keep our hands and mouths to ourselves.
“Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice,” Liam tells her, quickly shaking her hand and then wrapping his arm around my waist. “My wife loved your 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, and when she suggested we buy a case, I figured what better way than to fly over and visit the estate ourselves.”
He glances over at me and kisses my cheek, and I damn near turn into a puddle right here on the sidewalk. I know he’s just playing up the whole Mr. and Mrs. Smith cover story to hide his true identity, but the idea of being his wife has me feeling giddy, which is probably not a good thing since we just met and have no future.
“How wonderful,” she says, as another woman makes her appearance. She’s a few years younger than Patricia and dressed the same. “This is my daughter, Suzanne. She will be your sommelier today. Any questions you have, she’ll be able to answer.”
“Thank you,” Liam says.
After Suzanne gives us the history of the vineyard, we take off on a golf cart through the vineyards. She tells us how they grow the grapes, goes into detail about the different varietals and the blends they make, and walks us through the process. I’m so caught up in all of it, I almost forget to take pictures, until Liam reminds me.
“This is so cool,” I tell him. “Thank you.”
He leans over and kisses my lips. “You’re very welcome.”
After the tour is done, we head inside for the tasting, and it’s then I realize nobody else is here but us. “Liam, did you rent this entire place out?”
He simply nods like it’s no big deal. “I told you I would handle it,” he murmurs, threading his fingers through mine.
We enter the tasting room and Suzanne presents us with several different wines to taste. They’re all delicious, but for dinner we go with their estate reserve Syrah. Liam insists we purchase a case of their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to take home since I loved them both.
I assume we’re heading to the dining room, so I’m confused when instead Suzanne takes us up a flight of steps and opens a door that leads to… a room?
“I thought we could have a private dinner,” Liam explains, pulling me into the room and closing the door behind us. He backs me up against the wall and presses his body to mine. He tastes sweet and fruity like the wine we’ve been drinking.
I go to unbutton his shirt, but he pulls away, shaking his head. “Dinner first,” he insists, guiding me over to a table and chairs situated on a large terrace overlooking the vineyard. There are two silver domes covering ceramic plates on the table, along with the bottle of wine we chose, and two glasses.
My heart swells inside my chest and for a brief moment I wonder how I’m going to go back to my normal life when Liam leaves. I’ve never been high-maintenance. I only started understanding and buying expensive clothes after working at the bordello and Cecilia insisted it was necessary. The bordello would cover the costs and over time I became accustomed to wearing nice clothes. But aside from that, I’m a simple woman. I enjoy writing and taking pictures. I work out every day to stay healthy and fit. On my days off, I hang out with some of the women who work at the bordello, lounging by the pool.
As I sit down, with Liam of course pulling my chair out for me, I come to the conclusion that it’s not about the money he’s spending, it’s about the time we’re spending together. Before him, I didn’t realize just how lonely I’ve been—closed off from the rest of the world. I’ve been so focused on healing from my past and creating a healthy future, I forgot to actually enjoy myself.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Liam asks, pouring us each a glass of wine.
“I’m having a really good time. You know how to treat a woman.”
He chuckles softly. “Well, that’s good to know, because I’m honestly winging it.”
“Whatever.” I scoff.
“I’m serious.” He pulls the domes off the plates, revealing our dinner. “Because of my family’s line of work, I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to date. My family is kind of… umm… strict.” He rubs the back of his neck, his cheeks tinting a slight pink like he’s embarrassed. It’s a side of him I haven’t seen yet and it’s adorably sexy.