“This is your father’s will pertaining to the company. To be read three days after he was put to rest.” He cleared his throat. “Upon my death, my company, Winslow Wines, shall be given to my only child, Fiona Rose Winslow, to oversee and run to the best of her ability and to keep the family company for generations to come.”
“What?!” I exclaimed. “No. I’m moving to New York.”
“This is what your father wanted, Fiona,” my Uncle Robbie spoke. “If he didn’t think you could do it, he wouldn’t have put you in charge of something he built from nothing.”
“You have got to be kidding me.” I got up from my chair and paced around the office. “I don’t know the first thing about running a company.”
“I’ll be here to help you,” Uncle Robbie spoke.
“And what about the board of directors? Do you think they’re going to stand for this?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Devin spoke. “Your father was the majority shareholder, which has been passed on to you. They have no choice but to back you.”
“And if I don’t want it?”
“Then you can sell your shares, the company, and destroy everything your father worked so hard to build.”
Chapter 6
Fiona
Guilt. Pure guilt. That was what they were throwing at me. What the hell did I know about running a company? What if I failed and then I’d have to live with the guilt for letting my father down for the rest of my life. Was this something I could do? Hell if I knew. I was business smart. I always had been and I know that it broke my father’s heart when I refused to come work for him. But I was angry. Angry that he cheated on my mother, divorced her, destroyed our family, and married Rachel. The best way I could handle my anger was to distance myself from him. It was what I did. But then my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had to turn to him. He was there for me, helping me and my mom. He supported me through it all. He was the strength I needed to get through it when I had nobody else, and he was there for me when she died.
“Okay.” I sighed. “Where do I sign?”
Uncle Robbie looked at me with a smile and held out his hand.
“Welcome to Winslow Wines, Fiona.”
Placing my hand in his, I gave an unsure smile. I had a feeling my life was about to change drastically.
****
“I cannot believe you’re taking over your father’s company!” Lydia exclaimed.
Rolling my eyes, I spoke, “Me either.”
“Well, at least you’re staying in Cali and not moving across the country.” She smiled.
“True. Even though I was kind of looking forward to the change.”
“Thanks for dinner.” She got up from the booth and kissed my cheek. “I have to go get ready to meet Paul.”
“Are you nervous?”
“Hell yes, I’m nervous. I hate blind dates.”
“Then why did you agree to go out with him?”
“Because I’m desperate to find a man.” She pouted. “Spare me your lecture.” She put her hand up.
I laughed. “Call me tomorrow and let me know how it went.”
“I will. Talk to you soon.”
As I was finishing my drink, I gasped when a man slid into the seat across from me. Not just any ordinary man. The man with the dreamy eyes from the casino.
“Well, hello there.” He smiled. “Remember me?”
The corners of my mouth curved upwards as I pursed my lips.
“No.”
He narrowed his left eye at me and cocked his head. “You’re lying. Why not just admit that you remember me?”
“Wait a minute. You’re that guy who took my seat at the casino and refused to get up.”
“And you’re that girl who told me no and then proceeded to beat the hell out of someone’s beautiful car in the parking garage.” He smirked.
Damn, he was sexy. Wow. I looked down because I swore I was dripping out of my panties. Black designer tailored suit. Expensive, may I add. Hair perfectly styled. Five o’clock shadow that I loved on men so much. But he was full of himself and cocky as shit. Two things I hated most.
“So why did you do it?” he asked as he took the glass from my hand and took a sip of my drink.
“Excuse me. Get your own drink.” I took my glass back from him and he grinned.
“All I wanted was a taste so I’d know what you were drinking. Vodka on the rocks. Interesting. Again, why did you do it?”
“He was cheating on me.” I smiled.
“Why on earth would anyone cheat on someone as beautiful as you?”
Don’t. Don’t. Don’t fall for it. He’s a player.
“Apparently, he’s into redheads.” I arched my brow.
“What a shame and what a fool.”
“Are you here alone?” I asked.
“No. I’m with that woman over there.” He pointed to a few tables over. “We just were seated and I glanced over and saw you sitting here alone. I thought I’d stop over and say hi since we already knew each other.” His grin widened.
Nice. Another typical asshole.
“We don’t know each other. We exchanged a few words and that was it.”
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Lucy Collins.” I smiled. That was my go-to name when I didn’t feel comfortable giving a guy my real name if I suspected he was a creeper or just an asshole.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Lucy.” He got up from the booth.
“Excuse me. Aren’t you going to tell me your name?”
“No.” He smiled as he walked away.
I watched him as he took a seat at his table. Jerk. Sighing, I threw down some cash and headed home. Tomorrow was my first day at Winslow Wines and I needed to make sure I was well rested.
****
Nathan
Sitting at my desk, I yelled for my assistant, Kylie, to come into my office.
“Yes, Nathan?”
“I want you to find out everything you can about a woman named Lucy Collins. I want an address, phone number, place of employment, etc.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
I was up all night thinking about her. Our small conversation and the way her smile made my cock twitch. Her long blonde hair and the baby blue eyes that twinkled when she looked at me. She remembered me the minute I sat down, yet she played it off as if she didn’t. She was feisty. Someone I was up for taming. One night with that beautiful woman and I’d have her in the palm of my hand.
“Hey, Nathan,” my right hand and best friend, Will, spoke as he stepped into my office.
“What’s up?”
“Christopher Winslow passed away a few days ago and word is that his company is in real trouble.”
“Trouble how?”
“In debt up the ass, problems with the vineyards, low inventory and, from what I hear, vendors are threatening to cancel their accounts.”
“Hmm. Who’s taking over the company? Or are they closing their doors?” I leaned back in my chair.
“I don’t know. But what I do know is that a takeover is probably the best thing.” He smirked.
“Do some more research. Get the numbers and we’ll meet. I’ve always wanted to dabble in the wine business.”
“On it.” He began to walk out. “By the way, I ran into Lindsey last night. She told me to tell you that you are a no good, lousy piece of shit cocksucker and she hates you.”
I shrugged. “What else is new?”
Just as he walked out, Kylie walked in.
“Here’s what I could find on Lucy Collins.” She handed me a printout.
“This birthdate puts her at forty-five years old. She isn’t forty-five and it says here she’s married. She’s not married.”
“Sorry, Nathan. That’s the only Lucy Collins living in Los Angeles.”
I sighed. “Thank you.”
A smile crossed my face as I sat there shaking my head. She lied to me about her name. Fuck, she just became a whole lot hotter.
/>
Chapter 7
Fiona
I took a seat in the chair behind the desk that my father had sat at for almost twenty-five years. Flashbacks of my childhood began to surface when I would come with him to the office sometimes after school or on Saturday afternoons.
“Are you all settled?” Uncle Robbie walked in, pulling me back from the past.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “I think I am. I was just remembering all the times I would come here as a kid.”
“Doesn’t seem all that long ago. Listen, Fiona, did your father ever talk to you about what’s going on with the company?”
“No.” I frowned. “Why would he?”
“He didn’t mention some of the problems to you?”
“Problems? What kind of problems?” I cocked my head.
“The company is in a bit of trouble.”
“Okay. Care to explain to me what kind of trouble?”
He sighed. “Your father has made some pretty bad business deals over the past couple of years. With the drought problem, we were having issues with the vineyard that supplies us with the grapes. Their costs went up, the quality went down, and your father didn’t like it. So, he made a couple of deals with some colleagues in the Asian market and it went bad. So bad that it cost the company millions of dollars. We are in the midst of financial ruin, Fiona.”
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me this before I took over?” I spoke in anger.
“Because this is your father’s company. The same company he built from a small loan from the bank all those years ago. He was trying to find new ways to save it.”
“Does Rachel know anything about this?”
“No. Your father never told her a thing. He didn’t want her to worry.”
“Yet he appoints me president and doesn’t give a damn if I worry?”
“He and I talked about it and he wanted the company to go to you. His only child. He was fighting like hell to keep the doors open. Winslow Wines was his dream. You of all people should know that.”
“I do know that!” I pointed at him. “It’s all he ever talked about. The nights he never came home because of some crisis. The vacations that were cancelled because he just couldn’t leave the business for a few days. The times he wasn’t there for my school functions, my dance recitals, my prom, because he was here. The time he got into a fender bender and my family’s life changed forever.”
“Your parents’ marriage was over way before he met Rachel.”
“Get me the reports and the files.”
“Sure thing.” He got up from his chair. “You’re a smart woman, Fiona, and this company needs you. You also need to remember that your father didn’t plan on dying and leaving you with this mess.”
“Just get me the files, Uncle Robbie.” I sighed.
Day one of my new position and already it was a clusterfuck. I couldn’t believe this. Picking up my phone, I dialed Lydia.
“What’s up, Fi?”
“Drinks tonight. Badly needed drinks.”
“Tough first day?”
“You have no idea.”
“Drinks it is, then. Pegu club around seven?”
“I will see you there.”
****
Halfway through the reports, I threw down my pen and rubbed my temples. Uncle Robbie wasn’t kidding. The company was in deep shit trouble. Stuffing the rest of the files in my bag, I hopped into my red convertible BMW, drove to Pegu, and slid into the chair across from Lydia. She cocked her head and narrowed her eye.
“You look exhausted. Was it that bad?”
Signaling for the waitress, I ordered an Earl Grey martini.
“Bad isn’t a strong enough word. Winslow Wines is in deep financial trouble.”
“Wow. How deep?”
“Ocean deep.”
“Shit. And your father knew?” She sipped her drink.
“One Earl Grey martini.” The waitress set the glass down in front of me. “Would you like to order something?”
“Yes. We’ll have the scallops, coconut shrimp, and an order of the chicken wontons.”
“Coming right up.” She smiled.
“Wow.” Lydia laughed. “Really?”
“What? I’m stressed, and I eat when I’m stressed. I’m going to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
After freshening up and making my way back to the table, I stopped. Dark gray designer suit, brown hair, perfect profile. Shit. It was him again and he was sitting in my chair.
“Excuse me, but that’s my seat.” I cocked my head as I stood there with my hands on my hips.
“Well, hello there, Lucy Collins.” He smiled as his dreamy brown eyes locked on mine.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m having drinks with my friend over there.” He pointed. “I happened to look over and I saw you and your lovely friend sitting down. I was on my way over to say hello when you got up to use the restroom. So, hello.”
“Hello.” I swallowed hard. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way, would you kindly remove yourself from my seat? And it looks like your friend over there is waiting for you to return.”
He stood up but didn’t move out of the way so I could sit down.
“He’s fine. He understands that talking to a beautiful woman may take some time.”
I gulped.
“I have a question for you.”
“You can ask me anything.” He smirked.
“Are you stalking me? Because this is the third time we’ve run into each other.”
He chuckled. “No. I’m not stalking you. It’s pure coincidence that we keep running into each other. Strange. Wouldn’t you say?”
“Very. Now if you’ll excuse me, I would like to sit down.”
“I’ll move in a second after you give me your phone number so I can call you and ask you out to dinner, Lucy.” The corners of his mouth curved upwards.
“You mean so you can call me and then sleep with me.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t say anything about sex, but if that’s what you would like, I am more than willing to oblige. I never turn down sex with a beautiful woman.”
“I’m sure you don’t.”
I stood there, assessing him. Studying him. Thinking of my next play.
“I’m sorry,” I pouted. “I lied to you. My name isn’t Lucy Collins.”
“Why would you lie about your name?” He cocked his head.
“Because a woman can never be too careful in this city. But since this is the third time we’ve run into each other and I can see that you’re truly a gentleman, there’s no need to lie anymore.” I held out my hand. “My name is Elle Hemsworth.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Elle.” He smiled as he placed his hand in mine.
When our fingers touched, I pulled back because something overtook me. A shock, a bolt, a jolt; fuck if I knew. All I knew was that his hand in mine was too much for my body to take. He was breathtakingly gorgeous but a total player. A womanizer. A user.
“Phone number?” he asked.
I gulped0 as I looked over at Lydia, who was holding a pen in her hand. Taking it from her, I jotted a number down on a white napkin.
“Here. Call me.” I folded the napkin in half and handed it to him.
“Oh, I will definitely be calling you.” He winked as he began to walk away.
“Wait,” I spoke and he turned around. “Your name?”
The corners of his mouth curved into a sly smile. “You’ll get my name when I call you.”
As he walked away and took his seat with his friend, I sat down and finished off my Earl Grey martini like it was water.
“Hemsworth? Really?” Lydia smirked.
“I had Chris on the brain.”
“He’s fucking hot as hell. I don’t understand why you won’t go out with him.”
“Because he’s a corporate ass. That much I can tell. I just got out of a bad relationship and I’m not about to hop into another one with a guy like him.”
/> “You don’t even know him. And who said anything about a relationship? The guy wants to take you to dinner.”
“And dinner leads to sex and sex leads to more sex and before you know it, a relationship is formed, and then he’ll cheat on me, being the womanizer he is. No thanks.” I smiled.
Lydia sat there shaking her head at me. “You have some serious issues.”
“You’re right.” I pointed at her. “I do and I have a failing company to get back on its feet. That’s the only thing I’m focusing on. I don’t need some sexy corporate ass distracting me. Now let’s get the hell out of here before he calls and finds out that I gave him a fake number.”
Chapter 8
Nathan
“And who was that beautiful creature?” Will smirked as I sat down across from him.
“A woman that I’ve run into three times now. A woman who gave me a fake name the last time I saw her.”
He laughed. “Classic. Did you get her real name this time?”
“I did and her phone number too.”
“You sure this time?” He chuckled while leaning back in his chair.
“Let’s find out.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed the number that was written on the napkin.
“Hello,” a rough voice answered.
“I’m calling for Elle Hemsworth.”
“Who?”
“Elle Hemsworth.”
“Sorry, but you must have the wrong number. I don’t know an Elle Hemsworth.”
“Thank you.” I glared at Will as I hung up. “That bitch.”
Will couldn’t stop laughing and it was pissing me off.
“Give up, Nathan. She clearly isn’t interested in you and she sure as hell knows what she’s doing.”
“Let’s go.” I got up from my seat and walked out of the bar.
When I got home, I walked into the living room and poured myself a scotch. Taking it out on the patio, I took a seat in the lounge chair facing the ocean. It was a calm, quiet evening except for the clusterfuck of things running through my head. She wore a navy blue tailored pantsuit and designer heels. Her blonde wavy hair hovered over her shoulders like a goddess’s. Her baby blue eyes were made up lightly with just the right amount of shadow and black eyeliner. Gorgeous. Cock raising. Stunning. She was smart. Smart as a whip. The car, the fake name, and a fake number. She wasn’t one to be toyed with and she was making that very clear to me. She was strong on the outside, but on the inside, she was broken. Frail. Fragile. Hurt. I couldn’t get her out of my mind. Not that night at the casino, not that night at the restaurant, and certainly not tonight at the bar. One taste of her and I would be satisfied. I loved challenges. I thrived on them. Now the problem was finding her again. I wasn’t worried. We had run into each three times already and another time was inevitable. Maybe her name, Elle Hemsworth, was real this time, but she didn’t trust me enough to give me her real number. Her ex cheated on her. She had trust issues. That douchebag ruined it for me.