Page 29 of Broken By the Bratva

I felt the thickening of the atmosphere around us as he breathed into my ear. The way we were standing was very intimate, I could almost feel his heart beating against my back. Coming in closer, he placed his hands over mine. Pulling the club back, we swung at the ball together.

We stood frozen watching the ball roll towards the hole. It stopped inches away from its goal. Beaming, I pulled out of his grip and went to the ball. Tapping it lightly, it entered the hole. Holding the club above my head, I jumped up and down. “I sunk it in two shots,” I hollered.

“Yes, very nicely done,” Vadik commented as he picked up our balls and headed to the next one.

The next couple of holes went quickly as I got better with each hit. Once we reached the last hole, I almost caught up with Vadik’s points. If I sunk the last ball with one shot, I would win the game.

Calculating the angles, and timing my swing, I hit the ball with confidence. It was the perfect shot. I stood amazed as the ball ran along the course and sank. “I win, I win,” I huffed turning in a circle. “No who’s playing bad?” I added walking proudly towards Vadik.

Vadik laughed heartily as he shook my hand. “You sure did, well done,” he said. “Now let’s go.”

After handing in the gear, we returned to the limo. “Please take us to the next stop,” I heard him telling the driver as I got in.

“Next stop?” I questioned him as he sat down beside me.

“Oh, yes, indeed we do,” Vadik replied tapping my knee.

“I thought the mini golf was our semi-date?” I added.

Vadik grinned. “No, we still have some things to do. The date was for the entire day. But don’t stress, you will enjoy the next one,” he replied.

Wondering what he meant, I watched as the scenery changed. The drive to our next stop was slightly longer than the first. Vadik opened the small fridge and took out a bowl. Opening it and holding it towards me, he spoke softly. “Some cheese, biscuits, or fruit?”

Looking into the bowl, I saw an assortment of snacks. I didn’t feel hungry, but looking at it, my stomach growled. Heplaced the bowl between us and had some cheese with biscuits. I ate some fruit and tried the cheese.

“Thank you, that was nice,” I said taking a sip of the bottled water. He had just placed the bowl back in the fridge when the limo slowed and came to a stop. Looking out the window, I knew what we were going to do.

My mood lightened. Smiling at Vadik, I could hear my tone rising as I spoke. “I’ve always wanted to come here, but never got the opportunity.” Bouncing in my seat, I opened the door and jumped out before he could even get out.

It was hard to keep my energy contained. I loved wines and visiting a wine tasting farm has always been a dream. Vadik joined me on my side of the limo. Grabbing his hand, I pulled him with as I practically stormed the doors.

“Slow down, there’s no need to rush. We will get there and can stay as long as you like,” he huffed reigning me in softly.

Biting my bottom lip, I glanced at him as I spoke, “Did you know that most people recommend this place? They say it has some of the best wine in the world, the world! Can you believe that?”

Vadik smiled and winked at me before replying. “Indeed, I have heard the rumors. It is why I thought of bringing you here so we can see if it’s true.”

The outside of the building had a wooden barrel kind of appearance. It actually looked like we were entering a giant wine barrel. Just inside the door was the reception desk. Vadik paid for our tickets, and the lady directed us to a door on her left.

Inside we were met by a tour guide. “Good day folk,” he said shaking Vadik’s hand. His voice was very high-pitched. It sounded like he swallowed a type of whistle or something.“Follow me as I take you through the history of the farm and our delicate wines.”

The introduction to the farm was enlightening. But when we got to the tasting part, I felt slightly overwhelmed. The tour guide explained how each wine was made, how long they had to stand, and how each was tested for quality.

Some were served with plates of cheese, biscuits, or sliced meats. These complimented the taste of the wines, which was very interesting to learn. We were about halfway through when the guide stopped and asked us if we wanted lunch.

I giggled softly as Vadik spoke to him. “Thanks, but we had something light on our way here.”

The guide nodded and proceeded to the other side of the building. Vadik leaned closer as we walked. “What’s so funny?” he asked softly.

Looking up at him, I whispered, not wanting the guide to hear me. “I was just thinking that there are so many wined to taste here. That if one had a glass of each, I was sure you would be leaving stone drunk.”

Vadik smiled at me shaking his head. Bumping at him lightly, I smiled back. The guide stopped and turned to us. “These last ones are the oldest and a selection of rare wines.” He said before heading through another door.

Once our tour was finished, I felt a little light. But I enjoyed it as I was less tense. The guide led us to the last room before the exit. Here, we could purchase some of the wines to take home. There were many people standing around waiting to be helped.

Against the two side walls were shelves filled with bottles of wine. Under each was a board with the name of the wine, thedate, and origin. We moved along the walls to decide which one we wanted.

Pointing to one that I particularly like, Vadik leaned in speaking softly. “You are more than welcome to take a bottle of each or a case.”

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