Page 1 of Empire of Seduction

one

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Maggie

Fiorentino Winery, New York

My life was destroyedon a cold Tuesday morning.

The winery’s senior team was discussing a new promotion idea in the tasting room. Our events coordinator, Celeste, wanted to combine a winter sleigh ride with a behind-the-scenes winery tour, which seemed harmless at first. But as our vigneron, the person responsible for the grapes, I didn’t like the idea of horses and sleighs tramping around on the grounds during the winter. Bruce, our vintner, shared the same concerns.

My older brother, the other half of the Fiorentino Winery ownership, needed to stop staring into space and weigh in. “Mikey,” I said, kicking him gently under the table. “What do you think?”

“Hmm?” He glanced up. His eyes were rimmed red, like he wasn’t getting any sleep. “Oh, sure. I like that idea.”

I frowned and considered kicking him again. “Which idea?”

“The one we’re talking about.”

“The sleigh ride, you mean?”

He dug the heels of his palms into his eye sockets, rubbing. “Right. The sleigh ride. Celeste, I don’t think we’ll get enough snow for a reliable sleigh ride. We’re better off running some dining promotions during February.”

“We could do a cart when there isn’t enough snow,” Celeste tried.

“Which isn’t nearly as sexy,” I countered. “But I like that you’re thinking out of the box, Celeste. That’s usually my style.” My brother didn’t even crack a smile.

“What if we partner with one of the nearby ski resorts?” Celeste asked. “We could offer up some kind of winter package to boost traffic.”

Mikey remained silent, staring through the winery windows, so I said, “I like it. Good idea. We can buy more fire pits, if we need.”

We updated each other on a few other matters, then ended the meeting. Celeste left, but Bruce stayed back. He’d been here as long as I could remember, working with my dad to build up the Fiorentino brand of wines. “I want to check the flavor profile of those new reds today or tomorrow, if you’re available,” he said.

“Sure.” I cast a worried glance at Mikey. “Let me tell the guys to put more mulch down today and then I’ll be over.”

Bruce nodded and walked out, leaving me alone with my brother. I sipped my coffee and waited for him to acknowledge me. Seconds dragged on and I couldn’t take it any longer. “Mikey, what the fuck? What’s going on with you?”

He blinked, still avoiding my eyes. “Nothing. Why?”

“You’ve been acting weird all week. Tell me what’s going on.”

Mikey was three years older than me and we’d grown tight these last few years. Our parents were killed in a car accident when I was a senior in high school and, except for our AuntHelen, we were the last of the Fiorentinos. When Aunt Helen retired to Florida two years ago, Mikey and I learned to rely on each other.

Everything had been fine until he came back from his weekend trip to the Hudson Casino yesterday. Mikey and I tried to stagger our rare breaks from the winery, so I’d taken my trip to the casino resort the weekend before. The two days I spent there had been perfect: good food, pampering, sleeping in, and the fucking of a lifetime. No lie, it took me a full forty-eight hours to recover from that sexy Italian man I picked up in the casino bar.

I mean, I like sex a lot, but this guy?Whew. He wore me out—which I didn’t mind in the least. Hooking up with strangers was much better than fucking guys here in Paesano. I was tired of bumping into men I’d been with everywhere I went in town. God knows I didn’t need more mess in my life. I was already chaotic enough.

“It’s nothing.” My brother scrolled absently on his phone. “Just some personal stuff.”

He sounded defensive. But Mikey was easy going, charming. Thoughtful and organized. Always knew the right thing to say. This was why he was good at the business side of the winery. I preferred plants rather than dealing with unruly customers.

“Can you give me a hint?” I asked. “Is it girl trouble? IBS? Seasonal depression? What’s going on?” I leaned in to stage whisper, “Chlamydia?”

“Jesus Christ.” He gave a strangled laugh and stood up. “Don’t be so dramatic, Mags. You don’t need to worry. Everything is fine.”

“Okay, okay.” Pushing to my feet, I shoved his shoulder affectionately. “You can talk to me, you know.”

“I know. And this isn’t a big deal.”

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