Page 10 of Love on the Vine
How had I convinced myself that having my childhood friend’s daughter spend an entire summer at my place wasn’t going to be a problem? I hadn’t even given it a second thought since Christmas. Had pushed it completely from my mind until Olivia had contacted me a week ago. Even then I’d somehow managed to convince myself that I’d imagined my attraction to her.
But if she went wandering around like that every day, this was going to be a long fucking summer. It was going to be torture.
“Wow. This is amazing,” she said as she spun around taking in the freshly cleaned room that Chantal, my housekeeper, had prepared earlier. I occasionally hosted clients here and had hired an interior decorator to spruce up the place. She’d gone for aluxe bohemianstyle—whatever the fuck that meant—and damn if it didn’t look like it had been made for Olivia, from the soft white linens and the canopied bed to the antique kilim on the floor and the watercolor sketches on the wall.
Olivia ran her hands over the coverlet and made a little moaning sound that made me wonder if she sounded like that when she came. I tried not to notice how her breasts bounced as she raised her arms over her head and flopped backward onto the bed. But judging from the way the blood went rushing to my cock, I wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
So I forced myself to think about her father.
She looked nothing like Ben. Thank God. He’d always been charming in a blond, Midwestern sort of way and, as a varsity baseball player, he’d gotten his fair share of girls back in high school while I still had my nose buried in comic books or hidden behind my camera. But he was never the best-looking guy in school. His daughter, however . . .
“This is gorgeous, Jake. Like a five-star hotel only cozier.” She leaned up on her elbows and beamed up at me. With a strength I didn’t know I possessed I willed my eyes not to drift down her body.
“So where’s the kitchen?” Her blue eyes twinkled.
“I’ll show you.” Thankful to get away from the bed, I practically raced back to the main house. Olivia followed me through the glass doors into the kitchen, and her gasp of pleasure had my entire body tensing again.
“This is bigger than my apartment! Ooh, are those copper?” She practically squealed as she stared up at the old pots andsauté pans hanging above the center island. When she glided her hands across the marble countertop and sighed, I turned away.
“Feel free to use the kitchen as much as you like.” I continued through the alcove to the living room. “There’s a TV here, but everyone your age watches YouTube, right?”Yeah, grandpa, that’s what kids are doing these days.
She frowned at the last remark. I suppose it was insulting. She was an adult. Barely. “I prefer to read actually.” She wandered back into the kitchen and trailed her fingers over the countertop, smiling back at me again. “Honestly, I can’t believe I get to live in such a beautiful place for the summer. Thank you so much, Jake. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”
I wasn’t used to so much unfiltered honesty and enthusiasm. I didn’t know what to do with it, so I brushed it off. “Not necessary. Your dad got me out of trouble so many times when we were kids; I’m happy to return the favor.”
Olivia leaned against the counter in a pool of sunlight and closed her eyes. My gaze wandered over her again. This time I couldn’t fight it—imagining the heat of her skin through that flimsy top as I ran my hands over the curves of her breasts. I fisted my hands and opened the fridge searching for something cold to drink.
“So what do you want me to help you with while I’m here?” she asked.
“You don’t have to do any work for me. Just enjoy yourself.” I poured both of us a glass of sparkling water.
Her face fell. “Oh, I don’t mind. I’d like to learn more about wine. Anyway, what else would I do? It’s not like I have any friends here.” She slid her hand in her pocket like she was looking for something. “Oh right, no phone. I wanted to show you this app that a friend of mine developed. I used it for thearchives at the law firm, and I think it would help with your inventory. I can show it to you on my computer.”
Shit, well now I felt like a complete ass. She’d given this project thought. Spending the next few weeks in proximity to her might send me over the edge, but she sounded so damn eager to help. “If you really want to work, I’ll see with Jin. I know he’s expecting some deliveries this week.”
“Did I hear my name?” I cringed as Jin’s voice filled the room, remembering too late that I’d never told him about Olivia.
He clasped his hand to his chest as he approached, snatching off his yellow sunglasses. During the week, Jin dressed in sober, expensive suits, but on the weekend, he preferred a monochromatic look and had a full ensemble for every color of the rainbow. Today, he looked like a lemon tree had exploded all over him. Weekend Jin was a lot to take in, and Olivia blinked at him in surprise then broke into the most irresistible smile.
Jin continued to study her over lowered glasses. Then he turned to me with a reproachful glare. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me! Who is this?”
I’d avoided mentioning Olivia to Jin because I honestly hadn’t thought about the ridiculous promise I’d made to her all those months ago. Now I realized how foolish that was since Jin would wonder why I’d withheld this information from him. He’d been on me about my lack of a love life for the past year. “Jin, this is Olivia Peterson. She’s going to be helping us this summer. Olivia, this is my colleague Jin Zhao”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Olivia held her hand out while Jin stared at it like he’d never seen a hand before. He narrowed his eyes at me. “You said we didn’t need any help when I asked you if I could hire an assistant.”
“That’s what I was just explaining to Olivia. I’m trying to convince her to enjoy her summer and not feel obliged to workthe entire time.” Jin continued to stare at Olivia like she was from another planet.
“Oh, no, no, no. I need help.” His gaze wandered from her toes to her baffled face. “Especially from Elizabeth Taylor here. I approve.”
“Jin,” I admonished as Olivia’s cheeks pinkened.
“What? Is it wrong that I’m happy to have an attractive assistant?” He rolled his eyes.
“First of all, she’s not your assistant. But, if she’s willing, she can help you with the inventory. Maybe even go with you to Burgundy.” Normally, Jin worked exclusively in our Asian offices, but this summer he was handling visits to our local producers.
“And will she be assisting you in any way?” Jin winked at me, ignoring my irritated glare.
“I’m happy to help however I can,” Olivia said.
