St. Helena Vineyard Series_Sweet Satisfaction Read online

  Text copyright ©2018 by the Author.

  This work was made possible by a special license through the Kindle Worlds publishing program and has not necessarily been reviewed by Marina Adair. All characters, scenes, events, plots and related elements appearing in the original St. Helena Vineyard Series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Marina Adair, or their affiliates or licensors.

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  Sweet Satisfaction

  Lulu M. Sylvian

  Sweet Satisfaction

  By Lulu M. Sylvian

  Copyright © 2018 Lulu M. Sylvian

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This ebook is licensed for the original buyer only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people at sharing sites, loops, discussion boards or through other means. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Welcome

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Welcome

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome to the St. Helena Vineyard’s Kindle World, where romance is waiting to be uncorked and authors from around the globe are invited to share their own stories of love and happily ever after. Set in the heart of wine country, this quaint town and its cast of quirky characters were the inspiration behind my St Helena Vineyard series, and the Original Hallmark Channel movies, AUTUMN IN THE VINEYARD and SUMMER IN THE VINEYARD. I want to thank these incredible authors for spending time in St. Helena, and all of you readers who are adventurous enough to take the journey with us. I hope you enjoy your time here as much as we have.

  Warmly,

  Marina Adair

  Special thanks to Victoria R. for all the kitchen hierarchy, and chef type info I needed.

  Chapter 1

  Tori turned her head to look at the source of the rustling noise coming from the side stage area. Costumed performers shuffled around, waiting their turn on the stage—the curtained off area of the senior center’s cafeteria. There was no “back stage” since the draped fabrics hid a cinder block wall.

  Damn, he’s cute. Tori’s eyes landed again on the handsome man seated in the row behind her. Long black hair, regal nose. Even when she wasn’t trying to peak at him, her gaze was drawn to him.

  He turned to her. Drool pooled in her mouth as she made eye contact. His eyes were large and black, rimmed with llama-quality eyelashes. He smiled faintly and nodded his head, indicating Tori should nudge Erin next to her.

  Of course he wouldn’t be smiling directly at me. Tori let her face freeze in a kind smile that hid angst, annoyance, and animosity.

  She nudged Erin and jerked her thumb back over her shoulder. “You know him? He’s been staring over here and is trying to get your attention.”

  Erin shifted in her seat to see who Tori was talking about. “Oh yeah, that’s Les. He works in the restaurant at the Napa Grand Hotel. How do you know he’s been looking over here?”

  Because he is ridiculously handsome and I’ve been gaping at him. “Because the performers were scuffling about just past him and I was distracted”—by him—“so I wanted to see if Ali was in the line-up yet.” Tori didn’t admit that she had been feasting her eyes on him repeatedly since that first glimpse.

  Erin pointed to the opposite side of the stage. “I think she’ll come in from over there. I keep seeing big feathery things waft past.”

  The two hushed and faced forward as the next act took to the stage.

  A group of small girls who looked more like dandelion puffballs than ballerinas scampered to the center of the stage area.

  An over-enthusiastic father and other family members cheered every time one particular little girl did a twirl. Tori felt embarrassed for them. All the little balls of fluff deserved to be cheered on, but since they weren’t, those parents were just being obnoxious.

  Tori leaned over and whispered to Erin, “Is Ali really going to do a fan dance at a place that’s hosting a kiddie recital?”

  “Just watch. All of those people will disappear the second their little angels are done.”

  Erin was almost right. Most of the dancing fluffs were toted away once their show was complete. Tori only saw one little girl around after their number.

  Tonight’s event at the senior center was arranged to benefit the Rose Guild. The community showcase this month featured local dance groups. Last month apparently they had singers, and next month there was going to be an entire play. Tori’s purpose tonight was twofold: support her new friend Ali and see how Peaz’n’Karrit’s Farm could integrate with and contribute to the community more.

  The next group was costumed in traditional Italian dress. The women wore full skirts with bands of bright colors, white aprons, and white peasant blouses. The men wore black vests and black knee-length trousers, with brightly colored scarves knotted around their necks. They did a group couples dance to music that had too much accordion.

  Finally the group Tori and Erin were here to see! Ali had been taking burlesque lessons from Darla Potter, who’d decided to cash in on her infamous past and teach others the art of the tease. Three of her sassier students were ready to strut their stuff in public. According to Ali, the dancing was definitely more tease than bump and grind, but the music insinuated the latter.

  If they were supposed to give the impression they were hiding their nude bodies behind over large fans, they failed. Their costumes looked like plain cotton undies from the big-box store in Napa with stitched-on sequins. There was more fabric than the average tankini. The fans looked like DIY concoctions made with copious amounts of hot glue and marabou boas. Feathers flew off at an alarming rate.

  Tori gave her friend and her dance partners kudos for getting out there and performing, for learning something new, and for contributing to the enjoyment of their local arts community. So the fan dance wasn’t exactly expert level burlesque titillation, but it was bawdy fun.

  The last number of the night was a music video reenactment from one of Tori’s favorite rock bands. The song had been popular during her middle school years. She had been mercilessly picked on for being a boyband fan and carrying their faces emblazoned across T-shirts and binders. Yet more than half the “cool” audience sang along to the performance as the dancers on stage twitched around like marionettes. At last, the lights in the big room came back on. Tori stretched and twisted with a fake yawn as an excuse to look around for the attractive Les. He was setting up sample-sized treats at the Napa Grand Hotel’s display table. Local restaurants contributed the hors d’oeuvres and snacks on these monthly Community Showcases, giving them an opportunity to show off, just as the dancers had.

  Erin made some lame excuse about borrowing a book and left Tori alone in the middle of a row of chairs. She called BS, she was pretty sure Erin didn’t read. Tori yawned, a real yawn this time, and sat back down. Roses? BS? That gave her an idea that just might work. She pulled out her phone to look at the online invitation for tonight’s event. There it was, the name of the person she needed to find. She flipped through her phone’s apps and h
it the St. Helena’s Facebook page. A quick search and a little scrolling provided her with a face to go with the name.

  Using the phone camera as a mirror, she fixed her lipstick and fluffed her hair. Tori stood up and smoothed her dress into a semblance of not looking like she had been sitting in it for over an hour. She double-checked the photograph on Facebook one more time, took a quick glance around, and made a beeline for ChiChi Ryo, this year’s president of the Rose Guild.

  With both of her missions for the evening successfully completed, Tori sat in one of the chairs left out after the recital, now in a random mess of groups. Half of the audience had exited as soon as the show was over, while the other half hung around the snack tables. She didn’t blame them, especially with the reception spread provided by the Napa Grand Hotel and BoVine Ristorante.

  She closed her eyes and bit into a second mini cheesecake. The flavors delighted her tongue—a tangy cheesecake made with goat cheese accented with spicy pepper jelly. Oh, she was in a mouth-watering, delectable heaven.

  She heard a chair move and sensed a body nearby before a male voice caressed her ears.

  “You look like you are thoroughly enjoying that cheesecake bite.”

  Tori cracked her eyes open to glare at whoever had so rudely interrupted her cheesecake bliss. Her eyes instantly widened. It was the hot guy from earlier. Unable to answer with her mouth full, she shook her head. She swallowed hard, not wanting to rush her taste experience, but needing to answer before he got away.

  “Not enjoying, loving. I want to marry who ever made these,” Tori confessed.

  “Sight unseen?” he asked, his face breaking into a wide grin.

  Oh, he was cute. Nice teeth, great cheekbones, and the blackest eyes. A flush climbed up the side of her face. “They’re that good. I had no idea they were going to be so amazing, or I would have snagged at least one more.” She sighed forlornly. “But now there’s no way I’m even going to get near that table with all those people. And they’re probably all gone.”

  “If they mean that much to you, I can get you a couple more. I have an in with the chef.” His wink did funny things to her insides.

  When he returned he handed over a small plate with three more of the perfect savory cheesecake bites.

  “So you work with Erin?” Tori asked, torn between diving into the plate of goodies and chatting with this amazingly good-looking man. Unable to resist the siren lure of the treat, she took a small bite. She expected that he was one of the new waiters Erin kept talking about. Even if Tori still assisted with deliveries, she wouldn’t recognize him. She never saw anyone from the front of the house when she had helped Karen. Just Chef, Marc DeLuca—the owner—or whoever was in the kitchen, which usually meant Josh, which was why Tori no longer helped with deliveries.

  “Yeah, I’m the new dessert chef.”

  Tori choked on the small bite in her mouth.

  The chef patted her on the back. “You okay there?”

  “Yeah,” she squeaked out.

  He handed her the bottle of water he was drinking from, and she downed it, too concerned with her need to breathe to be worried about germs.

  “Erin said you were shy, and I should come over and say hi, give you half a chance. She didn’t tell me you would propose right off the bat.”

  Tori gave him a sardonic glare.

  “I’m Les. I am flattered that you like the cheesecake. And you are?”

  “I’m Toe.”

  “Toe? Like on a foot?”

  “No like Toe, you only get half my name, since I’m only getting half a chance.” She stood and began to move away. It was amazing how quickly a handsome man could lose his looks after he opened his mouth.

  “Can I make it up to you and get your full name with more cheesecake?”

  “You think I’m easily bribed with food?” Another asshat making assumptions because of the size of her butt.

  “Not food, cheesecake. You didn’t see your face.” He stood and leaned close to her ear. “I’ve seen plenty of people eating food they enjoy, but you’re the first person to have a near orgasmic experience white eating one of my desserts. That was positively R-rated.”

  Tori wasn’t certain if it was his proximity, the feel of his warm breath on her neck, or his words that made her shiver.

  “I’m playing with a lavender and honey-lemon cheesecake with an almond honey crust to add to the menu once lavender is in full season. You want to try it?”

  So he was the reason Penny had requested Tori start searching for organic culinary lavender so early in the season. The mischievous look on his face screamed seduction, She felt like a right ass jumping to conclusions. Her mouth went dry as her body betrayed her and every cell became fully aware that an incredibly good-looking, eye-candy quality of a man was literally breathing down her neck. Thank God for padded bras; she didn’t need him seeing her nipples standing at attention.

  “My name’s Victoria, but I go by Tori.” She found it hard to breathe but managed to gasp out the words.

  “Come by the hotel next week. My supplier said she would get me some fresh lavender by then. I’ll make you a sample, and you can tell me if it’s worth pursuing.” Les winked and left her standing there.

  Places in Tori’s body that she had been certain had dried up from lack of use pulsed back to life. Penny would gladly hand back the hotel deliveries… she had to. Tori not only wanted to sample Les’s cheesecake, she wanted to see all of his goods.

  Chapter 2

  The bins of fresh vegetables were delivered. Karen always came in the back door without much pomp and barely an announcement of her presence. Of course he was anxious for his order of edible flowers, especially the lavender. Last delivery, expecting to see Penny, he was pleasantly surprised to meet Tori again. Watching that girl eating cheesecake had crossed the line of family-friendly and into sinful. As the chef who’d made that happen, he was all kinds of smug. With a flush and a giggle Tori had reintroduced herself as his flower girl and promised she would have something for him at the end of the week.

  A loud “uhf,” followed by, “Oh no, oh no, oh no, crap,” dragged his attention away from his prep.

  Tori deposited the low crate of summer squash on the trestle table by the door with a “Whoosh.”

  “I thought you were my flower girl. What are you doing with those?”

  “She’s too big for a flower girl.” Stevens’ snide voice rang in from the other side of the kitchen.

  “Karen needed some help, so I got to handle the tray of green phallic veggies.”

  Les closed his eyes momentarily to stop laughter from bursting out. She had an evil sense of humor on her. She sorted thru the selection, lifting one bulbous zucchini from the lot. She eyed it with horror and distaste.

  “Oh no, take that foul beast away from me!”

  Les shook his head and laughed.

  “This one isn’t too bad.” The meaning of her commentary was anything but virtuous.

  “You wouldn’t know what to do with a dick that large if you ever saw one,” Stevens quipped.

  “Neither would you Josh,” Tori replied.

  She returned it and found another vegetable. From her lascivious expression, Les knew he was in for a raunchy comedy act.

  “Now this one is a bit more manageable.” She slowly lifted the long green vegetable, mimicking erect male anatomy.

  “You should know all about handling vegetables for personal pleasure. Huh, Tori? Not like you’ve had a real man.”

  “Stevens,” Les said with exasperation. The level of inappropriateness for a work discussion had veered well into the red zone with the penis jokes, but everyone was participating with good humor. Trust Stevens to turn it into some kind of personal insult.

  The zucchini in her hand lowered, still mimicking male anatomy, only now she pretended it was flaccid, swinging it back and forth.

  “Same could be said for you,” Tori bit back, not missing a beat.

  “Not exactly the inn
ocence one expects from a flower girl,” O’Connell laughed as she collected a bushel of tomatoes and hauled them toward the sinks.

  “Jenny, I lost my innocence carrying this crate of suggestive zucchini,” Tori responded. She held the zucchini as if it had regained its erect status. As Les watched, Tori lifted the zucchini and opened her mouth. She paused studying how to best fit it in, repositioning it and her head several times. She gave up and pretended to lick it up the side.

  Les chuckled.

  Tori wiggled her eyebrows at him. He lost his composure and roared with laughter. “You are wicked, woman.”

  “Gah, drop a house on her already.” Stevens continued to contribute his kill-joy commentary.

  Tori air kissed the tip of the zucchini and tossed it back in with the rest of them. “Don’t make me sic my flying monkeys on you.”

  “They gonna fly out your fat ass?”

  “Stevens, enough,” Les barked. “I’m sorry. He ruined the fun.”

  “He always does. Come.” Tori beckoned Les to follow her. “I have something for you.”

  Les wiped his hands on a small towel and followed her to the loading dock. His gaze fell to her ass and hips as they swayed in front of him. Larger than what he was used to, but damn if the junk in her trunk didn’t demand his attention. He cleared his throat and shook his head to clear his mind.

  Tori stood next to the open van, posed like some TV spokesmodel, and swept her hands into a “tah-dah” presentation.

  His face split with a grin.

  Tori was his flower girl, all right, and she more than delivered. Flats of assorted flowers filled the back of the van. He ignored her as she took a few pictures of the flowers in the van.

  Purple and white pansies and princess flowers, fuchsia and purple bachelor buttons, sky blue borage, and a selection of bright marigolds sat happily in tiny pots.

  “I wasn’t sure how many you wanted or if you had a specific kind you were in need of, so I cornered the market on what my guy had.”