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A soft, pleased chuckle echoed on the other end of the line. “Darling, accept a little advice from a fellow shark who’s older, bigger, and meaner than you’ll ever be. Take the severance package and be grateful for it. Buy a cute little condo in that piss puddle hometown of yours and settle down with a nice guy. You won’t be working in Los Angeles ever again.”
The line went dead. Alanna stared at the phone as her world crumbled. Fresh Perspective, the company she’d built from the ground up, the company she’d given her whole soul to, had just been torn away from her.
No.The word crackled through her like lightning.
Alanna Sandoval didn’t give up without a fight.
Not now. Not ever.
“Fuck nice guys!” she hollered and whirled… right into Guy Next Door. The wine flew from her glass, soaking his shirt in the best damn malbec this side of California.
Ch. 5 Sully
FiveMinutesEarlier
Sully couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman by the window. The sun played across Alanna’s red lips and gently sloping nose. She sipped her wine like she knew what she was doing, like those people who said,I taste a complex bouquet of apricot and honey,and weren’t bullshitting.
As she stared out the window, her eyes softened, revealing a hint of vulnerability beneath her hard outer shell. A wistful smile touched her lips. He was done for.
“Don’t even think about it,” Hue said as he lifted his beer to his lips. “Alanna Sandoval will eat you alive.”
Without conscious thought, Sully stood from his chair.
Her phone rang, and Alanna turned to the device, her lips tightening. In a blink, the phone was at her ear and her eyes were widening.
“Sit down, you doofus,” Hue hissed.
Sully slid back into his chair, his cheeks warming. He took a sip of his wine, barely tasting it.
“Best decision you made all day,” Hue said and released a soft, satisfied burp. “Alanna Sandoval is not for the likes of us mortal men.”
Why did that only make him want her more? Sully didn’t mind holding off pleasure today for greater gains tomorrow. At six years old, he’d hoarded his allowance for an entire summer to buy a Batman Lego Expansion set. Ice cream truck be damned! But this was different.Shewas different. Sully felt drawn to her. He wanted her. Now.
“Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?” Alanna’s voice rose across the winery, causing several heads to swivel in her direction. She didn’t notice. The look on her face made Sully worry for the safety of the person on the other end of the line.
“Look at her go.” Awe tinged Hue’s voice as he watched the verbal evisceration occurring across the tasting room. Sully took a long draw from his wine glass, finishing its contents. Hue waved over a dark-haired server wearing suspenders.
“Thanks, Jax,” he said, sliding the bill to Sully. Hardly looking at it, Sully pulled out his wallet and dropped his card on the little tray.
Hue stretched his arms overhead and unleashed a happy grunt. “Forecast says we’ve got some late-season rain on the horizon. I need to clean all the rain gutters at my places.”
Sully barely heard his friend. Alanna still poured the rage of a thousand fiery suns into her phone, but her shoulders were beginning to hunch as if she were unconsciously trying to protect herself. Something deep and primal flashed through him, jolting awake his long-dormant inner caveman. Sully desperately wanted to jump up from the table and smash an imaginary club into the spleen of whoever was on the other end of her call.
The server, Jax, dropped a receipt on the table along with his credit card. Sully hadn’t noticed her leave.
“Nice having you over, boys,” she said. “Don’t forget to tip. I’m a poor college student trying to better my life.”
“Always a pleasure, Jax,” Hue responded, saluting her. When she strolled away, one empty wine glass and one empty beer bottle in hand, Hue turned back to Sully. “She’s cheeky, but I like her.”
Sully scribbled his name on the receipt and tossed a twenty-dollar bill into the dish.
Alanna still pressed her phone to her ear. Her eyes were glassy with rage, but Sully sensed another emotion brewing beneath the surface of her anger. Without knowing why, he felt convinced it was heartbreak.
His legs began moving, his eyes intent on the beautiful woman with the scarlet lips. He needed to help her. Do something. Anything.
“Oh shit, I can’t watch this,” Hue said behind him. “Sayonara, buddy.”
Alanna lowered the phone from her ear. The look in her eyes said her world was shattered. He stepped up next to her.I, Sully Brooks, will find a way to put your world back together,he thought. His mouth opened.
