Livvie had set her alarm for four-thirty the next morning, making sure she had time for a shower before meeting Drake in his vineyard. At least she assumed she was meeting Drake in his vineyard. When she had arrived at her room the night before, there had been a note under her door from Mr. Birkshire, informing her to be ready by 5:30 a.m. for a vineyard tour. But after choosing Plan B instead of Plan A, she might not be meeting Drake after all.

Last night had been complete torture. No matter how she looked at it, if she slept with him, she’d never hear from him again after this week, and if she denied herself and didn’t sleep with him, she still wouldn’t hear from him after this week. Both thoughts depressed her terribly. She obsessed over her decision until three in the morning. She had never tossed and turned so much in her entire life.

What made the situation even worse was that she kept listening for Drake to open his bedroom door. She desperately wanted to call Carly, but Livvie was afraid Carly would tell her that she had made the wrong decision. Because in the grand picture of Livvie’s life, did it really matter? One way or the other, after this week, he’d be out of her life for good.

She also regretted leaving her vibrator at home. He had gotten her all worked up and then…nothing. When she heard him finally open his bedroom door at around 2:00 a.m., she succumbed to using her finger. She came instantly, thinking about everything that could have happened but didn’t.

Livvie sighed as she closed her eyes and allowed the hot water from the shower to drip down her body. The water felt good, but Drake’s tongue would have felt much better. Livvie immediately opened her eyes. Where had that thought come from? She couldn’t think that way. It would only lead to her destruction, and hadn’t men already done enough damage? As much as she wanted to let go and have fun with Drake, she couldn’t. Her heart couldn’t take any more. And Drake was obviously a player and a charmer.

The shower wasn’t helping like she’d hoped it would. Quickly, she washed her hair and body and turned off the water. And as she stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the enormous, fluffy white towels, she realized what she really feared. What if Drake acted all weird when she saw him? What if he no longer had any intention of seeing her and had one of his employees give her a tour? Men usually acted all weird when they were rejected, and according to Drake, she was the first woman who had ever rejected him. She wished she had that kind of luck when it came to men.

Holding the towel close to her heart, she sighed. She loved the feel of the cozy cotton against her skin. She would definitely have to ask Mr. Birkshire where they had bought them. The bathroom was beautiful, too. She loved all the white marble, and the crystal chandelier was gorgeous. Maybe if she took a picture, she could try to design this look as closely as possible in her own home. First, though, she needed to find another job, so she could afford it.

With her towel fully wrapped around her, she opened the bathroom door and was about to walk out when she noticed a sticky post on the door. She read it quickly before holding it to her chest as if the note was sacred. Drake must have come into her room while she was in the shower. She could have sworn she had locked the door last night, but since this was his house, he must have the key. Still, she was surprised he had entered the room without her knowing.

With trembling fingers Livvie reread the note. It was instructions on how to find him in his vineyard. He said there was a path outside that she needed to follow.

Looking through her sundresses for the millionth time, she decided on her white one, a cotton dress with short sleeves and a low V in the front, showing some cleavage but not too much. It made her C-cup boobs look a little bigger. But she hoped she wasn’t playing with fire. After last night, she didn’t want him to think she had changed her mind and wanted to go with Plan A. She did, but having sex with him wasn’t coming from a place of intelligence, and Livvie prided herself on being intelligent. The back of the dress had a large black bow, which she quickly tied. Not wanting to be late, she slid on her white sandals and left the room.

Following his instructions, she found the cobblestone path, which led directly to him. And when she spotted him examining some grapes on the vines, she froze. Luckily, he hadn’t seen her yet, so she could observe him without his knowledge. Livvie was grateful she had these few minutes to stop and stare. Her eyes were more than content, taking in how gorgeous he was in his tight jeans and white polo shirt. His jeans weren’t too tight; they fit perfectly. Even though he looked casual, he still exuded strength and power. She always went for intelligent and ambitious men, but like Drake, they lacked in other ways that mattered. She just had to make sure she didn’t get close enough to smell him.

“Are you going to stand there all day staring at me, beautiful?” Drake looked up from what he was doing and smiled.

She smiled back, relieved he didn’t seem angry with her. He looked her up and down, making her feel like the most alluring woman in the world. Then he smiled at her again. She wanted him with every fiber of her being, even though he had devastated her last night by demanding she make a choice. Why wasn’t he willing to compromise? Livvie knew the answer, but it was hard to admit it to herself. Men such as Drake had money and power. They didn’t think they needed to bend. That was the difference between the two of them. She would have compromised. She would have thought of a way that worked for them both. Isn’t that what mature individuals did if they were clearly attracted to each other? But Drake didn’t compromise. And neither did Zach, for that matter.

“Hi, beautiful.”

Drake continued to smile, causing Livvie’s heart to thud.

“So you can call me beautiful, but you can’t kiss me good morning? On the cheek, of course.” Livvie said.

Drake’s smile faded.

“Oh, I can kiss you, but I won’t, especially on the cheek.”

They both stood there in a staring contest, and the sudden tension between them increased.

Drake inhaled. “Come, I’ll show you my vineyard.”

With the sun slowly rising, Drake walked over to Livvie and grabbed her hand. She guessed that holding hands was allowed. But feeling his hand in hers again jarred her. The feeling of his bare skin against hers was almost too much. She didn’t experience the electric-like shock feeling she’d felt yesterday. Instead, various sexual images came to mind.

Be careful, Livvie. You’re treading on dangerous ground.

As they continued to walk, he slowed their pace and began to explain the vines to her.

“So I’m hopeful that this year will produce the best wines yet. The weather has been a little dry, but the temperature has been perfect.” Drake’s enthusiasm was contagious.

Livvie found herself hoping this year would produce the best wines yet, too. This was the year she had met him. Years to come, when she was out of his life, she’d go to the liquor store and see the year on a bottle, and it would be a little secret between her and the bottle of wine.

Much of what Drake was telling her she already knew from reading Google obsessively before she had arrived, but hearing Drake’s version was nice. He spoke clearly, precisely, and passionately. He truly loved his vineyard, and she was a little jealous of it. He had a long-term, committed relationship with his grapes, and he wouldn’t get rid of them at the end of the week. It was absurd to think such a thing. But her frustration over Drake giving the two of them an expiration date truly pissed her off.

“It took me a long time to find this piece of land, Olivia.” Drake stopped walking when they reached a part of his vineyard that overlooked the hills.

Livvie was about to correct him and ask him to call her Livvie, but she stopped herself. At first, she wasn’t thrilled when he called her Olivia. It reminded her of when she used to get in trouble as a child, but when he called her that, it made her feel special, and she liked that, a lot.

“What made you choose it?” she asked instead.

Drake looked out over his land as if he cherished it. And once again, Livvie felt a small pang of jealousy.

“Everyone thinks I worked on Wall Street, and then one day, I woke up and decided to throw all of that away and buy a vineyard.”

“Well, Google did sort of imply that,” Livvie said while smiling sweetly.

Her statement was enough to cause Drake to remove his focus from his vineyard and look directly at her. And when Livvie’s eyes met his, her heart fluttered.

“And how would you know that?”

“I Googled your vineyard before I came.”

Drake raised his eyebrow. “You did, huh? If you read most of the articles, they said how dedicated I am to my vineyard, but when we met, you seemed surprised to see me.”

Livvie bit her bottom lip. “I didn’t think you’d be here, I guess,” she said, shrugging one shoulder.

“Where did you think I’d be?”

Again, Livvie shrugged. “Anywhere but here?”

“Olivia, where did you think I’d be?”

Livvie swallowed hard. “On your private yacht with some actress or model.”

Drake laughed. “First of all, I don’t own a private yacht. I could if I wanted to, but boats never did anything for me. And second, why would I be with some actress or model when I could be here with my little raffle winner? When I could be with you, Olivia?”

The laughter stopped, and Drake became serious. He looked at her with those penetrating eyes again. Tension surrounded them once again, but this time the tension was definitely sexual.

“I’m sorry. I guess I judged you.”

Drake grabbed both of her shoulders. “Olivia, don’t judge me again. I could understand if a so-called actress or model did. In fact, I’d expect it. But not from you. I don’t want you judging me.” Drake shook her lightly.

“Why?” Livvie whispered.

Drake paused but remained holding her. “I don’t know,” he said softly, then he released her arms and walked farther into his vineyard.

He hadn’t grabbed her hand, and Livvie missed his touch. She couldn’t understand why he was so upset. With the two choices he’d given her last night, how could she not judge? He was a strange man.

Livvie had to practically run to keep up with him. He was tall with incredibly long legs. And she was only five foot three. So she did the only thing she knew to do. She grabbed his hand. He didn’t push her away. Instead, he gripped her hand tighter and slowed down. The tension eased off of him, and she felt more than relieved.

“So what made you choose this land? You didn’t finish telling me.” Livvie asked.

“When I first started working on Wall Street, I had this client who liked fine wines. Whenever he wanted to talk business, he’d make me fly here to Napa to meet him. At first, I found it a nuisance, but as the visits became more frequent, I started to fall in love with Napa. I think it had more to do with the fact that I was tired of living in Manhattan. I never had any privacy in New York. Everyone always seemed to want something from me, and since almost everyone I knew lived in New York, I couldn’t avoid anyone. But here I could be private. I could be myself, and no one seemed to expect anything from me.”

Livvie could relate to that. It was the exact type of relationship she wanted with a man.

When they passed a picnic table, Drake released Livvie’s hand and sat down. She felt uncomfortable standing, so she sat opposite him with the table between them. She wished the table wasn’t there, and they could sit closer. Drake seemed different amongst his vines than he had at dinner last night. She liked this Drake better. He was real and down-to-earth. She could only imagine what he’d been like when he lived in New York City. Probably an arrogant asshole, she thought. But that wasn’t fair of her. Maybe he put a wall around him to protect himself. She had a wall like that, too. Maybe it came in a different form, but it was still a wall.

“I understand why you like it here,” Livvie said, trying to fill the silence.

“Do you like it here?” Drake looked directly into Livvie’s eyes as if her answer was important.

“I do.” Livvie paused and smiled at him. “It’s beautiful and peaceful.” She briefly closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh, Napa air deep into her lungs, savoring the feeling. “And I feel alive here.”

When she opened her eyes, Drake was still staring at her, as if she was someone special. She believed she was special, too, even though she was going through a difficult time.

“So you didn’t finish telling me why you chose this particular piece of land?”

Drake broke eye contact and looked at his vineyard. “As I was saying, I came here more frequently. Well, not here, but to Napa. The more I came here, the more exhausted I felt. New York was really taking its toll. My client noticed. I remember him sitting down with me and asking me what I really wanted to do with my life. The first thing that came out of my mouth was that I wanted to own my own vineyard and make my own wines. I’ve always liked wine. No, let me correct that; I always appreciated wines, but the idea of creating something from the earth in the most serene place on Earth seemed very attractive to me. And it felt natural. That’s when my friend told me about a large piece of land he owned. He paid me a fortune to invest his money over the years, but I’d never heard of this land. He told me he bought it when he graduated from college but never knew what to do with it. He was a successful real estate developer in the area, but he was burned out in the same way I was burned out in New York.” Drake paused and glanced back at his castle. Livvie followed his gaze and saw workers tending to his vines. Every so often, one of them would wave at Drake, and he would wave back. It made Livvie’s heart flutter, and for some reason it brought tears to her eyes.

“So what happened?” Livvie asked.

He cleared his throat and glanced back at her then continued to ogle his land.

“My friend brought me to see this place. It was empty, of course, and there was no house here, but I instantly fell in love with it. So my friend made a deal with me. He said this land was very important to him. He used to come here and think for hours on end. But he knew this land deserved more than one man sitting alone thinking on it. So he told me what he came up with. Basically, he said he’d sell it to me, inexpensively, on one condition. I’d have to give him a job for the rest of his life. He wanted to change his life, as well, and he believed I could create something special here. He had no interest in owning a vineyard, but since he was knowledgeable about wines he said he’d help me in any way he could.” Drake paused.

“What did you do? I mean, I know you bought it, but what happened?”

“I agreed. I bought it first, then I left Wall Street and worked for four months on the toughest but most profitable vineyard in Burgundy, France.”

“And that was all the training you needed?”

He laughed. “No, I needed a lot more than that, but the man who gave me this land helped me a lot.” He paused as if debating whether to continue. “And he still does. I’d be lost without him.” He winked at Livvie. “And you know him, as a matter of fact.”

“I do?” His wink had made her feel all sorts of crazy things.

“Yes, you do.”

“Well, who is it?” Livvie playfully hit his arm.

“Mr. Birkshire.”

“Mr. Birkshire?” Livvie was so surprised that she leaned back without thinking. She had forgotten she was sitting on a bench, and she lost her balance and fell all the way onto her ass, landing in the dirt. She had never felt more mortified in her life.

“Olivia Collins, what am I going to do with you?” Drake stood over Livvie with his hands on his hips. He bent down and grabbed her arm to help her up but then stopped. Instead, he lay down next to her on his side, facing her.

“You know, many women have thrown themselves at me over the years, but I’ve never had a woman throw herself down on my beloved vineyard.”

“Drake!” Livvie playfully punched him in the arm again.

“Are you hurt?” Drake asked.

“No, I don’t think so.” She laughed.

Drake lifted up her right leg and moved it. Then he did the same with her left leg.

“What are you doing?” She stopped laughing as Drake’s touch was bringing back darker images as it had earlier.

He looked at her with a twinkle in his eye, still turning her leg in different directions.

“Making sure my little random raffle winner isn’t hurt.”

He took off her sandal and moved her ankle in circles. Then he pushed his thumb into her ankle and farther up her foot. Moving back and forth. Then his other hand joined in the deep massage. His fingers were firm, and his touch started to feel sensual. She clenched her vagina, and the muscles in her pelvic region contracted.

“Your random raffle winner isn’t hurt,” she said while holding back a moan.

Drake didn’t respond. He laid her foot gently on the ground and then took off her other sandal and resumed his torture. Livvie closed her eyes. Having her feet rubbed was one of her favorite things. When she was employed and she would get a pedicure, she used to pay them extra to massage her feet longer. But this felt different. When Drake stopped touching her feet and moved his hand higher to her calf and then above her knee, she opened her eyes.

“Drake. You told me you wouldn’t touch me.”

“But you could be hurt. I’m making sure you’re okay. Isn’t that what a good host is supposed to do?”

“No. And it was my fault, so I promise I won’t sue you,” she said jokingly.

But as Drake moved farther up her thigh, Livvie’s pelvis raised on its own. And that’s when she knew she was in trouble. She quickly sat up and moved his hands away. She didn’t want to make a big deal about this, especially since she was having the best morning of her entire life, but she knew if she allowed this to continue, soon, she would no longer be wearing her sundress. Livvie laughed, but the sound came out as more of a giggle. Carly giggled like that whenever she was around some guy she had a crush on. Livvie had always hated that sound. But it did get Drake to stop touching her. She lay back down and peered up at him. He seemed to be deep in contemplation. If only she could read his mind.

“It seems my little random raffle winner loves my vineyard as much as I do, and she can’t seem to get enough of what I own.” Drake interlaced one of his hands with hers and moved to her side. With his other hand he grabbed a handful of dirt and dropped it between his fingers on her legs. The feeling of the dirt over her naked legs caused Livvie’s heartbeat to escalate.

“Do you need to feel my vineyard on your body?” Drake picked up more dirt, but this time he let it slip through his fingers onto her neck. Livvie felt the pulse in her neck increase as well as the pulse in her clitoris.

“Do you need to feel me so badly that the only way you think you can, is by feeling something I own all over your body?”

Livvie swallowed hard as she looked directly in his lust-filled eyes. Her body felt as if it was on fire.

He picked up more dirt and dropped it on the lower part of the V on her sundress, where her cleavage was showing. Technically, he wasn’t breaking any rules because he wasn’t touching her, even if it felt as if he was. It was driving Livvie crazy. As the dirt hit her cleavage her nipples hardened, and Drake was staring at them.

He picked up more dirt and allowed it to fall on her thigh, right where her dress ended. She opened her legs slightly, wanting something she knew she shouldn’t have.

“Drake,” Livvie pleaded, even though this was starting to feel wrong.

Drake continued the torture. “You’re afraid of me, Olivia. You’re afraid of how you’d feel if I touched you, if I caressed you like my small part of the earth is doing.”

When he poured the dirt on her other thigh, Livvie’s pelvis raised, along with the alarm in her head.

“Drake,” she whispered again. “This feels so good, but after our discussion last night should we be doing this?”

Drake stopped what he was doing and stood. “No, Olivia, I gave you my word I wouldn’t touch you in places that only a lover would touch. But I didn’t say I’d make it easy.” He looked over at the workers. “I’ll see you back at the house.” Without another word he left Livvie and walked toward the workers who were calling his name.

Livvie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her body was still pulsing from the touch of his dirt on her naked skin. At least her dress remained on. His dirt felt so sensual on her body, she couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if he actually touched her. Well, that wasn’t true. She could imagine; she just didn’t think it was a good idea.

Livvie grabbed onto the bench and slowly stood. She wasn’t hurt, but she was a little embarrassed. She brushed the dirt off her body the best she could. What would the workers think if they saw her like this? Knowing there was nothing she could do, she ran her hands through her long hair and raised her chin a little higher. And as she walked through his vineyard and passed him and the workers, she pretended not to notice them. But she did, and as their eyes followed her she knew they thought she had fucked their boss. However, the only eyes she cared about were those that belonged to the man she couldn’t have. She had to stay strong, because her heart couldn’t take another unhappy ending. The task should be easy, considering the man could be overbearing and unbending. Unfortunately, she’d also learned that there was a side to him that wasn’t arrogant. A side to him that was humble and kind.