by James, Delta
Luca had proved to be not only a skilled vintner, but a gifted omega for the pack. He often times had to be reminded that he was not expected to work twenty-four hours a day either as vintner or omega. However, Marco had to admit that under Luca’s guidance, both the pack and the vineyard had flourished.
Marco smiled. Today would bring a visit from the Welsh wolf as his people referred to Griffin Owen. Griffin had become a friend many years ago when they had worked on a special black ops mission. Both had recognized that the other was an alpha wolf. Both had put aside their natural inclination to be rivals for the sake of the mission and had found in the other a life-long friend. Since that time, they had shared many adventures—some in the battlefield and some vying for the attention of various women. Griffin often teased Marco that he wasn’t a wolf at all but a reincarnation of Casanova, the famous Italian lover. Marco had laughed and merely pointed out that he liked to indulge the carnal side of his nature and that none of the women involved had ever been hurt in any way by him.
Marco finished dressing and descended the stairs. “Buongiorno,” he said as he walked into the great dining room.
He smiled. While many wolf packs had large dining halls—most often converted from other uses, e.g., ballroom, conference area, etc.—the one at the villa had always been a dining room. It had hosted many a feast over its long history. It was, as was the rest of the villa, breathtakingly beautiful. The walls were all done in hand-painted murals and Marco had replaced the entire back wall with a series of French doors that led out onto an expansive terrazzo.
The members of his pack acknowledged his greeting and many called back to him. They were a self-contained community and company. Most all of those who worked in the vineyards or as part of the villa’s staff lived on the main property itself. However, Marco’s holdings extended beyond the stone-walled borders to the small town beyond.
Marco joined Luca at the table usually reserved for them.
“Our beta and his mate? It’s not like Giovanni to tarry in their bed at this time of year.”
Luca chuckled. “While it may be his mate that has his attention at the moment, Marco, I fear it isn’t to avail himself of her ample charms.”
Marco laughed. Valentina, Giovanni’s mate, was a beauty with an extremely sensual nature but a mischievous streak a mile wide. She was forever getting herself into enough trouble that she would find herself face down over Giovanni’s knee having her backside peppered until she relented and promised once again to behave herself. Marco idly wondered what she had done this time.
The thought had no sooner crossed his mind than Giovanni entered with his Valentina in tow. He gestured toward one of the chairs at the table. “Sit,” he ordered.
“I don’t want to,” she said petulantly.
Luca and Marco exchanged pointed glances. That tone would not serve Valentina well. Most likely it meant that her punishment had not been sufficient to restore balance between them.
“Did I ask you whether or not you wanted to, cara?”
“No.” She turned toward their alpha. “Tell him to apologize to me.”
“For what?” asked Marco.
“For spanking me this morning,” said Valentina in an exasperated tone.
A low, warning growl came from Giovanni.
“Did you not do something to deserve a spanking from your mate?” asked Marco softly but with a voice that brooked no defiance. “Careful how you answer me, Valentina. Lie or play loose with the truth, I will instruct your mate that he is to return with you to your bedroom to wash your mouth out with soap, spank your lovely backside until he has gotten through to you, and then make you his until you beg his forgiveness in a voice filled with love and desire before he finishes you.”
Now it was Luca and Giovanni’s turn to exchange pointed looks.
Marco adored women... all women. Those in his pack reciprocated his feelings. He was part older brother and part indulgent father, but all alpha. He would indulge and spoil them in many ways, but never would he place himself between one of his men and the man’s mate.
Valentina quickly quieted and glanced back and forth between her mate and her alpha. She walked over to Giovanni, molded herself to him, and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“I’m sorry, Gio. I didn’t mean to worry you or make you angry. I won’t do it again.”
Giovanni smiled and returned his mate’s kisses. “Yes, you will,” he teased. “Now, do you want to go get a pillow to sit on?”
She nodded.
“Good girl. You do that, and I’ll go get our breakfast.”
Valentina turned to leave.
“Valentina?”
She stopped to look at her mate.
“What do you have to say to Marco?”
She blushed and walked over to their alpha with her eyes downcast. “I’m sorry, Marco. I shouldn’t have tried to drag you into it.”
Marco smiled at her and lifted her chin. “That’s all right, Valentina. But you mind Giovanni.”
“Yes, Alpha,” she said quietly. Valentina headed into the adjacent sitting room, brought back a well-padded pillow, and placed it on the chair before lowering herself gracefully and gingerly onto it.
Giovanni brought over plates with hearty breakfasts. “Can I get you anything, Marco?”
Marco shook his head. “No, I’ll get something in a minute.”
“So when is the Welsh wolf meant to join us?” asked Luca. He’d heard much about Marco’s closest friend outside the pack but had yet to meet him.
“I would think he would be here sometime before lunch.”
“Is this just a visit or does he have an agenda?” asked Giovanni.
“I think just a visit, but I would like to see if he’s heard the same disturbing rumors coming out of the east,” said Marco, clearly not wanting to discuss the matter in front of Valentina.
Marco was a firm believer in providing the women and children in his pack as peaceful, serene, and happy a life as he could make. Should trouble ever be headed for their doorstep, he would share what they needed to know. Until then he wanted to allow them to enjoy all that they had.
“What rumors?” asked Valentina.
“Just the usual saber rattling,” said Giovanni, glossing over the matter in an effort to reassure her. “Youch,” Giovanni said, growling at his mate.
Marco laughed as did Luca. Valentina was well known for kicking her mate under the table.
“It’s not funny, Marco,” said Valentina, trying to keep her tone to her alpha respectful. “If you aren’t going to tell me, fine, but don’t assume I’m so stupid.”
Giovanni reached over to take her hand. “I’m sorry, cara. You are right. There are some ugly rumors starting to come out of the eastern countries. Things we do not want you or any of the others to worry about.”
“We will keep you all safe,” said Marco.
“Don’t you think we know that?” she said. “I’m sorry I kicked you, Gio. I just don’t like it when you treat me like I’m an idiot.”
He leaned over and kissed her. “And I am sorry for making you feel that way. I promise if the rumors get confirmed I will share them with you on the condition that you do not share the information with anyone.”
She returned his kiss and said, “Thank you, Gio. Anything you tell me I will keep to myself... unless of course our alpha and omega get off their proverbial asses and go find themselves mates.”
Giovanni laughed as Marco and Luca only barely managed not to spit what they were drinking.
Marco laughed and shook his finger at Valentina. “You have a very naughty mate, Giovanni.”
“I know, Alpha, but what am I to do? I love and adore her and she knows it. It’s a dangerous thing for a mate to know,” he said, chuckling.
Marco smiled at them. He envied Giovanni his mate. Valentina could be extremely mischievous when she wanted and often tried Giovanni’s patience, but she loved him deeply and would do anything to see him happy.
&nbs
p; Marco took her hand in his and kissed it. “When I am lucky enough to find my fated mate, I will have her wedded, bedded, and with child before you can teach her to be naughty.”
Valentina giggled. “If she is your fated mate, it will be she who is doing the teaching.”
Luca and Giovanni laughed. “She’s probably right, you know,” said Luca.
Marco chuckled. “She probably is. I keep seeing her in my dreams. I will recognize her when I see her, but she keeps evading me—something I will take her to task for down the road.”
“Marco, when you’re through with breakfast, I’d like a bit of your time before the Welsh wolf shows up and you two start sampling my best wine,” said Luca.
Marco grinned. “My time is yours. I just want to ensure the rest of the staff is ready for Griffin’s arrival. I think he may be with us for a while. He didn’t sound too good when last we talked.”
Chapter Three
Catherine’s plane landed on time in Florence. She eagerly disembarked and made her way through customs. The Italian officials were quite used to art students coming to Florence to study and see the sights. One of them offered to be Catherine’s personal escort but she declined.
She ventured out of the airport and made her way to where she could rent one of the popular Italian scooters. A scooter was perfect for getting around Florence if one wasn’t easily intimidated. Catherine had spent some time in Rome the year before. Last year’s trip had been both for business and to speak again with the investigator she had hired. At that time, he’d found little information on Shannon. Catherine figured if she could survive Rome and Roman drivers, she could survive anything.
She pulled out her city map and determined the best way to the B&B. She ventured out into traffic and was off. Truth be told, the drivers in Florence seemed far more relaxed than their Roman counterparts. She made her way along the narrow streets and found the residence for her stay. It was all the B&B booking site had promised.
A lovely row home in a clean, pleasant neighborhood. Off-street parking, a private bath, and easy access to all Florence had offer either via scooter or on foot. She rang the bell on the iron gates and when she answered the questions on the monitor, the lock clicked open. She was instructed to bring her scooter in and park it in the shed and that her hostess would be down momentarily.
Catherine grinned. She believed she had made a good choice. She parked her scooter and grabbed her carpet bag before walking into the courtyard. Catherine wasn’t sure what she expected the owner would be like, but Seraphina Vilotti was not it.
Seraphina came into the courtyard and immediately hugged Catherine like an old friend.
“Welcome to Casa Dolce,” she said in an American accent. “I’m your host, Seraphina. And no, I’m not a native Italian.”
Catherine laughed, feeling very much at home with Seraphina.
“I’m Catherine Livingston. I’m not Italian either, but I can order off a menu with the best of them!”
“Bene! Come on in and let’s get you settled. New York?”
Catherine smiled. “Guilty as charged. You?”
“Originally? San Francisco; now? Florence, Italy. Moved to be with the man of my dreams. Imagine my surprise when I found he had a wife and kids.”
“Oh, my,” said Catherine. “I’m so very sorry.”
“No worries. I’d left my job and sold everything to be with him, so I bought this place and rehabbed it. Turned it into a nice little B&B. Between that and teaching both English and Italian, I have a nice little setup... and no fog!”
Seraphina walked her into the house.
“Now, I have a room upstairs with a little balcony overlooking the courtyard. And I have a bigger room here on the ground floor with its own private terrazzo. Both have private baths. This is just before our high season and I don’t have anyone scheduled before it gets started. Normally I charge more for the one down here, but you can have your choice. Same price.”
“No stairs? After hiking all over Florence? Ground floor, please.”
Seraphina laughed. “That’s what I figured. I don’t blame you.”
Seraphina took her to the spacious bedroom in the back with the private patio area.
“This is great, Seraphina.”
“Sera,” she said.
“Sera it is. I’m Catherine.” She wandered idly around the room. “This is really lovely.”
“Art student?”
“Yes. How did you guess?”
“Right time of the year,” said Sera. “And all of you artistic types have a kind of surreal air about you when you reach the Mecca of the Renaissance. Long flight?”
“Yes, but I slept most of the way.”
“Hungry? I have some flatbread and some pesto. I’m sure I can put together a quick bite for you if you like.”
“That would be wonderful.”
Sera smiled. “Well, you get settled in and I’ll bring it to you directly. Water? Wine? Soda?”
“I’m bordering on dehydrated so water, please.”
Catherine barely had time to unpack before Sera returned with a large glass of ice water, fruit, and flatbread spread with pesto and melted mozzarella. It smelled divine.
Catherine took a bite of the ooey, gooey flatbread, closed her eyes, and sighed in pleasure. “Oh, my God, Sera. This is incredible. That pesto didn’t come out of a jar.”
“But of course it did,” Sera grinned. “Of course, it’s pesto I made and jarred myself. So do you have an itinerary or know when you want to get started in the mornings?”
“Uhm, I can be very flexible and I don’t want you to go to any trouble. But usually I start becoming coherent about nine.”
Sera laughed. “Like me. I’ll bet though you’re up before then. Why don’t I have coffee or espresso and a biscotti outside your door about 7:30 and then you can wander out when you’re ready to face the day.”
“That sounds perfect. I think I’m going to go stretch my legs and get a feel for where I am in the city.”
“Have fun and if you get lost, call me and I’ll give you directions home.”
“Sounds perfect,” said Catherine as Sera left her room.
Catherine finished getting settled and changed into comfortable walking sandals. She headed out the door and began to explore.
Sera’s home was on the edge of a residential neighborhood. It bordered on an area that was filled with small, local restaurants, bars, some shopping, and a few art galleries. Catherine spent a very enjoyable afternoon wandering throughout the areas close to Sera’s home, and she made it back in one piece in the early evening.
“You’re back!” Sera greeted her upon her return. “Do you have plans for dinner? I was going to go hit up one of the local places and I hate to eat alone.”
“Sounds great. Am I dressed ok?”
“You’re perfect. And if we’re not... fuck ‘em!”
Catherine laughed. “Oh, girl, I like your style. We’re going to get along great.”
* * *
Marco had met with Luca earlier in the day. The latter had several new wine festivals into which he wanted to enter their wines. The DeMedici wines had always provided a sizeable income for the family, but under Luca’s tenure as master vintner, the label had exploded. Not only had sales increased to the point that they couldn’t keep up with the demand, but they had become one of the wine critics’ darlings—it seemed that there wasn’t enough praise that could be given to them.
Luca had found a small boutique vineyard that could be bought for a fair price. The vineyard and label had been in the family for a few hundred years, but the current generation had no interest in wine or in growing grapes. Easily within a day’s drive from the villa, Luca had proposed they purchase it. The grapes grown were some he had longed to work with and he felt they would be a nice supplement to those grown at DeMedici vineyard. They also grew some of the variety to be pressed into balsamic vinegar. And the property boasted a large, old stand growth of olive trees. Luca laid
out an entire marketing plan for Marco’s approval.
Marco smiled. Not only did Luca’s plan make good economic sense, he could tell his omega was keen to move on it.
“This sounds good, Luca. Why don’t you go to Florence and see if you can’t put the deal together.”
“No, Marco. You need to do it. You are the DeMedici. That carries weight in Tuscany and I know you will get us a better deal than I could. I appreciate your confidence in me, but you are the far better negotiator.”
“Yes, but Griffin will be here later today.”
“Take him along. The two of you can talk in the car and Florence is a beautiful city.”
Marco laughed. “You’re afraid I’ll tap into some of those bottles you want to enter into competition.”
“There is that, but you will get us a better deal.”
“I’ll tell you what. If the Welsh wolf is amendable to a side trip to Florence, I’ll go. If not, you go and get us the best deal you can.”
“Thanks, Marco. I really do think by this time next year we’re going to be glad we took this step.”
“If nothing else, we can update the residence, if it needs it, and allow our people to use it as a getaway.”
They were just finishing up their meeting, when there was a knock on the door. One of the house staff let Marco know that the Welsh wolf should be arriving momentarily. Marco smiled. He’d left Griffin his motorcycle at the airport, knowing Griffin would enjoy the drive and the open air.
“Excellent! Let’s finalize plans for this venture and how to get it accomplished at dinner. The more I think about it, the more I think buying this vineyard is in our best interests.”
Luca nodded. “I’ll get a preliminary meeting set for tomorrow. I’m happy to do whatever you need me to do.”
Marco stopped at the door and turned back to him. “I need you to get serious about finding a mate.”