A Taste of Desire

by Chloe Blake

  The door closed and Destin sank to the couch, his elbows propped on his knees as he held his head. Magnus curled up close to his foot. What had happened?

  The bedroom door opened slowly. He didn’t look up, only listened as Nicole padded into the living room. He studied the floor and clenched his fists, determined to control the growing wave of anger. Had she lied to him?

  Nicole stood in his peripheral vision, barefoot with a sheet clutched to her naked breasts. He was afraid to look at her, especially since his body was already responding to her presence.

  “I assume you heard. When were you going to tell me they had made an offer?” His voice was even and cold. So much like his father’s that it chilled him.

  “Destin, it’s not that simple. I’ve been back and forth with Clay for days. He lowballed and now he is dangling a high bid with a contingency, just to get us to bend when he pulls away. I’ve seen it before. And I told you that Clay wanted to see what was in the cellar before making a formal offer. I don’t know what changed.”

  She moved forward to touch his shoulder. He rose quickly and faced her from across the room.

  “When did the offer come through?”

  “This last offer must have come through yesterday while I was...when we were...”

  “You should have told me all of this.”

  Her eyes were wide, pleading. He forced his gaze to drift past her.

  “This isn’t over yet, Destin—no paperwork has been signed.” She moved toward him. “Why won’t you look at me?”

  He did look at her then. There in front of him was a woman whose body he knew intimately, but who, in reality, he didn’t know at all.

  “Did you keep this from me on purpose?” he murmured.

  “Of course not. What are you saying?”

  “You’ll definitely get your promotion now, right?”

  She blinked. “That’s not fair. You told me to do my job. That’s what I did.”

  “Touché.” His heart beat faster. He felt humiliated and betrayed...and empty. This whole plan had been his idea, he knew, but he felt like he was the one being played. She was a lawyer. Never trust a lawyer. When would he learn?

  We’ll talk about the cellar tomorrow. His father’s words floated into his mind. What did he mean by that? Could he know about the wine?

  Suddenly Destin had to get to the winery.

  He bolted for the bedroom, trying to pull his thoughts together as he dragged on a T-shirt and jeans. He felt like he was losing everything at once. His land, the wine... Nicole.

  “Destin, I’m so sorry.” Nicole stood in the bedroom doorway.

  “I have to go,” he said in a detached voice.

  She didn’t plead with him to stay, just stood there watching him with a somber gaze. He was at the door when he turned back to her. “I almost forgot.” Hope filled her eyes. “Elliot wants you to call him.” He left before he could see her reaction.

  Fifteen minutes later Destin was running across the property toward the cellar door, which was ajar. Two Brazilian men with a box of tools were just leaving. Carefully, he descended the stairs and winced when he found his father standing in the cask room. Elliot was at the wall playing with the temperature pad.

  First they barge into his home, now his cellar? Destin let his anger rise to the surface then. “Get out!”

  Elliot stepped away from the wall and stilled. Armand turned to Destin.

  “You didn’t think I believed you when you told me you dumped the casks, did you, son? I know you better than that. You’d cut off your arm first.” Armand tapped his cane on a light oak barrel. “They must be close to maturation.”

  Destin clenched his fists, steeling himself against what he knew would happen next. He and his father had gone through this before. Destin had lost then, too. “So, what now, Father? You take it all back with you? If that’s the case, I’ll dump it the minute you leave.”

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You see, I promised Mr. Winchester that he could have whatever was in the cellar, including the wines, which he could market exclusively as his at the casino.” Destin opened his mouth to protest, but his father held up a hand. “Since these wines are property of Dechamps, LLC, I have the right to do that.”

  Destin felt like a bullet had hit his gut. His wines, at a casino. Incredulous, Destin looked to Elliot, who slowly shook his head. Betrayed, by both his brother and Nicole. The sense of loss Destin felt was overwhelming. He thought of Nina, the one who had stood by him in everything. Then Nicole came into his mind. Gone. It was all gone.

  Elliot rushed forward. “Destin, I know this is a shock. Let’s talk upstairs.”

  The two men left their father in the cask room and took the stairs above ground.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Elliot started when they emerged from the cellar. “But I had no idea. He showed up this morning. I had to hide Anton in the closet.”

  Destin’s gaze flicked to his brother’s. He’d always suspected something was going on between them, but Elliot never spoke of his love life to him. His brother had basically just come out. He wished he was in a state of mind to celebrate that.

  “In the closet, Destin. Ironic? Anton will probably never speak to me again after this,” Elliot murmured. “Father told me he’d spoken to Mr. Winchester himself. It seems that when Mr. Winchester couldn’t get a hold of Nicole, or me, he found Father.”

  Elliot raised a brow. “Can I assume Nicole was hiding in your closet this morning? I recognized her shoes from the first night at dinner. She has great shoes.”

  Destin stared at his brother for a long moment, then nodded. “I don’t want to talk about Nicole. I need to figure out how to stop this.” He began to pace.

  Elliot sighed. “Destin, I told you to go to France and work this out with Father. You stayed here. Why?”

  “I was getting the money together!”

  “Is that the only reason?”

  Destin stopped. “What are you saying?”

  “She’s remarkable, isn’t she? I was there when you first met. I saw it at dinner.”

  “What are you talking about?” Destin asked, irritated.

  “Amour,” Elliot simply said.

  “I didn’t stay here for a woman, especially one who doesn’t live here. This. Is. My. Home!” He wanted to hit something.

  “Destin, I will say this to you for the last time. Let this go and move forward with your life. The land was never ours. We made a mistake entering a deal with the most ruthless man in the world—our own father. Give him what he wants and build something new.” Elliot stepped closer with a pointed look. “Maybe you can start fresh with someone else by your side?”

  Let it go? Destin stepped back, feeling like the foundation under his feet was crumbling. Why could he trust no one around him?

  With a blunt goodbye, Destin left his brother and drove back to the château. He walked straight to the bedroom, but only Magnus was present, sniffing and wandering. Looking for her, too. Not a trace of Nicole was there. He was relieved—and yet the tug at his heart said otherwise.

  He stared at the crumpled sheets, feeling like he’d lost something vital. A part of himself. Something that might have been the thing he needed most in the world. Because he knew that whatever had been between him and Nicole...amour?...was now over.

  * * *

  That night, Destin knocked softly on his father’s hotel room door, trying to ignore the fact that Nicole’s room was only two floors up. He couldn’t get the last image of her out of his mind. Bare feet and shoulders, with his sheet wrapped under her arms. He hadn’t given her a chance to explain. Hell, he wouldn’t have listened if she had tried.

  His father opened the door, surprise registering briefly on his face before that stern countenance settled back in.

  “What is it, Destin?”

 
“I’d like to talk.”

  Armand stepped away from the door, and Destin entered, his gaze sweeping the high ceilings of the luxury suite.

  “Drink?” His father poured himself a whiskey.

  “No, merci.” Destin sat on the couch, thinking about how to start. His father took his drink and settled in the chair at the large business desk across the room. A passive-aggressive sign of who was in charge. Destin sighed. Why did he even try?

  “Forgive the distance, but I cannot sit on those couches. I’m an old man, Destin.”

  It scared him to know that was true. Fair enough. Destin rose from the couch and sat in one of the desk chairs, thinking it was fitting, as their relationship had always been more business than family.

  “So, you’ve finally come to see me.”

  “I’m begging you to reconsider.”

  His father’s gaze didn’t waver. “I can’t.”

  “Why? The real reason. Not this shit about needing money.”

  “We do need money, Destin. Now, not in five years.”

  “Who is we?”

  “You and me. Like I said, I’m an old man. And you have always been my successor, whether you wanted to be or not.”

  Destin looked away and picked at his cuticles. “I wanted it once.”

  “Before Nina.”

  “Before you legally stole my wines.” Destin struggled to keep his voice calm.

  The men locked gazes. His father looked away first.

  “That was regrettable. It never should have gotten that far. I let my pride get in the way of our family. I apologize.”

  Did hell just freeze over? His father had apologized. Destin took a good look at his father. He was frail and thin, and the tumbler of whiskey he put to his lips was shaking slightly.

  “Mother wanted Elliot and me to have the land. It was hers first.”

  His father’s blue gaze snapped up, and Destin recalled his mother’s observation. You have your father’s eyes.

  “Your mother and I built this company. But there will be nothing left if we do not sell this land.”

  Destin sat forward. “What’s going on?”

  “I’ve made some decisions that haven’t fared well for our company. We are broke. Our debts are mounting, and if we don’t pay them, someone else will. And then they will own Dechamps, not us.”

  “I’m tired of hearing about your financial mistakes.”

  “It’s more than that.” Armand’s hand quivered as he laid it across his mouth. Destin had never seen his father so shaken.

  “What in God’s name are you talking about?”

  Armand drained his whiskey. “I can no longer hold on to this secret. It’s killing me from the inside out.” Armand let out a long exhale. “After our dispute, you refused to tell me what labels you were making. And when our financier found out you were declassifying our wines to sell them direct to consumers, they were furious. It was agreed that they would send someone to break into the winery and find out what you were doing. The fire was an accident.”

  Destin froze, blinking his way through a haze of anger and confusion.

  “Destin. My son. I’m... I’m so sorry. Nina was fantastic. She was—”

  “Don’t talk about her!” Destin rose from his seat. He towered over his father. His fists hammered the desk. “You knew this whole time. I racked my brain thinking I did something to cause her death. That maybe, had I not been in the cellar that night, I could have saved her. There were nights I wished that I had died with her.” His raised voice cracked.

  “Son, don’t say that.” Armand’s face was stricken at the thought of how close his son had come to dying.

  “But you knew,” said Destin, his tone harsh. “You let them invade my home.”

  “I didn’t know until it was too late to stop it.” Armand’s voice was barely a whisper.

  Destin backed away slowly, watching as Armand’s shoulders began to shake, and tears fell to the desktop.

  “How could you keep this from me?” Destin whispered.

  “Son, please...” Armand stood but lost his grip and sank back to the chair.

  “No! I’m done, Father. I have nothing left.”

  Destin left the room at once and stood by the elevators, his finger hovering over the up button. Talk to her. His hand shook, then he took long strides to the stairs.

  He was in the lobby and outside the entrance in record time.

  Chapter 20

  The next morning, Nicole reached the hotel conference room early and waited for the arrival of Elliot, Armand and Destin. It was a quick premeeting to review Clay’s offer and the next steps in the process. It was also a way for her to redeem herself. The slew of missed calls and emails regarding Clay’s final offer had been embarrassing, as was the excuse she’d given Gustavo. She couldn’t tell her boss she’d been drinking, dancing and making love with their client all night.

  Ugh! She held her head in her hands. She loved him. She was an idiot.

  Her only hope was that the meeting would go quickly and any interaction she had with Destin would be painless. Last night she had pried Destin’s number from Anton and called him. When he didn’t pick up, she’d texted. Nothing. She could take a hint. And, sadly, she understood. He’d been devastated. He’d been hurt. And she had facilitated that.

  The paperwork she had drawn up today would vanquish the one thing he cared about the most. She’d actually cried a little when she printed out the stacks that lay on the table for them. She’d gained her sale, and now could go back home and go after the life she wanted.

  The feelings she had for Destin were real, but it was never meant to be. His life was here. Hers was in New York. Regardless of who got the land, they were never going to be together.

  And those thoughts alone made her feel lost and a little hopeless.

  Elliot and Monsieur Dechamps arrived together, with Elliot making introductions.

  “Enchanté, Ms. Parks. Thank you for bringing us to this point today. Elliot says you are brilliant.” Armand kissed Nicole on both cheeks, and his smile touched his blue eyes. Destin’s eyes.

  “It’s been a pleasure. I’m glad I’ve been able to be helpful.” She handed them both a copy of the paperwork, then glanced at the empty doorway. Armand also stared out into the hall briefly before asking her to begin.

  He’s not coming. With a shaky voice, Nicole began to outline the paperwork and the details of the sale. What needed to be signed, what accounts were required for the deposits, things she’d talked about a million times, but this time it felt weird. And wrong.

  “I’m sorry I’m late.” Destin, looking handsome in a gray suit and tie, whipped into the room and sat next to Elliot. Both Elliot and their father tried to hide their surprise.

  Nicole stuttered then and, as if on autopilot, handed him his copy of the packet. Their gazes touched briefly, but he focused quickly on the papers. Nicole saw no emotion in the depths of his eyes.

  “We’re on page ten,” she said to him, annoyed that her voice sounded low and intimate. He sifted through the papers, the only sound that cut through the icy silence.

  “Have you had your vote yet?” Destin asked his father.

  “We haven’t,” Elliot answered.

  “Well, I vote yes,” said Destin, twirling his pen in his fingers.

  The rustling of papers stopped, and Armand cleared his throat. “Destin, I—”

  “I said yes, Father.” Destin’s gaze was challenging.

  “Very well,” Armand murmured.

  They all turned to Nicole, who was pulling her thoughts together.

  Why was he doing this? She’d expected him to walk in with some scheme, some reason why they couldn’t sell. Instead, he was giving up?

  “Okay. Um...so the casino,” Nicole started, tapping her pen on the table. “They ha
ve the inspection paperwork, but they’ll want any permits that have already been secured for the underground cellar. Clay will turn half of that land into a parking lot. He intends to build a pirate ship, if you can believe it. And then there was that lawsuit in New Jersey, something about their construction endangering the water supply. Oh, and he accidentally bulldozed through an animal conservation area in Australia. But I’m sure he’ll be more careful here.”

  The three of them looked at her like she was crazy. And maybe she was. Because she didn’t want this deal to go through anymore.

  Destin put his papers down and rose from his seat. Please, she thought. Please don’t let this go through.

  “I think you all can take it from here. Elliot has the authority to sign any papers for me by proxy. Au revoir.”

  Destin was gone as swiftly as he’d entered. Nicole stared at the doorway, finding his indifference physically painful. She hung her head, holding back tears, torn between sitting still and running after him. She’d flown across the world and found love; she wasn’t going to let him get away that easily.

  “Excuse me,” Nicole whispered as she stood, unable to meet the eyes of her audience.

  Destin was already down the hall when she called out. He slowed, letting her catch up to him, but he didn’t stop walking.

  “So, that’s it?”

  “That’s it.” He was the picture of detachment, and yet his ticking jaw and clenched fists gave him away. He wasn’t as unaffected by her as he’d like to let on. She jumped in front of him, making him stop short just inches from her. She could smell his cologne and committed it to memory.

  “There’s still time. The paperwork needs amendments. No money has been exchanged. Call your friends. Get them down here. Make your father see—”

  “Nicole, stop. It’s over. It’s not my land.”

  “Yes, it is. You’ve worked so hard.”

  “So have you. And I want you to have your sale.”