Page 19 of A Sip of Sherry

My cock hardened at the memory, and with a fist to the tile, I grabbed the unruly appendage with my other hand, stroking and losing myself in the visions that had been branded into my mind.

Every gasp, every arch of her body, every brush of her skin on mine was like a never-ending reel.It was a high I continued to chase each time I took myself in hand, but it never came close.The high I craved was only possible when Sherry fell apart in my arms.

My muscles rippled with my release, and I rested my forehead against my forearm, chest rising and falling as the moment of euphoria passed quicker than it arrived.

It wasn’t enough.Not anymore.Not after I knew what it was like to have Sherry.Disappointment settled in my veins, tension pulling tighter at my neck and shoulders.That was a waste of my time.I grabbed a towel, tied it around my waist, and stood in front of the mirror.I wiped my hand across the steam, bringing me face-to-face with myself as if my subconscious was telling me I never should have touched her.

I knew that now.But how the fuck was I to know she would get under my skin the way she did?It was too late for what I should and shouldn’t have done.I fucked up again.Whatever.I was just living up to Dad’s expectations at this point.I couldn’t disappoint him any more than I already had.

The whole reason I was in this godforsaken townhouse in this godforsaken town was to appease him and get back in his good graces.

Based on my track record, I should have known I couldn’t fix things.The harder I tried, the harder I failed.I didn’t even care anymore.All I cared about right now was going and trying some whiskey and forgetting about everything else.

I got dressed, swiped my keys off the counter, and headed out.Three Barrel Distillery was a short drive from my place and within ten minutes, I pulled into the parking lot.I threw my truck—a far cry from my Mercedes—in park and slipped out.

Brady’s dog, Jack, greeted me at the door, tail wagging before dropping to my feet and rolling belly side up.I gave him a few pets before looking at the crowd that consisted of most of my bosses.Working at a family vineyard with seven siblings who ran the place made it pretty impossible to avoid them.I didn’t mind.Unlike my own family, they didn’t backstab or low blow every chance they got.They respected each other and treated their employees as if they were an extension of their family.

I kept waiting for the snide comments, the shit talking behind each other’s backs, but after six months, it never came.They disagreed, argued even, but it wasn’t laced with unconcealed hate or bitterness.It was real.It was messy at times, loud, but it was rooted in something I’d never fucking had.Love.

I went from anticipating the moment I would catch one of them being a conniving prick to wishing I had an ounce of the respect from my family they had with each other.

“Ben!You made it,” Nero announced, and all eyes turned toward me.I straightened, and Jack immediately rolled over to guide me toward the crowd before disappearing behind the bar with Brady.

Meadow waved with all her usual warmth and excitement.She grinned at me like we were old friends, even though we’d only exchanged a handful of conversations over the months I’d been here.

Chardonnay, another one of my bosses, sat on a stool across from where Brady stood, eyeing me over her glass.She was nice, but there was a reason she and Laurent, who was on her other side by their brother Franc, were the heads of the vineyard.Both were intimidating and could command a room with a single word.Her calm, assessing gaze met mine, and though I offered a smile, I felt she could see right through me.While she killed with cold stone looks, Laurent used his charm to disarm.It was almost effortless for him with his smooth words, easy laughter, and a smile that could convince the biggest skeptic to sign over their soul without reading the fine print.Both equally effective.

I greeted Wyatt with a handshake.I had taken over his position when he was promoted from warehouse manager to director of logistics.He oversaw the big picture stuff while I handled the day-to-day.He had trained me that first week on the job, and he was impossible not to like even though I tried not to.

“Good to see you,” I said, then smiled at Rose.“And it’s always a pleasure to see you.”

Her head tilted as she stared at me.“I feel like I know you from somewhere.”This hadn’t been the first time she had said this to me.It was pretty much every time I saw her.I was afraid she’d finally put the pieces together and blow my cover.

“It’s been months.I think you would have figured it out by now,” I said, hoping sheneverconnected the dots.She was chronically online, and my past wasn’t too hard to drudge up if you knew what you were looking for.“I guess I just have one of those faces.Or maybe I have a doppelganger.”The words came out, but instead of feeling good about them, guilt swirled in my gut, poking and prodding like an unwanted guest.It sat heavy in my chest, reminding me that these people weren’t my friends… not really, anyway.If they knew who I was… they would hate me.

“He does look more like a Dean,” Wyatt said.

Rose rolled her eyes.“I am not thinking of the guy from Supernatural.”

“Both good-looking men,” Wyatt stated.“I’m not embarrassed to admit that.”

“Don’t make me have to speak to HR,” I joked.

“It’s after hours, and we’re off property.Besides, I pretty much have an in with everyone in the company.”

Rose elbowed Wyatt in the side before locking eyes with me.“We at Vine Valley Vineyard take all matters seriously.”She pressed her lips together as she scowled at Wyatt.“And we don’t dismiss any claims or suggestive comments made by employees, no matter how handsome they are.”

Wyatt held his hands in front of him.“I’ll keep my workplace flirting strictly in-house from now on.”

“You’re lucky you’re so cute.”She lifted on her toes and kissed Wyatt on his cheek.

“I knew I nailed that seminar,” he said, grinning like a man who in no way in hell would pass an HR seminar.

With a chuckle, I nodded toward the tables away from the bar.“I’m going to find a seat.”

“Good call,” Wyatt said.“Before Rose starts quizzing you on employee handbook violations.”

“As I said, we take all matters seriously.”Rose winked in a way that told me she didn’t follow the rules herself, but she would defend her family’s legacy to the end of the world.She was just like Sherry in that aspect.I had no idea what that kind of loyalty felt like.The loyalty to my family was forced, bought and paid for most of the time, and there were always stipulations and nothing I was ever proud of.Not the way my old man did business, at least.

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