The Seductive One (Marcelli Sisters of Pleasure Road, Band 3) - Softcover

Mallery, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743443969 ISBN 13: 9780743443968

Verlag: Pocket Star, 2003

Inhaltsangabe

For the Marcelli sisters of California wine country, the season is ripe for romance!
Of all the Marcelli sisters, the one who dreams of running the family's winery is Brenna -- and she's about to get her chance. But taking the helm at Marcelli Winery is tougher than she bargained for -- especially when she butts heads with her grandfather, whose Old World ways dictate that a male should inherit the business. In need of some fast capital in order to prove her grandfather wrong, Brenna turns to Nic Giovanni, her family's nemesis....Years ago, she ended her secret relationship with Nic, choosing loyalty to her family over the hot passion they shared. But now he's back in her life, he's loaned her a million dollars, and their feelings for each other are stronger than ever. Brenna must find out for herself: is Nic the love of her life? Or the schemer who could topple the Marcelli dynasty -- and break her heart?
Meet three unforgettable sisters in a wonderful trilogy that's vintage Susan Mallery -- warm, witty, and stunningly sensual. Look for The Sparkling One and The Sassy One, available from Pocket Star Books!

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship, romance. She’s best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Susan is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into twenty-eight languages.

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Chapter One

Borrowing a million dollars from the devil was one thing; picking a fight with him while doing it was something else.

Brenna Marcelli considered herself to be above average in intelligence. With her future on the line, there was absolutely no way she would be anything but perfectly pleasant during her conversation with Nicholas Giovanni. She would be confident, persuasive, even charming. She would not get crabby, beg, or think about sex. Especially not sex. No matter how good it had been.

But it had been great, she thought as she paced the length of the waiting area in the executive offices of Wild Sea Vineyards. Better than good. One time they'd done it on the beach, and that night on the news there'd been a report of an unexpectedly high tide. Brenna had always wondered if she and Nic were somehow to blame.

"History," she murmured as she clutched her portfolio more tightly to her chest. "Ancient history. This is a new decade -- a new century even. I am empowered. I am impervious. I am really annoyed that he's keeping me waiting."

She turned and glared at the closed door leading to Nic's private office. When his assistant had asked her to wait and promised the man in charge would be with her shortly, Brenna had believed her. Now, nearly ten minutes later, the assistant had disappeared and there was still no sign of Nic.

"Just a power play," she told herself, then took a calming breath. "I'm not going to buy into it. He can keep me waiting as long as he wants."

Except her stomach was in knots, she had serious regrets about that fifth cup of coffee, and she had a bad feeling that if she stopped moving for too long, she would find that her knees were shaking. Not exactly the picture of professional confidence she wanted to portray. She really needed to --

The office door opened and the devil himself walked into the room.

Okay, maybe calling Nic the devil was a bit strong, but he was dark, dangerous, and at this point she would sell him her soul to get what she wanted. A rose by any other name and all that.

"Brenna." Nic spoke her name with a smile. As if they met on a regular basis. "Good to see you."

If only, she thought. She hadn't set foot on Giovanni land in ten years. And with good reason.

"Hi, Nic."

He motioned toward his office and she stepped into the inner sanctum. The room hadn't changed a whole lot since she'd last seen it. Still massive, still dominated by a desk built in the eighteenth century. The computer was new, as was the owner. Ten years ago Nic's grandfather had occupied the space. From here he'd run all of Wild Sea Vineyards. Now the old man was gone and Nic was in charge.

In charge and going places, she thought as she crossed to the map on the wall opposite the opulent desk. She studied the shaded area that detailed the Giovanni holdings, noting how much expansion there'd been in the past seven years. Nic had always wanted to be the biggest and best. He'd achieved that in spades.

Of course, focusing on the map allowed her not to think about that damn desk. Unfortunately, she was going to have to turn around and stare at it sometime. It wouldn't be so bad if she and Nic hadn't, well, done it on that desk.

It had been about three A.M. on a Saturday morning. The night had been still, cool, and incredibly romantic. Of course, when she'd been seventeen and in love, watching paint dry had been romantic.

"You're welcome to sit down," he said, a trace of amusement in his voice.

Sure, she thought as she squared her shoulders and turned to face her past. Nic worked here every day. He'd probably forgotten what had happened on that carved slab of wood. But not her.

She made her way to an oversize chair and sank onto the smooth leather surface. Nic walked around his desk and sat facing her.

"I was surprised to hear you'd made an appointment to see me," he said easily. "I hope everything is all right with your family."

"They're fine. Great, really. Francesca's engaged." More than engaged, but that conversation was for another time.

"That must make your grandfather happy."

She nodded and found her gaze settling on his face. Strong features, she thought, remembering the boy as she stared at the man. He'd always had strong features. Compelling eyes, a straight nose, a determined, maybe even stubborn chin, and a mouth that had once been able to kiss her into another time zone.

Despite the warm August temperatures, he wore a long-sleeved black shirt, dark slacks. Not exactly the jeans and T-shirts she was used to seeing.

"You're dressed for success," she said.

"In honor of our meeting."

He smiled, a slow, sexy smile that made her remember other smiles. Like the one he'd used to convince her it was really okay to make love late at night in the vineyard. It had been their first time and she'd lost her virginity to the sound of crickets and --

Let's stop this right now, she told herself. Trips down memory lane were only going to get her into trouble. She was here on a mission that had nothing to do with sexy smiles or the heat flaring to life low in her belly.

She forced herself to relax in the leather chair. She carefully crossed one leg over the other and tried for a faintly amused, possibly bored expression. Who knew if it really worked.

"All that trouble for me? I don't think so."

He chuckled. "All right. I have a meeting with several foreign distributors later this afternoon. I figured jeans would put them off."

Not if they were women, Brenna thought before she could stop herself.

"So you're expanding again," she said instead.

"Always. Be the biggest and the best."

"You're certainly going to win on volume."

"Don't they say size matters?"

"Only those who don't know how to use what they have." She remembered her vow not to argue with him about eighteen seconds too late.

"Sorry," she murmured.

He raised his eyebrows. "For disagreeing with me? There's a first. Now I'm even more intrigued." He grinned and leaned forward. "All right, Brenna. You're here, you're wearing a suit, and you're carrying what looks like a thick stack of papers. Why don't you tell me what's going on?"

So they were going to get right to it. She cleared her throat and set her portfolio on his desk. At that moment her brain hiccupped and every single intelligent, logical, financially sound sentence she'd practiced flew out of her head.

"I'm one of the best in the business," she began, then hesitated, wondering if that sounded too arrogant.

At least he didn't break into hysterical laughter. "I'll admit that I wouldn't want to go head to head with you in competition," he admitted.

The compliment boosted her confidence and made her want to wiggle in her seat. She satisfied herself with a slight smile. "As my grandfather says, aside from him, I'm the only one in the family with a passion for wine. I've lived it most of my life."

He started to say something, but she rushed on. There was no way she was going to let him remind her of the ten years she'd spent away from Marcelli Wines. Ten years she'd spent being an idiot.

"My grandfather has put me in charge of the winery. I know what's needed to take our success to the next level."

"So you're not here for a job."

"No." She flipped open the portfolio. "I'm here for a loan."

Nic straightened. "Why? You don't have a cash-flow problem."

"Marcelli Wines doesn't. Business has never been better. But I'm not them. I work for my grandfather. The company still belongs to him."

"You'll inherit."

If only. The truth shouldn't still hurt, but it did. It hurt a lot. "My sisters and I inheriting has become less of a sure thing." She paused, knowing that...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Pocket Star
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2003
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0743443969
• ISBN 13: 9780743443968
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 320
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: Nicht verfügbar