Barbara and Harry led us down the stairs of their winery to the underground cellar. The walls, ceilings, and floors were made of large stones and bricks. It was chilly in there, even though I had a shawl with me, per Barbara's recommendation. When Eric saw me shiver even the slightest bit, he wrapped his arm across my shoulder and rubbed my arm to keep me warm.

I couldn't help but continue to beat myself up internally every time Eric did something very "Eric-Like." There he was, being the perfect gentleman and fiance, while here I was, the perfect hussy. Every time Ryan would say something, thankfully, never to me, I'd get irritated and have to control the urge to roll my eyes at him.

"Harry, this place looks better than I remembered," Eric complimented.

"Yes, we remodeled it a few years back. The feedback from some of the customers was that the room felt too dark and depressing. Wine tastings now need to be a full body experience, to be successful," he explained.

Barbara requested that we all take a seat on the stools that were placed around a large, rectangular wood table. It could have comfortably sat twelve people. I sat at the head of the table, and Eric and Adam flanked my sides. Barbara and Harry moved around the cellar as if they were bees, inspecting, and collecting different bottles of wine, glasses, and menu cards.

Once they set everything down on the table in front of us, Barbara took the available seat next to Adam, and Harry sat beside Ryan.

They poured us wine after wine and explained the smells, looks, and of course, the flavors we should feel. I was not a wine connoisseur in the slightest, and I had a terrible time detecting what they were suggesting. Though I still thought they tasted good, I couldn't tell the difference between this one or that one.

After sampling several, even though we were spitting out the tastings into the steal spit bucket provided, I was starting to feel a little tipsy. Probably because I didn't eat much of my lunch. Thanks, Ryan. I didn't want to be rude and tell Mr. Upton I couldn't take anymore, so the rest of the time, I would bring the glass to my lips and keep them tight against the rim, so the wine just touched them, but didn't pass through to my mouth.

I was in no desire to get too drunk and end up telling Eric everything that happened between Ryan and I. Though, I had a feeling that was what Ryan was hoping I'd do. Unless he planned to tell Eric himself? I couldn't quite figure him out. Though, I had no desire to anymore.

I noticed Ryan was drinking the entire glass, sample after sample. I wasn't the only one who noticed either. Adam kept glaring across at his brother for appearing unsophisticated. Eric, who sat next to Ryan, didn't seem to care, but he too was consuming more than he should when he tasted the samples. If I had to guess, I would have thought they were competing to see who could get drunk the fastest.

Thankfully Mr. and Mrs. Upton didn't seem to mind, or if they did, they didn't show it. They just continued giving us more samples. I was grateful when we were finally done after our eighth tasting. Or was it our tenth? I had lost count after the fourth sample.

The Upton's wanted to treat us to dinner in their winery's restaurant. They headed up, ahead of us, to have the servers prepare a table, since it was heading into the dinner rush for the restaurant.

"I think you may want to head back to the mansion instead of joining us for dinner," Adam demanded to Ryan, more than suggested.

"Why? I could eat a horse right about now," he responded, patting his hand against his stomach.

Adam analyzed his brother and saw him swaying and almost stumbling off the stool from losing his balance. "You're clearly wasted, Ryan! What were you thinking drinking so much? This was a tasting. Not an 'All-You-Can-Drink' buffet."

"Eric drank as much as I did!" Ryan argued with his brother, point a thumb in Eric's general direction.

Eric looked across at Adam confused, then turn his head ever so slightly to look at Ryan.

"Hey! Don' dragme...into thissss," Eric slurred slightly, while also swinging a hand in a back and forth motion. His drunken attempt at pointing between the brothers.

"Eric, Sweety. You can't even talk properly," I said, cupping his face with my hand. He leaned his cheek further into it, enjoying my touch. I saw a flicker of annoyance from Ryan but ignored him. "Let me take you back to the mansion. I'll go tell Barbara and Harry that you're still jet-lagged or not feeling well or something."

"I'm fine. Plushhh, like Ryan shhhed, I could eat a horsh right abou' now. The chicken shewers were not to soak up this delicioso nectar." Eric went to raise the glass to his lips to try to get that last drop.

Ryan laughed at Eric's words, which made Eric laugh along, though I don't think he was laughing for the same reason.

I looked defeated towards Adam, "I know they shouldn't stay, but I'm sure the Upton's would be offended if they didn't join us. Maybe if we just get them to eat bread and a heavy meal, they'll not act like they've just done a keg-stand at a frat party." 

"Alright, you two can come, but please behave. Remember, they are our clients, and we have a reputation to protect," Adam warned, standing and heading up to the restaurant.

I helped Eric up and let him lead the way up the stairs. As I followed behind, something pinched me hard on my ass. I jumped with a start and swung around to see Ryan's pinching fingers being brought back to his side.

"I'll be right up, babe," I called to Eric, who was steps ahead of us. "I forgot my purse at the table."

I turned back to Ryan, who was almost nose to nose with me then. I didn't think twice and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. It was almost like it didn't phase him as he looked back at me with an admiring smile. Then before I knew what he was going to do or was able to stop him, he snaked his arm around my waist, pulled me in quick, and planted his lips on mine.

First, his kiss was sloppy. Probably from being as drunk as he was. Second, the desire to kiss him back was nowhere in me, like it was before. I pressed my hands against his chest and shoved him away from me with all my might. Thankfully, in his current state, he was not as hard to move as I expected.

I turned back and left him standing in the cellar, alone, without an inch of pity. The fucker didn't know who he was messing with. I was not one of his brainless girls that enjoyed games or the chase. I was smart. I was strong. And I deserved a man who treated me with respect at all times, not just when it was convenient for him.

************

Thankfully the rest of the night went a lot smoother. By the time dinner was done, Eric and Ryan sobered up enough to appear relatively normal again. As we all strolled back through the vineyard, to the mansion once more, Eric apologized to the Upton's for getting a bit carried away with the wine tasting. They both waved him away and said to think nothing of it.

Ryan, on the other hand, while he did sober up, he remained his delightful self. By that, I mean, he was rude and unapologetic. At least towards me. Yes, he made sure to apologize to the Upton's for his behavior too. Still, his apology didn't seem as sincere as Eric's. And he didn't even attempt to apologize for forcing himself on me. Not that there was much of a chance given to him to talk to me or get me alone with him again.

I was grateful dinner took as long as it did, because I knew it wouldn't be rude when Eric and I excused ourselves from our hosts to turn down for the night. Eric had an early flight scheduled back to New York in the morning.

"I wish you could fly back with us on Monday," I said to him while we were showering together.

"I'm sorry I didn't plan this better," he responded with his eyes shut as he was rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. "It was such a spur-of-the-moment thing. I would have loved to come back with you, but I have back-to-back meetings Monday, that I can't miss."

"I understand. Maybe I could fly back with you tomorrow then," I suggested as I pressed my wet, naked body against his.

He smiled at my touch. "I'll call the airline when we get out to see if I can't get another ticket for you."

I smiled at his response and kissed his smooth, chiseled chest. The water ran around my lips. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

"Don't worry," he wrapped his arms around my body. "I still haven't forgotten about repaying you for the favor you gave me earlier."

He tilted my chin up as he lowered his for our mouths to meet. His kiss made me feel as excited as the first time I let him kiss me when he took me out on our fifth date in college. Though kissing him in the shower was a lot nicer than being in the middle of sweaty bodies at an EDM concert.

We got out of the shower, dried off, but didn't bother getting dressed. He guided me to the bed and laid me down. As he trailed his kisses all over my just barely damp skin, I had minor flashbacks of Ryan kissing me. I was growing frustrated with my thoughts. I took my frustration out on Eric by pushing him off me, so he was lying on the bed instead. I straddled myself across his hips. Kissing him all over instead.

"I thought I was going to return the favor?" he murmured but didn't move as he was enjoying my lips on his skin.

"You can return the favor another way. Now shut up and let me have my way with you," I demanded.

I lowered myself onto his welcoming shaft with ease. It was as if he was made for me, as he fit perfectly inside. I swayed my hips the way I knew he liked. It got us both breathing intensely, and we got lost in the rhythm of our synchronized movements. I curled my body down to kiss him deeply. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me against him. Kissing and fucking me hard.

By the time we were done, I had reached my climax twice. Feeling spent and satisfied, we curled up in the bed with our naked bodies holding each other, and we fell asleep.

*************

The next morning, Eric called the airline to see about getting me a ticket on his flight home. Since it was such short notice, the airline said it wasn't possible, and that the next available flight was the one I was already on, on Monday morning.

"I'm sorry I forgot to call them last night," he said sadly. "I just got swept up, and by the time we were done, I was too tired to think of anything."

"Don't worry about it. I'll survive here one more day without you."

"Are you sure about that? I noticed Ryan wasn't being exactly nice to you yesterday. Has he been like that towards you the whole week?"

"He's been like that since I started working for him," I admitted.

"Want me to have a few words with him? He shouldn't treat you with such disrespect. Especially if he's your boss. That's just..." he trailed off, trying to think of the best word to use.

"Rude." I finished his thought for him. He nodded and smiled. "No, I don't want to make a big deal out of it. I just need to continue working for him for at least a year. Then I can request to move to another department, or find another firm to work for."

"Okay. Just don't make yourself suffer longer than you have to."

Eric didn't bring much with him, except a small backpack with a few shirts, pants, and boxers, so packing for him was easy. After he zipped up his bag, he took my hand, and we walked downstairs to have breakfast. Everyone, but Ryan, was there this time.

"Good morning," Eric and I said at almost the same time, with only a breath of a delay.

"Good morning," the three replied, as we took our seats at the table.

"Eric. It was such a pleasure to have you here, even if it was for only the one day," Barbara said, reaching her hand across and giving his arm a gentle squeeze.

"I hope it isn't so long for us to see you again," Harry added as he finished chewing whatever was in his mouth.

"Actually, Vicky and I would love it if you could come to our wedding in May. Her and her matron-of-honor, Sasha, were going to be working on the invitations this next week, and we'd love to add you to the list."

"Oh, that would be wonderful! We couldn't possibly refuse. I'd love to see your parents too," Barbara added. "I'll be sure to have Harry's secretary email you our private mailing address, so it doesn't get lost in the winery's pile of mail."

"Sounds great," I chimed in.

As we were halfway through breakfast, Ryan finally graced the kitchen with his presence. He looked like he hadn't slept much. I had a slight evil thought that the sound of Eric and me fucking was loud enough to have kept him awake. It made me smile slightly. Though, I recalled his comment on the plane over, that he said he wasn't much of a sleeper, which made my smile fade again.

"Morning," he greeted us as he sat on the last remaining seat, next to Adam.

Everyone responded, but me. I gave him zero attention and didn't care if he, or anyone else, noticed anymore. Seeing him sitting across from me made me lose my appetite again. The egg I was currently chewing started feeling like sand in my mouth, and it took more effort than it should have to force myself to swallow it. I placed my fork down and moved to drink my coffee for the remainder of breakfast.

By the time we were done eating breakfast, the Upton's driver had arrived to take Eric to the airport. He had suggested calling a cab, but they wouldn't allow it. They only trusted their selection of drivers and insisted Eric use them. He knew better than to argue.

As I went to separate Eric from the group to walk him alone to the car, he asked me to wait a moment and moved over to Ryan. They were facing away from us, so that what was being said couldn't be seen by anyone. My anxiety began to rise as I didn't want Eric to say anything to provoke him. Now would not be the time for confessions. Luckily, it seemed fine, and moments later, Eric patted Ryan on the back and made his way back to me.

"What was that about?" I asked as we got to the car.

"I just reminded Ryan of something." Eric's comment sounded more like a riddle to me.

"What something?"

"Just that there are things that I could do to ruin his life if he ever tries to be disrespectful towards you again." Eric pulled me in and kissed me gently before getting in the car. "I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, he closed the car door, and I watched it drive off into the distance.

When I made my way back into the mansion, Adam was in the foyer, with his arms crossed. He looked at me sternly, and said, "We need to have a little chat."