Page 19 (1/2)

CHAPTER ONE

IF LIFE WAS a glass of Cabernet, Alexandra Anderson wanted to live right in the lusty, full-bodied center of it The thrill of the chase was parae, the better If she wasn’t sure she could do it—that’s where she wanted to be That’s when she got even better That’s where she thrived

As for the intricacies of that particular varietal versus California Zinfandel and Merlot? For a girl who’d grown up in the backwaters of Iowa tossing back beers with the undesirable crowd, it wasn’t so as it tasted good and did so to alleviate the interminable boredom of yet another cocktail party that was all work and no play?

Certainly not the sentiment of the man who’d just strode into Napa Valley’s annual industry fundraiser for the horapes that o fizz for her were an obsession for Gabriele De Campo, the visionary behind De Campo Group’s world-renoines His raison d’être

She stood watching hi the hts hotspot Charo, where the event was being held, with only one goal inventures she so loved To convince Gabriele De Ca launch events for De Campo’s most important wine in a decade It was her chance to finally win a piece of the internationally renoinemaker’s communications portfolio, and she didn’t intend to fail

She took a sip of the glass of wine she’d been nursing for an hour and a half while she’d sch every piece of reconnaissance she could to learn ho, what made these people tick and ould make a knockout launch for De Campo

A warning shiver snaked up her spine Was she crazy to even be atte this?

It had all happened in a ratheroff one too ht out in Manhattan when she’d been woken at 6:00 am with a panicked phone call fro departue of hers, cool-as-a-cucumber Katya had sounded unusually flustered Gabriele De Ca his Devil’s Peak launch for its “atroce” ideas three and a half weeks before simultaneous kickoff events in Napa and New York “I need you,” Katya had groaned “And I need you now”

Alexher sorry butt out of bed for a chance to work for her sister’s brother-in-law if she hadn’t just lost her three-million-dollar-a-year diae blow for Alex’s fledgling PR firm that had just taken over a ritzy new space on Fifth Avenue If she didn’t find another big client soon, she’d be closing her doors before she even got started So she’d shaken off her fuzz, canceled her appointments and jumped on a plane to San Francisco in time to make this party

There was only one problem with the whole scenario Katya didn’t know Alex’s relationship to Gabe Didn’t know he had a strict no-working-with-family policy he’d never bent froive her De Campo’s business Didn’t know she and Gabe were like oil and water Always When Gabe said white, she said black It was just the way it was

Which had no bearing on the here and now, she told herself, tucking a ard strand of her long, dark hair back into her chignon, squaring her shoulders and starting for the winding staircase that led down to the mezzanine Her combative relationship with Gabe was inconsequential when a two-million-dollar contract was on the line When her future was on the line

She curved her hand around thebreath Her steps down the staircase were slow and deliberate, designed not to attract attention Gabe was in theto the head of the local farm workers union, his attention ile-minded focus his trademark But as she continued her descent, that faed, electric Gabe’s head caaze froze as it rested on her His eyes widened

As if he was surprised to see her

Oh, Lord Katya had told him she’d hired her Hadn’t she?

She started to get the awful feeling that no, so that crucial piece of inforht of stairs, her heart thu in tandeaze not leaving her face Surprise Definitely surprise

This was so, so not good

Or maybe, she countered desperately, as he broke off his conversation and strode over to stand at the base of the stairs, it was actually a very good thing Having the element of surprise over control freak Gabe could work in her favor Allow her to slide in soavel down

Her knees, as she descended the last flight and took hi a ht have been due to the superbly tailored suit that fit Gabe’s tall, ht hair worn overly long with perfectly cut sideburns

Some women pointed out the sexy indentation in the eously hot She preferred the drown-yourself-in-thereen eyes His formidable self-control she was fairly certain would coht woman

She pulled in a breath as she negotiated the last step and stopped in front of him Utterly to die for Utterly off-limits Get a hold of yourself, Lex

His mouth curved “Alexandra”