Gia Leonetti adjusted her cell phone so her face could be clearly seen by her brother Leo and sister Antonia.

“Can you see my happy smile all the way from here in Las Vegas?” Gia grinned into the phone from the back seat of the limousine.

“Good news I take it?” Leo asked.

“We don’t call her Glamorous Gorgeous Gia for nothing,” her sister Antonia said. “Triple G is the family closer.”

Her siblings were both still at the corporate offices of Leonetti Vineyards in Emerald Ridge, Texas, given the fluorescent lighting and dark wood furnishings in the background. By Gia’s calculations, due to the time difference, both Leo and Antonia should be headed home to their spouses but they both worked long hours as the CEO and CFO of their family business.

Gia snapped her fingers. “I just got four hotelier accounts for partnerships with Leonetti Vineyards today alone. I’ve been busy.”

“Whoa,” Leo said. “Our ancestors would be proud. It’s almost like you know what you’re doing.”

All three of them laughed at the truth of this. After years floundering and trying to find her place in the family business, Gia had arrived. She’d always been a team player and outgoing by nature, so head of marketing wound up a perfect fit for her sunny nature.

She’d been shocked and embarrassed to learn Leonetti wines were not being carried in any of the Fortune Resorts hotels. They only served the best European wines, apparently. If nothing else, she would convince Penn Fortune that the Leonetti brand could easily compete with what they carried. Her family’s vineyard had been modeled after the original one in Tuscany and had the same recipes.

“Wish me all the luck because my toughest meeting is next,” Gia admitted. “I’m on my way to the swankiest hotel on the strip, the Fortune Resort Hotel.”

Antonia gaped. “We’ve been trying to get in for years with no luck. Even our family Fortune connections didn’t help.”

“What can I say? I’m talented and persistent. From what I understand, my meeting is with Penn Fortune himself.”

“How did you manage that? He’s notoriously difficult to pin down,” Leo said.

“I let it drop that I’m also from Emerald Ridge, so maybe that helped.”

Penn had recently moved from Houston to Emerald Ridge, and though she hadn’t ever had the pleasure of an introduction, his reputation went far and wide. He was incredibly wealthy, part of a rather interesting branch of the Fortune family. Since both Leo and Antonia were married to Fortunes from another branch, Gia had heard plenty. Unfortunately, rumors were swirling around Emerald Ridge regarding their rather sketchy family past.
Gia didn’t judge, because everyone had issues, though Penn’s family seemed to have more drama than most. His father, Archibald Fortune, had three different families with three different wives, and none of them had known about each other. For decades. How he’d managed to pull that off Gia would never know, but she guessed someone with all his money would have plenty of resources at his disposal.

She couldn’t imagine it—being so close to her own family that she liked to believe she’d know if there was anything even remotely scandalous going on. Either way, she didn’t concern herself with small-town gossip. Gia loved people, which made it easy to make friends. She’d simply make friends with Penn and never once mention his odd family dynamics. People were, after all, far more than their family drama.

“I’m here, so I’ll get off the phone now and do my thing.” Gia shimmied her shoulders. “I’ll fly home tomorrow.”

“Good luck!”

Gia waved to her siblings and stowed her phone in her purse. She glanced out the window at the palm trees that lined the massive driveway of the Fortune Resort Hotel, across from the equally luxurious Venetian. The driver pulled into the porte cochere, filled with Rolls-Royces and Lamborghinis, then drove smoothly onto the red-carpeted entrance. The door opened and Gia stepped out, pausing for several long moments to take in the place’s grandeur. The Fortune Resort Hotel was the most opulent on the strip.

The facade was a fusion of gold-tinted glass and sleek marble. A grand fountain at the entrance burst streams of water in a choreography of colored lights and music. Inside, the marble parquet floors shimmered as she walked toward the elevators along white Roman columns with gold accents. The cathedral ceilings were painted with art worthy of a museum. Further back, she heard the din of the slot machines and caught a glimpse of the high rollers playing roulette.

Gia entered the elevator, punched in the privacy code she’d been given after her appointment confirmation, and began her ascent to the penthouse floor.

A hint of the smell of expensive cigars greeted her, and floral arrangements of fresh orchids and jasmine on either side of the elevator added a subtle and unmistakable fragrance. Gratified to find her presentation of wines for the flights she’d assembled had arrived on time, she introduced herself to the secretary.

“Mr. Fortune is ready for you. He said to take you inside the moment you arrived,” the woman said, pushing the cart with the wine bottles toward the ornate door.

Gia followed her inside. The secretary smiled and quickly left the room, shutting the doors behind her.

Gia felt like she’d entered the lion’s den, and so far the lion didn’t seem to notice she’d arrived. Maybe he wanted to paw at his toy a bit before he devoured her for a little snack. Okay, Gia. Calm down. No need to be nervous. This is your wheelhouse. Still, she couldn’t help but be intimidated by this man, who stared at a piece of paper on his desk as if it had sucked all the joy out of him. She would hate to be in the position of the person who’d written him that letter. It seemed like any moment he’d growl.

She’d only seen photos of Penn Fortune in periodicals such as Forbes but that had never prepared her to see him up close and personal. His golden good looks made him almost intimidating.

Instead of waiting until he deigned to notice her, Gia put her bag down and went about setting up the flights. Once someone tasted their wines, they had a difficult time saying no to her. She removed her carefully packaged wine goblets and bottles and went at the first bottle with her silver corkscrew. This light and cherry-infused merlot was her best ice breaker. Her previous appointment had ordered seven cases.

“Here, let me help.” Penn appeared at her side, taking the corkscrew from her.

“Oh,” she said, losing her train of thought when he touched her hand. “I didn’t see you there.”

Her entire body buzzed with awareness. For the love of good wine, this man was gorgeous. As a brunette, she’d always been a sucker for blonds. Ones who wore Armani suits and walked like sleek jaguars were among her favorites. To top it all off, Penn had beard stubble that made her want to rub against him like a cat. His green eyes were deep and dark. Oh, good grief, get a hold of your damn self! She didn’t want word about any unprofessional exchange with Penn getting back to her family.

“Um, that’s okay. I’ve done this four times today, and I don’t mind.”

“No one offered to help you?” He slid her a panty-melting grin that turned her insides to mush.

“I—I don’t need help.”

“Maybe so, but I’ll gladly be your assistant.” He easily slipped off the cork and then went to the next bottle. “I assume you want it to breathe.”
She nodded.

“I’m sorry if I was rude when you first came in,” Penn said, opening the next one—an almond-infused cabernet sauvignon her sister Bella, their vintner, raved about. It had won a blue ribbon last year. “Believe me, I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“That’s fine, I assumed you were wrapping up something important.”

“It’s been a rough day, yeah.” He set the bottle down, then went to the next one. “But no reason to keep a beautiful woman waiting. I promise not to do it again.”

She sucked in a breath at those words because he’d said them with a hint of flirtation and a sideways grin.

While he opened the remaining bottles, Gia went about pouring the first flight.

“I…I want to thank you for this meeting. My family has tried to get into Fortunes Resort before without any luck.”

“Apparently we both now live in Emerald Ridge,” he said. “I can’t turn away a neighbor. But the truth is, we only carry selections of high-priced European wines, which our customers much prefer. South of France and Italy. That’s probably why no one ever wanted to waste your time with a meeting.”

“Leonetti Vineyards has been around for over a century. I think if you give our vintages a chance, we won’t disappoint,” she murmured, tossing her hair back.

Yes, she was starting to flirt a little bit, too. Why not? She was single, he was single.

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. Every hotelier I met with today bought a case of our wines, even multiple ones. The wine sells itself.” She offered him a goblet with the first taste.

He took a sip of the wine and cocked his head. “That is good.”

She smiled at him again, mentally preparing to go into her presentation. As Antonia once said, Gia could talk to a statue and get it to respond. Penn was far from a statue even if he did have a likeness to a Greek god.

“I have to confess, your hotel is the most luxurious one I’ve visited today.”

“That’s my evil plan. Luxury attracts high-end customers. They can never seem to get enough.” His eyes drank her in and she did not miss the slow, deliberate slide up her body.

Thankfully, today she wore her sleek red dress with a modest hemline that fit like a glove. They were officially flirting. She didn’t want a relationship after her last disaster but something temporary might be exactly what she needed right now. If she ventured a guess, it might be exactly what he wanted, too. Besides, she’d never have to worry this man was after her family money. He had plenty of his own.

Hmm. What was that saying about what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?

“Aren’t you going to have some?” Penn asked, offering her a goblet. “I hate to drink alone.”

No one else had asked her to join them before, but with Penn as the last stop it should be fine.

“I usually don’t, but why not?” She accepted the glass and brought it to her lips. “I don’t have anywhere else to be until I catch my plane tomorrow morning.”

“I’m honored.” He carried his goblet over to the leather couch in his office and took a seat. “Tell me about yourself, Gia.”

“Of course.” She launched into her presentation. “Leonetti Vineyards was established in the 1900s, a family business that has attracted the support of plenty of celebrities. In fact, Jackie Kennedy Onassis loved my grandfather and often visited. I’m the head of marketing, as you know, and my brother Leo is the CEO. My sister Antonia is the CFO, and Bella is our vintner. We—”

Penn held up a broad palm. “All interesting, but I’m asking about you. Not your family, or the wine. You.”

Gia didn’t have words. No one had asked about her specifically. She would normally turn this around on him, ask him the questions, but he’d stumped her by catching her off guard. Gia helped herself to another taste as she pulled her thoughts together. Damn, this cabernet went down so smoothly it was like drinking grape juice with a bite. She needed a case for herself.

“Um, well, I work a lot.”

“So do I.” He cocked his head and studied her. “No one special?”

“Not at the moment. And you?”

“No one.” He stood to rejoin her, taking another taste. “I have to admit, this wine is addictive.”

She raised her goblet to his. “I can give you a good deal if you’ll give us half a chance. You won’t regret it.”

“I know I won’t.”

Another smile, and Gia knew she was in trouble here for reasons that had nothing to do with wine.