The Italian Billionaire’s Nubian Queen (BWWM Romance Book 1) Read online

  It had been a while since he’d had a break.

  Matteo didn’t often do things on impulse, but he made this decision on a whim. He made the call, even if it was outside of working hours. His personal assistant, Claudia, would be on call. She always was. Perhaps some people would call that an unreasonable expectation, but it was part of the reason why he paid Claudia an admittedly outrageous salary with bonuses that senior management would eye enviously.

  “Claudia? Yes, please make arrangements. I’ll be going to the event.”

  “Yes, of course, Mr. Colombo. Anything specific that you need, other than the usual?”

  “No, I don’t believe so. If something comes up, I’m sure you’ll be well placed to handle it.”

  “Of course, Mr. Colombo. I’ll take care of it right away.”

  Matteo hung up and surveyed his empire, as he liked to call it occasionally, when he wanted to mock himself just a little bit. Gabriel would be happy to hear that he was leaving, of course. His brother—no, his half-brother—found Matteo’s authority and often inflexible ways very chafing. Not that Matteo found that a reason for concern. Gabriel wasn’t his problem. Gabriel was Gabriel’s problem, and of course, that of his stepmother, Alexandra.

  What a pair they were! Alexandra always claimed that Matteo was making all the wrong choices and all the wrong decisions, running the family business into the ground, despite all evidence to the contrary. The business was now worth several billions, and Matteo’s personal wealth apart from what was tied up in the business ran into several substantial millions. Including his assets in the form of the company, he was a billionaire. By any reckoning, Matteo was a success. Everything he'd done with the family business, one that Alexandra had never taken the slightest interest in, of course, had been done wisely and deliberately.

  Of course she would complain. For her, the biggest flaw was that her darling son wasn’t the one ruling over it all.

  Matteo had always been willing to indulge his little brother, but that was one place where he would not indulge Gabriel. He had worked too hard, sacrificed too much of his own life and his own sanity, even his happiness, to give Gabriel any real responsibility and risk having him ruin everything. Still…

  There was one way to solve that problem, of course. There was one way to, let’s say, consolidate his legacy and put it beyond anybody’s reach. There was one way to make sure that he was in control, always.

  And that was to have an heir to leave it all to. An heir he could groom to take over everything he'd built, somebody with the wherewithal to understand everything that Matteo understood, maybe have insights of his own. But there was that ego again. There were plenty of people who worked for him who would have as much knowledge as he did about wines and winemaking, and even about brands and strategy. The student mentorship programs that his company had become involved in thanks to Claudia’s insistence had shown him that the younger generation was wiser than most expected and very keen, too.

  There was plenty of choice. If he wanted to choose somebody to be sure that Gabriel didn’t run the business, the legacy and the family name—a name he wore proudly, unlike Gabriel—he could. He could find somebody who could live up to the name that had historically been given to orphans who had nothing. Dove—it meant dove. He'd made it their symbol, in tribute to his grandfather who had fought tooth and nail to become more than his name implied.

  But there was a problem.

  That ego, and that pride that Matteo freely admitted to. He even admitted to the hypocrisy of it. He wanted an heir who was his own flesh and blood. And that, of course, involved taking a wife, and building a family.

  It wasn’t an entirely unappealing though. Maybe, now that he’d turned thirty, it was time to think about it.

  But there was no hurry. He had time yet.

  Time to indulge himself, as he intended to. Thoroughly.

  Chapter 2

  “Wow.”

  “Act cool, Aly!”

  “How can I? It’s all… wow!”

  “It’s just Napa Valley.”

  “Don’t try to act like you’re not all squee on the inside too, Bree!”

  Brianna unbent enough to grin at her sister. Alyssa was so thrilled to see that smile that she forgave her sister completely for being such a sulky, surly pain in the ass all day.

  “It is pretty cool, isn’t it?”

  “Pretty cool? It’s beyond cool. Oh my god, I can’t believe I’m actually here. I can’t believe we’re here together. Seriously, look at this place! Can you believe we’re actually living in a winery?”

  “It’s not really…”

  “Oh, I will not have your negativity, Bree! I’ll pour Chianti down your throat until you find your happy place. I know it’s a vineyard with cottages and the winery is a good walk away, but still. It’s awesome.”

  “It is awesome. Let’s check in, shall we, and take a walk?”

  “Now you’re singing my tune!” declared Alyssa. “I think we have meet and greet and wine tasting sessions all day. Look at this, Colombo is one of the sponsors. I wonder if they’ll have their good stuff. I wonder if we can snag some of their Barolo. Honestly, I’m thrilled to be in Napa Valley but can you imagine if we could do this in Piedmont? An actual Italian wine-making workshop and conference, that would be the most amazing thing in the world!”

  “Calm down, Aly. Let’s be happy with what we have right now, shall we? Maybe you can hit it off with some fancy Italian winemaker and he’ll whisk you away to Italy on a long wine-tasting adventure.”

  “Ah, the dream. Or not, who would take care of my shop? Anyway, we should at least try to be happy with what we’ve got, I suppose. Look at the guest list! Oh… Look at that, the big guy himself is here.”

  “What? Who?”

  “Matteo Colombo. He’s pretty young but he’s supposed to have one of the best noses in the business. He puts it to good use, too. Do you remember, ten years ago when mom found the Colombo Chianti? She bought it because she hadn’t seen it before, somebody had gotten a bottle and put it on the shelf as part of the stock at that place she used to go to. She would not stop raving about the wine for a week.”

  “That’s the one that got you bitten by the bug. Really, mom should’ve known better than to give us wine at sixteen and seventeen.”

  “Oh, we were fine. Besides, it’s not like she gave us more than a glass each. Anyway, he revamped the entire label and turned it into this huge company. It’s pretty astonishing, really. He’s here, it says. I didn’t know he was scheduled to attend.”

  Brianna shrugged. “Is he cute?”

  “Bree, it’s not about him being cute. I don’t know, actually, I’ve been more focused on the wines than him, I don’t think I ever saw a photo. Or if I did, I don’t remember. Anyway, you can’t photograph how good his nose is, can you? I wonder if he’ll lead a wine-tasting session. It would be pretty amazing to be a part of that. He’s been acquiring a lot of new vineyards all across the country. I heard they’re working on a special Super Tuscan, too.”

  “You sound like a fangirl right now.”

  “I'm a fan of his nose and his knowledge. Okay, our turn.”

  Alyssa checked them both in as Bree wandered around the lobby. There were about a dozen people there, and Alyssa hoped to get to know all of them by the end of the weekend. At least five people she knew had made the list, and one of them was direct competition who played dirty at times. She would have to stay out of Lane Donaldson’s way because Lane would not hesitate to ruin the entire weekend for her, and Alyssa did not want war.

  “Well, look at who the cat dragged in.”

  Too late.

  Alyssa made sure her smile was fixed in place as she grabbed the keys she’d been given and turned around.

  “Lane, how lovely.”

  Lane did look lovely. Tall, slim, blonde, blue-eyed and Barbie doll perfect, as always—that was Lane.

  “I’m sure it’s a treat to see me, of course. I didn’t know th
at you’d managed to get an invitation. No wait, let me guess—you’re here as somebody’s plus one. That’s nice of them, I know you’ve been trying to get here for years now.”

  “Well, actually, I’m here with Brianna as my plus one, Lane. I’m sure it’s going to be lovely. Maybe this time you’ll finally get that rich sucker you’ve been looking for to get that exclusive wine bar of yours out of that hole it’s been in for about ten months.”

  Lane’s face sharpened, and Alyssa could practically see the claws coming out. Damn it, she should’ve just bitten her tongue, but that was something she’d always been terrible at.

  “Lane, how lovely to see you. I'm sorry to intrude, but I’m afraid I must borrow Alyssa. It’s a bit urgent. I’m sure you’ll find time to catch up later!”

  “Naomi! Oh God, thank you! Seriously, thank you. I thought I was going to be incinerated.”

  Naomi Tolls grinned.

  “I could see you regretting every word. Hey, Howie! Look who I found! And you brought Bree, isn’t that great?”

  “Hey, guys! It’s so amazing. I was so jealous of both of you last year, but we’re here this time!”

  “Well, Aly, you look lovely, and Bree, you look like you wouldn’t mind a drink. Come on, let’s get settled in and head over to the meet and greet, shall we? I checked the wine list and it’s excellent. As might be expected when Colombo is one of the sponsors. Come on!”

  It was easy to be swept along by the cheerful couple who owned a lovely vineyard in Napa Valley, and who made some very passable wines, some even very good. Even Brianna had cheered up considerably by the time they were settled in, changed, and heading for the meet and greet. It was as gorgeous as Alyssa had hoped it would be, maybe even more so.

  “Look at this. Just look at this, Bree! Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it incredible? We’re actually here! Look at those vines!”

  “They’re vines, Aly. Come on.”

  “Bree, you have no romance in your soul. Now come on, let’s go and see what kind of spread they’ve got at the meet-and-greet.”

  “An excellent one,” said Howie, joining them on the deck of their cabin. “How cool is it that we’re next to teach other? Naomi will be here in a second, she’s fallen in love with the bath in there and is wondering if she can stuff it in her bag and take it home.”

  Alyssa chuckled.

  “The thought occurred to me, too. It’s like a really tiny pool, isn’t it? I thought this was supposed to be fairly rustic.”

  “It is, by their standards. Colombo has a stake in the property, I think.”

  “I didn’t realize that.”

  “Acquired it recently. There she is. Given up, Naomi?”

  “Never! I’ll find a way. I knew I should’ve been a serious witch.”

  Alyssa laughed.

  “You’re still on that?”

  “Did we or did we not win the lottery after I picked the number?”

  “You won twenty dollars, Naomi.”

  “Which is more than most people do, so don’t knock it, Aly! I’ve been learning about emotions and relationships.”

  “You have?” asked Alyssa, amused, falling into step beside Naomi. Brianna and Howie walked ahead, zooming straight for the open-air area where the introductions and meet-and-greet were being done. Trust them to be practical about it. But it did give her a chance to look around and really take it all in.

  “I have, and this is the perfect time of the year to start something new. I brought some rose quartz. It helps.”

  “But you’ve been married to Howie for five years. I think it’s a bit too late to start something new. Look at that, it’s blooming! Isn’t that gorgeous? And look, there’s a garden! We have to go and see the garden later. Will there be an event there? You know, I pretty much memorized the entire website and all the literature so well that I could recite it in my sleep, but I can’t seem to figure out what to expect. All of it’s just gone.”

  “It’s still there, just a little buried right now. Anyway, the rose quartz isn’t for me, it’s for you.”

  Alyssa just grinned and shrugged. She was used to people in her life trying to set her up. She did seem like a prime candidate for a blind date—busy but a romantic who loved making connections.

  “Thanks, Naomi, but you know how I feel about that. I don’t have time for a relationship right now. I'll have time for a serious relationship when I get to a point where I can go for a honeymoon for two weeks without going nuts with worry about the shop.”

  Naomi laughed.

  “That day will never come. You’ve got a business that practically runs itself right now, Aly.”

  “I do not. It runs because I do the work.”

  “Yes, but you know what I mean.”

  “I do not,” maintained Alyssa, glad that she’d steered the conversation away from rose quartz and relationships. Besides, Brianna didn’t need to hear such talk. She had enough to worry about.

  “Well, we’ll see how it works out, shall we? Now, here, keep this in your bra.”

  Alyssa was glad she hadn’t started drinking the wine yet because she would’ve choked on it.

  “What”

  “Keep this rose quartz in your bra. The left cup. Keep it close to your heart and you'll find love.”

  “You,” said Alyssa, slowly, making sure he enunciated, “are going completely cuckoo.”

  “Maybe but you know, Lane doesn’t have the entirely wrong idea.”

  “I'm going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

  “Seriously, Aly! This place is full of people who share your biggest passion. Where else would you find a mate?”

  “I'm not looking for a mate, Naomi. Now come on, let’s get our name tags on and get some wine. Bree called and got a table for the four of us, so if it turns out that everybody's a jackass, we’ll have a table.”

  “In your bra, Alyssa.”

  Alyssa sighed. Naomi hadn’t built a successful business by giving up when she hit a roadblock. It was easier to just give in. Alyssa took the little chunk of rose quartz, looked around, and quickly shoved it down her dress.

  “It’s sharp,” she complained.

  “You can’t expect love to be comfortable. Come on, then. Wow, look at that! It’s gorgeous. Look at that gazebo, do you think it’s old? It’s probably new, built to look old, don’t you think? Look, there are fairy lights! It’s going to be gorgeous when it gets dark and we can see them all turned on!”

  Alyssa had to agree, it was so gorgeous that she did forget all about the pokey rock in her bra.

  She wasn’t going to let anything ruin this. It was a beautiful day, with such blue skies, and the sun would set in a couple of hours. The skies would be glorious when the sun set. They had such a beautiful view. The uphill walk to the gazebo had been worth it, just for the view. The hills rolled in front of them, the valley full of such green, and there were small gardens and smaller gazebos dotted everywhere. It was one thing to know how big a property like this was. It was another to really see it and understand it.

  It took her a few minutes to pay attention to the people.

  There was no sign of Lane, which was a mercy, but there were lots of people, and Howie was already meeting people. Brianna had headed for the table, but she had found somebody to talk to as well. A good-looking man, noticed Alyssa. Tall, blonde, looked fairly fit—and he seemed quite interested in Brianna. Hopefully the attention would make Brianna feel a little better.

  Alyssa put her game face on and started circulating, too. It was made easier with Naomi by her side. Naomi knew almost everybody. The introductions came quick and relentlessly, but Alyssa kept up. By the time they got to their table and sat down, she was energized but definitely ready for a glass of wine.

  “Cody Garnet was definitely checking you out,” declared Naomi, and Alyssa sighed.

  “He was not, Naomi. He’s gay.”

  “He’s not. He’s bi. So he was checking you out.”

  “Maybe he’s bi,” conceded
Alyssa, and promptly forgot the rest of what she had to say as Howie opened the bottle of perfectly aged red wine that had been waiting for them.

  She watched, reverently silent, as Howie poured and offered.

  She swirled, breathed it in, tasted it, and closed her eyes in pleasure. Her sigh was straight from the heart.

  “That’s everything it’s supposed to be.”

  “It is, isn’t it?”

  “I can’t wait for the wine tasting tomorrow. It’s going to be so amazing!”

  The conversation flowed as easily as the wine did, and Alyssa was glad that it was moving away from relationships. Particularly, she told herself, because she didn’t want Brianna to be affected.

  She was just raising her glass to sample the wine again when she felt the atmosphere in the room change. It was the kind of thing she wouldn’t say out loud, because she didn’t share Naomi’s belief in all things witchy and magical, but she still felt it. It was as if everything came into sharper focus, and everything became more potent. When she tasted her wine, she found that it had become more potent, too. She savored flavors and felt things that she'd missed the first time around.

  She let the red liquid flow down her throat, absorbed everything it offered, and looked around, not quite sure what she expected to see.

  Then she saw him.

  She recognized him, of course she did, but that came after a moment. First,there was breathlessness, as if she’d been punched in the gut by something much bigger than her. She had to fight the urge to look away, and to keep looking.

  He was handsome, of course. He was tall, dark-haired, green-eyed, and had the perfect chiseled face that men would envy and women would sigh over. He looked toned and fit, and she had no doubt that he was both.