The Villa

stupid. He wants sex, and he's not going to keep settling for necking on the porch or—"
    "Necking? Come on, Pilar. Details, all the details."
    "Let's just say he has a very creative mouth, and when he uses it, I remember what it's like to be twenty."
    "Oh." Helen fanned a hand in front of her face. "Yes."
    "But I'm not twenty. And my body sure as hell isn't twenty. How can I possibly let him see me naked, Helen? My breasts are heading to Mexico."
    "Honey, mine landed in Argentina three years ago. James doesn't seem to mind."
    "But that's the point. You've been together for nearly thirty years. You've gone through the changes together. Worse, David's younger than I am."
    "Worse? I can think of a lot worse than that."
    "Try to be on my side here. He's a forty-three-year-old man. I'm a forty-eight-year-old woman. There's a huge difference there. A man his age most usually dates younger women. Often much younger women with tight bodies that don't sag."
    "Often paired with empty heads that don't think," Helen finished. "Pilar, the fact is, he's dating you. And if you're so self-conscious about your body, though that irritates me when I think of what's become of mine in comparison, make sure it's dark the first time you jump him."
    "You're a big help."
    "Yes, I am, because if he's put off by breasts that aren't twenty-two years old and perky, then he's not worm your time. Better to find out than to speculate and project. Do you want to sleep with him? Just yes or no," Helen added before Pilar could respond. "Gut instinct, primal urge. No qualifiers."
    "Yes."
    "Then buy yourself some incredible underwear and go for it."
    Pilar bit her lip. "I already bought the underwear."
    "Hot damn. Let's see."
     
    Nearly twenty-four hours after the tasting, and Tyler could still form a picture in his mind that made him laugh. Two dozen snooty, slick-faced club members had gotten the shock of their narrow lives with a sample of what he was calling Vin de Madeline.
    "'Unsophisticated'," he said, cracking himself up again, " 'but nubile'. Jesus, where do they get that stuff? Nubile."
    "Try to contain your hilarity." Sophia sat behind the desk in her office in the villa and continued to study the models Kris had chosen for the ads. "And I'd appreciate it if you'd warn me the next time you decide to add a mystery vintage to the selection."
    "Last-minute candidate. And it was in the name of science."
    "The tastings are in the name of tradition, reputation and promotion." She glanced up briefly, gave up when he just grinned at her. "Okay, it was funny, and we'll be able to turn it into an interesting, lighthearted article for the newsletter. Maybe even get a little human-interest and anecdotal press out of it."
    "Does your blood run on publicity?"
    "You betcha. Which is fortunate for all involved, as some members would've been very offended if I hadn't been there to spin it."
    "Some members are pompous, tight-assed idiots."
    "Yes, and those pompous, tight-assed idiots buy a great deal of our wine and talk it up at social events. As the winemaker is as unsophisticated and nubile as her wine, we can play it to our advantage." She made another note, weighed it down with the silly green glass frog Ty had given her for Christmas. "Next time you want to experiment, give me some warning."
    He stretched out his legs. "Loosen up, Giambelli."
    "That, from the king of the party animals." She picked up an eight-by-ten glossy, held it out to him. "What do you think of her?"
    He took the picture, studied the sloe-eyed blonde. "Does this come with her phone number?"
    "That's what I thought. She's too sexy. I told Kris I wanted wholesome." Sophia scowled into middle distance. "I have to fire her. She's not even trying to adjust to the changes. Worse, she's ignoring direct orders, giving the rest of the team grief." She sighed. "My spies tell me she had a meeting with Jerry DeMorney from La Coeur just the other day."
    "If she's causing trouble, why are you worried about axing her? Don't give me the line about not being able to replace her during the campaign or the reorganization."
    "All right. I hesitate because she's good, and I hate to lose her. And she has intimate knowledge of the campaign, of my long-range plans, and could very well lure some other members of the staff away with her. I hesitate, on a personal level, because I think she was involved with my father, and firing her might push her to make that public. Whatever I do, it's going to cause