Aisling Chapter 12

The first meeting went slightly better than I’d hoped. They did let me show them a tiny bit of our operation before we sat down to discuss what Maeve’s Cellars would be able to do for them. Small samples of our current top three wines were tasted. They asked a lot of questions, and I was super relieved that I had all the answers readily available to them. Alistair remained in the background and didn’t say a word as promised. I saw the three reps cast him more than a couple of curious looks. I merely introduced him as my security for the day. By the time they left, we had to get on the road to make the meeting in San Diego.

Our actual meeting was in La Jolla, which was actually about a dozen miles from downtown San Diego. It was an affluent area along the coast with not only scenic views but lots of fine dining and seafood restaurants. It would be a boon to get into more of those. There were several residential communities there, as well as various businesses, medical, and educational institutions such as the University of California, San Diego, the Salk Institute, Scripps Research Institute, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which was famous.

Since it was work, Alistair, Creed, and Dario went with me while the rest stayed behind to do whatever they wanted. We did make plans for my family to join us later in La Jolla at a favorite spot of mine for dinner. I’d called the owner and made reservations for two parties of eight.

Traffic was intense, as usual. The freeways in California could test the patience of a saint. Florida was bad enough, but this was worse, in my opinion. No way I’d want to live here. What had I been thinking when I entertained the idea of marrying Chris? I would’ve lost it just due to the traffic. Now the weather was beautiful. We contended with killer humidity in Florida, but it wasn’t a major issue here. In Temecula, we were in what was a semi-desert area, so at times in the peak of summer, it was well over a hundred degrees but the heat was dry. Great for growing grapes.

Dario was driving with Creed in front. Alistair and I were in the second row, with Reggie in the third. We took a large SUV so we’d have plenty of room. They didn’t want to feel constricted, and no way would Alistair tolerate them in a separate car, not after the wreck. It was no surprise they were armed. What would shock most people was to know I was carrying a gun as well.

The meeting was to be held at the main office of the company I was hoping to do business with. They had restaurants not just in La Jolla but also in other affluent areas of So Cal. They had been around for thirty-five years, and they were more old-school, hence the prejudice toward only Napa Valley and Italian wines.

It was decided on the drive after I showed the guys a map of the building at the house that Reggie and Dario would remain outside on watch. Creed would be in the building but not at the actual meeting, and Alistair would be with me. After parking the car, we headed inside. Of course, the four of them had their heads on a swivel. I wasn’t moseying along obliviously, either. I saw nothing suspicious or alarming. When the three of us entered, the receptionist gave us a bored look, although her lack of interest almost immediately changed to fascination as she checked out Creed and my man. I didn’t like other women desiring Alistair, but it was something I had to live with. He was too attractive for women and even men not to notice. As long as they never pursued it, I’d be fine.

I confidently walked up to her as they hung back and scanned the area. I wanted to laugh. They looked intimidating, and the dark sunglasses with their suits screamed bodyguards. A lot of times, our guards made it obvious who they were. Other times, they would work to blend in. It depended on the situation.

“Hello, I’m Aisling O’Sheeran. I have a three o’clock appointment.” I told her with a smile.

She was still distracted by the men. It took a second or two for her brain to click back online. I wanted to snap my fingers and tell her to snap out of it, but I behaved. “Oh, um, yes, Ms. O’Sheeran. You’re expected. Just have a seat, and I’ll let them know you’re here.”

“Thank you,” I told her before walking over to the expensive seating area they had.

I sat, and then Alistair joined me. Creed remained standing. Priceless pieces of art and expensive furniture adorned the entire place as far as the eye could see. They believed in making a statement. Our businesses did as well, but not ostentatiously. There was a fine line between tasteful and vulgar. They were edging into vulgarity.

We were kept waiting for about ten minutes. Something I was expecting. I hadn’t told Alistair about the men we were about to meet. I knew he wouldn’t like them much. This was merely them showing me how unimportant I was. I doubted if my name weren’t O’Sheeran, they would’ve bothered to meet with me. Even as arrogant as they were, they’d never deny me at least a face-to-face meeting, even if it were only so they could brag they’d met one of the infamous O’Sheerans.

The receptionist was busy on the phone. We were too far away to hear what she was saying, but she kept casting glances our way, so I knew she was talking about us. Finally, she put down the phone and got up. As she came toward us, she swayed her hips. I was wearing high heels, but the six-inch stilettos she was wearing to work in the office were ridiculous. I expected a woman to wear those to a nightclub. I wondered if she hoped they’d catch her a husband.

“Ms. O’Sheeran, come with me. Your friends can stay here,” she smiled at them.

“Creed will be happy to stay, but Mr. Graeme comes with me.”

She frowned. “This is a private meeting.”

“Yes, it is, but I was clear I would have one person with me. Is that going to be a problem?” I raised a brow at her. Sure, I wanted their business, but I wasn’t about to be walked all over.

She hesitated a moment, then shook her head. “Of course not, come this way.”

We followed her down a short hallway to impressive ornate wooden double doors. She knocked, paused, then opened them before she breezed in, leaving us to follow her. Inside was an executive office combined with a private conference room. Again, everything screamed wealth. There were two older men in suits seated at the conference table. They got to their feet as she glided toward them. I saw the lechers checking her out. Her skirt was way too tight and short, and her top was molded to her upper body, showcasing her breasts.

“Mr. Hayes, Mr. Tillman, Ms. O’Sheeran, and her…guest are here.”

I’d done my research on the two men and their company, so I knew them by sight. They gave me a head-to-toe scan, and, like with her, they had lustful expressions. I felt the anger coming off Alistair, but you would never know it if you looked at him. He was passively standing there with his hands folded in front of him.

“Serve the refreshments, Rebecca,” Tillman ordered.

She scrambled to the other side of the room to a bar along the wall. While she busied herself there, the introductions were made.

“I’m Henry Tillman, and this is my partner, Sebastian Hayes.” As he introduced himself, he held out his hand but to Alistair, not me. Strike two. The first was the look.

I stepped closer, and I took his hand, shaking it firmly. There was a flicker of shock in his gaze. When I let go, I grabbed Hayes’s hand, which he’d extended at the same time. “Hello, Mr. Tillman, Mr. Hayes. I’m Aisling O’Sheeran, and this is my associate, Mr. Graeme. Thank you for making the time to meet with me.”

They hesitated for a moment, then plastered polite smiles on their faces.

“Welcome, please have a seat,” Hayes interjected.

We took seats across from them. As we did, Rebecca was back with a huge tray. It was filled with wine glasses, a few bottles of wine, and a crystal decanter of whiskey, I guessed. She sat it in the middle of the table and then quietly left, closing the doors behind her. I placed my briefcase on the floor next to my feet and sat back, portraying that I was relaxed, even if it was far from the truth.

“Well, Mr. Graeme, we’re not familiar with your role at the O’Sheeran corporation,” Tillman stated.

“Mr. Graeme’s role isn’t part of Maeve’s Cellars. At Kin of éireann Inc. I oversee that business.”

He waved his hand dismissively. “I know you’re the face of it and all that. And I understand why. Having an attractive spokesperson certainly helps a business, but we’re interested in speaking to the actual brains behind Maeve’s Cellars. This is a business meeting, after all. We thought one of the men would be here, one of your brothers or cousins,” he said dismissively.

My ire at him was inching up by the second, the condescending misogynistic prick. I fought to keep my smile on my face.

“Gentlemen, I’m not just the spokesperson for Maeve’s. I am the one behind the business. There isn’t a decision made that I’m not directly involved in, I assure you. No one in my family knows more about it than me. After all, I went to college specifically to be able to run it and do it knowledgeably.”

“If that’s true, why is he with you?” Tillman asked. He seemed to be the mouthpiece of the duo. All they were focused on was Alistair. This was quickly going down the drain. At this rate, they’d never hear my pitch. Disappointment and anger filled me.

“I’m here as part of Ms. O’Sheeran’s protection detail,” Alistair said gruffly.

“Surely she doesn’t have to have bodyguards everywhere she goes.” Hayes sniffed.

I had a choice. I could continue to let them feel superior and talk down to me in the hopes I might still get a chance with them, or I could bring out the inner lioness and show them who they were talking to. Fuck it, lioness it was.

“Apparently, you haven’t ever dealt with those of extreme wealth and stature. I get it. You’re a small start-up company. Hopefully, one day, if you grow significantly, you’ll be exposed to more people like my family. People with our wealth and notoriety typically don’t run around without protection. Everything we do is important in someone’s eyes. It’s the price we pay for being so successful. Most people we do business with know this and have no issue with our guards. The chance to be associated with Kin of éireann Inc. and my family makes it worth it, let alone the money it makes them. If the fact I’m a woman is a deal breaker, then we’ll leave. After all, I have meetings set up with other more prominent restaurant owners in the area.”

They exchanged panicked looks. They didn’t want to piss off my family, and the mention of other owners made them think of one of their main competitors, Caliari Corporation. They were bigger and had more restaurants. I was in talks to meet with them as well. I went to stand, and this prodded them into action.

“No! No, please stay. We didn’t mean anything by our questions. Naturally, we understand. We were just surprised to find you’re the brains behind it. You’re so young,” Hayes quickly added.

I slowly relaxed back in my chair. “I grew up learning the business. It’s true it was started by my Uncle Patrick soon after he met and married my Aunt Maeve. He bought the winery and named it after her. He grew it over the years, but there were so many businesses he, my Uncle Sean, and my daid managed. When they had children, we were all taught that one day, we’d work in some capacity for the family. I’ve always been interested in grapes and the whole winemaking process, so it has become my passion. I took over as soon as I graduated from college, and I’ve grown it.

“I’m not just here to get you to sell our wines in your restaurants. I’m here to let you know of new ones we have coming, which are going to be award-winning without a doubt. They’ll help put Southern California on the map as legitimate winemakers. It’s no longer just Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Italy who make outstanding wines, gentlemen. The world has expanded, and real businessmen and women have to adapt and embrace changes in order to stay relevant. I’m here to offer Tillman and Hayes a chance to do that.”

I had worked up a softer sales pitch, and this one. I hoped I wouldn’t need to use the harder one, but with their attitude, I was happy I’d planned both. At this point, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to do business with them. They were the kind of people who rubbed me wrong in a big way.

“We’re very interested in staying current and being industry leaders. We’d like to see what you’re proposing and hear more about these award-winning wines,” Tillman hurried to assure me while his partner nodded his head. Settling in, I pulled out the charts and papers I had in my briefcase, and I went for it.

An hour and a half later, we were shaking hands and walking out of their office. They were overly eager to sell our wines. Before leaving, I turned to them with a patronizing smile. “Gentlemen, I’ll think over your offer, and I’ll let you know if Maeve’s Cellars will sell our wines to your restaurants or not. We have to be selective, you understand, and we don’t want to saturate the market all at once. I’ll be in touch one way or the other. Thank you for your time.”

They stuttered and kissed ass all the way to the elevator. When the doors shut on me, Creed, and Alistair, I sagged against the wall. I jumped when Stair burst out, chuckling.

“Christ, you’re a viper when you have to be. The way you dealt with those fuckers was amazing. Creed, have you seen her in warrior-woman mode?”

Creed grinned and nodded. “She’s sweet as pie until they piss her off, then the barracuda comes out and watch out. So those assholes riled her up?”

“Oh yeah, they were two misogynistic bastards. I wanted to punch both of them in the mouth. How dare they be so stupid to think that because she’s a woman, she’s a mere figurehead and doesn’t have a brain?” he asked in disgust.

It warmed my insides to hear him say it. I’d felt his unspoken support the whole time, and I knew if it had gotten much worse, he would’ve been championing me even though I was able to do it myself. The elevator opened, and Reggie and Dario were standing there waiting for us. I took Alistair’s hand as we exited.

“Thank you, Stair. I hate it when I have to deal with people like them, but it’s par for the course sometimes. I hate that they made me act that way, but it happens. Thank you for being there.”

“All I did was sit and watch,” he said as he squeezed my hand.

“Yes, but I knew you were supporting me. I could feel it. Now, let’s get out of here. The whole building makes me feel claustrophobic. Could you imagine working here every day?”

We all shuddered. As we aimed for the front door, Rebecca came trotting over in her heels. She was gushing all over us, but mainly the guys, now that she had two new victims to flirt with. I held in my laugh as she tried her best to gain their attention and they ignored her. She was sulking when we kept going. Exiting the building, they were back in professional mode. It wasn’t far to the parking garage where they had left the car.

Before they let me get in, since it had been out of their sight, they visually scanned it and then took out a small box-shaped thing with buttons. They scanned it along the car, especially the underside. I knew it was to detect bombs. Crazy, I know. They didn’t do this all the time, but with the last time I was in Cali still fresh in their heads, they did. I knew it was on Alistair’s orders.

Once they deemed it safe, they opened the doors, and we got inside. Back on the road, I directed them to where I wanted them to go. It was getting close to five o’clock, and afternoon rush hour was happening. Using the navigation system for back streets, I directed them through La Jolla. I wanted to show them some of my favorite spots before we joined the others for dinner at six thirty.

No surprise one of those spots was a beach. We parked and listened to the ocean. Even though we had one back home, there were differences in the water in the Atlantic and in the Pacific, no matter what anyone said. The salt smell in the air relaxed me. I could never live long away from water. It didn’t need to be the ocean, but some kind of water was a must. In Ireland, at our home, there was a large lake. Thinking about it, I realized all of our properties had water, whether it was a lake, ocean, stream, pool, or fountain.

I was in a good mood again when we pulled up to the valet stand at the restaurant. I saw the others were already there waiting for us. I was looking forward to a fun night with family and friends. Yes, I considered our guards, soldiers, and enforcers friends. We treated them like family. It was the only way to instill loyalty. Entering the restaurant, we were greeted by the owner. He was a sweet older man I’d met and became acquainted with a few years ago. He took pride in his restaurant. I had to admit, part of the initial attraction to it was the name Delaney’s, which rightly so screamed Irish to me.

I held out my hands so he could take them. He was a courtly gentleman who always kissed my cheek now that he knew me. He was in his late sixties, I would guess. I’d worked hard to get him to use my first name, but he insisted I do the same.

“Hello, Aisling. You have made an old man very happy. To see your beautiful face is my reward,” he said with a smile.

“Ardal, you flirt. You’ll make me blush. It’s wonderful to see you too, although I have to warn you, I can’t flirt this time. I have someone with me,” I pretended to whisper.

His smile grew bigger. “Oh really, well, introduce me to your friends and then this fiend who is trying to steal you away from me.”

Everyone laughed, including Alistair. “Everyone, this is Ardal Delaney, the owner of this fabulous establishment, one of my favorite places in California. Ardal, these are three of my brothers–Aidan, Shane, and Tiernan. These are my cousins–Rian, Ciaran, and Rory. These other rather stern guys are our guards and friends–Gael, Niall, Reign, Daniel, Kendric, Fionn, and Milo.” I paused when I finished pointing them out.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. And I assume this rather large, intimidating man you didn’t introduce is my competition.”

I laughed. “Ardal, this is Alistair Graeme. Alistair, this is my beau, Ardal.”

“I’d say it was a pleasure to meet you, Ardal, but not if you’re after my woman,” Alistair growled menacingly.

“What!? You’re allowing a Scotsman to steal an Irish rose, and you call yourselves Irishmen, for shame. I’ll spirit you away when he’s not looking,” Ardal said first to my family, then conspiratorially to me.

We were all laughing loudly and joking. When we calmed down, he shook hands with Stair and welcomed everyone. Then he showed us to our tables. The ambiance of Delaney’s reminded me of the study at our family home. It was lit with lowlights, rich mahogany wood polished to gleam warmly, thick carpet underfoot, and walls painted a deep dark green. Growing up, I spent hours in the study, just reading and relaxing.

There was no way we didn’t attract attention as we were escorted to our tables. Our number was enough to make people stare, but my brothers and cousins were recognized even if I might not have been. The whispered conversations in the room grew louder. Used to it, I ignored it like the rest of my family and the guards did. Ardal beat Alistair to pull out my chair, and the cheeky man gave Alistair a smirk as he did it.

The family sat at one table and the others at the table between us and the door. As the evening passed, we enjoyed not only great conversation, special attention from Ardal, and excellent service but also outstanding food, and they, of course, proudly served Maeve’s wines. We were kicked back, and I told my family how the second meeting of the day had gone. They were protesting how the last two potential customers greeted me as we waited for our desserts to come. A great meal wasn’t complete without dessert, in my opinion. I always checked out those first to decide what I’d eat for the main course to leave room for it. My family knew I did, and they loved to tease me about it. They asked me why I didn’t just eat my dessert first.

I was laughing as I told them how Tillman and Hayes were kissing my ass at the end when Alistair pulled his phone out of his pocket. He glowered when he read it. He glanced over at me.

“What?” I asked in alarm.

“Don’t look now. Kendric said that Brynes just walked into the front. He’s waiting to be seated.”

My happy mood dimmed. Why, of all the places in the world, was he here? He didn’t even live close to La Jolla. Newport Beach had plenty of great restaurants. Was it bad luck, or did he somehow know we were here? The cynic in me was leaning toward the latter, which was egotistical.

Stair grasped my hand in my lap. “ Leanabh , don’t pay any attention to him. He might just be here to eat. It would be stupid of him to make a scene here with all of us. From what Kendric said, he only has Scotty and one other guy with him. Keep talking. Laugh and keep your eyes on me,” he said firmly and loud enough for my family to hear. They all gave the appearance of enjoying themselves and being oblivious to Chris. I pushed my uneasiness away and did the same.

I thought we were in the clear when he took a seat with Scotty and the other man and didn’t even look over at us. I went back to enjoying myself. It wasn’t until after our desserts were served and we were all digging into them that it went wrong. I’d taken my first bite and was savoring it when Chris and Scotty walked up to our table. The other guy hung back. My appetite fled. I knew when I saw his face the evening wasn’t ending pleasantly.

He peered intently at Alistair and then at me before he moved on to study the others. “Imagine running into you all here,” was his opening line. The slight twist to his lips told me what I wanted to know. He somehow knew we were here. He came on purpose to make a scene or just to irritate me.

“Yeah, what are the odds?” Aidan said back.

“Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, I’m the one who brought Aisling here the first time. Remember that, Ais? We had such a good time at dinner and later,” he said with a smirk, and innuendo was clear in his tone.

The bastard was trying to imply we had done more than eat. It was true he was the one to bring me here, but that was all. It wasn’t unusual for me to go out to dinner with him once in a while when I was in California. His need to try and start something with Alistair was evident. Stair knew it had never been sexual between us, but it would still rankle him. I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen.