“And why am I doing this?”

“The wine’s color can tell you a lot about whether it’s a youthful wine or if it’s showing signs of age.” She continued her demonstration. “Then swirl the glass and watch how quickly the wine filters down after it stops moving. The slower the wine’s legs flow down the glass, the higher the alcohol content in the wine.”

“You know, by law they have to print the alcohol content right on the label. That could be a good clue, too.”

“Perhaps we should save all questions and comments until the end of the tasting ritual.”

He shrugged. “Fine by me. I’m as eager as the next guy to get to spit or swallow.”

She so was going to regret giving him that as ammunition. “Next up is smelling the wine.”

“This sure is a lot of foreplay.” Nick peeked over the bar. “Don’t they have any wines back there that are into quickies?”

Jordan struggled with that one, the edges of her mouth twitching. Don’t laugh. It’ll only encourage him. She marched on. “You want to swirl the glass to release the aromas of the wine, then bring it up to your nose and smell.” She watched his technique, and corrected, “Don’t hold the glass to your nose for too long—your olfactory senses will fatigue and you won’t be able to pick up the different aromas.”

Another skeptical look. “Olfactory fatigue?”

“Just try it again,” Jordan said. “And this time, tell me what you smell.”

Nick did as she asked. “I smell wine.”

Jordan smiled reassuringly. “I used to say the same thing when I first started out. It takes a while to develop a nose for wine, to be able to distinguish the different aromas.”

“Okay, Ms. Expert, what do you smell?”

“Sorry. No hints until you taste it for yourself,” she said. “Now, when you take a sip of the wine, suck in some air—that will open its flavors. Then swish it around your mouth before swallowing. Normally, I’d say you could spit it out if you want, but this wine costs fifteen hundred dollars a bottle. If you spit it out, about twenty people here will drop dead of a heart attack.”

She lifted her glass, ready to taste the wine, when she saw the look of shock on Nick’s face. “What?”

“Fifteen hundred dollars a bottle?” he repeated.

“Yep.” She held up her glass. “Cheers.” She took a sip of the wine and went through the whole routine: sucking, swishing, and swallowing. She felt the heady rush, the liquid warmth that flowed through her body, and the feeling of bliss that built and peaked and then slowly ebbed. And finally, the light-headed, flushed feeling. The afterglow.

Orgasmic, indeed.

She opened her eyes and saw Nick staring at her.

“I feel like I need a cigarette and a shower after watching that.” His eyes seemed warmer than usual. “Tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Whatever it is you would normally say after drinking that wine.”

“I’d talk about how it felt in my mouth and what it tastes like,” she said.

His gaze fell to her lips. “And?”

“It felt large and smooth. A real mouthful.”

“Are you kidding me with this?”

Jordan laughed at his expression. “No, I’m serious—that’s how I would describe the wine. I can’t help it if one might read certain connotations into it. Wine is a very sensual thing.”

Rafe Velasquez approached them. “What do you think of the Sevonne? It’s a real mouthful, isn’t it? Big and smooth.”

“So everyone keeps telling me,” Nick grumbled.

“He’s new to wine,” she explained.

Rafe gestured to Jordan. “Ah, well. You’re certainly in the right hands tonight.”

At that moment, she noticed Xander making his way toward the door, about to leave. Time for her to make her move.

“If you two would excuse me, I see Xander heading upstairs. I need to steal him away to discuss business. Will you be okay on your own?” she asked Nick.

His demeanor was so casual she almost thought he didn’t catch that This Was Her Signal.

“I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’m sure I can find some way to amuse myself while you’re gone.”

Rafe slapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jordan. I’ll make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“Thank you, Rafe, that’s very nice of you,” she said, thinking she’d have a good laugh over that one later. She turned back to Nick. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, then?” The plan was that he would come upstairs and find her on the terrace when he’d finished planting the recording devices.

His eyes held hers, calm and steady as ever.

“Before you know it.”

Eleven

JORDAN SAW XANDER climbing up the glass staircase and called after him. “Xander—wait.”

He turned around on the steps. “Jordan. Enjoying yourself tonight?”

“At your party? Always.” She stopped on the step below him and gestured to her wineglass. “The Sevonne is fantastic, by the way. I like all your selections tonight.”

“I paid attention to the ones you recommended last year.”

“I’m flattered. And speaking of fabulous wine, there’s something else you might be interested in.”

“What’s that?”