Take Me Higher (10 page)

Seeing the two boys brought a smile to Diana’s lips. She did so love Keoki and was always delighted to see Obi, who had an enormous crush on her which she handled in just the right way so as not to embarrass the boy. ‘I’ve brought Chinese for lunch, boys.’

‘Our favourite,’ they announced in unison, Keoki kissing her once more on the cheek.

The boys, laden down with carrier bags of Chinese takeaway, ran ahead of Syrah and Diana who walked into the house arm in arm. The sight of the two children, their youth and innocence, the carefree world they lived in, charmed the women. In the final analysis was it not goodness and kindness that mattered most? What a shame that as one got older one had to walk through fire of one sort or another to keep those things in the forefront of one’s life.

No time for fussing with serving dishes. Once the boys had put out the dinner plates and cutlery, and Melba the napkins, they all sat down and had lunch. The stress that for weeks had showed on Syrah’s face seemed to fade away. What she needed was more good times such as these. Occasionally Keoki would look over to his mother and ask, ‘All right, Mom?’

The two women saw the boys off with Melba who was taking them to a Little League baseball game. As they walked back into the house,
Syrah said, ‘Keoki knows things aren’t all right. He’s putting up a terrific front, pretending we have no problems.’

‘How are the problems?’ asked Diana.

‘They couldn’t be worse. I keep telling myself that as soon as I get a grip on liquidating my assets and organising the paying off of all my debts, I must sit down and talk to Keoki and Melba, explain to them that needs must. This privileged lifestyle is over for us and in order to survive and prosper we are moving to the Valley to work our vineyard. But, it’s all so much harder than I thought it would be. I sometimes think I should take the easy way out and sell Ruy Blas. But that’s think and not do stuff, a kind of mental masturbation that stops me from pushing on with it. I can’t bear to take Keoki away from all he loves.’

‘As I told you on the telephone, I had a visit from Ira. Unexpected and unwanted. He simply appeared in my house.’

‘I thought it was all over between you?’

‘It is,’ replied Diana.

‘Obviously not for him. He is such a bastard. He’ll never get over you being the one to walk out.’

‘Syrah, you know how devious he can be. How he’ll move mountains to get what he wants. He didn’t come just to win me back. He came to beg me to intercede with you to sell him your legacy, claiming you will get no better deal than with him.’

‘I turned him down once. Why does everyone assume I want to sell Ruy Blas?’

‘Not
want
but
have
to sell, because you need the money,’ replied Diana.

‘Suddenly my financial affairs are everyone’s business. That really irritates me. But what puzzles is why Ira should want my vineyard so badly. He could be after it for Caleb, since I understand they’ve been trying to do deals together for years. Oh, it’s all so confusing! Maybe James will be able to make head or tale of it. He should be here any time now. He’s flying down from the Valley. I’m quite nervous about seeing him again.’

Diana watched Syrah place her hands over her eyes and heard her sob. When she removed them her cheeks were stained with tears.

‘I love James, not because he’s helping me but because when he took me in his arms in the garden at Richebourg-Conti, I felt I had
come home to the love I had never found. Love and passion, a sexual attraction that brought us both alive as we have never been with another. I’ve not seen him since that day we flew away from the vineyard. I’m afraid when he walks through that door it will all have been an illusion and I’ll be left with an emptiness of heart and soul.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous! Remember, I saw you together. And what I saw was a man in love, someone who had found what he’d been searching for. Would you like me to take Keoki for the night?’

Syrah kissed her friend on the cheek and dried her eyes with a handkerchief. ‘He’s staying at Obi’s house for the night and Melba … well, you know Melba. She’ll make us dinner and vanish until breakfast. But you are a dear for asking. And, by the way, I don’t even know if he wants to spend the night. We never discussed it. I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.’

Diana noticed that Syrah had calmed down, was very nearly her old self. She realised that though her friend was coping with her everyday distress, she must get on with moving forward and out of the mess her life was in. This procrastination had to stop! Diana had had no intention of telling her that at that moment but it seemed so imperative she simply blurted it out.

‘That’s just what I needed to hear. You always give me courage. Remind me to move from the heart as well as the head and get on with my life,’ she told Diana.

Chapter 8

Syrah walked through the rooms of her Malibu house wondering what it would be like seeing James here. She could imagine him sitting in that chair, at that table, looking out across the beach to the sea. So transported in her imagination was she that she did not hear the taxi on the drive, missed the sound of the door bell. She felt his presence before she even turned around. He
was
there, standing on the threshold of the open door.

Both of them were hesitant about taking another step towards each other. These were powerful feelings, each of them not wanting to be overwhelmed by what was happening to them, each acutely aware of how starved for love they had been, and for so long. Syrah and James were cautious because they wanted not to bruise each other’s heart.

The attraction flaring between them was, if anything, stronger than they’d imagined it to be. The sheer excitement of being in love seemed to be everything for them, gave them time and space, a sense of security strong enough to face their love for each other and savour it.

Syrah was not taken aback by the surprise of seeing him there, nor did she feel any nervous anxiety as she’d thought she might on first seeing him again. In his mere presence, just gazing into his eyes, she sensed his sensual masculinity, his passion, his loving kindness, the adventurer in him with a quiet soul. Her heart did not leap; instead her soul was humbled by the oneness she felt with James. Neither of them spoke, words seemed superfluous, he merely walked across the room to her and took her in his arms.

It was for them then what every man and woman dreams of: love and passion flowing between two people as naturally as a running stream in a wood, as the sun rises and the moon lights up the night. Here was love to be treasured, to be cautious with, not because it was fragile but
so that it might continue to grow and blossom, be kept alive for eternity.

To two people entwined in such a love it was more erotic than anything either of them had ever experienced in all their sexually adventurous lives with other partners. It filled their hearts, their souls, and the world stood still for a few minutes. They were aware of having been granted a gift. Someone was watching over them.

James sighed and a smile crossed his lips. Taking both her hands in his, he stood back a pace. He would remember that look of unsullied love for him in her eyes. To the very core of his being, he understood that that was the way she would love him for the rest of his life. He felt his lust for Syrah rising in his loins.

It was Syrah who once more stepped in closer to him and placed her lips upon his, in a kiss to celebrate her passion for James, to express her sexual lust for him. She held nothing back in that kiss, she was giving herself as she had never done to any other man. The intensity of the moment was out of the realm of reason. She broke away from James’s lips and called out in ecstasy as she reached a long and strong orgasm. James grabbed her around her waist and lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her legs round him as she unzipped his trousers.

In a passion to have her, to show her how much he wanted her and loved her, he pressed kisses again and again on her lips. He wallowed in the warmth and softness of her mouth. Lost in his lust for Syrah he gave himself over to her, there and then and forever. She was still tearing off his clothes when he impaled her with one powerful thrust. He felt her thighs grip him even tighter and she clung to him with her arms around his neck as he raised the black dress over her head.

The moment James placed his lips over her nipple, Syrah came again in luscious orgasm, the sensation that is incomparable. James backed up against a wall with her still clinging to him. They plunged into an erotic world where the earth, the very world they inhabited,
did
move.

They were in and out of their lust with every thrust. Syrah was alive with passion, holding him tight in an erotic grip that drove him wild with excitement, breathless with desire. They moved easily in their fucking. With every orgasm she surrendered herself more, until she had totally submitted to James in sex and love. At first it had been sexual urgency, lust, that drove them into an erotic nirvana. Syrah felt faint with it. It was then that, without thought or motive, the urgency
went out of their love making and they eased into making love, having sex slowly, savouring every leisurely thrust until they came together in one long, unimaginably thrilling orgasm.

Contentment, pure and unadulterated, coursed like blood through their veins. ‘You have to know that I have never felt as I do with you: this is joy as I’ve never known it but once before, when as teenage lovers we discovered sex together. I’ve always loved you more than any of the other women who came into my life but years ago I gave up fantasising that we would one day be as we are at this moment,’ he told her, then kissed her on the lips. He knew that was the kiss that would seal their fate.

‘Oh, my dearest heart,’ she said as tears slipped from the corners of her eyes to roll down her cheeks. ‘I will never leave you again,’ she told him.

Together they sat up. Still naked, they hugged each other and remained in that embrace for some minutes, silent except for the warmth of their entwined bodies which seemed to speak volumes.

James retrieved her clothes from the floor and began dressing her. For Syrah it seemed like the most intimate moment of her life. She found his shirt and helped him into it. They took their time dressing each other: caresses, kisses, and an incredible sense of oneness with each other finally took them over.

They rose from the floor together and with arms around each other walked to the sun deck overlooking the beach. The sun was playing on the crest of the waves, turning the Pacific Ocean into rolling, liquid silver. The sky was bright blue with the sun shining in it like a gold shield. There were people on the beach playing volley ball, some running along the water’s edge, a few scattered souls sunning themselves.

‘I feel we are aliens who have just flown down from another planet. Maybe not a planet, just heaven,’ James told her.

Then they both looked away from the scene and burst into laughter because they knew they were somehow outside life and it would always be that way. ‘We’re the luckiest two people in the world. We’ve got our second chance,’ she told him.

‘It won’t be easy, not for either of us,’ said James, who turned away from her to look out once more across the water.

‘No, I don’t expect it will. You do know that all this will be gone
soon? I’ve come to accept that. I will have nothing left but Ethan’s legacy and I intend to work on that and make a place of my own in the wine world.’

Syrah slipped her arm through James’s. Gazing into his eyes she said, ‘It doesn’t matter. I know you love me not for my money or my lifestyle but for me. Whatever I am, whatever I do. You have always been that way about me and that gives me the strength to begin again, no matter how difficult it may be. I have Keoki and I have you and I have me.’

Together, arms wrapped round each other’s waist, they walked into the house to sit together on the suede sofa. ‘What’s happening in the vineyard?’ she asked.

‘Ah, well, there’s much to tell you about. Over a glass of wine, perhaps?’ suggested James.

‘Of course! And you must be hungry. You’re right, I have been out of this world. Come on, you can select the bottle.’

James selected a bottle of vintage Ruy Blas from the wine cupboard that had been fitted with racks and kept the perfect temperature for wine. Syrah raided the refrigerator and brought out what was left of a glazed baked ham and a wheel of Gorgonzola cheese. She took a French stick from the bread basket and they sat down at the kitchen table, hacking slices of ham and cheese onto broken off pieces of bread while they drank a wine that they agreed was sheer ambrosia.

Neither of them had realised how hungry they were until the first taste of their meal. It was after that, as they munched at the food, that James began talking. ‘I think I have to put you in the picture about what’s come to light since Ethan’s death. What I am about to tell you is not common knowledge. The vast Richebourg-Conti vineyard is debt-ridden without Ruy Blas. As you know, it has always been the jewel in the crown. Richebourg-Conti’s debts have to be paid, money must be raised to replant sixty percent of its vines. That money would have come from the profits from Ruy Blas.

‘Caleb and Paula have for the last few years been trying to convince Ethan to take Ira Rudman in as an investor, something he flatly refused to do. It’s not just your lifestyle but the entire Richebourg-Conti finances that are going into a downward spin. It’s been caused by root disease that has been attacking the vines for some considerable time; grandiose
secret diversification plans spearheaded by Caleb and Paula behind Ethan’s back; property deals with Ira – an international chain of wine outlets that drained Paula’s and your brother’s cash flow. Caleb and Paula funded these schemes using their personal fortune and stocks in Richebourg-Conti as security, and all without Ethan’s knowledge. They knew your father would never allow such gambling.’

James was aware of how pale Syrah had become on hearing this news. Her first reaction was to guess that Ethan had got wind of what was happening. He could no longer trust his son to weather the storm and not lose everything, but he did know that Syrah would. So he’d placed his trust in her, knowing she would never fail him. She pressed her hands over her face and lowered her head. She was racked with anger that Paula and Caleb should be so disloyal to Ethan, and to the generations of Richebourgs, who had made a name in the history of wine that few could challenge.

Raising her head again and removing her hands from her face, she watched in silence as James poured her another glass of wine. She drank from her glass and held it up to the light. ‘ “Liquid rubies, plum-coloured diamonds”. How many times have we heard Ethan claim that to be the colour of Ruy Blas wine?’ she said, and a smile crossed her face.

She rose from her chair and sliced a thin sliver of ham, a thicker slice of cheese, and broke off another piece of French baguette. Then, going round the table, she placed her food on his plate and drank once more from her glass before sitting down on his lap.

‘I have no doubt there’s more you have to tell me.’ And she placed an arm around his shoulder and leaned against him while she nibbled on her open sandwich.

‘Ethan always did say you were the most courageous one in the family.’

‘He was right, you know. How sad that it took my father’s death and his legacy to me to make me realise it myself. Believe what others had always seen in me. Had I blinded myself to the real Syrah for fear of offending Caleb? I did so want him to love me and Keoki, for being his sister and his nephew, part of the Richebourg clan. You’d better tell me the rest of it, James.’

‘Caleb and Paula are now desperate because of those personal loans
from Ira. They’d used their stock in Richebourg-Conti as collateral. They
must
have Ruy Blas and Ethan’s wine cellar to save themselves and Richebourg-Conti. Richebourg’s Ruy Blas is the most sought after and expensive wine produced in California. To obtain one case, a wine merchant must buy substantial amounts of Richebourg-Conti also. No hardship, mind you, because it is a first-class vintage. Both wines under one banner is what is wheeled and dealed for. Together they’re the key to the Richebourg-Conti success. That’s the way it’s always been for as long as the wine men of the Napa Valley can remember.’

‘I wonder if Caleb knows that Ira is trying to make a bid for my legacy? I can just hear them plotting: Caleb and Paula assuring Ira they will easily get Ruy Blas and the cellar because Syrah’s not interested in working a vineyard. Though it will be an uphill battle to make the silly, extravagant woman see that her best option, for everyone’s sake, is to sell it to them. Ira playing their game in the hope that it’s true but believing that if he can effect a deal with me behind Paula and Caleb’s back, he will then have the leverage to take over Richebourg-Conti. Oh, the sly bastard!’

‘Now you see how vulnerable you are? It seems to be open season for shooting you down and a take over of the Richebourg wine dynasty. You do realise how desperate Caleb must be? He and Paula will try anything to take over Ruy Blas.’

‘Save tell me the truth and ask me to help them,’ she replied.

‘I’ll do everything I can to help you but there’s no time left for procrastinating about what you’re going to do. Whatever it is, you must take a grip and move quickly to leave Malibu and establish yourself at Ruy Blas. I believe with all my heart that Ethan thwarted Caleb and Paula and protected Richebourg-Conti by giving you power over his two greatest assets, Ruy Blas and the cellar.’

At last it was clear to Syrah why her father had left her such gifts. He had trusted her to keep them safe. She told James, ‘I marvel that Ethan should have known me better than I do myself, that after his passing I would be drawn back to the Napa Valley he had taught me to love as a child. I can almost hear him, like a whisper on the wind saying, “The keys to a kingdom that is rightly yours and your son’s.”

‘All I have to do is create my own kingdom out of my legacy. My own wine to rival Paula and Caleb’s Richebourg-Conti. It’s all there
waiting for me and can be mine and Keoki’s: fame, fortune, a new life for a penniless aristocrat of the wine world – if I have the will and the courage to fight to keep the privileges, the respected name, and follow in my father’s footsteps. Even to become a Master of Wine as he was.’

‘That’s quite a lot to aspire to but I have no doubt that if anyone can do it, it will be you. There will be many friends in the Valley to help you out. Caleb and Paula have made enemies but Ethan remains close to people’s hearts. They will do anything they can for him and his daughter. Even as we speak there are several men watching over Ruy Blas,’ James told her.

Syrah rose from his lap and placed a tender kiss upon his lips. As she walked round the table once more to take her place opposite him, she said with a tremor of nervousness in her voice, ‘There’s something more you have to tell me!’