BATTLE OF DESIRE
img img BATTLE OF DESIRE img Chapter 4 Building Bridges
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Chapter 6 Decisions and Rebirth img
Chapter 7 Storms Brewing img
Chapter 8 Unspoken Burdens img
Chapter 9 A Determined Heart img
Chapter 10 Demands and Afflictions img
Chapter 11 Fragile Peace img
Chapter 12 Dreams and Discontent img
Chapter 13 Dining at Parios img
Chapter 14 Wine and Secrets img
Chapter 15 Hidden Flirtations img
Chapter 16 Echoes of the Past img
Chapter 17 Bargains for Redemption img
Chapter 18 Secrets and Scars img
Chapter 19 Lines in the Sand img
Chapter 20 Stirring Tides img
Chapter 21 Of Butterflies and Wraiths img
Chapter 22 Tangled Threads img
Chapter 23 Thorns of a Rose img
Chapter 24 Master and Jailer img
Chapter 25 Grip of Shadows img
Chapter 26 The Secret Rendezvous img
Chapter 27 Treading Thin Ice img
Chapter 28 Tempting Boundaries img
Chapter 29 Shadows of Desire img
Chapter 30 Behind Closed Doors img
Chapter 31 Between Love and Loathing img
Chapter 32 Storming the Fortress img
Chapter 33 Terms of Engagement img
Chapter 34 Fragments of June img
Chapter 35 Between Fireflies and Butterflies img
Chapter 36 Trust in the Game img
Chapter 37 Dance of the Firefly img
Chapter 38 The Silent Betrayal img
Chapter 39 Tempting Fire img
Chapter 40 Through Luc's Eyes img
Chapter 41 Wine, Wits, and a Close Call img
Chapter 42 Raven's Game img
Chapter 43 Poison Secrets img
Chapter 44 A Mother's Vigil img
Chapter 45 Shadows of Ally img
Chapter 46 Bonds of Brotherhood img
Chapter 47 Disquieting Calm img
Chapter 48 The Billion-Dollar Plan 1 img
Chapter 49 Through the Veil img
Chapter 50 Alchemy of Resilience img
Chapter 51 A Silence That Speaks img
Chapter 52 Through Stillness and Storm img
Chapter 53 A Mirror to the Soul img
Chapter 54 Echoes of Bitterness img
Chapter 55 Shattered Reflections img
Chapter 56 Between Father and Son img
Chapter 57 A Toast to Old Wounds img
Chapter 58 A Father's Wisdom img
Chapter 59 A Glass Half Full img
Chapter 60 Shadows of Jealousy img
Chapter 61 Boundaries Redefined img
Chapter 62 Echoes of June img
Chapter 63 Pins and Lessons img
Chapter 64 Family Reunion img
Chapter 65 The Mystery at Dawn img
Chapter 66 Lines Crossed; Trust Tested img
Chapter 67 Old Wounds, New Faces img
Chapter 68 A Brother's Guidance img
Chapter 69 Chains of Blood and Legacy img
Chapter 70 Of Roses and Gardens img
Chapter 71 Curses and Affections img
Chapter 72 Trust the Agreement img
Chapter 73 Bridges to Mend img
Chapter 74 Circles of Influence img
Chapter 75 A Lesson in Forbearance img
Chapter 76 The Shadow of Affections img
Chapter 77 The Cage Within img
Chapter 78 Secrets of Blood and Bond img
Chapter 79 Kisses, Purposes, and Plans img
Chapter 80 Decisions and Dissonance img
Chapter 81 Between Love and Loyalty img
Chapter 82 Roots of the Vine img
Chapter 83 Brace Yourself img
Chapter 84 Past Shadows and Present Chains img
Chapter 85 A Night to Remember 1 img
Chapter 86 A Night to Remember 2 img
Chapter 87 Fangs Beneath the Smile 1 img
Chapter 88 Raven's Talon, Marcia's Mask img
Chapter 89 Fangs Beneath the Smile 2 img
Chapter 90 Tears and Promises img
Chapter 91 The Edge of Trust img
Chapter 92 The Enforcer's Question img
Chapter 93 The Billion-Dollar Plan 2 img
Chapter 94 The Billion-Dollar Plan 3 img
Chapter 95 Curtains Rise at Oltre Bacchus img
Chapter 96 The Wine Couple Gambit img
Chapter 97 Shadows of Intuition img
Chapter 98 The Reckoning of Innocence img
Chapter 99 Walls of Understanding img
Chapter 100 Caught in the Current img
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Chapter 4 Building Bridges

As soon as he saw Marcia, he turned in the direction June had indicated and walked toward the wine table.

From his first glance at the table a moment ago, he had noticed that some club members were pouring tiny portions of wine for guests to taste and share their thoughts on the quality and flavor of the wine; others were helping guests decide which wines they would actually like to drink for the evening; and the more enterprising ones were taking names and contact information for wine selections to be purchased and delivered to students' dorms, homes, and as gifts for friends and family.

The atmosphere was rowdy, a situation the runner had been trying to avoid, but he would rather face this than engage with the student he had met earlier that day.

Surprised, Marcia stopped, watching him walk away. Feeling embarrassed, she returned to the two friends she had been standing with earlier.

By the end of the evening, the runner was leaving when Marcia rushed up to him, grabbing his shoulder, "Hey! Hello there. I see you came. How was the event? Did you like any particular wine?"

The runner stopped, turning his head slightly, irritation creeping into his voice, "Must you lay your hands on me when you speak?"

Marcia nervously withdrew her hand, her head hanging low as she apologized to him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, I, I didn't mean to do that...again." She said nervously, looking around, checking that no one was witnessing the scene.

The runner glanced at Marcia and then quickly looked away, fixing his eyes just above Marcia's left shoulder.

"Do you also always apologize every time? Are apologies the only words you know how to speak?" Jullian retorted, his eyes still averted.

Marcia, surprised and somewhat more than a little annoyed at this response, fixed her gaze on the runner and said, in a tone much harsher than she intended, "Well, I don't know. Maybe. What about you? Is all you know how to do is look away from someone when speaking?"

Marcia held her breath, surprised at the shortness of her tone but staring directly at him, her mind racing, it seems he has stopped breathing. It seems...I don't know...It seems something, something is going on in his mind. Marcia fixed her deep brown eyes on her runner's face. ...MY runner? Marcia's mind was racing, and her face flushed unexpectedly.

Meanwhile, as all this was going on in Marcia's head, the runner had been slowly turning his gaze toward Marcia, and his eyes came to rest on her flushed face. "No, I can look at people when I speak to them." He replied evenly.

Marcia, straightened her shoulders a bit, and retorted, "Well, that's good to know. Do you have a name as well?"

The runner, her runner, with his mouth twitching slightly, hinting at a suppressed smile, seemed to pause and then, as if making a decision, responded, "Jullian."

Marcia blinked, exhaled slightly, relaxed her shoulders a bit, and replied, "Oh! Great! Jullian. I'm Marcia," she said, holding out her hand for a handshake.

Jullian looked down at Marcia's hand, again he seemed to pause for a moment, then stretched out his hand to complete the greeting.

Still holding Jullian's hand, Marcia asked, "So, how was the wine tasting?"

Jullian's eyes were on their hands, still locked together in the handshake. He looked back at Marcia's face and responded, "It was average. The wine was of sufficient quality for the level of the club. One could not expect wine from the Musigny vineyard nor from the Sauternes region of Bordeaux, but this was not unsatisfactory."

Marcia, excitement bubbling within her, pulled Jullian's hand, making him involuntarily take a step forward, looking into his eyes enthusiastically she said, "Do you know wine? You know about wines? How do you know the Musigny vineyard and Sauternes? What about wines from the Vega Sicilia estate or the Harlan Estate? Do you know about those as well?"

Jullian tried to pull his hand out of the handshake that had gone on far too long. But Marcia tightened her grip and grabbed Jullian's hand with her second hand, her brown eyes clearly saying, tell me more, tell me more about the wines and the regions that you know.

Jullian exhaled and put his hand over Marcia's two hands, applying pressure and pulling away from the handshake.

Marcia stepped back nervously. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about that. I...I overdid it again. I'm so sorry."

Jullian exhaled, shaking his head, "Sorry. Sorry again." He replied, his voice flat.

"Sorry. Uh, no, that's not what I meant. I meant, I mean...what I'm trying to say is I love wines, probably a bit too much, and you seem to know about it. And I think it would be good for us to have some conversations about it. And maybe you could even join the club?" Marcia said hurriedly, an embarrassed expression on her face.

Jullian turned to leave, standing sideways to her, "I don't join clubs. It's not something I'm interested in," he said dismissively.

As he started to leave, Marcia grabbed his arm again; and again, Jullian looked at Marcia in the face, exasperated. But this time, Marcia tightened her grip and took a step forward saying, "Is it clubs that you don't join? Or is it people that you don't join?"

Jullian lifted his chin slightly, staring into her eyes. This time, Marcia was the one to look away, her gaze drifting down to the space between his nose and chin. She glanced at his lips, and quickly blurred her vision by looking at the space just before this part of Jullian's face. But she didn't let go of his arm.

Jullian, after what seemed like forever, responded, "I won't join the club. But if it's about wine and where it's grown, I can talk about that."

Marcia looked up, her doe eyes shining and dancing in her clear, oval-shaped face, and responded "Excellent! Great! Where do we meet? How do we meet?"

Jullian pulled away from Marcia and asked, "You have a phone number?"

            
            

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