Read A Taste of Merlot for Free Online Page A

getting taken by another bloodsucker, no matter how beautiful.
    â€œI’m Mark.”
    With her right hand she reached out to meet his, while her left bumped her folder. It slid to the edge of the table, transparent sheets of vellum slipping out, drifting about his feet like pale leaves onto the crumby linoleum.
    â€œOops!” She immediately lowered herself to the floor to retrieve them. Mark bent to help her. Their heads were inches apart as they squatted, reaching in all directions for what were clearly painstakingly drawn renderings. He took advantage of their close proximity to watch her as her eyes dipped to the floor, thick tawny lashes brushing lightly freckled cheekbones. When she blew some dirt off one of her designs, he caught a faint whiff of peppermint.
    They rose as one and she reorganized the papers, her stack of bracelets tinkling with her movements.
    Without thinking, he reached for her wrist and raised it to inspect the layers of silver, rose, and yellow gold running halfway up to her elbow. She stood rooted to the spot, allowing him to turn her pliant limb over, exposing the paler, inner epidermis and the faint blue veins traveling up through skeins of precious metals. When he found the one he was seeking he ran a finger across its clasp.
    â€œBeautiful,” he breathed, barely glancing at the bracelet.
    â€œIs this what you’ve been looking for?”
    His eyes moved from her wrist up her arm and her swanlike neck to her heart-wrenchingly naive expression. No way could he ever take advantage of that face, even if he were the type of cutthroat buyer who operated that way.
    â€œThis is it.” At long last, his finger was on the Purchase Prize—his quest for the past three months—only to discover that the jewelry was eclipsed by its maker.
    â€œI made all of these, too.” She slipped three or four off. “Here’s how you can tell. See? I burnish set one-point-five-millimeter, diamond-cut peridots on the inside of every piece.”
    There was a belief system that held that all gemstones had unique qualities that were transferred to the wearer. But for them to work their magic, the stones had to be touching the skin, where they were hidden from public view. A secret indulgence, known only to the wearer.
    â€œWhy peridot—other than the fact that they match your eyes?”
    She lowered her lids briefly, giving him another glance at her sweep of lashes. When she looked up again, her expanded pupils all but obscured her irises and her cheeks glowed a soft, contrasting cherry.
    â€œPeridot clears the heart. Helps connect us to our destinies and to an understanding of the purpose of existence. It’s also said to attract love.”
    Their eyes locked together, he gently lowered her arm. They were still standing in the aisle next to their booth. The other diners were beginning to stare.
    Mark tilted his head toward hers and whispered, “I think we’re causing a ruckus.” He motioned toward her side of the table, and they slid into the vinyl booth, facing each other.
    They each picked up a greasy, plastic-coated menu. “How did you find out about my work?” Meri asked.
    From staring at the bracelet photo for the last three months, he already knew Meri Peterson, in an abstract way. He had to keep reminding himself that prior to yesterday, he hadn’t existed for her.
    â€œI went to your college’s student show last spring.”
    While the waitress got them coffee, he went through the chain of events leading up to his phone call—leaving out the part about the witchy woman down the hall at the co-op.
    â€œSo, you originally from the city, or here in Vallejo?” Casual as he tried to appear on the outside, inside he was dying to know everything about her, from the size of those sexy jeans she wore to the brand of that minty toothpaste on her breath.
    It was a simple, run-of-the-mill question. So why’d she seem caught