Tonight is the night for the fund raiser banquet, so Ava had her driver swing by and pick up Sophia for a day of pampering and shopping. They hit all the salons and boutiques and by the time they were done Sophia had the complete ensemble and looked fabulous. From the new haircut and make over to the long sleek black dress covered in sequins with the sexy slit in the side. And don’t forget the five inch black suede heels that make her legs look amazing.
“Oh yes!” Ava thought. “This is going to turn out exactly as I expected.”
As they get back into the chauffeured car they both looked great. And after a few cocktails they were relaxed enough to talk about the issue they both had in common. They strode in the front door of the banquet and Ava directed Sophia to the speaker table where she was introducing everyone just as Mr. Dalton came up to take his seat.
“Luke! What are you doing here?” gasped Sophia.
“Sophia! Luke spun around and gazed at her. “It’s so great to see you. Wow! Look at you. You look beautiful. I’m speechless. How are you?” he stammered.
Sophia blushed and smiled. “I’m good, nervous, but good. I’m speaking tonight about my daughter’s life saving treatments when she was a child.”
“That’s amazing; I never knew that about you.” He smiled at her with a new admiration. “I’m speaking too. This will be fun.”
Luke thought about their last meeting and asked “Can we talk later about the conversation we had last week? I’ve got some more information about what we talked about and I’d like discuss it with you. I actually have an announcement to make later.”
“Sure, I’d like that. What’s the announcement?” Sophia tried to pry it out of him, but he just smiled and said “You’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully you will be a part of it.”
With that they sat down. Sophia tried not to think about them both on the beach somewhere in an exotic location, sipping cocktails and watching the sunset, like she has been doing all week since they last talked.
Sophia looked over at Ava and Ava winked at her with a knowing smile.
What was that about? Sophia thought to herself. Something is definitely going on here. I guess I’ll worry about that later. For now she was content to enjoy an evening full of mingling and fund raising.
The meal was fantastic and the drinks and conversations were flowing freely. After about an hour Ava got up to speak. She was holding in the emotion to try to get through her speech, but once it was over she broke down. Once the applause and tears died down from Ava’s speech it was Sophia’s turn. She confidently walked up to the podium and talked about what her daughter went through and how they beat this cancer thing. During her speech she was getting anxious, so she kept looking at Luke. He was smiling at her with such caring that he instantly made her feel calmer. Sophia was glad when it was over and she got a standing ovation. She just stood there in shock, but she was delighted that everyone enjoyed her speech.
As Sophia made her way back down to the speaker table Luke rushed up and gave her a big hug. Sophia was stunned. Never before had he shown her this kind of affection and she chalked it all up to being an emotional night for everyone.
“Great job Soph!” he told her. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thanks Luke… for keeping me calm,” Sophia grinned up at him and their eyes locked for a brief instant. She was in paradise in his arms at that moment. A paradise she didn’t ever want to end.
The final speaker was Luke. He gave many compliments to Ava and Sophia for their great stories. He sympathized with them on their suffering and pain, and expressed compassion and kindness for Ava’s loss. Then he spoke about the amazing opportunity they all had to participate in the lives of hundreds of children who could be helped with this new hospital wing. He was eloquent, sincere, and genuine and everyone was in awe.
Luke was wrapping up his speech when he said “And now I would like to make an announcement before I go.” He had everyone’s attention at this point.
“Many of you may not know that I have recently left my position at The Daily Times,” Luke continued amongst the whispers in the crowd. “I have been asked to head a team of correspondents to a small island in the Bahamas to investigate and report on a story. It seems there have been multiple disappearances of young women in the area that have not been explained. They have minimal reporting facilities in that area and are in need of some investigative aid. I have volunteered to head up this initiative and I will report back here to let you all know how we are progressing. I do have family in that part of the world, so I am looking forward to heading down there. Thank you for your continued support over the years and I look forward to returning when this story is wrapped up.”
Luke continued to thank everyone for attending the event and directed them on where to go to make their donations. As he made his way back to the table his eyes landed on Sophia.
“So, that’s your announcement huh?” she asked, a little devious smirk on her lips.
“That was it,” he replied with a smile. “Can I drive you home so we can discuss it?”
“Sure, let me just check with Ava to make sure since she brought me here, give me a minute,” she said as she turned and went over to where Ava was standing.
Ava had overheard the whole thing, so before Sophia could even get the words out Ava said “Go.” Then with a grin from ear to ear she hugged Sophia and told her to have fun.
“We are going to talk about this later,” Sophia whispered in Ava’s ear. “Do you hear me? Something is going on with you. I don’t know what it is, but I will find out.” Both ladies had smiles on their lips when they parted. It was a good evening.
Sophia walked back over to Luke and he walked her out of the main entrance. As they emerged from the building a limousine pulled up and she realized it was for them. She looked puzzled at Luke and all he said was “I like to ride in style.” Grinning, he helped her into the vehicle, scooted in beside her and closed the door.
Luke offered her another cocktail, but with what she already had this evening she felt she had to decline. Sophia was already feeling tipsy and thought she better keep her wits about her, especially in this expensive car with this particular gorgeous man.
“Tell me about this job. Are you seriously taking a team?” Sophia inquired.
“Yes, that is the plan. I will be taking three or four people to investigate these disappearances. My Uncle runs a resort on one of the islands in the Bahamas and asked me to come down and look into it. The locals are frightened and they have no real police department there except for on the mainland. There seems to be a pattern forming on the way these young women are vanishing without a trace. One of the people that will be going is my friend David Jackson who I have worked multiple stories with in the past. He is an exceptional investigator. The others are not locked in yet. That is unless you have thought about the offer I made last week about hiring you.” He paused assessing my reaction.
“Well, actually I have thought about it, very much in fact. And now that I hear the details of the trip I think it is a legitimate venture and a worthwhile project,” Sophia replied. “I think I would love to come with you.”
Luke exhaled a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He was relieved that she accepted this position.
“Great! That makes me so happy. I will need someone with your focus and determination on the team. We can talk salary and benefits later. I know what you were making at the paper and I believe you won’t be disappointed,” Luke added.
“I just want you to know that I don’t want you to come along just as an editor,” Luke said. “I want you to help with the investigation too.”
“Luke, I appreciate that,” Sophia stated. “But even though I did finally get my journalism degree I haven’t used that side of my training for many years.”
“I know that, but I also know you have an eye for picking up details that other miss,” Luke replied enthusiastically. “I have seen it and that’s what I need on this team. And you won’t be alone; we’ll all be looking at evidence together.”
“OK, I’ll give it a shot,” Sophia said smiling, resolved to the fact that Luke will again be her boss, and that made her very happy indeed.
Luke looked at Sophia in that moment and finally let himself look at the beautiful woman she was. Not only tonight when she was a knock out, but every day since he has known her. He admired her strength and courage facing some of the challenges she has had. He did not know a lot, but he did know that she has had it rough over the years. She always persevered and did her job without complaints or objections. His heart swelled with pride at the thought of her going with him and the team. He could not help himself, he leaned in while looking into her eyes, and softly captured her awaiting lips in a gentle embrace and kiss.
Sophia didn’t know if it was the cocktails or the pent up frustration of working for a man that you lust over, but she fell into that embrace with wanton obsession. Her heart ready to burst she reached for his neck with her hand and pulled him closer. This only made Luke’s desire grow as he continued the kiss even deeper as their tongues finally met. Igniting Sophia’s longing after so many years. After several minutes they both pulled away with dazed excitement. Neither believing what just happened they looked stunned into each other’s eyes for a moment and both started giggling like teenagers.
“That was crazy!” they both exclaimed at the exact same time. Then giggled some more.
“You know?” Sophia said trying to pull herself back into reality.
“Yes?” said Luke sleepily.
“We had better keep things professional between us if you are going to be my boss again,” Sophia reminded him dryly.
“Oh, yes, of course, Miss Adams,” Luke giggled again.
“I’m serious!” she returned.
“OK, I’ll try Sophia, but I can’t make any promises after what I just felt. He said with a wink and a half smile. “But I will try, OK?”
“OK, deal,” she said and then thought curiously. “By the way, where are we going down in the Bahamas? You said it was a little Island.”
“Yes, Paradise Island…”