My Stardust Melody, Chapter 5
Hearing his name on Reid's lips resonated in Luke's ears as he walked away, sending tiny chills up his spine. The sound of it on Reid's tongue make Luke think about, well it made him think about Reid's tongue. And all the places it could be on Luke's body. Luke couldn't believe the way he responded to Reid-he was almost (but not entirely) glad that Reid had turned down the dance. If the sound of Reid's voice had this affect on him, imagine what five minutes in Reid's arms would do? Imagine one kiss.
Luke wandered toward the mansion, barely paying attention to his surroundings as he jogged up the stairs to the terrace. He could not keep his mind off of the unusual man he met in the garden. There was just something so right about him. His thoughts must have shown on his face because it was the first thing Maddie, who was coming out of the house, commented on when she saw him.
"You're in a good mood. What's that smile for?" Maddie was wearing a vintage gold evening gown made of silk chiffon that gathered low at the waist and was accentuated by a rhinestone clasp. With spaghetti straps and a handkerchief hemline, Maddie looked beautiful and sexy.
Luke had to shake his head to clear his thoughts and bring himself back to the present. "Maddie! I was going to check on you. How are you feeling?"
Maddie gave Luke a saucy grin. "Three ibuprofen and a little champagne, and I'm right as rain. Now, the smile. What gives?"
Luke tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Oh, it's nothing. I just met someone in the garden."
Raising her eyebrow, Maddie asked, "A man?"
"Yeah."
"What was he like?" she asked with curiosity.
Luke thought for a moment, and seemed surprised by his own answer: "Aggravating."
Maddie's other eyebrow joined her first. "And that makes you smile?"
"Yeah, I guess it does," he said with a sense of wonder.
"Is he good looking?"
"It was a little dark, but yeah, he is. Auburn hair, blue eyes, about an inch shorter than me, lean, a nice smile."
Maddie clapped her hands together. "Ooh, he sounds gorgeous! What's his name?"
"Reid Oliver."
"Ah, Sigmund Freud. I remember giving him that name since he was a doctor." Maddie had been in charge of assigning an historical name to each guest. She had relished the task as her two passions were studying history and watching old movies.
Luke snorted. "Yeah, I'm not sure he saw it as an honor." He paused, and asked, "Any idea why he's invited?" Reid had said he was meeting an investor, but that didn't really explain how he got on the guest list.
Shaking her head, Maddie replied, "No, Damian added Dr. Oliver and his chief of staff somewhat at the last moment. I was too busy to ask why. Is it important?"
"I don't think so. I was just curious and thought you might know. He said he was meeting an investor."
"Sorry." She grabbed Luke's forearm and squeezed as she said, " Just be careful, though. Julian might not like you looking all dreamy over another guy."
Luke's sigh was pronounced. He knew too well that he needed to use caution. "Don't worry, I probably won't even run into Reid again."
Maddie didn't drop the subject. "It's just, well, the rumors about Julian aren't pretty, Luke. I don't think making him angry would be a good idea."
"I know. " If it had been anyone else, Luke might have felt annoyed by all the reminders, but Maddie had stuck by him through too many things for Luke not to take her seriously.
"Do you know what you're going to say to Julian's proposal?"
"Not yet."
She stared up at Luke trying to read his expression. "Luke, no one in your family would expect you to sacrifice like that. It's one thing for you to work as hard as you have the past three years; it's another to agree to being the trophy prize husband for a hard man, even one as wealthy as Julian."
Luke gave her a half smile. "I know they wouldn't expect it, but it's up to me to make decisions for their welfare. And Julian could provide everything they ever wanted."
"Luke, I know you love the farm, but if saving it means sacrificing yourself, just don't do it." Her tone was urgent, and she looked like she was preparing for another long discussion on this topic.
Luke wasn't in the mood, however. "I don't want to argue about this again, Maddie. You know it's about more than the farm. It's about preserving our good memories, about paying for the kids' educations, about keeping us together. " His words had been rushed, and he stopped, lifting the corners of his mouth. "If it helps, maybe this party will get me out of this mess."
"I hope so. I really do," she said feelingly.
"Well, maybe we'll get a good verdict tonight. Why don't you go in? I've got one more thing to do before heading back."
"Okay, I'll see you in there," Maddie replied.
Luke waited for Maddie to go back inside the French doors, and then he searched for the head of security at the party. After giving the guard Tom's description, Luke might have suggested that unnecessary roughness in tossing Tom out would be favored by Damian. Sometimes being a Grimaldi had its upside.
***
Reid came back into the great hall after a few more minutes of watching the nighttime Sound. Enough light from the stars and the occasional boats was shed that he could make out the ripples of the water. He stood there, thinking, for several minutes before returning to the party.
He headed for one of the many buffet tables once he was inside. He never liked parties, but he did have to admit that the food for this one was top notch. He had overheard another guest saying it was based off the Waldorf Astoria menu for President Coolidge's stay there in the twenties. He didn't care where it came from, but the lamb medallion he had gorged himself on was divine.
Everywhere, he looked for his mysterious hero, Luke. It was not easy to search for someone whose face he had never seen. He knew Luke's voice--a nice one, strong with a touch of a Midwestern accent--and had seen a flash of teeth set in a smile, but that didn't make the task very easy. Beyond that, he knew to look for a man in his early twenties who may have blonde hair. It wasn't much to go on, but still he searched, wondering what his rescuer might look like.
Just as a saxophone sounded the first lonely notes of Irving Berlin's "What'll I do?", Reid happened to look up at the top of the stairs that led into the great hall from the main corridor and knew he had found him. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Without knowing it, Reid held his breath and stared at the young man. A crystal chandelier cast a brilliant beam across Luke's exquisite features creating the illusion that Luke was radiating light. With the crowd below, Luke's illuminated presence and soft smile made him seem above anyone's touch, as if he were unearthly.
Luke was undeniably handsome. From the distance, Reid could see creamy skin and high cheekbones that flanked a straight nose above full lips. Luke's dark blonde hair was parted at the side and combed neatly back, giving it a sleek look that contrasted to the open and honest expression he wore. He had dressed for the occasion, eschewing the standard tuxedo many of the men had chosen to wear. Instead, Luke had donned a black tailcoat with notched lapels, a starched white shirt topped by a single-breasted waistcoat, elegantly draped pleated pants, and a white bow tie.
A brunette woman in a gold dress at the bottom of the stairs arrested Luke's attention. She must have said something funny because the steady smile already on Luke's face changed into a wide grin. Reid sucked in his breath…and nearly choked. Only then did he realize that he had been gawking at Luke with half a cheese puff in his mouth and the other half in his hand, having frozen on its way back to a plate. Great Reid, maybe Luke will have to perform the Heimlich on you next. That would be a real turn on.
Quickly finishing the hors d'oeuvre, Reid dusted the crumbs off his hand and picked up an etched coupe-style champagne glass from a passing waiter. He was feeling a little jumpy, so he took a deep sip and ended up having a coughing fit from guzzling it too fast. Then he nearly knocked over the buffet table having somehow tripped over his own feet. Mushroom caps rolled onto the floor, which earned Reid a glare from the buffet worker. After righting himself and glowering back at the waiter, his eyes jumped back to Luke to see if the younger man had witnessed Reid's second indignity, but Luke had moved down the stairs and was still conversing with the brunette. Reid couldn't believe he was worrying about such things. He never cared if he impressed someone, but here he was making a fool of himself with food and drink because of nerves.
He had met Luke maybe an hour ago and was already acting like an idiot. What is wrong with me? Reid knew very well, though, that Luke was the answer. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the fact that Luke had rescued him, or maybe it was the fact that Luke thought the stars were dead people shining down on him. Maybe it was the incandescent smile or that Luke looked like a freaking angel. Reid usually hated guilelessness, half-suspecting it was always an act, but on Luke, Reid found it attractive. More than attractive. Maybe it was all the wrong things for Reid adding up to an unexpected right. I can't believe I just thought that. What next? I'll go buy a greeting card?
Reid glanced at Luke again, studying the blonde's physique and mannerisms. Luke and the brunette would have made a stunning couple had Luke been heterosexual. The blonde's tall height and broad shoulders complimented the woman's petite stature. Luke's skin was pale and creamy compared to her tan skin and darker features. Luke's face was more animated than hers, as if every thought Luke had had a corresponding look to go with it. Reid doubted that Luke could ever seem impassive. Probably terrible at poker, too.
Luke's gaze suddenly swung toward and collided with Reid's as if he could feel the doctor's scrutiny from the distance. Stomping on his inner nervousness, Reid raised his glass in a silent toast to the younger man and gave him a patented Reid Oliver sultry half-smile. Luke blushed furiously before dropping his eyes back to the woman in front of him, and Reid wondered if that attractive pink spread across his entire body.
Well, there was only one way to find out. Just as Reid started to cross the room, however, his chief of staff blocked him and started yammering on about potential donors. Reid tried to keep an eye on the handsome man across the room, but felt like he was a student trapped by the teacher in the Peanuts cartoon. All he caught was "donor…waw, waaw, waw…..senator…waw, waaw, don't screw up." He let out a small curse when he lost sight of Luke. In this crowd, it was going to be hard to find him again.
***
The night, by any measure, was a smashing success. While the weekend was far from over, Luke let out deep breaths of relief from the feedback he was receiving. It had been an hour, maybe two, since he had come into the grand hall and seen Reid. Maybe he's my good luck charm, he thought as everything had gone right since then.
Maddie came rushing up to his side, clearly giddy. "Luke! You won't believe what I just overheard George Stanton saying!" George was a seventy-something head of one of the largest banking corporations in the world.
"What?"
"No, guess!"
"Maddie."
She huffed. "Oh, fine. I heard him tell a group of about five people that he just couldn't believe that Damian had been involved in any corruption, and then he pointed out how investigators could never tie him to anything. So, he said he thought Damian was innocent and was a lot more interested in Grimaldi now that he had met that 'charming man.'"
Luke felt torn between rolling his eyes at Damian's ridiculous ability to sway people and jumping up and down in excitement. "Good god, I don't even think Damian had hoped people would ever think him innocent."
Maddie continued her good news. "Well, everyone in that group nodded their heads in agreement, and one guy said he'd always thought so. And a couple said they had long been considering investing, which is a bunch of crap, but who cares? Luke! This is working! I'd thought Damian was crazy, but I never counted on his ability to gull people into believing anything." She reached out and squeezed Luke's hands with her own and excitedly jumped a little around him.
Luke's heart started beating rapidly. This was going to work. This was going to work. He wasn't going to have to marry Julian--there would be money for the kids and the farm, and he'd be free! He wanted to throw his arms around Maddie and dance for joy, but since they were in the middle of a fancy party, he managed to rein himself in.
It was at that precise moment that he spotted Reid again. Good luck charm, indeed. The doctor was talking animatedly with Senator Franklin Ames of New York, a powerful man who sat on the Committee of Commerce, Science and Transportation. Luke grinned as he saw the derisive look on Reid's face--it seemed that the doctor was grumpy about something. Then he looked at Senator Ames's expression and realized he better step in before Reid found himself being audited.
"Excuse me, Maddie," he said, giving her arm a squeeze. "It looks like I'm needed over there."
Maddie glanced in the direction Luke indicated and smiled. "How come I can't find a hot doctor at this party? It's not fair," she complained teasingly.
"The next straight one that I find, I'll send your way. Now I better go," he said, grimacing at the extreme shade of red the senator was turning.
Luke could hear Reid's voice from ten strides away. "So, you're telling me, that you think that cutting Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and doctors is somehow helping medicine?" Reid started laughing, and Luke couldn't hear what the senator said in response.
Reid, he could hear loud and clear. "Streamline? Any more cuts and you'll streamline us all out of a job, and no one is going to get a decent doctor. Are you stupid or just maniacal?"
Luke swooped in, putting his hand on Reid's forearm. "Senator! How are you?" From the bulging vein in the senator's forehead, Luke guessed he'd had better moments. He heard Reid yelp, "Senator?" beside him.
"Luke! How good to see you." The senator's smile was genuine as he shook hands with the young man.
"It's nice to see you, too Franklin. Where is your wife, Amy?"
"Of course, you all are on a first name basis. You probably play racquetball on Wednesdays," Reid griped.
"Oh, she's just getting some more champagne," Franklin said, ignoring Reid entirely.
"I see you've met Reid," Luke said to the senator and tried to give him an apologetic smile.
"Yes, I have." Franklin's tone made it clear that he had not enjoyed meeting the doctor whatsoever.
"He has a lot of opinions, and he sure doesn't hide them, does he?" the blonde said with a nervous laugh.
"That's one way of putting it," Franklin said sourly while looking at Reid as if the doctor had a foul odor.
Luke leaned in toward Franklin and said with enthusiasm, "Well, I think that's the kind of passion we need from our health-care profession, don't you? Reid, here, is a cutting-edge neurosurgeon. The cuts you and he were discussing wouldn't even affect his practice, but he's fighting for the sake of the profession and those in need regardless. I think that's pretty commendable." Luke hoped most of this was true anyway. He had deduced that Reid must be at the top of his profession if he was about to get his own neurowing at such a young age.
"Yeah, I love the little people," Reid said awkwardly.
Luke glared at him for not helping. "I know that Franklin cares just as much about his constituents as you do your patients, Reid. Isn't your concern for the citizens why you ran for office, Franklin?" He gave the stout man his best beseeching smile.
"Yes, it was." His chest out from pompous pride, and Luke thought the senator might be in danger of tipping over.
He may have run for office out of public concern, but he must have stayed for the food, Reid thought, eyeing Franklin's whalelike shape.
Luke said to both men, "Well, that's something you have in common. And, I'm sure, Franklin, that you'll give serious thought to the welfare of your constituents when you vote on those cutbacks next week."
"Yes, I will," the senator boasted.
"Isn't that what you want, Reid?" Luke inquired.
"Well…" Reid started.
Before Reid could say something that Luke was sure would be awful, he interrupted. "Yes? Then everyone is happy. How about we leave the senator to his wife who I see heading this way and go get a drink? It was nice seeing you, Franklin." He grabbed Reid by the elbow and ushered him away toward the far end of the room.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Reid said.
Luke couldn't tell if Reid were angry or not. He wondered if he had overstepped and replied, "I know, but it looked like you could use help."
Reid pinched the bridge of his nose. "What gave it away? When the man looked like he wanted to feed me to a caged bear or that I didn't even know I was talking to a senator?" he asked in a self-deprecating manner.
Luke smiled, happy that his aid was seemingly welcome. "I thought it was a bad sign that you were yelling at one of the most powerful men in Washington."
"How bad was it really?" Reid asked.
"Mmmm, well, it's better if you don't know," Luke replied sympathetically.
Reid snorted and then shifted the topic back to Luke. "So, how many times are you planning to rescue me tonight?" he asked.
"How many times do you need?" Luke asked in reply. They had reached the end of the room and had stopped to face each other.
"With me, you never know. Every day is a fresh hell," Reid said, shrugging and rubbing his hands together. "Do you always like to play knight in shining armor?"
"Is that a problem?" Luke asked awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed. Maddie had suggested at times that he sometimes liked to help people a little too much.
Reid, his expression heating, looked directly at Luke and took his hand. "What else do you like to play?" Reid inquired, his voice oozing over Luke like melted chocolate.
Luke blushed furiously, pulled his hand from Reid's and tried to put it in his pocket, and foolishly realized he didn't have any. "Um…. I'm not really good at talking…sex…bedroom…dirty...damn." Was that even a sentence? I wish a hole would open up in the floor and swallow me now.
Reid smiled like a Cheshire cat. He shot Luke a patently fake, innocent expression and stated, "Why, I just meant do you like to play chess, board games, maybe Chutes & Ladders, but I like what you're thinking better."
Luke knew his face must be completely red. Worse, he guessed it was turning redder because he was embarrassed over it turning red in the first place. Someone was likely going to mistake him for an apple and try to take a bite. He raked his hand through his hair, and said ruefully, "Can I start over?"
"Nope, no do-overs," Reid replied.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Just when I was starting to think you were nice."
"Never make that mistake," Reid declared, his lips quirked in a half-smile. Luke grinned back at him.
They were standing in front of the French doors to the terrace. Luke looked outside as they fell into a companionable silence. Somehow the joking tenor of their earlier conversation had evaporated, and both men seemed pensive. The younger man wondered to himself where this night was heading. Logically, he knew he should play it safe and return to the other guests. Maddie's news had been so positive, though, that Luke thought it might be okay to hope for something good to happen with Reid. The feelings he had suggested that it might even be remarkable.
He turned and stared at Reid who unflinchingly returned his regard. Luke was trying to interpret the doctor's expression, unable to understand why this man made him want to toss reason aside and go anywhere with him. He contemplated what Reid saw when he looked at him. Did he feel the same tug in his chest every time he laid eyes on Luke?
"So, what now?" Luke asked without realizing he had uttered the words aloud. He barely recognized the somber whisper as his own voice.
Reid responded with a silky command. "Give me your hand." He beckoned Luke with his outstretched fingers.
The blonde hesitated for the merest moment as he stared at the other man. What he saw in Reid's serious and imploring expression erased any doubts from Luke's mind. Deciding to take a chance, he placed his hand in Reid's warm one with care. Then Reid pulled him through the door and into the starlit night.
Luke wandered toward the mansion, barely paying attention to his surroundings as he jogged up the stairs to the terrace. He could not keep his mind off of the unusual man he met in the garden. There was just something so right about him. His thoughts must have shown on his face because it was the first thing Maddie, who was coming out of the house, commented on when she saw him.
"You're in a good mood. What's that smile for?" Maddie was wearing a vintage gold evening gown made of silk chiffon that gathered low at the waist and was accentuated by a rhinestone clasp. With spaghetti straps and a handkerchief hemline, Maddie looked beautiful and sexy.
Luke had to shake his head to clear his thoughts and bring himself back to the present. "Maddie! I was going to check on you. How are you feeling?"
Maddie gave Luke a saucy grin. "Three ibuprofen and a little champagne, and I'm right as rain. Now, the smile. What gives?"
Luke tried to shrug nonchalantly. "Oh, it's nothing. I just met someone in the garden."
Raising her eyebrow, Maddie asked, "A man?"
"Yeah."
"What was he like?" she asked with curiosity.
Luke thought for a moment, and seemed surprised by his own answer: "Aggravating."
Maddie's other eyebrow joined her first. "And that makes you smile?"
"Yeah, I guess it does," he said with a sense of wonder.
"Is he good looking?"
"It was a little dark, but yeah, he is. Auburn hair, blue eyes, about an inch shorter than me, lean, a nice smile."
Maddie clapped her hands together. "Ooh, he sounds gorgeous! What's his name?"
"Reid Oliver."
"Ah, Sigmund Freud. I remember giving him that name since he was a doctor." Maddie had been in charge of assigning an historical name to each guest. She had relished the task as her two passions were studying history and watching old movies.
Luke snorted. "Yeah, I'm not sure he saw it as an honor." He paused, and asked, "Any idea why he's invited?" Reid had said he was meeting an investor, but that didn't really explain how he got on the guest list.
Shaking her head, Maddie replied, "No, Damian added Dr. Oliver and his chief of staff somewhat at the last moment. I was too busy to ask why. Is it important?"
"I don't think so. I was just curious and thought you might know. He said he was meeting an investor."
"Sorry." She grabbed Luke's forearm and squeezed as she said, " Just be careful, though. Julian might not like you looking all dreamy over another guy."
Luke's sigh was pronounced. He knew too well that he needed to use caution. "Don't worry, I probably won't even run into Reid again."
Maddie didn't drop the subject. "It's just, well, the rumors about Julian aren't pretty, Luke. I don't think making him angry would be a good idea."
"I know. " If it had been anyone else, Luke might have felt annoyed by all the reminders, but Maddie had stuck by him through too many things for Luke not to take her seriously.
"Do you know what you're going to say to Julian's proposal?"
"Not yet."
She stared up at Luke trying to read his expression. "Luke, no one in your family would expect you to sacrifice like that. It's one thing for you to work as hard as you have the past three years; it's another to agree to being the trophy prize husband for a hard man, even one as wealthy as Julian."
Luke gave her a half smile. "I know they wouldn't expect it, but it's up to me to make decisions for their welfare. And Julian could provide everything they ever wanted."
"Luke, I know you love the farm, but if saving it means sacrificing yourself, just don't do it." Her tone was urgent, and she looked like she was preparing for another long discussion on this topic.
Luke wasn't in the mood, however. "I don't want to argue about this again, Maddie. You know it's about more than the farm. It's about preserving our good memories, about paying for the kids' educations, about keeping us together. " His words had been rushed, and he stopped, lifting the corners of his mouth. "If it helps, maybe this party will get me out of this mess."
"I hope so. I really do," she said feelingly.
"Well, maybe we'll get a good verdict tonight. Why don't you go in? I've got one more thing to do before heading back."
"Okay, I'll see you in there," Maddie replied.
Luke waited for Maddie to go back inside the French doors, and then he searched for the head of security at the party. After giving the guard Tom's description, Luke might have suggested that unnecessary roughness in tossing Tom out would be favored by Damian. Sometimes being a Grimaldi had its upside.
***
Reid came back into the great hall after a few more minutes of watching the nighttime Sound. Enough light from the stars and the occasional boats was shed that he could make out the ripples of the water. He stood there, thinking, for several minutes before returning to the party.
He headed for one of the many buffet tables once he was inside. He never liked parties, but he did have to admit that the food for this one was top notch. He had overheard another guest saying it was based off the Waldorf Astoria menu for President Coolidge's stay there in the twenties. He didn't care where it came from, but the lamb medallion he had gorged himself on was divine.
Everywhere, he looked for his mysterious hero, Luke. It was not easy to search for someone whose face he had never seen. He knew Luke's voice--a nice one, strong with a touch of a Midwestern accent--and had seen a flash of teeth set in a smile, but that didn't make the task very easy. Beyond that, he knew to look for a man in his early twenties who may have blonde hair. It wasn't much to go on, but still he searched, wondering what his rescuer might look like.
Just as a saxophone sounded the first lonely notes of Irving Berlin's "What'll I do?", Reid happened to look up at the top of the stairs that led into the great hall from the main corridor and knew he had found him. He didn't know how he knew, he just did. Without knowing it, Reid held his breath and stared at the young man. A crystal chandelier cast a brilliant beam across Luke's exquisite features creating the illusion that Luke was radiating light. With the crowd below, Luke's illuminated presence and soft smile made him seem above anyone's touch, as if he were unearthly.
Luke was undeniably handsome. From the distance, Reid could see creamy skin and high cheekbones that flanked a straight nose above full lips. Luke's dark blonde hair was parted at the side and combed neatly back, giving it a sleek look that contrasted to the open and honest expression he wore. He had dressed for the occasion, eschewing the standard tuxedo many of the men had chosen to wear. Instead, Luke had donned a black tailcoat with notched lapels, a starched white shirt topped by a single-breasted waistcoat, elegantly draped pleated pants, and a white bow tie.
A brunette woman in a gold dress at the bottom of the stairs arrested Luke's attention. She must have said something funny because the steady smile already on Luke's face changed into a wide grin. Reid sucked in his breath…and nearly choked. Only then did he realize that he had been gawking at Luke with half a cheese puff in his mouth and the other half in his hand, having frozen on its way back to a plate. Great Reid, maybe Luke will have to perform the Heimlich on you next. That would be a real turn on.
Quickly finishing the hors d'oeuvre, Reid dusted the crumbs off his hand and picked up an etched coupe-style champagne glass from a passing waiter. He was feeling a little jumpy, so he took a deep sip and ended up having a coughing fit from guzzling it too fast. Then he nearly knocked over the buffet table having somehow tripped over his own feet. Mushroom caps rolled onto the floor, which earned Reid a glare from the buffet worker. After righting himself and glowering back at the waiter, his eyes jumped back to Luke to see if the younger man had witnessed Reid's second indignity, but Luke had moved down the stairs and was still conversing with the brunette. Reid couldn't believe he was worrying about such things. He never cared if he impressed someone, but here he was making a fool of himself with food and drink because of nerves.
He had met Luke maybe an hour ago and was already acting like an idiot. What is wrong with me? Reid knew very well, though, that Luke was the answer. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the fact that Luke had rescued him, or maybe it was the fact that Luke thought the stars were dead people shining down on him. Maybe it was the incandescent smile or that Luke looked like a freaking angel. Reid usually hated guilelessness, half-suspecting it was always an act, but on Luke, Reid found it attractive. More than attractive. Maybe it was all the wrong things for Reid adding up to an unexpected right. I can't believe I just thought that. What next? I'll go buy a greeting card?
Reid glanced at Luke again, studying the blonde's physique and mannerisms. Luke and the brunette would have made a stunning couple had Luke been heterosexual. The blonde's tall height and broad shoulders complimented the woman's petite stature. Luke's skin was pale and creamy compared to her tan skin and darker features. Luke's face was more animated than hers, as if every thought Luke had had a corresponding look to go with it. Reid doubted that Luke could ever seem impassive. Probably terrible at poker, too.
Luke's gaze suddenly swung toward and collided with Reid's as if he could feel the doctor's scrutiny from the distance. Stomping on his inner nervousness, Reid raised his glass in a silent toast to the younger man and gave him a patented Reid Oliver sultry half-smile. Luke blushed furiously before dropping his eyes back to the woman in front of him, and Reid wondered if that attractive pink spread across his entire body.
Well, there was only one way to find out. Just as Reid started to cross the room, however, his chief of staff blocked him and started yammering on about potential donors. Reid tried to keep an eye on the handsome man across the room, but felt like he was a student trapped by the teacher in the Peanuts cartoon. All he caught was "donor…waw, waaw, waw…..senator…waw, waaw, don't screw up." He let out a small curse when he lost sight of Luke. In this crowd, it was going to be hard to find him again.
***
The night, by any measure, was a smashing success. While the weekend was far from over, Luke let out deep breaths of relief from the feedback he was receiving. It had been an hour, maybe two, since he had come into the grand hall and seen Reid. Maybe he's my good luck charm, he thought as everything had gone right since then.
Maddie came rushing up to his side, clearly giddy. "Luke! You won't believe what I just overheard George Stanton saying!" George was a seventy-something head of one of the largest banking corporations in the world.
"What?"
"No, guess!"
"Maddie."
She huffed. "Oh, fine. I heard him tell a group of about five people that he just couldn't believe that Damian had been involved in any corruption, and then he pointed out how investigators could never tie him to anything. So, he said he thought Damian was innocent and was a lot more interested in Grimaldi now that he had met that 'charming man.'"
Luke felt torn between rolling his eyes at Damian's ridiculous ability to sway people and jumping up and down in excitement. "Good god, I don't even think Damian had hoped people would ever think him innocent."
Maddie continued her good news. "Well, everyone in that group nodded their heads in agreement, and one guy said he'd always thought so. And a couple said they had long been considering investing, which is a bunch of crap, but who cares? Luke! This is working! I'd thought Damian was crazy, but I never counted on his ability to gull people into believing anything." She reached out and squeezed Luke's hands with her own and excitedly jumped a little around him.
Luke's heart started beating rapidly. This was going to work. This was going to work. He wasn't going to have to marry Julian--there would be money for the kids and the farm, and he'd be free! He wanted to throw his arms around Maddie and dance for joy, but since they were in the middle of a fancy party, he managed to rein himself in.
It was at that precise moment that he spotted Reid again. Good luck charm, indeed. The doctor was talking animatedly with Senator Franklin Ames of New York, a powerful man who sat on the Committee of Commerce, Science and Transportation. Luke grinned as he saw the derisive look on Reid's face--it seemed that the doctor was grumpy about something. Then he looked at Senator Ames's expression and realized he better step in before Reid found himself being audited.
"Excuse me, Maddie," he said, giving her arm a squeeze. "It looks like I'm needed over there."
Maddie glanced in the direction Luke indicated and smiled. "How come I can't find a hot doctor at this party? It's not fair," she complained teasingly.
"The next straight one that I find, I'll send your way. Now I better go," he said, grimacing at the extreme shade of red the senator was turning.
Luke could hear Reid's voice from ten strides away. "So, you're telling me, that you think that cutting Medicare reimbursements to hospitals and doctors is somehow helping medicine?" Reid started laughing, and Luke couldn't hear what the senator said in response.
Reid, he could hear loud and clear. "Streamline? Any more cuts and you'll streamline us all out of a job, and no one is going to get a decent doctor. Are you stupid or just maniacal?"
Luke swooped in, putting his hand on Reid's forearm. "Senator! How are you?" From the bulging vein in the senator's forehead, Luke guessed he'd had better moments. He heard Reid yelp, "Senator?" beside him.
"Luke! How good to see you." The senator's smile was genuine as he shook hands with the young man.
"It's nice to see you, too Franklin. Where is your wife, Amy?"
"Of course, you all are on a first name basis. You probably play racquetball on Wednesdays," Reid griped.
"Oh, she's just getting some more champagne," Franklin said, ignoring Reid entirely.
"I see you've met Reid," Luke said to the senator and tried to give him an apologetic smile.
"Yes, I have." Franklin's tone made it clear that he had not enjoyed meeting the doctor whatsoever.
"He has a lot of opinions, and he sure doesn't hide them, does he?" the blonde said with a nervous laugh.
"That's one way of putting it," Franklin said sourly while looking at Reid as if the doctor had a foul odor.
Luke leaned in toward Franklin and said with enthusiasm, "Well, I think that's the kind of passion we need from our health-care profession, don't you? Reid, here, is a cutting-edge neurosurgeon. The cuts you and he were discussing wouldn't even affect his practice, but he's fighting for the sake of the profession and those in need regardless. I think that's pretty commendable." Luke hoped most of this was true anyway. He had deduced that Reid must be at the top of his profession if he was about to get his own neurowing at such a young age.
"Yeah, I love the little people," Reid said awkwardly.
Luke glared at him for not helping. "I know that Franklin cares just as much about his constituents as you do your patients, Reid. Isn't your concern for the citizens why you ran for office, Franklin?" He gave the stout man his best beseeching smile.
"Yes, it was." His chest out from pompous pride, and Luke thought the senator might be in danger of tipping over.
He may have run for office out of public concern, but he must have stayed for the food, Reid thought, eyeing Franklin's whalelike shape.
Luke said to both men, "Well, that's something you have in common. And, I'm sure, Franklin, that you'll give serious thought to the welfare of your constituents when you vote on those cutbacks next week."
"Yes, I will," the senator boasted.
"Isn't that what you want, Reid?" Luke inquired.
"Well…" Reid started.
Before Reid could say something that Luke was sure would be awful, he interrupted. "Yes? Then everyone is happy. How about we leave the senator to his wife who I see heading this way and go get a drink? It was nice seeing you, Franklin." He grabbed Reid by the elbow and ushered him away toward the far end of the room.
"You didn't have to do that, you know," Reid said.
Luke couldn't tell if Reid were angry or not. He wondered if he had overstepped and replied, "I know, but it looked like you could use help."
Reid pinched the bridge of his nose. "What gave it away? When the man looked like he wanted to feed me to a caged bear or that I didn't even know I was talking to a senator?" he asked in a self-deprecating manner.
Luke smiled, happy that his aid was seemingly welcome. "I thought it was a bad sign that you were yelling at one of the most powerful men in Washington."
"How bad was it really?" Reid asked.
"Mmmm, well, it's better if you don't know," Luke replied sympathetically.
Reid snorted and then shifted the topic back to Luke. "So, how many times are you planning to rescue me tonight?" he asked.
"How many times do you need?" Luke asked in reply. They had reached the end of the room and had stopped to face each other.
"With me, you never know. Every day is a fresh hell," Reid said, shrugging and rubbing his hands together. "Do you always like to play knight in shining armor?"
"Is that a problem?" Luke asked awkwardly, feeling a little embarrassed. Maddie had suggested at times that he sometimes liked to help people a little too much.
Reid, his expression heating, looked directly at Luke and took his hand. "What else do you like to play?" Reid inquired, his voice oozing over Luke like melted chocolate.
Luke blushed furiously, pulled his hand from Reid's and tried to put it in his pocket, and foolishly realized he didn't have any. "Um…. I'm not really good at talking…sex…bedroom…dirty...damn." Was that even a sentence? I wish a hole would open up in the floor and swallow me now.
Reid smiled like a Cheshire cat. He shot Luke a patently fake, innocent expression and stated, "Why, I just meant do you like to play chess, board games, maybe Chutes & Ladders, but I like what you're thinking better."
Luke knew his face must be completely red. Worse, he guessed it was turning redder because he was embarrassed over it turning red in the first place. Someone was likely going to mistake him for an apple and try to take a bite. He raked his hand through his hair, and said ruefully, "Can I start over?"
"Nope, no do-overs," Reid replied.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Just when I was starting to think you were nice."
"Never make that mistake," Reid declared, his lips quirked in a half-smile. Luke grinned back at him.
They were standing in front of the French doors to the terrace. Luke looked outside as they fell into a companionable silence. Somehow the joking tenor of their earlier conversation had evaporated, and both men seemed pensive. The younger man wondered to himself where this night was heading. Logically, he knew he should play it safe and return to the other guests. Maddie's news had been so positive, though, that Luke thought it might be okay to hope for something good to happen with Reid. The feelings he had suggested that it might even be remarkable.
He turned and stared at Reid who unflinchingly returned his regard. Luke was trying to interpret the doctor's expression, unable to understand why this man made him want to toss reason aside and go anywhere with him. He contemplated what Reid saw when he looked at him. Did he feel the same tug in his chest every time he laid eyes on Luke?
"So, what now?" Luke asked without realizing he had uttered the words aloud. He barely recognized the somber whisper as his own voice.
Reid responded with a silky command. "Give me your hand." He beckoned Luke with his outstretched fingers.
The blonde hesitated for the merest moment as he stared at the other man. What he saw in Reid's serious and imploring expression erased any doubts from Luke's mind. Deciding to take a chance, he placed his hand in Reid's warm one with care. Then Reid pulled him through the door and into the starlit night.