Chapter 4: I Loved That Glass"Good to know you still have a way with the ladies," Charlie quipped."Yeah, fuck you!" Luke laughed. "Why are you calling?""I'm executive producing a new show," said Charlie. "I need a first-rate photog.""If I come across one, I'll let you know.""I'm talking to one right now.""No, no, no," Luke replied. "I am loving life right now. No responsibilities. No commitments. I'm living on a rented boat. Fish all day, drink all night, plenty of beautiful women. I'm quite ok, thanks.""You sound bored, you ask me.""Notice I didn't ask you.""You don't even know the concept. It's not news, no blood and guts and shit. I'm working for TLC—the This is Living Channel. It's a travel show…""Ooohhh, not no, then. It's oh, HELL NO!""Just wait. I want this to be different from anything else out there. You'd co-produce. I'm going to tell you where to go, my office will make the travel arrangements, then you find the stories, make it what you think peop
Chapter 5: Last Chance to Change Your Mind(An hour ago)Luke arrived at the airport slightly hung over. Should have known better than to go out drinking with Charlie, he thought. The two men had barhopped for a while, finally landing at Luke's favorite Manhattan pub, Paddy Reilly's on the lower east side. They'd been in luck and caught the Prodigals' set at eleven.Charlie had been in chat mode all evening. "So tell me about the dame you were with when I called you that day," he probed.Luke rolled his eyes. "Just some chick from a bar. I don't know. What do you want me to say?""What you need is to find a nice girl, settle down," Charlie slurred. "Bella is a nice girl.""Bella?" Luke asked."Aw, dammit, I didn't mean for you to know her name before you met her," Charlie shook his head. "Bourbon loosens my lips." He blew a raspberry for emphasis.Luke had felt a flash of irritation at the notion of settling down. "I've been married, and you saw how that turned out.""You ma
Chapter 6: Bundt Cakes and Personal History(Now)Luke motioned to the bartender, ordering another round for both of them. To Bella he joked, "So Bundt cakes, huh? I like Bundt cakes.""Hmm, what? Oh! Bundt cakes. Well, you know how morning shows go. Recipes, fashion, pets, don't hold fireworks in your hands…True story—we once had two guests nearly come to blows arguing over whether potato salad should be hot or cold," she laughed. "No, seriously, you can't make that up!"Luke shook his head laughing. "Wow! And I thought my job was dangerous."Bella raised her wine glass to his Scotch. "To dangerous jobs!" They toasted, chuckling as they did so. Just to fill the silence, "So you've been in news since 9/11? What did you do before that?"He smiled slightly. He'd noticed her eyes glaze over as he was talking earlier, figured she wasn't listening. "Well, like I said," slowly, as if speaking to a child, "I was in the Navy. Special Ops. I was a photog, and a lot of times they
Chapter 7: In DreamsShe leaned her head back and bit down on her lower lip, attempting to stifle the moan that threatened to burst out. He was down there, pressing his lips to the mound between her thighs. "Oh, God!" she moaned.Her hands moved to her breasts, at first simply trying to hold herself together, then squeezing, pulling hard on her erect nipples. She was so wet for him. His tongue began to flick in and out of her and she felt like she would burst out of her skin. "Oh, Luke, oh God!"He moved up her body, kissing and licking as he went. When he reached her face, he covered her mouth with his. She could taste herself on him and that made her even wetter."I want you," she growled, reaching down to take him in her hand and guiding him into her. At first he started moving in and out, excruciatingly slowly, then building to pound harder and faster…Bella woke up with a gasp. She was reclined in her First-Class seat on her way to Edinburgh. When she looked anxiously o
Chapter 8: The Adventure BeginsIt was 8:00 am local time when they landed in Edinburgh. They moved quickly through customs and headed down to Baggage Claim. A short man in a driver's uniform held a sign lettered "McGillicutty." Luke strode up to him, right hand out. "I'm Luke McGillicutty.""Yes, sir, my name is Stewart. I'm here to take you to the Balmoral," the driver replied. "Shall we collect your bags?"Luke lifted his battered duffels. "These are my bags, but I believe the lady has a cargo container or something."Bella smirked at him. "Ha-ha! Maybe you could make yourself useful and get some footage." She wandered in the direction of the baggage carousel and Stewart followed, cart in tow.Good idea, Luke thought to himself. Since the moment he'd first seen her in the airport lounge, he'd been itching to see her through his lens. Life itself was all too often neither contained nor controlled. Things in his camera lens were precisely contained and exactly controlled,
Chapter 9: A Slight SnafuAs the cab drove from the airport and through town, Bella felt giddy, not at all like the sleek sophisticate she hoped to show to the world. It wasn't as if she hadn't traveled before. God knew, Nathan Epperson Grant, II, made sure he took his family to all the prestigious vacation spots—skiing at St. Moritz, Christmas in Paris, summers in the Caribbean… Couldn't let the guys at the club outshine him. Her father had always had something of an inferiority complex. It only served to make her respect him less.But this was different. She'd never been to Scotland before. More than that, though, was the idea that this was her job. She was about to create something new. Well, she and Luke. She glanced over at him.He was looking out the window on his side of the car. A tuft of salt and pepper chest hair peeked out of his shirt where it was unbuttoned at the top. Bella felt a hitch in her chest, thinking to herself, Those twenty-something girls who want t
Chapter 10: Settling InBella followed Luke to the elevator without further conversation, feeling sheepish, knowing she hadn't handled the situation professionally. Luke generously let the matter drop, casually engaging the bellman in polite conversation. At the door, the man paused allowing the pair to enter the suite first, bringing in their bags after them. The decor was beautiful, all blues and creams. The view out the window was breathtaking. "I'll get my duffels. If you could just take the lady's things into the bedroom," Luke said. The bellman did as he was asked and was rewarded with a generous tip. "Thanks so much," Luke said before closing the door.Bella finally spoke. "I'm sorry I was such a dumb ass. It seemed important at the time. I really can be professional, I promise," she swore."No worries," Luke responded. Heaving a large sigh, he dropped down onto the sofa across from the suite's fireplace. "Obviously, the bedroom is yours. This can be my bed while
Chapter 11: Bella's Edinburgh ExcursionShe exited the elevator on the ground floor and strolled through the lobby. Glancing around, she spied a copy of today's newspaper someone had left on a chair. She picked it up, put it in her bag, and headed through the revolving door to the sidewalk outside.The street seemed to be busier to her left, in the general direction of Edinburgh Castle. It seemed likely to Bella that the tourist area would be that direction and she wasn't disappointed. She was passing all manner of souvenir store, several tea shops, and even a tartan dealer. Removing the GoPro from her bag, she began to shoot footage of the street, the hotel from this perspective, and the people milling about. She made the decision to grab a cup of tea and sat at an outdoor table, watching the action, getting a feel for the area. Sipping her tea, she realized that she heard more different languages than she could recognize. Clearly there were visitors here from all over the wor