by Celine Yorke
"Let's sit here and enjoy an ice-cream before we go home. I don't want this nice day to end."
"Okay, that sounds like a good idea." It had been a lovely weekend and Tom didn't want it to end either.
They each got a huge ice cream with all the trimmings, strawberries and whipped cream for each of them. "What a treat." Serena said as she licked the whipped cream and strawberry off.
CHAPTER FIVE
It was the end of the term before the summer break and Tom had been lucky enough to receive a scholarship to US to further his education as an architect. He was very excited about the idea of going to America to study, but it was going to be hard to tell Serena. He wanted her to come with him, but what if she didn't want to? She had just finished her apprenticeship and was now beginning to earn a lot more money. Would she be willing to give that up to go with him, Tom wondered?
It was Saturday night, and Serena was excited by the thought of Tom coming over for a visit. They had both had a busy week, but tonight they were going to spend some quality time together. She was home by herself, her parents and Pia, had gone to their summer house by the beach, so she and Tom had the house to themselves without anyone disturbing them. Serena heard a knock on the door and knew it was Tom. She quickly opened the door and he was there with open arms. He grabbed her in a bear hug and gave her a long passionate kiss.
"Don't get too carried away yet, I have made dinner and I don't want it to get cold," She giggled.
"What are we having?"
"That is a surprise. You'll have to wait and see."
"Okay, I can't wait."
After they had finished the dinner, they cleared the table and Serena brought in the desert. She had made a delicious apricot and cream trifle.Tom had been unusually quiet and Serena asked him, "Is anything wrong?"
"Well, I have something to tell you."
He looked so serious that Serena was nervous about what he had to say. She flipped her long blond hair behind her ears, a habit she had when she got nervous.
"I have been offered a scholarship to go to US to continue my studies. It is a great opportunity for me and everything I have ever dreamed of. I can't let that opportunity go past me." He let out a relieved breath; he had obviously felt nervous about telling her.
He paused, waiting for Serena to respond. She sat there looking at him in disbelief, not sure that she had heard correctly. He started to stutter as he spoke.
"It will be great for our future, and I am hoping you would come with me."
Serena was still in a state of shock, she didn't know what to say, but then she finally swallowed, "YOU ARE WHAT?"
Tom fidgeted with the tablecloth. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but to no avail. He started to speak, but stuttered again, "I have worked hard to win this scholarship" he finally said.
"It is all so sudden. You will have to give me time to think it over."
"For sure, sweetheart, just take your time," he said in a relieved voice.
The night took a different turn and Serena was glad that they had to go to a party. It would distract them from talking any more about his scholarship.
Tom took her home after the party, but she didn't invite him to stay. She needed to be alone and think things through. He seemed a bit hurt about it, but was hoping she would come around and understand that this was a fantastic opportunity for him and for their future together. He could not let it pass by. He was determined to go whether Serena wanted to come or not.
Being a successful fashion designer was still in the back of Serena's mind. She didn't want to be the little wife who stood back and supported her husband while she put her own ambitions on hold.
Serena hardly slept that night. She kept tossing and turning, and when she finally fell asleep she had wild dreams. If she went with Tom to the States, she would have to let go of her dream of becoming a fashion designer. She had pushed her own goal in the background for a while because Tom had suggested that they should get a house and start a family later when they were both finished with their education. But now that Tom had planted that bomb on her, she had second thoughts of giving up her goal for him. After a while, she got out of bed and walked up and down the floor in her room talking to herself, tears running down her face.
"Tom has shattered my safe world. I have to think this through and decide what I really want to do with my own future. Moving to the US is not in my plans and never has been. It is so far away from Sweden, and my loved ones, and the world I have created for myself. The thought of moving over there is breaking my heart."
She sat down on the bed and put her face in her hands, then wiping the tears away. Serena didn't see Tom again for the next couple of weeks. He had conferences and seminars to go to as part of his education. She did a lot of soul searching during that time. She was still not sure what to do, but she was happy to see him when he did stop by. After all, she loved him and couldn't bear to be apart from him for long periods at a time.
There were still a few months before Tom had to leave. Serena had calmed down a lot, and now they were able to talk sensibly about the situation. She too got carried away with Tom's excitement about the trip.
"I would love you to come with me, Serena. It would be such a fantastic experience for both of us," Tom said, pleading with her.
"I'm sure it would be, and I would like to be there for you, but it is such a big step for me to take. I can't help feeling worried about us - my future," Serena replied.
"But it will be like a great adventure we can share together." Tom was very enthusiastic about the whole venture.
They talked about all the cons and pros of the whole journey and in the end Serena had come to a decision.
"I think you should go first by yourself and find out about the living quarters the scholarship has to offer you, and if it is suitable for both of us. Then when you are settled in I could come over?"
"That is an idea, but you are not going to back out on me?" Yeah, she is coming around, I knew I could talk her into coming, he was thinking to himself. Tom had used all his charm to win her over. He pulled her down on the couch and she was utterly trapped by his charm.
Tom brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her tenderly. They lay close together on the couch talking for a while. Tom talked with excitement in his voice about their future together in US and all the exciting things they were going to do together over there. Serena couldn't help being carried away by his enthusiasm.
Tom nestled into her neck and started to nipple her ear lobes, as he pulled her blouse up from her skirt. He kept talking in a seductive whisper. She was under his spell. Before she knew it, she was half naked and Tom pulled his T-shirt over his head and lifted her body on top of his. The heat from Tom's body shot through Serena as she felt his skin pressed against hers, stimulating her lust for him even more. He reached for her hair and curled his finger in it, arching her head back.
She closed her eyes and felt his soft lips gently kiss her. His warm tongue pushed her lips apart and they lost themselves in a long passionate kiss. He tenderly kissed her face, neck, caressed her body all over while he whispered.
"Do you know how much I love you?
She felt his hardness and moaned, "Oh, Tom, I want you inside me. Right now."
Her fingers pressed hard against his back as she pulled Tom toward her and guided him inside of her.
"Oh, Serena, what are you doing to me? I feel like I am going to burst." He reached for her nipple and let his tongue circle around it before he started to suck it. Serena moaned as she ran her hands up and down his back.
"If you do that to me much longer I will burst." Tom said in between his heavy breaths.
"Oh no Tom, not yet." Serena moaned.
They continued their lovemaking for a while longer. Both were trembling and shuddered against each other then, Tom collapsed on top of her. They lay like that for a little while trying to catch their breath.
Tom was the first one to speak, "You are amazin
g. You make me feel so wonderful when I touch your soft body."
"And you are pretty fantastic yourself." Serena's voice is hoarse from the thrill of the elation she had just experienced.
CHAPTER SIX
Tom traveled to USA to start his scholarship. He did very well in his studies and showed a lot of enthusiasm when creating new drawings and original designs for potential construction. The teachers were very pleased with him and could see he had a good future ahead of him. After some time, Tom was offered an opportunity to go with a group of architects in South America. A very rich man by the name of Carlos Fontana wanted the architects to design a unique and luxurious mansion on his large property. They signed Tom to go with them as part of his training.
Tom had found a suitable apartment for an affordable rent where Serena and he could live together, but now he had to call her and tell her he has been assigned to go to South America to further his education.
"Hello sweetheart, I have some good news and some bad news."
"Oh, Tom it is so good to hear your voice, I am missing you like crazy."
"Yes, sweetie, I miss you too. The good news is that I have found a nice little apartment that we can rent for an affordable price."
"That is wonderful. Darling. When do you want me to come?"
"Well sweetie, the bad news is that I have just been assigned to go to South America with a group of professional architects to further my study with them. They have to design a big mansion for a very rich man. I can't really get out of it as it is part of the scholarship. But as soon as I'm back, you can come over here."
Serena's heart sank. "Oh, but how long will that take?"
"I'm not sure sweetie, but it could take another month or so."
"I suppose I can wait a little longer so you can get the experience you need as an architect," But she did feel disappointed.
Tom was relieved that she took it so well. As much as he missed Serena he was also looking forward to learn from all the professional architects. It was a huge opportunity for him. He felt very excited by the whole prospect of being involved in such a big project.
During the next month, the group worked very hard on the design. They had many meetings with Carlos Fontana so he could approve of their ideas, and they could alter the things he didn't like. After a month and a half, they had finished.
"Here are the final drawings of your building, and we have created a mini model of the mansion too," Brian Ward, who was in charge of the project, presented the result to Carlos Fontana.
"Let me have a look at what you have come up with." Carlos Fontana was very impressed after looking over the presentation.
"It all looks very impressive. I'm very happy with the result. It looks marvelous. I couldn't have imagined it better even if I tried. I will have my lawyer draw up a contract for the project so we can get the builder started as soon as possible."
"I'm happy you like what we have done," Brian was relieved that the drawings had been accepted, "I will need to be here at the job with a few of our architects to supervise the construction."
"Yes, of course you do, that's good it will make me feel so much better knowing you are here to make sure everything is done according to your design. I think this cause for a celebration. I will throw a party at my place tomorrow night for you and the rest of the group."
The whole group was excited about having finished the drawings of the plan and the delicate work of making the mini model. Tom had been the main builder of that part of the project. All the other architects were impressed with him and they praised him and told him he was a talented young man.
There was a happy atmosphere at the party. Carlos Fontana lived in a grand old house, and although it was a bit old fashioned, the interior design was beautiful. There was a lot of attention paid to details. As they entered the house everyone was led into a big lounge with beautiful furniture carved in dark wood. The seats of the chairs were covered in cherry colored velvet. Along one of the walls was a bar carved out of the same beautiful dark wood as the rest of the furniture. It was filled with many different kinds of bottles of wines and spirits. The whole place had an aura of wealth. Brian liked it, and it made him wonder why Carlos Fontana wanted to build another big mansion.
A table was set up with many kinds of different delicious foods, and several men who seemed to be staff of the house were at the table, serving food to the guests. The architects felt well looked after, and their drinks were filled up as soon as their glasses were empty. As a result, they were drinking more than they usually did. Before long, many of them were drunk.
Tom was also enjoying himself, and even though he was not a big drinker, he was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded. Carlos Fontana's daughter, Eva seemed to have taken a fancy to Tom and kept on chatting at him in a flirtatious way. A good-looking 20 year old woman with dark hair and olive skin, she was also spoiled and used to getting what she wanted. Tom was talking to her in a polite manner, but did not respond to her obvious interest in him. She was visibly annoyed by Tom's lack of response. Tom got up from his chair to move around, his head began to spin.
"Oh, I feel dizzy."
He put his hand to his head, and stumbled over, but hang on to the table. He stood there wobbling, trying to find his balance, but it was no use. His legs slowly buckled under him and he fainted and fell to the floor. A few of Carlos Fontana's men carried him into another room. The other guys more or less laughed at him and didn't worry too much. They were all intoxicated from all the drinking and in high spirits when they got back to their hotel later that night, and didn't notice that Tom wasn't with them. The next morning when they came down for breakfast, they were wondering where Tom was. After breakfast, they started to get a bit concerned when Tom still hasn't shown up. He was sharing a room with Jim.
"He hasn't slept in his bed all night. I haven't seen him since last night at Carlo Fontana's house."
Jim and a couple of the men went back to Carlos Fontana's place to find out if Tom was still there, but no one has seen him. Back at the hotel, they let the staff know that Tom was missing. A search party was sent out to look for him around the bars in town, but there seem to be no sign of Tom. Now everybody was getting really worried. They started thinking back to the night before and what had happened during the night. Brian Ward, the leader of the architect group called a meeting in one of the lounges in the hotel so they could get a better view of the situation. Once everyone in the group arrived, he started.
"We have to do some brainstorming just like we did when we were working on the design of the mansion. Can you all try to come up with some ideas of what could have happened to Tom?"
Brian had put up a big white board where they could write all their ideas, and was now waiting for everyone to come up with some suggestions.
One of the men put his hand up.
"Yes, Allan let us hear what you think."
"Well, last night I notice Carlos Fontana's daughter paid a lot of attention to Tom.
He was just being polite to her and more or less tried to ignore her, which seemed to irritate her. She seemed like a rather spoiled young lady. I saw her talk to some of the suspicious looking men, and it wasn't long after that Tom fainted and they carried him into another room." Allan paused a bit and continued,
"I'm thinking that maybe she could have arranged for someone to spike his drink. They were filling our glasses up all the time, so it could easily have been done."
Brian was busy writing this idea up on the board.
"That is one possibility."
There were other men in the group who had noticed the same thing, but thought nothing of it. Now that Allan mentioned it, they did think it was a bit odd.
Jim puts up his hand. "Yes, Jim let us hear your ideas."
"Well, I asked one of the staff for some ice. He seemed to misunderstand me. He thought I was asking for the drug called ice. He got a funny look on his face. But when he realized that I just wanted some ice for my drink, he changed ba
ck and acted just like a waiter again. I thought it was a strange response."
Many different ideas were suggested by the other members of the group and Brian wrote them all down. Someone pointed out that Tom could simply have gotten lost when he woke up and tried to find his way back to the hotel where they were all staying.
"If we don't find him soon, we'll have to let the police know he is missing." They all agreed with that.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jim was one of the architects who stayed behind with Brian to supervise the construction. He was good friends with Tom, and felt obligated to find him. The next day he decided to pay Carlos Fontana a visit. He hoped to find the waiter who served him ice at the party. Maybe he could provide him with some leads to Tom's whereabouts.
When he arrived at the house, he walked around to the back entrance. Inside, he met some of the staff who recognized him from the party.
"Hi, how are you doing? Great night we had here the other night. I'm looking for the waiter who served me drinks at the table. Where can I find him?"
They were reluctant to tell him. "What do you want with him?"
"I thought maybe he could help me get some dope?"
They laughed. "You want some dope man? Ha-ha, you have come to the right person. You will find him in the shed down at the back of the garden."
"What's his name?"
"Just call him Digo."Jim thanked them and headed down to the shed in the back.
It was a huge shed, well hidden behind trees and bushes, a long way from the house and the garden. As he got closer, he heard several voices from inside the shed. He sensed that something illegal was happening in there. He was nervous. The perspiration coming out of his forehead. Jim had done a lot of acting in the past now had to put his talents into action. He has to do a lot of talking and act as if he has lots of confidence. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he walked casually up to the guard in front of the door. The guard, wearing a gun and looking intimidating stopped him from entering.