"No, wait, Samantha…"
"It is alright, Tom. I am just being silly … I mean, Lincoln Kokiri is a great business man - a millionaire. Why would he look at my…"
"No, you don't understand, Samantha. Alexis knows Lincoln Kokiri."
"What?"
"She never told me how she knows him but she definitely does. He came into the supermarket to find her one day."
Samantha looked at him as if she couldn't understand what he was saying, but then she saw his hand reach out and take hers.
"I will ask Alexis, but I think you will find that it is legitimate. What else did the woman say?"
"She said that they would fly and pay for accommodation for me and a friend to travel to Melbourne for a night so I could meet him."
Tom smiled at her.
"Really? You get to go to Melbourne, all expenses paid? And you get to take a friend? A good friend?" he asked, winking at her.
Finally she started to look as if she might let herself believe what was happening - that perhaps something real was in the situation after all. She smiled at him but with still a slight doubt on her face.
"Ring Alexis and ask her. Go on, do it now - otherwise you are going to burst, wondering!"
Samantha picked up her phone again and dialled the number of her friend.
"Alexis, I just received a call and I think it is probably some kind of prank but … is there any chance that you spoke to Lincoln Kokiri about the wedding dress?" she blurted out in one long sentence and question, and Alexis at the other end burst out laughing.
"Oh Samantha! Yes of course I made a call. You did me such a great favour, making such a beautiful dress. I didn't know if anything could come from me mentioning it though. Was it Hannah who called you?"
"Yes…" Samantha replied quietly, still in shock.
"It is all good, Samantha. I just made a phone call. Now it is up to you to do the work to see them and convince them that your work should be considered for whatever they are planning to do with it."
"Thank you."
They finished their goodbyes and Tom saw a brilliant smile appear on Samantha's face.
"It is real."
He laughed at her.
"Of course it is. You need to have more faith in your talent. Now, about that all expenses trip for you and your best friend…"
~~~~~
Two weekends later Tom escorted Samantha onto a small plane bound for Melbourne. They had been through a great deal, and done much, in their years as friends, but travelling was something they had never done - either alone or together.
Settling in their seats on the plane, he could sense her nervousness and laughed with her as he took her hand in his.
"You are going to do great. I don't believe that even however he knows Alexis, a businessman like that would put time and money into something that he didn't regard as being a good business investment. So relax, it is all going to be fine."
~~~~~
When they touched down and disembarked the plane in Melbourne, they were confronted with a man in the arrivals area holding a large sign saying one name - 'Samantha Jones'.
Samantha and Tom walked to the man and introduced themselves.
"Ms Jones, welcome to Melbourne. I am Toby and I will be driving you to your hotel, where Hannah and Mr Kokiri will meet you later today."
Soon they found themselves being whisked away to a limousine, which in turn drove them to the Grand Hyatt hotel.
As they climbed out, the driver not only came around to open their door for them, but continued to walk them into the hotel and introduce them to the staff at the front desk.
"This is Ms Jones and her partner. Please make all services available to them and bill their expenses directly to Mr Kokiri," he said with authority in his voice, as if he did this all the time for business propositions.
"Of course," the exceptionally groomed woman behind the front counter said.
"I shall leave you now," Toby said to Samantha once more. "But please come down here to the lobby at 3pm to meet Hannah and Mr Kokiri. They are eager to meet you and discuss your business."
"Thank … thank you," Samantha stammered, feeling nervous and excited, but well out of her depth.
~~~~~
Soon the two of them were using their key card to enter a room that made Samantha almost fall over with its high standard of beauty and luxury. Tom watched her as she walked in and simply stood in the middle of the room. When she turned to look at him he saw the shock on her face.
"I can't believe…"
Tom moved to her and put his arms around her.
"You are here because you are becoming a great designer, Samantha."
She looked at him with such a doubtful look on her face that he almost gave her one of the fond arm punches that he had suffered so much over their long history as friends.
"I am here because he wants to do something nice for Alexis…"
"No, he wouldn't do this just for Alexis. He is too savvy in business to make bad business decisions. Just meet the man and listen to his ideas, at least. No harm can come from that, right?"
She nodded and moved closer to him, holding him tightly as she dared to let herself feel hopeful that something good was going to come from the upcoming meeting.
~~~~~
Later that day Samantha came face to face with the powerful presence of Lincoln Kokiri, and his personal assistant, Hannah.
"Samantha, it is a great pleasure to meet you," Lincoln said to her as he reached out and shook her hand.
As he turned to Tom, Lincoln only then realised who he was, and found himself slightly awkward as he remembered the day he had gone to approach him in the supermarket Alexis was working at. Thinking about it now, through the slight haze of his memory, he could still remember the rage he had felt at the thought of someone - Tom - touching his 'Lexi'.
Tom also was not sure what to expect, given the explanation of what Alexis had given him about that day, when he had thought Lincoln Kokiri was racing toward him with the intention of punching him. But now he saw the great man hold his hand out to him.
"Tom," he said with a sheepish smile on his face. "I am glad to make your acquaintance in this different circumstance."
Samantha looked at Tom with an 'is there some story here' kind of question of her face, and he found himself feeling some guilt over not having told her that he had met Lincoln kind of, in a different time and place.
"It is my pleasure to properly meet you, Mr Kokiri. Thank you for providing this support to Samantha, and allowing me to come with her."
Lincoln nodded and then turned his attention back to the designer before him.
"Samantha, this is Hannah, who you have been speaking with. Shall we grab a seat and make ourselves comfortable?"
Once seated around a four seater table in the hotel lounge, Lincoln was straight down to business, as always.
"I saw the photos of the wedding gown you designed and made for Alexis, and I believe it will fit in very well with a spread I am organising in a women's magazine next month. I believe there is much talent out there, waiting to be discovered, so we - my company - are eager to help people such as yourself to get noticed so that your career can take off. How do you feel about this?"
Samantha was in awe of the man before her. In addition to him being so staggeringly gorgeous to look at, he had such an aura about him. He was much older and yet so attractive. Like a magnet, pulling her in to want to be closer to him. It was a power that intrigued her but also frightened her, and Tom felt her unconsciously move a bit closer to his side, as if she were almost afraid of Lincoln.
"I … I am very thankful for the opportunity, Mr Kokiri," she said but knew she sounded like she had doubt in her voice.
"You are uncertain of something. It is best that you voice it before we move forward," he said bluntly, not in any way unfriendly, but far more businesslike that Samantha had ever had to deal with.
"I just … I know that you and Alexis are frien
ds and I…"
"You wonder if I am putting your dress in the magazine spread as some kind of favour to Alexis."
"Yes."
She thought he would be offended but he only smiled at her, now mesmerising her completely.
"I can understand why you might think that. Yes, your dress came to my attention because Alexis wore it, and she did call Hannah to ask if there was anything we could do for you. I will not keep that from you, Samantha. But none of the dresses in this magazine spread will be from designers who I do not deem worthy of such a showing, due to the high calibre of their work. It would not matter how well you know Alexis or anyone else that I know - if you did not look like someone who has the talent to succeed in such a cutthroat industry, I most certainly would not be featuring you."
Samantha nodded and felt extremely timid, but grateful that Tom was there to lean on, as she felt him squeeze her hand under the table.
"Thank you."
"Now there is another part to this spread. Yes, we shall be showing the wedding dress, and Alexis has agreed to let that be brought to Melbourne for a professional model to wear it in," he said, putting Samantha further at ease that he wasn't using it as a way to see Alexis. "But we would also like to take photos of you, and have a journalist interview you. You will have your own half page feature, as will each designer."
"What will they ask me?"
"Mostly about who you are, and what your aspirations are as a designer. Perhaps what inspires you in your creations. They won't ask anything personal - the journalist has been instructed to be careful of where they let their questions venture to, and if you are asked anything that makes you feel uncomfortable you have the right to refuse to answer. This isn't an exercise in looking for dirt on people. It is to highlight the strengths of each designer to their best advantage."
Tom watched the face of the man speaking. He had seen his look of power that morning in the supermarket, although Alexis had certainly taken control of that situation - and the man at that time. Tom had never asked the name of the person Alexis had experienced so much mental trauma with due to her delivering of pain, but he had wondered if this great businessman was the one responsible for that situation. Looking at him, Tom found himself conflicted in his thoughts. On the one hand, this man was so much older than her - in that regard, and knowing how happy Alexis was with Anthony now, it was difficult to think that she would have been with a man of this age group. But on the other hand, there was something extreme about Lincoln Kokiri that made even Tom feel pulled toward him - a charisma or some kind of power. Even Tom couldn't put his finger on what the feeling was. He just knew it was there.
"Why are you doing this for people who are not known, Mr Kokiri? It cannot be a business decision…"
"I assure you it is a business decision, Samantha. My company is exploring branching into new avenues and I am seeking talented individuals to invest my time and money into, to help them grow as business enterprises themselves. It is not an act of kindness or generosity on my part, I assure you. I am looking for people who I can invest in, who in the long run I believe will generate enough business that they will become an active, contributing income for my company."
Now Samantha was blown away. It felt like every word he said to her, she had to blink and wonder if she had just heard correctly.
"You want to … invest … in me?"
"If interest is shown in your work, yes, that will be something I would like to talk to you about. But the first step is getting the magazine article up and ready. So how do you feel about that? The only first thing you need to consider is if you wish for the wedding dress to be photographed and put in the magazine spread with nine other unknown designers, and if you are comfortable talking to a journalist to answer some questions," Lincoln said to her and then went silent as he waited for her to answer.
She was so stunned that she forgot to answer straight away, and she heard Hannah laugh softly as if to nudge her.
"This really is happening, Samantha, but if you don't feel comfortable or you do not wish to do it…"
"No! I mean, yes! Thank you - yes, thank you. I would very much like to be a part of this. When would you need me to be available for a journalist, though? I am not sure when I will be able to come back to Melbourne…"
"You won't have to. I have the photographer and journalist on call for this evening, and can arrange for them to be here at, say, 7pm if that suits you?"
"Alright," Samantha responded, feeling all of a sudden like she was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, having travelled through a tornado and woken up in Kansas.
Lincoln then stood up, with Hannah by his side, seemingly declaring by doing so that the meeting was over.
He held out his hand to Samantha.
"I look forward to seeing the finished article, Samantha, and watching your career as it develops. That wedding dress was phenomenal and Hannah has told me how much it means to Alexis and how pleased she was with the finished result. With the right coverage, I believe you have what it will take to go the distance and become known."
"Thank you," Samantha replied, relieved that the powerful man before her was now going to walk away and leave her and Tom to relax and breathe easy.
Tom watched Lincoln and Hannah walk out before he turned to Samantha and hugged her.
"It is happening for you, Samantha! Your dress is going to be seen!"
No words were said in response to that. All he did see was her suddenly jumping up and down with the most excited look on her face that he had ever seen.
~~~~~
With precise timing, at 7pm Samantha opened their hotel room door to be greeted by a makeup artist, hairdresser, photographer and assistant, and the journalist. After introductions, she was put through the experience of how she thought a princess or a debutante might feel, being groomed and dressed until she looked exactly as the photographer wished her to look. While that was happening she was interviewed - a new experience that pushed her in her comfort levels, but the interviewer was respectful and completely steered clear of personal questions.
While this was all going on, Tom stayed back and just watched. To see her go through such a visual transformation was incredible for him to watch, and he enjoyed the facial expressions she gave to him now and then, as if to say 'stop looking at me'. But he only laughed at her and kept watching.
Eventually it was all over and once the hotel room door was closed, Samantha took a deep breath and closed her eyes, not moving for a moment.
Tom watched her and left her to her moment, instead lying back on the bed and closing his eyes also. As he felt the bed move he turned to look at her, and moved with her so that he could hold her as they lay together.
"What an amazing day!" he said and she laughed out loud and looked at him.
"That is an understatement! Oh my God, my dress is going to be in a magazine!!"
Tom laughed at her.
"Well not only your dress - you know that you are going to be in the magazine too, right?" he teased her and she gave him her traditional lifelong thump on his arm.
They laughed together as they both turned and faced each other, lying close. Since Tom's declaration to her at the wedding about his feelings, the two of them had been moving very slowly out of their friendship comfort zone and on toward the slowness of letting desire build at a pace they were both comfortable with.
"Thank you for coming with me to do this," she said to him and lightly kissed his lips.
Tom revelled in the feelings. He had only kissed one other person in his life, apart from her, and he didn't place any emphasis on that since it had not even been his choice or desire. But when he kissed Samantha, his lips woke up and felt like hers were the exact lips his had always been meant to be paired with.
He didn't pull away - he couldn't. Always when they kissed, he just wanted to sink into it, like sinking into the warmth of a bath. The way she moved her lips … the way she tasted … her lips … her tongue … he returned her kisses over and
over and heard her start to moan softly.
Samantha let herself move into that zone - the one where she was kissing Tom, her lifelong friend. She'd had to take some time to adjust and come to terms with the change in their friendship, fearful of what might happen between them, but even she could not argue that this felt right. The two of them sharing a light and yet intensely loving kiss. She had gone much further with Scott, and Paul before him, but she was thankful that Tom did not push for anything else. Even his hands were well behaved, and she found that she enjoyed this return to just kissing. It didn't feel like they had to rush.
When they parted they looked at each other intently.
"Samantha, before I ask you this I want to say that I don't necessarily mean now, or even soon … but…" Tom started to say, moving his hand to take hers in his, and bring it to his lips. "Will you marry me?"
He watched her face as he spoke, hoping so much that he wasn't going to ruin everything. But on her face he saw … nothing. Not surprise, not concern, not happiness but equally not anger.
He continued, feeling like he might need to make a case for the question he had just presented to her.
"I am not going to pressure you and I don't mind how long you might need before you are ready, but I do love you and I know that I want you to be my friend for life … my best friend … and my lover. I want us to start a new chapter…"
Suddenly he was forced to stop speaking as Samantha leaned in and kissed him - aggressively. It was new to him but he went with it, letting her lead the way. Eventually he felt her ease back.
"You were saying too much," she said, as if that answered his unspoken question, but it only left him confused, as he found himself in one of the hundreds of confusing moments she had led him into over their years as friends who could so easily infuriate each other.
"Oh, no you don't, Miss Young. You don't get to just shut this conversation down!" he said forcefully but with affection, making her laugh softly at him. "I asked you a question so just bloody well answer it."
She kissed him again, her face full of a broad smile.
Friendship of Desire (Painful Deliverance Book 3) Page 12