Forever Is Not Enough

"Get in the FUCKING car now!" the angry voice broke into her thoughts as she sat gathering her wits.  Looking up with a start, she saw Luke, leaning over calling to her through the open passenger window.

"What?  What the hell Luke?" 

"GET IN THE CAR!" he growled and she instantly obeyed, her expression like a rabbit in headlights. No sooner was the door shut than he drove off at speed, not saying another word until twenty minutes later. he pulled into her driveway.  She'd tried to speak to him, make some sense of the kidnapping and the growling, but he was having none of it.  She was, in truth, more than a little scared.

"Luke? What's wrong?  What happened?"  She turned to speak, undoing her seatbelt as the engine stopped.  Luke stopped her moving, a hand on her arm, his face not more than six inches away from hers.  He didn't shout, but he might as well have.

"What is WRONG with you?  What did you think you were doing?  I can't believe you did that.  You compromised me, yourself AND Tom.  How DARE you use confidential information like that? Getting his phone number was one thing, it was actually quite clever and relatively harmless.  But his address?  He's going to know where you got it from, he's going to realise that you took advantage of the trust he places in us - yes US - and used it for your own purposes.  I can't believe you.  Such a lapse of judgement, after all this time?"  finishing the rant, Luke turned and looked out the windscreen, a hand over his eyes. "Un-fucking-believable" he sighed.

Sandy sat in total shock.  This was the last thing she'd intended.  She'd never seen Luke so angry.  It was almost like she didn't know him at all.  She burst into tears.

"How did you know?" she asked quietly, trying and failing not to snivel. There was little point in denying it.

"You left your contact book open on your desk.  I put two and two together.  I prayed I was wrong, drove there on the off chance, telling myself you wouldn't, but then I saw you leaving house." he looked back over at her and this time, when he saw her genuine tears, he relented slightly. "You really needed to see him THAT much?  Why didn't you ask me to set you up?  I would have done it you know, I really would.  Now?  Now I have to explain why we used his personal information and promise him that we  -  YOU - won't do it again." he reached over again and took her hand. "What if you'd been seen?  Coming and going?  They know I'm his publicist.  No-one else.  You'd have NO reason to be there. You know what the press is like.  Two plus two equals two hundred and sixty." he tried to smile but failed.

"I'm sorry Luke." she said even more quietly now.  "I didn't think." 

"No. You didn't did you.  Now you have to stay away from him.  At all costs.  Do you understand me? I mean it Sandy, we've only just started out, how can we convince people we're professional if you're using the rollodex as your own personal Tinder?"  Now he half smiled. "I hope it was worth it?" a glint appeared in his eye and she smiled a watery smile, nodding.

"More than you'll ever know" she said, looking down at her lap. "I'll go now.  See you tomorrow."  As she exited the car, Luke's phone rang.  By the ringtone, she knew exactly who it was and her insides turned to water. Heading for the door, she felt the tears burning down her cheeks again.  As she pushed the door open, she could see him sitting talking animatedly and sighed.  This was NOT how she thought it would go.  A moment of madness had almost cost her everything.  She only hoped Tom would forgive and forget.

Forgive yes, forget?  Not a chance.

He stood and watched Luke's car draw up beside her, then her startled reaction.  Before he knew it, she was in and away.  Luke normally drove, how could he put it?  Anonymously, carefully, dare he say a little boringly?  Today, however, he was like Bond with Spectre on his tail. All roaring engine and cutting corners. What had happened?  He really hoped nothing was wrong at home.  Knowing they shared extended family anything was possible.

He turned away and went back to sit down at his laptop.  He looked at his phone, sitting on the table next to his laptop. He'd call Luke in a little while, see if there was anything he could do to help.

Picking up his cup, he took a gulp of stone cold tea and winced.  Swallowing it like it was caster oil, he got up and went through to the kitchen.  That was when he saw it, lying on the hall floor.  A gold earring.  Sandy's gold earring.  He smiled and bent down to pick it up.  Just a plain drop earring, classy and understated.  Just like Sandy.  He laughed to himself.  Maybe once, not now.  There had been nothing understated about today's visit.  

He felt a warmth creep back into his stomach as he recalled their antics in the hallway.  His mouth twisted into a wry smile, how long had she wrestled with herself before taking the bull by the horns?  Was she now regretting it?  He hoped not.  He was also a little impressed.  She'd had the gumption to use the information she had available, getting a cab over and making the effort. No mean feat in this city at this time of night.  He hadn't even had a chance to offer her anything.  Well, not to eat or drink anyway, he thought with a slight shiver of desire.  God she was hot.  And she could kiss.  None of that delicate damsel in distress nonsense, just good old fashioned kissing.  He found himself working out if there was anywhere quiet in the gym....

"Dear God Hiddleston, get a grip!" he told himself as he walked back through with the fresh mug of tea.  He reached into his pocket and extracted the earring, he would give it back to her tomorrow.  He looked at it nestled into his palm as he dialled Luke's number.  Slipping it onto the mantelpiece, he sat back down and waited for an answer.

Fifteen minutes later, he came off the phone with the air of a man who had lost a fiver and found a penny.  Luke had spent the entire call explaining how, in all probability, he would never have to come into contact with Sandy ever again.  That he was sorry she had abused her position, that although he couldn't really sack her, he would suspend her and whatever restitution Tom wanted was fine by him, just don't let them part ways.  She had acted out of character he said.  She was 100percent discrete in public he said.  She would NEVER betray his trust in a work situation and moreover, he would ask her to personally apologise the next time he was in the office.  He'd tried to explain to Luke that it was all ok, that he really didn't mind in the slightest, that he was actually very flattered.  He tried to, but he didn't.  For some reason, everything he said sounded lame.  It was lame.  In an effort to protect her from the worst of Luke's anger, by playing down the visit, he failed to get over the depth of this - whatever it was - and the fact if she hadn't gone looking for him, he would have in truth gone looking for her.

He sat reeling from the onslaught of apologies, promises and desperate pleas not to look on it as a reflection of the company's professional standards.  As Tom listened, he became not angry exactly, but frustrated.  This wasn't the Luke he knew and he was more than a little afraid of what might be coming next.

"Luke, it's ok.  Honestly, it's over and done with. Forget about it.  Really. " he tried to be as casual as possible, get Luke calm enough so he could talk to him.  Man to man. "All I need to make sure is that Sandy is ok and you're not going to sack her?" 

"No, no of course not.  She may be an idiot but I need her around.  Just not around you it would seem.  Look, if you'll forgive me, I better go and make sure everything is in place for the film festival reception on Friday.  I'll be in touch tomorrow." Luke paused then said "I'm sorry Tom, I really am. I wish it had all been different, I really do."

"Don't worry, forgiven and forgotten." Tom hung up with a sigh. No, it was far from forgotten. He never wanted to forget. He took a sip of tea then picked up the phone again.  This time, it was to write a text.  It took him quite a while to compose it but when it was done, he was pleased.  Hitting the send button, he sat back and waited.  The response would, he was sure, ping back in seconds.

As he went to bed later that, night he was still waiting.