'Can you take a different route?' Sophie asked the taxi driver as she looked out the window at the traffic on the road ahead and could see that they would not be moving anytime soon.
'Sorry love, there's nowhere I can turn.' the driver replied.
'Okay, well I'll walk from here.' she told him as she took a tenner from her purse and handed through the glass that separated them, before quickly collecting her bag and papers she had with her and stepping out into the street. '
'You forgot your change love.' the driver called to her.
'Keep it.' Sophie replied as she swung the taxi door shut and began making her way to the office.
She arrived at work just after 9:45 and quickly made her way to the meeting she was meant to be at 9:30. 'Sorry I'm late guys' Sophie said looking slightly flustered as she entered the meeting room to be greeted by seven men whose ages ranged from mid-thirties to late forties, as they all looked up from the papers in front of them and greeted her with smiles on their faces. 'Car broke down and then my taxi got stuck in traffic, so I walked here this morning' she continued as she took her seat at one end of the long table. 'Oooookaaaaay' she breathed out, 'I'm ready… shall we begin.'
'Same time next week then fellas, and hopefully by then we'll be celebrating… and maybe I'll be on time.' Sophie said as she got up from her seat whilst clearing away her paperwork and placing it in a file as the men copied her actions while laughing lightly at Sophie making fun of herself, just as an older man with silvery hair and dressed in a smart, expensive looking suit walked in.
'Sophie, Gentlemen…' he said acknowledging everyone in the room. 'I just wanted to come and personally give you my thanks. I really appreciate how much work you've been putting into this latest deal and everyone deserves a break, so I want to take you all out to dinner this evening.'
'Bill, I've just got a pile of paper work on my desk and I was planning on…' Sophie started.
'And I won't take no for an answer.' he continued focusing his gaze on Sophie, as she smiled and shook her head slightly in defeat.
'In that case, dinner sounds great, thanks Bill.' she replied as the others agreed.
'Good, well it sorted then. The cars will pick you all up at seven.' Bill told them as they all exited the meeting room. 'Sophie, walk with me.' Bill stated as Sophie collected her stuff and they began walking through the office, passing rows of people on the phones and busying themselves with files and papers. 'You have honestly done a fantastic job on this deal and I firmly believe that next week we will be looking at a major victory, thanks to you Sophie.'
'I'm just doing my job…' she went to answer but was cut off.
'No excuses Sophie, you've done amazing.' he said sternly though smiling. 'Now, have you thought anymore about my offer?' Bill asked as Sophie smiled politely.
'Yes, and I still am Bill… I would just really like the opportunity to tie things up at this end first before taking anything else on, especially elsewhere.'
'I understand, the offer stands but I'll need an answer by New Year, we need someone out there as soon as possible. You're my best Sophie Webster, and I want it to be you, if you're willing to go.'
'Thank you Bill, I'll let you know as soon as I've made my decision.' Sophie smiled before leaving to head to her office to try and get through as much work as possible before heading home to get ready for dinner this evening.
At 25, Sophie had already worked her way through school and university before landing her position at 'Phoenix & Sons Attorneys at Law'. She had always wanted to make her family proud, and although she was earning a very good salary, which her sister Rosie was very proud of, her parents always told her that money wasn't everything and that she had to also be happy in what she chose to do with her life. This was something she had always remembered since she was a little girl, when Rosie had been exclaiming that she was going to be a model and earn millions, Sophie believed she could find something she loved doing and even with an average wage, still feel rich. However, Sophie always worked hard at whatever she put her mind to and she was now one of the senior partners at the law firm. Even though she was the youngest ever person to achieve that position at the company, she was well respected and liked by her colleagues.
Sophie and the other partners of the firm were now all sat around a large table at 'Vino's Place' which happened to be one of the most expensive and popular eateries in London. By now they had finished their food and had all had a few drinks and were laughing and joking. Sophie excused herself from the table and made her way to the toilets, on the way noting how busy the restaurant was, now filled with people laughing chatting, pretty much just having a good time. In a lot of other expensive restaurants, Sophie had found that it was quite snobby, but the staff here actually went out of their way to make sure people enjoyed themselves.
She checked herself out in the mirror, noting she looked a little worse for wear, most likely due to the past month of working into the early hours of the morning. Re-applying her lip gloss, before straightening her clothing, she made her way back out to the restaurant. On her way back to the table, she glanced towards the kitchen hearing loud cheering. She was about to turn her gaze back in the direction she was heading when someone caught her eye. A slim blonde walked out of the kitchen carrying 3 plates on each arm. Her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, she didn't appear to be wearing much makeup on, but still looking beautiful, and she had the most piercing blue eyes Sophie had ever seen. For a few moments, Sophie felt like time stopped and she was frozen watching the blonde as she got closer, carrying the plates of food.
'Wow!' suddenly escaped Sophie's mouth as the blonde walked past her and quickly looked in her direction, a small grin on her face. 'Erm… I err… I mean erm, the plates, wow you can carry quite a few at once… wow!' Sophie cringed as she quickly realised she sounded like a complete and utter tool.
'Em, thanks I guess.' came the reply from the blonde as she again smiled at Sophie making her heart skip a beat and a strange feeling appear in her stomach. They both stood for what was only a few moments but felt like forever as they looked into each other's eyes. The sound of someone clearing their throat at the nearby table broke them from their little trance, as the blonde turned to the table and began serving the plates to the waiting customers. After finishing placing the plates on the table and a few words of banter with the customers, she turned to find Sophie gone, making her smile falter a little.
Making her way back to the kitchen, the blonde glanced around checking for any customers waiting on service and in the corner of the restaurant, that's where she saw her mystery brunette she had seen only moments ago. As she watched from a distance, leaning back with her elbows resting on the bar, she saw the brunette shake her head slightly and then lean it forward into both her hands, as the men she was sat with laughed and one patted her shoulder. Sian smiled and turned to the bar man, 'Wayne, I have a favour to ask…'
'Excuse me.' Everyone at Sophie's table turned to see a tall dark haired man in his early thirties standing holding 2 bottles of wine, one red and one white. 'My name's Wayne and I've been asked to bring you these drinks, with compliments for the beautiful lady' he said nodding at Sophie as the guys all looked at Sophie with smirks on their faces. 'She was unsure which you prefer so, one of each' he stated smiling before opening the bottles and placing them on the table.
'She?' Dave questioned, as Wayne smiled again.
'Sian… Ms Powers hopes you enjoyed your evening so far and that you come again.' He said before making his way back to the bar. 'Woah Sophie, this stuff is like a hundred quid a pop.' Tommy said picking up and examining one of the bottles of wine, before pouring some into each of their glasses. 'You must really have made an impression.' Sophie looked around the restaurant and scanned for the blonde she now knew was called Sian, but she was nowhere to be seen.
'One hundred a bottle?' Dave asked. 'How much do they pay their staff here? I thought you said you embarrassed yourself in front of a hot waitress.' Sophie felt herself blush at his statement, shooting him a glance whilst shyly grinning. Sophie rarely blushed and never got shy, but something about this blonde, about Sian, took her breath away and made her feel different.
Sophie had always been open about the fact that she was gay but that didn't stop the males in the office and on the odd occasion, clients trying to convince her to go on a date with them. She was already stunning, but her confidence, the way she treated everyone the same and how she always wanted to help, made her more attractive to people. In fact it was these qualities which had brought Sophie to the attention of Bill, who personally offered her a position at the firm.
Flashback…
Sophie had been on her way to the gym one morning before a lecture, when she heard a fight breaking out in a back lane between two young lads. Throwing her rucksack to the ground as she ran to them, she placed herself in between them pushing them apart and keeping them both at arm's length on either side of her. She glanced at them both noticing that the younger of the two boys clearly looked like he lived on the street, he had dirty clothes, slightly torn and he looked like he hadn't slept in a month… Sophie knew that feeling as she had been getting driven mad with course work lately as it was her final term at university. The older lad was smartly dressed with an expensive looking watch hanging from his left wrist, whilst a wallet with cash partially sticking out of it was now lying on the ground behind him. Normally someone faced with this situation could and would assume that it was most likely a mugging and that the scruffier of the two lads had been attempting to rob the other, but not Sophie. Forever wanting to see the good in people she simply asked for an explanation and when none came, rather than threatening to call the police, she simply invited the both of them to grab a cup of coffee at the café around the corner, refusing to take no for an answer from either of them.
It was over coffee, and what ended up being lunch and a few more drinks after that, that Sophie discovered that the two lads were in fact brothers. The younger of the two Samuel who was 16 , had run away from home a year earlier when he had gotten in with the wrong people who had convinced him to steal from his family. Ashamed of what he had done when his father found out, he left with nothing but the clothes on his back and had been staying in halfway houses or on the street and eating from soup kitchens ever since. His older brother Dylan who was 18 had finally tracked him down and that morning had confronted him, telling him to come home and accusing him of being selfish. Dylan had brought with him Samuel's wallet he had left behind when he ran away, and he'd given this to him when they were in the lane to try and remind him of where he belonged, but Samuel had thrown this back at him, refusing to come home and shouting that he deserved nothing more than what he had living on the streets. That's when the fight had broken out and that's also when Sophie had shown up.
Sophie ended up spending the entire day with the two boys, talking and generally getting to know them. They spoke of their lives and what they would like to be and how things can always be worse. By the end of the day, surprising even to Sophie, both boys left together getting into a limousine which same to pick them up, but not before Sophie gave them her mobile number, asking them to let her know that they got home safely and that everything was okay. It was two days later that Sophie had received a visitor at her flat. It was an older gentleman who introduced himself as Bill Phoenix and he thanked a confused Sophie for giving him his family back. He explained that he was the father of the boys she had met a couple of days previous and how they had told him about her breaking up their fight and spending the day talking to them. He told her how he had become a father later on in life and since the loss of his wife a few years back, had realised how much he cherished his family and wanted to keep them together. After telling her how impressed he was with her views of people and the world and that he could use more people like her around him, he stated that he hoped that upon finishing her final term at university that summer, she would consider working for his company. He had the perfect position for her he told her, senior mediator – if she could make his sons get along and come to a compromise, he had confidence that she could make anyone.
End flashback
After the arrival of the free wine, Sophie and her colleagues had decided to stay a little longer, all the while the guys tried to convince Sophie she should find Sian and speak to her, even just to thank her for the wine and perhaps strike up a conversation from there, which Sophie said she couldn't do as she'd just make a fool of herself again. However, throughout the next couple of hours, she found herself glancing around the restaurant in the hope that she might get to see Sian just once more.
It came as no surprise to Sophie's colleagues that she hadn't yet made a move, even though she was clearly attracted to pretty blonde. She was always so confident in work and often had admirers trying to gain her attention, but in the four years that she had been at the law firm she had never once brought a date to any of the company parties and seemed to spend most of her free time working.
Sophie and her colleagues had just paid the bill and were collecting their coats and belongings at the front of the restaurant ready to leave. As they gathered by the door, Bill noticed Sophie glance around the restaurant, clearly looking for something, or in this case someone. Suddenly spotting Sian on the far side of the restaurant, Sophie's breath hitched in her throat and she watched as the literally breath-taking blonde stood next to a table speaking with a couple who looked very happy, as the woman lifted her left hand towards Sian who leant forward admiring the diamond ring on her finger and then looking towards the man smiling giving him a slight nod and a wink.
As Sian stood back up straight and left the couple to enjoy the rest of their evening together, feeling someone watching her she turned in the direction of the restaurant doors. Her gaze locked with that of the beautiful brunette she had been watching for most of the evening, talking, drinking and laughing the most infectious laugh Sian thought she had ever heard. And now as she looked across at her, she wasn't sure what to do. She offered a smile at the brunette who did the same in return, at which point Sian felt her heart race quicker at how stunning the brunette really was. As she stood taking in the view, their eye contact was suddenly broken as Sian watched one of the men with Sophie place his hand on her shoulder startling her a little and causing her to turn her head slightly as he whispered something to her. She blushed and glanced back at Sian again quickly before making her way out the restaurant door and stepping into the crisp winter air. At that moment, Sian's heart sank a little. Sure, she didn't even know her name, but there was something about this brunette that made her want to find out. She looked over towards the bar where Wayne was stood watching her, giving her a little nod he mouthed, 'What you waitin' for…? as Sian grinned and hastily made her way towards the door.
Exiting the restaurant, Sian glanced down the street and seen a group of men getting into a limousine a short distance away, recognising them as those from the same table as the brunette. Before she had a chance to approach it though, the car door closed before the limo pulled away, driving down the busy street. Sighing loudly, partly in frustration but mainly in disappointment, she turned around to make her way back inside, but suddenly found herself staring into the deepest blue eyes she'd ever seen… again!