never let go || juke au

IX

Julie held Luke's hand and pulled him into her suite.

"Will this lighting do? I know artists can be very particular about things like that," Julie said. Luke took a moment to respond, too distracted by the opulence of the room.

"'Zat is true. I am not used to working in such 'oreeble conditions!" Luke joked in a terrible French accent as he set his sketchbook down on the marble table, earning a chuckle from Julie. He looked over at the paintings Julie had lined up against the wall. His eyes lit up at one in particular.

"Hey! You have a Monet!" He walked over and leaned down to look at the painting.

"That's one of my favorites," Julie gushed as she walked into another room.

"I saw him painting once. Through a hole in the wall in Paris, but I saw him nonetheless," Luke laughed. He stood up and walked over to where Julie was opening the safe.

"Nick is always lugging this thing around," She muttered as she fiddled with the lock. She finally got it opened and pulled out the large, sparkling Heart of the Ocean. She turned and showed it to Luke.

"Whoa . . . is that sapphire?"

"Diamond. Very rare. It's called the Heart of the Ocean." She looked down at in her hands and then looked back up at Luke with a smirk. "I want you to draw me like one of your french girls, wearing this. Only this."

As Luke realized what she was suggesting, his face turned red. He scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, okay. Sure."

"Now go get ready."

Luke walked out into the main room and pulled one of the seats over so it was across from a velvet chaise. He sat down and grabbed his sketchbook and pencil from the table, opening it up to a blank page.

After a moment, he looked up at the sound of footsteps. Julie walked in wearing only a silk robe. She smiled at Luke.

"The last thing I need is another picture of me looking like a china doll. As a paying customer, I expect to get what I want," She said, tossing Luke a dime. He scrambled to grab it and looked up as Julie slipped off the robe.

It fell to the ground, exposing her bare skin, the blue diamond sitting on her chest. Luke looked down at his paper, his face heating up, and stuttered out, "Go sit on the bed, I-I mean the couch."

Julie nodded and lied down. "Tell em when it looks right."

"A little to the left . . . put your arm up . . . there."

Luke put the pencil on the paper and began sketching out lines, occasionally looking up at his muse for reference.

Julie watched him, his piercing hazel-colored eyes peeking over the paper a sight that would be forever seared in her mind.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Date it. I want to remember this moment forever."

Julie stared down at the portrait in admiration. It was a spitting image of herself. Luke truly was talented. He listened to what Julie said and took his pencil to the corner of the paper, writing in tiny letters, April 14, 1912.

"Now come on, Nick will be coming back soon." She grabbed the drawing and walked over to the safe. She picked up a scrap of paper from the desk and quickly scribbled something down and slipped both the note and the drawing inside the safe. She locked it up and gestured for Luke to follow her.

As they began exiting the room, the sound of the suite door opening echoed through the room and Mr. Covington's voice could be heard. "Miss Molina, are you in here?"