The ocean, mysterious and breathtaking

She walked into my office with an easy grace and sensual elegance. Her hair, the color of the palest spun gold, seemed to almost shine and form halo of light around her head. Blue-green eyes, the color of opals, were set in a face of classical line and form. A tiptilted nose sat over full luscious lips of the deepest claret. And her body…even covered up by a long lavender skirt and sweater to keep out the autumn chill, her body would make angels weep tears of jealous longing.

I couldn’t stop staring at her. Her image was being burned into my mind, burned deep into my subconscious. I knew that she would haunt my dreams for the rest of my life, that years from now I would wake in the middle of the night filled with a painful yearning, but I didn’t care. I still stared and drank in as much of her as I could.

She regarded my gaze with a mild amusement. She was obviously used to this sort of thing and after a carefully measured period of time said, “Hello. Are you Whisper Clark?”

Her voice rocked me back into coherent thought. “Um…uh, yes, I’m Whisper Clark. What can I do for you?”

She sat down across from me. “My name is Victoria Reef. I want to hire you for a case.”

“Of course,” I said, “Things a little busy right now, but I’m sure my associates and I can handle whatever you need.”

She raised her eyebrows and looked around my empty office. Her gorgeous mouth formed a tiny smile.

I read the question on her face and said, “By associates, I mean the people who I occasionally utilize to get me information. What is it you want me to do?”

She replied, “I really don’t feel comfortable discussing it here. I would prefer to do it somewhere else. I hope you aren’t offended.”

“Not offended so much as curious. Why don’t you want to talk about it here?”

She looked around suspiciously and then leaned across my desk. I leaned in to meet her. She was so close that as she whispered her breath floated across my ear, causing a tingle to run down my spine. “I can’t be sure your place isn’t bugged. I would really appreciate it if we went somewhere else.”

I whispered back, “Do you have someplace in mind?”