Lucy Roberts’s Winning Synopsis

As I know you’ve been anxiously awaiting — here’s the synopsis for Modern Heat’s “Feel the Heat” writing competition winner Lucy Roberts‘s winning entry “A Bid for Love.” First chapter and editor’s comments to come this week! ~Amy

A Bid for Love by Lucy Roberts – Synopsis

Emily Cooper is 28, independent, clear-headed and, above all, practical. If she’d wanted to attend her ex-boyfriend’s wedding, she’d have found a way. So when she discovers that her sister, Alice, has put her up for auction on the internet as a damsel in distress, she is not pleased. But Emily owes her misguided sister a great deal, and she finds herself giving in and heading off to the south of France in the private jet with the gorgeous Luke Harrison.

A billionaire fund manager, Luke’s always been competitive and driven, but since his wife’s death, he’s become a workaholic. Now he’s 33 and cracking up. Why else would he have got involved in a bidding war over a virtually stranded female? And why else would he accompany her to a wedding when he’s avoided churches ever since his wife’s funeral?

Scorching attraction sizzles between them from the start. At the wedding, emotions spiral out of control. Emily’s reaction to Luke’s kisses proves that, despite occasional lapses, she’s definitely over her ex. For Luke, battling with haunting memories, heartache, intense desire and consequential guilt, the wedding isn’t the simple catharsis he’d hoped. Especially when uncontrollable passion hurls them into a long night of hot sex.

Emily wakes up alone and, thinking that Luke’s abandoned her, leaves. Back in London she seethes. Luke, despite his conviction that she fled because she’s still hung up on her ex and regretted their night together, can’t get her out of his mind and engages her services as a temp. But plans of revenge fade when confrontation clears the air. The result? A deeper mutual understanding of character and a desire that’s even stronger than before.

Luke has sworn never to love again and won’t contemplate a relationship. Emily’s happy with her care-free life and doesn’t want anything permanent. An affair is perfect. It means that Luke doesn’t need to tell her that he’s a widower and Emily doesn’t have to reveal that, having suffered years of survivor guilt after finding out that her mother died giving birth to her, she has no intention of ever having children.

The heat soars between them, but just as they’re about to embark on the affair, Emily learns about Luke’s wife. Shocked that he hasn’t mentioned it before and not sure how she feels about the discovery, she backs off. On later reflection, she concludes it needn’t make any difference (after all, theirs won’t be proper relationship) and the affair continues.

Luke begins to spend less time at work, is sleeping better and is loosening his grip on the past. Emily decides to take a bit more responsibility and to see if she can make a career out of her pottery hobby. Are they falling in love? Of course not. Love isn’t part of the plan.

But then, neither is a pregnancy. When the signs appear, Emily plunges headlong into denial and keeps the truth from Luke. Meanwhile, Luke recognises that he’s falling in love with her, and out of self-preservation, ends the affair. Now in love with him, but still in denial about the baby, Emily is devastated, but has to accept that it’s over.

Weeks later, just when she’s reconciled herself to having his baby, Luke finds out about it. He confronts her, furious that she hasn’t told him, but Emily retaliates, saying that as he ended the affair she assumed he wouldn’t want to know. Luke presses until she confesses to old feelings of guilt, denial and not deserving to be a mother. Thinking this is still true, he accuses her of not wanting the baby. Hurt but angry, she lies and says he’s right. Certain that he will never relinquish the past and love her, she tells him to go.

Luke storms off, convinced that Emily doesn’t want the baby and she certainly doesn’t want him. He should be fine, but he isn’t and hasn’t been since he ended the affair. In tormented despair, he visits his wife’s grave where he finally finds the catharsis he craves. Now free to risk love again, he goes back to Emily, determined to fight for her. He tells her he loves her, that he wants to marry her, that together they can get through anything. Initially sceptical, Emily eventually believes him, says she loves him too, proves she wants their baby, and accepts his proposal.