A Chance in the Night

Christian Holt knew the minute she entered the bar. His skin prickled in a sensation that was not unpleasant but certainly unnerving as his subconscious seemed to be on high alert for this particular woman and he wished he could find the off switch.

He didn't want to notice how her hair waved like summer wheat in a soft breeze over a gently rounded shoulder or how her face reminded him of an artist's rendition of Helen of Troy that he saw in an art gallery in Soho.

A businessman wearing a Brioni suit flagged him with a lifted finger and ordered a Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic. Christian could tell by the six-thousand dollar threads the man was going to ask for the good stuff. He could also tell that the man wasn't a good tipper by the way he didn't make eye contact with him, as if Christian was beneath his notice. Christian gave the man his drink and, as expected, the businessman barely gave him ten percent. Christian smiled and nodded to the man for his patronage and then made a mental note to go light on the booze next round.

Unbidden, Christian's gaze returned to where the woman was sitting. She wasn't what he'd call a regular at Martini, the upscale Manhattan bar where he'd worked for the past three years, as she rarely drank but she was there often enough for him to notice why she came.

Martini, for all its elegance and refinement, was an excellent feeding ground for anyone with a rich palate. It was a playground for the wealthy and over-privileged, with its posh contemporary decor backlit by hidden lighting. He watched as money changed hands, deals were sealed with predatory smiles and beautiful women were never far from the action.

And this woman, with her perfect figure and equally perfect face, was one of many he saw slinking around the city for one purpose: another's entertainment.

He slewed his gaze away from her, disgust threatening to curl his lip and ruin the careful facade he put out there as the amiab