'Where I come from, looking after the honor of a lady is not only a duty, it is a privilege,' the man said. 'May I ask what the problem is? Perhaps I can help.'
'I was here to meet a friend for drinks,' she said. 'I was sitting here, and he came in with one of his coworkers. He was all over her.
He was supposed to be at a conference. He did not even see me.' She started sobbing again.
The man handed her his handkerchief. It was monogrammed 'May I ask your name?' he said.
'Bonnie,' she said.
'How utterly charming,' he said. 'I am Robert Lawless. Bob to my friends. If you like, we can talk about this further.'
'Mr. Lawless '
'Bob,' he said softly.
'Bob,' she said, 'I appreciate your kindness, but I think I'll just sit here a while and then go home.'
'To a scoundrel?'
'For now,' she said. 'I will see about having him relocated in the morning.'
'I am not without connections here,' Bob said, patting her shoulder.
'Perhaps I can help. If you'd like, we can still have that drink.'
She shook her head vehemently. 'No! He's still here, and I don't want to see him again '
'In my suite, then, if you like,' Bob said. 'I will be a gentleman.'
The woman dabbed her eyes and looked into his. 'Well? I don't feel like going home, and it is chilly.'
'That is to be expected when you sit beside a fountain,' he pointed out with a smile. 'Your shoulder is damp with spray. We can set your coat out to dry.'
She smiled back. 'All right, Mr. Lawless Bob. Thank you. I would be delighted to join you for a drink.'
Bob walked back to his aide and finished up their conversation. He sent the young man off in the limousine, then returned. He offered her his arm. She put on sunglasses to hide her bloodshot eyes, she said then took it. Less than two minutes later they were in his penthouse suite.
They sat in the living room, and he poured drinks from the minibar. He removed her damp jacket for her. He sat on a separate chair, though he did move it over to be close. She asked what he did. He said he was one of the largest commercial real estate brokers in the Carolinas. He told her he spent a great deal of time in Washington lobbying for tax incentives so that companies would stay in the United States instead of moving to Mexico or the Far East.
She felt bad. Bob Lawless was her kind of guy, except for the fact that he obviously had a wife and did not care. But she was here, and they needed this kill.
He had moved in closer while he was speaking and fixed her with his pale blue eyes. She responded to his 'gentlemanly' advance by crying and then taking his hand for support and allowing him to put his arm around her. He kissed her damp cheek. She turned and hugged his neck and put her hands behind his head. She let her fingers loose in his longish hair, and he began kissing her neck. Without breaking their connection, she slid from her chair and bent over him, still holding him tight.
He was sitting and she was standing. She put her lips gently against his ear and continued to kiss it while she released her embrace and moved around him.
'You are a wonderful man, Bob Lawless,' the woman whispered as she shifted behind him.
'And you are a beautiful woman,' he replied. 'One who should never know this kind of pain.'
'You are so sweet, so gentle.'
She sniffled hard to show that her tears were coming to an end. Then she eased her right arm around his throat. She slid her fingertips gently along his throat to the left, so that her forearm went across the front.
