were so indistinct he couldn’t even be sure of that.
Sam had done brokerage business with one of the suppliers of the Atherton, Bram Bolton, for years, and a little special treatment on commodity information for Bolton had prompted the man to put in a word for Sam. Shortly thereafter, Sam had been told he could move out of his ninth-floor room, which needed decorating, and into this one, at a rate reduced to the point where it was cheaper than rent for an apartment. He was the conduit for what Bolton and Mellers, the Atherton’s assistant manager, thought to be inside market information, so it was an arrangement that worked beautifully. A phone call here and there concerning news as soon as it came over the broad tape, and all three parties were happy. Nothing there for the SEC to complain about, either; if Bolton and Mellers assumed they were getting inside information, that was their business.
For an uncomfortable moment Sam thought about Ivan Boesky, the convicted Wall Street manipulator who’d placed profit before ethics. But this was quite different, Sam thought. There was nothing illegal here, and it was very small-time. The motive was a better hotel room in a city where living space was precious, but this wasn’t exactly the Helmsley Palace.
There was a knock on the door. He had to leave soon for a lunch date, and he didn’t want to get mixed up in a long conversation with Mellers. He considered not going to the door, then decided that was silly. Mellers might see him leave the hotel later.
He crossed the room and opened the door.
Allie. She was dressed up, wearing a blue dress and high heels. He thought she looked especially beautiful in blue.
She stepped into his embrace and clung to him, then kissed him on the lips. He bent her backward with the strength of his arms, then removed his mouth from hers. He gently massaged the nape of her neck.
She said, “Surprised to see me?”
He grinned. “A bit, but it’s a pleasant surprise.” He stepped back and made room for her to come in.
“Miss me?” she asked.
“Do bears miss honey?”
She stood in the center of the room and looked around. “They told me down at the desk you’d switched rooms.” She peered over his shoulder. “This one looks better. Not that it matters.”
He studied her. There was something new in her eyes. A bright pinpoint of light he didn’t understand. “Why doesn’t it matter?”
She drew a deep breath and said, “I’m going to tell Hedra she has to move out.”
Sam was surprised. “Why?”
“The other day a man mistook me for her on the street. He stopped me and came on sexually, then got mad when I didn’t respond.”
“He propositioned you?”
“No, he reminded me of a conversation we were supposed to have had about a proposed … sexual experience. Kinky sex, suggested by me.”
“And you think it was actually Hedra who talked to him?”
“Sam, I know it was.”
Sam couldn’t conceal his confusion. “Well, Hedra’s allowed a social life.”
“Some social life. It turns out she’s mixed up with this wild crowd down in the Village, doing drugs, I’m sure. And she’s been using my identity. Even wearing some of my clothes.
He went to her and held her close, liking the warm length of her body pressing against his own. “It can’t be as bad as all that,” he told her.
“I looked in her closet today, trying to find some of my clothes. She’s got a wig in a box on the top shelf. It looks exactly like my hair, Sam. When I say she’s using my identity, it’s more than simply using my name. It’s … like she’s stolen my life.”
“You went to the police about the obscene calls,” Sam said. “Have you told them about this?”
“No, I don’t see how it’s a police matter, even though it does explain the phone calls. I really don’t care what Hedra does as long as she stops being me. That’s why I’m going to tell her our living arrangement’s over. I want to make her life none of my business, and mine none of hers.”
“She’ll think you’re doing it so I can move in,” Sam said.
Allie smiled. “I suppose that might even be part of it, but so what?”
He stepped back and cupped her face in his long hands. “Your mind’s made up?”
“Uh-huh. And I won’t change it.”
“Okay, but I think we better wait a few days before I move in. I made a commitment on this suite that’s more than a deal with a hotel. The manager’s a client of mine, heavily into blue-chip stocks. I’ve gotta take this one slow.”
She looked puzzled for a moment. Disappointed. Then she said, “All right, Sam.”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, somewhat ashamed of his influence on her. “It’s only a couple of days. You understand, don’t you?”
“Sure.” She gave him an up-and-down look. “You look nice. On your way somewhere?”
“Lunch with a bond client who’s big on tax-free mutual funds.” He glanced at his watch. “He’s supposed to meet me here any minute, in fact.”
