Chapter One

The night was sweltering by the time Katie was able to slip away. Neon painted the boardwalk in dancing red and yellow lights, and tourists were thick along the paths as they strolled along, clogging the way for those who had an actual destination in mind. In her low-slung jeans and silk camisole, Katie melted into the crowd, indiscernible even to locals as the sharp-suited executive manager at the Jubilee. She'd left the updo back at the hotel too. Her pale blonde hair hung in layers past her shoulders, highlighting the classical angles of her face even more effectively than her natural makeup and sheer pink lipstick. The combination made her look a good decade younger than her thirty-two years.

It took ten minutes of brisk walking to reach the nightclub she had in mind. The Wooden Nickel was good for escaping the rigors of her structured life. Nobody knew her here; for the most part, it catered to out-of-town college kids. Even better, it had a dance floor that spilled out onto the beach, and in the rising summer heat, it was better to be writhing under a clear, starry sky, than jammed into a small square with a hundred other bodies trying to do the same thing.

The club was already packed by the time Katie arrived. The air pulsated, the driving bass booming over the speakers, but she ignored the call of the music to head straight for the bar. She wanted a beer first. Something to get the juices flowing. Then she'd pick out her partner of the night and get the party started right.

It happened as she leaned over the counter to give the bartender her drink order.

Sweat dripped between her breasts, but it was the distinct p

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