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Chapter One

Once she'd made her decision, a clearly delighted David suggested that he should show her round the Dining Club, and introduce her to some of the people who worked there. Walking down the long, curved staircase they found Andrew in the hallway, filling in some forms. He smiled at them.

"Having a look round?"

Grace couldn't help noticing the way his T-shirt clung to his chest, showing very well-defined muscles. Combined with his overall build and dark floppy hair he would have made the perfect Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire she thought to herself, her mind switching into work mode for a moment. She imagined he was very popular with women, and his quiet charm was intriguingly at odds with his physical appearance.

"Yes, Grace wanted to meet some of the people here before this evening, didn't you darling?" said David, looking across at her.

"Yes," she said hastily, aware that daydreaming about Andrew wasn't something she should be doing right now.

"You'll find everyone is very friendly," he assured her. "Very friendly indeed," he added, as his eyes swept over her.

"That's a relief," she said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I'm sure you've got a lot to do, so we'll go and meet the twins," said David, sounding less than pleased with the friendliness of Andrew.

"I look forward to seeing you at dinner," said Andrew, as David hurried Grace along a narrow passageway with concealed lighting set all along the sidewalls, as well as in the low ceiling. At the end was a white painted door, which he opened before stepping aside to let her through.

A soft gray carpet covered the center of the floor, with bleached wood around the sides. The walls were a pale coffee color, the long soft sofa a darker shade of coffee with chocolate-colored cushions. Several very large chairs had been placed around the remaining perimeter, all matching the sofa. One entire side of the room was made up of windows from floor to ceiling, and gray curtains that matched the carpet were drawn back at the sides.

Through the windows Grace could see a part of the garden that had been invisible from their suite. It was a secluded walled area, with sunbeds around a small pond, which had a decorative fountain in the middle.

"Why don't you sit down," said David, gesturing toward the long sofa, which was unoccupied.

Grace did and, seeing the other women in the room wished fervently that she'd worn something a little more formal than her black boot-cut jeans and coral-colored V-neck top. Sitting in a chair opposite her, arms wrapped round each other like small children, were two very young, blonde women, who were clearly the twins that David had mentioned.

One of them was wearing a halter neck sleeveless turquoise dress that finished halfway down her thighs and had beading below her breasts, while the other was in a similar dress but in a very pale pink. It was strapless and longer than her twin's, although to compensate it had a thigh-length split down the left side.

"Grace, meet the twins, Amy and Laura," said David with a smile. "Amy will be sharing our table at dinner tonight, isn't that right, Amy?"

Amy nodded, but her attention was on her twin and Grace saw that she was stroking the top of Laura's slim, tanned thigh, letting her long, beautifully manicured nails scratch lightly on the skin. Laura, who had opened her eyes just long enough to look at Grace, had now closed them again, and the only movement she made was the occasional wriggle.

"Say hello to my guest," said David sharply. "I don't like rudeness, Amy, as I may have to help you remember later this evening."

Amy's eyes flew open and she smiled sweetly at Grace. "Hello, Grace. It's lovely to meet you." She then looked to David for approval.

"Laura?" he said smoothly, apparently unaware that she was shuddering in the chair as a result of her twin's attentions. She struggled to open her eyes, but managed it eventually. "Hello, Grace, I hope you like the Club," she gasped and, like her twin she then looked at David for approval.

"That's better, girls," he remarked, finally sitting down next to Grace. "The twins have been working here for almost a year now," he explained to her. "They've still got a lot to learn, but they're quick and as you can see they know how to enjoy themselves in their spare time!"

One of them, Grace wasn't sure which, giggled but the other didn't. Instead she studied Grace thoughtfully. "Jeans aren't allowed here," she said at last.

"Don't be silly, Laura," said Andrew, walking in through the door. "Grace doesn't work here; she's a guest. Only members and staff have to follow the rules. Visitors are free to wear what they like. Hope you like your suite," he added, smiling at Grace. "I forgot to ask just now."

His smile was friendly, his tone relaxed and cheerful, and Grace realized that she really liked him. She thought he was probably a couple of years younger than David, maybe twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and he had a boyish charm about him that was very endearing.

"It's a beautiful suite," she replied. "I might copy it to use in one of my plays sometime."

"Let's hope your budget is a large one then," said David dryly.

"Is there anything you wanted, anything we'd forgotten?" Andrew continued.