Catch Me If You Can Page 0,74

walked off.

A few days later I encountered the man again as we were both waiting for our cars to be brought to the front entrance. He greeted me with grudging respect, which surprised me. "I should have listened to you on that Saturn stock," he said. "How the hell did you know Galaxy Communications was going to take over the company?"

I just grinned and gave him another wink. Later I learned that Saturn Electronics, after its acquisition by Galaxy, had closed from five to eight points up on each of the previous four days.

That evening I was accosted at the elevator by a well-groomed man in his thirties who introduced himself as a prominent city official.

"Rick [one of the hotel executives] told me about you, Mr. Williams," he said. "He said you might be setting up an office here and perhaps make your home in Miami during part of the year."

I nodded. "Well, I'm thinking about it seriously," I said, smiling. "I'll probably make up my mind within a few weeks."

"Well, perhaps I can help you/' he said. "My wife and I are giving a party tonight and some of the city's and the state's top government and business leaders are going to be there, including the mayor and some people from the governor's staff. I'd like to invite you, if you'd consider coming. I think it would be an enjoyable evening for you, and like I say, you might meet some people who will help you make up your mind."

I accepted his invitation, because he was right, in a way. It was quite possible some of his guests could help me. By letting me fleece them.

It was a black-tie affair, but I had no trouble finding a tuxedo rental shop that was open and which could fit me on such short notice. I also had no trouble locating the city father's home, which proved to be uncomfortably close to a certain banker's home. I hoped she wasn't a guest also, but I had the parking attendant position my car for a quick getaway, just in case.

She wasn't a guest, but the most stunning and attractive blonde I've ever encountered, before and since, was a guest. I noticed her moments after I joined the throng of guests, and she kept attracting my attention all evening. Oddly enough, although she seemed always to be the center of a circle of admirers, she didn't seem to be with any one of the men paying her court. My host confirmed the fact.

"That's Cheryl," he said. "She's a standard decoration at parties like this. She's a model and she's been on the covers of several magazines. We have a pretty good arrangement with her. She lends excitement to our parties and we make sure she gets mentioned in all the society columns. Come on, I'll introduce you."

She made it immediately known that she'd been curious about me also. "I saw you arrive," she said, extending her hand. "That's a lovely Rolls. Is it yours or did you borrow it for the occasion?"

"No, it's one of mine," I said.

Her eyebrows arched. "One of yours? Do you have more than one Rolls-Royce?"

"I have several," I replied. "I'm a collector." I knew from the gleam in her eyes that I'd made a dear friend. She was obviously impressed by wealth and material possessions. In fact, I was continually surprised throughout the remainder of the evening that such a beautiful exterior masked such a venal and covetous interior. However, I wasn't interested in her lack of virtues. I was attracted by her obvious vices. She was avariciously gorgeous.

We weren't together the entire evening. We would part occasionally and go prowling separately, like two leopards seeking prey in the same jungle. I found the prey I was hunting, a couple of fat and juicy bank pigeons. She also found her prey. Me.

I took her aside about 2:30 a.m. "Look, this party's about dead," I proposed. "Why don't we go back to my penthouse and have some breakfast?"

Her reply was a blow to my ego. "What's it worth to you for me to go back to your hotel with you?" she asked, eying me provocatively.

"I thought you were a model," I blurted, surprised.

She smiled. "There're different kinds of modeling. Some modeling jobs come higher than others," she said.

I had never paid a girl to go to bed with me. The world of professional sex was an unknown realm. To my knowledge, I'd never before met a hooker or a call