Dangerous Pleasures by Bertrice Small

said. “The boss lady will be waiting for you.” He led her from her suite down the corridor and around a corner, and there was another large double rosewood door. “Ms. Buckley’s apartment,” the young man said, and rapped.
    The door was opened by a smiling gentleman. He couldn’t have stood any taller than five feet, seven inches. He was impeccably dressed in a dark gray pin-striped suit with a white shirt, and a striped gray tie. His hair was beautifully styled, wavy and gray. The hand he held out to her was perfectly manicured. “Mrs. Miller? I am Mr. Nicholas, CEO of the Channel Corporation. You may go now, Devyn. I will escort our guest back to her suite after dinner.”
    “Yes, sir,” Devyn said respectfully, and disappeared back down the hall.
    Mr. Nicholas took her hand and, raising it to his lips, kissed it. “I may call you Annie, mayn’t I?”
    “I thought I was having dinner with Ms. Buckley,” Annie said, slightly confused as Mr. Nicholas drew her into the apartment.
    “You are,” Nora Buckley said, coming forward. “But Mr. Nicholas very much wanted to meet you, Annie. This spa is a brand-new undertaking for his corporation, and he’s anxious that it succeed. You’re our everywoman.”
    “And how do you like it so far?” Mr. Nicholas wanted to know as he drew her to a creamy beige couch, where they sat down.
    “Well,” Annie said, “I’ve only been here a few hours, but from what I’ve seen, it’s just lovely. My suite is gorgeous. And I’ve been pampered to bits all afternoon. I love it, and the thought of spending the week here is just wonderful!”
    “Your PA is satisfactory?” Mr. Nicholas wanted to know.
    “Devyn is a darling,” Annie enthused. “He’s just a little older than my oldest son, and he has made me feel so comfortable. When I got back from my treatments this afternoon he even had something for me to eat. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast this morning, and I was starving. I think he’s doing a terrific job!”
    “I’m delighted to hear it, Annie,” Mr. Nicholas said, smiling. Then he took an aperitif from the tray a white-coated houseman was holding out and offered it to Annie.
    “Thank you,” she said, and sipped. A dry but sweet sherry, she thought.
    “Have you any suggestions yet as to how we might improve our services?” Mr. Nicholas asked her casually, sipping from his own cocktail glass.
    “I think my introduction into the facilities was perhaps a bit too fast,” Annie said. “Not that I haven’t enjoyed every moment so far. But I think it would have been a bit nicer if, after I was shown to my suite, I were served a light lunch before being hurried off for my various treatments. And there was no music. Relaxing music always adds to any pleasurable experience, in my opinion. But, of course, I’m no expert.”
    “No, no,” Mr. Nicholas said. “We’re catering to women, and we want to get it right, my dear. As Nora has so cleverly put it, you are our everywoman.”
    Annie laughed. “Believe it or not I find that flattering, although I’m not certain just how true it is. I do know, however, that when you’re stressed out, easing into a comfortable situation is nicer. You want to enjoy every moment of it.”
    Mr. Nicholas set his drink down. “I must be going now,” he said. “This is, I know, to be a ladies’ evening, but I did want to meet you, my dear.” He took her hand, bowed in a very courtly manner, and kissed it again. “Good night, Annie.” Then, turning to Nora, he repeated his good-byes and, going to the apartment door, exited.
    “What a charming man,” Annie said. “His accent, I couldn’t quite place it.”
    “It has a slightly Brit quality to it,” Nora told her guest. “But actually I know very little about Mr. Nicholas, other than that he is a generous employer, and very understanding.”
    “Dinner is served, madam,” the houseman said.
    “It must be nice to work for someone like that. I worked only a year