Chapter One
Checking her watch for the fourth time since she left work, Hailey Jennison floored
the accelerator of her overworked Celica and snagged the last available parking spot in
Block D of the Abberwick Apartments. Shoving the gear in park, she shot out of the car
and up three flights of stairs, thanking the cloudless night sky for what promised to be
one hell of a night’s entertainment.
Panting, she reached apartment 306 and glued her finger to the doorbell, practically
tripping over Faith when she suddenly opened the door.
“I’m here, I made it. What did I miss?” Hailey rasped as she entered, her eyes slowly
adjusting to the darkness of the living room. Giving herself a minute, she gradually made
out the ring of chairs facing the large, streak-free window in Faith’s spacious living room.
Three of the four chairs were already occupied. Sydney, Beth and Amy turned as one
to glare at her.
“Do you mind? He just sat down to dinner.” Amy grabbed a handful of chips and
began munching.
Hailey’s excitement plummeted. “Dinner? I almost killed myself for dinner?”
“Relax.” Her best friend Sydney smiled and patted the chair next to her. “So he’s
hungry today. It’s Friday, he deserves the break. Besides, if I’m not mistaken, he looked
particularly sweaty earlier.”
“He did. I saw him as I was walking upstairs,” Amy chimed in, giddy as a schoolgirl.
Faith dragged another chair to join her friends; the addition of her seat effectively
sandwiching Hailey between her and the window. “I still say this is tantamount to
stalking.”
“Stalking? Please. All the man has to do is shut his curtains,” Sydney muttered
around a chicken wing.
www.samhainpublishing.com 5
Marie Harte
“I think he likes the attention,” Hailey offered. Hell, she looked forward to rushing
through Friday night traffic to join Faith and the others for their own private show.
“Besides, do you know how much it costs to rent a stripper these days? And I mean a
