Tom and Stephanie finished the bottle of champagne, and on impulse Tom ordered another bottle, suggesting that they move to the more comfortable seats in the hotel lounge. Making their way through a connecting door, they strolled across the hotel lobby to a lounge area at the other side.
Behind them, a man in a grey suit took out a mobile phone and made a phone call whilst following them at a distance.
“There are some people here tonight at the casino that you have been looking for. Get here as quick as you can, I’ll stall them for as long as possible,” he said, before hanging up and gesturing to another more casually dressed man he had left in the casino.
Stephanie and Tom sat drinking the champagne, laughing and chatting about the evening’s events, until the bottle was finished. Stephanie looked at her watch then and, although she really didn’t want the evening to end, she felt that she should suggest leaving. They stood up to leave, and Stephanie went to walk towards the lobby, but Tom halted her.
“Here, we can get out this way to avoid the crowds.”
He led her through another door and into a corridor with an exit at the far end. The corridor was lined with hotel suites, and Tom grinned as a thought crossed his mind, then he shook his head dismissing it. Before they reached the end of the corridor they passed a room with the door left open, and Tom glanced inside. Suddenly he pulled Stephanie back away from the door as a frown crossed his face.
“What the…” Stephanie began.
“Shh, stay here” Tom urged.
He moved to the edge of the doorframe and glanced into the room. There was a casually dressed man inside, standing by the dressing table. The room was in darkness and the man was glancing around nervously. When Tom saw what was in his hand, he entered the room, turning the light on. The man looked startled and ran at Tom, who grabbed the object in his hands before the man bolted out of the door and down towards the exit.
Stephanie appeared at the doorway but Tom brushed her aside, rushing back into the corridor. There was a loud noise as the door of the room slammed shut with his sudden movement.
“Which way did he go?” Tom asked,
“What on earth is going on?” Stephanie demanded to know. Then she noticed the object in his hand, it was a diamond necklace with a large sapphire in the centre.
“The guy was after this.” He held up the necklace.
Stephanie put her hands on her hips. “Right, well now you’ve got the necklace and we can’t get back in!”
He turned tothe closed door with a frown.
“Tom, we’ve got to put it back!” she panicked. Suddenly voices could be heard coming from the lobby exit and Tom’s head shot up.
“Here, do something with this,” he said, handing her the necklace.
She looked at him in disbelief. “What pray tell would you like me to do with it?”
As the people approached them Stephanie hid the necklace behind her bag and Tom pressed her to the wall, his hands on her waist.
“So do I get lucky tonight sweetheart?” he asked. The people glanced at them as they passed, but they soon reached the exit and disappeared outside.
She shoved him away. “Do you mind?” Flinging the necklace back at him, she said, “And you can take this back, I feel like a bloody thief!”
“Hey, what are you getting so worked up about? We’ll just take it to the front desk and explain,” Tom reasoned.
YOU ARE READING
A Dangerous Affair
RomanceStephanie White was a dedicated, ambitious journalist, working for a top London newspaper. Recently, the city had been plagued with a series of serious crimes, and rumours had it that one man, a Mr Henry Carlton, was behind it all. If she could get...
