A Table for Three (New York 1) by Lainey Reese

Chapter One
     
    “Hey, where to, lady?” Riley looked into the rear view mirror, met the gaze of the cab driver and smiled with the enthusiasm of a kid at Disneyland.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “This is my first night in New York City.”
    “Okay then.” The cabbie smiled back. “Welcome to the best city in the world, little lady. What are ya needin’, huh? You want food? I can tell you where to get the best Italian this side of the Atlantic. What about sightseeing? You ain’t never seen nothin’ ’til you seen Times Square at night.”
    “Oh wow,” Riley said, lightheaded with the possibilities. She thought the balding, unshaven man exactly fit her image of a New York cab driver. “Could you please take me to a night club? I’ve always wanted to go to one like I’ve seen in the movies. You know, one that you have to wait in line to get in, and it has movie stars and famous people mixed together with everyday people.”
    Carl chuckled, “Listen, I know a good place, the best. But you gotta promise me that you won’t do nothin’ stupid if I take you there.” He pulled the cab into traffic as he spoke and flicked a stern look at her in the rear view mirror again. “It’s the hottest club in the whole city, packed with a lotta famous folks. But like I said, you gotta be careful. It’s got a kinda weird reputation, like it’s some kinda Studio 54 or somethin’ and that a buncha kinky shit goes on...oops” he stammered and flashed her a grimace. “I mean stuff, kinky stuff goes on. So you play it smart. You don’t leave with nobody. You don’t let no one but the waiter bring you a drink, and whatever you do, don’t drink anything that you’ve left at the table or somthin’ stupid like that. Got it?” He raised a bushy dark brow at Riley and waited for a reply.
    “Got it.” She smiled at him and wondered where the silly rumors about cab drivers being rude came from if they were anything like this one. “I’ll be good.”
    “No,” Carl interrupted, “forget good, you be smart. I ain’t kiddin’ ’bout this place. You want New York nightlife, this is it in spades. You gettin’ all the glitter you could want, but you gotta steer clear of the dark side of it, okay? No getting caught in dark corners or drinkin’ too much booze and gettin’ drunk. You find a table where you can just sit and watch, you don’t gotta mingle too much on your first night.” As he made his way through the maze of streets and the snarls of traffic, Riley gazed out her window in awe. “So how long you in town?”
    “Oh I’m staying,” she replied. “My work transferred me here.”
    “No kiddin’? Good for you. What kinda work you in?”
    “I’m an operation’s manager for a bank.”
    “Huh?”
    Riley smiled at him in his rear view mirror, “It’s my job to make the schedules and do the audits and order supplies and stuff like that. I’ve always wanted to live in New York so when a position opened up here, I went for it.” Riley flung her arms wide and thought that the work and the wait had been worth it. “And here I am. It seems like a dream. I can hardly believe I’m here.”
    “Well, good for you,” Carl said. “You gonna make it just fine here I can tell.” He smiled at her and pulled up in front of the club. “Now, remember what I said. Be smart.”
     
    Kincade Marshall was going to kill his bouncer. As the owner of one of the hottest clubs in New York , he thought he could probably get away with it. His bouncer, Gary, was too soft on the women.
    “What the hell are you doing?” Cade demanded, standing not two inches from Gary. He motioned to the other man on the door for the night. “Take over for a moment, Tom. Gary is going to take a quick break.” With a hand in the middle of Gary’s back, Cade led him into the crowded nightclub speaking directly into his ear as they went. “We’ve been over this. You know the profile we’re looking for. So I’ll ask you again. What