With the kidnapping of his son, it was more than likely that Serena wouldn’t see Richard again. Men generally took such incidents as wake-up calls and went meekly back to their wives. However, there was always another bored husband somewhere, ripe to fall under her spell. It amazed her how little effort was needed to entrap a man; a little flattery, a touch of mystery, or a sob story if necessary. Sometimes it almost seemed too easy, which was rather disappointing – she was a lady who liked a challenge.

Generally, Serena preferred men who had children for the simple reason that such liaisons rarely became overcomplicated. A married man without children would be far more likely to want a permanent relationship and leave their wife to be with her. Having always been a loner, this was certainly not what Serena wanted. Men with children were generally happy to keep the relationship simply as an extramarital affair, which suited both parties.

Serena liked to think she was offering a service, and generally, her ‘clients’ were happy with the arrangements. Extortion is such an ugly word, she thought, as were fraud and blackmail, when the way she earned her money could be described as something quite beautiful. The sting came when it was time to move on and Serena left with a nice little bonus, a golden handshake as she liked to think of it. The apartment from Richard was the severance bonus in this case, which Serena thought she’d earned – a little sweetener to make the parting easier – for her at least.

The Italian barman, with whom she’d spent the previous night, winked at Serena as she entered the dining room on her last evening at the hotel. Serena smiled contentedly. She’d be returning home the next day but perhaps the barman would be her evening’s entertainment again. It would be fun to see his face when she didn’t give him a large tip for his services like most hotel guests did. Serena instantly recognised in him a kindred spirit, but the poor boy thought he was the one taking advantage of her. Some men never learned.

Life in Bristol had proved so much kinder to Serena than other cities where she’d lived, and in many ways she’d miss her present comfortable lifestyle. Her new apartment felt like home too, a place she’d love to keep, but common sense demanded it must be sold, even though only two other people knew where she was living. Never one to take chances or let sentiment dictate her actions, the apartment in Portishead was already on the market with an estate agent in Bristol.

Serena was a lady who firmly believed in looking after herself and planning ahead. Experience had proved that placing trust in another person was unwise. Trust was flimsy, easily broken; she’d been let down too many times to have faith in anyone other than herself.

22

DAY 4