“What who look like?” he asked blankly.

“The women you’ve had,” she said simply. “They all blend together.”

He frowned. “Is it like that for you?”

She shook her head. “I don’t sleep around.”

His eyes widened. “Then what the hell am I doing here?”

She smiled. “Keeping up appearances. Living down to your cousin’s image of you. Discouraging that young woman in the plain dress.”

He pursed his lips and let out a whistle.

“I dress like a woman on the prowl for a man. I flirt. I seduce. They all think that I’m hot stuff, that I’ve seduced a dozen men for what they have.” She laughed. “I inherited from my first husband. He had millions and millions of dollars and no heir.”

“The one who was gay,” he recalled.

She nodded, her eyes sad. “His lover threw him over for a younger, more adventurous man. He went to see his attorney, made out a will that left me as sole beneficiary, made sure his employees were taken care of. A week later, he went up to the top floor of his corporation’s headquarters building in New York City and stepped out into space.” She drew in a long breath. “I didn’t know about the lover. He was quite discreet. Actually, I thought there was something very wrong with me, because he never wanted to touch me.” She laughed. “He left me a long letter, thanking me for marrying him, for being kind to him. He told me about the lover.” She pursed her lips. “After he died, the lover filed a lawsuit and tried to get ‘compensation’ for my husband’s attentions.”

His eyes twinkled. “What did you do?”

“I set our corporate attorneys on him. It was brutal. He ended up with what he deserved—nothing. And besides that, he even had to pay court costs.” Her eyes darkened. “I hear he went down to Acapulco to ply his trade and fell victim to a gangster. Poor little man.”

“You were fond of your husband.”

She nodded. “He was a good person.” She looked up at him. “People are what they are,” she said with a sad smile. “I don’t think we have the right to tell anyone how to live.”

“Amen,” he agreed, and raised his glass. She raised hers as well.

He set the glass down and chuckled. “Well, as one survivor to another, it’s been a nice evening.”

“For me as well.” She got up and smiled at him. “Sorry if I messed up your plans.”

He shrugged. “I suppose I’m getting old. I don’t really mind.”

“Don’t give me away, please,” she said. “I like being the resident seductive witch. Most men run like hell from the image I present.” She laughed. “They’re afraid they won’t measure up and I’ll talk about them to other people!”

He laughed, too. “No problem. Just don’t talk about me.”

“Oh, I’ll laud you to the skies. The most incredible lover of all time, a monument to mankind, men everywhere should be jealous!”