There’s no way she’ll notice they’re missing tonight, he decided. She’s such a slob she won’t even realize where she left them. Those two are drinking wine and will be asleep soon. Hopefully, I’ll be back before they wake up, and I’ll be a lot richer. This bag will be stuffed with jewelry and cash.

Clay went back into the tiny living room and walked over to his bike which was parked behind the couch. He started to wheel it toward the door. A funny noise made him look down. One of the tires was completely flat. “What happened here?” he mumbled.

“Oh no,” Diane giggled. “I am so sorry.”

Clay looked over at her. “Huh?”

“I was running late today, and I had a big audition for a Broadway play. I knew I’d never make it on time with all the traffic, and the subway can take forever. I got so mad at myself, and I knew if I let all the negative energy I was feeling take over my whole being, it would just ruin my audition. So I borrowed your bike. On the way back, I ran over a nail and the tire went flat. I’m really sorry. I was going to get it fixed tomorrow.”

Clay stood there in disbelief. “You borrowed my bike?”

“I thought you’d understand. You know how it is when you have a big audition, Clay. The good news is they loved me! My agent is sure they’re going to call me back.”

I can’t take it, Clay thought. I just can’t take it. These people are so inconsiderate. He was speechless.

“Hey, buddy, Diane’s really sorry,” Bob said, trying to smooth things over. “Why don’t you sit down and have a glass of wine with us?”

Lorraine is going to freak out, Clay thought. She is just going to freak out.

33

K ent pulled his car up to Lonnie’s, the popular new bar at the corner of Eighty-eighth and Second that was a magnet for the twenty-somethings in the neighborhood. Just two weeks old, it had been written up on the Internet as well as in magazines and newspapers. Word of mouth had also brought in the desired clientele.

“Have fun,” Kent said to Becky. “But be careful. As we saw tonight, there are a lot of weirdos out there.”

“I will. You get home safely!” Becky got out of his car, closed the door, and hurried across the sidewalk. She was thrilled to be able to meet up with Alexis.

Like most places this particular evening in New York City, the bar was hot and dark, lit only by votive candles that weren’t exactly resplendent. The floor felt sticky, it was incredibly noisy, but the lively young crowd seemed as if they couldn’t be happier. Immediately energized, Becky looked around. Alexis was standing in a crowd at the bar, trying to order a drink. She was so pretty and even though she was wearing casual summer clothes, you could just tell that she was rich, Becky thought as she hurried over. “Hi!”