to paying for love – the only kind of love he knew. He had taken deep pleasure in mastering her emotions.
Which meant, she thought hysterically, she had probably been well paid!
With a wrench, she lifted the top off the box, and with trembling fingers she unfolded the elegant inner wrapping.
It was a gold collar for her neck. A sophisticated, incredibly beautiful thing of delicate lines, and it was finished
with three glittering diamonds that would fit into the hollow at the base of her throat Adena could have wept With
nerveless fingers she opened the silver card inscribed with her name in a careless, bold hand.
For the one who now belongs to me, she read. It was signed with a slashing H. Slowly she crumpled the card in her
hand, turning to look at Max’s questioning face with an expression of pain.
„How could he do this to me, Max? After all I thought we shared last night, how could he treat me as if I were an
expensive prostitute? A woman whose love he can buy?“
Max pushed his face sympathetically into her lap, his dark eyes worried. It had been easy to help his lady last
night; a dog could deal with overt rudeness. But there was nothing he could do this morning. He did not even
understand.
As the pain coalesced in her, it turned into something else. Adena rose to her feet as the searing hurt became an
equally searing anger. She held the box in her hand, staring at it as if it were a time bomb. Then she stuffed the
crumpled card inside and slammed the lid shut „How dare he?“ she whispered tightly to the anxious dog. „How dare
he? If he thinks I’ll let him get away with this!“
She bit off her own words as she picked up the phonebook and searched for a messenger service. Then she was
dialing the phone with trembling fingers, her anger at such a pitch that she had to exercise extreme control over her
voice when she spoke to the dispatching agent on the other end.
In a few minutes everything was arranged. She hung up the phone and picked up a piece of paper on which she
tried to write a message to be returned to Holt along with his „gift“
It took three tries before she was able to get the simple words down on paper. She wrapped the package, inserted
the note, and waited for the messenger to arrive at her front door.
Twenty minutes later the box was gone, carrying her note with it I thought you could afford me, she had written in
seething anger, but this proves you can’t!
As she watched the messenger drive off, Adena ignored the tearing sensation in her heart. Slowly she turned from
the window and faced Max.
„I think,“ she began very carefully, „that it’s time you and I had that vacation I promised a couple of days ago,
Max. Don’t worry, you’re going to love the country life!“
Two hours later she was nearly packed. The polished-looking tweeds and flannels that Adena imagined looked
right for walking Max in the country were hanging in a clothes bag that was thrown over a small, red leather suitcase
by the door. Max, sensing they were on the move, waited patiently beside the suitcase as Adena ran through a list of
country inns she’d found advertised in a magazine which focused on California life-styles.
It was annoying to find many of them already booked. Deliberately, she crossed off one entry after another until at
last she found one which had just been informed of a cancellation.
„Yes, you can bring the dog,“ a cheery voice on the other end assured her, „and don’t forget, the price of the room
includes breakfast!“
Adena thanked the woman and hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. She had begun to think escape was going
to prove a little more difficult than it should be under the circumstances.
„It’s all settled, Max. Let’s be on our way. I’ll just tell Mrs. Harrison next door that we’re going to be gone for a few
days and then we’ll…“
She broke off with a start as the doorbell chimed and Max pricked up his ears
Which meant, she thought hysterically, she had probably been well paid!
With a wrench, she lifted the top off the box, and with trembling fingers she unfolded the elegant inner wrapping.
It was a gold collar for her neck. A sophisticated, incredibly beautiful thing of delicate lines, and it was finished
with three glittering diamonds that would fit into the hollow at the base of her throat Adena could have wept With
nerveless fingers she opened the silver card inscribed with her name in a careless, bold hand.
For the one who now belongs to me, she read. It was signed with a slashing H. Slowly she crumpled the card in her
hand, turning to look at Max’s questioning face with an expression of pain.
„How could he do this to me, Max? After all I thought we shared last night, how could he treat me as if I were an
expensive prostitute? A woman whose love he can buy?“
Max pushed his face sympathetically into her lap, his dark eyes worried. It had been easy to help his lady last
night; a dog could deal with overt rudeness. But there was nothing he could do this morning. He did not even
understand.
As the pain coalesced in her, it turned into something else. Adena rose to her feet as the searing hurt became an
equally searing anger. She held the box in her hand, staring at it as if it were a time bomb. Then she stuffed the
crumpled card inside and slammed the lid shut „How dare he?“ she whispered tightly to the anxious dog. „How dare
he? If he thinks I’ll let him get away with this!“
She bit off her own words as she picked up the phonebook and searched for a messenger service. Then she was
dialing the phone with trembling fingers, her anger at such a pitch that she had to exercise extreme control over her
voice when she spoke to the dispatching agent on the other end.
In a few minutes everything was arranged. She hung up the phone and picked up a piece of paper on which she
tried to write a message to be returned to Holt along with his „gift“
It took three tries before she was able to get the simple words down on paper. She wrapped the package, inserted
the note, and waited for the messenger to arrive at her front door.
Twenty minutes later the box was gone, carrying her note with it I thought you could afford me, she had written in
seething anger, but this proves you can’t!
As she watched the messenger drive off, Adena ignored the tearing sensation in her heart. Slowly she turned from
the window and faced Max.
„I think,“ she began very carefully, „that it’s time you and I had that vacation I promised a couple of days ago,
Max. Don’t worry, you’re going to love the country life!“
Two hours later she was nearly packed. The polished-looking tweeds and flannels that Adena imagined looked
right for walking Max in the country were hanging in a clothes bag that was thrown over a small, red leather suitcase
by the door. Max, sensing they were on the move, waited patiently beside the suitcase as Adena ran through a list of
country inns she’d found advertised in a magazine which focused on California life-styles.
It was annoying to find many of them already booked. Deliberately, she crossed off one entry after another until at
last she found one which had just been informed of a cancellation.
„Yes, you can bring the dog,“ a cheery voice on the other end assured her, „and don’t forget, the price of the room
includes breakfast!“
Adena thanked the woman and hung up the phone with a sigh of relief. She had begun to think escape was going
to prove a little more difficult than it should be under the circumstances.
„It’s all settled, Max. Let’s be on our way. I’ll just tell Mrs. Harrison next door that we’re going to be gone for a few
days and then we’ll…“
She broke off with a start as the doorbell chimed and Max pricked up his ears
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