"Mr. McHenry, we… we shouldn't be dancing this close together!" Lynn managed to protest up at him in a shocked whisper. As she realized what was happening beneath his trousers, her tone became more distraught and she added, "Please! Someone is going to see us!"
"Let me assure you, my dear. No one here is the least bit disturbed about it, unless you are," George answered in a tone of amusement at her obvious distress. "And, after all, this evening was supposed to present us with an opportunity to get to know each other better. With your husband's promotion in mind, of course."
"But… but…" Lynn faltered, then fell silent. She was absolutely dumbfounded by the man's words. He was obviously propositioning her, but in a way that made her know that Ed's career was at stake. It was an impossible situation, and yet she knew she had to figure a way out of it, and quickly, before it got any worse! She was so surprised by the sudden and brazen revelation of the reason for McHenry's interest in her, that she just couldn't find the right words to answer him. She just couldn't believe that the man would have boldly set up this whole evening with her for such an obscene purpose, and yet that was what she had been afraid of when Ed had first told her about it. And what had McHenry meant when he said that "no one here is the least bit disturbed" about the suggestive way he was dancing with her? Lynn suddenly wondered. Was nobody paying attention? Or was the Executive Club even odder than she thought?
Before she had a chance to make up her mind about anything, the song ended and the combo leader announced that the group would take a ten minute break before the floor show began. Lynn sighed with relief as she realized that she wouldn't have to dance with McHenry again, at least not for a while. She was in such a state of shock that she still hadn't come to any conclusions about what to do, but she was grateful for the temporary reprieve that was about to come when they sat down at their table to watch the club's floor show.
The tiny blonde was too embarrassed even to look at her husband's superior as they walked back to the rear of the room and took their seats. But as soon as they were settled again, George poured her another glass of the champagne, ordered another bottle, and began telling her some funny stories about when he first had begun working at Amalgamated Industries. He acted as though nothing at all unusual had happened when he was with her on the dance floor.
As she politely listened to him, Lynn tilted her glass up and quickly finished the effervescent drink. She smilingly accepted another refill, knowing that she needed the alcohol now to calm her tensed nerves a bit, and hoped that this drink would give her a better idea of how to proceed with the strange game Mr. McHenry was playing. For a moment, she thought that he might be simply testing her to see how she would respond under pressure, but when the overhead lights dimmed to signal the beginning of the show, she felt his knee begin to press tightly against her thigh. Her heart sank as she realized that all her suspicions about this man had been correct. McHenry was truly vile and immoral and she didn't know how she was ever going to explain to Ed about what had happened this evening. Especially since she knew that if she didn't go along with McHenry, it would probably mean that her husband wouldn't get the promotion he had worked so hard for. Here she was in this weird club, with Ed's career in the balance, and it all depended on this lecherous man sitting beside her. If only Ed could have postponed his business meeting, this all never would have happened.
Beside Lynn, George said nothing but sat with a faint smile of confidence on his lips. He had been through this before and he knew pretty well what was going on in the lovely blonde woman's mind. He sensed Lynn's resolve not to give in to him, no matter what the consequences, but for that reason, he was giving her plenty of time to think and ponder over what the loss of the promotion would mean to her and her husband. He knew he hadn't completed the seduction yet, but he wasn't worried. A few more drinks, a little more pressure, and the special show they had here at the Executive Club would all help his project along. He could see that she was worried and confused already, and he congratulated himself on his own cleverness for arranging this evening when he knew that young Waring was meeting a client he couldn't possibly postpone. Yes, everything was going even better than he'd planned and George was certain he'd have this pretty little wife exactly where he wanted her before she knew what hit her.
"Mr. McHenry, how can a private club like this afford a floor show?" Lynn asked him, no longer able to hold her curiosity back. "Why, there's only one nightclub in town that has an entertainer, and that's horribly expensive."
"Well, my dear, our performers don't come from the regular entertainment circuit," George explained with a strange twinkle in his eyes. "To tell you the truth, they're mostly local talent, but extremely talented nonetheless." Lynn thought she saw a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth as he added, "Sometimes, we even have an amateur night for the members. Most of us, whether we know it or not, are secret exhibitionists, you know."
The tiny blonde beside him smiled uncertainly at his comment. He had put such an emphasis on the word "exhibitionist" that she was not sure of exactly what he meant. But before she had time to question him further, the curtains on the stage began to open and soft, rhythmically seductive music filled the room.
The club was perfectly quiet now except for the occasional sound of ice clinking against a glass or a momentary whisper. The stage was decorated to represent a city street at night in what looked like a poor section of the town. The street looked deserted and dark, with only the dim light from a street-light at one end of the stage giving feeble illumination. Lynn could barely make out a sidewalk running past the stage props that were painted like shabby old buildings. It really was a beautiful job of stage-setting, she thought to herself, complete right down to the dark shadowy doorways.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lynn noticed McHenry pouring her another glass of champagne. She knew she had really had enough to drink and yet, the cigarette smoke was beginning to be a little thick in the room and it made her throat feel parched. At last, she decided that one more glass wouldn't matter and gratefully poured the cold liquid down her throat.
She saw George lean over to fill her glass again and, through the warm haze the alcohol had brung, she thought about how lovely it was to have a man really looking after her again. For a long time, Ed had been too involved with his work to bother about such unimportant things and she had almost forgotten about how good it felt to be taken care of. Feeling completely contented and relaxed, she turned to McHenry and sweetly smiled her appreciation in the dim light.
George smiled back, moving his chair a little closer to her and nodded toward the stage. The tempo of the background music had picked up just a little and Lynn saw a young, innocent-looking girl appear, slowly walking through the old city street set up on the stage. She did not look over seventeen and was the most lovely girl Lynn had ever seen. She had a melancholy look on her face as though she were walking on the street to relieve the deep loneliness she felt. It touched Lynn to her heart, because she too often felt that way when Ed seemed to have no time for her. She identified with the girl at that moment and concentrated completely on what was happening on the stage.
The dark-haired girl arrived at the lamp post at the other end of the stage and paused, leaning against it for a moment. It was obvious that she had nowhere to go and no one to go home to. As she stood under the light, the audience could clearly see her youthful figure, clearly outlined by the tight sweater and skirt she wore and Lynn heard several audible gasps of appreciation throughout the room.