Someone brought us iced mineral water, served in crystal tumblers. Thin slices of lemon floated on top of the water bubbles. Jack casually walked to the side of the sofa that I sat in.

“I understand you were looking for me?” she asked, without further ado.

I nodded and took a moment to swallow some water. She’d already consumed hers halfway through, so the water must be safe to drink.

“I’m going to a few events tomorrow night – the big concert and a few parties after — and need a companion to go with me,” I said.

She raised her eyebrows and looked up to her side. A man in a tight-fitting suit consulted the tablet he held, a puzzled look on his face.

She turned to look at me, still confused, it looked like. “Then I must say you have used the most unusual tactic yet of trying to reach me, Miss Palmer. If all you needed was a companion …”

I improvised quickly, “I needed to find out, as discretely as possibly, without using usual channels, how to reach you to arrange for this. I require the utmost discretion, Madam, given my … um ….”

She cocked her head to one side, lips pursed.  “Allegra, please. Perhaps you have no friends or contacts in this part of the world, then? That why you had to resort to this unusual …”

I interrupted her, not needing to pretend having an abundance of nervousness, so I spoke in a rush, “Besides, Jack here, who heads my security, considered this to be the most …”

“Discrete and safe way to look into this matter, Madame Allegra,” Jack cut in smoothly. “Pardon my impertinence. I’m Jack.” He bowed slightly.

Allegra appeared to weigh what Jack had said with some seriousness. She considered him for a few seconds, and then looked over at her assistant, who nodded his head imperceptibly after consulting something in his tablet.

“You have a background that indicates some experience in security matters don’t you, Jack?” she said slowly.

He grinned at her. He continued to project a casual and confident manner. “You could say that, Madame.”

She responded quickly, “Yet you willingly allowed Miss Palmer here to be taken by my men, without making a fuss. That’s a curious way of protecting someone.”