Sandra closed the bathroom door and turned on the TV before flopping on the bed. Something must be up because her lover Ted Hollinger never asked for lunch meetings. Great news, he'd said. She wondered what he would think if he knew she just received some great news from his boss last night, or what he might think if he even knew she was seeing his boss.

Sandra had given Barry's proposition a lot of thought; running off with him could be a lot better than schlepping away her life behind a beer bar and he had hinted at a generous payday if she agreed; it was just . . . Barry. Maybe too much Barry.

At eighteen, she'd walked out of her less than blissful home in the Midwest, caught a train to the coast and experienced what every rural teenager learns when they have no street smarts or support. Jobs were not plentiful and people were not kind and helpful - just the opposite.

Two years hooking for an escort agency sharpened all the smooth edges and filled her head with a tough, survivor's mind-set. Six years and dozens of jobs later, Sandra settled into bartending at the Bottomless Bucket, supplementing her tips with an occasional romp with a customer.

When Ted came along, she backed off the buffet circuit and with one or two exceptions kept herself in reserve for him; Ted was a decent lover and occasionally a good spender. The problem of course, was his marriage.

When his wife had walked into the bar, and without any preamble, told her to make bloody good and sure that she and Ted never became a public item, or that Ted knew that she knew of their affair, she had resigned herself to the fact that there would never be anything more than stolen moments, and one day eventually they would end.

Not a circumstance Sandra cared to consider. The wife, however, had really surprised her and after offering her a drink on the house, they had shared an oddly intimate half hour trading some personal details. Apparently the wife didn't want to become an item either.

A light knock at the door and she hopped off the bed to let him in. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her hard to him.

They kissed and she backed away, patting his chest. "What calls for a nooner, this is something new with you?"

"I have a plan that absolutely needs you and if you agree we will be sharing lounges on a sandy beach where no one can reach us, and nooners will be the order of the day." He took off his jacket and tie, then sat on the bed and undid his shoes.

Sandra halted where she stood. Two offers of a similar type from two men in the same company within two days? Was this for real?

"You gonna get undressed? We can talk too." He rose up and slipped off his pants, folding them and setting them on the side chair.

Sandra nodded, forcing a smile. "What is this wonderful plan?" She dropped her skirt, slipped off her blouse and crawled up beside him on the bed.

"I need you to hire somebody to rob me." He laughed at her expression then bent her back onto the pillows and fumbled with her panties. 

The sun moved higher in the sky and with the blinds closed the room darkened considerably. Ted lay on his back grunting and scratching himself while Sandra sat with her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth deep in thought. With all the questions and answers, the session had been rough and frantic, finishing with loud groans from both parties. Ted rolled over onto his back and simply asked, "Well?"

Sandra hugged her knees and answered, "I'm thinking." This is rich. Ted's going to rip Barry off for the same money she was just offered last night. She felt a laugh coming. Now she had the chance to get the whole thing. The clever part was, he was telling his wife the same plan, enlisting her in exactly the same way. The difference was, Gwen and her robber would be left with eggy faces and quite possibly the responsibility for the theft. This was too, too much.

"Think about this. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

"Where will I find someone nuts or willing enough to actually rob you?" The urge to laugh got stronger.

"See this? This room? What we just did? Figure it out, Sandra. You could find a whole gang ready to ride."

The suggestion made her angry but she kept her back to him in case the laugh erupted. This was by far a better plan than taking off with Barry. It occurred to her that if she did find someone to do the job, she might also find someone to do it without Ted. A person came to mind. The laugh could be suppressed no longer, and it slipped out as a sniggering giggle.

Ted saw her shake from giggling and he asked what was so funny.

"Nothing. It just seems so- so, Without a Trace."

"That's exactly what it will be." He sat up and hugged her, his hands finding her breasts possessively. "What do you say? It must be this Friday afternoon in Portsdown, no other chance will be available."

"That gives me three days to find a crook? Thanks a lot, Ted."

"You can do it. I know you can. I know you will. Three big ones is a lot of incentive."

"I have to get back to the bar. Call me tonight and I'll say yes or no for sure. You'll still have time for another approach."

He pulled away, frowning. "You want to think it over, fine. I'll call, but I'm warning you, I won't be sitting on my hands hoping. You follow?"

"I just need to see if it's really possible in that time frame." She cupped his chin and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Call me tonight."

ööööö

He had her. He knew he had her. There was no goddamn way Sandra would pass up a chance at that kind of money. Ted drove across town and out to the subdivision where he and Gwen kept house. Her car was in the drive, and he shouted a silent yes at his good luck; time to set the nail in her coffin - so to speak.

"Hey, babe, I'm home and hummin'." He moved through the dining room toward the kitchen just as Gwen hung up the phone. "Who's that?"

"Just trying to get a hair appointment. How come you're home and what's this about humming?"

"C'mere. Barry gave me the word, it's this Friday for sure. He grabbed her waist and spun her around. "And when I get checked in and the room number, you can put your part of the plan in action." He stopped spinning and planted a wet kiss on her mouth.

"You really are going to do this."

"Of course." He backed away. "Are you telling me you haven't done anything yet?"

"Ted, for god's sake. You tell me this wild scheme last night and just expect me to jump right in with it without any thought? Besides, I don't have a criminal Rolodex."

"I told you, Gwen, time is of the essence. This has to happen Friday afternoon in Portsdown, or it will never happen."

"Portsdown? Why there?"

"Jesus! It doesn't matter why. That's where I'll be with the money. Are you with me on this or not? I can't afford to bugger around waiting. I'm doing this, Gwen, with or without you."

She felt an icy slide down her spine at his threat. There it was. Finally out in the open. Just as she thought. He would leave regardless. That the bastard could do this after all their years together. So much for those dumb vows. She bit the inside of her mouth and forced her nerves to settle down. Her earlier thoughts of coming out on top began to solidify, and she disguised her determination by putting her arms around him and promising not to let him down.

"That's my girl. Now, as soon as I'm checked in I'll call with the room number and the time, so just have your man ready to move. This is so perfect, Babe, I can't believe it."

Gwen agreed one hundred percent, thinking back to the phone call.

Ted slipped into the den after dinner, poured himself a liberal glass of vodka and kicked back in his favourite chair. Gwen had gone to bed early, protesting a slight headache and a busy day coming in finding a suitable person to execute the theft in Portsdown. He'd need to be suitable, Ted chuckled, 'cause it's all she'd have when this was over.

Quietly he had been moving funds from their accounts to a new one of his own and cashing in insurance policies; Gwen would be lucky if she could keep the hair appointment she was making. The chuckled matured to a noisy snort, and he covered his mouth with one hand. This was so beautiful. No more sneaking around. No more suffering her throwing herself at every man she met - something she may have to do to make ends meet. He laughed again and hid it with a swallow of his drink.

And Barry and his gate-keeping witch, Rosemary. Gone from his life forever. Too bad he wouldn't get to see Barry's face when he checked his balance. Serve the bastard right, Ted thought, for filching funds he'd worked hard to bring into the company. Landfill, that's where Barry and his bankrupt company would be headed.

Maybe he could still dump Doris and give Rosemary her big opportunity; she didn't seem to worry much about money. The room grew dark as the night sky intruded, and he grabbed the remote and flipped on his TV, finding an old film that was perfect for his mood—The Heist.