Women's Health Issues 101 Ch. 03

"I've been dreaming about this, Mrs. Levitt," the girl whispered.

"Baby, I'm going to take such good care of you," Madison promised.

Sarah scowled as she walked down the alley to the theater's stage entrance. She took care not to breath through her nose. The alley was always putrid. Technically, she was supposed to use the main entrance; the stage entrance was reserved for the performers. But she was running late and the lobby would be full of audience members by now. And the stage entrance was so close to her office.

Sarah let herself in and went straight for her office, closing the door behind her. First she fired off an e-mail to her boss, apologizing for being late. Then she noticed the e-mail her boss had already left her. Sarah was to drop everything and compile a list representative of who'd been at the show the previous Saturday night.

Sarah frowned. She knew why her boss wanted the list. Somehow, a rumor had started that something had happened at the show that Saturday night. Something perverted. Something awful. Of course, no one could say exactly what that something was. Couldn't or wouldn't. It pissed Sarah off to no end; she'd been there that night, of course, and nothing untoward had happened. In fact, as far as Sarah was concerned, it had been the best show in the musical's entire run.

None of that mattered to the rumor mongers, and attendance had suffered. Not a lot, because not everyone was dialed into the rumor network, but enough. No doubt her boss wanted this list so people could start getting the theater's side of the story out there.

Sarah combed through the credit card and season ticket holder records. If they were going to get their testimony out there, she had to make sure the people doing the talking were the most credible, most recognizable names in the city.

After an hour's work, Sarah had a list 117 names long. She looked her handiwork over then, without thought as to why she was doing it, crossed every man off the list. When she was done, the list still had 37 names on it. Even without the men, the list represented a fair selection of the city's power elite. CEOs, CFOs, COOs, newspaper columnists and editors, the Program Director of the city's #1 ranked news radio station, an Oscar nominated actress, a couple state reps, a federal judge, even a key aid to the Governor. Sarah's phone rang.

"Hello Sarah, Karen Sawyer here," Sarah snapped to attention. "I wanted to get to work on that list your boss asked you to put together. How's it coming?"

"I just finished," Sarah replied, grateful she hadn't been later for work.

"Outstanding," Karen enthused. "You were told this list was a top priority?"

"I was."

"Then can you bring it to my hotel room, right away," Karen asked sweetly. "I'm at the Ritz, room 504."

"I can be there in 20 minutes."

"Great. By the way, do you have plans for tonight?"

"No. None at all."

"Then, after you bring the list, why don't you stay and have dinner with me," Karen suggested. "My way of thanking you for your good work."

"I'd like that, thank you, Professor Sawyer."

"Please," Sawyer tut-tutted. "Call me Karen. See you soon."

The Ritz was in walking distance from the theater. In the lobby, Sarah freshened her makeup and smoothed out her clothes. She wanted to look her very best for Karen. Then again, if what she hoped and wanted to happen did happen, she wouldn't be wearing the clothes very long and her make up was going to get messed up anyway. She laughed softly as she entered the elevator. What a great job. She couldn't believe she actually got paid to do this.