You want me to talk to him?

Carina looked through the crowd and wished she'd stayed at BookCrazy, hosting her Friday poetry reading. Tonight's work dinner party was a turning point in Eric's career. She knew influencers were gathering in this hall for a chance to make a splash, and Eric needed to stand out from the crowd to get noticed.

She handed her coat to the waiter and let Eric lead her into the crowded dance hall. "I assume you have a master plan for your attack?" she asked. "So who are the two characters you need to focus on?"

He pointed toward a thick cloud of cigar smoke. A packed circle of cautious businessmen surrounded a perfectly dressed man in a gray suit and silk tie. "Hyoshi Komo is building a Japanese restaurant. His vote is key to becoming the third partner in the waterfront project deal."

"Then, why don't you go over there and give me your offer?" She took the salmon tart from a tuxedo-clad waiter and picked up a glass of champagne from another.

"Because I don't want to be in that crowd. I