from the sherry, the crowded room and the kiss still burning on his cheek, K.C. was having a great time.
The food had been great and the company delightful as he was surrounded by attractive women flittling hither and thither, filling the air with feminine chatter.
He nibbled on a sardine cake while Yui stole leafy tidbits from the plates left unattended.
A young woman dripping with gilt and sparkles refilled his glass and offered him a plate of honeyed dates. He could see more of her charms than he had ever seen a woman reveal in public before- at least in an English speaking locale-but he was hardly going to complain.

The younger set were dancing the "Charleston" to a frisky beat. He overheard the name in a snatch of conversation and wondered at the gyrations of the people on the dance floor. It looked like it was rather hard on the knees.

He turned instead to the lovely Reylari sitting next to him, sipping her sherry and watching the dancers.
"I've been meaning to ask you about your corsage- that's a Cattleya warneri, is it not? Alba variety? Wherever did you get it?"
"There is a rooftop garden adjoined to my suite- I plucked it only this evening. Why, are you an orchid fanatic, K.C.?"
"I guess you could say that." he said with a grin "I'm a collector of sorts. I just got back from an orchid hunting trip in the Indies yesterday."
"Oh, how romantic!" She exclaimed, eyes shining with interest. "I adore orchids-in fact they are key ingredients in many of the preparations of Lady Reylari Bath Products and Perfumes. They are so lovely, and also so good for the skin, don't you think?"
"Well, I really couldn't say, I've never tried to put them on my skin before," he laughed lightly "But they are certainly beautiful. The chinese seem to think they have salutary effects on the health, though. I sent a large shipment of dendrobiums out of Shanghai last year- I'm not certain what the man in New York wanted them for, but the natives use it for stomachaches!"
"How funny- I wonder if it was the same shipment? We use dendrobiums in our skin creams! Perhaps we have been dealing with one another after all, by proxy."
They laughed together.
"Well, perhaps we should cut out the middleman, then?" said K.C. "I might be able to save your company a buck or two....."

The band changed to a slower tempo, and he stood up and offered his hand to Reylari.
"We can talk more about business later-I am here on holiday, after all! Would you care to take a turn around the dance floor with me?"