Free The Stranger by Harlan Coben Page B

she hugged closed hers too. It was that kind of hug.
    The three other women headed off in the opposite direction. Perfect.
    Heidi started toward her car. She wore Capri pants. Her high heels made her stagger a little after the drinks, but she handled it with practiced aplomb. She was smiling. Ingrid nodded a get-ready at the stranger. They both did all they could to look harmless.
    â€œHeidi Dann?”
    He tried to keep his expression friendly or, at worst, neutral. Heidi turned and met his eye. The smile dropped off her face as though someone had attached an anchor to it.
    She knew.
    He wasn’t surprised. Many somehow did, though denial also worked big-time when the stranger called. But he sensed strength and intelligence in her. Heidi already knew that what he was about to say would change everything.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œThere’s a website called FindYourSugarBaby.com,” he said.
    The stranger had learned that you had to leap directly into it. You didn’t ask the victim if they had time to talk or if they wanted to sit down or go someplace quiet. You just launched.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œIt purports to be a modern online dating service. But it’s not. Men—supposedly wealthy men with disposable income—sign up to meet, well, sugar babies. Have you heard of it?”
    Heidi looked at him another second. Then she turned her gaze toward Ingrid. Ingrid tried to smile reassuringly.
    â€œWho are you two?”
    â€œThat’s not important,” he said.
    Some people fight it. Other people see that it’s an irrelevant waste of time in the big picture. Heidi was in the latter group. “No, I’ve never heard of it. It sounds like one of those sites married people use to cheat.”
    The stranger made a yes-no gesture with his head and said, “Not really. This site caters to more of a business transaction, if you know what I mean.”
    â€œI don’t know what you mean at all,” Heidi said.
    â€œYou should read the material when you have a chance. The site talks about how every relationship is really a transaction and how important it is to define your roles, to know what is expected of you and what is expected of your lover.”
    Heidi’s face was losing color. “Lover?”
    â€œSo here is how it works,” the stranger continued. “A man signs on, for example. He looks through a list of women, usually much younger. He finds one he likes. If she accepts, they start negotiating.”
    â€œNegotiating?”
    â€œHe’s looking for what we call a sugar baby. The website defines that as a woman he’d maybe take out to dinner or escort to a business conference, that kind of thing.”
    â€œBut that’s not what really happens,” Heidi said.
    â€œNo,” the stranger said. “That’s not what happens.”
    Heidi let loose a long breath. She put her hands on her hips. “Go on.”
    â€œSo they negotiate.”
    â€œThe rich guy and his sugar baby.”
    â€œRight. The site tells the girl all sorts of nonsense. How everything is defined. How dating like this means no game playing. How the men are rich and sophisticated and will treat her well and buy her gifts and take her to exotic overseas locales.”
    Heidi shook her head. “Do the girls really fall for that?”
    â€œSome, maybe. But I doubt too many. Most understand the score.”
    It was as though Heidi had expected him to visit, expected this news. She was calm now, though he could still sense the devastation. “So they negotiate?” she prompted.
    â€œRight. Eventually, they reach an understanding. It’s all spelled out in an online contract. In one case, for example, the young woman agrees to be with the man five times per month. They spell out possible days of the week. He offers eight hundred dollars.”
    â€œEach time?”
    â€œPer month.”
    â€œCheap.”
    â€œWell, that’s how it starts.