She did not want to kill him. He was the picture of male perfection. It would be such a waste, but time was running out. If her cell didn't ring within the next twenty minutes she was going to have to get rid of him.

"Why have you kidnapped me?" Her victim said.

Mandy, also known as Mademoiselle Dupree, was glad that her lead man Harvey had restrained her prey before he left to collect the money. The victim’s legs hit the top of the table placed between them, and his torso swallowed up the chair frame. It meant that her choices for teaching him one of her lessons were limited. However, she would find a way.

"Is there anyone here?" He said turning his head from left to right, then jerking his chair. The bindings holding him down.

She responded by swirling her martini.

The kidnapping of the Palm Beach millionaire Anorak represented the end to her criminal career. The career that had bought medicine for her sick sister, but also made Mandy accustomed to four star hotels complete with couture from Paris.

She watched the man sitting across from her. He reminded her of someone. She shrugged, disregarding the thought while feeling melancholy. This was a bittersweet ending, but things were getting too easy. The torrent of euphoria she had experienced after each completed job was gone now. Her sister Celeste was healthy, and the game was boring her. But she didn’t want to end everything with murder.

"Hello?" The man said.

Mandy rolled her eyes, sucked the olive off of the toothpick then made the glass clink on the table. Her victim turned his head toward the direction of the sound. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His gray Ralph Lauren tee was soaked black and clung to his body. He jerked at the bindings again, she admired the way the movement made his shoulder muscles bulge.

"I don't know who you are or what you want, but look mister -"

"I am not a mister." She said speaking for the first time.

A smile played at the edges of her lips. They all reacted different when they found out a woman was at the heart of their kidnapping. She wondered which category rich boy fell into.

"Not a mister, huh? No, with a voice like that you couldn't be." He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head. "Didn't I talk to you the other day on that nine hundred hotline? Come on baby talk to me while I sit here."

She had to fight the urge to spit out her last sip. She placed the glass down, regained her thoughts, and stood. It looked like the time had come to teach a couple of her basic lessons.

The sound of her five hundred dollar heels echoed with each step. When she was within a foot of his thigh, she stopped.

"So, little rich boy thinks he's cute."

"Not necessarily. I was just thinking how lucky I am."

"Lucky?" She said and walked around to stand behind him.

He twisted his head as he followed the sound of her heels.

"Yeah, It isn't every day a woman ties me up and makes me squirm."

She untied the French silk scarf from around her neck, leaned down within inches of his ear.

"Am I making you squirm," she said?

He had jumped at the sound of her voice so close, but then he smiled.

The hand that held the scarf twitched.

"Honey, you keep talking in my ear like that I'll do more than just squirm for you."

The honey word did it. She whipped the scarf around his neck, twisted it and pulled tight. He bucked, but the rope contained his movements. She braced her legs apart twisting the fabric just enough to make him pray for every breath.

"I am only going to say this once so listen very carefully. Right now I am allowing you to breathe. If I twist this scarf once more, just like so." She moved her head back as he thrashed. " Your air passage will be shut . . . Lesson One, I am in control," she loosened her grip. "Lesson Two, I am the one with the power. And Lesson Three, I am not your baby or honey. If you like to breathe you'd be wise not to forget these. Understood?"

She released the pressure and pulled the scarf out from under his neck. She watched it caress his jaw as he gasped for air. Mandy walked back to the table and leaned against it watching the color rise up his face. Admitting to herself, how much she was going to miss tormenting her captives.

"So," he choked, clearing his throat. "Now that you have proved your in control what's next, Mademoiselle Dupree."

"You know who I am then?" She said and tried to keep the pride out of her voice.

"Your lessons are infamous. Let's just say, I am a fan."

She raised her eyebrow at that comment.

"A fan?"

"Yeah, you and your gang have been all over the media. Young woman running a group of guys ransoming the wealthiest men in the country. Teaching them her lessons as she goes. I've watched the strategic moves you've made. Not bad ... For an amateur."

"What?" She pushed off the table making it skid on the floor. "You've got a lot of nerve. I should kill you now and forget about the money."

"That's not your style, and we both know it. Besides there won't be any money."

She had been in mid-stride when that statement sank in.

"What do you mean there won’t be any money?"

His broad smile showed the dimple on his left cheek.

She wiped the smile off his face with a swift open handed slap. His head flew to the side but when he righted himself the smile, along with a trickle of blood, remained. He licked the drop of blood, her body trembled. Something wasn't right. She walked over to her Gucci purse, pulled out her revolver. Still no phone call and her victim was acting strange. His lack of fear was something she had never encountered. The hair on the back of her neck spiked.

"I sure am glad I bought Harvey off. This way I know I have you all to myself," he said.

Her hand had just found the gun. The mention of Harvey made her squeeze the trigger. If the safety hadn't been on she would have put a nice bullet whole in her leg. Was he bluffing? He couldn't be. No one except the inner circle new their code names.

"Who are you? How do you know Harvey?"

He shrugged, "When your guys found out this would be the last job they became very talkie. It was easy enough to buy the information I needed."

She watched as he began to move his arms more freely. No, it couldn't be. Her heart began to beat her chest and she double checked that the safety was now off. He continued, "Like I said I have been tracking you for some time now. You think that you kidnapped me, but I set this up."

"Now, I know you’re bluffing. You are sweating like a pig and a few minutes ago you were begging for your life."

Was it her imagination or was he undoing the rope binding him?

"I know you are not a stupid woman. Harvey and I came up with a plan to convince you this was a real job. If you recall, I was soaked when I came in. I wanted to make sure I wasn't taught your lesson on humility. Number ten right? And besides if I was so concerned about my life how come I have yet to scream for help. I know where we are. The back room to this old club is hardly isolated. "

"Who are you?" She had her gun poised, ready to shoot.

Her fingers trembled. She was thankful that the blindfold he wore hid this weakness from the stranger. Thoughts raced through her mind. Rand's sudden illness leaving her alone with this man. Harvey insisting that she not go along on the capture. Had the group finally turned on her?

"I asked you a question," she said then swallowed, "I want to know who you-"

He moved too fast for her to get a round off. He removed his blindfold, bounded out of the chair and had her arms restrained behind her back. The gun became forgotten. His eyes, it was his eyes. She couldn't catch her breath.

"Now I am the one in control and I advise you to listen. Ah, I can see by your expression that you know who I am. Good that pleases me," he said.

She spit in his face and replied, "You’re an arrogant ass. I thought you looked familiar, Rollan."

He tightened his grip to make her stop shifting. "Maybe I am arrogant, but we both know I am the best at what I do."

"So what? Steal a couple diamonds and you think you’re a big shot. Let me go. What do you want from me?"

He laughed then and leaned down, his mouth inches from hers.

"You should be careful when you ask me what I want from you. I may just show you."

She inched her foot between his thighs and lifted her knee aiming for his crotch. Once again he was too quick. He shifted holding her arms with one hand, then grabbed her leg with the other, held it and began to massage the area behind her knee.

"Now, now, be a good girl."

"Obviously, you don't know me that well."

"I know quite a lot actually. I know about your sister and how you’re bored. That's why your ending this game you love to play. And everyone knows about the lesson you give someone when they ask to join up with you. I’m not fond of being framed and sent to jail."

She shrugged, "The lesson on loyalty is the only way I can trust someone. If they go to jail and don't talk, even after I have them beaten and maybe even molested, they can join my circle. But if they fail, they die. It is fairly simple."

"Well, now you can see why I went to the trouble of talking to you this way."

"It is creative. I will give you that, but I started this and now I am ending it," she said.

He loosened his grip and put her leg down.

"What if I offered you an opportunity you couldn't resist? Enough of a payoff that you couldn’t refuse."

"Rollan, I have enough money even without this last ransom. I don’t need more."

She tried to wiggle free from his loosened grip.

"I will say one name to you, Richard Fairchild."

She stopped moving and stared.

"You don't mean who I think you mean, do you?"

He nodded showing his dimple.

"But no one knows where the Fairchild diamonds are or if they even exist. How do you expect to find out?"

"I was hoping that Mademoiselle Dupree and her gang would pay him a nice visit. Maybe teach him a couple of lessons, like you taught me, I am sure we could break him down. If we join forces."

Her mind began to plot and plan out the details before she realized she was smiling. Until that moment she hadn't realized how bittersweet the ending of her criminal career really was to her. At first she had done this to save her sisters life, but now the prospect of this new challenge made her realize she had fallen in love with the game. Adrenaline rushed through her muscles setting them on fire. Her book of lessons would have some new additions. The thought of terrorizing a Billionaire made her lick her lips. There was one last detail that had to be clarified. She looked up into Rollan's eyes, flashed him a smile.

"You know you’re sexier than I remembered Rollan. Of course, then you had your ski mask on." She felt him let go of her hands. Watched his dimple appear. "I will never forget the ice color of your eyes when I caught you in the act." She brought her hands up and placed one on his shoulder, the other on his hip. "Really I am flattered that you are including me in one of your jobs. And I think that I may even take you up on this but-" This time it was Mandy that moved before he could deflate his ego. She sidestepped him, back swiping his leg setting him off balance. Mandy used his own weight and pushed him to the floor. His head hit the wood floor in a thud and she watched him blink several times as she straddled him.

She placed her hands on either side of his head and said "Lesson Four, don't ever underestimate me."