Alexis Winters rolled her eyes. Yet another polyester-bearded
Santa Claus gawked at her bare legs. The straps of her what-thehell-was-I-thinking high-heeled pumps dug into her ankles as she
snaked through the crowds toward Grand Central Station. Slipping
the phone from her purse’s outside pocket, she glanced at the
time. 7:34. Damn. She had eleven minutes to catch her train or
she’d be stuck in the city for another hour. A soggy chill that only
a New York City December evening could produce found its way
to her toes. It wasn’t comfortable, but she sure as hell didn’t regret
shimmying out of her pantyhose in the ladies room before leaving
the office. The cold air swirling around her calves felt like heaven
compared to the past ten hours spent in a stagnant office.
Kicking up her pace to power-walk mode, Alexis pushed through
the revolving doors into the station and headed toward Track 17.
She took a split second to appreciate the vaulted ceilings and
massive windows of one of the city’s treasures. Climbing the
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