Martin, Interrupted 2

The welcoming sounds of atmospheric laughter and tinkling, expensive dinnerware only filled Martin with dread. The more times his friends invited him to these "mixers", the more depressed he became. They thought they were helping, but his mental state would have none of it.

As he made his way to the bar, there were beautiful people everywhere. He locked glances briefly with a tall, leggy brunette. She held a champagne flute gracefully in her delicate, well manicured hand. She couldn't have been more than 23. Her voice sounded like honey as she conversed with a balding, utterly forgettable middle aged man. A toss of her long glossy hair accompanied by a perfectly timed giggle told Martin that she was in it to win it, he didn't know who balding guy was but he was surely loaded.

That's what these events were for. They matched single, filthy rich men with women who in real life wouldn't have given them the gum off her shoe. They were usually orchestrated by a professional matchmaker, hired by a corporate entity. Too much unbridled testosterone within it's upper ranks can often lead to liability for huge corporations, it was cheaper to hold functions like these than to pay out millions of dollars in sexual harassment lawsuits.

Heavy blue velvet drapes framed the mahogany bar, gold accents shimmered in the ambient lighting. The setup was truly stunning, as were the women carefully chosen to attend. The smell of French press coffee lingered in the air. Desserts too beautiful to eat dotted the tables. Slender supermodels-in-waiting picked absently at them with sterling forks as they gazed soulfully into the dull eyed executive for whom she had been chosen to entertain. It was certainly a feast for the senses. It was also a whorehouse at it's core, everyone there was just too ashamed to call it what it was.

Martin was a bit younger than most of the men there. In his early 40's, he had made his fortune in silicone valley early on in what was a typical start up story. He had been married to his high school sweetheart when he began forging his fortune. He loved her with everything he had right up until she breathed her last breath, holding his hand with hospice staff standing tentatively in the doorway. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't stop the disease that stole Josie's memory, her personality, and her life within a year.

He stood at the bar lost in thought, poking at his vodka gimlet when a woman in a green satin gown floated to his side.