Henry kept his grip on the man's ear, twisting it into a knot. "Oh, Miss Mellon, this gentleman's boss wants to meet me. I'd rather enjoy the performance, but they seem to be in a hurry."
"That makes me curious. What could be so urgent that they need to summon me away from a ball like this? Can you tell me, sir?"
The burly man, whose ear was nearly being torn off, fought through the pain and pleaded, "Miss Mellon, my boss wants to speak with Mr. Brown in private. He kept refusing to come, so he sent us to fetch him."
Christine Mellon was no sheltered girl. She knew perfectly well how three hulking men might "fetch" someone.
What surprised her was that all three had failed to subdue one man, even though he had a female companion in tow.
His ability impressed Christine Mellon, but it did not shock her. Several of her personal guards could knock a grown man down with a single blow.
Films and television made even the strongest fighters trade blows with their opponents, but that was only for the camera. When there was a real gulf in ability, a fight could be decided in a single move.
Still, with things having gone this far, she had to step in. "Mr. Brown, do you believe something is amiss in my home?"
Henry held the man down with one hand, unconcerned about any attempt to strike back, and turned to face the host. "Heh, Miss Mellon, that's putting it rather strongly."
"I've been the CEO of a third-rate Hollywood film company for several years now. I've seen no shortage of strange things in that time."
"You know, the easiest way to ruin someone's reputation is to put him in the wrong place at the wrong