Kate Hart is a bright, out-spoken, accomplished woman who wields her own power against Dominic Knight's authoritarian impulses. Even on their first encounter, when he pushes, she pushes back. But he needs her skills and does what he does best-makes a deal. Kate, on the other hand, understands that in a measured way, she has leverage too. So the game begins with both protagonists aware of the other's competence. (This is not a story about a clumsy schoolgirl wide-eyed in the company of a man of wealth and power.