Scandalous Lies: An addictive, sexy beach read Read online

  ‘We send Christmas cards, but it ends there. I think she sees me as the second wife and that means second best. It’s not important to me.’

  ‘I’ve not seen her at all, does she visit much?’

  ‘Now and again. She’s away at the moment though in America. Her best friend disappeared on a holiday with her boyfriend, who has turned up dead. Georgia’s headed to LA to try and play detective. Devon told me last night.’

  Aaron’s ears pricked up. ‘Not Mitzi Bidgood?’

  ‘That sounds familiar. You know her?’

  ‘She was the girl I was supposed to be dancing with on the TV. It was her disappearance that ruined my chances. The producers binned me because she was out of the picture too. So, your daughter is best mates with Mitzi?’

  ‘She will never be my daughter. We’re virtually the same age. She doesn’t like me being with her father; that much is clear. I guess I am not what you British people call her cup of tea. That is right, yes?’

  Aaron nodded.

  ‘And anyway, if your dancing partner hadn’t disappeared,’ declared Tanya, ‘then you’d never have ended up here with me, would you? So everything happens for a reason. Now, enough of this talk, why don’t you show me some more of those sexual dance moves of yours?’

  Tanya crushed her lips against his and pushed her tongue inside his mouth. Aaron reciprocated hungrily. He could feel his cock stirring back into life. A few seconds later Tanya swooped her head between his legs and greedily took his cock into her mouth, sucking it expertly until it had grown once more to its full length.

  Aaron lay back and watched his Russian lover work her magic on his member. The temptation to make dance analogies quickstepped through his mind. She should work his meat slow, slow, quick, quick, slow and see if she had enough ballroom in her mouth to suck on his sack. He almost spoke but instead just lay back and watched Tanya in action. His words might have been lost in translation anyway, so why ruin the moment?

  As Aaron felt the delirious sensation of blood flooding back into his cock once again, Devon was sitting behind his work office desk letting the darkest of thoughts flood through his mind.

  ‘That Russian slut, how could she? After all I’ve done for her.’ His words were unnecessarily whispered seeing as he was alone in his office, his colleagues having left for the day. Devon had not been able to concentrate on his work. One of the many beneficial things about being so well respected was that nobody dared to question the speed at which you worked. Genius was never on a timer.

  Devon’s brain was full of betrayal, hurt and anger. He had known betrayal was coming. He’d suspected infidelity, wasn’t it what always happened to him? He’d seen the clues, spotted the disorder, could sense his loss of control. The redness of Tanya’s cheeks when she climbed into bed at night, the telltale faint red lines around her wrists where she had been bound. He recognised them. Hadn’t their own love-making been a thing of experimentation and danger not that long ago? But he hadn’t indulged in such activity with her for weeks and not at all since Aaron’s arrival. It was clear that there were undiscovered lies as yet not known to Devon.

  It was such deception that could erode the very tiers of a husband’s self-esteem. Dent him. His ego. His pride. His control. When Sophia had cheated on Devon, it had destroyed his outlook on love, tainting his view of future relationships and shattering any feelings of peace and tranquility. But it had been unexpected with Sophia. Hadn’t he always known Tanya would cheat on him? She was young and beautiful. But wasn’t he the one who had given her everything she desired in life? Now he could change all that if he wished.

  Devon reached inside his Pal Zileri suit pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He located the one he required. Small, shiny and silver in colour.

  He placed the key in the lock of a tall set of filing cabinets on the far side of his office and opened the top drawer. It was full of case study files, all alphabetised. Neat, tidy, efficient. Inserting his hand into the drawer, he felt around, searching for the object of his quest. It only took a second or two to locate. A smile, his first all day, swept across his face.

  Pulling out his hand, he stared at the small gun housed in his palm. The sight of it impressed him every time. Small enough to hold in one hand, but mighty enough to end a life. Total control. An underdog of a weapon.

  He’d used it before and been successful, and he knew that he’d use it again. In fact he was certain.

  Twenty-Nine

  The pain in Victoria’s side was unbearable. She swallowed another painkiller with a swig of water from the white plastic beaker on her bedside table. Popping pills was becoming even more of a regularity since her accident. Anti-depressants and painkillers on a loop.

  It had not been the best of days. When had been, lately? She was still in hospital and it looked like she would be for another few days yet and the pain from the accident seemed to be getting worse and worse. She had read every magazine the hospital had to offer, ploughed her way through a Jackie Collins, successfully demolished a Sudoku puzzle book and listened to every Radio 4 play she could stay awake for but still she was restless.

  The twins had been to see her a few times, but their initial excitement about seeing Mummy in a white gown, connected with tubes and asking if they could see her bruises had turned to a dull fatigue by visit three with the realisation that Mummy wasn’t able to play hide and seek or indulge in any such fun. Playtime doctors and nurses this wasn’t.

  Scott had brought the twins at first, playing the caring, dutiful husband which Victoria hoped he still was. Nothing had been too much trouble. He’d plumped her pillows, tidied the bed and recharged her Kindle. Made sure she was as comfortable as she possibly could be.

  All thoughts of hiring a detective to find out if he was having an affair with Chloe disappeared and for a day or two, Evie’s suggestion was forgotten.

  But then Chloe turned up at visiting time, Lexi in one hand, Leo in the other. She was as pleasant and professional as ever and the kids seemed happy to be with her, but something about her oh-so-sweet ways seemed to grate on Victoria immensely. In fact, the honeyed pleasantries and talk of how she was looking after everything at home while Scott worked so hard, and how Victoria was not to worry and just concentrate on getting better, made Victoria sick to the core. As soon as Chloe and the kids had left, Victoria had phoned the private investigator recommended by Evie and employed his services. She needed to know the truth.

  Victoria was contemplating buzzing her bedside alarm for another painkiller when there was a knock at the door.

  ‘Mind if I come in?’

  A wave of delight weaved its way across Victoria’s face as she spied Charlie Cooper in the doorway. For a moment all pain disappeared as she stared at him. He looked beyond handsome. His sculpted beauty suddenly reminded her that she was looking far from presentable herself, a fact that suddenly seemed to matter. Her hair hadn’t been styled in days, her face was make-up free and white hospital gowns were a look that not even Selena Gomez could make sexy. And she was not Victoria’s body shape.

  ‘Charlie, how lovely to see you. What a wonderful surprise.’ Who needed painkillers when simply staring at a thing of beauty like Charlie could perk up any patient?

  ‘I heard about what happened. I thought I’d pop in with these.’ He was carrying enough magazines to keep a recycling plant in business for a year. ‘There’re some fashion magazines, celebrity ones, interiors. I picked the ones I’d seen lying around at Georgia’s flat.’ He winked at her. Was it flirtation or mere bravado?

  A little stab of jealousy pricked Victoria’s heart at the mention of Georgia’s name.

  ‘She sends her love, by the way. She’s in the States so couldn’t come with me today.’

  Damn. Victoria had been secretly hoping that Charlie had come to see her alone of his own free will. He pulled up a chair, turned it towards himself and sat down next to the bed. There was an air of cockiness in the way that he straddled his legs over the chair
and pulled the seat as close to the bed as possible. Victoria could feel a flush of colour run to her cheeks. Was he green-lighting her?

  ‘Is she working there?’ enquired Victoria, trying to keep herself together.

  ‘No, not at all. She wants to be closer to Mitzi, to find out what’s being done to try and locate her. Georgia is determined to do what she can. She’s staying with my mum and Jacob.’

  ‘Give her my love.’

  ‘I will. So, have you had many visitors?’

  ‘Scott and the kids have been in, so has the nanny. Apart from that it’s just been Evie and you. It’s a bit too far for my parents to pop in. Hopefully I’ll be out of here before they’d even reach New Orleans airport.’

  ‘Evie Merchant?’

  ‘Yes, we were at college together and she was in the same Zumba group as Mitzi. As was your Georgia.’ Victoria silently berated herself for adding the word ‘your’. Like she wanted reminding. And she hoped that he didn’t, either.

  ‘I’m actually interviewing her tomorrow about her latest film. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve never met her before.’

  ‘That surprises me, I would have thought a showbiz reporter of your calibre would have met everybody by now.’ She was fawning but couldn’t help herself. It definitely took her mind off the pain.

  ‘No, she’s on my wanted list, along with Cher, Coco Rocha and Shaquille O’Neal.’

  ‘Well, I could have helped with Evie, but it sounds like you already have it covered. As for the others, well, I’m afraid I’ve actually only heard of Cher. And seeing as she’s not been in for a visit I guess I can say we’re not bosom buddies.’ Victoria allowed herself to laugh, amused by her own joviality, but her joy turned to pain as an incision of discomfort shot into her side, causing her to break into a fit of coughing.

  Charlie stood up and moved towards her. ‘Woah, that sounds harsh,’ he commented. ‘You need me to fetch a nurse?’ Without realising it, he had taken one of her hands in his. It was an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Victoria and she squeezed it gently. For a moment, both her coughing and indeed time itself seemed to stop.

  ‘No, I’m fine,’ lied Victoria. ‘It’s just the pain from my ribs. I’ll live. I just won’t be doing any paragliding or zip-lining for a while,’ she smiled, coughed, smiled.

  ‘Look, I’ll leave you be. I just wanted to pop in and say that I was thinking about you, and that if there is anything we can do, then be sure to ring Georgia and me. You girls swapped numbers in India, didn’t you? You take care of yourself and make sure that husband and nanny of yours look after you well. Take lots of bed rest.’

  Charlie leant in to kiss her goodbye on the cheek. Victoria took advantage of their closeness to enjoy the feel of his five o’clock shadow against her flesh and the smell of his cologne. He smelled as divine as he looked.

  As he left she watched him walk out of the room and down the hospital corridor out of view. Even from behind he looked a picture perfect vision of masculinity. God, bed rest? If she was under the sheets with Charlie Cooper, the last thing she’d be doing would be resting.

  Victoria snapped out of her daydream, a sharp jolt of heat jabbing into her side again. ‘Screw this, I need more painkillers,’ she winced, pressing the button for a nurse.

  If only Charlie Cooper was available on prescription. She’d gladly take three of him a day to ease the pain.

  Thirty

  ‘Okay, Nova. We need you to jump into the pool again, grab the inflatable crocodile and jiggle around on it in an attempt to swim. If you can stick your ass above the water as you do, so we can get that on camera, too? You need to look like you really want to impress Cain.’

  The voice, twisted with a mixture of hope, professionalism and exasperation, belonged to the director of the latest bizarre episode of Champagne Super Nova, one in which Nova decides that she would like to learn to swim in the hope of auditioning for a Baywatch remake. Props for this episode included the tiniest of leopard print bikinis, barely covering either Nova’s breasts or her fulsome backside, an inflatable croc to add a fun element and Cain, the Chris Hemsworth lookalike swimming instructor, also wearing the most crotch-grabbing miniscule piece of fabric the show makers could find to enhance his role as Nova’s tutor.

  He was no more a swimming instructor than Georgia was. She was watching the action with Jacob, somewhat jet-lagged but sun-kissed beside the family home swimming pool. Or at least as close to the pool as the bank of cameras, producers, directors, assistant producers, runners and Uncle Tom Cobleys blocking her view would allow. Georgia thought she knew TV, but TV LA Super Nova style was something else.

  This was Take Fourteen of what she assumed would be no more than maybe a forty second clip on the show. They’d been filming it ever since her arrival at the house some four hours earlier. Poor Nova must have been running out of ways to jiggle.

  ‘Is it always like this?’ joked Georgia, turning to Jacob. It felt good to be in LA, nearer to where Mitzi might be. Nearer to the truth. She adjusted the loose fitting Zara shirt that draped over her swimsuit as she turned towards Charlie’s stepdad.

  ‘This is a good day. Take Fourteen is nothing. If we’re not happy with the angle of the shot, how Nova’s body looks, how the sun is glinting off swimboy’s abs over there then the scene is reshot. The only trouble with today is that Nova jumping into water means having to redo hair and make-up between every take. Heaven forbid the world see Nova with smudged lipstick or a hair out of place. She’d have my balls under one of her six inch heels, and that’s the last thing I want. It’s the madness of it all, and Nova gets that. I call scenes like this her “caricature” moments. She knows just how to play up to the LA lunacy.’

  ‘I assumed you’d be knocking the shows out as you produce so many. I guess I’m used to live TV and the immediacy of it all. I really didn’t think it would be so complex.’

  ‘Imagine what it’s like for the Kardashians. At least with Nova being the sole star she is the only one we have to focus on to make sure she looks better than the rest. With the mass of females in their show there has to be a bit of, how shall I say, friendly rivalry, to see who obtains the best shot. And I’ve heard on the grapevine that the guys on that show are just as precious.’

  ‘Are you on your show very often?’

  ‘As little as I can get away with. Nova insists now and again but if it was down to me I’d rather be the enigma husband, like Dolly Parton’s. People know he exists but nobody really sees him. But Nova has turned this production into one of the most lucrative global shows ever, so what she wants, she can bloody well have. As long as I agree, of course. I’m boss.’

  Georgia liked Jacob. He was old-school, maybe a touch overly honest and brutal with his words at times but he knew that success came from keeping the talent happy. And it was clear that he loved the talent of this particular production to her bikini-covered bones. She made him money, she made him happy.

  ‘How do I look, darling?’ It was Nova shouting across the pool at her husband. She gave one of her obligatory boob wiggles as she asked. The leopard print strained against the expanse of taut flesh barely contained below it.

  ‘Fabulous, my angel, fabulous. Like something from an erotic Busby Berkeley musical.’

  The reference was lost on Georgia, but clearly not on Nova who squeezed her breasts together at him like a larger-than-life Marilyn. She reminded Georgia of one of those curvaceous Hollywood sirens from days gone by. She was old-school too. No wonder she and Jacob were the perfect lid for the perfect pot.

  ‘And what about you, Georgia? Are you loving this? Isn’t Bel-Air just the most?’

  Georgia gave the thumbs up, unsure what to say. It felt wrong to admit that she was enjoying the frivolity of it all, a brief respite from the darkness that constantly circled her thoughts concerning Mitzi, but she needed today, because tomorrow would be so, so different. Of that she was sure…

  ‘This is my future daughter-in-law, everybody, Geor
gia Bellamy. Devoted girlfriend of my darling Charlie, fresh off the plane from England.’ Nova was enjoying holding court. Being the star turn at the circus.

  Georgia held her hands up and wiggled her fingers at those gathered as if to acknowledge the fact. Again she was unsure what exactly the most fitting response should be to Nova’s exuberance. She noticed a hushed ripple of conversation circle around the pool as she waved.

  ‘Just go with it,’ said Jacob, reaching over to squeeze Georgia’s knee. ‘It’s Nova’s way of showing her approval. But you get married in your own good time.’

  Georgia smiled. Nova may be a broken record but she was still one Georgia enjoyed listening to. And Jacob was the perfect DJ. He knew just how to play her. His way.

  Georgia sipped her drink and lay back, enjoying the sunshine. She had to force herself to relax after her flight and today was her only chance. She had decided that tomorrow she would drive to Hell’s Canyon, the scene of Mitzi’s disappearance and the place where Foster’s body had been discovered. There she could hopefully start piecing things together. There wasn’t a moment to lose.

  Evie was thoroughly enjoying her interview with Charlie Cooper. She had spent a career trying to avoid awkward questions about her past, her leading men, her failed relationships, her celebrity friends, so for once it was wholly refreshing to lose herself in an interview that was all about fun. Light, frothy and not at all hard-hitting. She found Charlie captivating and incredibly easy on the eye. Georgia was a lucky girl. The only air of seriousness came when Evie was having her microphone removed and Charlie mentioned having seen Victoria the day before. The concern was plain to see on Evie’s face.

  ‘The poor girl, but she’s lucky to be alive. It could have been so much worse. I hear she’s due out very soon. It’ll be good for her to be at home. Or at least I hope it will.’