Armani Angels by Cate Kendall Read Free Book Online Page B

Chantelle had travelled from the UK to see the world. She was twenty-one when she’d got the temp job as receptionist at IQPR, the international PR firm where Gemma was the rising star. It hadn’t taken long for management to notice Chantelle’s eager-to-please attitude and upbeat personality and offer her a full-time position on the front desk.
    It hadn’t taken much longer for the CEO, multimillionaire, player and divorcee extraordinaire, Ed Portsmouth, to fall in love with her and offer her a full-time position in his marital bed.
    He was fifty years old to Chantelle’s twenty-five as she walked down the aisle, or more accurately, a Thai beach. ‘It’s so romantic,’ Chantelle had sighed when she’d struck upon the idea. And so different, she’d decided, because no one got married on the beach. She opted for a white sarong and bikini instead of a dress and all the guests went barefoot. There were hibiscus bouquets and the bride and groom sported matching tattoos on their biceps. Gemma was one of the handful of guests.
    The gossips loved the fact that Chantelle was Ed’s fourth wife and the same age as his twin sons from his first marriage and that Chantelle was a receptionist from a working-class neighbourhood in Essex who dressed like Pink, with a body like Barbie.
    But Gemma knew her friend was truly in love. She also could see from a mile away that Chantelle was looking for a father-figure and found it in Ed.
    Tragically Ed keeled over from a massive heart attack on their first anniversary during a lovemaking session. It had actually been the fifth session for the afternoon so Chantelle had been racked with guilt. Her sobbing at the funeral, ‘I’m a murderer; it’s all my fault, I killed him,’ had not assisted her at all in the resulting bitter court case where the twin boys fought her for the millions of dollars in assets and capital she’d inherited on Ed’s passing. The case was eventually thrown out but she’d split the fortune evenly in the end and gave the boys half. ‘Just to make them go away,’ she’d told Gemma, ‘annoying little sods that they are.’ She’d always treated them more like brothers than stepsons.
    The grief hit Chantelle hard. She had loved Ed and their romance was just in its prime. She mourned for three years before feeling ready to face the singles scene again.
    â€˜So it’s just a hell week,’ Chantelle concluded, then downed her glass and sat slumped. But she pepped up again within seconds. ‘Oh, what am I like? Going on like this after your nasty turn at the spa the other day.’ She turned to face Gemma.
    â€˜How are you doing now?’
    Mercedes pulled a downward face in sympathy.
    â€˜Yes, darling, how are you? That was so frightfully embarrassing for you, you poor thing. Fancy having everyone stare like that – how dreadful for you.’
    Gemma hadn’t been aware that anyone had stared. She suddenly didn’t feel so comfortable with sharing, especially not the parts about her family life.
    â€˜Apparently it’s caffeine. I’d hit it too hard that morning and it brought on a panic attack.’
    â€˜Nooo! Coffee?’ Chantelle squeaked. ‘That’s completely mad, that is!’
    â€˜Well, I must admit, it makes sense. I was lying there and my mind was going a mile a minute. I’m so worried about everything, and it was like my brain short-circuited and I just snapped.’
    â€˜Yes, the exact same thing happened to one of my clients,’ Mercedes purred, ‘but much worse; she had to be hospitalised. I don’t think it was a panic attack though, more a heart arrhythmia, so it was like an actual illness.’
    â€˜So it wasn’t exactly the same then,’ Gemma pointed out.
    â€˜Yeah, like not at all,’ Chantelle guffawed. ‘But you go on, luv. What’s this about “worries”? Is it the business