Lucky by Jackie Collins Read Free Book Online Page A

simple little Adolfo, and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of blazing sapphires. They matched her eyes, so delicately made up – nothing obvious.
    She was the sort of woman, Lucky decided, who looked like she never went to the bathroom. The thought of Susan and Gino in bed together was laughable.
    ‘I’m so pleased to meet you, dear,’ she said to Lucky. ‘Your father mentions you all the time.’
    Lucky manufactured a smile, and wondered what had happened to the cosy evening for two she and Gino had been enjoying. Susan Martino, Dimitri Stanislopoulos, and Matt Traynor, all joined them at their table. With difficulty, Lucky controlled her impatience.
    Dimitri and Gino recalled their previous meeting. They laughed about it. So long ago and far away. And now the two delinquent daughters grown women.
    ‘Say hello to Lucky,’ said Gino with a grin. ‘She sure remembers you.’ Once he had established Susan was not Dimitri’s date, he had calmed down. And why not? With Susan beside him, so womanly and such a lady in the true sense of the word.
    ‘My pleasure, Lucky,’ said Dimitri, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips where he brushed it with a kiss.
    Old-fashioned bullshit artist. She remembered him on his Greek island the summer she had vacationed there with Olympia. He had been sleeping with one woman, a soignée brunette, and making it on siesta afternoons with another house guest – a long-haired actress with horny eyes and an easy-going husband. According to Olympia, if it moved, her father felt obliged to fuck it. Not so different from Gino, Lucky had thought at the time.
    Two showgirls approached the table. All teeth, tits and hair. One was Matt Traynor’s date – he had the taste of a torn cat, and the other a fix-up for Dimitri. Both girls were visibly impressed by the group they were joining.
    Lucky thought about leaving. But why should she? She decided to sit it out and observe Susan Martino in action.
    The blonde woman did not disappoint. She handled Gino expertly. Every move was the right one. A practised courtesan who had found someone. She wanted and had every intention of getting him.
    Lucky was not fooled by the act.
    Gino was.
    Why am I concerned? Lucky thought. It’s his life.
    Like, hell it is.
    It’s our life. And has been for the last year.
    *   *   *
     
    New York was exciting. So was being away from the Richmond family. Learning about Gino’s business interests was the most exciting of all .
    Lucky found a ready teacher in Costa, who fell for her wide-eyed interest, although he knew Gino would not approve. Day after day she appeared at the office and he began to explain the workings of the various companies. ‘Of course, you’re only a figurehead,’ he said. ‘You’ll never be called upon to get involved .’
    Oh no? That’s what he thought. Like a sponge she absorbed every bit of information. When Craven called angrily from Washington demanding her return, she told him their marriage was over. It was easy to make the move without Gino looking over her shoulder .
    And when Dario arrived reluctantly from San Francisco, and found his sister doing what he should be doing, he was relieved. Business had never interested him, now he could concentrate on his social life, and do all the things Gino would never have allowed. Dario’s main interest was boys not girls .
    Within a year Lucky knew everything there was to know about the various Santangelo operations. Like Gino before her she was a quick study .
    Gino had set up a syndicate of investors to finance the building of the Magiriano. Construction on the hotel had just begun, and the weekly payroll was vast. Since Gino’s exile from America, some of the investors were stalling on paying out .
    ‘Don’t we have agreements with these people?’ Lucky demanded .
    Costa shook his head. ‘No. It was all done on a handshake basis .’
    ‘They gave Gino their word, didn’t they? What would he do if they didn’t’ come