“Bollocks. You Americans don’t get our acerbic sense of humor. You’re all so earnest and, ‘have a nice day.’ We’re different from you lot. You need someone more your own age, too. Ah, look the tea’s arrived. Do you take milk?”
Mrs. Blake waddled in with a tray. I got up, unsteady on my feet. I felt as if I was going to faint. “No thank you, I need to go.”
“Please yourself. I’ll tell Alexandre you dropped by.”
I turned around. I needed to know one last thing. “What about Rex?”
She threw up her hands. “Rex? Well, we’ll have him shipped over here of course. I hate New York, wouldn’t dream of living in that shithole, so we’ll be in London full time. That’s when we’re not wintering in the Caribbean. I’m not big on dogs, but you know, he’s Alex’s pride and joy so I suppose I’ll have to deal with the creature.”
The creature? Alex? I wanted to slap her face, but she would have probably beaten me with her witch’s cane.
I slowly began to slink out of the house, feeling like the most worthless human being alive.
Laura remained cheery and nauseatingly jolly, waving as I left. But just as I reached the door, she called after me, “Shame about your divine Zang Toi wedding dress—what a waste.”
I pretended I didn’t hear. It was as if she had sucked out all my energy with her painful words. I had no gumption, no force or ammunition left inside me to defend myself. There I was talking with Daisy about women needing armor, and I had none. I felt shamed. My head slung low like a beaten dog, I padded out of the house, my misery trailing me like a murky shadow.
I was so crushed and weak I decided to sit on a park bench, by the square that faced her grand house, to regroup my fragmented dignity. I got out my iPod and put on the first song I found: the Blues, Billie Holiday, Foolin’ Myself. How apt. I stayed there for a good few minutes, mulling over all the cruel but probably truthful things Laura had told me, or rather, fired at me like a relentless machine gun. I agreed with Billie Holiday, I am through with love and I’ll have nothing more to do with love. What was the point ever opening myself up again? Even if I had gone through with the marriage in Vegas with Alexandre, it would have, at some point, come to an abrupt end. Alexandre was still in love with Laura. As she said, I’d been just a “detour.” The “rebound.”
I thought of my beautiful wedding gown, probably being worked on that moment. Crystals hand-sewn on the train, the exquisite silk smoothed and pressed, a myriad of tiny, feminine fingers working on all the details. I’d noticed Zang Toi had mostly women in his atelier, busy as dedicated bees, their keen eyes supervising every fine stitch, every delicate fold. What was I going to do about that dress, that work of art? Give it to a museum?
And just when I was about to dial Alexandre’s number—to talk to him and hear the truth from his lips, praying that there may have been some mistake, some misunderstanding, or that it could all be a fantasy on Laura’s part—reality slapped me in the face. I saw the thing I was dreading most in the world: Alexandre approach Laura’s front door.
I observed the scene, wishing I could look away, but I was transfixed. He was holding what looked like a gift-wrapped box. She opened the door, tossed her golden mane and threw her loving arms around his broad shoulders. Meanwhile, his cell went straight to voicemail. Why bother even leaving a message? I’d seen all there was to see, proof that Laura wasn’t lying.
Then the glossy black door, with its brass lion’s head, shut with a bang, and I felt as if it had slammed right in my face.
It wasn’t Sophie who was my enemy. No.
It was Laura all along.
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Pearl and Alexandre have small cameo roles in both the Glass Trilogy books (Shards of Glass, Broken Glass, and Hearts of Glass) and The Star Trilogy. Elodie has a cameo role in the psychological suspense novel Stolen Grace. Click on any of the book covers for more details.
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Pearl’s & Alexandre’s Playlist for the Hooked Up Series
Pierre Bachelet and Herve Roy – Emmanuelle
Come To Me High – Rumor
Air – Bach
Under My Thumb – The Rolling Stones
Gymnopédie No.1 – Erik Satie
At Last – Etta James
Prelude in E-Minor – Frédéric Chopin
Black Cherry – Goldfrapp
Nothing Compares 2U – Sinead O’Connor (written by Prince)
Sex Machine – James Brown
Is This Love? – Bob Marley
What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
Crazy For You – Madonna
Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel
If I Were A Boy – Beyonce
You’re So Vain – Carly Simon
Je T’Aime Moi Non Plus – Jane Birkin et Serge Gainsbourg
To listen to the Shades of Pearl soundtrack
Pearl’s playlist continued . . .
Lullaby – Brahms
Autumn in New York – Sarah Vaughn
Hotel California – The Eagles
Surfin’ USA – The Beach Boys
Woman – Neneh Cherry
Witchcraft – Frank Sinatra
I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It – Katy Perry
Leaving on a Jet Plane – John Denver (Sung by Chantal Kreviazuk)
She’s a Rainbow – The Rolling Stones
Foolin’ Myself – Billie Holiday
To listen to the Shadows of Pearl soundtrack
Pearl’s list continued . . .
Sweet Dreams – Patsy Cline
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Ben – Michael Jackson
Little Things – One Direction
Nobody Does It Better – Carly Simon
Mon Ami – Kim
Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles
Non, Je ne Regrette Rien – Edith Piaf
Young At Heart – Frank Sinatra
Starman – David Bowie
To listen to the Shimmers of Pearl soundtrack
Alexandre’s Playlist
Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love Baby – Barry White
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis Presley
Sex Machine – James Brown
Feeling Good – Nina Simone
Can’t Take My Eyes off You – Frankie Valli and The 4 Seasons
Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
Mission Impossible Theme
Personal Jesus – Johnny Cash
Miss You – The Rolling Stones
Je T’aime . . . Moi Non Plus – Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg
Manhattan Serenade – Jo Stafford
Frozen – Madonna
To listen to the Pearl soundtrack
Alexandre’s list continued . . .
Un Homme et Une Femme – Francis Lai
Lady Grinning Soul – David Bowie
California Girls – The Beach Boys
Je ne Regrette Rien – Edith Piaf
Royals – Lorde
Skyfall – Adele
You Really Got Me – The Kinks
Cello concerto in D Minor – Vivaldi
Black Coffee – All Saints
Unchained Melody – Righteous Brothers
Utopia – Gold Frapp
Wake Up Little Suzy –
Everly Brothers
To listen to the Belle Pearl soundtrack
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Newsletter Freebies
Post-Mortem
Rape
The Mile High Club
Provence
Cougar
Tipsy
The Dagger
Rex
Fire
The Proposal
Engaged
Anthony
Girl Power
Daisy
Double Trouble
We Have Lift Off
Sophie
Suspicion
Los Angeles
Nightmares
A Woman’s World
Duped
Welcome to Hollywood
Forget Fear. Worry About the Addiction
Pussy Whipped
Car Chase
Sibling Reunion
What’s Yours Will Come Back to You
The Bastard Gene
Dad
Wanting Cake and Eating It Too
Back in His Arms Again
Girl Talk
What Laura Did
Connect with the Author
Pearl’s & Alexandre’s Playlist for the Hooked Up Series
Alexandre’s Playlist