Hooked Up: Book 2

by Richmonde, Arianne

  “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)

  Black Coffee – Julie London

  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

  Sex Bomb – Tom Jones

  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