Tilly Bagshawe 3-book Bundle: Scandalous, Fame, Friends and Rivals. Tilly Bagshawe

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СКАЧАТЬ hotels for Wrexall Dupree in Polynesia, and he was in Park City for business, hoping to be brought on board as part of the design team for the new resort, if it ever got off the ground.

      ‘Oh, it’s off the ground,’ said Lottie. ‘It’s flying.’ She told him about her and Jackson’s triumphant meeting with the planning committee today.

      ‘You star! You actually got Jack Brannigan excited about something other than his own nose hairs?’ Francis poured her another drink, her fourth at least. Lottie was vaguely aware of things around her starting to sway. How late was it? Maybe someone should order some food?

      It was after midnight by the time Lottie staggered out of Mastro’s on Francis’s arm. Jackson had failed to show up at all, but after the first hour Lottie didn’t even notice his absence. It was only when Francis had had to foot the entire table’s bill that it occurred to Lottie to be angry at Jackson’s rudeness.

      ‘I don’t care who he is, ish rude. Ish fuggin’ disgraceful.’

      ‘That’s Jackson. I’m used to it,’ laughed Francis. ‘Besides, if I get a slice of this resort deal, it’ll be well worth the cost of a few dinners.’

      ‘Thash not the point,’ slurred Lottie.

      ‘It was worth it anyway. Meeting you. I had a great time.’ He leaned in and kissed her. Lottie closed her eyes and sank into the sensation. It was rather wonderful, the combination of the chill night air and the warmth of Francis’s body. He tasted of coffee and mints and smelled faintly of patchouli oil. Combined with her drunkenness the sensation was heady and delicious, as if all the pent-up tension of the last three days had been unlocked and was pouring out of her body into his arms.

      ‘Lesh go to bed.’

      Francis’s kind, funny face lit up. ‘Your place or mine?’

      Five minutes later they were giggling and kissing their way through the lobby at the Stein Eriksen. Lottie was so drunk she kept bouncing off the walls. ‘Ish these damn shoooooes!’ she kept saying. In the end she sat down on the floor and had Francis pull them off, a process that produced even more fits of giggles.

      ‘What the hell’s going on?’

      Jackson, who had just walked in with a used-looking blonde on his arm, marched over to Lottie and Francis.

      ‘Oh, I remember you,’ Francis teased him. ‘Weren’t you some asshole I agreed to have dinner with once?’ Turning to the blonde he added, deadpan, ‘Don’t sleep with him, love. He’s a martyr to his crabs, is our Jackson.’

      Ignoring him, and the girl, Jackson grabbed Lottie by the arm and yanked her painfully to her feet. ‘You’re making a total spectacle of yourself. Look at you. How much have you had to drink? And what the fuck did you do to your hair?’

      ‘I dyed it,’ said Lottie. ‘I wanted a change.’

      ‘It looks like shit,’ snapped Jackson.

      ‘Hey.’ Francis put his arm around Lottie and pulled her close. He was no longer smiling. ‘Take it easy, Lord Capulet. For one thing, Lottie looks fantastic. And for another, what she does with her hair is none of your business.’

      ‘Don’t give me that protective crap,’ snarled Jackson. ‘You don’t care about Lottie. You don’t even know her.’

      ‘As it happens, I’ve gotten to know her,’ said Francis angrily. ‘We had a long, long dinner at Mastro’s, waiting for you to be bothered to show up. Where the fuck were you?’

      ‘Something came up,’ said Jackson dismissively. There wasn’t a hint of apology in his voice. ‘But it’s nice to know I can trust my friends, Francis. You’ve clearly spent the entire evening getting Lottie drunk enough to agree to fuck you. Well, congratulations. It looks like you succeeded. She looks like a hooker, and now she’s acting like …’

      The punch was so quick and so forceful, Jackson had no time to react. Before he knew what was happening he was flying backwards across the lobby. Not knowing what else to do, the blonde gave a half-hearted scream, but her heart wasn’t in it.

      ‘Fuck you, Jackson.’ Francis was shaking with rage. Lottie, who’d observed the whole scene with shocked dismay, felt herself sobering up fast. ‘If anyone made a fool of themselves tonight, it was you.’ Francis took Lottie’s hand and led her towards the elevator. They’d only got a few paces when Jackson got to his feet, let out a roar of primitive rage and hurled himself at Francis from behind, bringing him to the floor in a flying rugby tackle, and knocking Lottie to one side. Seconds later the two men were writhing on the floor like wrestlers, throwing punches wildly.

      ‘Stop it!’ Lottie shouted. ‘For heaven’s sake. Can’t anybody do something?’ She looked around for any hotel staff. Finally, two barmen and the fat nightshift security guard at reception came over and broke up the fight. Lottie ran straight to Francis, who was bleeding profusely from what looked like a broken nose.

      ‘We should get you to the Emergency Room.’

      ‘I’ll drive him,’ said one of the barmen. ‘You should go get some sleep, miss.’

      Lottie protested, but Francis was insistent. ‘It’s OK. I’ll call you in the morning.’ Meanwhile Jackson’s blonde was hovering around him like an ineffectual Florence Nightingale, murmuring ‘poor baby’ over and over and stroking his hair. Eventually Jackson turned on her. ‘Look, Candice, I’m not in the mood, all right? Let’s just call it a night.’ Instantly the girl’s face soured.

      ‘Fine by me, dickhead. You probably do have crabs, anyway.’ She turned on her heel and stormed out.

      ‘Will you be OK, ma’am?’ the security guard asked Lottie, eyeing Jackson warily. He knew that the two of them were in the Mountain View Suite, and was not at all sure of the wisdom of leaving them alone together there. ‘If you like I’d be happy to accompany you back to your room. Just till things cool down.’

      ‘I’m fine, thank you.’ Lottie glared at Jackson. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of thinking she was afraid of him. ‘I’ll call if I need anything.’

      Jackson and Lottie rode the elevator up to the fourth floor in total silence. The silence continued on the long walk down the corridor to their room, and was only broken once they got inside and Jackson unwisely asked Lottie if she would like to use the bathroom first.

      ‘Don’t speak to me! Don’t even look at me! You are a total, total jerk.’

      ‘Why? Because I told you the truth?’ Jackson shot back. ‘You were drunk and you were making an idiot of yourself. I know Francis O’Donnell a lot better than you do, and I’m telling you, he was trying to take advantage of you.’

      ‘My God. Where do you get off ?’ Lottie didn’t think she’d ever been so angry in her life. ‘You of all people, judging someone else’s sexual behaviour? Their morality? If it weren’t so outrageous it’d be funny. No one was “ taking advantage ” of me. I was with Francis because I wanted to be. Because I was attracted to him.’

      ‘I don’t believe that,’ said Jackson bluntly.

      ‘Why? Because he isn’t on the New York Times’s Hottest Bachelor List? Get over yourself, Jackson. СКАЧАТЬ