Page 133 of Guilty Pleasures

‘So, Glenda,’ said Isaac, seeing them both to the door. ‘Will I see you at the opera tonight?’

Cassandra fell silent as they talked, knowing she was biding her time.

She and Glenda walked to the lift together, tension prickling between them.

‘No hard feelings?’ smiled Glenda coolly.

Cassandra shrugged as she pulled on her fox fur coat.

‘I’m obviously not delighted.’

The lift pinged open and they walked inside, both studiously avoiding each other’s gaze.

‘Out of interest,’ said Cassandra, still looking forward, ‘how did you find out about the Georgia shoot?’

‘Oh, you know, industry gossip.’

Cassandra turned to face her.

‘I doubt that.’

‘If you must know,’ smiled Glenda sweetly, ‘it was Giles Banks.’

Cassandra looked back at the lift doors to hide her surprise and fury.

‘I doubt that also,’ she said, keeping her voice level.

&nbs

p; ‘Really? I spoke to him in the summer about a job. We’ve been in touch ever since. I don’t think he meant to tell me,’ said Glenda with relish, her mouth twisting cruelly. ‘But you know, I can be very persuasive.’

The lift doors slid open and Cassandra turned to face Glenda, her eyes blazing.

‘Now that I believe,’ she said. ‘But you know, Glenda, I can be very persuasive too.’

As she turned to leave, her heels clicking on the marble of Isaac’s lobby, Cassandra was sure she could hear Glenda laughing softly.

44

‘I was thinking about maybe Ibiza next August,’ said Stella, beaming at Johnny sitting opposite her. They were having dinner at the Panton House restaurant just outside Chilcot and all evening, Stella had been unable to talk about anything else but wedding plans.

‘There are some amazing villas out there,’ she said licking the last of her raspberry sorbet from her spoon. ‘Or maybe even your mum and dad’s place in St Jean? We could invite everyone over. It would be more like a holiday than a marriage.’

Johnny shrugged.

‘If we have it overseas, all our guests will want to hang around for days afterwards,’ he said moodily. ‘Call me a crazy romantic but do we really want one hundred and fifty people on our bloody honeymoon?’

He nodded at the waiter to request the bill.

‘Anyway, I’ve got some good news to tell you.’

‘And you’ve kept it quiet all through dinner, you fox,’ said Stella, trying to hide her disappointment that he didn’t seem as enthusiastic about the wedding planning as she was. Still, he was a man.

‘I’ve got a couple of auditions in LA next week,’ he said, pausing for effect, ‘and one of them is with Ridley Scott!’

‘That’s great news,’ smiled Stella. Johnny had signed to the William Morris agency in LA six weeks earlier and he was already generating a great deal of interest.

‘Ridley-fucking-Scott, man!’ he said, smiling to himself. ‘The man’s a bloody legend! I don’t know why I didn’t get an LA agent sooner. I can’t bloody wait to get out there. Which is why we need to talk …’