Free Hooked Up: Book 3 by Arianne Richmonde

buying options, rather than anything that existed. The features could help us budget our documentaries that were, bit by bit, gaining more recognition. Not to mention the favor Alexandre was granting us: HookedUp Enterprises getting free advertising on his social media site. Another reason to keep that name.

    WHILE I WAS busy doing a spurt of cleaning, organizing, chucking out the old and in with the new, Laura called. Finally. About time. Now I could get on with my life and plans, get a few facts straightened out. I could tell, right away, by the tone in her voice, that she was feeling triumphant.
    “Hello, Pearl,” she purred in her upper class British drawl. She sounded like Cruella De Vil. Perhaps if she got her hands on Rex, she’d turn him into a fur wrap. “Sorry I haven’t got back to you but we’ve been busy.”
    We’ve.
    “Laura, stop trying to pretend that you and Alexandre are an item. I’m not buying it.”
    She groaned. “God, I hate that American expression, ‘buying it.’ You lot should really learn how to speak properly. You’ve got us now infected with your way of speech: all your inane TV shows . . . going up at the end of perfectly normal sentences as if they’re questions when they’re not. Saying cute instead of sweet, warranty instead of guarantee, kidding instead of joking. Next thing you know we’ll be calling our knickers panties.”
    “Speaking of panties, Laura, stop throwing yours at Alexandre. It’s over between you two and it has been for three years. You’re acting like some deluded fan who won’t take no for an answer.”
    “Ooh, Pearl, I can see your claws are really out for the kill.”
    “You bet they are, Laura. Just keep away from Alexandre, okay?”
    “How can I keep away from him when he won’t keep away from me?”
    “Stop bullshitting me, Laura.”
    “I think you’ll find out in time, Pearl, that you’re the deluded one, not me.”
    “I want to ask you a few direct questions and I’d like direct answers, please.”
    Silence.
    “Laura? Are you still there?” I asked between gritted teeth.
    “I really don’t think I owe you a thing after you insulted me. Do you know what it’s like being in a wheelchair? To imagine never being able to dance again? Or sail. Or even walk. Can you imagine that?”
    “I apologize, I do, for insulting you at your front door. It was a gross, unkind thing to say and I’m glad that you are no longer in a wheelchair, but it doesn’t give you license to lie to me. Pretending that Sophie was out to kill me. Lying about you and Alexandre, telling me that you were sleeping with him again and getting married and—”
    “What makes you so sure that’s not true, Pearl?”
    “Because Alexandre swears it’s not true, that’s why.”
    “He’ll swear his father just ‘disappeared,’ too. He’s a good liar, Pearl. Anything to get into your ‘panties,’ as you so vulgarly call them.”
    I could see this conversation was going nowhere, fast. “Why did you lie to me about Sophie?”
    “For your own good.”
    I sat on the edge of my bed, kicked off my shoes furiously, and held the phone closer. “Something tells me, Laura, that you are so not concerned about my welfare.”
    “Listen, it’s only a matter of time until Alexandre and I are back on track. It was kinder to nip things in the bud between you two, sooner rather than later.”
    This woman is something else!
    “You don’t give up, do you?” I spat out.
    “Alexandre and I are meant to be together. One day, you will accept that. Really, Pearl. Give up. I’m stronger, mentally, than you are. I’m like a Rottweiler with a bone. You’ll see. Soon, you’ll be so exhausted by this whole ordeal that you’ll be handing me Alexandre on a platter, relieved to be out of it. Do you really want to go into battle with me? Do you really want to find out what I’m capable of?”
    “I don’t take threats lightly.”
    “Oh, please, don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a