Free Sapphire by Katie Price Page A

moved down a month ago. Any chance you could show me around sometime?’ He gazed at her with his green eyes, challenging her, daring her.
    ‘Sure, no problem,’ she said casually, while inside she performed a little victory dance.
Sapphire
Jones
,
you
have
not
lost
your
touch
! ‘I’m tied up for the rest of the week but I could do something next week.’ She didn’t want to sound too available. ‘We could go for lunch and take a walk round the city.’ Lunch, businesslike, safe. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, he was a work contact that was all.
    ‘I’d like that. Here’s my number.’
    He handed her his card and their fingers brushed against each other. Sapphire tried to ignore the chain reaction that this triggered inside her, but she couldn’t deny the jolt of attraction. Ah well, she reasoned walking along the seafront and towards the bar, there wasnothing wrong with a little flirtation. That never hurt anyone did it?
    She was still smiling she walked into the Star Bar, an intimate, trendy bar, just off one of the roads by the sea which the girls had adopted as their local. Jazz and Sam were sitting at their regular spot, on the brown leather sofa by the window. ‘So, it wasn’t that bad seeing the evil one then?’ Sam said as she and Jazz noted the smile. ‘We were expecting you to have the right hump.’
    ‘Not so bad at all. The deal he’s offering me is a good one and,’ Sapphire’s smile broadened, ‘he has got the most gorgeous business partner!’
    She looked at Jazz and Sam expecting them to share her enthusiasm but they both frowned. ‘You’ve got a gorgeous boyfriend – remember?’ Sam put in.
    ‘I know! I was just window shopping, keep your hair on!’ Sapphire shot back, hating her friends’ judgemental attitude. She hadn’t done anything wrong. ‘Shall I get the drinks in? Or do you want to carry on having a go at me just because I happened to say that another man is good-looking?’
    ‘Vodka and coke, please,’ Jazz replied.
    ‘Mineral water for me,’ came Sam’s request.
    Sapphire raised her eyebrows, ‘Not like you, Sam.’
    ‘Yeah, well, I’m on this diet and for once I’m going to stick to it and that means no alcohol. I know myself too well. I’ll have one drink and then I’ll have another then another and then I’ll be starving and it won’t be the steamed fish and veg I reach for but a bloody great bucket of KFC, but not this time!’ Sam’s hazel eyes took on a determined gleam. ‘This is the year I become a size 12 and meet the man of my dreams!’
    ‘Go, girlfriend!’ Sapphire replied. Please let this diet work, she didn’t know how many more times she could listen to Sam going on about her weight.
    Sam rolled her eyes, and Sapphire added, ‘I wasn’t being sarcastic. Honestly, I think it’s great. I tell you what, why don’t I ask Jay if he could give you some one-to-one training sessions. I could pay; it could be my early birthday present to you.’
    She was fully expecting Sam to make a list of excuses as she hated going to the gym, and was pleasantly surprised when she replied, ‘I’d love that Sapphire, do you really think you could?’
    ‘Course, I’ll speak to him tonight.’
    Sapphire headed off to the bar, feeling very pleased with herself, convinced that Jay could work wonders with Sam. It was while she was waiting to be served that she remembered her mum’s text. Shit! She reached for her phone and discovered she had two missed calls from her mum and when she accessed her voicemail the messages her mum had left sounded desperate. She didn’t usually sound so upset when she called Sapphire; something really must be wrong. Quickly Sapphire selected her mum’s number. Christine answered on the first ring and was decidedly shaky.
    ‘Mum, are you okay?’ Sapphire asked, feeling suddenly anxious.
    ‘No, I’m not, Sapphire. Can you come over? I can’t talk about it on the phone.’
    Wondering what on earth could be that urgent