Free Falling from Grace: A Billionaire Romantic Suspense series (The Filth Monger Series Book 1) by Annabel Chant Page B

her mouth to reply, the doorbell rang. I was glad I’d drunk my tea, because I jumped violently.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ said Liv, with a grimace.
    ‘Is it…’ I whispered. ‘Is it her ?’
    ‘Reckon so,’ she said, getting up reluctantly and heading to the door. She stopped in the doorway, and looked back. ‘Unless,’ she said, with a grin. ‘It’s Gav, back for round two.’
    Of the two, I’d have preferred Gav.
     
    I heard Liv answer the door, and the sound of a female voice – a voice I knew only too well. I sat there, gripping the edge of the sofa and wondering what to say to get rid of her.
    Liv came back into the room. She went to speak, but someone pushed past her. ‘Oh my god , Grace. Just look at the state of you!’
    It was Kitty Hart, WAG extraordinaire and wife of the fabled Johnno. Johnno was a legend among the fans. He’d been with the club since the youth team, and captain for nearly eight years. He was also the only other one, out of the six caught up in the Hull affair, that wasn’t single.
    Kitty was leggy, blonde and busty. She was the archetypal bimbo, except that she wasn’t at all. It was an act, and she excelled at it. She was a business woman, through and through, even more popular among the male fans than Johnno, mainly due to her habit of appearing naked at every opportunity. Purely for profit, mind you, and nowadays only for the most select of men’s publications.
    She was also the last person I wanted to see right now.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ Liv said, again. She’d been apologising ever since she’d got home. ‘I tried to put her off, but…’
    ‘I know.’ Kitty gave a ridiculous tinkly laugh. ‘Leo didn’t know where you were, and you weren’t answering your phone, so I went to your offices.’
    ‘I heard,’ I said, blankly.
    ‘And they wouldn’t say, but I could tell they knew, so…’
    ‘So she refused to leave,’ Liv butted in, angrily. ‘Max was furious.’
    ‘In the end you told me, didn’t you, Liv?’ Kitty threw her a conspiratorial smirk, which Liv deflected with a glare. ‘Yes,’ she said, reluctantly. ‘I didn’t have much choice…’
    ‘ Anyway, ’ Kitty continued, blithely. ‘Let me look at you.’
    She pulled me up from the couch and dragged me over to the window. I stood there as she made her inspection. I was still wearing my work clothes, I suddenly remembered, from the morning before.
    Kitty drew in her breath sharply. ‘You have taken it badly, darling, haven’t you? Look at you…you’re emaciated .’
    ‘I…’ I began, then looked down at myself. I hadn’t noticed, but she was right. My skirt was hanging down, standing away from my hips. It should have been snug to my waist. ‘I kept shaking,’ I said, lamely.
    ‘Look, lovey.’ Kitty pushed me back over to the sofa. ‘Sit down and listen. This is a golden opportunity for you. Fuck Leo. I’ve fucked Johnno off already. Told him I want a divorce. It’s you and me, now. We’ve got to take our moment to shine.’
    ‘Shine?’ I looked at Liv, then back at Kitty. ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘I mean, no more moping around after that bastard,’ she said. ‘While you’ve been skulking around in this…’ She looked around her, as if for the first time, and grimaced. ‘…hellhole, I’ve been courting the press…issuing statements…press releases…generally playing the poor injured wifey. I’m knackered, believe me, but you’ve got to maximise your exposure while you can.’
    ‘But I don’t want exposure.’
    The horror must’ve shown on my face, because she laughed and stroked my cheek. ‘Yes you do,’ she said. ‘Silly. Exposure equals earnings potential. If you’re really splitting up with Leo, you’re going to need money. You can’t survive on the money you make in that ridiculous job, now, can you?’
    I expected Liv to butt in again at this point, furious, but she didn’t. I didn’t know what to say, and looked to her, hoping she’d argue my case.