Deadly Embrace Jackie Collins (the reader ebook .TXT) 📖

on to his arm wearing the designer clothes he paid for, the fur coats and the expensive jewellery. Diamonds were definitely Stella’s best friend.

Sometimes he imagined what things might have been like if Beth had lived. Far different from his current lifestyle.

And what would have happened if he’d married Dani? He could picture them lying in bed, munching on hamburgers, watching TV, just hanging out and having fun. In spite of her Vegas fame and glamour, Dani was a simple girl. Stella wasn’t. The only time Stella lay round was when she had a headache or wanted to study her magazines, finding out what was new and exciting in the beauty world. She was very into the latest beauty treatments and heavy maintenance. Manicurists, facialists, and masseuses were always in and out of the apartment, ministering to her every need. She had tried to get him into it. One pedicure and he’d run out screaming.

Business became his focus, building a financial empire. And he was good at it, he’d learned well. First, in a small way, from Grandma Lani. And then the real deal from Karl Edgington. Money was his passion: he had a genius way with numbers.

Over the years, he and Karl had partnered in many ventures. They owned buildings, shopping centres and real estate. He’d also kept up his association with Vito Giovanni. He took care of Vito’s investments. Vito trusted him and sent plenty of money his way. He’d heard that Mamie had given up her New York apartment and moved to the West Coast. Vito was still living with Western Pussy–a woman almost forty years his junior.

Financially, Michael could do just about anything he wished. He had an office on Wall Street and employed a small staff of competent people, including his old friend Charlie, who was now working for him as his accountant. Several years ago he’d paid for him to take a business course, and Charlie had come up trumps. Now Charlie was making plenty of money, had a secure job, and he’d even got married to a pretty girl who worked in the office.

Michael was very fond of Charlie, although they didn’t socialize. Stella did not consider it prudent to mix business with pleasure.

Basically he had it all: a beautiful wife, a smart daughter, and enough money to do whatever he wanted. So why wasn’t he happy?

He didn’t know.

Max, who now owned several car dealerships, had informed him one day while they were having lunch that it was because he was living a lie.

‘What kinda shit remark is that?’ Michael asked.

‘Stella’s a big snob,’ Max had said. ‘An uptown bitch with attitude.’

Michael was so offended by Max’s criticism that he’d stopped seeing him. Which was a shame because, apart from Charlie, Max was Michael’s only true friend from the old days.

He missed the old days. He missed hanging out with Tina and Max, goofing off.

Work compensated. He was obsessed.

Stella decided that he should be the one to inform Madison that they were sending her away to boarding-school. When he told his daughter she burst into tears. ‘I don’t want to go, Daddy,’ she sobbed.

‘It’s for the best, princess.’

‘No!’

‘You’ll soon get used to it.’

‘I won’t!’ she said adamantly.

‘I promise that you will.’

She stared at him with her big green eyes–his eyes. They looked alike, although her deep olive skin and lustrous dark hair always reminded him of Beth.

‘I’ll go, Daddy,’ she said at last. ‘But I promise you this, you’ll really miss me.’

And he did, in spite of Stella’s social efforts, which seemed to escalate with Madison’s absence.

He began making more and more business trips–inspecting a shopping mall here, a piece of property there. And so his empire grew.

Michael Castelli was a very successful man.

Michael Castellino was just a distant memory.

Chapter Forty

Dani: 1982

‘If you don’t marry me, there’s somebody else who will,’ Dean threatened.

‘I wish her luck,’ Dani said, smiling.

‘You know it’ll happen one day. Why do you insist on waiting until we’re old and grey?’

‘Because.’

‘Because what?’

‘Because,’ she said patiently, ‘I have to pay you back the money I owe you first.’

‘At the rate you’re going, we’ll both be dead!’

‘Are you two fighting again?’ Vincent asked, entering the brightly lit kitchen. ‘The way you go at it, you might as well be married.’

At seventeen, Vincent was undeniably handsome. He was also a dead ringer for Michael. Black hair, worn long. Perfect features. Six feet tall and a great body. The girls were crazy for him, which didn’t do them much good since he was more interested in studying and sports.

Dani, who was in her early-thirties and still a knock-out, could not believe she had a grown son. The boy needed a father, so thank God for Dean, who–although he and Dani were no longer romantically involved–had stepped into the breach and spent as much time with Vincent as he could. Which wasn’t easy, considering he still lived in Houston.

His divorce had helped. Dani had never asked him why his marriage hadn’t worked out, because she knew why. Dean had never got over her. His crush was a lifelong thing. But, although she loved him in her own way, he was more like a big brother to her.

Over the last seven years she had not exactly been celibate. Although she had not resumed her affair with Dean, there had been other men. None of them had measured up in any way whatsoever, and currently she was not seeing anyone. Somehow she was so much happier by herself.

Recently Vincent had received news that Nando’s grandfather had died, and that Nando was planning to visit. Vincent was totally psyched. ‘This is gonna be so cool, Mom,’ he enthused. ‘I can’t wait!’

‘You haven’t seen Nando in a long while,’ Dani warned. ‘Don’t expect too much–he’s probably changed.’

‘No way,’ Vincent scoffed. ‘Nando and me are like brothers. He’ll be exactly the same.’

Dani was still appearing in the show at the Magiriano, only now she