Page 19 (1/2)

CHAPTER ONE

Get a job

Not exactly the job I iined, but I have my reasons What are these reasons?

Actually, I landed the dreae on the cake after achieving a good degree in Hotel Manageentina, where a career in hospitality seebrothers But I would rather eatwith a sli to reveal who ‘Anita Costa’ really was

People who knew ht ask, what has happened to wild child Lucia, the glairl as always the life and soul of the party, and who now seems to have sunk lower than a whore’s drawers? If you ‘re one of them you’d better read on

You will note that the one thing I have retained is s couldn’t be much bleaker

NO ONE knew better than Lucia that a nightclub in daylight was a dismal, skanky place

She should do These past few days it had felt as if she spentthe sticky floor beneath a stark long-life bulb Glittering and glahts, the club, located on the wild and rugged splendour of Cornwall’s h on society’s hot list—thanks to the many opportunities to see and be seen both in the club and on the fabulous beach, where theactivities drew the best pecs around Lucia’s own dangerously charis brothers had flaunted theer, with their hot friend Luke

Luke …

Was this a good tience than was good for a e?

A man as out of Lucia’s reach?

And who just happened to be a polo player Whichnumber ten on her to-do list before she had ticked off numbers two to nine

‘Don’t you have enough to do?’

Lucia shot up as the club er hove into view Van Rickter had been a star on the club circuit in his youth, as he had been at pains to explain to Lucia when she had first begged hied charmer with a chip on his shoulder the size of a rock, who liked nothing better than to bully his staff Lucia quickly returned to scrubbing as Grace, another of Van Rickter’s serfs, entered the club

‘I hear there’s a big do on tonight,’ Grace announced, dropping her bag on a nearby table ‘Wish I didn’t have these sniffles A red nose and leaking eyes doesn’t do ht ould take me away from all this—’

As Grace gestured around Lucia reflected that not so long ago just thedo’ would have been a call to ar better than to tease and flirt and dance With four brothers ready to flatten any rown up with no concept of danger when she turned it on, and had felt free to be as flirtatious as she liked Her instant reaction to the estion of a party would have been on with the five-inch heels, the dress at least a size too slitter, lashes and nails, all topped off by the studiously perfected party pout But that was then and this was now, and things were very different now

Turning to Grace, Lucia thought her friend looked unusually pale tonight ‘Let ested

‘Another shift straight after this one?’ Grace shook her head in firot here You’ll o on like this Put on your heels tonight, walk in like you own the place, see who’s around Save one for me if there are any likely men’

Inwardly Lucia shuddered, but as Grace laughed she wiped her hot face on her sleeve and joined in the merriment Grace had no idea what had happened to Lucia in London, and Lucia wasn’t about to burden her new friend with details of that experience

‘Uh-oh, here comes trouble,’ Grace warned as Van Rickter returned

While Grace hurried into the back to get changed for work, Van Rickter picked on Lucia ‘Hey, Anita frorease into that scrubbing I can always find soh, he spun on his Cuban heels

Everyone at the club knew her as Anita It was the name of Lucia’s favourite Puerto Rican character fro a surnaht, Just lose the ‘a’ So Lucia Acosta had becoe?

It wasn’t possible to have people treat you normally, let alone strike out for independence, when your four polo-playing brothers featured on every billboard in town

Resting her hands on the sentina and the endless freedom of the pampas Her warm, safe home in South America had never seemed further away, especially when it turned out that she had a real talent for ju pan into the fire Her life, since that rogue concierge in London hadslide down It made no difference that she cao it alone

‘Okay?’ Grace trilled as she hurried past with a crate of drinks