on his mind,’ Leon steamed on before he could, ‘something more interesting than being up on that stage. Don’t you feel that’s an issue?’
‘Whatever drives him is fine by me,’ she replied stiffly, knowing that every word she uttered was laced in innuendo. ‘After all, what would a sprinter know about vocals?’
It was a cheap shot, she ought to know better, but humiliation had forced her into a corner. A blood-hungry cheer erupted and she could all but hear the producers salivating.
‘Well, he is the bookies’ favourite,’ supplied the mogul.
‘Not just the bookies’ … right, Robin?’ Leon joked, a crescent-moon dimple appearing on one side of his all too slappable face. His insinuation was obvious. There was a horrible silence. Robin’s cheeks flamed. She tried to think of something to say and nothing came. She was so angry she could scream. This was live TV!
‘Excuse me?’ she spluttered.
But the host moved on, instructed to sever it at the point of maximum speculation.
Afterwards, everyone assured her that it hadn’t sounded that bad. Robin wasn’t stupid. It would be all over the papers tomorrow thanks to that insufferable bastard Leon Sway! The contestant looked hopefully at her as she fled: that was the end of him.
Her car took her straight to Soho’s Hideaway Club, where she found scant solace in ordering the strongest concoction she could find. Her band met her there.
‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ she said, before Polly, her bassist, had a chance.
Polly was American with a peroxide-blonde beehive. ‘All right,’ she said as they settled in a booth. ‘But just to say—’
‘Don’t say anything.’
‘It could have been worse.’
‘Could it?’
‘Did you screw him?’
Robin was aghast. ‘Who, Leon?’ she demanded, outraged at the thought.
‘No!’ Polly named the contestant. ‘Although Mr Sway, well, you have to admit—’
‘I’m warning you: don’t even go there.’ She downed the drink. ‘Anyway, what difference does it make? Everyone thinks I did, so I did. Isn’t that how it goes?’
Within minutes a tower of frosted glasses was deposited in front of them, together with several giant bottles of part-frozen vodka. An accompanying note read:
With compliments.
Her manager Barney signalled across the space. ‘Hey, Robin, check out your secret admirers.’ Close to the neon-bulb-strewn bar, just decipherable through the low-lit shadows that gave way to pockets of absolute dark, Olympian Jax Jackson, officially the fastest man in the world, was partying with a harem of lovelies. Jax raised a glass and Robin prayed he wouldn’t come over: thanks to Leon he probably thought it was a free for all.
‘If we accept these you don’t have to do anything in return, right?’ Matt, her drummer, was already pouring. He winked at Robin when she raised her middle finger. ‘What? Girls never buy me drinks; it’s not like I know the rules!’
Robin tossed back a syrupy shot, then a second, then a third. Polly threw her a glance and she matched it. What was wrong with having fun? She was young and free and famous, and didn’t need anyone to tell her she deserved a fucking break.
‘What?’ she countered. ‘Aren’t we partying?’ Matt grabbed the second bottle and filled the glasses and everyone went in for a sticky collision before the liquid vanished.
‘Sure,’ said Polly, not sure at all. What Robin had gone through didn’t go away; you had to deal with it before you could move on, not get trashed till you forgot. ‘You earned it.’
‘Nah, we earned it,’ corrected Robin, putting one arm round Polly and one around her manager and pulling them close. ‘We’re family, aren’t we?’
Family.
Even as she said the word she could hear how hollow it sounded.
Wicked Ambition by Victoria Fox is
available for pre-order in eBook and paperback now
Real all about it…
MORE ABOUT THIS BOOK
2 Questions for your reading group
4 Inspiration
MORE ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
6 Why I write
7 Q&A on writing
9 A writer’s life
11 A day in the life
12 My top ten books
More about this book
QUESTIONS FOR YOUR READING GROUP
1. Why do you think Lana enters into the contractual arrangement with Cole? If you were faced with that decision, would you do the same?
2. Is Cole Steel a villain or a hero? Why do you think he behaves as he does?
3. Elisabeth embarks on her affair because she feels misunderstood by the men around her. What is it about Alberto Bellini that appeals to her?
4. What is the importance of fathers in the novel?
5. Do you think Chloe suspects Nate’s infidelity long before it is exposed? Why does she keep quiet about it?