Love, Lipstick and Lies Read Online Free Page B

we didn’t get back by a certain date then we would have to stop that course of treatment and start again in two months’ time. Not only is it a very emotional thing to undertake, it’s also very expensive, and I was paying for the treatment. Alex didn’t pay for any of it.
    And, as if an unexpected volcanic eruption wasn’t enough of a problem, there were other things that were starting to worry me. It was in Egypt that Alex’s obsession with training started to grate on me. I appreciated how committed he was to his sport, but he went to the gym every single morning. I did think he could have eased off a little as this was supposed to be a holiday. I felt it was fortunate that I had Polly and Andrew with me otherwise I could have been pretty lonely.
    Worse was to come. One day we were all having lunch when out of the blue he asked, ‘So how much are you worth then?’
    WTF! Why was he asking me this?
    For a minute I didn’t think I could have heard him right, it was so unexpected and so inappropriate.
    ‘Go on then, tell me, how much are you worth?’
    No one I had ever had a relationship with before had asked me this question, not even Pete and we had been together for five years.
    I looked over at Andrew and Polly, who seemed to be as shocked as I felt.
    I took a deep breath and replied, ‘That’s my business. I’m not telling you.’
    Alex frowned, and looked pissed off. ‘Yeah, but I’m your husband, you should be able to tell me. You should tell me.’
    I shook my head. ‘Well, I’m not going to.’
    ‘I can’t believe you won’t tell me! Come on, I know the Beckhams are worth millions. So what are you worth?’
    God! Didn’t he get the message? ‘I’m not telling you, and I’m not discussing this any further.’ I thought that would be the end of it, but when we went back to our suite Alex was sulky and said, ‘I find it really offensive that you won’t tell me.’
    He found it offensive!
    ‘Look, even Pete didn’t ask me that. I don’t want to talk about it. It shouldn’t matter anyway. I thought you were with me because of me, not because of how much money I have?’
    But he wouldn’t let it drop. ‘If we’re together, we should know everything about each other. We shouldn’t have any secrets. I’m really pissed off that you won’t share this with me.’
    We had only been married three months and maybe it was because we were newly married that he thoughthe should know everything, but I felt annoyed that he should ask this and expect to be told. I’ve never asked any of the men I’ve been with about how much money they have, including Alex. When I met him it didn’t concern me that he didn’t have any money because I fell for him, not his bank balance. And just as well as there was bugger all in it!
    I would never dream of asking anyone that question. Why should it matter? I think it’s downright rude. I’ve often been asked how much money I earn in press interviews, and have never discussed it; it’s no one’s business but mine.
    I pushed this disagreement to the back of my mind but it did start off a niggle of doubt about whether I had done the right thing in marrying Alex so quickly, and about his true motives for marrying me. I’d thought it was for love. But were my friends right? Was it all about the money for him? I tried to tell myself that it couldn’t be. He had signed a pre-nup just before we got married in Vegas, and had always said he didn’t want any of my money.
    But a similar thing was to happen later in the year when we invited friends round to the house for a barbecue. We were all in the back garden, enjoying ourselves, when Alex started acting almost as if he was lord of the manor, pointing out the boundaries.
    I sensed my friends looking at me as if to say, OMG! It was my house and my garden and my boundaries! It was nothing to do with him; none of it belonged tohim. Again I had this uneasy feeling about Alex and money. Again I pushed it to the back of