Persuade Me Read Online Free Page B

this, up and down the country. He felt drained; was it the long flight, or the effort of signing books for three hours at a stretch?
    He became vaguely aware of his publicist’s irritatingly chirpy voice. ‘… Great boost to sales having you over here. I mean, look at today – hundreds of women in some sort of frenzy. If that’s going to happen each time, you’ll need bodyguards.’
    ‘Dream on, Guy. I’m hardly an A-list celebrity.’
    ‘At this rate, you soon will be.’
    ‘When that happens, mate, you’ll be paying for this chauffeur-driven Jag.’
    Guy gave the lazy, lopsided grin that masked a will of iron, as Rick was already learning. ‘Forgive me for saying this, but you’re going to great lengths to behave like an A-list celebrity, even if you’re not. Why the flash car? Why the driver? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I don’t have to ferry you round the country in my old BMW – but it’s an expensive way of doing a book tour.’
    ‘That’s my business.’ Rick tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
    If Guy recognised the hint to leave him in peace, he certainly didn’t take it. ‘It’s a pity we can’t get Shelley over, the tabloids would wet themselves to get an interview with the two of you together.’
    Rick opened his eyes and kept his face expressionless; no need for Guy to know that his last phone call with Shelley had ended with her hanging up on him. ‘I’d hoped to be more than just tabloid fodder – although it’s hardly surprising since the publishers decided on that idiotic book title. Sex in the Sea gives people completely the wrong idea.’
    ‘But it’s a lot snappier than the original Risk and Reproduction: modern challenges for marine life . And it’s all about appealing to a whole new market.’
    ‘Yeah, the chattering classes. They’ll never get past that ridiculous front cover.’
    ‘More to the point, they’ll fork out the money for your impressive physique to adorn their coffee tables.’
    Rick couldn’t help laughing. ‘Only in photo form, thank God. I’d charge a hell of a lot more to be there in person.’
    ‘So, now that I’ve got you in a good mood again, what shall we do tonight? Dinner at your hotel, then that party I told you about?’
    Rick sighed. This was networking, pure and simple, dressed up as socialising; but it had to be done, for the sake of book sales. He was saved from answering, however, by the annoyingly cheerful trill of a mobile.
    ‘Excuse me a moment,’ Guy said, glancing at the number. His voice dropped an octave as he talked to the unknown caller in fluent French. A love interest, Rick thought, although it was too early for him to tell whether male or female; his first impression of Guy was that he was an ex-public school type, which meant that his sexual preferences were anyone’s guess.
    Embarrassingly, he could understand almost every word, because he had once spoken the language on a daily basis. It was the summer he’d worked at a sailing club in Brittany, and met the girl he’d denied knowing when Shelley challenged him about the dreams.
    Which was technically correct, since her name was Anna; he’d only called her Annie when they were–
    But now he was determined to forget her. He’d even bought some self-help books at Melbourne airport and practised the techniques on the plane. By the time he’d landed at Heathrow, he’d cracked it. Easy. Shelley had actually done him a favour, exposing that secret corner of his past …
    ‘Sorry,’ Guy said, when he’d finished the call. ‘New girlfriend, Marie-Claude, very keen. So, dinner first – then the party?’
    All of a sudden, the last thing Rick felt like was being sociable; he pretended to consult his mobile. ‘Afraid not, my sister’s sent me a message. She needs to see me urgently, so I’ll pick up a few things from the hotel and get on my way.’
    For the first time since they’d met, Rick saw Guy frown. ‘But you’ve got to be at Charing Cross Road