Johnny Be Good Read Online Free PDF Page A

with Serengeti Knight?
    Meg! Did you just use the word ‘compete’? As if!
    I sneak a sideways glance at him. He’s peering closely at the computer screen, dark-blond hair partly obscuring his face. His shirt is unbuttoned at the top and I catch a glimpse of his tanned chest. I shudder and tear my eyes away as I recall the sight of him half-naked in the hot afternoon sun yesterday.
    ‘Scroll down,’ he orders me again.
    He reads the rest of the piece, but it doesn’t really say much more apart from touching on Serengeti’s whereabouts. She’s in Las Vegas, publicising her film, and apparently was shocked and disturbed when she heard about Johnny’s supposed infidelity.
    He slumps back in his chair.
    ‘Would flowers help?’ I suggest, tentatively.
    His laugh is laced with sarcasm. ‘I don’t do flowers, chick. You need to know that.’
    I feel my face turn red.
    ‘Oh, that’s right, you don’t know anything about me,’ he says, coolly. ‘You’re not a star-fucker, right?’
    ‘No,’ I bite back. ‘But I know where to find one for you if you want.’ I prod the photo of the brunette in lacy underwear, irritation searing through me.
    He throws his head back and laughs, the first genuine laugh I’ve heard from him since we met. I look at him, defiantly, still annoyed by the fact that he keeps reducing me to a blushing fool.
    ‘Tempting,’ he says, ‘but I think I’m in enough trouble as it is.’ He grins. ‘Better go call her.’ He stands up and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a mobile phone. ‘Phone ran out of juice last night and she’s probably left me a dozen voicemails. You got the charger?’
    ‘Erm…’ I open desk drawers and hurriedly search through them. He shifts his weight from foot to foot. Feeling useless, I flick through the manual. Where the hell would Paola have left a charger?
    ‘Sorry.’ I glance up at his face, which is now a picture of impatience. ‘You wouldn’t have any idea where it would be?’
    ‘No,’ he says, shortly.
    I get up and go to the other desk, again opening drawers and riffling through them, my head buzzing with adrenalin.
    Calm down, Meg, it’s only a bleeding phone charger, for goodness’ sake.
    A thought suddenly occurs to me. ‘Hang on, haven’t you charged your phone since Paola left?’
    ‘Oh, yeah,’ he says, brow furrowing as he racks his brain for a moment. ‘Bedside table,’ he informs me and promptly leaves the room.
    Bedside bloody table, I mutter inwardly, and set about tidying six now very disorganised drawers.
    A couple of hours later I’m still in the office and Johnny hasn’t reappeared. Rosa pops her head around the door.
    ‘I’m off, honey. I’ve left you a couple of pizzas in the fridge.’
    ‘Lovely, thanks!’
    ‘Did I hear Johnny come home?’ she asks.
    ‘Yes, a couple of hours ago. He went upstairs to call Serengeti.’
    ‘Aah,’ Rosa says, knowingly. I wonder how much attention she pays to the gossip-mongers.
    ‘Have you met her?’ I ask, referring to the actress.
    ‘Oh, yes, she’s been here a few times.’
    I nod, wanting to find out more, but sensing it’s not really the done thing to pry.
    ‘Well, then, honey, I’ll be off. See you in the morning.’
    ‘Bye, Rosa. Thanks again!’
    I call it quits for the day soon after that, and head out of the office. I stand at the foot of the stairs for a moment, listening for Johnny, but can’t hear anything. I wonder if I should go upstairs and ask him if he wants any pizza. Should I? Oh, I don’t know. I stand there for a moment, wavering. I probably should. I walk up a couple of steps, then pause and go back down again. No, I don’t want to bother him. He’ll come down if he’s hungry.
    I go into the kitchen and turn on the oven, taking the pizzas out of the fridge. Rosa has made one with chicken, green peppers and red onion on what looks like a barbeque sauce, and another with buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil. I wonder which oneJohnny would