The Secret She Can't Hide Read Online Free PDF

mini-bar vodka and tonic. Taking a sip, she almost spat it out again as Kate turned round.

    ‗Wow—just look at you!‘ she squealed, peering at Kate through thick false eyelashes as she came forward. ‗Who the hell would have thought that you‘d scrub up like that, Miss Edwards?‘ She circled around Kate and came back to stand in front of her, an expression of such astonished admiration on her face that Kate wasn‘t sure whether she should be flattered or insulted. ‗The dress is fabulous. Fab.
    U. Lous. And where have you been hiding that figure?‘

    ‗The dress was Lizzie‘s choice,‘ Kate muttered, tugging it over her straining cleavage. ‗There‘s absolutely no way I would have gone for anything so revealing.
    You don‘t think it‘s too much, do you?‘

    As she asked the question she realised that since Lisa was wearing thigh-skimming silver sequins teamed with vertiginous over-the-knee black patent platform boots, her idea of ‗too much‘ might not be completely reliable.

    ‗Absolutely not.‘ Lisa‘s eyes skimmed over Kate, taking in every detail of the midnight-blue satin dress, with its plunging halter-neck and gathered pleats held in a diamond clasp nestling between her breasts. She shook her head. ‗You are a dark horse, you know. I always thought there might be hidden depths behind that Plain Jane exterior you present in the office.‘

    Kate moved away, letting her hair fall over her face as she bent to slip on the impossibly high-heeled and pointy-toed shoes Lizzie had made her buy. ‗Oh, I‘m completely not. I‘m one of the most boring and straightforward people in the world—seriously.‘

    Lisa wandered over to the mirror, leaning forward and checking her own cleavage before pouting her glossed lips thoughtfully. ‗I was really surprised when I heard you were coming on this trip, since you don‘t even work on the Campano account any more. I suppose it‘s because you came out here all those years ago and did that interview with Maresca, isn‘t it?‘

    Kate felt sick. ‗Yes, I suppose so. Now, what do we need—invitation, hotel key, money…?‘

    ‗Apparently there‘s going to be poker and roulette,‘ Lisa said, her butterfly mind mercifully alighting on a new subject as she sprayed on more perfume. ‗Just like in a James Bond film. I‘ve always fancied having a go at all that. What about you—are you going to get down to some serious gambling tonight?‘

    Kate had to reach out and lean against the edge of the bed for support as a black wave of panic swept over her, catching her off guard.

    ‗Yes.‘

    It came out as a kind of odd, breathless gasp, and she had to pretend to be adjusting the heel of her shoe as she doubled up against the pain.

    At that moment there was a loud volley of knocks on the door. Lisa checked the time on her phone as she chucked it into her tiny silver clutch bag and crossed the room to open it. ‗That‘ll be Ian. I said we‘d meet him in the bar at seven-thirty, and that was fifteen minutes ago. He must have come to see what‘s keeping us.
    OK! I‘m coming!‘ she yelled as the hammering started up again.

    ‗You go,‘ Kate called after her. ‗I‘m ready, but I just want to phone and say goodnight to Alexander. Please—you two go ahead. I‘ll come over when I‘m done.‘

    ‗OK, if you‘re sure,‘ Lisa said, clearly recoiling from the idea of putting her evening on hold for something as boring as phoning home to speak to a three-year-old. ‗We‘ll see you in there. Unless, of course, I‘ve been swept off my feet and taken into a dark alcove by Cristiano Maresca before you get there…‘

    The door slammed behind her. Sinking down onto the bed, Kate listened to her laughter fading as she and Ian walked away down the corridor. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a shaky breath.

    Suddenly it was very quiet.

    Since they‘d got to Leeds airport at two o‘clock that afternoon Lisa had kept up a constant stream of chatter