Valley of the Dolls Read Online Free PDF

truth. Time for you to leave Henry Bellamy in a blaze of glory.”
    “But I don’t want to leave Mr. Bellamy.”
    “You will.” His smile was strange. Confident. His entire manner had changed. “I assume getting Lyon Burke an apartment would be a great achievement.”
    “You mean you know of one?”
    He nodded, smiling mysteriously as though at a private joke. Outside, he signaled a cab and gave a Sutton Place address.
    “Allen, where are we going?”
    “To see Lyon Burke’s new apartment.”
    “At this time of night? Whose apartment is this, anyway?”
    “You’ll see,” he said. “Just be patient.” The rest of the ride was silent.
    The cab stopped in front of a fashionable building near the East River. The doorman sprang to attention. “Good evening, Mr. Cooper.” The elevator man nodded and automatically stopped at the tenth floor. Allen nonchalantly slipped a key into the door of the apartment. He switched on the lights, revealing a skillfully decorated living room. He pressed another button and soft music drifted through the room. It was a perfect apartment. An apartment made to order for Lyon Burke.
    “Allen, whose apartment is this?”
    “Mine. Come see the rest of the place. The bedroom is quite large . . . good closet space.” He pulled open sliding doors. “Bathroom here, kitchen out there. Small, but it has a window.”
    She followed him around without speaking. It was inconceivable. Mild little Allen living here?
    “Now I’ll show you the one sour note.” He walked into the living room and drew the floor-length drapes, exposing a neighboring apartment and a window that looked almost near enough to touch.
    “That’s the sad story,” he said. “This dream house has everything but a view. Although I’ve got to admit there’s a fat guy across the way who fascinates me. He lives alone, and in two years I’ve never seen him touch a drop of food. He lives on beer—breakfast, lunch and dinner. Look!” As if on cue, a stout man in his undershirt lumbered into the kitchen and opened a bottle of beer.
    Allen drew the drapes. “I used to worry about him in the beginning. I was sure he’d wind up with a vitamin deficiency or something. But he seems to be thriving on it.” He led her to the couch. “Well, does it fit the bill for Mr. Burke?”
    “I think it’s wonderful, even with the fat man. But Allen, why would you ever give up such a marvelous apartment?”
    “I’ve found a better one. I can move in tomorrow. But I want you to see it first. It’s important that you like it too.”
    Good Lord! He was going to ask her to marry him! Nice, sweet little Allen? She didn’t want to hurt him. Maybe she could pretend not to understand.
    She forced an impersonal airiness into her voice. “Allen, just because I’ve been assigned to find an apartment for Lyon Burke doesn’t mean I’m an expert. This was just done to expedite things at the office, because Lyon Burke can’t take the time off. If you found this apartment on your own, you certainly don’t need any advice from me. . . .” She knew she was talking too fast.
    “You say he can pay one fifty,” Allen said. “But he could go to one seventy-five. Tell you what—we’ll give it to him for one fifty. That should make a real hero out of you. He can take over my lease. That’s what I pay, unfurnished, but I’ll throw in the furniture as a bonus.”
    She was suddenly concerned. “But you’ll need it in your new place,” she protested. “Besides, it must have cost a lot . . .”
    “It doesn’t matter,” he said gaily. “Can Lyon Burke move in here right away?”
    “Well, I guess—”
    “Sure he can,” Allen said. “Come on, I’ll show you my new place.” He hustled her out and down in the elevator, ignoring her protestations about the late hour.
    On the street again, the attentive doorman charged over. “Taxi, Mr. Cooper?”
    “No, Joe, we’re just going down the street.”
    He led her down the block and into