The Love Resort had been her idea. She wanted to surround herself with the love and the romance she wrote so eloquently about. If she managed to get it to appeal to young lovers then it would be perfect. Suddenly an idea formed in her head. Things were about to get exciting. Abigail was coming, and she, Anne-Marie, would get her resort exactly as she wanted it. Then she would write about it; the best book of her life. The old people’s visits would be phased out. The only reason she hadn’t banned them already was because Ed wouldn’t let her turn paying customers away. But soon the beautiful people would come and then she could do as she pleased. Her genius was simply astounding.
The queen of romance was back on her throne, and she thought she might even start writing the following day.
*
‘Lock the door,’ Ed ordered, as soon as Anne-Marie had gone.
‘Yes, sir,’ Lily replied coyly. She walked slowly over to the door and turned the key. Ed gazed at her appreciatively. She was just so damn sexy. In her thigh-skimming skirt, her high heels, and the sheer blouse that was so inviting, she was everything a woman should be. Everything his wife wasn’t.
‘Over here,’ he commanded, and she obeyed.
‘What if she comes back?’ Lily approached her lover.
‘With that mood, she’ll be gone for hours.’ He lifted her on to her desk, and removed her clothes. They made frantic love, with an urgency that reflected their limited time together.
‘Jesus, that was amazing.’ Lily buttoned up her blouse.
‘It always is,’ Ed replied, grinning.
‘Ed, I really love you, you know that, don’t you?’
‘I do, and I love you.’ He reached over and hugged her tightly.
‘I wish it was just us. All the time.’ Lily’s eyes filled with tears.
‘It will be, I promise. Be patient.’ He kissed her tears away.
‘Why did you marry her?’ Lily asked suddenly.
‘You know why.’ Ed had told her the story many times, although it felt to him more as if he was making excuses for his decision. Which, he believed, hadn’t really been his; there had been no decision for him to make. It had been a total ambush. He was a weak man who had married his wife because he was flattered, because she told him to, because he didn’t have any balls.
‘You were flattered, she was famous, and sweet, and you were swept up in it all—yes I know, I know, but it doesn’t make sense.’ Ed could see that Lily was getting agitated, which she always did when they talked about his marriage.
‘Well, the truth is, darling, I was. But I was also set up.’ She obviously found it hard to understand. He couldn’t blame her because most of the time he didn’t understand it either.
‘So, it wasn’t love at first sight?’
‘Lily, the moment you walked into this office for your job interview, it was love at first sight. And I had never been in love before, which is the truth.’
He stared at her, absorbing her beauty. He couldn’t believe his luck. Why this beautiful, plucky, twenty-nine-year-old American would be interested in him was beyond him. Fourteen years of marriage to Anne-Marie had knocked what little self-confidence he still had out of him. Lily, with her overt sexuality, her genuine interest in him and her compassion, had begun to restore it from the moment that she first seduced him.
Anne-Marie and Ed had been dining with some of their guests. It was a chore, but once a week a raffle was held and the prize was dinner with the star and her husband. The guests loved it, and paid the hundred-dollar ticket price without complaint. The dinner had been boring, and afterwards Anne-Marie had swept off in a foul mood to bed, leaving Ed to do his nightly check on the happiness of their guests. Lily had been sitting at the bar and she’d asked him to join her. They’d spoken a little about the evening’s entertainment (twenty greatest love songs with Juliana), before she’d asked him to join her back at her bungalow.
‘Why?’ he’d asked when she’d shut the door and begun tearing at his clothes.
‘You are gorgeous, clever, sweet and kind. Everything I want in a man.’ As she’d kissed him in a way that Anne-Marie never had, he’d decided not to argue.
Ed stared at Lily as she worked. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He thought back to when he was introduced to Anne-Marie. She was sweet when he met her. Dressed all in pink, she seemed girlish, with long silky blonde hair, which he later discovered was a wig. She was shy at first as well, vulnerable, and she giggled, like a girl. He was attracted to her. He wasn’t in love with her; he’d never been in love with her. He knew that now he was in love with Lily.
He had stopped feeling bitter about his marriage and now he just felt sad. Anne-Marie loved only romance, and they had never had that. What they had was something they had created. Ed had been fixed up: hair, teeth, body and clothes all worked on. Anne-Marie had managed to turn him into one of her heroes and he had done nothing to stop her. Which is something he’d felt ashamed of ever since; something he was desperate to put right. Thinking about it made him strengthen his resolve.
‘I’m going to leave her.’ He had told Lily this before, but this time he was more determined.
‘But can we really walk away?’
‘We can, but not just yet. We’d be penniless.’
‘I don’t care.’
‘But I do. I will not run off with you and be unable to give you the life you deserve.’ He was determined to be a man about it, to prove to Lily that he wasn’t the coward that he felt he was. He had to ensure that he could take care of her. He needed to take care of her.
‘Then we’ll wait for the right time.’
‘We’ll figure it out, I promise. I don’t love her, I love you.’
2
About The Owner
Anne-Marie Langdale is a world-famous novelist and widely acknowledged queen of romance. She has published fifteen titles, all of which were international bestsellers.* The Love Resort is her way of bringing her books to life and to you.
Born in Oxfordshire, Anne-Marie had a wonderful traditional English upbringing. She was tipped for fame at an early age, her genius for writing discovered during her school days.
Beautiful, popular, outgoing, compassionate are just a few words consistently used to describe this great literary talent.
Official Love Resort Brochure
*If you wish to purchase any of Anne-Marie Langdale’s books they are available in all good bookshops or at The Love Resort gift shop.
*
‘You’re late,’ Anne-Marie snapped, although her tone was devoid of its customary sharpness.
‘Sorry, darling, I went for a swim. It’s awfully hot today.’ Ed looked around him at the empty white room and noted to himself, not for the first time, that their house looked so unlived in.
‘It is.’ Anne-Marie barely noticed in her air-conditioned home.
‘Are you OK? You had a rest,’ he asked tentatively. He really didn’t want confrontation tonight.
‘Oh, yes, I’m perfectly fine. Ed, can you ask Lily to join us for a light supper?’
Ed’s heart started pounding. What if she’d found out about them? She’d take them both to supper and skewer them. Then she’d probably eat them. Oh God, she couldn’t know.
‘Ed? You’ve turned a funny colour.’
‘Sorry, sorry. Why do you want Lily to join us? I rather fancied spending time alone with my wife.’
‘Oh, Ed, you’re so sweet,’ she replied insincerely. ‘No, this is business. We will dine here tonight, away from the frightful guests, and I’ve got an idea that might help us.’
‘I’ll give her a call.’
‘Tell her that I want her here at eight. Now, you get showered and changed and I’ll go and organise drinks.’
Ed called Lily and relayed the message. She sounded scared, but he tried to reassure her without Anne-Marie hearing anything. He then went upstairs, through the pink bedroom, to his pink dressing room, where he discarded his clothes, before entering his own bathroom, whic
h was thankfully devoid of pink, and getting into his shower.
*
Lily put the phone down and felt an involuntary shiver. Ed had said it was business, but Anne-Marie never invited her to the house to eat. What if she’d found out? She’d kill her. She’d probably invited her to supper to kill her. The worst thing was that because Anne-Marie was her boss, Lily had no choice but to go to her death. She showered and changed into a dress; Anne-Marie believed in dressing for dinner. After applying her make-up Lily checked in the mirror—pretty good; at least when she was murdered she would be looking fantastic.
*
‘Hello, Lily, take a seat.’
Anne-Marie showed Lily to the sofa and handed her a glass of champagne. Lily took it with thanks. She was terrified. Anne-Marie being nice was scarier than her being nasty.
‘Evening, Lily.’ Ed approached, freshly showered.
A wave of desire passed over her and she had to hold herself back. ‘Ed.’
They both looked at the floor.
‘We’ll eat shortly. Oh, I wanted to tell you that my dear friend and publisher, Abigail, will be arriving next week. She wants to see the resort for herself and is going to help us to overcome our difficulties.’
‘That’s wonderful news,’ Lily responded, looking at Ed as his face froze in what looked like horror.
‘I want the best bungalow made available for her.’ As in the office, Anne-Marie was issuing orders.
‘I’m not sure but I think that it might be booked,’ Ed mumbled.
‘Well, do what you can. I want her to be comfortable. The two of us will be shut away up here most of the days working, so don’t worry about the office being overcrowded.’
Ed nodded and Lily wanted to jump for joy. Anne-Marie’s publisher arriving would mean that she, Lily, and Ed spent their days alone together. How perfect. All thoughts of being killed were replaced by imagining what she and Ed would get up to.
‘I’ll check out the bookings tomorrow.’
‘Shall we sit?’ As Anne-Marie swept to the table, they followed her silently; Lily was still not exactly sure what it was that her employer wanted from her.
‘Lily, I do hope you like oysters. So romantic, don’t you think?’
‘I do.’ She wished that this was her and Ed, alone with the champagne and the oysters, and then they’d get naked and go to the Jacuzzi and then...
‘Lily? Lily, did you hear me?’
She looked up and shook her head. ‘Gee, sorry, Anne-Marie, these oysters are too good.’ She laughed, and Ed noisily joined in.
‘I said that I wish to run a competition,’ Anne-Marie announced triumphantly.
‘Really? What kind?’ Lily tried to focus, telling herself not to look at Ed.
‘A new love competition. You see, it will be open to anyone under the age of thirty who is in the first year of a relationship.’
‘What?’ Ed asked.
‘I know, it’s so exciting. Sorry, I’ll calm down and try to explain slowly. We are going to launch what I’m calling “the New Love package”. It’s to encourage younger people who are in newish relationships. They don’t have to be under thirty officially, but our competition winners will be selected on that basis. We need to be more aggressive in our quest to find the right people for our resort.’
‘Anne-Marie, this competition, when will we run it?’ Lily drank more champagne and sucked down another oyster. She was beginning to feel tipsy, and wondered if Ed would get away later so they could be together.
‘Now. Exclusive Holidays is my choice of publication for the launch, and as the biggest competitor of the Traveller it’s perfect. It’ll teach them not to mess with me. Also, it’s read by educated, attractive young people. We offer young couples the chance to win our new package and then Exclusive Holidays does an article on their time here, and then all lovely young people will want to come. Lily, you might have to pull some strings to get it in quickly. I want the competition winners here as soon as possible.’
‘It might take time,’ Ed said.
‘I know, darling, but I’m sure Lily can pull it off.’
Lily was well aware that it wasn’t a strong belief in her abilities that prompted this; it was nothing more than an order.
‘How much are we going to charge for the package?’ Ed sounded concerned.
‘You can work that out. I just want the young people here.’ Anne-Marie’s eyes darkened, but then she smiled. ‘So, here’s how this competition works. We get a spread in Exclusive Holidays, describing the resort, and in return we offer two weeks, all-inclusive, to three couples, but they have to have been together for less than a year, obviously. I want new passion and romance, not the old worn-out kind we seem to get now. I don’t care about the competition question—you do that, Lily—but what I do want is a photo of the couples with the entries and a brief profile. I’m going to judge this competition myself and the winners will be the best-looking couples.’
‘I’ll get on to it first thing,’ Lily offered, trying to hold herself together. She was feeling incredibly horny.
‘Are we paying for their flights?’
‘Yes, economy. If you’re so concerned about saving money, Ed, you can pick them up from the airport yourself.’ Anne-Marie laughed nastily. ‘And on that note, I’m going to bed. Ed, you can check the resort; make sure the ugly guests are happy. And tell the staff I shall be lunching in the restaurant tomorrow. My public deserves to see me occasionally, I suppose.’ She shook her head and swept away.
Lily watched her go, then grabbed Ed and dragged him outside. As soon as they got to the bushes by the house, hidden from view, she undid his belt, pulled his pants down, then hitched up her skirt as she pushed him to the ground...
‘My God,’ Ed said, as they re-dressed. Lily giggled. ‘Come on, I’ll walk you back to your bungalow.’
As Ed led Lily to her bedroom, they were silent. They began to undress, more slowly this time, each looking at the other as they did so. Just as Lily was unfastening her skirt, the telephone rang. She snatched it up, noticing the look of fear on Ed’s face and hating that aspect of their relationship.
‘Lily Bailey.’ She tried to smile reassuringly at Ed, who looked increasingly uncomfortable. ‘Harriet?’ Lily said. ‘Of course, how are you...?’
*
Lily hung up; Ed was lying back on the bed, his shirt open. She moved towards him and kissed him, barely able to control her glee.
‘Are you going to tell me who that was?’ Ed asked.
‘Baby, you are not going to believe this.’
3
Visit The Love Resort—It’s All About Love
Anne-Marie Langdale had a vision. The vision was of a place that can only be described as heaven on earth, a place that epitomises Love. As Anne-Marie describes in her own words:*
If Love were a place, it would be here
If Love was a flower, it would grow here
If Love was the stars, they would glow here
But Love is a feeling, so warm and true
And as Love is a feeling, it is felt here.
Official Love Resort Brochure
*This is an extract from an exclusive poem by Anne-Marie Langdale, given as a gift with every booking.
*
Todd Cortes sat in the boardroom, looked at the legal document in front of him and sighed. What on earth had he done?
He was a movie star. He was a heart-throb. He was a good actor. He had built his career on ‘pretty boy’ parts, but now after proving he could take on serious roles, he was in a strong position. However, his personal life wasn’t. Todd was gay. He’d known he was gay for as long as he could remember and despite modern society’s increasingly laissez-faire attitudes, Hollywood wouldn’t let him be gay. He had always been honest with the Studios he’d worked for, and in return they had told him, honestly, that he had to pretend to be straight. Hence a number of fake girlfriends (normally using women that needed publicity), and a real private life so highly secre
t the CIA would be proud of it.
But that had all changed. He was working for a Studio who had offered him the chance to direct his next film. It was his ultimate aim; he loved acting but had been itching to get behind the camera for a while. After two big smashes for the Studio, they had given him their offer. And then they’d given him their price.
He’d had a close call—almost too close—and the result had been that the studio publicity department had ordered Todd to date Katie Ray, an actress with the biggest ego on the planet. She was a terrible actress, a horrible person, a typical diva, who, Todd knew, had used sex to get her where she was. She was everything he despised about Hollywood, although, with his lies, he was becoming so too.
Katie had been generating bad publicity due to her attitude, and the Studio still had her under contract for more films. They wanted the public to like her, to ensure that the box office reflected that, and the publicity department decided that the only way to do this was to get her to date Todd. She would also appear in the film he was to direct. Everyone loved Todd, so therefore if Todd loved Katie, everyone would love Katie. And they would also be convinced that Todd was straight. Simple. Katie agreed; she would do anything for fame. But now the situation was out of control. And Todd didn’t know what to do. He also knew, deep down, that he had no choice.
Todd looked at his watch. Why was she always late? He wondered how many marriages were discussed in a meeting room. Probably more than he thought. Todd, as usual, did as he was told. He didn’t believe he had a choice. His career meant the world to him, thus he had sold his soul to the Studio. That wasn’t the worst of it, he mused as he took his seat, as everyone started fawning around him. The worst thing, the very worst thing, was that he was a total fraud and he was going to be living an even bigger lie.
‘I’m sooo sorry I’m late, Todd,’ Katie said, as she flung open the door and made her entrance. She went straight up to him, kissing him on the lips before plonking herself down in the chair next to him, purposely flashing as much leg as she could, and her knickers into the bargain. Todd rolled his eyes.
The Love Resort Page 2