Megan Cole - Fortune - The Original Snogbuster

No, thought Sapphire. I’m sure he doesn’t.

But do we?

The tension in the air was palpable. Madison sighed. ‘Where is he? We’ve been waiting for years. ’

Sapphire checked her watch. It was quarter past seven.

‘He’s probably on the phone or something,’ she said. The three of them were on the terrace, waiting for the grand arrival of Brad Masters. They had all heard a helicopter whirring overhead a moment ago and now it sat on the helipad, like a giant insect resting. A man had got out and walked into the house through another door, ignoring them.

Madison sighed. ‘I needn’t have rushed after all. Do you know I had to do my hair in two hours tonight?’

She certainly looked the part in a shocking pink Versace dress and sparkly Dolce and Gabanna stilettos. Simonetta, who was standing in the shadows looking out to sea, was the epitome of Italian sexiness in a backless black dress, her sheet of dark hair cascading down her back. Sapphire, by contrast, had plumped for a smock dress over leggings and flat sandals. She wished she’d bought another pair of heels; she felt like a dwarf next to Simonetta and Madison.

Simonetta turned back towards the other two. ‘Something’s going on,’ she announced dramatically. ‘Something weird.’

Madison frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Think about it,’ Simonetta said loftily. ‘We are here for a party, but where are the other guests? It has just been us three since we got here.’

‘You’re right, you know,’ Sapphire said. She had been thinking the same thing herself.

Madison’s eyes widened. ‘But why would he invite just the three of us, all the way out here?’ Her eyes flickered over Sapphire. ‘After all, I can’t imagine what we’ve got in common.’

A man’s deep voice spoke behind them. ‘Ah, an inquiring mind. That’s what I like to see, young lady.’

They all spun round to see Brad Masters standing on the terrace. Even in the fading light, Sapphire could see he had an aura. He was tall – at least six foot two – with hair that had once been black, but was now greying around the temples. He was dressed in an expensive, lightweight grey suit (Armani, Simonetta noticed) with an open-necked black shirt underneath. He looked tanned, confident and simply oozing with power and money.

Brad Masters stepped forward and took Madison’s hand. ‘Madison, isn’t it? Delighted to meet you.’

‘And I’m delighted to meet you, Mr Masters,’ she gushed, eyes darting furiously to check him out. The Patek Philippe watch on his wrist must have cost a hundred grand!

He smiled easily. ‘Call me Brad.’

Simonetta wasted no time getting in next. ‘Simonetta Mastrangelo,’ she announced, giving Brad her hand. To her disappointment he didn’t kiss it.

‘Good evening, Simonetta,’ Brad replied. ‘I’ve seen your face before. You’re a model, aren’t you?’

Simonetta shot a smug look at Madison. Brad turned to Sapphire, who was standing at the back.

‘Last but not least, you must be Sapphire. Hello.’

‘Hello there,’ said Sapphire, blushing. Brad Masters was standing right there, in front of her! He shook her hand formally and his grip was strong and warm. Brad stepped back and surveyed the three of them.

‘I trust you’re enjoying your stay.’

‘Oh, we’re having a ball,’ Madison breathed, determined to strike up conversation first. ‘You have a really beautiful home. Of course, I’ve stayed in places as big as this before, but none quite so amazing. Your décor is really something,’ she added.

Brad smiled at her, as if he were slightly amused by something. ‘Thank you, Madison. I like it.’

‘How was your trip, Brad? Did you make any good deals?’ Simonetta asked, casually putting one hand on her hip to show off the outline of her body. She knew that when it came to powerful men, the way to impress them was by talking business.

Brad looked a bit taken aback. ‘It was a trip worth making, thank you, Simonetta.’

She smiled, doing that half-closed thing with her eyes she knew made men go wild.

Brad looked at Sapphire instead. ‘Have you had the chance to explore?’

‘Yes, it’s really beautiful, thank you. I’m just wondering, though…why did you invite me here?’

Brad ignored the question. ‘Do you play tennis?’

‘A bit,’ said Sapphire, blushing because he was singling her out. ‘I haven’t played much since school, though.’

‘We must find time to have a game,’ he told her. ‘Anyway, enough of my small talk, you must be starving. Please, follow me.’

Pushing Sapphire out of the way, Madison went after him, closely followed by Simonetta. All the way down the marble corridor, Brad made easy conversation with the girls, pointing out the famous photographs and paintings adorning his walls.

‘I’m particularly pleased with that – it’s an original Andy Warhol,’ Brad said as they passed a painting of brightly coloured flower prints.

Madison nodded sagely. ‘The name’s familiar. Was he on American Idol ?’

Brad’s face stayed neutral, but Sapphire couldn’t help raising her eyebrows. She couldn’t believe Madison didn’t know one of the most famous artists of the last hundred years!

A few yards on, Brad stopped at the door of the dining-room. ‘By the way,’ he said casually, ‘I invited someone else to join us for dinner.’

He pushed the door open. ‘Girls, meet Cam Tyler.’

Madison screamed.

Cam Tyler rose from his seat and smiled. Madison realised she was hyperventilating and tried to calm down. She couldn’t believe he was standing there in the flesh.

Cam was a twenty-year-old American R&B star who was the singing sensation of the moment. His debut single – originally released on his own MySpace page – had shot to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic and he was tipped to be the next Usher, Ne-Yo and Justin Timberlake rolled into one. No wonder the music industry was going crazy for him, and every label was desperate to sign him.

But as usual, it seemed Brad Masters had got in there first.

‘Hi,’ Madison said breathily. ‘I’m Madison Vanderbilt.’

‘Cam,’ he said easily and stepped forward to take her hand. Madison held it a little longer than necessary before letting go. She stepped back to take a better look at the singer. She knew he was hot, but in the flesh he was even better. Cam Tyler was ripped. Six feet of pure muscle, with biceps nestling under his Rocawear T-shirt; Madison just wanted to reach out and squeeze. If the body was something, the face was even better – tanned, square-jawed and with chocolate-brown eyes that gave a Labrador puppy a run for its money. Today Cam’s short, thick black hair had been styled upwards into a cool quiff.

Madison smiled seductively, running her tongue over her lips. She was satisfied to see Cam smile back.

Brad stepped in to carry on the introductions. ‘Cam, this is Simonetta Mastrangelo.’

‘ Buongiorno, ’ Simonetta drawled. She’d got over her initial surprise of meeting Cam Tyler and was now back to her aloof, studied self. The boy was too young for her; Simonetta normally only dated men in their late twenties or thirties. But there was no denying he was cute. She gave him a casual once-over.

Cam raised his eyebrow interestedly. ‘Hey, Simonetta.’

‘And this is Sapphire Stevens, our English contingent,’ Brad said, gesturing to Sapphire.

Cam looked at her, as if he hadn’t really noticed she was there before. ‘Hey, Sapphire. Great name.’