Indigo Bloome - Match Pointe

Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street,

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Harper 2015

Copyright © Indigo Bloome 2015

Cover photographs © Shutterstock.com

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2015

Indigo Bloome asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007597574

Ebook Edition © January 2015 ISBN: 9780007597581

Version: 2014-12-06

For all those who read the Avalon Trilogy, my most sincere thanks. This one’s for you! xo

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Prologue The Offer The Grand Slams: Round One French Open I: May-June Wimbledon I: June-July US Open I: August-September Australian Open I: January The Grand Slams: Round Two French Open II: May-June Wimbledon II: June-July US Open II: August-September Australian Open II: January Epilogue Acknowledgements About the Author Also by Indigo Bloome About the Publisher Published by HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Harper 2015 Copyright © Indigo Bloome 2015 Cover photographs © Shutterstock.com Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2015 Indigo Bloome asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780007597574 Ebook Edition © January 2015 ISBN: 9780007597581 Version: 2014-12-06

Dedication Dedication Dedication Prologue The Offer The Grand Slams: Round One French Open I: May-June Wimbledon I: June-July US Open I: August-September Australian Open I: January The Grand Slams: Round Two French Open II: May-June Wimbledon II: June-July US Open II: August-September Australian Open II: January Epilogue Acknowledgements About the Author Also by Indigo Bloome About the Publisher For all those who read the Avalon Trilogy, my most sincere thanks. This one’s for you! xo

Prologue

The Offer

The Grand Slams: Round One

French Open I: May-June

Wimbledon I: June-July

US Open I: August-September

Australian Open I: January

The Grand Slams: Round Two

French Open II: May-June

Wimbledon II: June-July

US Open II: August-September

Australian Open II: January

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Indigo Bloome

About the Publisher

Antony ‘Caesar’ King was one of the wealthiest men in the United Kingdom. Casino and hotel management were his business staples, but he was equally notorious for his ruthless dealings in property investments and high-end gambling. The crowning glory of his business empire – on which he spent a disproportionate amount of his limited time – was the firm he had built from scratch: The Edge. It was the world’s leading sports agency, responsible for managing the global careers of the most influential and brand-conscious athletes. Caesar had a natural instinct for identifying emerging talent, and the financial resources to back those he happened to tap on the shoulder.

Athletes knew that if The Edge represented them, they were on the path to greatness. To say ‘No’ to Caesar was akin to kissing your sports career goodbye and fading into oblivion. Not only was the business highly lucrative, but it also ensured Caesar was the pre-eminent ‘mover and shaker’ in the industry. At elite sports venues the world over he was immediately recognisable for his flamboyant dress sense, and he had the personality to match. Whether people loved him or hated him, such was his magnetism that they were drawn to him like moths to a flame. Power and superiority emanated from every gesture he made and the tone of every word he spoke. And rest assured that he relished the authority he wielded and the attention he attracted. Indeed, he depended on it for his continued success.

* * *

His father, Antonio ‘Tony’ King, was a self-made man. From humble beginnings in Italy, Tony had emigrated to America after the war. He had hocked his few valuables for several hands of blackjack, and won enough to kick-start his life in the new world. He was a conscientious gambler, willing to bet on high-risk ventures. And against all odds, he won significantly more than he ever lost.

Antony junior’s middle name was a direct tribute to an exceptionally lucky night at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. During a few raucous rounds of poker, Tony was challenged to risk all of his winnings on the roulette table.

With all the careless arrogance of a man who had nothing to lose, he barely glanced at the spinning wheel, where the numbers and colours swirled towards the potential gain or loss of such a huge sum. Instead, the beauty of a tall young blonde a few feet away captured his eye. With a sly wink he beckoned her close, whispering in her ear that she was his good luck charm. It was only when she returned his smile that he let his eyes focus on the tiny silver ball slowing towards black thirteen as if it were magnetically attracted to the number.