All That Glitters (9 page)

‘I’ve had a phone call about you,’ Aaron announced as he swept into the Ridings’ eat-in kitchen. Ella was finishing her breakfast at the scrubbed pine table, but she was still in her dressing gown and hadn’t even thought about brushing her hair or sweeping a touch of make-up on her face.

She briefly wondered if it had been such a good idea to give Aaron a key to their house, but then she remembered that he technically owned it. Danny was certainly rich enough to have bought it himself, but Aaron liked to have what he called ‘gentle control’ over his clients. It didn’t worry Danny – Aaron wasn’t about to throw them onto the streets, and if he did they had plenty of money to buy somewhere themselves – so it didn’t bother Ella. She just would have preferred a bit more privacy.

‘Oh yes?’ Ella said, as she swallowed the last of her porridge. ‘I hope it was a good one.’ She didn’t know why, but sometimes she felt like Aaron was her teacher or her father or something. Why did she always feel like he was about to tell her off?

‘It was a great one,’ Aaron said, as he helped himself to coffee and sat on the chair opposite her. ‘Have you ever heard of
Cooper’s Kingdom
? It’s on Channel Four, normally in the daytime, but it’s proving so popular they’re moving it to prime time. Johnny Cooper hosts it and interviews celebrities. It’s cult TV gone mainstream.’

Ella briefly closed her eyes. ‘I have heard of it, yes,’ she replied slowly. She knew what was coming.

‘Well guess what, sweetheart, they want you to appear on it! Johnny Cooper has asked for you especially!’

Ella concentrated very hard on looking pensive yet delighted.

‘But Aaron, it’s daytime TV. I always thought you said I should know my own value, and I don’t think daytime TV is really it, you know?’

Aaron took a long gulp of his coffee. ‘But like I said babe, they’re moving the show to primetime – Friday nights, nine o’clock. You don’t get a better slot than that, and you’d be on the first evening airing. They’re predicting eight million viewers. It doesn’t get bigger than this.’

Ella bit her lip. ‘I’m just not sure this programme is the right fit for my image. I mean, it’s about celebrities. And I’m not one. Surely I’m not famous enough to be on his show?’

‘You
are
a celebrity . . . and you’ll be a lot more famous after you’ve been on this programme,’ Aaron sighed, and Ella could tell he was losing patience with her. She was supposed to jump up and down and be excited about this opportunity. It was a great chance for her to get on TV and it would introduce her and the Riding brand to a new audience. She just wished Johnny Cooper didn’t present the show – he made her skin crawl, and she had a bad feeling about him. He was dangerous. ‘All you need to do,’ Aaron continued, ‘is sit on a chair, look pretty, and make clever small talk about your life. It’s perfect for you; they’re going to pay us ten grand for your appearance and I said you’d do it.’

Ella plastered on the biggest smile possible, and even though it was a cliché, she clapped her hands together in delight. ‘Well, if you think it will be good for us, I can’t wait to do it,’ Ella said as enthusiastically as she could. ‘It
is
a great opportunity; you’re right.’

Inside her heart was sinking. She really didn’t want to go on this programme, and she especially didn’t want to see Johnny Cooper again. But being Danny Riding’s wife was her job, and she was determined to do the best she could for her husband. It was only fair, when he provided her with the most perfect lifestyle imaginable.

‘I’ve had another email,’ Danny said casually, as they curled up in front of the TV that evening. His green eyes were focused on the second season of one of his favourite shows –
America’s Hits
– but Ella knew he wasn’t really watching it. How could he concentrate on anything when Sancho Tabora had ramped up his number of emails to Danny from one or two a month to several a day? It was relentless.

‘What did this one say?’ Ella asked lightly as if they were chatting about something that didn’t really matter.

‘He wants a hundred grand. Next week.’ Danny still hadn’t taken his eyes off Madison Miller, the presenter, who was introducing another contestant on
America’s Hits
. ‘I said it would be fine.’

Ella swallowed. She wasn’t sure how much Danny got paid, although she knew it was an awful lot. But a hundred grand? This was the most money Sancho had ever demanded, and ever since the Putto launch at The Dorchester, he’d been asking for more and more, and pushing harder each time. Where would it end?

‘Right,’ she said, with difficulty. She knew how much Danny was hurting, and she also knew she was powerless to stop it. She decided to change the subject. ‘So, guess what I’m doing next week?’

Danny remained silent for a moment, and Ella wondered if she’d said the wrong thing. Every time she tried to be sympathetic, or tried to find a solution to end the blackmailing, Danny got angry and frustrated with her. Changing the subject was a last resort.

‘What are you doing next week?’ Danny asked finally, and Ella breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

‘Well, I’m popping into
Cerise
to do some more outfits – the theme’s about being pretty without looking like I’ve been sexually objectified by a man – and I’m going to be a guest on
Cooper’s Kingdom
, too. How cool is that?’

For a second, Danny’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s awesome,’ he enthused. ‘I can’t believe you’re going to be on one of my favourite shows.’

Ella grinned. Okay, so she totally and absolutely hated the idea of being filmed while sucking up to Johnny Cooper, but it was worth it just to cheer up Danny.

‘Want to come along? You could watch us filming if you like. I’m sure the production crew wouldn’t mind.’

‘When is it?’ Danny asked with interest.

‘Thursday afternoon. Are you free? I’d love it if you could come.’ Ella didn’t mention she wanted Danny there as protection from Johnny’s mesmerising stare. She remembered how he looked at her, and how it made her feel. It was like she was turned on and repulsed at the same time. If Danny came, he would be her shield. Her reminder of what she had, and why she didn’t want lust ever again.

‘Damn, I can’t come – I offered to help at the Kingston United Training Academy on Thursday. We have a couple of schools visiting, and I said I’d help out.’

‘Can’t you cancel?’ Ella asked in a small voice.

Danny considered it for a moment, and Ella held her breath. But then he shook his head.

‘I can’t,’ he said eventually, and Ella could see his mood visibly changing again. That little spark of interest was drifting away. ‘I can’t let the kids down – they know I’m coming, and they’d be so disappointed.’

Ella was disappointed too, but she chose not to say anything. Why make Danny feel even worse than he already did? Damn Sancho Tabora. Damn him.

‘So, welcome to my house, Ella Riding,’ Johnny remarked with a flourish, as Ella turned up on the set in the outskirts of Kent.
Cooper’s Kingdom
was made by an independent production company, Fairytale Productions, and was filmed in a studio made to resemble Johnny Cooper’s living room. ‘I’m so glad you could come.’

Ella eyed him. He sounded perfectly polite, but there was something in his voice that suggested innuendo, and something in his eyes that made her think he was mocking her. Perhaps he was. People who didn’t know her tended to treat her like she was a footballer’s wife stereotype: vacuous and only interested in clothes, make-up, and shopping.

‘And I’m pleased to be here,’ Ella said smoothly, as she looked around the set. She had to admit it was beautiful. The ‘living room’ was fitted out in velvety cappuccino and chocolate hues, and oak and apple-wood coffee tables were placed in front of comfortable brown leather sofas. A massive Jackson Pollock print hung on the ivory wall, and realistic daylight streamed through the windows, lighting up the room. It was exquisite.

‘What do you think of my living room?’ Johnny asked, as he flopped onto a sofa and looked around the set. ‘It’s an exact replica of the one in my Hampstead home – right down to the Conran side-tables. The production team blanched at the cost, but I had to have them. I have them in my home, after all.’

Ella shrugged slightly. ‘It’s okay,’ she said. ‘It’s very nicely done, I can see that.’ She was determined not to be charmed by this man, or to gush. But she had to be polite. It was hard.

Johnny didn’t say anything for a moment, and Ella looked up at him. His clear blue eyes were searching her face, and it looked as though he was going to say something to her when a production assistant bounded over. The moment had gone.

‘We’re going to start filming the introduction and the segments of the show now, Mrs Riding,’ the assistant said, as she clutched her clipboard to her chest nervously. She was young, maybe twenty-one or twenty-two, and was clearly in awe of both Johnny and her. Ella gave her a warm smile.

‘Would you like me to disappear into the Green Room for a bit?’ she asked kindly, and the assistant flushed.

‘Well, you can go there if you like, or you can join the other guests just over there. Often people like to watch Mr Cooper introduce the show.’

Ella glanced over to where the three other guests were sitting. There was Clement Du Cussy, the well-known literary author and Booker prize-winner, Clinton Mogridge, the American sensation who’d won Wimbledon the previous year, and Mali Croswell, a gorgeous English actress who’d made it big in Hollywood. And even though she felt a tiny bit nervous about meeting people who were famous for being talented – rather than for marriage, as she was – she couldn’t wait to be introduced to them.

Thank God she’d got changed though. She hadn’t known what to wear, and had thought jeans and a pretty top would be okay, but Danny had warned her that everyone who appeared on
Cooper’s Kingdom
practically wore black tie, so she’d slipped into her favourite new dress: an Oscar de la Renta gold ribbon and white tulle dress with gold Louboutin heels. Dressed like that, she felt like she was in league with everyone else.

Ella couldn’t take her eyes off Johnny. He was saying his lines with a cheeky grin, and ignoring the autocue that was running in front of him. There was something so sexual about the way Johnny Cooper flirted into camera that she was drawn to him – to his rugged good looks, and his easy chatter about what was coming up on the show – and she despised herself for it. How had this happened? One moment she hated the man, hated how he’d eyed her up at The Dorchester like she was a piece of meat for the taking, and the next . . . well, she was as besotted as everyone else. He was just so hot.

But the moment Johnny finished saying his lines the spell was broken. He stopped filming, and as he ran his hands through his hair he shot a look over at Ella, as if checking she’d been watching his performance on set. Instantly she remembered how she despised how cocky he was, how much he seemed to rate himself, and it was as if the previous half hour had never happened. On screen Johnny Cooper was everything a TV presenter should be – likeable, knowledgeable, and a demon at thinking on his feet – but off air? He was just another man with a massive ego who probably needed to fuck as many girls as possible as affirmation of how attractive he was. It was an immediate turn-off for her. Well, it should have been, anyway.

‘What did you think then, guys?’ Johnny asked his four guests, who’d been sitting behind the cameras.

‘Amazing,’ breathed Mali Croswell. ‘Absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to be interviewed by you.’ There was a slight pause as Johnny registered the suggestion in her tone, and then he broke into a huge grin.

‘I can guarantee that being on set with me is even better than just watching,’ he winked, and then he turned his attention to the author and tennis player, ignoring both her and the pouting, captivated actress.

Ella was indignant – she couldn’t quite believe that Johnny Cooper had just flirted so openly with Mali, just like he had done with her earlier. She bit her lip and felt embarrassment wash over her. She was so
stupid
. All this time she thought he’d been behaving like he fancied her, like she was unique, but she’d been wrong. His little performance at the Putto launch? That was just Johnny Cooper being Johnny Cooper. He hadn’t wanted her that night, or today. No wonder she and her silly, uncalled-for overreactions amused him. He flirted with anyone and everyone, and she was nobody special.

‘I hope I get to sit next to him on the sofa during the show,’ Mali whispered to her, as her famous big brown eyes shone in pleasure. ‘He’s so divine. And such a catch. My agent wasn’t sure about me appearing on this show – and he has a point, I suppose, because I shouldn’t be doing mainstream TV shows, only exclusive interviews and things like that – but I just couldn’t resist! TV presenters are so sexy, aren’t they, and they don’t get sexier than Johnny Cooper.’

Ella smiled as sweetly as she could, and drank in Mali’s gorgeousness. Her olive skin sparkled under the studio lights, and her long dark hair gleamed with health. She was young, stunning, and had recently taken Hollywood by storm, and by rights, Mali could have any man she wanted. Yet she was appearing on
Cooper’s Kingdom
and very much had a thing for Johnny Cooper. Had Ella underestimated just how important, and how A-list Johnny was? She had a feeling she was about to find out.

Over the course of the show Ella started to feel ashamed at how she’d misjudged Johnny. Yes, he was gorgeous, and yes, he was charming, but as soon as she came on set and poured her champagne, Ella melted. Johnny was also clever, funny, and a brilliant interviewer. On camera he behaved impeccably, asking his guests questions about themselves and ensuring they were comfortable and could shine. How could they not? Johnny Cooper was a TV pro, who’d worked his way up the television ladder and was now hosting a cult programme of his own. They were lucky to be appearing on his show. Like Aaron had said, this was the hottest thing on TV at the moment, and it would boost her profile no end.

‘So, Ella Riding, what’s it like being a footballer’s wife?’ Johnny asked her, as he finished interviewing the tennis player. The cameras were trained on them, but Ella was so used to them now that she didn’t feel nervous. It was her time to sparkle in the spotlight.