Read Online Chloe's Rescue Mission by Rosie Dean - Free Book Online Page A

way back to his digs, scrambled up the stairs and fell, breathless, into his unmade bed. I’d never done anything so reckless in my life, which made it all the more thrilling. For days we would rush back after studio sessions to tumble around in his bed or mine.
    But nobody can keep up that level of activity.
    Correction. Chloe Steele couldn’t maintain such physical indulgence and follow the full first-term programme. Ben, on the other hand, must have been mainlining caffeine and possibly some other stimulant, because the minute I asked for time-out, I got it – only more time than I’d bargained for. Within an insultingly short space of time, (two days to be precise) he was doing his Billy the Whizz impression, up Market Street, with a cocktail waitress called Suki.
    Is it any wonder I next gravitated to the dark, handsome, second-year student who was, in our microcosmic world, revered for his hypnotic performance of Prospero in The Tempest? I hadn’t seen it, but I could imagine it. When we finally did date – God, that took a lot of effort because Jonathan wasn’t easy to land – I persuaded him to give me Prospero’s final soliloquy.
    That was his home run. He bedded me straight after.
    Months later, when Jonathan hurled verbal abuse at me in the Union Bar, I gave him my final speech. ‘Jonno, enough! We’re finished.’
    I decided then, that if a man looks mean and moody – he probably is.
     
    I dozed in the car, and woke as we came to a halt on a small airfield. I’d assumed we would leave from one of the international airports. Instead, after a man in a navy suit had checked my passport, I found myself being directed to a private jet. Stopping at the bottom of the short run of steps, I took a few deep breaths to calm my pulse.
    Duncan was already on board and seated in one of the leather chairs. He was dressed casually, and had a laptop on the table in front of him. He smiled. ‘Afternoon, Chloe. Come and sit yourself down.’ I made my way along the narrow aisle to sit opposite him.
    ‘So,’ he fixed his gaze on me. ‘Are you ready to do some major networking?’
    ‘I think so. I’ve put together a bunch of information packs and I’ve got my ‘elevator pitch’ down to about eighteen seconds.’
    ‘Good.’ He smiled. ‘You do realise, probably your greatest asset is your personality. They say people buy people.’
    I nodded slowly, absorbing that little comment. I was here because he’d ‘bought’ me, which could have an upside or a downside. I shifted in my seat. ‘I was studying the list of conference delegates, yesterday, getting some background on them. Quite impressive.’
    ‘I’ll go through them with you later. There are some who I think will be more amenable than others. But tell me, how did your meeting with that other potential backer go?’
    He must have read the website, because I hadn’t told him about King Lloyd Holdings. ‘Ah, that.’ I wrinkled my nose. ‘Old friend, thinks he might be able to swing a deal with his company to help us with the construction.’
    ‘How exactly – do the work, provide the funds?’
    ‘Something like that. It was a bit vague. I’m waiting for him to come back with their proposals.’
    ‘You don’t sound very sure.’
    ‘Like I said, he’s an old friend. Maybe his intentions are more generous than those of his company.’ I wasn’t about to bare my soul on this subject.
    There was a heavy ‘thunk’ as the pilot closed the cabin door. I fastened my seatbelt and watched while Duncan folded his laptop away. Within minutes we were airborne, the green countryside retreating slowly beneath us. I shut my eyes. There might have been thirty whole minutes when I’d slept last night but for the rest of the time, I’d been trying to find a comfortable position and quieten my mind. Maybe I could catch a quick snooze now – my head felt woolly enough.
    The next moment, my stomach plunged as the plane suddenly rose in the sky and dropped