All That Glitters Read Online Free Page A

stretched out on the sofa as if he owned the place. In a way, Ella thought, he did. ‘I hope you’re settling in okay in this house? And I heard you loved your wedding present.’
    ‘Oh God, that was such a surprise!’ Ella exclaimed, and this time her smile was genuine. ‘It was so generous of Danny. I drove it over to my step-sister’s house, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. She couldn’t believe it!’ Which was true, she supposed. As Stacey stood next to her beat-up VW Polo and checked out Ella’s Ferrari she had struggled, hard, not to appear sick with jealousy.
    Aaron smiled. ‘Danny wanted to get you a car, and I suggested something a little different. So many footballers’ wives drive around in Mercedes, Porsches or four by fours, and I think it’s important that you stand out from the crowd, don’t you? I thought it was important to get you a classy little number.’
    Ella beamed. She wasn’t quite sure what to say. She knew her car made a statement – she just wasn’t sure what statement Aaron thought it conveyed. Could a car that ostentatious be classy? Really?
    ‘Which brings me to what I want to talk to you about. When Danny first introduced you to me, I thought you were perfect for my plans, and since you’ve been back from your honeymoon, I can see that I was right.’
    ‘Your plans?’ Ella asked with interest. ‘How am I involved in them?’ Aaron was Danny’s agent – or manager, as he liked to call himself – and while he mainly brokered marketing and sponsorship deals, Ella knew that Aaron took more of an interest in Danny than other agents did with their clients. He controlled his image – his brand.
    ‘Quite simply, darling, I’m going to make Danny Riding a superstar – bigger than Rooney, Gerrard and even Beckham – and you’re going to help me do it.’
    Ella took a deep breath. She knew Aaron was ambitious, but it was the first time she’d seen him in action. When he talked about Danny, his whole demeanour changed. His brown eyes narrowed, his facial expressions became more intense, and even his body language became more overt. He became the man that intimidated the fuck out of Ella – but she was determined not to let him see it.
    ‘Aaron, when I first met you – after Danny and I got engaged – you talked a bit about the obvious benefits of Danny having a wife. I married Danny because I love him, and I don’t mind doing the media things, like having our wedding in magazines and doing interviews sometimes, because I know it goes with the territory . . . but I don’t know what else I can do to make Danny even more famous.’
    Aaron smirked knowingly, sat back on the sofa, and let his eyes slowly wander over the girl in front of him. Ella looked sensationally sexy. She was wearing a gaudy, floral fitted Dolce and Gabbana dress with cap sleeves, and it fitted her so closely that it looked as though it had been made just for her.
    ‘I don’t want you to be just another footballer’s wife.’ Aaron remarked matter-of-factly, and Ella took a sip of her tea to steady herself. What was he saying, exactly?
    ‘I want you to be the footballer’s wife. I want you to be better than all the others, and I want you to be something different. Something amazing.’
    Ella bit her lip uncertainly. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked.
    ‘Well, look at what you’re wearing, to start with. Where did you get that dress?’
    ‘Chastity and I went shopping in town last week,’ Ella began, and Aaron jumped to his feet.
    ‘Exactly! You went shopping with Chastity and bought this dress because it’s what footballers’ wives are supposed to wear. Everyone’s the same. They want to look as sexy as possible to try to keep their man, but as a result they go overboard and end up looking trashy.’
    ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘Think about it. You’re married to a footballer who has girls throwing themselves at him all the time, so when you’re a wife you make more of an