The Prada Paradox
Authors: Julie Kenner
Tags: #Fiction, #Contemporary Women, #Mystery & Detective, #Women Sleuths, #Romance, #General
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Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
EPILOGUE
Up Close and Personal with the Author
PRAISE FOR JULIE KENNERS BREAK-OUT CODE-BUSTING SERIES
The Givenchy Code
A fabulously fun heroine with a math-geeks mind and a passion for fashion outwits and outplays a ruthless killer in this latest ingenious literary creation from Kenner, whose sharp sense of wit is the perfect accessory for this chic blend of chick lit and thriller.
Booklist
A fantastic, sexy, fast read, full of intrigue, humor, and murder.
Reader to Reader Reviews
Did you enjoyThe Da Vinci Code? Then you simply MUST read this! Do you love thriller novels that keep you glued to the pages? Then you simply MUST read this!
Huntress Book Reviews
The Manolo Matrix
Julie Kenner has me hooked on this series! With her ability to build the thrills and chills to a climactic crescendo, Ms. Kenner keeps the action hot, tense, and very unnerving
. Not to be missed.
Romance Junkies
The plot is inventive, complex and kept this reader engaged from start to finish
. The puzzles are outstanding.
Fallen Angel Reviews
The Prada ParadoxIS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN EBOOK
Also by Julie Kenner:
The Givenchy Code
The Manolo Matrix
The Spy Who Loves Me
Nobody but You
AnOriginal Publication of POCKET BOOKS
| DOWNTOWN PRESS, published by Pocket Books 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 |
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright Š 2007 by Julie Kenner
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
ISBN: 1-4165-3840-2
DOWNTOWN PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Visit us on the World Wide Web:
http://www.SimonSays.com
Dedicated to my friends in Los Angeles.
Thanks for the good times!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Steve, research assistant extraordinaire.
THEPrada PARADOX
Chapter1
Someone put a bullet in my boyfriends brain!
As I race down the street, propelled by terror, I can still see the image in my mind, and the thought of it makes my stomach turn. The blood and gore on his pillow. The gaping hole above his ear.
My heart stutters, and a stitch burns in my side. Move, Mel, I think. Just move! Im barefooted, and tiny stones poke into the soles of my feet. I ignore the pain and press on toward safety. Toward home.
Im almost there, and I keep my focus on that simple green door. Reach the door, open the door, through the door. After that doesnt matter. Not yet. Which is good, because right now my brain cant process any more than those three simple commands. Its too filled with terror and rage and confusion to digest rational thought.
Around me, bright light from fixtures hung precariously on steel poles casts dark shadows, giving this Manhattan street an eerie quality. I barely notice. Just as I barely notice the people standing nearby in clusters, walkie-talkies and cell phones silent in their hands. I glance over them, searching the crowd for the killer. I know deep down that hes not there, but I shove that knowledge away and search. I have to be thorough. I have to be certain.
No one suspicious jumps out at me, and I allow myself one tiny glimpse of hope. My door isright there. Twenty yards. Fifteen. Ten.
And then Im there. My hand closes around the doorknob, the metal cool against my hands. I twist the knob violently, then shove the door open. One step and Im over the threshold and
Cut! Tobias Harmon, the director, yells from across the street. Beautiful, sweetheart! I think we got it this time! That was brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
I nod acknowledgment, but dont look at him. Im too busy shaking off the fear that Ive been wallowing in for the last five takes.
My name is Devi Taylor. Im an actress. And for me, this part is the role of a lifetime.
Chapter2
This bit here, I say to my assistant, Susie. Does the dialogue sound cheesy to you?
She takes the script and reads it, her mouth moving as her eyes skim over the words. After a second, one shoulder lifts daintily. I dunno.
O-kay, I say, patiently. But whats your gut impression? Did it feel natural? Do you think thats really the way the conversation between Mel and Stryker went? The scene were talking about is on schedule for tomorrow, our second day of principal photography. Its the scene where they first meet, and Melanie Prescott (akamoi ) is absolutely certain that Matthew Stryker (the hero) is trying to kill her.
Um, I guess so?
I silently count to three, then tilt my head back so that I have a full view of her face. Wide eyes, lanky legs, overly bleached hair, completely vapid expression. Honestly, the next time my manager asks me to do him a favor and hire his wifes cousins daughters college roommate as an assistant, Im going to run as fast as I can in the opposite direction. Except, of course, he posed that question while we were at the Ivy on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, and the opposite direction would have had me body-surfing without a board.
In other words, I chickened out when I had the opportunity, and now Im stuck with Indecisive Barbie.
Theres not a right answer, I say, hoping I sound encouraging. The dialogue just sounds a little off to me. So I want to get your opinion, too.
Right. I get it. Thanks.
And? With great restraint I manage not to make twirling come on already motions with my hand.
I
well
um
Have you asked Blake?
No, I say, unable to dodge the invisible steel bar that immediately straightens my spine. I havent talked with him today. A fact that I was particularly proud of since hed dragged his sorry ass down to the backlot today, despite not being on the call sheet. Id managed to avoid him since I arrived for my five a.m. makeup call, and really hoped that my winning streak would continue.
Another shrug from my wishy-washy assistant. Its just that, you know, since you play Mel and he plays Stryker, maybe it makes more sense for you to be asking him about the dialogue.
Out of the mouths of babes.And I mean babes in the total Hollywood sense of the word. Blond. Stacked. You get the picture.
The irritating truth is that shes right. I should be talking to Blake. Except, I dont want to act opposite Blake, much less talk to him. Not anymore, anyway.
So, like, do you want me to go see if Mr. Harmon needs you anymore today?
Sure, I say, suddenly thrilled with the prospect of being left alone. And could you do me a fav? Im completely parched. Go track down an Evian and some lemon for me. I happen to know that craft services ran out of lemon slices around eleven. Shell be gone for hours.
She gives me a mini-salute and then leaves. I sigh and close my eyes, my thumb idly rubbing the edge of the script as my mind begins to drift. The reason Im so pumped up about making sure the dialogue is perfect is that I know this scenes going to be a tough one. Not only because of the emotional intensity required to nail a scene like that, but because of the personal history between me and Blake Atwood.
In the movie, Blake plays Stryker, an ex-marine turned reluctant bodyguard to Mel. In real life, Blake is my ex, a little fact that you probably already know if youve gone grocery shopping recently. Because despite my best efforts to keep my private life private, our entire relationshipfrom courtship to our recent pyrotechnical breakupwas played out on the covers of magazines ranging fromEntertainment Weekly toPeople toUs. My mother doesnt even bother to call me anymore to find out whats new in my love life. She just reads theEnquirer while standing in the checkout line at the grocery store.
And the coverage wasnt limited to the tabloids and the weeklies. No, even the classier mags got in on the buzz. When we were cast to star in the movie together (and still quite cozy with each other), Blake did an interview withMaxim. I let my publicity team talk me into doing an interview and photo spread withVanity Fair. (That, of course, was a Very Big Deal, since everyone in Hollywood knows that Ive been Miss Ultra-Private these days.)