Deadly Embrace by Jackie Collins

This was
insane.
    "Fuck you!" he said, and walked away.
    The truth was that his words chilled her. He'd probably already
killed once. What difference did it make if he shot them all?
    * * *
    By the time Nando turned up, the atmosphere at the table was
strained. Jenna was sulking. Vincent was pissed. And Jolie wanted to
know exactly where he'd been.
    "Hey," Nando said, waving his arms expansively in the air as he
faced up to his wife. "You know I don't like bein' questioned. I told
you I had a business meeting and that's what it was, strictly
business."
    Nando was a wiry-looking man a few months younger than Vincent.
Not conventionally handsome, he had his own particular style that
appealed to both men and women. Ballsy and full of testosterone, he
was Vincent's partner and best friend. They'd grown up together and
had much in common. Women loved Nando, a fact that was not lost on
his beautiful wife.
    Jolie narrowed her amber eyes. She didn't trust her husband. On
the other hand, whatever he did, she could do too. And she was
quite prepared to do it with Vincent, if only he was ready to
play.
    Which he wasn't.
    Too bad.
    "How's my favorite beauty?" Nando asked, swooping down to kiss
Jenna.
    "About time you showed up," Vincent said, wondering—like
Jolie—if Nando was playing on the side.
    "Where's Andy?" Nando asked, checking out the table.
    "He had to go."
    "Vincent frightened him off," Jolie said.
    "Shit!" Nando said, sliding into the booth beside her. "I got
people wanna invest in a movie for him."
    "I'm sure he really needs your investors," Jolie murmured
dryly.
    "Do me a favor," Vincent said, frowning. "Don't invite your
assholes to dinner, then do a no-show. The prick was all over Jenna.
He's lucky he walked out of here."
    "Jesus, Vin," Nando said, clicking his fingers for the waiter and
ordering another bottle of champagne. "You think everyone's got the
hots for your wife. She's hot, but trust me—Andy Dale has women
fallin' over themselves to get near him, he doesn't need to hit on
Jenna."
    "Keep him away from me and Jenna," Vincent warned.
    "Yeah, yeah," Nando said, taking no notice.
    "Nobody needs to keep anyone away from me," Jenna said, speaking
up, her voice a girlish squeak. "Andy wasn't doing anything .
I'm, like, so humiliated that Vincent imagined he was."
    "Hey," Nando said, with a rakish grin. "Marry an irresistible
woman an' you're gonna have guys hittin' on her. It comes with the
territory. I should know," he added, placing his arm around Jolie's
smooth bare shoulders. "Look at the beauty I got."
    A guilt hug , Jolie thought. He's screwing someone else,
the bastard .
    "So," Nando continued, "we all gonna sit here with long faces, or
we gonna have ourselves a good time?"
    "A good time, please," Jenna said, cheering up. She liked Nando;
he always put a smile on her face.
    "That's my girl," Nando said, winking at her. "Now why don't you
an' Jolie go powder your noses or whatever you girls do when you
spend three hours in the head? Vin and I got somethin' to
discuss."
    "What would that be?" Jolie asked. Nando silenced her with
a look. "Okay, okay, we're going," she said, hastily getting up.
"C'mon, Jenna."
    "I just went," Jenna complained.
    " C'mon ," Jolie repeated. "The guys need private time. Maybe
we'll hit a few slot machines instead of the ladies' room. Got any
change?"
    "You know I don't like you to play," Nando said, the smile
slipping from his face.
    "Big deal!" Jolie said. "Slot machines. I can really break
the bank, can't I?"
    Nando threw her another look.
    Jenna got up from the table. "I hope you're planning to apologize
to Andy Dale," she said stiffly, directing her words to her husband.
"I have no idea what you said to him, Jjut whatever it was, he didn't
look happy when he came back. You embarrassed me."
    " I embarrassed you ?" Vincent said incredulously.
    "Yes," Jenna said, slightly unsure of herself.
    "Baby," Vincent said, shaking his head, "if you think that was an embarrassment, you ain't