Claudine's New Adventure

By Elizabeth Dunk

Having just moved her youngest child out of home, Claudine Hetherington finds herself living alone for the first time in her life. Rather than be scared, she sees it as the opportunity for a new adventure and it soon arrives in the very good looking figure of a billionaire shopping centre owner.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Murphy/Elizabeth Dunk Publications
• Release date: Mar 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476370149

Elizabeth Dunk

Elizabeth Dunk is the nom-de-plume of Nicole Murphy. Elizabeth Dunk books are contemporary romance or erotica (sometimes with a TOUCH of paranormal). Nicole Murphy has been a primary school teacher, bookstore owner, journalist and checkout chick. She grew up reading Tolkien, Lewis and Le Guin; spent her twenties discovering Quick, Lindsey and Deveraux and lives her love of science fiction and fantasy through her involvement with the Conflux science fiction conventions. Her urban fantasy trilogy Dream of Asarlai is published in Australia/NZ by HarperVoyager. She lives with her husband in Queanbeyan, NSW. Visit her website http://nicolermurphy.com

Book preview

Claudine’s New Adventure.

Elizabeth Dunk

Copyright 2012 Nicole Murphy/Elizabeth Dunk Publications

Smashwords Edition

Cover Artwork from iStockphoto.com

Cover and Internal Design – Nicole Murphy

The Right of Nicole Murphy to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 and generally under section 6bis of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works.

This story is a work of fiction. Names, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any event, incident, location or person (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

First published in Australia, 2012

http://nicolermurphy.com

Table of contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Acknowledgements

Other works

Chapter One.

Morning, Claudine.

Morning. Claudine Hetherington smiled at the security guard as she approached the front doors of the shopping centre.

Next to the door was three of the sales assistants from the teen fashion stores and as always, her passing caused whispers and giggles.

She cast a glance at them. Amy from Hot Topic sneered then lifted a cigarette to her mouth with arms that were now so skinny you could see the bone underneath the wasting muscles.

As she went into the centre, Claudine sent a small prayer up for Amy. The poor girl was miserable, that was clearly obvious, and starving herself to fit into the world. Hopefully she’d find herself and her strength before it was too late.

Claudine’s store was up on the second floor, near the cinemas. It was just on the wrong side of the marbled flooring that announced all the designer labels and provided a buffer between them and the cheap, bold fashion that teenagers could afford.

She pushed up the grill that protected the shopfront and then opened the door. She loved this moment – when all was quiet and the store looked perfect. She took a deep breath and smiled. Today was going to be a cracker day – she knew it.

She’d known it from the moment she woke up. All through breakfast, getting ready and the drive in, she’d not been able to stop smiling.

Today was the beginning of her new life.

Society suggested that she should be having a hard time today. She’d moved her youngest child out of home on the weekend and for the first time in her life, was all alone. Her role as a mother now just