The World is Full of Married Men [Mass Market Paperback]

Jackie Collins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 1997

Succulent startlets ready to make it, rich moguls hungry for hotter pleasures -- on the casting couch, at lavish parites, in plush hotel suites. A Hollywood tale about the burning ambitions, vicious power-plays, and sexual double-dealings of the entertainemnt world, wehre wives sait for husbands who never come home, and luscious models pay more than their duies...where talent and drive take you jsut so far, but sex can take you all the way.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

There have been many imitators, but only Jackie Collins can tell you what really goes on in the fastest lane of all -- from Beverly Hills bedrooms to the raunchy streets of Hollywood.

With 200 million copies of her books sold in more than 40 countries, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling writers. In a series of controversial bestsellers, she has blown the lid off Hollywood life and loves. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down -- the truth is much more bizarre."

Jackie's sixteen bestselling novels have never been out of print, and all have been New York Times bestsellers. Now comes Thrill!, a high suspense story of sex, lust, relationships, fame, violence and terror. Her heroine is a beautiful movie star -- classy and untouchable, who hooks up with a handsome stud -- irresistible to women. Then there's her ex-husband. His ex-lovers. A fifteen year old wild child. An obsessed fan. And all the secrets in the world...

Jackie Collins started writing as a teenager, making up steamy stories her schoolmates paid to devour. Her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men became a sensational bestseller because Of its open sexuality and the way it dealt honestly with the double standard. After that came The Stud, Sinners, The Love Killers, The World Is Full of Divorced Women, The Bitch, Lovers and Gamblers, Chances, and then the international sensation, Hollywood Wives -- a number one New York Times bestseller, which was made into one of ABC's highest rated miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins and Candice Bergen.

The Stud, The World Is Full of Married Men, and The Bitch were also filmed -- this time for the big screen. And Jackie wrote an original movie, Yesterday's Hero, starring Ian McShane and Suzanne Somers.

Readers couldn't wait to race through Lucky, her next book -- a sequel to Chances -- and the story of an incredibly beautiful, strong woman, another New York Times number one.

Then came the bad boys of Hollywood in the steamy Hollywood Husbands -- a novel which kept everyone guessing the identities of the true-to-life Hollywood characters.

Jackie then wrote Rock Star -- the story of three rock superstars and their rise to the top, followed by the long-awaited sequel to Chances and Lucky -- Lady BOSS -- tracking the further adventures of the wild and powerful Lucky Santangelo as she takes control of a Hollywood studio.

Both Lucky and Chances were written and adapted for television by Jackie, who also executive produced the highly successful six-hour miniseries Lucky/Chances, starring Nicollette Sheridan, Sandra Bullock and Grant Show.

In 1992 she produced and wrote the four-hour miniseries, Lady Boss, which became another huge ratings success for NBC TV. Lady Boss starred Kim Delaney.

Next came American Star, a love story which the L.A. Times described as "classic Collins."

And then the dangerously close to the truth Hollywood Kids -- a story of power, sex, danger and ambition among the grown offspring of major celebrities.

In 1996, Vendetta - Lucky's Revenge was published -- and became an immediate New York Times bestseller. Vendetta brought back the ever popular Lucky Santangelo. In Vendetta, Lucky faces the biggest challenge of her life when Panther Studios is taken from her by Donna, the dangerous widow of the Santangelos' arch enemy, Santino Bonnatti. Donna plans to destroy Lucky in every way. But Lucky is street-smart and just as ruthless, and so the battle begins...

In her new novel, Thrill!, Jackie has created her signature mix of unputdownable characters. Thrill! is a psychological thriller for the nineties as only Jackie Collins can write it. A roller coaster ride of love, sex and suspense.

Ms. Collins lives in Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies are photography, soul music, and exploring exotic locations so she can write about them later. She is currently working on a new Lucky Santangelo novel, and a weekly T.V. series, Hollywood Dreams. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One:

"When I was fifteen I was amazing, absolutely amazing! Dear Mummy was terrified to let me out on my own; she felt I was bound to come home pregnant, or something silly like that."

The speaker was Claudia Parker. The listener was David Cooper. Claudia was in bed. She was a very beautiful girl and she knew it, and David knew it, so everyone was happy. She had long, shiny ash-blond hair, which fell thickly around her face, and deep bangs down to her eyebrows, which accentuated her enormous, slanty green eyes. The face was perfect, with a small straight nose, and luscious full lips. She wore no makeup and no clothes, and was covered by only a thin silk sheet.

David sat at the end of the bed. He was forty and looked it. He had black, slightly curly hair, and a well-lined strong face. His nose was rather prominent, and he wore thick, horn rimmed glasses. He was a masculine-looking man and enjoyed a great deal of success with the opposite sex.

"So eventually I left home," continued Claudia. "I mean it was just all too impossible and dreary. One night I sneaked out, never to return. Actually, I met this marvelous boy, an actor, and he brought me to London with him, where I've been ever since." She sighed and wriggled around under the sheet. "Got a cigarette, darling?"

David produced a packet of filter-tips from his dressing-gown pocket and handed one to her. She took a long drag. "Want to hear more of my lurid background?"

"I want to hear everything about you."

She smiled. "You're so sweet. Not at all dull. I thought when I first saw you, you would turn out to be an absolute bore. But how wrong I was. I'm mad about you!" She leaned over to where he was sitting. The sheet was left behind as she wound her arms around his neck and started to nibble at his ear. She had a quite fabulous body.

He pushed her back on the bed.

"Want me, baby?" she whispered. "Want me badly?"

He grunted his assent.

Suddenly she twisted herself free, jumped off the bed, and ran to the door. "You're too much," she said, "but not now, darling. Maybe you can do it again so soon, but I need a little rest." She giggled. "I'm going to have a shower, then perhaps we can get some lunch out; and then, baby, then we can come back and make it all night long!"

She vanished through the door, and David heard water running in the bathroom.

He thought about Claudia, and the way they first met. Was it really only three weeks ago? He had had a particularly hard day at the office, and Linda, his wife, had been nagging him about all the extra work he seemed to be doing, and how she never saw him anymore. It was nearly six, and he was just getting ready to leave, when Phillip Abbottson darted into his office.

"Listen, Dave," Phillip said. "Do you have a spare moment to come down to the studio and make a decision for us? We've got two girls testing for the Beauty Maid soap product, and it's a dead heat. We just can't decide."

Reluctantly David went with Phillip to the ground-floor studio in the enormous Cooper-Taylor advertising building. It was owned by his uncle, R. P. Cooper, who had two sons, and Sanford Taylor, who had no sons but who did have a son-in-law. David was sixth in line of importance, which in a business of such a size was quite important, but not important enough as far as David was concerned. He was in charge of the television section, and since Beauty Maid soap was to be featured quite heavily on Channel 9, it was necessary to pick the right girl.

They entered the studio, and David immediately spotted her. She was sprawled in a canvas chair, wearing a white terry-cloth robe. Her hair was piled high on her head, and she was eating an apple. The other girl came into focus next. She was chocolate-box pretty, prim, and virginal-looking. However, her figure belied her face. She had a huge bosom, the largeness of which was emphasized by the flesh-colored swimsuit she was wearing.

"What tits!" muttered Phillip.

"Is that all you ever think about?" said David.

Phillip called for silence in the small studio and gestured to the girl with the large bosom. She made her way onto the small set where a fake bathroom was set up. She climbed daintily into a large, round marble bath, flesh-color swimsuit and all, and a prop man rushed eagerly over and sprayed her ample proportions with bubbles. Someone else thrust a large bar of soap into her hand, and then Phillip shouted, "O.K, let's shoot it."

The cameras started to roll, and David watched the scene on a small closed-circuit screen.

The girl flashed a toothy smile at the camera. "I'm a Beauty Maid," she cooed. She lathered the soap in her hands and spread it luxuriously up her arms, first one, and then the other. "Beauty Maid was made for me. It's so creamy, so smooth, so datable." She drew one long leg out of the bubbles and lathered that too. "Why don't you try Beauty Maid, and then you can be a Beauty Maid too!" She smiled at the camera again and shifted slightly, so that her huge bosom was well in focus.

"Cut," shouted Phillip. "Miss Parker now, please."

David turned to watch as Claudia changed places with the first girl. She had a pantherlike grace all her own. Her voice was low and sexy as she read her lines. When she was finished she casually shrugged her way back into her robe and sat down. The other girl still bounced around the set.

"Choose Claudia Parker," David said to Phillip. "There's no contest."

As he left the set, Claudia caught his eye. She smiled, and he felt more than a hint of promise in her smile. He returned to his office, packed up a few papers, called Linda to say he would be home for dinner, and left.

Claudia was standing outside the building.

"Hello," she said. "Small world."

They talked for a few minutes about the tests, and Beauty Maid soap, and the weather, and then David suggested dinner. Claudia said she thought that was a great idea.

They went to an intimate Italian restaurant in Chelsea, where David knew he was unlikely to be spotted by any of his or Linda's friends. He called Linda on the phone and made his excuses. She sounded upset but understanding. Claudia called a boyfriend and canceled him out. They ate cannelloni and talked and held hands, and there it all began.

Claudia returned from the bathroom. "Darling, what have you been doing?" she questioned.

David pulled her down on the bed. "Thinking about you, about how you picked me up."

"That's not true!" she protested. "You're just a dirty old man who fancied me as soon as you saw me in that bath!" She was wearing her white terry-cloth robe again. David ran his hands underneath it. She shivered. The phone rang. "Saved by the bell," she giggled, and rolled across the bed to answer it. It was her agent.

David dressed slowly, watching her all the time. She spoke animatedly on the phone, occasionally pausing to stick out a small pink tongue at him. Finally she hung up. "Oh, you're dressed," she said accusingly. "I've got simply marvelous news. I have an interview with Conrad Lee tomorrow. He's over here looking for a completely new face to star in his latest film; it's all about the Virgin Mary or something. Anyway, I'm to see him tomorrow night at six in his suite at the Plaza Carlton. Isn't it exciting?"

David wasn't pleased. "Why do you have to see him at night? What's wrong with during the day?"

"Baby, don't be so silly. My God, if he wants to get laid he can get it just as well in the morning as any other time." She marched crossly over to the dressing table and meticulously started to apply her makeup.

"All right, I'm sorry I spoke. I just don't know why you want this stupid career of yours. Why don't you-"

"Why don't I what?" she interrupted coldly. "Give it all up and marry you? And what do you suggest we do with your wife and kids, and all your other various family entanglements?"

He was silent.

"Look, baby." Her voice softened. "I don't bug you about things, so why don't we just forget it? You don't own me, I don't own you, and that's the way it should be." She applied lip gloss with a flourish. "I'm starving. How about lunch?"

They went to their favorite Italian restaurant and good humor was soon restored.

"Sunday's such a dreary day," mused Claudia. "It just sort of sags along." She drank her red wine with relish and smiled at the short, fat proprietor, who grinned happily back. "Do you know, everyone believes they're beautiful; I'm sure of it. They look in the mirror, and they see two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and that's it, they think -- what a gas!"

Her laughter lit up the restaurant, and David laughed with her. She was such a beautiful, vital girl. He had had many affairs outside marriage before, but this was different; this time, for the first time, he wished he was free.

"I met this man once," said Claudia. "He promised me a yacht in the south of France, a villa in Cuba, lots of jewels and all that jazz, and then he just disappeared. I heard later he was a spy and got shot. Life sure is strange."

After lunch they drove through the West End looking for a film they both wanted to see.

"Look at all those nuts," exclaimed Claudia, watching a large procession heading toward Trafalgar Square. "Can you imagine spending all your spare time rushing around tying yourself to embassies, and sitting down all over the place? And all the fellas have beards, I wonder why." She snuggled up closer to David. "Let's forget about the movie. Let's go back to my place and screw. I feel like getting laid again, don't you?"

Who was he to argue?

Copyright © 1968 Jackie Collins --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (January 23, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061012548
• ISBN-13: 978-0061012549
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #514,375 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jackie Collins has been called a "raunchy moralist" by the late director Louis Malle, "Hollywood's own Marcel Proust" by Vanity Fair magazine and "the Victor Hugo of our time" by Simon Doonan in the New York Observer. With over 400 million copies of her books sold in more than 40 countries, and with some twenty-two New York Times bestsellers to her credit, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling novelists. She is known for giving her readers an unrivaled insiders knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and sometimes bad! "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down -- the truth is much more bizarre."
Jackie Collins started writing as a kid, making up steamy stories her schoolmates paid to devour. Her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men became a sensational bestseller because of its open sexuality and the way it dealt honestly with the double standard. After that came The Stud, Sinners, The Love Killers, The World is Full of Divorced Women, Lovers And Gamblers, Chances, and then the international sensation, Hollywood Wives -- a #1 New York Times bestseller, which was made into one of ABC's highest-rated miniseries starring Anthony Hopkins and Candice Bergen.

The Stud and The World is Full of Married Men were also filmed -- this time for the big screen. And Jackie wrote an original movie, Yesterday's Hero, starring Ian McShane and Suzanne Somers.

Reader's couldn't wait to race through Lucky, her next book -- a sequel to Chances -- and the story of incredibly beautiful, strong woman, another New York Times number one.

Then came the bad boys of Hollywood in the steamy Hollywood Husbands -- a novel which kept everyone guessing the identities of the true-to-life Hollywood characters.

Jackie then wrote Rock Star -- the story of three rock superstars and their rise to the top, followed by the long-waited sequel to Chances and Lucky -- Lady Boss -- tracking the further adventures of the wild and powerful Lucky Santangelo as she takes control of a Hollywood studio.

Both Lucky and Chances were written and adapted for NBC television by Jackie, who also executive produced the highly successful six-hour miniseries Lucky/Chances, starring Nicollette Sheridan and Sandra Bullock.

In 1992 she produced and wrote the four hour miniseries, Lady Boss, which became another huge ratings success for NBC. Lady Boss starred Kim Delaney. Next came American Star, a love story, which the Los Angeles Times described as "classic Collins."

And then the dangerously close to the truth Hollywood Kids -- a story of power, sex, danger and ambition among the grown offspring of major celebrities.

In 1996 Vendetta -- Lucky's Revenge was published -- and became an immediate New York Times bestseller.

And then in 1998, Thrill!, a psychological thriller for the nineties, in which Jackie created her signature mix of unputdownable characters.

In the summer of 1998, Jackie hosted her own daily television show, "Jackie Collins Hollywood." A combination of fun, style and interviews, Jackie talked to everyone from George Clooney to RuPaul!

After that she wrote L.A. Connections -- a four-part serial novel published one per month -- Power, Obsession, Murder and Revenge.

In 1999 came Dangerous Kiss -- the return of Lucky Santangelo in a bestselling novel about relationships, addiction, fear and lust.

In the year 2000, Lethal Seduction became the first bestseller for Jackie Collins in the new millennium. This tale of erotic suspense and glamorous intrigue featured Madison Castelli, a character first introduced in the L.A. Connections series.

Hollywood Wives -- The New Generation became a blockbuster bestseller in 2001, following in the footsteps of the original Hollywood Wives. Hollywood Wives -- The New Generation featured a brand new cast of characters and a totally fresh perspective on how women pursue power, love, sex and success in Tinseltown today.

In 2002, New York flash, L.A. trash and a Mafia don met head-on in Deadly Embrace, a sexy tale of dangerous passion and suspense featuring heroine Madison Castelli that was both a prequel and a sequel to her adventures in the bestselling Lethal Seduction.

2003 marks the return of Jackie Collins to prime-time television with a brand-new two-hour CBS TV movie Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives: The New Generation, starring Farrah Fawcett, Melissa Gilbert, Robin Givens and Jack Scalia and produced by Collins. And in December 2003, comes her twenty-third novel, HOLLYWOOD DIVORCES, a sizzling, glam-drenched novel of lust, infidelity and revenge featuring all-new characters navigating Hollywood's treacherous trail of divorce.

Ms. Collins lives in Los Angeles, California. Her hobbies are photography, soul music, and exploring exotic locations so she can write about them later.

There have been many imitators, but only Jackie Collins can tell you what really goes on in the fastest lane of all. From Beverly Hills bedrooms to a raunchy prowl along the streets of Hollywood; from glittering rock parties and concerts to stretch limos and the mansions of the power brokers -- Jackie Collins chronicles the real truth from the inside looking out.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars of stunning smut!, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The World is Full of Married Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Jackie Collins, how can she make so much money by writing such trashy novels that we cannot stop reading (only to mock it)? This was the first Jackie Collins book I'd read, and I was positively roaring when I read it. Chalk full of cheap love affairs and sleazy characters, it'll make you want to meet Jackie Collins if only to ask her, "What the hell were you thinking."

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining quick read., August 17, 2011

By 

NoWireHangers (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The World is Full of Married Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Late 1960s. Advertising executive David Cooper has an affair with model/would-be actress Claudia. Mrs. Linda Cooper lives in denial of her husband's infidelity but, frustrated that he's never at home, has an affair of her own. But it's not long before she'll have to face the truth about her husband's affairs, and before long, David will realize that Claudia isn't as fun outside the bed as in it, and that maybe his wife deserved a bit more respect.

"The World is Full of Married Men" is not great, but it's a fun, quick read (info on Amazon.com says 288 pages, mine was less than 180). It was also made into a movie starring Tony Franciosa and Carroll Baker, today mostly forgotten, unlike its Bonnie Tyler theme song.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's exactly what you'd expect., February 1, 2000

By 

Matthew McWilliams - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Is Full of Married Men (Mass Market Paperback)

Jackie Collins, who I assume still holds the throne as the "Queen of Trash" wrote this, her first novel in 1968 when it was considered outrageous and subsequently banned in Australia. She wanted to expose the marital double standards of men and show the superficiality, use, and abuse abundant in the lives of all the characters "relationships". The TV/advertising world is used here. The novel has a very "Valley Of The Dolls" feel to it. I can certainly understand the appeal of the jet-setting folk in Collins' novels but their lack of decency and scruples is ultimately depressing. Jackie says her books have a strong moral tone to them and I suppose this is true when the major users/abusers ultimately become bereft of partners, money or power. This book should appeal to bitter ex-wives, but Jackie tends too often to make men the villains and women their victims who ultimately overpower them to what one must assume is vigorous applause from her feminist readers.