The Chocolate Lovers' Club

Chapter 1 "Hit me again," I say. Eyebrows are raised. "Are you sure?" "I can handle it." "You can overdose on this," he warns. "Even you, a hardened user." "Never." In times of crisis, my drug of choice is single plantation Madagascar. There is nothingabsolutely nothingthat it fails to cure. This is the remedy for anything from a broken heart to a headacheand I've had plenty of both in my time, I can tell you. "Bring it on, boy." I nod solemnly and my dealer hands over my drugs, making me sigh with relief. Chocolate. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm! Lovely, lovely, creamy, sweet, delicious chocolate. I just can't get enough of it. Taking my first bite, I feel its warm, comforting taste start to edge through my pain. There are times when chocolate really is the answer to all of your prayers. "Better?" "Getting there," I say with a wan smile. "The posse will be here soon and then you'll be okay." "I know. Thanks, Clive. You're a savior." "All part of the service, dear." He high-fives me in a very camp waybut then he's gay, so he's allowed. Taking my stash, I find a sofa in the corner and sink into it. My weary bones start to relax and, breathing in the strong vanilla scent, I feel my head starting to clear too. I'm not alone in my desires. Oh no. I'm part of a small but perfectly formed sect that we've christened the Chocolate Lovers' Club. We have just four members in our guilty gang, and we meet here at Chocolate Heaven as often as we can. This place is an addict's paradisethe equivalent of the opium den for the chocoholic. It's tucked away in a cobbled back street in a smart area of London, but I'm not going to say where, because then my secret would be out and hordes of wide-eyed, craving women would descend on our special place and spoil it. It's like when you discover a great holiday destinationmiles and miles of deserted, white beaches, intimate little restaurants and nightspotsthen you tell everyone about it and how fabulous it is and next year it's been swamped by people on EasyJet flights, and you can't move on the beach for bloated bodies in beaded sarongs from Matalan and ghetto blasters. All the intimate little restaurants now serve sausage and chips and the nightspots offer half-price drinks and have foam machines. For now though, Chocolate Heaven is the haunt of the chosen few and long may it remain so. I let my head drop back and score once more, popping another divine chocolate into my mouth with yet another heartfelt sigh. I'm Lucy Lombard, and I suppose I'm the founding member because I'm the lucky soul who found Chocolate Heaven first. Today, an ad-hoc meeting of the Chocolate Lovers' Club has been hastily convened. If any one of us texts chocolate emergency, we all try to drop whatever we're doing and run for our sanctuary. It's the equivalent of telling an on-call doctor that his heart patient has just flatlined. This time I'm the one who's called the meeting. Wait until I tell my best girls what's happenedthey won't believe it. Or maybe they will. Autumn is the first to arrive. As I finish my last chocolate, she bursts through the door. "Are you okay?" she asks breathlesMatthews, Carole is the author of 'The Chocolate Lovers' Club' with ISBN 9780312376666 and ISBN 0312376669.