Hollywood Divorces / Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (20 page)

He was backing down, which pleased her. ‘Do you have time?’ she said.

‘I’ll make time.’

‘Now don’t forget, tomorrow night is Norio and Kyndra’s anniversary party, so in case I’m working late, be
sure
to have your secretary remind you. I’ll join you at their house as soon as I can.’

‘Does this mean you’ll be working late
every
night?’ he asked, not sounding at all happy.

‘No, darling,’ she said smoothly. ‘However, you know I can’t leave whenever I feel like it. I have to be responsible.’

‘I understand that, Taylor, and I’ve been thinking.’

‘About what?’

‘When you get home tonight we should talk about your project. I might have come up with an answer for you.’

‘What kind of answer?’

‘How about
I
find you a writer to work on the script?’

‘You mean you’d get involved?’

‘It’s what you’ve always wanted me to do, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, Larry, that’s exactly right.’ Taylor clicked off her phone, a triumphant smile playing across her lips. At
last
Larry was getting involved.

And about time too.

Nicci hadn’t been to a rave in a long time. It occurred to her that since she’d been engaged to Evan, she hadn’t done much of anything except cater to her future husband.

What happened to me
? she thought, as she danced and jumped and yelled like a crazy person, sweat pouring off her body as she totally gave herself up to the blaring sounds–all inhibitions out the window.
I used to be a free spirit who did whatever I wanted whenever I felt like it. Then I got engaged, and suddenly I turned into a mini Hollywood wife. Holy shit!

She was stoned. What with the grass at home, the sake in the restaurant, vodka in the car on the way to the rave, and Ecstasy when she’d got there, she was very, very wasted. It didn’t matter. She
wanted
to be stoned. She didn’t care to think about Evan and his duplicity.

All she wanted was to hang loose, get wild, zone out. And she was doing that with Brian, who was way more fun than she’d ever imagined. He was manic and out there. He was interesting and funny and great. He was…
Jesus!
She
almost fell as the room began spinning around and around, and she knew she’d better lie down or she’d throw up.

She was giddy and disoriented until Brian grabbed her, and then she started laughing uncontrollably.

‘You’ve…got…great…teeth,’ she managed. ‘I get off on your teeth. Cool teeth!’

He was laughing too as he pulled her over to the side. They were both laughing hysterically and she didn’t feel sick any more, and then the room was taking off again, and the music was louder than ever, and Brian suddenly pinned her against the wall and began kissing her, his insistent tongue pushing into her mouth.

She could not remember kissing Evan like this. Brian’s kisses were better than sex. It was like
so
hot that she almost came.

She closed her eyes. Somewhere in the back of her head she knew she shouldn’t be doing this. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered. There
was
no tomorrow.
Today is tomorrow. Tomorrow is today.

What the fuck! She didn’t have a care in sight.

Monday was an exceptionally long day, they didn’t finish until ten. When Montana invited her for a drink, Taylor decided she had no reason to rush home. Larry was probably in bed watching all the political programmes he enjoyed, while her adrenaline was in overdrive. There was no way she could sleep.

‘Where did you have in mind?’ she asked.

‘We usually hang out at my favourite Mexican bar,’ Montana replied. ‘Sonja’s coming. I think it would be helpful for you and she to get together before tomorrow when we shoot the love scene. Sorry about getting to the love scene so early, although sometimes it works out better that way.’

‘I made a movie with Charlie Dollar once,’ Taylor reminisced. ‘I only had a small role, but the first time I met him I was naked in bed–watched over by a crew of seventy. I was mortified!’

‘I presume that was before Larry,’ Montana said drily.

‘Way before,’ Taylor said, laughing at the memory.

‘How does Larry feel about you doing
my
movie?’ Montana asked curiously.

‘I make my own decisions.’

‘Glad to hear it,’ Montana said. ‘Nothing worse than a man telling you what to do. I’ve had a few of those in my time. Believe me, they don’t last long around me.’

‘I can imagine,’ Taylor murmured, thinking that she wasn’t calling Larry to tell him she was going for a drink. Even though he’d said he was prepared to talk about her project, it could wait.

This way he might sweat a little, wonder what she was up to. He was way too secure in their relationship.

‘I could kill him,’ Lissa said, tight-lipped.

‘Calm down,’ Michael said, although he could understand how she felt.

‘
You
calm down,’ she responded, getting up and pacing around the room. ‘I’d like to kill the son-of-a-bitch! How
dare
he get on television and say all those terrible things about me?’ She turned to him with an appealing expression. ‘You
know
they’re not true–don’t you, Michael?’

‘Of course I do,’ he said, wanting nothing more than to hold her in his arms and comfort her.

‘Yes,’ she worried, ‘but the public are likely to believe him, and then the tabloids will pick it up. Oh, God! I’ll be vilified everywhere.’

‘I’m telling you, Lissa,’ he said, trying to placate her, ‘this’ll go away.
You
’re the famous one in the family, he’s
just the jerk who wants to get his face on TV. You gotta let it go.’

‘I’m calling my lawyer immediately,’ she said, a determined jut to her chin.

‘There’s nothing you can do now.’

‘Yes, there is, there has to be.’

Michael couldn’t take his eyes off her, she was so goddamn beautiful and womanly. He knew that if he stayed he was going to find himself in deep trouble. He
wanted
to stay and comfort her, and yet he knew the smart thing was to get out while he could. Becoming involved with Lissa Roman would be a bad move. She’d use him and discard him. She was a movie star, she wouldn’t even realize she was doing it.

‘I gotta be going,’ he said, getting up.

She turned on him, blue eyes flashing. ‘Why are you always taking off on me?’ she demanded. ‘Do
you
think I’m a self-obsessed bitch like Gregg says?’

‘Don’t be crazy.’

‘I’m not being crazy, Michael, but all you seem to do is run.’

‘Hey, listen,’ he said, ‘I’m trying to keep this on some kind of level here.’

‘What does
that
mean?’

‘You and I are messing with each other’s minds, Lissa,’ he said, staring at her with an intense expression.

She narrowed her eyes. ‘What the
hell
are you talking about?’

‘I’m not a good candidate for Rebound Man,’ he muttered.

‘Is
that
what you think?’ she said angrily. ‘That I’m so mad at my soon-to-be ex that I’m looking for a
Rebound
Man? Don’t flatter yourself, I’m not looking for anything–
especially
not a man.’

‘Let’s not get into this, Lissa. We live in two different
worlds, and I’m not the kinda guy who’d fit into yours.’

‘Are you saying that because I’m famous we can’t hang out?’

‘No, I’m saying that if I stayed, it could be dangerous for both of us.’

She gave him a long, steady look. ‘Dangerous, Michael?’

‘You know what I mean,’ he said, realizing that he wanted to kiss her more than he’d ever wanted to do anything else. She was standing there before him, vulnerable, angry, gorgeous. And yet…something held him back.

Get out
, his inner voice warned.
You’re not boyfriend-of-the-star material. Get the fuck out while you still can.

‘You should phone your lawyer and decide what to do tomorrow,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ll call you in the morning.’

She stared at him for a moment, her diamond blue eyes turning into ice cold chips. ‘Fine,’ she said coolly. Lissa was not used to being rejected, and that’s exactly what she felt he was doing.

‘Thanks for dinner,’ he said. ‘The lasagna was sensational.’

‘My pleasure,’ she said, her voice an icy blast. ‘Oh,’ she added, ‘and by the way, don’t forget to send a bill.’

‘A bill?’ he said, frowning, because he knew she was now trying to piss him off.

‘For your services.’

‘You have us on retainer, Lissa.’

‘Sorry, I forgot. It’s all inclusive, isn’t it?’

‘Don’t take your shitty husband’s remarks out on me,’ he said, still frowning.

‘We’ll talk about it some other time, Michael,’ she said brusquely. ‘I’m tired. See yourself out,’ and she marched out of the room.

He walked outside, got in his car and drove off.

The moment he hit the street he was angry at himself.
What the hell was wrong with him? Why hadn’t he stayed around when she obviously needed a friend?

Because she’ll hurt me. Because that’s what women I care about always do.

And Michael was through with being hurt. He’d suffered enough betrayals to last a lifetime.

Taylor soon found out that drinking with the girls was a revelation. Sonja Lucerne was a fine actress who had once played leading-lady roles until she’d got too old for the Hollywood they-gotta-be-in-their-twenties scene. Like Meryl Streep and Glenn Close before her, she’d kept her dignity, was incredibly talented, and still looked wonderful.

‘It’s such a pleasure to meet you,’ Taylor said, finding herself somewhat in awe. ‘I’ve always admired your work.’

‘So
you
’re my little tootsie in this film, huh?’ Sonja drawled in a deep husky voice. She was a pointy-faced woman with a mass of red hair, piercing eyes and high cheekbones.

‘
Nobod
y’s a tootsie in one of my films,’ Montana said, ordering a tequila straight up.

‘It’s a fine script,’ Sonja said, playing with one of her many gold bangles. ‘You’ll love working with Montana.’

‘I know I will,’ Taylor said enthusiastically.

‘Montana knows how to treat women,’ Sonja offered. ‘Male directors simply don’t understand us, hard as they try.’

‘I’m into that,’ Taylor agreed. ‘Although, of course, my husband—’

‘He doesn’t get it either, darling,’ Sonja interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. ‘I saw his last film. His leading man was sixty-something, while his leading lady was a twenty-something twinkie. You should talk to him. He seems smart, and he’s certainly talented enough.’

Taylor had never thought about it before, but Sonja
was right–Larry did the conventional thing and usually cast an older male star with a much younger actress. It was time he changed that. ‘Listen,’ she said ruefully, ‘he won’t even cast
me
in one of his movies, that’s how much influence I have.’

Sonja gave her a penetrating stare. ‘You’d be surprised what kind of influence women have over the men they live with. The trick is to exert that power. If you play the woman you
think
they want you to be, nothing ever changes. If you become strong, you’ll make
him
stronger because of it.
That
’s when things change.’

‘Hmm…’ Taylor said.

‘It always amazes me how accepting women are at being treated badly,’ Montana said, joining in. ‘Especially in this town. How many couples do you see where the husband is some old goat, and his wife is a two or three decades younger beauty?’

‘Everywhere I go,’ Taylor said.

‘And yet,’ Montana continued, ‘they play the charade that it’s true love and everything is perfect. And because the husbands get away with it,
that
’s what they end up putting on the screen–old men, young women.’

‘Exactly!’ Sonja said.

‘But what they’re really doing is reflecting their own lives,’ Montana said, downing her tequila in one fast gulp. ‘Then, of course, when they see an older
woman
with a younger
man
, it’s “Oh dear, isn’t that shocking!”’

‘You’re so right,’ Taylor agreed.

‘Of course I’m right,’ Montana said forcefully. ‘That’s why I make cable movies and not theatrical blockbusters, because the men in this town are frightened of my ideas, which is okay with me because I get to do exactly what I want. For instance, this film we’re making now is about two women in a meaningful relationship–nothing wrong with that, only you won’t see it on the big screen. Too
threatening for the Hollywood boys. The only time
they
want to see two women together is when they’re making out in a soft-porno flick.’

Taylor nodded, her eyes gleaming. This was not the kind of conversation she was used to and she loved it. Female power–both women exuded it. She felt privileged to be in their company.

O
n Tuesday morning Nicci couldn’t open her eyes. She could barely breathe, let alone anything else. Gradually, she surfaced, only to find that she was surfacing in an unfamiliar bed.

With a supreme effort she forced herself to wake up.
Oh, God!
she thought in a panic.
I am naked, I am in a strange bed, and there is a man sleeping next to me.

Her head hurt so much she didn’t even dare to look to see who it was. But then she recognized the shaggy beach-blond hair, and knew it was Brian.

What the hell had she done?

She rolled out of bed, realizing that this must be his apartment. It was spacious and untidy, with a panoramic view of the city.

She searched around for her clothes, and spotted them scattered all over the floor.

Grabbing her jeans, she wriggled into them. Then she found her top and put it on.

Memories began flooding back, including Brian’s revelations about Evan and his fiancée.

Oh, great! Evan had a former fiancée, and that information had made her jump into bed with his brother. What kind of girl
was
she?

So Evan had kept something from her. It wasn’t
that
bad, it wasn’t like he’d
murdered
someone. Brian was much worse, he’d got her drunk and stoned, then taken advantage of her.

God, how she hated him! He’d done it to get back at his brother. What a scumbag.

She stared at the object of her fury, still asleep, or passed out, one or the other. Goddamn it, he’d ruined her life. Now she’d have to look at him forever and remember that she’d slept with him.

Or had she? She couldn’t remember. Although her clothes, strewn all over the floor, should give her a clue.

She shoved his shoulder. ‘Brian,’ she said excitedly, ‘wake up!’

‘What?’ he mumbled, flinging his arms out, almost hitting her in the face.

‘Don’t you have a plane to catch?’ she said.

‘Fuck!’
he muttered, reaching for his watch on the bedside table. ‘Guess I blew that.’ Bleary-eyed, he focused on her. ‘Christ, Nic, what’re
you
doing here?’

‘That’s what
I
’d like to know,’ she said grimly. ‘
How
did we get here? And
why
did I wake up in your bed?’

‘You woke up in my bed?’ he said, struggling to sit up. ‘Jeez!’ A big grin spread across his face. ‘I must be more irresistible than I thought.’

‘Brian, that’s not funny,’ she said, standing beside the bed, glaring at him accusingly. ‘I don’t remember anything. What did you do? Slip something in my drink?’

‘Yeah, like I’d do that,’ he said, pushing his long, shaggy hair out of his eyes. ‘Jesus, Nic, I don’t remember anything either.’

‘Did we, uh…do anything or didn’t we?’ she demanded.

‘How would
I
know?’ he said, yawning.

Dilemma. Neither of them could remember.

‘Well,’ she said matter-of-factly, ‘I don’t think we did. In fact, I’m
sure
we didn’t.’

‘’S long as you’re sure,’ he mumbled.

‘Yes,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m sure. We simply got carried away at the rave, came back here and passed out.’ She shot him another accusing look. ‘I don’t know why you took me there in the first place.’

‘To have a blast,’ he said, yawning again.

‘It might’ve been a blast last night, but I feel like total crap, and I wanna go home. Is my car downstairs?’

‘How would I know?’

‘This
is
your apartment.’

‘True.’

‘You’re not being very helpful. And you haven’t even picked up Evan’s papers,’ she said, beginning to panic again. ‘For God’s sake, Brian, you’d better get it together. I’ve got a wedding to plan, your mom’s arriving any minute, Evan’s been lying to me, and now this.’

‘Keep it down, you’re hurting my head,’ he muttered, stumbling out of bed. ‘Let’s figure this out. Your car must be downstairs, ’cause that’s what we were in.’

‘Exactly.’

‘Okay, I’ll throw on some clothes, we’ll go back to your place, pick up Evan’s papers, then I’ll get the next plane outta here. After that we’ll forget this ever happened.’

‘Right,’ she agreed, unable to take her eyes off his rather impressive naked body. ‘And perhaps you can put your pants on.’

He ignored her request and padded into the bathroom.

‘You’d better not tell Evan I filled you in on him being engaged before,’ he yelled out, ‘’cause he’ll be major pissed, an’
I
’ve gotta work with the asshole.’

‘I
have
to mention it,’ she shouted back. ‘Why should I keep it a secret?’

‘Then get Lynda to tell you. Mommy Dearest has the biggest mouth going.’

‘How do I achieve
that
?’

‘Say somebody told you,
not
me,’ he said, emerging from the bathroom in a pair of striped underwear. ‘She’ll tell you, an’
then
y’ can take it up with him.’

‘Any other secrets you’d like to share with me about my future husband?’ she said, wishing this would all turn out to be nothing more than a bad dream.

‘You’ll find out,’ he said, pulling on a pair of crumpled pants.

And then she remembered kissing him, and how good it had been.

Maybe they
had
taken it to the next level. After all, they’d both woken up naked…

She didn’t want to think about it.

‘C’mon,’ she said impatiently. ‘Let’s do this. I have a wedding to organize.’

‘Well?’ Quincy asked, the moment Michael walked into the office.

‘Well, what?’ Michael responded bad-temperedly. He was in no mood to be questioned.

‘What went on last night?’

‘Nothing,’ Michael said, sipping from a mug of hot, strong coffee.

‘Nothin’, huh?’ Quincy said disbelievingly. ‘You had a meetin’ with Lissa Roman, an’ nothin’ went on.’

‘Oh, yeah, that,’ Michael said casually. ‘It went well.’

‘
What
went well?’ Quincy said, exasperated.

‘The meeting.’

‘You gonna tell me what happened or not?’ Quincy demanded.

‘Nothing happened, Q,’ Michael said, like it was no big deal. ‘I met with the woman, we discussed what to do about her husband’s gun, and, uh…that was that.’

‘That was that, huh?’ Quincy said, not believing him for a moment.

‘Yeah.’

‘You’re
sure
nothin’ happened I should know about?’

‘Talking about things you should know about,’ Michael said, placing his coffee mug on Quincy’s desk, ‘your wife called me last night.’

‘
Amber
called you? About what?’

‘About me
not
getting involved with Lissa Roman.’

‘Aw, Jeez,’ Quincy groaned. ‘There she goes again.’

‘What’s with this shit, Q? I never said I had anything going with the woman, an’ now I’ve got your wife on my case. I don’t fucking appreciate it.’

‘Sorry about that,’ Quincy said abashedly. ‘You
know
Amber, she gets carried away.’

‘Goddamn it, Q—’

‘She
likes
Carol,’ Quincy interrupted. ‘Thinks the two of you make a perfect couple.’

‘Oh, good,’ Michael said sarcastically. ‘I got your wife’s approval. Maybe
she
’d like to spend more time with Carol.’

‘She is. We’re havin’ dinner there tonight. I’ve been reminded twenty times, so you’d better not forget.’

‘Why would I forget?’ Michael said.

Quincy shrugged. ‘Amber said I should remind you.’

‘For crissakes, I’ll be there. Okay?’ he said, reaching for a cigarette, indulging himself in a habit he was trying to break.

‘What’s happenin’ with you an’ her anyway?’ Quincy persisted.

‘I dunno,’ Michael said, inhaling deeply. ‘I’m not looking for anything permanent. Carol’s nice enough, and that’s about it.’

‘She looks sexy to me.’

‘The
cleaning
lady looks sexy to you.’

‘Amber would
love
to hear that,’ Quincy said, roaring with laughter. ‘She’s got a real bad jealous streak.’

‘If she keeps up the shit she’s giving me, maybe I’ll tell her what a pussy-chaser you
really
are.’

‘No, man,’ Quincy begged. ‘You do that an’ my sorry ass won’t be worth shit.’

‘So get her to stay the fuck outta my business. Okay, Q?’

‘I’ll try, but nobody ever said bein’ married is easy.’

‘I want to sue him,’ Lissa said calmly, sitting in her lawyer’s Century City office, quite composed.

‘Sue him for what?’ her lawyer replied.

‘Defamation of character. I want to sue him, the television station, and that blonde who introduces the show.’

‘Lissa, I thought you wanted Gregg to go away quietly. Isn’t that our objective?’

‘No,’ she said sharply. ‘I’m fed up with being maligned. It’s time to get in his face, like he did mine. How
dare
he say those things about me? I have a daughter to think about, a reputation,
and
I have my fans. I will not allow him to get away with saying those things about me.’

‘You’re serious about suing?’

‘Yes.’

‘I’ve never seen you so determined.’

‘You probably haven’t, but I’m not all sweetness and light. I can be a bitch too.’

‘I noticed.’

‘So find out where he is and sue the son-of-a-bitch. Okay?’

After she was finished with her lawyer, she dropped by her dress designer’s showroom and had the final fittings for her Vegas clothes. The Desert Millennium Princess Hotel was sending a plane for her on Thursday, two days before her appearance. That way she could rehearse with the band and her dancers, and get acclimatized. Since they were paying her so much money, her one-night show was a very big deal, and she wanted to be totally prepared.

Claude was flying everyone in on Saturday on his plane.
So far the group included James, Larry and Taylor, Kyndra and Norio, and Stella and Seth. All her best friends.

In one way she was nervous about her upcoming performance, and in another she was looking forward to it. Performing on stage was where she felt most at home, more so than being in front of a movie camera or in the recording studio. She got the greatest thrill from the surge of adoration the audience gave her. Live applause
wrapped
her in love.

Since Kyndra couldn’t make lunch, she called James and he happily agreed to meet her at Le Dôme. They sat at a corner table studying menus.

‘Did you see it?’ James said, as soon as they’d ordered.

‘Yes, I saw it,’ she replied evenly. ‘And I’m suing him. I’ve already met with my lawyer.’

‘On what grounds can you sue?’

‘Defamation of character. Seems like a pretty good lawsuit to me.’

The waiter brought James a Martini, and Evian for her. ‘You’re taking it well,’ James remarked.

‘I’m angry, not upset. If Gregg thinks I’m about to fade away and play the hard-done-by little superstar who doesn’t care to ruin her public image, he’s very much mistaken.’

‘Good for you,’ James said, sipping his Martini.

‘I’m
trying
to handle everything,’ she explained, ‘and I can, as long as I get Gregg out of my life forever.’

‘Nobody can blame you for that.’

‘And remind me
never
to get involved with another man ever again,’ she added forcefully, thinking of the strong attraction she felt for Michael. ‘You’re all as bad as each other.’

‘Kindly do not put
me
in that category,’ James said tartly. ‘I’m gay, remember?’

‘Gay guys have their trip too.’

‘As if
you
would know.’

‘I’m your best friend, aren’t I? How many times have you shared outrageous stories about you and Claude?’

‘Too many,’ James said regretfully. ‘And do not forget your promise to
never
repeat them.’

‘I’m perfectly
happy
on my own,’ Lissa said. ‘No more involvements. No more falling in love with a handsome face and a hard body.’

‘
And
let us not forget a delicious dick,’ James murmured reverently.

‘You always go for the dick, don’t you?’ she said, with the trace of a smile.

‘I thought that was
you
, dear,’ James observed. ‘Surely I’m not mistaken?’

‘
Very
amusing.’

‘Do I sense that you’re interested in someone?’ he ventured. ‘The moment you say that you’re not is the moment I know that you are.’

She managed to look suitably surprised. ‘What
are
you talking about?’

‘I know you so well, Lissa,’ he said fondly. ‘Are you
sure
there’s not a little something you’d like to reveal to me?’

‘Absolutely not.’

‘Shame!’

‘Your imagination is far too active, James. You need to get a hobby.’

‘Ah…’ he crowed triumphantly. ‘So there
is
someone?’

‘Will you
quit?
’

The waiter brought their order. Grilled swordfish for James and a chopped salad for Lissa.

‘Who is he?’ James persisted, picking up his fork. ‘Anyone I know?’

She thought about Michael for a moment. He’d run out on her again, that’s twice he’d done that. Maybe she
was
nothing more than business to him. How sad.

It wasn’t good for her ego. She was Lissa Roman,
superstar. She could probably have any man she wanted. Except the one she did want, which was Michael.

So, you do want him?

No, I don’t.

Yes, you do.

After lunch, Chuck drove her home. The usual paparazzi were milling around outside the gates of her house. TV cameras were also present, a result of Gregg’s new surge of publicity.

‘Miz Roman, do you have any comments on your husband’s interview last night?’ yelled one of the TV reporters, running up to her car.

She ignored him, staring stoically ahead as Chuck drove through the heavy iron gates.

Nellie greeted her with a cup of green tea, while Danny bounced forward with a long list of phone messages.