Hollywood Divorces / Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (75 page)

‘That means a lot,’ she said gratefully.

She was tempted to tell him that he was going to be a grandfather, then she thought no. It wasn’t fair to reveal the news to him without her mother there. She’d tell them together when the time was right.

Pete returned a flushed Martha to the table.

‘You’re a great dancer, Mrs Cheney,’ he said gallantly.

‘Call me Martha.’

‘Sure, Martha.’ He put out his hand toward Shelby. ‘Your turn.’

‘I’m not in—’

‘Get on the dance floor with me right now,’ he said forcefully. ‘I saw you dancing with one of the grips, and you are
not
shutting me out. Let’s go.’

‘Run along, dear,’ her mother urged, beaming.

As luck would have it, the moment they hit the dance floor, Big Boy decided to slow things down, and put on Brian McKnight’s very sexy ‘Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’.

Pete didn’t hesitate: he pulled her in close.

She did not push him away. For a few minutes she forgot about everything and gave herself up to the feeling of being held close by someone she liked–a lot.

‘Did Linc call you back?’ he asked.

‘No.’

‘What did you want to talk to him about anyway?’

‘If you must know, I was hoping to straighten a few things out.’

‘Straighten out
what
, Shelby?’ Pete asked, exasperated.

‘I–I need to find out if we’re really over, and if he’s serious about wanting a divorce.’

‘Shelby,’ Pete said gently, still holding her close, ‘that’s not
his
decision, it’s
yours
.’

‘I know,’ she said, ‘but it’s so difficult. Sometimes I feel absolutely lost. I wish I could just fly back to England with my parents.’

‘You can if you want to. You’re an independent woman. Of course,’ he added, ‘I’d miss you so much that I’d be forced to get on a plane and chase after you.’

She smiled up at him. ‘Pete, you’ve been a true friend to me. I appreciate it so much.’

‘That’s what friends are for,’ he said, pulling her even closer.

The warmth of his body made her feel safe and secure.

She wondered how he’d feel about raising another man’s child.

Merrill Zandack made his usual flashy entrance. This time he was not accompanied by one steely-looking brunette but two. They hovered close behind him like a pair of matching sentinels.

Jonas cleared a table for him to sit at. After a few minutes, Cat moved over and joined him. ‘Merrill,’ she said enthusiastically, ‘I’m glad you could make it.’

‘As if I would miss your coming-out party,’ he said, waving a large Cuban cigar in the air. ‘You’re my new star, Kitten. You’re very, very good at what you do, and you’re young, so I’ve got many years left before you turn into an arrogant pain in the ass.’

She wanted to say, ‘Like you,’ but managed to control herself. ‘I’m glad you like what you’ve seen. I should have a rough cut for you in three or four weeks.’

‘I’ll come to the editing room,’ he said. ‘I’ve got an eye, you know.’

‘No, Merrill,’ she said quickly. ‘You’ve got to leave me alone until I deliver my rough cut. Then, if you have any words of wisdom, I’ll be happy to listen.’

He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. ‘The girl’s already talking back to me.’

‘Yup,’ she said, grinning. ‘Now I can.’

‘When do I get your new script?’ he demanded. ‘I’m waiting.’

‘Let me finish
this
project. After that we’ll talk.’

‘Oh, we’ll talk, will we?’ Merrill mocked. ‘I suppose your plan is to surround me with lawyers and shit.’

‘You didn’t exactly treat
me
fairly last time.’

‘You won, didn’t you?’

‘Not thanks to you. If Nick or Shelby hadn’t wanted me, I would’ve been screwed.’

He roared with laughter. ‘You’re a good-looking girl,’ he said. ‘Ever thought of being on the other side of the camera?’

‘No, Mr Zee,’ she said firmly. ‘I’ve never thought of that.’

And so the party continued, with everyone having a good time.

A
llegra was stark raving crazy mad. Linc knew that much about her. She was always on, always yelling, always bitching about something or other. She had the longest legs he’d ever seen, a tight pussy, and a vile temper. They shared ferocious fights, which made a refreshing change from Shelby clamming up on him.

Allegra was twenty-five. He was just about to celebrate his forty-third birthday. Some celebration with no Shelby by his side. He missed her desperately. Often he harboured murderous thoughts about Pete. He wanted to hang the asshole by his balls from a very high pole. Stunt
that
!

He was not pleased with Lola, either. He was almost certain she’d orchestrated those photos outside the restaurant. Could it be that Freddy was right? She’d wanted to get back at him because he didn’t remember fucking her.
Bitch!
He wouldn’t fuck her with someone else’s dick.

Allegra waltzed into the room wearing a skimpy Valentino slip-dress, four-inch stilettos–making her six feet four–and not much else except for a few strategically placed diamonds. One was a nipple piercing–painful, but extraordinarily sexy. ‘Tonight,’ she said, her long, jet-black hair almost covering her face as she laid out several lines of coke, ‘we’re takin’ a walk on the wild side. You up for it,
stud
?’ she challenged.

‘I’m up for anything you got to offer,’ he responded.

‘Cool,’ she said, greedily snorting as much coke as she could.

‘Yeah,’ he agreed, doing a few lines, then reaching for a nearby bottle of Scotch, knowing it was necessary to anaesthetize himself before the onslaught of whatever Allegra had in mind.

Raja Mestres was a formidable-looking woman in her early sixties, with strong features, deep scarlet lips, and a commanding attitude. Clad in a flowing embroidered orange cape over black matador pants and a black cashmere turtleneck sweater, with numerous gold bracelets and bangles jangling on her wrists, she attracted the attention of everyone at the party in her honour.

The event was taking place in a magnificent thirties-style mansion–recently restored to its former glory by self-made billionaire Jorge Jobim. Everyone who was anyone in the Latin community was there, plus a scattering of Hollywood stars and art-collecting producers and directors.

Lola had not met Jorge before. She was delighted to make his acquaintance, because she’d heard that he sometimes invested in movies, and there were future projects she had in mind that would never be considered by any of the major studios.

‘You are as lovely as the image I see on the screen,’ Jorge said, when they were introduced. Rumour was that he was bisexual, with a rich-in-her-own-right older wife, and a series of beautiful young boys imported from South America–sent back later with thousands of dollars’ worth of designer clothes.

‘And might I say that
you
are just as charming,’ Lola told him. ‘I have heard many great things about you.’

‘My dear,’ Jorge said, kissing her hand in a courtly fashion. ‘Come, I will introduce you to
la bellezza.
’

Lola did not consider Raja Mestres a beauty. She
did
consider her a great artist, and it was an honour to meet her. Unfortunately Raja spoke very little English, and since Lola’s Spanish was limited, their conversation was short.

‘Can we go now?’ Matt whispered, trailing behind her.

She turned on him, ‘No,’ she said fiercely. ‘We only just got here. This is an amazing house. Go take a look around.’

A waiter hovered, holding a tray of canapés.

‘What’s the score?’ Matt asked the waiter.

‘Lakers are winning. The game’s on in the kitchen,’ the waiter confided in a low voice.

‘Where’s the kitchen?’ Matt asked.

‘The other side of the swimming pool,’ the waiter replied.

Matt turned to Lola. ‘Do you mind if I—’

‘Go ahead,’ she said, glad to be rid of him. He vanished in the direction of the kitchen. It wasn’t as if he was a great escort. He stood around like a dressed extra at a funeral and had absolutely nothing to say.

‘So,’ Nick said, giving Cat a long, intense look, ‘you think we can blow this pop-stand?’

‘Huh?’

‘Leave. Split. Get outta here.’

‘I have to stay until the end.’

‘No way.’ He groaned. ‘You know what the crew’s like when it comes to free booze, they’ll be here all night.’

‘I should hang around until at least one.’

‘You brought your overnight, didn’t you?’ he asked hopefully, raising an eyebrow.

‘One toothbrush.’

‘No clothes?’

‘Why? Are you planning a hiking trip?’

‘Maybe.’

‘You don’t strike me as the hiking type, Nick.’

‘Hey,’ he said, fishing for a cigarette, ‘you might
think
you know me–but here’s a newsflash–no way.’

‘I know that you love women.’

‘Would you sooner I loved men?’ he asked, squinting at her.

She laughed. ‘I guess I’m gonna miss you,’ she volunteered.

‘I
know
I’ll miss you,’ he responded, lighting up his cigarette. ‘I was thinking that after you finish editing, I’ll still be on location in Miami–you could come visit.’

‘I’m not good at visiting my men on their various locations.’

‘How many
men
have you had?’

‘I
told
you what happened when I surprised Jump in Australia.’

‘That was
one
guy,’ Nick insisted. ‘One major
asshole
.’

‘And
you
’re different?’

‘You noticed any girls around lately?’

‘No.’

‘That’s ’cause I’m attempting to make a good impression,’ he said, exhaling smoke.

‘Oh, I see. For our one night of crazy sex, huh?’

‘Who said it was gonna be one night?’

‘
I
did.’

‘You might be so into it you’ll be
beggin’
to come back for more.’

‘Man, you certainly have a high opinion of yourself.’

‘Hey,’ he said, with a cocky laugh, ‘never had any complaints.’

Her parents were ready to go home, and Shelby was ready to leave with them, only Pete wouldn’t allow her to. ‘They can take your car,’ he said. ‘You can’t let the crew down. Everyone wants a photo or a dance with you.’

She agreed to stay, although she would’ve preferred to go home and check her voicemail to see if Linc had called her back. Before she consulted a lawyer she hoped to have at least
one
conversation with him.

Allegra. A cover girl on
Sports Illustrated
. Was
that
the kind of woman Linc wanted to be with now?

Obviously.

Pete guided her around the club, satisfying everyone as he organized photos, making sure to move her from group to group at a brisk pace.

‘Were you ever a publicist?’ she asked with a smile. ‘You do it so well.’

‘Army training,’ he replied. ‘When I was a kid I ran away and enlisted. Then they eventually found out how old I was and threw me out.’

‘How old
were
you?’

‘Fourteen.’

‘No!’

‘I was a big boy for my age.’

‘And smart too.’

‘Right. If I saw something I wanted, I went for it.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, Shelby,’ he said, giving her a meaningful look. ‘I’ve always been
very
determined.’

The party was a huge success, with everyone enjoying themselves.

‘We’re
never
getting outta here,’ Nick grumbled.

‘Oh, yes, we are,’ Cat contradicted him. ‘Ten more
minutes and we’ll sneak out without saying goodbye to anyone. How’s that?’

‘Perfect, if you think we can get away with it.’

‘We will, especially if you manage to shake some of those women who’ve been following you around with their mouths hanging open.’

‘
You
’re not exactly going unnoticed,’ he retorted. ‘Who knew you cleaned up so good?’

‘You did.’

‘Oh, yeah,’ he said, grinning. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

Fifteen minutes later they were in his red Maserati Spyder two-seater cabriolet, roaring out of the parking lot.

‘Nice wheels,’ Cat remarked.

‘Had it delivered today,’ he answered. ‘My end-of-movie present to myself. This little mother can go from zero to sixty miles per hour in four point nine seconds.’

‘Gee,’ she drawled. ‘I can’t wait.’

‘You’re not into speed?’

‘I love it–when
I
’m driving.’

‘Shut your eyes and think of James Dean.’

‘Oh,
you
’re a laugh a minute.’

‘C’mon, Blondie, take it easy.’

‘I will if you tell me where we’re going.’

‘You’ll find out when we get there.’

‘I want to know
now
.’

‘Control freak.’

‘I am
so
not.’

‘Oh, yes, you are.’

‘Well…it takes one to know one.’

‘Guess so.’ And with that he put his foot down even harder.

Allegra’s idea of a walk on the wild side was just that. An
after-hours private club in the meat-packing district, entry gained with possession of a phallus-shaped key, then passing through two sets of door people, and uttering two passwords. Allegra was well prepared. They sailed through.

‘Jesus, what
is
this place?’ Linc mumbled, feeling high and low and totally fucked up.

‘You’ll see,’ she answered mysteriously. ‘It’s a trip. You’ll get off on it.’

Yeah, he’d get off, all right. He was so stoned he didn’t even know what day it was.

Allegra led him by the hand down a flight of dark steps into a dimly lit club. The air was thick with cigarette and pot smoke. A tangled mass of people was thrashing about on a crowded dance floor, while a fat black woman stood on a small stage, clutching a microphone and wailing the blues.

All around the room there were large mattresses where people lounged. They were drinking, smoking and making out.

Linc shook his head. What was this? A sex club? ‘Hey, what’s goin’ on here?’ he managed.

‘You’ll get off on it, hon, I promise you,’ Allegra said, her voice louder than ever as she led him over to a circle of mattresses where friends of hers were indulging in an abundance of illegal substances. She shoved him down on to one of the mattresses. ‘Meet Linc Blackwood, everybody,’ she said. ‘Never thought I’d bring
him
here, did you?’

‘Well, well,’ observed a harsh-faced bottle blonde in bondage black leather. ‘Isn’t
he
quite the prize?’

Before Linc knew it, hands and tongues were all over him, fast divesting him of his clothes.

He didn’t have the strength to fight back. What the fuck? Who cared? The sensations were pleasant enough, the bottle-blonde’s tongue talented, wet and amazing.

Somebody began feeding him mushrooms, somebody else was rubbing coke on his nipples.

‘You ever smoked heroin?’ Allegra whispered. ‘Try it. You’ll think you died an’ went to heaven.’

Jesus! Should he be doing this in a public place? How public was it anyway? Nobody could get in unless they had the key or the passwords.

‘Relax and enjoy,’ Allegra murmured, slipping off her expensive dress and leaning over him, her nipples hard against his chest.

Everything was space-like. Linc had no idea where he was or who he was with.
Lie back and join the party
, was all he could think.
Relax and enjoy
.

Where the fuck was Shelby when he needed her?