Tease (22 page)

Georgia was silenced and took a moment to gulp her champagne loudly. Richie looked stunned. Lewis cleared his throat. Tiger burst out laughing.

‘Where on earth did that come from!’

‘I knew I could make my baby smile.’ Blue winked in her direction.

‘I need a cocktail,’ snapped Georgia in defeat, dragging Lewis with her over to one of the waiters circulating with silver trays full of mojitos.

‘Blue, I’m impressed, I feel a new career for you coming on,’ said Tiger, warming a little. ‘Right, Mr Art Critic, please provide your analysis of Mary Dubonnet’s installation of
Girl, interrupted
,’ she asked, mimicking holding a microphone up to Blue’s mouth and looking over at a tall pile of filthy mattresses in the opposite corner with a woman precariously balanced on the top one, apparently asleep. Blue braced himself, a smirk creeping across his face as he slipped into his groove.

‘Well, at a first glance it appears to be a simple modern reconstruction of the ‘Princess and the Pea’ fairytale. However on closer inspection, the pea clearly relates to the clitoris, and the piece reveals itself to be at once about a woman’s literal distancing of herself from her own sexuality; the mattresses are representative of society’s overly multi-layered and complex taboo systems, whilst the audience is left uneasy with the uncertainty of whether the
princess can feel the pea through the mattresses, thus providing the central sexual tension of the piece. Perhaps this is a message to us all that the artist clearly needs to masturbate more often.’ Both Tiger and Richie were now clutching at each other and giggling.

‘Now it’s your turn, Ms Starr,’ announced Blue. ‘Go take a look at the Esther Williams piece in the next room in the huge tank and give me your critique.’

‘Wow, I haven’t seen that one,’ said Tiger excitedly as she moved into the next room, starting to enjoy the game. As she approached, she stopped dead in her tracks. Before her was the most incredible scene of an extraordinarily beautiful woman swimming in a huge tank of fish, naked except for hundreds of yards of pearls strung about her, trailing and undulating around her as she writhed and propelled herself around the enormous tank with her white hair billowing out around her, each strand caressed by the water. Tiger was mesmerised. As she drew nearer, she let out a piercing scream, and ran to press her face against the tank.

‘Blue! Look, it’s Ocean!’ Blue stood back and scratched his chin. Of course. He knew he would recognise that exquisitely muscled figure anywhere. It was indeed Ocean, Tiger’s real-life mermaid confidante. Every girl needed one. The pair had met in New York way before Tiger’s now well notorious three-day foray into the world of domination.

Tiger was tapping manically on the tank, creating a stir
amongst the party goers. Ocean was up at the glass looking confused. Realising Ocean would have blurred vision through the water, Tiger scrabbled in her purse, retrieved a red lipstick and scribbled backwards as best she could on the glass in huge capital letters, ‘It’s Tiger! Talk 2 me!’ Cameras flashed as Tiger defaced the artwork. Blue rolled his eyes and yanked her back from the piece, nodding and motioning at the burly security men who were steaming forwards towards her. Within seconds, there was a huge splash as Ocean appeared ten feet up at the surface of the huge tank. ‘Hey girrrrrl!’ she shrieked in her fabulous throaty Brooklyn accent. ‘I shoulda known the pink hair belonged to you!’

‘Oh darling Ocean, I can’t believe it’s really you. I didn’t even know you were in town!’

‘Tiger baby, I’m only meant to come out of the water for air, so just tell me where I can see you after.’

‘Well, come to a Dolce and Gabanna party with us when you finish. Get a cab to Whitehall, and where you see the velvet ropes and photographers, just walk up and tell the door bitch you’re with me. You’re officially my guest as of ten seconds ago.’

‘You got it, baby! See you there!’ Ocean took a deep breath and plunged back into the water, darting and swirling amongst the fish like a vision.

‘Blue? Let’s cut loose,’ declared Tiger. ‘We’re going to the party. Let’s get our coats. Oh, by the way …’

‘Yes, darling?’

‘I tried to tell you earlier … I don’t know if I dreamt this, but I’m sure I saw that crazy redhead amongst the photographers earlier.’

‘Who?’ Blue asked, knowing exactly who she meant. He had spotted the unmistakable face too.

‘You know, that psycho Rosemary Baby who was stalking Tiffany Crystal all that time ago?’

‘Oh
that
Rosemary Baby. Noooo. You must have been dreaming. No, I’d recognise
that
face anywhere. Come on, let’s go.’

Of course Blue had seen Rosemary, but he wasn’t going to tell Tiger that and add to her worries. It didn’t matter how much she tried to hide it, Blue knew Tiger was spooked by the pink letters and the press story. So was he.

‘Oh my god! There’s someone pissing in the coke room!’ came an almighty screech from the other side of the toilet cubicle. Tiger tutted and curled her lip by way of reply, smoothed her dress over her hips and burst through the door ferociously.

‘Eeuww, Tiger Starr!’ shrieked a lanky brunette as Tiger exited the cublicle, catching a whiff of the brunette’s pungent champagne breath on the way past.

‘Tiger, it’s me! Katie Jakes!’

Tiger gritted her teeth and spun round, knowing full well who the talentless actress was, and realising she couldn’t get away without a bit of polite small talk before
getting back to the party. Tiger switched on her professional smile mid turn.

‘Katie, hi, how are … Sienna?’

Tiger gasped as she caught sight of her sister, half hiding behind Katie.

‘Hi, sis,’ said Sienna meekly.

‘Oh my god! It’s so funny seeing you here. Sienna said you were at some art thing instead, we had no idea you would be coming!’ squealed Katie.

‘Evidently,’ said Tiger. ‘So, Sienna, how did you meet Katie? I had no idea
you
were coming to the party actually?’

‘Rex got me an invite,’ replied Sienna flatly.

‘Oh my god, isn’t Sienna’s dress divine?’ garbled Katie loudly like a gameshow host. ‘In fact I spotted her across the dance floor because of her Fendi shoes. Major.’

‘Why, look at those, Sienna,’ remarked Tiger. ‘Very chic, very expensive. Rex is treating you well I see.’

‘Yes.’ Sienna blushed. ‘Anyway I was here on my own and Katie was friendly enough to—’

‘Bring you into the toilets for a line of chang? How original,’ said Tiger, raising an eyebrow.

‘Don’t be silly, Tiger!’ laughed Katie. ‘She just needed … ah, she just needed a Tampax, didn’t you, darling?’

‘Lovely. Well I’ll see you in the party then,’ said Tiger, boring a hole into Sienna’s eyes before turning on her heel. She knew that even if she marched Sienna from the toilets that very second, her sister would still find a way of sticking coke up her nose. Tiger just hoped that her special glare
would be enough to make Sienna feel too guilty to want to get high. As Tiger made her way back into the blaring noise of the party, she seethed inside. There was no way on earth she was going to let Sienna turn into some dismal coke fiend like so many of the talentless social climbers and bitter has-beens on the media circuit. She wondered if Rex knew what Sienna was up to. Tiger needed to have a word; ask him to keep an eye on her, without him accusing Tiger of trying to meddle in their relationship. As she crossed the room to find her table Tiger tried to keep her anxiety down. Sienna’s renewed friendship with cocaine was one more thing on a long list of troubles for Tiger right now.

The party unfolding was quite a scene. All around her, towering Italian models, head to toe in exquisite couture cosied up with an elite selection of designers, fashion editors, actors and rock stars as cameras constantly flashed in all corners and every alcove. The beautiful people writhed and slinked as Grace Jones worked her way through a phenomenal rendition of ‘Warm Leatherette’ up on the stage. One of the pretty young busboys walking by with rock solid pectorals and a six pack paused to offer Tiger a Martini. He was clad only in skimpy red shorts with ‘Lifeguard’ printed in white across his tight buttocks. My god, I could swipe my Amex between those cheeks, thought Tiger as she liberated one of the cocktails and watched him stalk away haughtily. She wondered if Blue had familiarised himself with the busboys yet, seeing as he’d sent Richie home over an hour ago.

Tiger crossed the packed dance floor towards Ocean and Blue, garnering quite a few nudges, stares and camera flashes herself. Her pals sat gassing at her table, along with Georgia and Lewis whom Tiger had not entirely been in the mood for when they rocked up. Lewis had shot Tiger a rare apologetic look when they arrived, signalling it hadn’t exactly been his idea to attend either. Boy was he under the thumb, Tiger had thought to herself, wondering if maybe he was getting a karmic kicking for his controlling ways over the years. Tiger quickly decided she didn’t want to tell anyone about the Sienna incident right now; she couldn’t face airing any drama in front of her pal Ocean, who was just here for some fun.

‘Girrl, this has been, like, so amazing spending time with you!’ yelled Ocean over the music, grabbing Tiger’s hand close as she slid into her seat. Even under the unflattering nightclub lights, Ocean looked like a wild beauty with her huge tangle of untamed white-blonde hair cascading down her back, and her rippling toned shoulders and arms lending her a seductively tough edge. Even in this imposing banqueting hall, with hundred-foot-high ceilings covered in rich artwork, and surrounded by fashionistas, foie gras and fawning, Ocean had swept shamelessly through the room bare footed and topless but for her hundreds of strings of pearls covering her breasts and her shimmering satin skirt with long fishtail … naturally.

Ocean was truly special. She always insisted she was
a real mermaid. She literally swam with the fish. Tiger had first seen her swimming in a huge tank in Coney Island many moons ago when they were hired to perform in a show called
A Fish and Feather Fantasy
, with Tiger being asked to perform an homage to Elvis Presley’s cousin ‘Evangeline the Oyster girl’, and Ocean to perform as the rivalrous ‘Divena, the Aqua-Tease’. Tiger had been mesmerised by Ocean’s beautiful underwater striptease from the very first second, and Ocean had felt a mutual affinity. During their run, Ocean was being bullied and trailed in the tank by a giant barracuda with a grudge; and Tiger was always on hand to offer her a warming pep talk before each show. The two girls developed a close bond and had remained firm friends ever since.

‘We mustn’t leave it so long before we meet again, honey! But listen, I gotta cut loose in a minute, I was only in town for tonight’s gig, they’re flying me back to the Big Apple tomorrow,’ sighed Ocean, adding, ‘Anyway I gotta shower all the fish shit off when I get back to my hotel too. It’s a world of glamour I tell ya.’

Tiger smiled. ‘I miss you, Ocean. You’re a true friend. Old school.’ The girls high-fived each other and giggled.

‘Listen. Babe. You just call me. Anytime.’ Ocean looked squarely at Tiger. ‘Lemme tell you somethin’, kid. You seem distracted tonight, but you have all this great shit goin’ on, I mean, Vegas man! You hit the big time, kid, an’ I’m proud of you! Look how far you’ve come! Right
now, you gotta do right and take care o’
you
.’ For Ocean, growing up on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as a child, true friends she could trust were like gold dust, and she was fiercely protective of anyone who was a ‘keeper’ in her life. Tiger appreciated her concern right now.

‘Ocean, it’s cool. I just think a couple of things are niggling me right now.’

‘I kinda figured.’

‘But hey, they don’t call me Tiger for nothing,’ she said, brightening for her friend, ‘I can take care of myself, no problem.’

‘Listen, just one thing, girl. What’s with your twin over there?’

‘Twin?’

‘The chick in the dress? Your hoochie mama dancer girl?’

‘Georgia? She doesn’t look anything like me!’

‘Girrl, she’s trying. Check out the pin-curled hair. The dress. The shoes. The make-up. It’s all your style, your look. And it doesn’t suit her.’

‘Oh, I was unsure about her at first too, but I think she’s harmless. It’s probably just a coincidence.’

‘Okay, here’s the thing.’ Ocean lowered her voice and leaned right in to Tiger’s ear. ‘I bet that’s not where she draws the line. You know what they say, “keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer”. She’s your lead dancer, she’s bumpin’ your manager, and now she’s turning up at your parties an’ tryin’ to rock your look. She wants your
life, girrrl. And by the looks of it she doesn’t even have the sense to grit her teeth and be nice to you. You watch out for that one. I’m tellin’ ya. I’ve been round the block, I’ve seen it happen before. You watch her.’ Ocean squeezed Tiger’s hand once more.

Tiger leaned in for a big hug. ‘I don’t know, darling, I think there’s something weird in the water right now.’

‘Girrrl, you protect yourself, that’s all I’m sayin’.’

‘I hear you. Thank you, sweetheart.’

‘Oh. And listen. You’d better have, like, the
best
seat in the house for me on your opening night in Vegas. I ain’t missing that for the world!’

The girls kissed their goodbyes and Blue left the room to escort Ocean to her cab. Tiger was left feeling unsettled. She looked over at Georgia. Was Ocean right? Was Georgia really that calculating after all? Tiger knew she had ambition; that’s what she had liked about her in the auditions, ironically. Tiger watched Georgia carefully as she now snuggled up to Lewis’ starched collar and fingered the lemon twist in her Martini in a provocative manner. Lewis squeezed Georgia’s thigh. Tiger felt confused. She felt something like a strong pang of jealousy but rationalised that was an impossibility and quickly pushed it to the back of her mind. Tiger had so far always been careful not to socialise with Lewis outside the work environment and tonight she was surprised to encounter him being relaxed with another woman; at least as relaxed as Lewis ever could be. She saw a rather different side to him under
different lights. Charismatic. Fun. Tiger suddenly shook her head and heaved a sigh. Her head hurt with too many thoughts. All in all she was having a lousy night, with the sole exception of seeing Ocean. She quickly messaged Blue to ask him to stay at the entrance and hail Vladimir. This party was over for Tiger.