Lady Boss

  ‘I’m getting the message,’ Mickey said. ‘You didn’t receive all the money you were expecting.’

  ‘Let’s just say there’s a shortfall of a million bucks,’ Carlo said, nodding to himself. ‘Yeah, an’ who owes the money? That’s the question. The big question.’

  ‘You want to know whose pocket it ended up in,’ Mickey said.

  ‘I refuse to point a finger.’ Carlo smoothed the cuffs of his silk shirt. ‘But Eddie Kane is the name that comes to mind.’

  ‘And he’s not paying. Right?’

  ‘No way a bum like Eddie’s gonna give back a million bucks.’ A short pause. ‘So… Mickey, you can understand my dilemma.’

  Mickey understood it only too well. ‘You’d like Panther Studios to reimburse you.’ He made it a statement, not a question.

  ‘That’s correct. An’ if you see a way to do that, then you’ll save Mr. Kane a lot of grief. Maybe you’ll take it out of his salary for the next twenty, thirty years.’

  ‘Sounds workable,’ Mickey agreed amicably.

  Carlo was obviously surprised at Mickey’s immediate cooperation. ‘How we gonna handle this? A handshake don’t do it for me. I’d like a note drawn up sayin’ Panther owes my company a million bucks. We can put it down for services.’

  Mickey nodded. ‘Good idea. Call in your lawyers. I have the authority to sign on behalf of Panther. One stipulation – it has to be pre-dated. And I have to sign the papers today.’

  ‘Done,’ said Carlo. ‘My lawyer’ll take care of it. No questions asked.’

  They shook hands – Carlo Bonnatti and Mickey Stolli.

  ‘Be back around two. I’ll have everythin’ ready,’ Carlo said. He paused and gave Mickey a long, penetrating look. ‘You’re a very obliging man, Mr. Stolli. A very smart man. Any time you need a favour…’

  Mickey nodded modestly. ‘Thank you.’

  When Mickey had left, Carlo walked around his apartment considering the action. He pressed his fingers to his temples. Sometimes he wished his father was around. Enzio Bonnatti had always had a way of knowing exactly what was going on. He could immediately assess any situation and explain the whys and wherefores. Santino, his brother, had been a schmuck. All Santino cared about was pussy. He’d been in the right business – porno movies and drugs.

  Carlo knew he was smarter than Santino. Shit, anybody was smarter than Santino. But he wouldn’t have minded having Enzio around to talk to.

  Mickey Stolli had complied too willingly, without so much as a struggle.

  Something was going on here and Carlo wasn’t sure what. But as long as the papers were drawn up and he got his money, what did he care?

  Chapter 68

  Sitting in a private office at Orpheus Studios, Martin Swanson read about himself like a voyeur. His eyes scanned the page of the cheap magazine. He couldn’t believe some of the things he was reading:

  BILLIONAIRE MARTIN SWANSON!

  RAVISHING SUPERSTAR VENUS MARIA!

  BEAUTIFUL SOCIETY WIFE DEENA!

  And there were all these quotes from supposed best friends and close acquaintances.

  Martin had controlled his press for so long that the sheer effrontery of this really shocked him. The ramifications were many. What was Deena going to say? She would be furious when she saw the photograph of himself with Venus. How was he going to explain it? It wasn’t taken at a function, nor in a restaurant. It was obviously an intimate photo taken on somebody’s couch.

  At least they weren’t naked. They hadn’t been caught in bed. But you only had to look at the photograph to know they were sleeping with each other.

  Thinking about the photographs reminded him of the one of Deena with Effie’s kid. What the hell was Deena doing in Central Park with Paul Webster?

  Not that Martin considered such a callow youth a threat, but it made Deena look foolish – like she was desperate or something.

  He continued to read the story:

  Sexy superstar Venus Maria could teach billionaire tycoon Martin Swanson a thing or two about getting to the top.

  Oh yeah? What did they know? Who owned this cheap magazine anyway? He placed a call to his secretary in New York to have her find out.

  ‘Have you heard from Mrs. Swanson?’ he asked.

  ‘I do believe she’s in her office,’ Gertrude replied.

  ‘Has anybody shown this to her?’

  Gertrude sounded embarrassed. ‘I really have no idea, Mr. Swanson.’

  ‘If she tries to reach me, tell her I’m in non-stop meetings and that you can’t get to me.’

  ‘Certainly, sir.’

  Now that his affair with Venus was out in the open he was going to have to be very careful. Was it worth it? Did he wish to continue seeing her?

  She’d been more than aggravating this weekend, dragging Cooper along to San Francisco and then complaining about his sexual prowess when they got back. God damn it! One moment she was plying him with hookers, and the next she expected him to put on a record-breaking performance when he was tired and had a lot on his mind. At least when you were married, a wife understood these kind of things.

  On the other hand, Venus Maria was special. She was universally desired. Cooper was after her – that was obvious. And he had her, Martin Swanson – Billionaire Lover. Billionaire Stud!

  He couldn’t help smiling. It was kind of funny in a way.

  It wouldn’t be so funny when he had to explain the photograph to Deena.

  A buzzer sounded in the office. ‘Mr. Swanson,’ one of the secretaries said, ‘Mr. White would like to know when you are returning to the meeting.’

  ‘I’ll be right there,’ he said, folding the magazine in half.

  No more worrying about some low-down supermarket scandal-sheet. He’d put his lawyers onto them. He’d kill ’em. He’d break their balls as only Martin Swanson could.

  He walked back into the meeting. He was taking over Orpheus Studios. A far more important task.

  * * *

  Side by side on Cooper Turner’s desk lay the front page of the L.A. Times with the story about Mickey Stolli circled, and alongside it a copy of Truth and Fact.

  Cooper read about Mickey first. He was amused. It had to have been the funniest scene going – Mickey Stolli arrested with a hooker. Cooper was acquainted with Madame Loretta. Not in a professional sense, but an actress he’d been dating at one time had been playing the role of a prostitute on screen and had wanted to research the part. Ford Werne had arranged an introduction, and Cooper and his lady friend had spent many a pleasant afternoon having tea with the madam and listening to her outlandish stories.

  Cooper wondered how Venus Maria was going to feel when she saw Truth and Fact. It would certainly bring her affair with Martin out into the open.

  Maybe that’s what she wanted. Martin would be forced into making a decision.

  Cooper couldn’t help but raise a cynical eyebrow when he read about Deena with a younger man. Martin wouldn’t like that. A blow to his enormous ego.

  But all this wasn’t his problem. He called the florist and sent Venus Maria two dozen red roses. It was the least he could do.

  * * *

  It soon became obvious that everybody in the rehearsal room had seen the stupid magazine. Venus Maria could tell by the covert little glances coming her way, and a certain amount of nervous giggling here and there.

  Ah, well, if you can’t fight it, lie back and enjoy it. Her new philosophy. Vigorously she launched herself into Ron’s latest torture routine.

  The Ken Doll wandered in around noon, washed and scrubbed, tall and bland-faced, wearing a muscle-boy T-shirt and tight blue jeans outlining his outstanding crotch – obviously the main attraction. She’d been thinking of saying to Ron, ‘What do you see in him?’ But after observing the jeans she knew exactly what the crowd-puller was.

  ‘Why don’t we all have lunch?’ Ron suggested, deciding it was about time his best friend and his live-in lover got friendly. ‘You can at least try and be nice
to Ken. After all, I put up with Martin.’

  Ha! Ron hardly knew Martin. But just to please him, she agreed.

  ‘I booked us a table at the Ivy.’ Ron was obviously delighted.

  Venus Maria frowned. ‘Isn’t that a little visible? Especially today?’

  ‘We’ll get a table in the back room. In and out before anyone realizes you’re there.’

  At twelve-thirty they set off for the restaurant in the Ken Doll’s gleaming Mercedes. Venus Maria hid beneath huge black shades and sat in the back.

  ‘I probably smell like a camel,’ she remarked. ‘You too, Ron.’

  ‘Count me out,’ said the very pristine Ken.

  Anytime, Venus Maria thought.

  Lunch turned out to be a drag. Ron changed from his usual acerbic self into a love-sick jerk. Ken was pompous. Ken knew everything. Ken tried to tell her everything. When they got out of the restaurant she was regretting the whole deal.

  By the time they arrived back at the rehearsal studios there was a rapidly escalating group of photographers waiting outside. They began snapping the moment the car drew up.

  ‘Where do they all come from?’ Venus Maria sighed, making a wild dash from the car.

  ‘You’re front-page news today, darling. They’re after the real scoop,’ Ron explained, chugging after her, quite happy to pose.

  Ken adored every minute of the attention. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll protect you,’ he said, smiling for the cameras.

  Macho Ken Doll.

  Stupid Ken Doll.

  ‘What’s your comment on the story, Venus?’

  ‘Got anything to say about Martin Swanson?’

  ‘Is it true?’

  ‘Do you love him?’

  ‘Is Martin leaving his wife?’

  She ignored all the reporters’ questions and, hidden behind her dark glasses, made it into the rehearsal room.

  Chapter 69

  Lennie brooded his way through the weekend. He spoke to Jess and she told him he was an asshole.

  ‘You always take Lucky’s side,’ he complained. ‘I’m your friend. What the hell is going on?’

  ‘Lighten up, Lennie. You married an unusual woman – stop fighting her.’

  Stop fighting, indeed! What did Jess know? She hadn’t had her balls cut off for all the world to see.

  Oh, dear. Poor Lennie, he’s unhappy. Let’s buy him a studio.

  Well, fuck that crap.

  And yet… he missed Lucky already. And throwing himself back into the script didn’t seem to do it for him this time.

  He contacted Brigette, and she met him at Serendipity for lunch.

  ‘You’re looking great, kiddo,’ he said, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘School agrees with you.’

  ‘School does not agree with me,’ she objected. ‘I hate it. I can’t wait to get out.’

  ‘You are out,’ he said, ruffling her hair.

  ‘Only for the summer,’ she groaned. ‘I gotta go back again, huh?’

  ‘If you want to grow up to be smart.’

  ‘And then college?’

  ‘Yup.’

  ‘Why, Lennie? It’s not as though I need to get a job or anything. I’m going to be inheriting all that money.’

  ‘Hey – you want to turn out like your mother?’ he asked sternly. ‘Getting married and spending money? What kind of life is that? You ought to think about your future.’

  ‘I know,’ she agreed reluctantly.

  They sat at a corner table. Brigette ordered a foot-long hot dog and a double chocolate malted milk.

  ‘No appetite, huh?’ he said with a grin.

  ‘It’s terrific to see you, Lennie. I’m really excited about Malibu.’

  ‘Yeah, well…’ He stared at the menu. ‘I got something to tell you.’

  She gazed at him expectantly.

  He hated to disappoint her. ‘Uh… things aren’t working out exactly as we planned.’

  ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, looking concerned.

  ‘Lucky and I… well, we’ve been having some problems, and… uh, we haven’t exactly worked them out. I’m not sure if we’ll spend the summer together.’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Brigette cried. ‘You and Lucky are so great with each other. Please don’t have any problems. Please.’

  ‘If life were only that simple.’ He took her hand. ‘Listen, I promised you the summer. You’ll bring your girlfriend and we’ll go to the South of France or Spain or Greece – somewhere. We’ll put it together.’

  ‘But I was looking forward to being with you and Lucky,’ Brigette said in a sad little voice. ‘And Bobby. I really miss Bobby. I haven’t seen him in ages.’

  Lennie ignored a blonde at the next table who’d decided to fixate on him, and groped in his pocket for a cigarette. ‘Yeah, well, life’s a bitch, huh?’

  ‘Can I call Lucky?’ Brigette asked, staring at the checkered tablecloth, wondering why everything always had to go wrong.

  ‘If she’s got time for you,’ Lennie replied. ‘She’s busy buying a studio.’

  ‘A movie studio?’

  ‘Yeah. You’ll read about it in the papers. She’s bought Panther Studios.’ He dragged on his cigarette. ‘My wife the mogul. Not content with running the biggest shipping empire in the world, she now wants to own Hollywood.’

  ‘Is that why you’re mad?’ Brigette ventured.

  ‘Hey – it’s a long story. If that’s what she wants to do… But I wish she’d told me about it. Where do you think she was for the last six weeks while she was supposed to be in Japan?’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘In Hollywood, playing secretary. She went in undercover.’

  Brigette’s eyes widened. ‘Really? Sounds exciting to me.’

  ‘Yeah, if you don’t have any other responsibilities. But Lucky is my wife. I’d like to see her once in a while. I’d like to have her support.’ He stubbed out his cigarette after two puffs. ‘Ah, hell. Why am I bothering you with this?’

  ‘Because I’m a good listener?’

  He laughed. ‘Yeah, you sure are. Let’s change the subject – what’s going on with you?’

  ‘Nothing,’ she said vaguely. ‘Actually I was going to ask if we could come to L.A. like tomorrow or the day after. Nona’s mother is throwing a fit. There’s this stupid magazine with a picture of Nona’s brother Paul in it with Deena Swanson. She’s the wife of that billionaire?’

  ‘Oh, yeah.’

  ‘Anyway, Paul was photographed with her, and Deena is Effie’s best friend – that’s Paul’s mother. So, as Nona puts it, we’ve got to get out of here. But since you’re obviously not going to L.A., I suppose we can’t either.’

  She looked so deflated that Lennie decided he had to cheer her up. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘We’ll eat lunch, we’ll talk, and then we’ll stop by a travel agent and plan a trip. How’s that? You, me, and what’s this girl’s name?’

  ‘Nona.’

  ‘OK. You got it, kiddo.’

  ‘What about Lucky and Bobby?’

  Lennie shook his head. ‘Another time, another life.’

  Chapter 70

  There were photographers outside the gleaming Swanson Building when Deena left. Usually they were only around when she and Martin attended an event. But she smiled anyway and climbed into her chauffeur-driven car.

  At Le Cirque she got her usual ebullient greeting from the proprietor, Sirio Maccioni, and was led to a table where Adam Bobo Grant sat waiting.

  ‘Darling!’

  ‘Darling!’

  They had the Hollywood kiss down pat. New York version.

  ‘You look delightful, as usual,’ Bobo said. ‘Lime green is your colour.’

  Deena smiled. ‘Thank you, darling. Martin thinks so too.’

  ‘Does he?’ said Bobo, waving to people at every table. ‘And how is the big man?’

  ‘Fine,’ Deena said. ‘In fact, very soon we’re going to have an exciting story for you.’

  Bobo raised an eyebrow. ‘You are? An
d what might that be, my sweet?’

  ‘Martin would kill me if he knew I was going to tell you, and you have to promise not to print anything until I give you the OK.’

  ‘If you can’t trust me, who can you trust?’ Bobo said in his best sincere voice.

  ‘Martin is taking over Orpheus Studios in Hollywood,’ Deena announced. ‘What do you think of that?’

  All the better to star Venus Maria in movies, Bobo thought to himself. Was this the reason for the romance? ‘How very interesting,’ he said, eyes darting around the room, checking everyone out.

  ‘Isn’t it just?’ Deena smiled; she had lovely teeth. ‘We’ll have to spend more time in L.A., of course. But I think it will be fun. Don’t you?’

  Bobo nodded. Trust Deena – queen of the understatement. ‘Great fun, my dear,’ he agreed.

  The wine waiter came by the table and they ordered drinks. Deena decided on a martini. Bobo ordered straight vodka.

  ‘It makes such a refreshing change to lunch with somebody who actually drinks hard liquor,’ Deena said with a tinkling laugh. ‘When I lunch with the ladies nobody touches anything except Perrier or Evian. It’s incredibly boring. I rather enjoy a martini before lunch.’

  Bobo nodded and leaned towards her, speaking confidentially. ‘Now, Deena,’ he said, lowering his voice, ‘tell me the situation.’

  ‘What situation, Bobo?’

  Surely she wasn’t trying to hide it from him? ‘Why, you and Martin, of course.’

  She looked at him blankly.

  ‘You have seen Truth and Fact, haven’t you?’ He moved closer, daring her to lie.

  Deena continued to look blank. ‘Truth and Fact? What’s that?’

  Bobo was rapidly losing patience. ‘It’s one of those magazines. The kind they sell in supermarkets.’

  ‘Oh, you mean like the Star or the Globe. I simply adore the Globe. Headless woman gives birth to triplets – marvellous stuff. My maid brings it in.’

  ‘Then I’m surprised your maid hasn’t presented you with Truth and Fact.’