Dangerous Kiss

  ‘Far out!’ the blonde said, her attention shifting towards Price Washington and his entourage of lawyers and bodyguards, who’d just arrived.

  Safely inside, Lucky got hold of one of the deputies. ‘I’d like to see Lennie Golden,’ she said. ‘Penelope McKay said it’s okay.’

  The deputy led her to a small room where Lennie sat at a table reading Newsweek and sipping coffee from a Starbucks container.

  ‘Hi,’ she said, standing in the doorway.

  He looked up. ‘Uh . . . hi,’ he said, surprised and quite delighted by her visit.

  ‘Thought I’d drop by, wish you luck just in case they get to you today,’ she said casually.

  He put the magazine down and stared at his wife – his gorgeous wife with the jet hair and matching eyes, devastating body and sensual olive skin. His incredible smart, dangerous wife, whom he missed and loved with a passion.

  ‘Come in,’ he said.

  She did so, shutting the door behind her. ‘I hate this place,’ she remarked. ‘I’ll be glad when this is over, won’t you?’

  ‘Can’t wait.’

  ‘Where did you get the coffee?’

  ‘Round the corner. Want one? I can see if somebody’ll go out.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter.’

  ‘Have mine,’ he said, thrusting it at her.

  ‘Just a sip,’ she said, tasting it. ‘I didn’t have time to make any this morning, what with getting the kids on their way.’

  ‘Where to?’

  ‘Gino’s. They’re better off in Palm Springs until this is over.’ She took a beat. ‘You heard about the break-in at Price Washington’s?’

  ‘Who didn’t?’

  Awkward silence.

  Lucky opened her purse and removed a pack of cigarettes.

  ‘Thought you were giving it up.’

  ‘I was trying, then this came along,’ she said, shaking one out of the pack. ‘Did Gino call you?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘He will,’ she said, lighting up. ‘He’s inviting you to spend the weekend. You and your . . . uh . . . other son.’ She couldn’t bring herself to utter the child’s name. ‘Just the two of you. Not—’

  ‘I get it,’ he interrupted.

  ‘Good,’ she said coldly, almost wishing she hadn’t come, but glad to see him all the same.

  ‘Yes, Lucky. I do get it. And I’m pleased you’re here, because I have several things to tell you.’

  ‘What?’ she said, noticing dark circles under his eyes, which meant he hadn’t been sleeping well, and neither had she. I want to kiss him, a little voice whispered in her head. I want to hug him and kiss him right now.

  ‘It’s about Claudia . . .’

  Oh, Christ, what now? Was he going to tell her he’d fallen in love with the Sicilian girl and wanted to be with her for ever?

  Oh, shit! Here I come, Alex, complete with broken heart.

  ‘Yes?’ she said carefully.

  ‘About me and Claudia,’ he said.

  ‘We don’t have to go over it again,’ she said. ‘Especially here.’

  ‘We need to talk. I have to explain everything. I know how upset you are that we’re all living at the Chateau Marmont, but I had no choice. What could I do with them? The kid’s got a hearing problem, so I’ve been sending him to doctors. And they had nowhere to go.’

  ‘It’s not your responsibility.’

  ‘Yes, it is. I got her pregnant.’

  ‘You don’t even know if it’s your son or not. She has no proof.’

  ‘Take a look at him, Lucky. He looks exactly like me.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, crushed.

  ‘Anyway, here’s the plan,’ he said, hoping she’d approve.

  ‘What plan is that?’ she said, exhaling smoke.

  ‘I’ve found a house to put them in, and I want you to come and see it.’

  ‘Why would I want to see it?’

  ‘Because you’ve got to be part of this. It’s not me and Claudia and Leonardo against you. It’s us – you and me – trying to deal with a difficult situation.’ He stared at her long and hard. ‘I’ve missed you, sweetheart. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you today.’

  ‘I tried calling you,’ she said. ‘Only every time I got through, your girlfriend picked up.’

  ‘Will you quit with that girlfriend shit?’

  ‘Just pissing you off. I like to see you rattled.’

  She smiled, faintly, but it was enough to give him the encouragement he needed. ‘Let’s not get into it here,’ he said. ‘Can you meet me later?’

  ‘Where?’

  ‘At the house I’m renting for Claudia and the kid. The realtor’s dropping off the keys at my hotel.’

  ‘Well . . .’ she said hesitantly.

  ‘It’s important to me that you’re part of this, Lucky.’

  What did she have to lose? ‘Okay,’ she said.

  ‘Meet me there at seven. After, we’ll go for dinner and talk. I don’t know about you, but I can’t go on like this – I love you too much to be away from you.’ He took a long beat, studying her carefully. ‘I know this has been a shock for both of us,’ he continued, ‘but we’ve got to face the fact that I have a kid, and there’s no way I can abandon him.’

  ‘I suppose so,’ she said, not sure how she felt.

  ‘I’ll get you the address,’ he said. ‘We’ll work everything out, trust me on this.’

  ‘I always used to trust you.’

  ‘And you will again. You know you can’t shut me out of your life. We belong together. It’ll always be that way.’

  ‘Hmm . . .’ she said. ‘That’s what everyone’s been telling me.’

  ‘Who’s everyone?’

  ‘Your friend, Alex.’

  ‘Not my friend.’

  ‘He’s on your side. Between him and Venus, they railroaded me into seeing you. They said we either have to be together, or get some closure.’

  ‘I’m here to tell you,’ he said forcefully, ‘closure ain’t anywhere in our future. Not if I have anything to do with it. We’ll get through this together, like we’ve gotten through everything else over the years. We have two incredible kids, and I’m not losing them or you.’

  ‘I’d better go,’ she said, standing up. ‘Penelope McKay let me in as a favour. I’ll see you at seven.’

  ‘Do I get a kiss?’

  ‘Don’t get carried away,’ she said.

  He grinned. She couldn’t help grinning back.

  Both of them had a strong suspicion that everything was going to be all right.

  * * *

  Venus and Alex ate breakfast downstairs in the coffee shop. Alex attacked a stack of blueberry pancakes, while Venus settled for strawberry yogurt and herbal tea.

  ‘Mary tracked that actor you were carrying on about,’ Alex said. ‘He’s coming in at noon. If he’s as good as you say he is, I want Lucky to see him too.’

  ‘I’ve got the eye,’ Venus said, stealing one of his pancakes with her fingers. ‘Just you wait until you see him. If he can act, we’re in business.’

  Alex squirted more syrup on his pancakes. ‘How’d’you think Lucky’s holding up?’ he asked.

  ‘Pretty good, considering what the tabloids are doing to her. Have you seen them?’

  ‘She’s pissed, huh?’

  ‘Wouldn’t you be pissed if you were called a mobster’s daughter? Gino was never really a mobster, was he?’

  ‘Who the fuck knows?’ Alex said, gulping his coffee. ‘I like the guy. Who gives a shit if he was connected way back? I certainly don’t.’

  ‘I think Lucky should sue ’em,’ Venus said, sipping her tea.

  ‘Who needs to sue ’em and all that crap?’ Alex said. ‘You ever had to give a deposition? It’s the pits.’

  ‘Yes, Alex, I have experienced everything.’

  ‘No doubt about that,’ he said, quickly getting back on to his favourite subject. ‘So what is she doing about Lennie?’

  ‘Taking our advic
e and meeting with him.’

  ‘Yeah?’ he said, not looking too thrilled.

  ‘Hey, listen, we both thought it was a good idea to talk her into it,’ Venus said. ‘And you’re right.’

  ‘We did?’ he said quizzically.

  ‘Okay, okay, I know you’re dying to get into her pants, but as long as she’s still lusting after Lennie, it would be a losing proposition for you and you know it.’

  ‘So now we’ll see,’ he said.

  ‘Yes, now we’ll see,’ Venus repeated.

  ‘What do you think’s going to happen?’ he asked.

  ‘Who knows?’ Venus said. ‘I mean, Lennie and Lucky, they’ve always had this kind of love–hate simmering relationship. Very passionate. I’m sure she likes you a lot, Alex. In fact, I know she loves you as a friend. But while Lennie is around, baby, you got no shot.’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said ruefully. ‘I guess the only way I’ll get rid of Lennie is if I put a contract out on him.’

  ‘Very funny,’ Venus said. ‘You’re starting to believe your own scripts.’

  Lili joined them at the table, clutching a stack of photographs. ‘We have fifteen actors coming in today,’ she said, placing the photos in front of Alex. ‘The first one’s due shortly.’

  Alex turned to Venus. ‘You sure you want to read with them all?’

  ‘Of course,’ she said. ‘It’s important to test the chemistry. Not that I don’t trust your judgement, but me reading with them makes them feel good. It’s tough being an actor – there’s nothing worse than rejection, something they’re facing all the time. You’re a director, you sit there rejecting whoever you want, but can you imagine how they feel? I know what it’s like. I had to struggle to get where I am today.’

  ‘Yeah, yeah,’ Alex said. ‘It’s so friggin’ tough that when they make it they turn into the asshole pricks of the world, right?’

  ‘It’s their revenge for being treated like garbage on the way up,’ Venus explained.

  ‘Okay, I get it,’ Alex said, calling for the check. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’

  * * *

  Lucky left the courtroom before the lunchbreak. She was anxious to see what was going on over at the production office. She was also thinking about seeing Lennie that morning, and how nice it had been.

  Steven had wanted her to stay with him in the courtroom. ‘I need to talk to you about something,’ he’d said.

  ‘Not now, Steven,’ she’d told him. ‘I’ll be back later. I promise.’

  He’d nodded, not very happy about her leaving.

  When she arrived at the production office, Alex was standing outside smoking a cigarette.

  ‘What’re you doing out here?’ she asked, parking her Ferrari in a convenient spot.

  ‘Waiting for you,’ he said.

  ‘Waiting for me? I thought you had a line of actors coming in?’

  ‘I think we’ve found the right one. It’s the guy Venus spotted on TV. He’s up there now. I don’t want to audition anybody else until you’ve seen them read the scene together.’

  ‘He’s that good?’

  ‘You tell me. I might be too close to it. It seems they’ve got chemistry.’

  ‘I’ll be happy to look.’

  ‘And talking of chemistry . . .’

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘I hear you’re getting together with Lennie.’

  ‘As a matter of fact, I saw him this morning,’ she said. ‘We’re meeting again tonight.’

  ‘Uh-huh.’

  ‘Thanks for talking me into it, Alex. I know you’re right.’

  He took her hand. ‘Lucky, you’re my best friend. I never want that to change.’

  ‘It won’t, Alex.’

  ‘The only way it could is if you weren’t with Lennie, and I’ve explained the way I feel about that. Now, if you and Lennie do get back together, I’ve made a decision.’

  ‘What decision is that?’

  ‘I’m gonna marry Pia. She’s a good girl. Never gives me any crap, is always there, smiling, happy. She’s an excellent conversationalist, intelligent, smart, beautiful . . .’

  ‘Hey, I think I should marry her myself,’ Lucky said jokingly.

  ‘Seriously, what do you think?’

  ‘Seriously?’ she said, not sure how she felt at all. ‘Uh . . . if that’s what you want, then you should do it. Although I always thought that getting married had something to do with being in love.’

  ‘How long do you think love lasts?’ he asked.

  ‘When you find the right person – for ever.’

  * * *

  Upstairs, Venus was chatting away to her new discovery, Billy Melina, twenty years old, a very young combination of Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp.

  ‘Hi, Billy,’ Lucky said, entering the room, checking him out, and immediately liking what she saw.

  ‘Nice t’ meet you, ma’am,’ Billy replied, six feet two, blond and polite with it.

  ‘Billy only got into town six months ago,’ Venus explained. ‘From Texas.’

  ‘Do you mind running through the scene again with Venus?’ Lucky said, taking a seat. ‘I’d love to see the two of you together.’

  ‘Sure, ma’am,’ Billy said. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, but she wished he’d quit with the ma’am.

  Mary leaned in to Lucky. ‘We found him on a cancelled series. This kid’s going to be big. He has a very special quality. Even Alex thinks so.’

  ‘Really?’

  Venus winked at her. ‘Okay,’ she said, walking over to Billy. ‘We’re reading the scene that takes place by the pool. Got a feeling you’re going to like it a lot.’

  ‘Read away,’ Lucky said. ‘I can’t wait.’

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  Ginee arrived at court on the second day dressed in an orange jumpsuit with too much cleavage, fake diamonds dripping from her ears, wrists and fingers, and leopard-skin mules on her feet – the only tiny thing about her. She was accompanied by a camera crew from Hard Copy.

  Once there, she stood on the steps outside, giving Hard Copy an exclusive interview, while a scattering of paparazzi took her picture. She couldn’t have been happier.

  Price was outraged. So were his lawyers. The three of them huddled in a corner. ‘She looks like a Vegas lounge act who’s seen better days,’ Price complained.

  ‘I’m instructing her not to come here any more,’ Howard said. ‘This is a bad joke. She’s going to turn people against Teddy. She’s making a spectacle of herself.’

  ‘I’m not so sure she’ll stay away,’ Price said. ‘She’s gettin’ off on the attention.’

  ‘We won’t pay her,’ Howard said. ‘It’s as easy as that.’

  ‘Not so easy,’ Price said. ‘Knowin’ Ginee, she’s gettin’ money from the TV show.’

  ‘You’re probably right,’ Howard agreed. ‘Which means we’re stuck with her. I’d better talk to her again today.’

  ‘Wish you would,’ Price said. ‘This is too humiliatin’. People are lookin’ at her thinkin’, What kind of taste has he got?’

  ‘I’ll try to slip a couple of your wedding pictures to the tabloids,’ Howard said. ‘That way they can see she used to be gorgeous.’

  ‘No,’ Price said, shaking his head. ‘My ego don’t need that kinda stroking. I’ll survive.’

  He’d already decided that he would talk to her himself.

  Later in the day he got the opportunity. ‘Hey, Ginee,’ he said, ‘you’re supposed t’ be lookin’ like a mother figure. How about gettin’ it together?’

  ‘Why should I look like a goddamn mother when I’m on TV?’ she demanded. ‘They want glamour, pizzazz. Hard Copy love me. Tomorrow they’re having me sing!’

  ‘You’re gonna do what?’

  ‘Watch it tomorrow. They’re doing one whole segment on little old me!’ She smiled triumphantly. ‘Now we got two stars in the family.’

  ‘Jesus,’ he muttered. ‘You’re really milkin’ this. Your own son is in trouble an?
?? all you can think about is yourself.’

  ‘Why shouldn’t I?’ she said belligerently. ‘After you threw me out, I never had a chance.’

  ‘I didn’t throw you out. We couldn’t live together any more, and I paid you plenty over the years. You could’ve done whatever you wanted t’ do.’

  ‘Get it straight, Price. This is my big opportunity, and nobody’s stoppin’ me.’

  ‘Have you talked to your son today? Did you call him at home last night? Tell me this, have you comforted him in any way?’

  ‘Comforted him?’ she squealed. ‘I hardly even know him. Only don’t tell that to Hard Copy. They think me an’ Teddy are real tight. They think I’ll get ’em an interview with him. An’ you know what? I can get ’em to pay for it.’

  Price shook his head in disgust. ‘Give it a rest, Ginee,’ he said. ‘Stay home. I don’t want you here.’

  ‘Too bad, Price. Teddy is my son, and I’ll be here every single day.’

  * * *

  By lunchtime Mila was getting nervous. ‘Has the gun been delivered yet?’ she kept on asking Willard.

  ‘You’ve asked me ten times,’ he said. ‘I’ve called the office. Nothing. Who is supposed to be delivering it anyway?’

  ‘A friend of mine,’ she said.

  ‘Where did they get it?’

  ‘That’s none of your business.’

  ‘It is my business, Mila,’ he said patiently. ‘As your attorney, you’re supposed to tell me everything.’

  ‘Why should I?’ she asked suspiciously.

  ‘Because I am here to help you.’

  ‘And what if I don’t need your help?’

  ‘Of course you need my help,’ he said, losing it. ‘You’re accused of murder, for Chrissakes. Did you shoot Mary Lou Berkeley? Or did Teddy?’

  ‘I told you, Teddy did it, and I’ve got the gun to prove it.’

  ‘Then get me the gun.’

  ‘I’m trying to, only it’s not so easy when you’re locked up in jail.’

  Willard shook his head. He didn’t know whether to believe her or not. If she’d had this proof all along, why hadn’t she produced it before?

  God, he wished he could get a job in a decent law firm instead of defending people who had no money.

  He stared over at the two high-powered attorneys employed by Price Washington. One day he would like to be just like Mason Dimaggio. Now that was a star.