Lucky glanced up at the approaching couple. ‘And what exotic little number is Alex with tonight?’ she asked casually.
‘What do you care?’ Steven asked. ‘It’s you he wants.’
‘Nonsense,’ Lucky said, knowing that Steven, along with Venus, was absolutely correct. Alex Woods did have a thing about her, and she was strongly attracted to him, too, but not enough that she would ever betray Lennie – except, of course, that one time when Lennie had been gone for months and she’d thought he was dead. It was a secret she kept close to her heart, because it was better Lennie never knew. Instead of lovers, she and Alex had become best friends, a friendship they shared with Lennie, although he was not as close to Alex as she was.
Alex Woods. Writer. Director. A man who did everything his way and usually got away with it because he was Alex Woods, and in the great Hollywood tradition he was one of those characters who stood alone. Alex was shining brilliance in a sea of mediocrity, a true original talent like Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Oliver Stone.
‘Lucky,’ Alex said, bearing down on her. At fifty-one he was still a dangerous-looking man: darkly brooding, with compelling eyes, heavy eyebrows and a strong jawline. He was tall and fit, due to vigorous daily workouts. His hair was longish, curling just above the back of his collar, and he always wore black. Tonight he was in a black tuxedo with matching shirt and no tie. Alex enjoyed making statements.
His date was Asian. Big surprise, Lucky thought. The girl was petite and in her twenties. Lucky hadn’t seen this one before. It was rare that any of them lasted longer than six weeks. She often joked with Alex that he had an assembly line that churned out Asian women on a regular basis.
‘Hi, Alex,’ she said warmly, standing up to greet him.
He let out an admiring whistle. ‘Spectacular!’ he said, checking out the floor-length red Valentino that skimmed her slender body, plunging at the back to reveal almost everything. ‘Sometimes,’ Alex said, ‘I almost forget how dazzlingly beautiful you actually are.’
‘Compliments,’ she said, smiling. ‘You must want something.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ he said, smiling back. ‘That shouldn’t surprise you.’
‘Stop it, Alex,’ she said sharply, not in the mood to deal with his heavy flirting, which he indulged in whenever Lennie wasn’t around. ‘Introduce me to your date.’
‘Pia,’ he said, pulling the girl forward.
‘Hi, Pia,’ Lucky said, checking her out.
‘Hi, Lucky,’ Pia said, not quite as submissive as his usual type.
Thank God! Lucky thought. Dealing with Alex’s never-ending procession of girlfriends was exhausting. Recently she’d told him that she couldn’t do it any more. ‘Do what?’ he’d asked innocently.
‘Well,’ she’d said, ‘when the four of us go out to dinner, you and Lennie have a fine old time talking about everyone and everything, while I’m stuck making polite conversation with your date.’
‘So?’ he’d said.
‘So,’ she’d answered, ‘you get to fuck ’em. I’ve got to talk to them!’
Alex had roared with laughter.
Lucky smiled at the memory.
‘Where’s Lennie?’ Alex asked, looking around.
‘Working,’ Lucky explained. ‘He’ll be here shortly.’
‘Shame!’ Alex said.
‘Will you stop?’ Lucky said.
‘Never,’ Alex said.
There was a sudden commotion and turning of heads as Venus Maria made her way to the table, accompanied by her extremely smart movie-star husband, Cooper Turner.
Venus was huffing and puffing, all platinum hair, luscious cleavage, and glossy lids and lips. ‘Jesus!’ she exclaimed, finally reaching the table. ‘It took us twenty-five minutes to negotiate the press line. The things one does for friends!’
‘What did they ask you?’ Lucky said.
‘What didn’t they ask me?’ Venus replied. ‘Am I pregnant again? How’s my marriage? Do I consider Madonna competition? If I was single would I date Brad Pitt? The usual crap.’
‘No, I mean what did they ask you about me? This is my evening, remember?’
‘I thought you hated publicity.’
‘I do.’
‘So I tried not to mention you – except to say that next to Sherry Lansing you’re probably the smartest woman in Hollywood, and that under your amazing guidance Panther makes the best movies. Lucky Santangelo is the queen of equal sexuality, I said. How’s that for a killer quote?’
Lucky grinned and kissed Cooper, who was his usual smooth self. Before marrying Venus he’d been the number-one playboy in Hollywood. Now he was Mr Married and revelling in it. Fatherhood suited him, and had certainly calmed him down. Chyna, their five-year-old daughter, was the pride of both their lives.
‘Hi, Alex,’ Venus said, kissing the director on both cheeks. ‘When am I going to star in your next movie?’
It had become a joke between the two of them that since she’d been nominated for her small role in his film, Gangsters, he’d never asked her to work for him again.
‘Dunno . . .’ he said hesitantly. ‘Can you play a flat-chested psycho with a penchant for cutting off men’s balls?’
‘My dream!’ Venus squealed, her animated face lighting up. ‘You won’t find another actress more suited to the role!’
‘Well . . .’ Alex said thoughtfully. ‘Would you be prepared to shoot a test?’
‘Hmm . . .’ she said, pretending to think about it. ‘I guess it would depend on whose balls you wanted me to chop!’
Everyone laughed.
Lucky looked around. At least I’m surrounded by friends, she thought. People who genuinely love me. And that’s a good thing considering the announcement I’m about to make concerns all of them in one way or the other.
She wished Lennie would hurry up and arrive. He was all she needed to make the evening complete.
Chapter Ten
Finally Lennie said the magic words: ‘Cut. Print. That’s a wrap, everyone.’
‘Thank goodness,’ Mary Lou said, rushing to her trailer, unbuttoning the suit she’d worn in the scene on her way.
Terri, one of the wardrobe assistants, ran behind her. ‘Can I help?’ Terri asked. She was black, overweight and out of breath, but full of enthusiasm. Like everyone else on the set, she adored Mary Lou and would do anything for her.
‘Yes!’ Mary Lou said. ‘I need to be ready, like, an hour ago!’
‘You got it,’ Terri said. ‘I’m here to assist.’
‘How’s that little brother of yours?’ Mary Lou asked, as they reached her trailer.
‘Doin’ okay, thanks,’ Terri answered, marvelling that Mary Lou even remembered her confiding about her sixteen-year-old brother, who’d recently been arrested for vandalism. ‘They gave him three months’ probation.’
‘That should teach him a lesson.’
‘My mama taught him a lesson,’ Terry said, rolling her eyes. ‘She paddled his ass so fine he couldn’t sit down for a week!’
‘Good,’ Mary Lou said. ‘Now he’ll think twice next time he plans on getting out of line.’
‘Ain’t that the truth,’ Terri said, hanging up Mary Lou’s skirt after she stepped out of it.
‘Y’ know,’ Mary Lou said, opening the small fridge where she’d hidden her heart-shaped diamond earrings and necklace – anniversary gifts from Steven, ‘if you like, I can arrange for my husband to see him, give him some advice about how not to get into trouble.’
Terri’s expression perked up. ‘Really?’
‘Steven’s great with kids. He occasionally talks to boys at a school in Compton – helps them with career tips, that kind of thing. They think he’s the greatest.’
‘I bet.’
‘Sometimes we have a few of them over for a barbecue. Steven knows how to motivate. He makes them want to get an education and do well.’
‘Sounds like exactly what my little brother needs,’ Terri said, carefully removing Mary Lou??
?s shimmering white evening gown from its protective plastic covering.
‘I’ll arrange it,’ Mary Lou said, unhooking her bra and reaching for her dress.
‘You’re so slim,’ Terri said enviously, watching as Mary Lou navigated her way into the slinky gown.
‘It’s called hardly ever eating!’ Mary Lou said ruefully. ‘In my job you have to be thin. I’d much sooner be pigging out on fried chicken and grits. But I figure one of these days – way, way in the future – that’s what I’ll do. Right now it’s important I keep my figure.’
‘Look at me,’ Terri said, with a helpless shrug. ‘I’m eighty pounds overweight.’
‘Make a goal,’ Mary Lou said. ‘Promise yourself you’ll lose four pounds a month. Take it slow and easy, and in less than two years you’ll be down to the weight you want.’
Terri laughed at the thought. ‘I can’t do that.’
‘Yes, you can,’ Mary Lou said. ‘We can do anything we set our minds to.’
‘Gee, I wish that was true,’ Terri said wistfully.
‘Do I look all right?’ Mary Lou asked.
‘Fine as silk,’ Terri said, with a sigh, zipping the back of her dress.
‘Thanks,’ Mary Lou said, quickly applying a thin coat of lipgloss. ‘Now, I promise I won’t forget about your brother. I’ll talk to Steven tonight.’
‘You’re the best,’ Terri said.
‘No, I’m not,’ Mary Lou said. ‘It’s just that I understand when someone needs guidance. One day I’ll tell you how Steven and I first met. Boy! Did I need guidance then! Actually, it’s quite a story.’
‘Tell me now,’ Terri pleaded.
‘No time now,’ Mary Lou said, laughing. ‘Sit with me at lunch tomorrow and I’ll reveal everything. Oh, yes, and tomorrow you’re starting your diet – right?’
‘If you say so.’
There was a knock on the trailer door, followed by Lennie calling out, ‘You ready?’
‘Just about,’ she said, quickly putting on her spike-heeled silver shoes as Terri opened the trailer door.
‘Let’s get going,’ Lennie said. ‘If I don’t make it in time for her speech, Lucky will kill me.’ He took her arm and helped her down the steps.
‘’Bye, Terri,’ Mary Lou said, waving.
‘Don’t you look something?’ Lennie remarked, as they made their way to his car.
‘Like my dress?’ Mary Lou asked, doing a little twirl for him.
‘Love it,’ he said. ‘But you’d better prepare yourself – Steven’ll have a heart-attack when he sees you. He’s too old to have a wife who looks like you.’
‘Great!’ Mary Lou said. ‘Don’t tell him that, he’s already experiencing a mid-life crisis.’
‘Steven is?’
‘He thinks he’s getting fat and boring.’
‘C’mon. Mr Handsome?’
Mary Lou giggled. ‘I told him he can turn into the fattest, most boring man in the world, and I’ll still love him.’
‘What a woman!’
‘He’s the best.’
‘So are you.’
‘Thank you, Lennie. I appreciate that.’
‘Hey,’ Lennie said, as they trekked down the street. ‘I’m afraid it didn’t occur to me to hire a limo for tonight. I prefer driving myself. But what with you looking so outrageous, I realize I should’ve gotten us a car.’
‘Don’t be silly,’ Mary Lou said. ‘I’m happy as long as we get there. And the sooner the better.’ She smiled softly. ‘Y’ know, it’s so funny: Steven and I have been married almost nine years, yet when I’m away from him, I still miss him. Even if it’s only for a day.’
‘I know what you mean,’ Lennie said. ‘Sometimes I look around at all the miserable marriages in this town – people playing musical beds and getting divorced – and I think how happy I am with Lucky. She’s my everything. Yes, I’m into working, but coming home to her at the end of the day makes it all worthwhile.’
‘That’s how I feel,’ Mary Lou said, wide-eyed. ‘We’re exactly alike.’
‘Yeah, except you’re a little bit younger than me,’ Lennie said.
‘Just a tiny bit,’ she said, smiling.
Buddy caught up with them on their way to Lennie’s car. ‘Baby, you look hot!’ he said to Mary Lou, checking her out admiringly.
‘Why, thank you, Buddy,’ she said, well aware of his respectful crush. ‘Coming from you that’s a real compliment.’
‘What’s that mean, coming from me?’ Buddy said, putting on the charm big time.
‘Well,’ Mary Lou said, ‘everyone knows you’re the campus superstud.’
‘Yeah?’ he said, preening. ‘I got myself a reputation, have I?’
‘Let me see, Buddy,’ she said, pretending to think about it. ‘Since we’ve been making this movie I’ve observed at least three different girls visiting you on the set.’
‘My sisters,’ Buddy said, grinning.
She grinned back. ‘Your sisters, my ass!’
‘And a fine ass it is, too, if I may say so.’
‘C’mon,’ Lennie said, opening the passenger door of his Porsche and hustling Mary Lou inside. ‘You two can flirt tomorrow. Right now we gotta get going.’
She settled into the front seat, fastened her seatbelt, and gave a little wave to Buddy who hovered by the car.
‘Does your husband know how lucky he is?’ Buddy said as Lennie ran around and started the car.
‘I hope so,’ she said, blowing him a kiss.
‘Baby,’ Buddy sighed, ‘if you ever decide you want bigger and better, I am waiting!’
‘There’s no such thing as bigger and better than my Steven,’ Mary Lou said. ‘Sorry to disappoint you.’
‘Oh, baby, baby,’ Buddy said, shaking his head. ‘You are something else.’
The Porsche took off. Mary Lou closed the window and grinned. ‘I hope he makes me look good on screen.’
‘Buddy’s the best,’ Lennie said. ‘And, considering he has a thing about you, you will look sensational.’
‘It’s so much fun to be making a movie with you, Lennie,’ she said. ‘I never imagined we’d work together, and now it’s even better than I thought it would be.’
‘Hey – you’re a pleasure to work with.’
‘Coming from you that’s a big compliment.’
‘I’m bummed we had to run so late tonight,’ Lennie said, adjusting his rear-view mirror. ‘D’you think Lucky will be pissed?’
‘Lucky never gets pissed at you.’
‘Oh, yeah?’ he said, knowing his wife. ‘It’s almost eight thirty. By the time we get there it’ll be past nine. Trust me, tonight she will be pissed.’
Chapter Eleven
The boy threw himself into the jeep, adrenalin coursing through his veins, vision blurred. The girl wasn’t far behind, giggling insanely.
‘How many didja get?’ she asked, falling into the passenger seat.
‘Four,’ he said, heart pumping wildly.
‘Chicken,’ she said. ‘I got six. We’d better get outta here before they send a guard after us.’
The boy didn’t need to be told twice. He started the jeep and they roared out of the parking lot, practically colliding with a blue Toyota driven by an elderly man who shook his fist at them.
The girl reached for a beer, cracked one open and handed it to him. He was already drunk, but who cared? He felt like he could do anything. He wasn’t stuck in the house, he was out and free. Freedom was a good thing. Freedom ruled!
The girl knew how to enjoy herself, she always had. When they’d been small and growing up together she’d always taken the initiative, shown him the way to go. Sometimes she’d even stood up for him.
‘Let’s see what you got,’ the girl said, fumbling in his pockets.
‘Didn’t know I was supposed to choose. Grabbed anything I could.’
‘Crap,’ the girl said, disgusted. ‘You’re supposed to get stuff we want.’ She pulled a CD out of his pocket. ‘Celine Dion!?
?? she exclaimed. ‘Who listens to her?’
‘I told you,’ the boy said, embarrassed. ‘Wasn’t looking.’
‘Dunce!’ the girl said, reaching under her sweater and pulling out a CD of Ice T. ‘Put this on.’
He slipped the disc into the player, and throbbing loud rap filled the jeep.
The girl began moving her body to the beat, then she reached in her pocket for a cigarette, lit up, took a drag and handed it to him.
‘Don’t smoke,’ he mumbled.
‘You’re such a wuss,’ she muttered. ‘New York sure didn’t wise you up.’
‘I smoked grass there,’ he boasted.
‘Ooooh!’ she said mockingly. ‘What a bad motherfucker you are. How about coke – you ever done that?’
He shook his head. His dad was against drugs, having once been a major user of anything he could get his hands on.
‘Wanna try?’ she suggested. ‘I got some, y’know.’
‘Where’d you score coke?’ he asked.
‘Don’t you worry ’bout that,’ she said, with a sly smile. ‘I can score anything I want. I got friends in all the wrong places.’
Chapter Twelve
‘Where’s that husband of yours?’ Gino asked.
‘I wish I knew,’ Lucky replied, tight-lipped as she wondered the same thing herself.
‘Has he left the location yet?’ Venus asked, leaning into their conversation.
‘Yes,’ Lucky said. ‘I called the production trailer. He and Mary Lou took off ten minutes ago.’
‘Where were they shooting?’
‘Downtown. It’ll take them at least half an hour to get here.’
‘Not the way Lennie drives,’ Steven interjected. ‘I hope Mary Lou remembers to buckle her seatbelt.’
‘Are you accusing Lennie of being a bad driver?’ Lucky sniffed.
‘He’s a road warrior,’ Steven said, sounding amused. ‘Thinks he’s the only one out there.’
‘He’s a defensive driver,’ Lucky explained, ‘and certainly better than you, Steven. You drive like an old lady, huddled over the wheel like it’s gonna jump up and bite your ass!’
‘Whaaat?’
‘Seriously,’ Lucky said. ‘What shall I do? My speech is already half an hour late, but I refuse to give it without Lennie being here.’