She called Brenda, who said, ‘Yes, get him in there immediately.’
The next day she drove him to a discreet Malibu retreat where many of the big stars went when they needed help.
‘You do know this is a big joke?’ he said, as he got out of the car. ‘I’m perfectly sober. Haven’t had a drink in days. You know I don’t need this.’
For a moment she weakened. He was right: no drinking had taken place since they’d arrived back from Europe. Unfortunately that didn’t mean it was over. Linc needed professional help.
Unbeknown to her, Linc had switched from booze to cocaine. He’d discovered that a quick snort got him through the day and was less detectable than a swig of Scotch. Shelby would never suspect drugs–she was too naïve, which was one of the things he loved about her. Even though she was an actress, living and working in the thick of Hollywood, she’d managed to maintain her innocence when it came to the wilder things in life. The truth was he didn’t want to lose her, and sometimes he knew he came perilously close. London had not been good. He’d blown a shitload of money at the casino, and later he’d ended up in some bimbo’s apartment getting a mediocre blow-job.
Christ! Not smart. Thank God Shelby hadn’t found out.
Upon entering the facility, a polite man at the front desk asked to go through his bag, then searched the clothes he had on.
Linc didn’t care. It wasn’t as if he was addicted or shit like that. Cocaine. Booze. He could leave them both alone if he wanted to.
The problem was that he didn’t want to.
Cat embarked on a major shopping spree–not for clothes: she was more interested in getting her apartment in shape. She took a trip to Melrose and discovered an interesting shop where she purchased several colourful rugs. Next she ordered two shabby-chic couches and an ornate Mexican mirror. Then she found a stately stone Buddha, and an old oil painting of jazz great Billie Holiday. After that came the big splurge: she moved on to Robertson and purchased a highly expensive oversized bed, and tons of enormous, soft cushions. Then, finally, two flat-screen TVs, a DVD player, an Apple computer and an extremely extravagant Bose stereo system.
At last she felt at home. Now she could get back to work.
Chapter Seventeen
Claudine Sanchez called a family conference. Lola was surprised it had taken so long since she’d been home from the spa for almost a week. She phoned Mama back, told her she was busy and couldn’t make it.
‘You will make it, Miss Movie Star,’ Claudine retorted with gusto. ‘And you will make it tonight.’
There was no arguing with Claudine Sanchez. Once her mind was set, everyone in the family had to jump–including Lola, although she still couldn’t figure out why she had to comply. She was rich. She was famous. But the bottom line was that she was still Claudine’s daughter.
On the business front things were good. She was pleased because Elliott had got Linc Blackwood to sign on for New York State of Mind. She’d already started costume fittings and getting her head in the right place. Every movie was different, and this one was bound to be more than interesting. It was pay-back time, and now she had the perfect opportunity.
Big Jay, her bodyguard driver, delivered her to her parents’ house, where the entire family was gathered. Louis Sanchez, Isabelle, with a smug I-had-to-tell-them look on her face, her other sister, Selma, and Louis Junior–like it was any of his business.
Lola marched into the living room. ‘What?’ she demanded impatiently, throwing down her new Gucci bag. ‘Why did I have to come here tonight? I’m about to start a movie. This is not good timing for me.’
‘In this family,’ Claudine said sternly, ‘divorce is not good timing either.’
‘What are you talking about?’ she said irritably.
‘I’m talking about the things your sister told me.’
‘And what exactly did she tell you?’ Lola said, shooting Isabelle a killer look.
Claudine gave a long-suffering sigh. ‘It’s no good trying to deny it, Lucia. Isabelle says you’re planning on divorcing Matt.’
‘What if I am?’ Lola said, exasperated. ‘Is it anybody’s business except mine?’
‘I don’t understand what’s become of you,’ Claudine said, shaking her head. ‘I taught you to be a good daughter. Now it seems that all this fame and stardom has gone to your head.’
‘How’s the house, Mama?’ Lola said, standing her ground. ‘Comfortable? Because all my fame and stardom is what bought it for you.’
‘Don’t sass me, girl,’ Claudine said, her tone sharpening.
‘I warned her not to marry Matt,’ Louis said, joining in. ‘The poor bastard’s got no cojones. He’s not a man. It was never a match.’
‘Be quiet,’ Claudine said, silencing her unfaithful husband with a steely glare.
‘It’s true, Mama,’ Louis Junior said, slouching across the room.
‘You stay out of this,’ Lola snapped, turning on her brother. ‘It’s none of your business, do you get it?’
‘No, I don’t get anything,’ Louis Junior whined. ‘Mama and Papa get a house, my sisters get all kinda shit–an’ I get nothin’.’
‘What is it you expect from me?’ Lola demanded.
‘You’re my sister,’ he said sulkily. ‘You should give me a job.’
‘Why me? I’m not responsible for you. If you shifted your lazy ass you might manage to get a job on your own.’
‘Who’re you callin’ lazy?’ Louis Junior retaliated. ‘If you—’
‘Stop fighting,’ Claudine ordered. ‘Lucia–what do you have to say for yourself?’
‘I’m twenty-four years old, Mama,’ Lola said, furious that she had to deal with this crap. ‘I can do anything I like. And if I decide to divorce Matt, it’s between him and me.’
‘What happened with you an’ Matt?’ Louis Senior asked, scratching his chin. ‘The bastard beat you? ’Cause if he did—’
‘Ha!’ Lola scoffed. ‘I’d like to see a man beat me. I’d kick him in the balls exactly like you taught me, Papa.’
Louis grinned, proud of his famous daughter who quite obviously possessed the cojones her husband lacked.
Selma spoke up. ‘It’s really none of our business,’ she said. ‘If Lucia feels this is the right thing for her to do, then she must go ahead and do it.’
‘Thank you,’ Lola said gratefully. ‘And as for you,’ she added, shooting another venomous glare at Isabelle who sat on the couch, hands clasped in front of her as if she wasn’t Miss Gossip of the World. ‘I gave you three fabulous days at a luxury spa, and this is how you repay me? You couldn’t wait to run to Mama and tell her about me and Matt. I’m surprised you didn’t sell your story to one of those supermarket rags.’
‘Your mama’s right,’ Louis Senior said, deciding to take on the role of man of the house. ‘You better have a special reason for divorce.’
‘Yeah,’ agreed Louis Junior. ‘A very special reason.’
‘Oh, for God’s sake!’ Lola exploded, fed up with being spoken to as if she were a child. ‘Will you all butt out. It’s my fucking divorce.’
‘Excuse me, Miss Movie Star?’ Claudine said, her face thunderous. ‘What did you say?’
‘It’s my fucking divorce,’ Lola repeated.
‘Leave now,’ Claudine said, standing up, full of rage. ‘I will not put up with street language in my house. Come back when you can behave yourself like a lady.’
‘Why should I answer to any of you?’ Lola said, getting more angry and frustrated by the minute. ‘You can all go screw yourselves.’
She turned round and walked out.
Damn! They were ignorant. How dare they think they could still boss her around? She was a star. A rich movie star. She was important and famous.
Big Jay jumped to attention, hurriedly opening the car door for her. She got in, muttering to herself.
‘You say somethin’, Miss Lola?’ Big Jay asked. He was a huge tree-trunk of a black man with Rastafarian dreadlocks,
and a soft Michael Jackson voice.
‘Yes,’ she said, still simmering. ‘Unless there’s a gun to my head, never bring me here again. And that’s an order.’
‘Casting is a strange and wonderful thing,’ Merrill lectured, sitting behind his enormous desk in his vast office overlooking the city of Los Angeles.
‘I know,’ Cat replied carefully. ‘But if the casting’s not right, then nothing works.’
‘You’re still a neophyte in this business,’ Merrill said, puffing on his usual fat Cuban cigar. ‘If I can persuade Lola Sanchez or Shelby Cheney to play the lead in Caught, you should kiss my ass. And I think I got Nick Logan hooked for the con-man. A star makes all the difference at the box office.’
‘I don’t care,’ she said, her mouth set in a stubborn line.
‘You’re not dealing with a small piece-of-shit movie now, Cat. You’ve moved into the big league. So grow up and start realizing how lucky you are to have me behind you.’ More thick smoke wafted in her direction.
She glanced over at Jonas. He was sitting at the side of Merrill’s desk, taking notes. No help there.
‘But Mr Zandack—’ she began.
‘How many times I gotta tell ya? Call me Merrill.’
‘What if you sign an actress who’s completely wrong for the role?’
‘You tellin’ me my business?’
‘I’m just—’
‘Shut up an’ listen,’ he said, interrupting her. ‘If I say we hire a big star, that’s what we do. An’ if that big star doesn’t want you to direct, you gotta go along with that too.’
‘If I don’t direct,’ she said, sitting up very straight, ‘there’ll be no movie.’
‘No kiddin’?’ Merrill said. ‘Guess you’re forgetting about the contracts you signed.’
Alarm bells started going off in her head. ‘What contracts?’
‘Let me jog your memory, Kitten. When my company took over distribution of Wild Child, you signed contracts givin’ me all rights on your next project. Which means you’ll direct if the star wants you to–and if she doesn’t, too bad.’
‘I don’t believe this,’ she said, standing up.
‘Believe it. You wanted a big-budget movie, you got it.’
Dazed and confused, she left his office. She needed time to digest what he’d said and study the contracts she must have signed. It wasn’t enough that she’d had such a shattering experience with Jump, now this.
Downstairs in the parking lot she climbed into her rented car–a red convertible Mustang. Her mind was racing. She knew what she had to do: hire a sharp lawyer and stop behaving like a foolish little girl. It was apparent that Merrill Zandack was a man used to doing things his way, and she had been naïve for not getting professional advice in the first place. And that was Jump’s fault: he’d always had an aversion to lawyers. ‘Why pay when you can figure it out for yourself?’ he’d said. So when Merrill’s business-affairs people had given her contracts to sign, she hadn’t bothered consulting a lawyer, she’d simply gone ahead and signed, thinking she could trust Merrill not to screw her.
Wrong! She was an idiot. A fool. According to Merrill, she’d signed away all rights.
As she was driving from the parking lot, Jonas came running up to her car. ‘Glad I caught you,’ he said.
‘Oh, it’s you,’ she said flatly.
‘We should go for coffee, talk about things.’
‘What’s to talk about?’
‘Plenty.’
She frowned. ‘Can you explain what just happened?’
‘I can try,’ he said, genuinely eager to help her out.
‘Then get in the car and let’s go,’ she said, deciding she had nothing to lose.
He shook his head. ‘Can’t do it now, I’m working. How about later?’
‘Come by my apartment.’
‘I’ll be there soon as I finish.’
‘What time?’
‘Depends on his mood.’
‘Great,’ she said irritably. ‘You can’t even tell me what time you get off work.’
‘Don’t start with me, Cat. I’m trying to help you.’
‘In that case, do me a big one and bring me copies of the contracts I signed.’
‘Hasn’t your lawyer got them?’
‘Uh…I don’t have a lawyer,’ she admitted, knowing how dumb she must sound.
‘That isn’t smart.’
‘Like, tell me something I don’t know.’
‘Look,’ he said sympathetically. ‘Everything’ll work out.’
‘Sure,’ she replied, unconvinced. ‘My heroine will either have a Latino accent or an English one. And a big, sexy ass. Perfect for the role of an edgy undercover cop.’
Jonas made a valiant attempt to change the subject. ‘You didn’t mention Australia. Was it fun?’
‘Oh, yeah,’ she answered sarcastically, ‘an absolute blast.’
‘That’s not a happy voice.’
‘I don’t want to get into it now,’ she said, realizing that for some inexplicable reason she felt like crying, and wouldn’t that look weak in front of Jonas. ‘Later,’ she said, revving her engine.
And with that she drove off.
The woman sitting at the bar was mysterious in her tinted glasses, big hat, long, straight black hair with a heavy fringe concealing most of her face, and a form-fitting, black tailored suit. Her legs were encased in the sheerest of black stockings, and on her feet were the highest of heels.
‘Hey,’ the man said, sliding on to the barstool next to her.
‘Hey, yourself,’ the woman responded.
‘You come here a lot?’ the man asked. He was Latino and handsome, not particularly tall, with longish, jet black hair, full lips and brooding eyes.
‘Occasionally,’ the woman replied, sipping a martini.
‘What do you do?’
‘I’m a housewife. And you?’
‘A salesman.’
She placed her glass on the bar. ‘Is there something you’d care to sell me?’
‘Come up to my room, and we’ll see if I got anything that interests you.’
‘I’m sure there’s a possibility,’ she murmured.
The man slid a key into her hand. ‘Room six-oh-three, five minutes.’ He left the bar.
Slowly the woman finished her martini, paid the tab, got up and sashayed from the room. Several eyes swivelled to watch the mysterious creature.
Travelling up in the elevator she took several deep breaths before walking down the corridor to room 603. The anticipation was a killer.
The woman slipped the key into the lock and entered.
The man was lying on the bed in brief black bikini underwear. Naturally he was hard. The woman would not have expected anything less.
‘Is that what you have to show me?’ she said boldly.
‘Lock the door,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Strip, baby. Gimme a show.’
The woman turned around and locked the door. Then she removed her sunglasses and hat. Her long straight hair still mostly concealed her face. Anyone with a practised eye could tell it was a wig.
The man stared at her, his dark, brooding eyes alive with lust.
Slowly, standing at the foot of the bed, the woman began taking off her clothes. First she undid her tight jacket, button by button, taking her time. Underneath she had on a skimpy black bra–the kind usually favoured by Las Vegas showgirls. Her breasts swelled from the confines of the lacy garment.
‘Nice,’ the man said.
Next the woman unzipped her skirt and stepped out of it. Almost naked, except for a Frederick’s of Hollywood garterbelt with the black stockings and high heels, she was a magnificent specimen.
The man’s erection was straining at his underwear, but the woman still took her time as she knelt provocatively on the bed, crawling towards him like a predatory panther.
‘You got a name?’ the man asked, his voice thick with desire.
‘Names don’t matter,’ the woman replied.
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The man reached forward, pulling her down on top of him. The woman raised her body, her warm skin grazing his. Then she put her hands into his underwear and slowly peeled it down.
He was harder than she’d imagined. So hard, that when he entered her she experienced a sharp combination of pleasure and pain.
The woman gasped, throwing her arms above her head and moaning with an overwhelming passion.
The man placed his hand over her mouth. ‘Quiet,’ he ordered. ‘You’ll wake the neighbours.’
‘I’m not home,’ the woman reminded, pushing his hand away.
‘Oh, yeah, baby,’ the man said, flipping her so that he was on top. ‘This is home. This is definitely home, an’ it’s so fuckin’ good to be back.’
Yes, Lola thought, happy in the arms of her much-missed lover. It certainly is.
Five days was all Linc could take at the Malibu retreat. Then he walked out and took a cab home.
‘What happened?’ Shelby asked, taken by surprise.
‘Absolutely nothing, sweetheart,’ he said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her. ‘I did everything they asked me to. Went to all the meetings, made my own bed and all that crap. Then today I talked to one of the counsellors, and he told me to get the hell out, that I didn’t need to be there.’
‘He sent you home?’ she said, not sure whether to believe him.
‘Yeah, the guy said I didn’t have a problem. Check it out.’
‘I’m not checking up on you, Linc.’
‘So don’t. It’s your choice,’ he said, kissing her again. ‘Didja miss me?’
‘Yes,’ she admitted. ‘I missed you a lot.’
‘You too, baby. You too.’
‘Are you sure you’re—’
‘Hey,’ he said, interrupting her. ‘This is what we’re gonna do. We’re taking all the booze out the bar, locking it in a closet and throwing away the key. How’s that?’
‘Yes, Linc,’ she said obediently.
‘You wanna know why?’
‘Yes.’
‘’Cause I ain’t drinkin’.’
‘Is that a promise?’