Goddess of Vengeance

  ‘Believe me, honey, it’s them who does the chasing,’ he said dryly.

  ‘Don’t call me honey.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Save it for your one-nighters.’

  ‘You were a one—’

  ‘Alex!’ She stopped him with a deadly look. He was venturing into forbidden territory, and she didn’t like it one little bit.

  ‘Yeah, yeah, I get it,’ he said, taking another gulp of Jack.

  Lucky ordered a bottle of Evian and leaned across the table. ‘Tell me about your movie.’

  ‘Don’t want to bore you.’

  ‘Why would I be bored, Alex?’

  ‘’Cause you know exactly what I’m going to say.’

  ‘And that would be?’

  ‘I’m gonna regale you with stories about what a bunch of fucking assholes my actors are.’

  ‘Then why do you hire them?’

  ‘Got no choice. Unfortunately I need ’em.’

  ‘How inconvenient for you.’

  ‘Yeah, robots are more my style,’ he said with a cynical laugh.

  ‘Imagine that!’

  Alex smiled. It didn’t matter what kind of a mood he was in, Lucky could always make him feel better.

  ‘Did you hear that Venus is in the process of divorcing Billy?’ she asked.

  ‘Should I be surprised? Working with Billy was like taking a slog up the Himalayas with no Sherpas. That little prick took asshole to new heights.’

  Lucky laughed. ‘Billy’s major box office. The public seems to love him.’

  ‘We all know that the public has no fucking taste.’

  ‘That’s what I like about you, Alex.’

  ‘I knew there was something,’ he said with a wry grin.

  ‘You tell it the way you see it.’

  ‘That’s me, Lucky. No bullshit.’

  ‘You’re unique.’

  ‘Takes one to know one,’ he said, signalling the waiter to bring him another drink. ‘How’s Lennie?’

  ‘Lennie’s fine.’

  ‘Shame,’ he said with a resigned shrug. ‘I was hoping he’d slipped off a cliff.’

  ‘Stop!’ she said sternly.

  ‘You know that’ll never happen,’ he countered. ‘And I do mean never.’

  They stared at each other, a long intent stare which Lucky finally broke.

  ‘Okay,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘I want you to come to Vegas.’

  ‘I fucking hate Vegas,’ Alex said vehemently. ‘Especially after what happened there with Ling.’

  Lucky flashed onto the memory of Alex’s live-in girlfriend who in the past had been sending her threatening notes and hatching a plan to shoot her. It was all so bizarre, but when Alex had caught Ling with his handgun in her purse during the opening festivities of The Keys, he’d gone berserk and thrown her out.

  ‘There are two reasons I need you to come to Vegas,’ Lucky said as persuasively as she could.

  ‘Go ahead,’ Alex said. ‘Try to convince me.’

  ‘Reason one. It’s Max’s eighteenth birthday next weekend, and I’m throwing her a party. You know she’d love you to be there. After all, you’ve known her since she was a baby.’

  Alex groaned. ‘Blackmail,’ he said flatly. ‘Psychological blackmail.’

  ‘No such thing,’ Lucky said crisply.

  ‘Reason two?’

  ‘A board meeting of all The Keys investors.’

  ‘Jesus! I’ll send my business manager. He handles that kinda shit.’

  ‘I’m sure Max would be thrilled to see him, but I’m expecting you.’

  ‘Will Lennie be there?’ Alex asked, shooting her a meaningful look.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘What kind of incentive is that?’

  ‘Knock it off, Alex. You’re doing this for me. Okay?’

  ‘Whatever the Lady Boss says.’

  ‘Fuck you, Alex.’

  ‘Anytime, Lucky.’

  ‘Then you’ll come?’

  A lascivious grin. ‘If only.’

  Lucky ignored his double entendre. ‘I’ll book you a suite. Don’t let me down.’

  ‘Jesus Christ! You’re so fucking bossy,’ Alex complained. ‘But I guess I’ll be there. For you – I’ll always be there.’

  ‘Thank you, Alex.’

  * * *

  As soon as Max was sure that Lucky had left the house, she began texting friends about the Malibu party she was planning. Never mind Vegas, she’d have her own crazy celebration, and with the house all to herself it should be a major blast.

  To invite Ace, or not to invite Ace, that was the question. She wasn’t sure what to do about him. Ace could be totally great, or as Cookie and Harry had pointed out – totally controlling. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was in love with him.

  Max had imagined she was in love only once, and that was in high school with a boy called Donny Leventon who’d broken her heart and left her crushed and disillusioned.

  She’d never told anyone he’d broken her heart. She’d laughed off the fact that she’d caught him in Houston’s of all places with another girl.

  She was sixteen at the time. Donny was seventeen, and they’d never slept together, although they’d done plenty of other things. Experimenting with sex was fun. Going all the way was not an option, not until she found The One.

  Discovering that Donny was seeing another girl was a shattering experience. It had driven her to the internet where she was determined to hook up and lose her virginity to a suitable candidate – whether he was The One or not. She’d set up a meeting with a twenty-two-year-old boy who’d posted a major hunk photo. After arranging to meet him in Big Bear, she’d turned up, only to find that the major hunk was a disgusting ugly perv, who’d then kidnapped her and locked her up in some deserted cabin in the woods.

  She shuddered at the memories. Thank goodness for Ace, who’d come along at exactly the right time and rescued her.

  She wasn’t in love with Ace. She liked him in small doses, and that was okay because he didn’t live in L.A. They hadn’t slept together, but as with Donny they’d done plenty of other things.

  Yes, she was still a virgin, and it was becoming an embarrassment, especially as Cookie had slept with an army of guys and boasted about them constantly.

  But she wasn’t Cookie, and she didn’t want to be.

  She was waiting – for what?

  She didn’t know, but when it happened she’d be all over it.

  Chapter Nine

  With Bobby in Vegas, Denver decided to have a night at home by herself. She was happy when he was in town. But she was also happy when he wasn’t.

  I’m confused, she thought. I love him but I don’t want to love him. I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to make myself vulnerable.

  BUT I LOVE HIM!

  She thought about calling Carolyn, then remembered her friend was out on a gay date. How random was that? Carolyn had never indicated a yen for the same sex, but everyone had their secrets . . . and if taking the lesbian route was what she wanted, then so be it.

  She put on the TV and checked out the news. The stand-off with the Mexican man and his baby – the two of them barricaded in a house – was all over the news. Denver hoped that Leon was all right; she’d grown quite fond of him, and everyone knew that a crazy man with a gun was always a dangerous situation. She’d worked with Leon on a couple of cases – both drug related – and won both of them. They made a good team. He caught the bad guys, she prosecuted them. Currently Leon was tracking a drug trail that he was hoping would lead him to the big guys, and then she would really have an important case to work on.

  Throwing open the freezer door she inspected the contents. Ice cream, frozen pizza, a half-open packet of waffles and some spaghetti sauce in a plastic container with ice forming a suspicious barrier on the top.

  Damn! Nothing she fancied for dinner, so maybe a quick walk to the burger place on Santa Monica.

  Amy Winehouse was giving her a l
ook as much as to say Are we taking a walk or what? I need some activity.

  ‘Yes,’ Denver said out loud, returning Amy’s baleful stare. ‘We’re taking a walk.’

  Amy’s tail began to wag. The dog understood English perfectly.

  After quickly changing into jeans, a tartan shirt with rolled sleeves, and sneakers, Denver grabbed Amy’s leash and set off.

  Amy was in fine form, dragging her down the street at a fast pace. By the time they reached the burger place, Denver was out of breath. She stopped for a moment, thinking she needed to spend more time at the gym.

  Ah . . . if she only had more time. Work took up most of it, and Bobby the rest. Not that she was complaining, spending nights and weekends with Bobby was always the best. But a weekend in Vegas with his family was not something she was looking forward to.

  ‘Denver?’

  Somebody spoke her name and she spun around.

  ‘Sam?’ she countered.

  They both grinned and hugged.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ she questioned, flashing on the last time she’d seen Sam – her New York screenwriter friend with the lean body, crooked teeth and disarming sense of humour. He’d been standing outside her front door in L.A. when she and Bobby had returned from rescuing Carolyn in Washington. Just standing there with an overnight bag and an expectant expression, which totally threw her, because it wasn’t as if he was her boyfriend. They’d shared one very pleasant night of passion in his New York apartment and a delicious breakfast the next morning. That was it.

  After Bobby had taken off, she’d asked Sam in for a drink, told him she was kind of involved, and they hadn’t spoken since.

  ‘They’re making my movie,’ Sam said, his wacky smile going full force. ‘Remember – I told you I sold my screenplay.’

  ‘You mean it’s actually in production?’ she asked, genuinely surprised, because she honestly hadn’t imagined he was a successful screenwriter.

  ‘Can you believe it?’ he said modestly. ‘And they’ve made me a creative consultant. Which means I stand around the set making incredibly smart comments, and nobody listens to me, including the actors.’

  ‘You’re the writer,’ she said succinctly. ‘Why would they?’

  ‘You got that right,’ he said, bending down to pet Amy. ‘Hey, buddy.’

  ‘He’s a she,’ Denver pointed out, as Amy basked in the attention.

  ‘That’s me,’ Sam said wryly. ‘Always confusing the sexes.’

  Denver smiled. She had fond memories of Sam; he was a really interesting and funny guy.

  ‘What are you doing right now?’ Sam asked. ‘Can I buy you a burger?’

  ‘No,’ Denver replied. ‘But I’ll buy you one. Kindly take into account that L.A. is my city, you’re merely a visitor.’

  Sam held up his hand, ‘My mom taught me that when a beautiful woman wants to buy you anything – go for it.’

  ‘Your mom’s a smart woman,’ Denver said, liking the ‘beautiful’ comment.

  ‘She is,’ Sam agreed, ushering her to a seat at a plastic table on the outdoor patio. ‘She taught me a lot of things.’

  A waitress, balancing her out-of-work actress body on roller-skates, appeared and handed them menus.

  Denver hid behind hers for a moment, studying the lists of various hamburgers. Mexican, Puerto Rican, Southwestern, German (German?!). She wondered if Bobby would mind her sharing a meal with an old friend.

  Hmm . . . an old friend she’d slept with, but only once. And it wasn’t as if she was planning on sleeping with him again.

  Sam was just a friend. Period.

  * * *

  Now that he was getting a divorce from Queen of the Divas, Billy was determined to enjoy his newfound freedom. It was about time. He felt like he’d escaped from a gilded cage and was finally able to do whatever he wanted.

  And what did he want?

  To ride his Harley.

  Get blow-jobs beside his pool.

  Wake up late when he wasn’t working.

  Flirt with anyone and everyone without Venus checking out his every move.

  Never wear a tuxedo again.

  Fart in bed.

  Drink milk from the carton.

  Play video games all night long.

  Watch wrestling at midnight.

  And porn whenever he felt like it.

  Yeah, being free was a good thing. He liked it a lot.

  His lawyer had recently informed him that Venus was going for the jugular. She was under the misguided impression that he was sleeping with his co-star, and nothing could be further from the truth.

  The break-up of their marriage had come about because Venus never trusted anything he said any more. She’d taken to checking his emails, poring over his Tweets, going through his pockets, scrolling his texts.

  He was faithful. She simply hadn’t believed him.

  One divorce coming up.

  He was relieved.

  Freedom meant he had his life back.

  * * *

  Max, Cookie and Harry were working on texting big time.

  ‘This is gonna be one flat way-out cool rave!’ Cookie decided. ‘We should have In-N-Out Burgers come by – I’ll organize the truck. I can use my dad’s credit card, he’ll never notice.’

  ‘And we should get pizza,’ Harry said. ‘Everyone’s always up for pizza. My dad has a charge at Cecconi’s. I’ll order from there.’

  ‘No deadbeats and losers,’ Max instructed. ‘It has to be kids we know an’ trust. An’ I don’t want anyone hangin’ around in the house – they can only use the patio, the pool, or the beach.’

  ‘Whatever,’ Cookie said, waving her beringed hand in the air. ‘I’m telling Frankie he can only bring way hot guys.’

  Max frowned. ‘You’re inviting Frankie?’ she said, not happy at the news. ‘Why are you doing that?’

  ‘’Cause why shouldn’t I?’ Cookie responded, immediately combative. ‘He’s cool. He’ll fit right in. Besides,’ she added succinctly, ‘he could be my future boyfriend.’

  ‘Gimme a fuckin’ break,’ Harry muttered, snorting with disgust.

  ‘What if I wanted to invite Bobby?’ Max argued. ‘You know they kind of fell out.’

  ‘Bobby? Here – at our party?’ Cookie said, pulling on her dreadlocks. ‘No way. Bobby’s a killjoy – he’d stop the booze an’ all kinds of crap. He’s like your way too protective big brother; forget ’bout inviting him.’

  ‘Cookie’s right,’ Harry said, fingering his spiked hair so it stood up even higher. ‘Bobby’s always checking out what you’re drinkin’ an’ watchin’ out for you. It’s sick.’

  ‘That’s ’cause he cares about me,’ Max said, getting all defensive.

  ‘Well, you don’t want him caring when we’re tryin’ to have ourselves a time,’ Cookie remarked. ‘What fun is that?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Max admitted. ‘I suppose you’re right.’

  ‘You askin’ Ace?’ Harry wanted to know.

  Max thought about it for a moment. Should she ask Ace? Or would he do the Bobby thing and prevent her from having fun? And she really wanted to have fun, maybe even get a little crazy. Why not? It was about time. ‘Dunno,’ she answered vaguely. ‘Maybe.’

  ‘Or maybe not,’ Cookie said with a knowing smile. ‘I’d keep it loose if I was you. Who knows what tomorrow night will bring. Let’s go for it all the way. Let’s PARTEE!!’

  * * *

  M.J. and Bobby’s Russian investors consisted of two burly men, and an exceptionally tall woman in her fifties with yellow vampire-like teeth, thick legs, and an overbearing critical attitude. Not to mention a hideous fuchsia, masculine-style business suit. She spoke in her native tongue to her two companions, and practically ignored Bobby and M.J. who were showing them around the premises.

  Bobby was getting slowly aggravated. The woman was a rude piece of work, and he couldn’t stand her. However, these investors represented major money, so he attempted to stay cool.

  M.J.
calmed him down. ‘They’ve already agreed to put up all the money for the L.A. and Miami clubs,’ he said in a low voice. ‘This is just a courtesy visit. I got the contracts all ready for them to sign.’

  Fuck ’em, Bobby thought. I don’t need their money, I could finance both clubs with my own money.

  If he wanted to.

  Which he didn’t.

  Long ago he’d made up his mind that his success could not depend on his inheritance. For some insane reason he had it in his head that he had to make it on his own. It was something he felt strongly about.

  The Russians finally finished their tour, whereupon M.J. suggested they sit in a booth so that they could sign the contracts that both sets of lawyers had already approved.

  ‘We sign, we sign,’ Vampire-Teeth said, scarlet lipstick caking on her thin lips. ‘Later. We come back later, see club full.’

  ‘Sure,’ M.J. said, all easy charm as he guided them toward the glass elevator.

  ‘Sure my ass,’ Bobby grumbled when they’d left. ‘I’m supposed to be on a plane to New York tonight. I’ve got meetings.’

  ‘Don’t sweat it,’ M.J. said. ‘I can look after them.’

  ‘No,’ Bobby said. ‘You’ve got too much on your mind. I’ll take an a.m. flight an’ stay here with you. This is too important to screw up.’

  ‘Are you sayin’ I’d screw it up?’

  ‘No way, man, but we both need to be here. We have to make sure they sign the contracts tonight.’

  ‘You’re right,’ M.J. said. ‘I’ll have the office change your flight.’

  Bobby nodded. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck in Vegas without Denver. But some things had to be done, and this was one of them.

  * * *

  In between texting and making calls about their upcoming rave, Cookie expected to get a call from Frankie, and when it didn’t come she was pissed.

  ‘I’m callin’ him,’ she announced.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ Max warned.

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘’Cause it’ll make you look desperate.’

  ‘Screw it. I’m doin’ it.’

  The three of them – Cookie, Max, and Harry – were holed up in Harry’s room at the top of his father’s Bel Air mansion, a gloomy place since his mom, a Born Again Christian, had run off with her pastor and now resided in Arizona.