“Ohhh!” Cookie squealed. “D’you think she’s hookin’ up with Billy? It’s always the best friend you gotta look out for. Wouldn’t that be something.”
“You are so gross.”
“What’s gross about it? Billy Melina is a total stud muffin. I’d do him in a flash.”
I bet you would, Max thought, totally mortified that Cookie was even thinking about Billy in such a fashion.
“Anyway,” Cookie continued, “didja know Frankie brought Billy to the party? We think he left with Willow Price. Frankie says she’s a raving lesbo. Only I think she and Billy are totally doin’ it. I got to meet both of ’em.”
“Awesome,” Max said distractedly, thinking that if Cookie knew the truth, she’d go totally nuts.
“Yeah,” Cookie said casually, pleased with herself. “You could’ve met ’em too if you’d been around. Where were you all night?”
“Now you’re asking. Where were you when it was time to clean up?”
“Okay, okay,” Cookie said impatiently. “So I flaked on you. Let’s not get carried away about it.”
“‘Carried away’?” Max said indignantly. “Screw you!”
“We’re takin’ off for Vegas soon,” Cookie said, completely unfazed that Max was pissed. “What time are you planning on arrivin’?”
“This afternoon,” Max said, swallowing hard while attempting to stay calm, for if Lucky saw these pix of Billy with her Ferrari, Max would be in deep shit. “Oh, and Cookie,” she added quickly, “do not say anything to Lucky about her car.”
“Why not?”
“’Cause it wouldn’t be cool.”
After getting rid of Cookie, Max attempted to think of a brilliant excuse should Lucky come across the video. Not that she was likely to on her own; Lucky was totally uninterested in trolling the gossip sites.
But what if someone showed the video to her? What if Venus saw it?
Throw up time!
Wasn’t it enough that Billy’s best friend had turned up and ruined what was about to be a perfect evening? Kev, with his inane remarks and stupid face. She’d automatically hated him, so after gulping down a slice of pizza, she’d taken off, and to her chagrin, Billy hadn’t even tried to stop her. And when he’d walked her out to the car, Kev had come too! What an insensitive jerk.
Billy had given her a brief peck on the cheek, warned her to drive carefully, and that was it. No When can I see you again? Not even I’ll call you.
She was furious and hurt and felt like a total idiot. It was apparent that Billy had used her for a quick bang. Just because he was a big freaking movie star, he obviously felt that was acceptable behavior.
Well, screw him. Screw him big-time.
Now she was left knowing that Lucky could easily discover that Billy had driven her car. And how exactly would she explain that?
Her dream evening had somehow turned into a disastrous nightmare.
She hated Billy Melina.
* * *
Danny got off on filling Lucky in on all the hotel gossip, scurrilous and otherwise. Danny collected information without even trying; it came to him whether he wanted to hear it or not. Yes, Danny was a magnet for all things juicy. He culled all the latest information over a very early coffee with some of the staff before everyone reported for duty.
It amused Lucky to hear everything that was going on in her hotel, and Danny was always a great source.
Friday morning the news was all about the pit boss caught cheating with a married woman who worked in the catering department. Then there was the delectable and extremely young PR engaged to a croupier, but busy having an affair with a teenage singing sensation who visited Vegas a lot. And lastly the perverted pig in the Presidential Suite who’d refused to pay hookers for extra services rendered.
“Men!” Danny exclaimed, rolling his eyes at his boss. “Why order in if you’re not prepared to pay?”
“Ah,” Lucky sighed as they made their way onto the terrace of her magnificent penthouse, where a virtual breakfast feast was laid out on a marble side table. “Men can be mysterious creatures, exactly like women.”
“You’re too kind,” Danny said with a snippy edge. “But believe me, most men are nasty little piggies.”
“Do you really think that?” Lucky asked mildly.
“Oh, yes indeedy,” Danny responded. “I could tell you a thing or two about men. You know, before Buff and I got together—”
Lucky cut him short. “Much as I would love to hear your life stories, Danny, I’d prefer you go pick up Venus and escort her here.”
“One day,” Danny said, slightly put out that Lucky didn’t want to hear what he had to say, “you should listen to my stories.”
“One day I will,” Lucky assured him. “But not today.”
“You’re such a machine,” Danny said with a knowing nod. “Everything and everyone has to be on time—no room for error.”
“And fortunately for you, Danny, you never make errors,” Lucky said briskly. “So I suggest you move your tight little ass and go fetch Venus.”
“In some circles that remark might be construed as sexual harassment,” Danny sniffed. “Besides, you know Venus will keep me waiting. She’s such a diva.”
“Good-bye,” Lucky said, thinking that one of the reasons she got along with Danny so well was that he wasn’t scared of her. Because of everything she’d achieved, some people viewed her as intimidating. Danny was never intimidated; he had a sweet but sometimes perverse nature, plus he was efficient and full of energy. He was the perfect assistant for her.
Danny reappeared fifteen minutes later with Venus, a vision in an all-white workout outfit trimmed with gold braid, her platinum-blond hair piled on top of her head.
Danny escorted her onto the terrace to join Lucky, then left. The two women shared a warm hug. “I’m so glad you made it,” Lucky said. “Wasn’t sure you would.”
“You know I love Vegas,” Venus remarked. “And I was thinking we could work out after breakfast.” She did an elaborate twirl. “You see, I dressed the part. This is from my new clothing line, Body by Venus. You like?”
“Sensational, but I can’t get sweaty today,” Lucky said, wishing she had the time. “Got a meeting, followed by the board meeting with potential investors you promised to show your face at. Remember?”
“I did?” Venus said innocently.
“You did,” Lucky assured her.
“Damn!”
“Suck it up, superstar,” Lucky said, laughing. “You know you get off when everyone’s creaming all over you. You’re an attention junkie, and it shows.”
Venus smiled. It was true; she never tired of being in the spotlight. “I guess Danny can work out with me,” she said, checking out the table of food. “Right, Danny?”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” Lucky said, helping herself to a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon. “But Danny will be with me, taking notes.”
“You’re no fun,” Venus said, opting for a dish of yogurt and blueberries. “At least you could lend me Danny.”
“Don’t tell me you flew in by yourself?” Lucky questioned as they sat down. “No entourage to attend to your every need?”
“Do I need one?” Venus questioned, lowering her Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses.
“Apparently yes. You can’t go wandering around on your own. Where’s your stylist? Your hair person? Your usual glam squad?”
“I thought this weekend was all about family, so I came alone.”
“How adult of you.”
“Actually,” Venus admitted, “got me a surprise package who’s even now on his way here.”
“Ah!” Lucky exclaimed. “I knew it!”
“Of course you did.”
“And who might it be?”
“Well…” Venus said, an evil smile hovering on her luscious lips. “Yesterday at the shoot for my new clothing line, they hired a very buff stud to be in the shot.” She paused for effect, then continued, “I couldn’t let the poor guy go
to waste, now could I?”
“You’re incorrigible,” Lucky said, laughing.
“Oh, like you weren’t when you were single?” Venus shot back. “I seem to recall you would fuck ’em an’ leave ’em quicker than any guy.”
“Single,” Lucky protested. “I was single. And please, don’t ever mention that to Max.”
“Well, now I’m single,” Venus said, “which means I will not be wasting a minute of my time.”
“As if you ever do,” Lucky said dryly.
“By the way,” Venus added, “he’s twenty, Brazilian, and hardly speaks a word of English.” Once again she paused for effect. “I think I’m in love!”
“Does that mean I’ll hear no more moaning and groaning about Billy?” Lucky said hopefully.
Venus gave another deliciously evil smile. “Billy who?”
* * *
Frankie drove his Grand Sport convertible Corvette like a maniac, all the while speaking on his BlackBerry, reaching over to change a CD, texting, and maneuvering in and out of traffic lanes like he was playing dodgem cars.
Cookie didn’t care; she was down with a touch of danger, and Frankie offered her all that and then some. When he picked her up they’d done a couple of lines of coke to prep themselves for the four-hour drive, then she’d gone down on him, and promised that when they hit the desert, she’d do it again.
“While I’m driving,” he’d said, salivating at the thought.
“What do I get in return?” she’d demanded.
“Depends on how you do it.”
“Ha!” Cookie exclaimed. “Who d’you think won the blow job competition at school when she was fourteen?”
Frankie was intrigued. Teenagers indulging in blow job competitions—he’d thought it was an urban legend. Satisfying to know it was true, and that his girl was the champ. How about that?
His girl. His first steady since Annabelle Maestro, who in the end had treated him like a piece of shit. He would never forgive her for that. Annabelle had even written about him in her dumb book, and not in a flattering way. He’d thought about suing, but everyone had warned him against it. Not worth the time, money for lawyers, and pure frustration it would entail, so eventually he’d decided against it.
If only he’d had the foresight to make a sex tape while he and Annabelle were together. What a financial bonanza that would’ve been.
But no, he hadn’t done that, he’d blown a major opportunity to score. Vivid Entertainment would’ve paid big. They’d forked out millions for Paris Hilton and the Kardashian broad with the big ass. He could have made a killing. Colin Farrell, here I come!
Too late now.
Then the thought occurred to him—how about a sex tape with Cookie? She was certainly adventurous enough. And if he assured her they were making it just for their own private viewing pleasure …
Yeah. Like Annabelle—whose dad was action movie star Ralph Maestro—Cookie had a famous father: Gerald M., soul singer supreme. Although since rap and hip-hop had taken over the airwaves, Gerald M. was not exactly at the top of his game. However, he was still a huge star in Europe. They loved all that Lionel Richie–, Barry White–style of sexual healing.
First order of business when they hit Vegas: buy himself a Flip video and get to work.
Yeah, it was a plan.
* * *
“Let’s work out plan B,” Bobby said as they sat in the back of a town car on their way to the airport and his plane. He was feeling bad about letting Denver down and wanted to make it up to her. “When do I get to meet the family?”
“There is no plan B,” Denver responded. “You had your chance.”
“Not my fault,” Bobby objected. “If there’s one thing I can’t control it’s the airlines.”
“Apparently you can,” Denver argued. And then she couldn’t help going there. “Where was your plane when you needed it? And how come we’re using it today? Isn’t it a somewhat extravagant move?”
“Questions, questions,” Bobby teased, trying to get her to lighten up. “My girlfriend the DA gets off on asking questions.”
“Deputy DA,” Denver corrected. “And your girlfriend is extremely disappointed you didn’t show.”
“But sweetheart, I tried,” he said artlessly. “My intentions were good.”
“Sometimes the best of intentions don’t cut it,” Denver pointed out, deciding that in spite of the great morning sex, she was still somewhat annoyed that he hadn’t made it in time to meet her family. “I really wanted you to be there, and everyone was expecting you. You not turning up made me look stupid.”
“C’mon, babe,” he said, throwing her a quick glance. “You could never look stupid. You’re the smartest girl I know.”
“Says you.”
“You gotta stop breaking my balls,” he insisted. “This is supposed to be the start of a romantic weekend, so don’t go ruining it.”
Very romantic, Denver thought. Surrounded by your entire family, who will be judging me to see if I’m suitable girlfriend material for the heir to—who the fuck knows what?
She let out a long deep sigh. “Whatever,” she murmured.
Bobby couldn’t help laughing. “Now you sound as if you’re twelve,” he remarked.
“Sometimes,” she said wistfully, “I wish I were.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Good afternoon!” Bright-eyed and full of good cheer, the two flight attendants, Hani and Gitta, welcomed Bobby and Denver aboard the Stanislopoulos plane.
Denver had flown on it a couple of times before, but not when she’d been Bobby’s actual girlfriend. She wondered if Hani or Gitta knew that she and Bobby were now a couple, then she decided that they probably did, because they looked like the kind of women who made it their business to know everything.
Max, Harry, and Paco were already on board. Harry was in a state of delight to be sharing the pleasures of a private jet with his new friend, while Paco was somewhat in awe. Meanwhile, Max had fallen into a depression about the way Billy had ended up treating her. How dare he! She wasn’t a one-night conquest. She wasn’t some random girl he could screw and walk away from. And he’d taken her virginity. Snatched it from her like a thief in the night. She was mortified.
Lurid thoughts of punishment crossed her mind. She could tell Lucky and Lennie that Billy had forced himself on her. Ha! If Lucky thought he’d done that, she’d blow his balls off. Her mom took no prisoners; everyone knew that about Lucky.
Or … she could mention it to Bobby, who was practically ignoring her now that he had a steady girlfriend.
Crap! She hated the fact that Bobby seemed really into this Denver person. Why couldn’t he have just gone on being a player? Girls were always chasing after Bobby. With his dark good looks and appealing personality, he could take his pick. So why had he picked Denver?
After a while she decided it was time to assert her authority, show Denver who really mattered in Bobby’s life. “Big brother!” she squealed, dashing toward him and flinging her arms around his neck. “I haven’t seen you in ages! I’ve missed you soooo much!”
A startled Bobby extracted himself from her cling. “You remember Denver,” he said pointedly.
“Oh yeah, sure,” Max said, purposely making it sound like she didn’t.
“Hello, Max,” Denver said, already sensing trouble ahead. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“Hey,” Max said, with a vague wave in her direction.
Dammit, Denver thought. Now I’ve got to deal with a truculent teenager who is not at all thrilled I’ve hooked up with her brother, whom she obviously adores. Great start to a weekend trip I didn’t want to come on in the first place.
“Everyone please take their seats, turn off their cell phones, and buckle up,” Gitta announced. “We are preparing for takeoff.”
Denver fastened her seat belt.
Bobby reached for her hand. “Happy flying, sweetheart. We’re about to set off on a memorable weekend. Prepare yourself for plent
y of fun.”
The plane roared down the runway, and soon they were on their way to Vegas.
* * *
“Wassup with you, man?” Kev inquired. “Your mind’s like on a trip somewhere in space.”
“Yeah,” Billy answered distractedly. “I’m thinkin’ we might wanna make a Vegas pit stop.”
“Vegas!” Kev snapped to attention. Vegas was his kind of town. “I’m way down with that. When we gonna do it, bro?”
“Today,” Billy said, making a decision on the spot.
He’d been thinking about Max all morning. Truth was, he’d been thinking about her ever since Kev had dragged him out to a club the previous night. As usual there’d been dozens of girls draping themselves all over him, but he simply wasn’t into any of them. He’d promised Max dinner, but somehow with Kev arriving unexpectedly, he’d allowed her to slip off, and that wasn’t what he’d wanted at all.
It was his own fault. She was so young that he’d gotten kind of scared and guilty; he hadn’t quite figured out how to handle the situation. Then Kev arriving had given him a convenient out. But after thinking about it, he hadn’t wanted a convenient out. What he’d really wanted was to spend more time with Max. Yes, she was young, but she was special and fresh, and maybe it was too soon to know, but he had this weird feeling that she was his soul mate, the girl he was supposed to be with.
And yet … he’d let her go, and now she was probably pissed at him. Girls were sensitive in that way. Especially as the sex they’d had together was her first time.
He was mad at himself. And how to make it up to her?
Vegas. Her birthday. Show her that he cared.
Not that he could simply turn up unannounced at her birthday party; that wouldn’t fly at all. He could imagine Lucky’s face if she got even a tiny hint that he was screwing her daughter. And Lennie’s too.
But … he could be in Vegas and meet up with Max on the sly. Lucky didn’t have to know.
It seemed like a way to go. He’d do it, and he’d take Kev along for the ride.
* * *
After breakfast with Venus, Lucky set off for her meeting with Jeffrey Lonsdale and the people from Jordan Developments. Since she didn’t have any current projects in mind, she wasn’t at all sure why she’d agreed to meet with them. Raising money was never a problem, but Jeffrey seemed to think that they might be useful if, for instance, she decided to build a version of The Keys in Atlantic City or any other big American city where gambling was legal. Jeffrey never allowed her to invest a dime of her own money. Not that he was in control, but she always listened to his sage advice. Jeffrey was smart.