Hollywood Wives - the New Generation (30 page)

'Who?' Larry said, wondering when his wife would arrive.

Seth burst out laughing. 'Larry,' he said. 'You're truly an
original!'

'Cool,' Saffron said, parading in front of the mirror. She'd raided
Nicci's closet and come up with a black leather jumpsuit which fitted
her perfectly. Fortunately, they were more or less the same size.

'Mommy pretty,' Lulu said, tilting her head to one side and
inspecting her mother.

'You're
always
pretty, angel peaches,' Saffron said,
scooping her daughter up and giving her a big kiss. 'Now it's Mommy's
turn.'

Nicci had decided to wear her red Azzedine Alaia dress again, and
her Jimmy Choo heels. Her power outfit. Not that it had done her much
good at their ill-fated dinner party.

'Hot look, babe,' Saffron said admiringly.

'Yeah, hot and hung-over,' Nicci answered wryly.

'Pretty, pretty,' Lulu repeated, jumping up and down. 'Everybum
pretty!'

'Will you be quiet?' Saffron scolded. 'You're startin' to sound like
a parrot.'

'Mommy's a parrot, Mommy's a parrot,' Lulu chanted.

'Shush,' Saffron said. 'Nicci's got a big bad headache. We mustn't
make it worse.'

'Baaad!'
Lulu giggled.

'Come on,' Saffron said, picking the little girl up and taking her
into the bedroom. 'I'm putting you in front of the TV until we go.'

'You know,' Nicci said, when Saffron returned, 'I'm a
very
a good friend.'

'You are?' Saffron said, clipping on large gold hoop earrings.

'Yes, 'cause I'm going with you tonight, when I'd
so
prefer to lie down and quietly die.'

'Aren't
we
the dramatic one?' Saffron said, admiring
herself in the mirror again. 'Where
did
you go last night
that you've got this amazing hangover?'

'To a rave.'

'A rave?' Saffron shrieked. 'Girl, you haven't done that since you
an' Evan got together. Who'd you go with?'

'The bad-boy brother.'

'Oh, wow!' Saffron exclaimed. 'Didja get it on?'

'That's just it,' Nicci said glumly. 'I feel like one of those Doris
Day movies you see on late-night TV. Did we or didn't we? I have no
freakin' clue. I only know I woke up in his bed this morning totally
bare-assed.'

'No
shit
?'

'It's true.'

'You gotta
know
if you screwed him.'

'
He
can't remember either. We were so wasted - what with
the booze and drugs and God knows what else.'

'I'm proud of you, girl!' Saffron said, with a wide grin. 'The old
spirit lives! An' I thought I'd lost you.'

'I'm engaged, Saff,' Nicci said unhappily. 'Don't you get it?'

'Yeah, I get it,' Saffron said. 'You're engaged, not
dead.'

'Evan's a great guy, except… there's one small problem.'

'And what would that be?'

'According to Brian, Evan was engaged to someone else before me.'

'How's
that
a problem?'

'Cause it is,' Nicci said. 'When you're
engaged
to
someone, they're supposed to share that kind of information with you.
That's the stuff you have to talk about.'

'Get real, Nic. You didn't think he was a virgin, did you?'

'Getting laid and getting engaged are two different things,
I
told
him everything about
me
?

'You did?' Saffron teased. 'And he still wants to marry you?'

Nicci couldn't help giggling. 'Well… not
quite
everything.'

'Hey - maybe it's cool.'

'What's cool?'

'Hangin' with the brother,' Saffron said. 'You're gettin'
married
,
girl. You gotta let it loose before you do it.'

'This is a lot more than getting loose, Saff,' Nicci said miserably.
'I might've
slept
with his brother.'

'Oh, yeah, I can see where that would be kinda upsetting.'

'
Kind
of upsetting?'

'Let's go party. An' I promise, when we get back I'll stay up with
you all night talking. Deal?'

'Anyone for second helpings?' Carol asked. There was an anxious air
about her, as if she was frightened everyone would get up and leave
before she had time to offer them dessert.

'Give me more food an' I'll bust right outta my clothes,' Amber
said, smoothing down her skirt.

'Nothing like a satisfied customer,' Carol said, with a grateful
smile. 'How about you, Michael? Interested in seconds?'

'No, thanks, Carol,' he said, feeling uncomfortably full. 'It was
good, you're quite a cook.'

'Thanks,' she said, glancing around at her guests. 'What did I do to
deserve all this praise?'

'
Everything
, honey,' Amber said warmly. 'If I was a guy,
I'd think you were the perfect woman.' She threw Michael a penetrating
look. 'Right, Michael?'

He wanted to take a piece of adhesive tape and stick it right across
her mouth. Amber was getting on his nerves big-time.

'What's for dessert?' Quincy asked, patting his extended stomach.

'Everyone's favourite,' Carol announced. 'Peach cobbler with vanilla
ice cream, nuts and caramel sauce.'

'You're
my
kinda woman.' Quincy sighed. 'Michael, you're a
lucky man.'

Michael had a strong feeling he was being set up and he didn't like
it.

He wondered what Lissa was doing. Was she thinking about him?
Because he sure as hell couldn't stop thinking about her. The way she
looked. The way she smiled. Her blue eyes. Her luscious lips.

Carol went back into the kitchen, closely followed by Amber.

'Will you stop setting me up?' Michael hissed, glaring at Quincy.
'For your information I'm giving her the speech tonight.'

'Oh, fuck!' Quincy said. 'After she's cooked you this meal, you're
givin' her the speech?'

'She's taking things too seriously.'

'You can't do it tonight, man.'

'Why not?'

'Cause you gotta give it to her right after you've taken her out for
a fine dinner,
not
when she's been slavin' away in the
kitchen all day. Doncha know
anythin'
about women?'

'I have to do it,' Michael insisted. 'It's only fair to both of us.'

'Not
tonight!'
Quincy repeated. 'Be a gentleman about
this.
I'm tellin' you, take her out to dinner, an' let her down easily.'

'Jeez!' Michael complained. 'I never thought the day would come when
I'd be getting lessons on how to handle a woman from
you.'

'I'm married,' Quincy said, with a self-satisfied smirk. 'I
know
what I'm talkin' about.'

'Like hell you do.'

And then it occurred to Michael that Quincy was right. How
could
he eat her food, accept her hospitality and then dump her?

No, he couldn't do it tonight. It would have to wait until he got
back from Vegas.

Lissa managed to look like she was having a good time, although she
was quite sure everyone was talking about her behind her back.

'You're paranoid,' James said.

'I'm not,' she retorted.

'Surely you understand that all the women here would give their fake
boobs to be you?' James informed her.

'Not
this
week,' she said ruefully.

'Do not underestimate yourself,' James said sternly. 'Your talent
overcomes everything. Now that you're rid of Gregg, your full potential
will come to the fore.'

'I thought my full potential already did,' she said, with a wry
grin. 'I'm forty years old, James. I've probably had my best years.'

'
Pu-lease,'
James said scornfully. 'Look at Madonna,
she's
still dancing around the stage like a teenager, and she's
older
than you. Did you see her at the Grammys? The woman's amazing, and so
are you.'

'She doesn't have a nineteen-year-old daughter and four ex-husbands.
She has a talented,
smart
English guy, who makes stylish,
entertaining movies, and two adorable little kids.'

'What has that got to do with anything?' James said. 'I'm so tired
of you denigrating yourself. Now stop it, or I'll get cross. Come, it's
time for dinner, and I do believe we're at the head table.'

Saffron entered the party with Lulu balanced on one hip, and Nicci
by her side. She headed straight for her father.

'How's my two favourite girls?' Norio exclaimed, grabbing Lulu,
throwing her up in the air and catching her with a big hug. 'We thought
you'd gotten lost.'

'Hi, Daddy,' Saffron said, kissing him on both cheeks as Lulu
screamed with delight. 'We almost did.'

'And hello there, Nicci,' Norio said. 'How's my favourite
other
daughter?'

'Cool, thanks,' she said, adding a mischievous - 'Did you and Lissa
ever have an affair?'

'Your mother never gave me a second glance,' Norio said regretfully.
'Although I always harboured a secret passion for her.'

'Daddy!' Saffron exclaimed. 'If Kyndra ever heard you say that,
she'd have your balls for breakfast.'

Norio rolled his expressive, heavy-lidded eyes. 'My daughter, the
mouth.'

'Oh,
c'mon
, you're in the music business,
you've heard it all before.'

He laughed heartily. 'Go have a good time, girls. I'll keep Lulu -
it'll give me an opportunity to play the proud grandfather.'

'Let's go get a drink,' Saffron said, grabbing Nicci's hand. 'It's
what we both need desperately.'

Taylor was still in a state of excitement. Working with Montana Gray
was indeed an experience. And performing a love scene with Sonja
Lucerne even more so. She was in awe of both women: they were
mistresses of their craft.

The crew were great, too, because Taylor had to admit that the
thought of taking her clothes off in front of a full crew had been
terrifying. Sure, she'd done it when she was younger, but that was
before she was Mrs Larry Singer. Now everyone would be looking at her
in a different way.

However, the scene had taken place without incident. And in a way
Taylor found that being in bed with a woman was easier than making love
to a man in front of the camera.

She'd never experienced a lesbian lover, so at first she'd not known
how she'd handle the difficult scene. But Sonja was so gentle and firm,
so loving and tender, that suddenly Taylor had found herself wondering
what it
would
be like to have an affair with a woman.

She'd smiled to herself. If Larry only knew what she was thinking.

At the end of the day's shoot, Montana knocked at the door and
entered her trailer. 'You were excellent, Taylor,' she said
enthusiastically. 'You gave of yourself one hundred percent, became
your character all the way. I knew you could do it, although I wasn't
absolutely sure. Now I'm so happy I made the right decision.'

'Thank you, Montana. That means so much to me,' Taylor said,
thrilled at the lavish praise.

'Perhaps you can explain to me why Larry has kept you under wraps,'
Montana said. 'How come you're not working in
his
movies?'

'That's what
I'd
like to know,' Taylor said, liking
Montana more and more.

'Hmm…' Montana mused. 'I remember Larry as being somewhat insecure
and possessive. When Neil worked with him, he was still with his first
wife. She used to complain about him constantly.'

'She did?' Taylor said, surprised.

'Yes. She used to bitch that he couldn't get it up, and was
extraordinarily needy. I'm sure I'm not repeating anything you don't
already know.'

'His ex and I weren't exactly friends,' Taylor explained,
remembering how much Susan had hated her. 'After all, I
was
the
cause of his divorce.'

'I see,' Montana said. 'Well, it's a noon call tomorrow, so I'm glad
I didn't work you too late.'

'So am I,' Taylor said. 'I'm on my way to meet Larry. I've barely
seen him in two days.'

'Going anywhere exciting?'

'The Domingos' anniversary party.'

'That's exactly where I'm headed,' Montana said. 'Why don't I get
someone to dismiss your driver, and we'll ride together? You'll
love
my new Ferrari.'

It occurred to Taylor that she had not mentioned to Larry that
Montana Gray was directing her movie. Montana had a reputation in town,
and Taylor was sure Larry might have objected. Like most men in
Hollywood, he was threatened by strong women.

What the hell? He hadn't asked, so she hadn't mentioned it.

'Great,' she said. 'All I have to do is change clothes.' Montana
nodded. 'And I'll dazzle 'em with lip gloss, remove my glasses, let
down my hair, and be ready in five minutes.'

'Wow! I'm impressed. It takes most women three hours.'

'Hollywood wives,' Montana said, with a slow smile. 'I know most of
them. I think Neil fucked a few, not only the lovely Gina.'

Taylor couldn't help herself, she had to ask the burning question.
'Is it true,' she said, 'that Neil expired on top of Gina Germaine
while they were making love?'

'Not exactly,' Montana answered matter-of-factly. 'Gina merely
precipitated his decline. Neil actually expired in the parking lot of a
Santa Monica drinking establishment after an excess of Scotch.'

'So the story about him and Gina isn't the way it happened?'

'He
did
suffer a heart-attack while they were having sex,
and some physical thing caused them to be joined together. So, yes,
they
were
hauled off to the hospital - much to the delight of
the tabloids. It was not a happy time for anyone. Although I have to
say, Neil did have his moments.' She smiled at the memories. 'He was
quite an unusual and brilliant man.'

'You seem so calm about it.'

'You have to remember it was fifteen years ago,' Montana said. 'A
lot has happened in fifteen years.'