Hollywood Divorces / Hollywood Wives: The New Generation (64 page)

Later that evening her private line rang. She did not pick up, deciding she would only do so if it was Linc. It wasn’t. It was Pete again.

‘I’m calling to wish you a safe trip to New York,’ he said, as she listened in on her answering-machine. ‘While you’re gone, I’ll be working out your car stunt. You’ll be great, no need to be anxious.’ A beat, then, ‘I’ll miss you, Shelby. So…if you feel like calling, you’ve got my cell number. I’ll see you next week.’

She sighed, realizing that much as she liked being with Pete, it would be like waving a red flag in Linc’s face if she continued hanging out with him.

No more Pete. She was starting to enjoy his company far too much.

‘W
hy are you stalking me?’ Cat demanded, hands on hips, green eyes blazing.

‘I’m not
stalking
you,’ Jump responded, with a sulky scowl. ‘You’re my freakin’
wife
.’

‘Oh,
c’mon
,’ she said, glaring at him. ‘You’re supposed to be on tour in Australia and now you show up in L.A., creeping around the set while
I
’m trying to work.’

‘You’re finished for the day, aren’t you?’

‘A director never finishes,’ she said grandly. ‘I’ve got dailies to view, notes to go over, decisions to make for tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, an’ you gotta eat too. Let’s go to your place, order Chinese an’ talk.’

‘You’re not getting it, are you?’ she said, staring at him in exasperation. ‘There’s
nothing
to talk about. I caught you screwing around on me. We’re
over
.’

‘You’re such a wanker,’ he said, fidgeting with one of his gold stud earrings. ‘I dipped it in another bird. Big freakin’ deal. I was stoned, didn’t know what I was doing. You gonna keep punishin’ me for that?’

‘This is no punishment, Jump,’ she said, wishing he’d get lost. ‘I don’t want to be with you any more. It’s as simple as that.’

‘After everything we’ve bin through together?’

‘What exactly
have
we been through?’

‘If it wasn’t for me,’ he said accusingly, ‘you’d be sitting in some New York pisshole stoned outta your skull with a bunch of losers.’

‘Oh,’ she said, narrowing her eyes. ‘Is that what you think I’d be doing?’

‘You were a major druggie, Cat. The only reason you gave it up was ’cause
I
forced you to.’

‘Are you saying that if you hadn’t come along, I wouldn’t’ve accomplished anything?’

‘That’s the road you were heading down, darlin’.’

‘Go away,’ she said wearily. ‘Talk to my lawyer.’

‘Quit with the lawyer crap,’ he said, grabbing her roughly by the arm. ‘You an’ me gotta work this out together.’

‘Don’t
touch
me,’ she shouted, struggling to free herself.

They were standing outside her trailer. Most people had gone home, except for Nick Logan who came bopping along at just the wrong moment. ‘Having trouble?’ Nick asked, sizing up Jump.

‘No,’ she said, glaring at Jump, who immediately let go of her.

‘Yell if you need anythin’,’ Nick said, still eyeballing Jump. ‘I’ll be in my trailer for another hour, got lines to learn.’

‘Who the fuck is
that?
’ Jump growled.

‘None of your business,’ Cat responded.

‘Jesus, you’ve turned into a tough little cunt.’

‘Oh very nice, the C word.’

‘You’re exactly like your freakin’ mother.’

‘You don’t even
know
my mother,’ she responded scornfully.

‘Nor do you,’ he shot back.

‘Get lost, cheater.’

‘I will. I’m at the Sunset Marquis. When you stop with the divorce rubbish, gimme a call.’ He strode off.

‘Don’t wait by the phone,’ she yelled after him.

A few minutes after Jump left, Nick emerged from his trailer. ‘Want me to have him whacked?’ he enquired, all business.

‘Excuse me?’ she said, raising an eyebrow.

‘I can arrange it, you know,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘I got connections.’

‘Really?’ she said, disbelievingly.

‘Yeah. Last year I did a Mafia movie, an’ the dudes with the broken noses promised me a favour, which I aim to collect.’

‘You’re nuts,’ she said, shaking her head.

‘That’s what everyone says,’ he said, squinting at her. ‘Personally I think it works for me.’

‘Don’t be so sure.’

‘You’re liking what you see on the screen, aren’t you?’ he said, fishing in his pants pocket for a cigarette.

‘You smoke too much,’ she admonished.

‘An’
you
don’t get enough sex,’ he retorted, lighting up.

‘Good night,’ she said, heading toward the parking lot.

‘You seein’ dailies?’ he asked, loping along behind her.

‘I am.’

‘Mind if I tag along?’

She hesitated for a moment, then thought, Why not? After all, he’d rescued her from what could’ve been a nasty physical fight with Jump. ‘I suppose so,’ she said.

‘I’ll ride with you,’ he said, dragging on his cigarette.

‘I thought you had lines to learn.’

‘They’ll wait.’

‘Oh, thanks,’ she said tartly. ‘Our movie should be your priority.’

‘I’m a fast study,’ he said, winking at her.

‘That’s encouraging.’

They reached her red Mustang.

‘Nice wheels,’ he said admiringly.

‘Rented.’

‘I should warn you, I’m a back-seat driver,’ he responded. ‘So maybe
I
should drive.’

‘Too bad. I
give
direction, I’m not good at taking it.’

‘Okay, Blondie,’ he said, sliding into the passenger seat. ‘Since this is our first date, I’ll let
you
drive.’

‘You’ll
let
me?’ she said, raising an eyebrow.

‘Sure,’ he said, exhaling smoke. ‘Ain’t life grand?’

Back at his hotel, Linc was acting like a caged animal, pacing up and down, muttering under his breath. He was furious, and his pride was hurt. Of all the people for Shelby to be photographed with, she’d had to pick on that asshole Pete. How would it look to his buddies? They all knew what a pussy hound Pete was, and Shelby was his
wife
, for Crissakes.

He swooped on the phone, called room service and ordered a couple of bottles of Scotch. Then, since Shelby was arriving tomorrow, he thought better of it, instructed them to hold the order and send up half a bottle instead, and plenty of ice.

When the booze arrived, he filled a glass and gulped it down without so much as blinking.

It was as if he had a hollow leg: first the coke had had no effect, now the same with the booze.

Maybe
sex
was what he needed. Maybe if he jammed it into Lola Sanchez he wouldn’t feel so bad about Shelby and her indiscretion, which made
him
look like a fool. Fuck her! Miss Sweet and Innocent. His proper English lady wife. There she was on screen with her tits hanging out
and
now she was stepping out with an old boyfriend. Christ! What next?

It occurred to him that the anger he was feeling was not all about the dumb photo in
People
. His anger went deeper than that. Truth was, he was furious about Shelby taking it all off on screen. A fury he’d kept under wraps until now. He was
married
to her. She was not some little hooker happy to flash the world. Her behaviour on and off the screen was so fucking disrespectful.

He made a quick decision and called Lola at her hotel. ‘I’ll meet you at the restaurant,’ he said.

‘What a gentleman,’ she admonished. ‘I suppose my bodyguard will have to escort me.’

‘Hey–I was gonna take a shower, that’s all.’ Her silence indicated she was pissed. ‘Never mind,’ he said. ‘I’ll come by your hotel.’

‘What restaurant are we going to?’

‘Mario’s.’

‘Where’s that?’

‘It’s a small Italian place in the Village.’

‘Somewhere we won’t be seen?’ she said lightly.

‘Listen carefully,’ he said, his voice rising, because he was in no mood to put up with
her
shit. ‘I don’t
give
a rat’s ass if we’re seen or not.’

‘Hmm…’ she said knowingly. ‘
I
get it. Your wife’s in
People
with a good-looking guy, so now
you
want to get back at her.’

‘What’s with the good-looking-guy crap?’ he said, steaming. ‘The asshole’s a stuntman, he looks like shit.’

‘Oh,
sorry
.’

‘I don’t wanna talk about it, okay?’

‘That’s fine,’ she said, loving that he was so angry. ‘We can talk about me instead.’

‘I’m on my way.’

‘What happened to your shower?’

‘How about I take it with you later?’

She put down the phone. ‘How about you’ve got no chance?’ she murmured, laughing to herself.

Linc got his usual big welcome at Mario’s, a small family restaurant he’d been going to for years. Mama Mario adored him, he was one of her favourite customers.

‘Ah, Signor Linc–so handsome,’ Mama Mario crooned. ‘Why you no marry one-a my daughters? I tell you many times.’ She took a look at Lola, then turned back to Linc with an accusing expression. ‘Where’s your
bella
wife?’

‘This is Signorina Sanchez,’ Linc said. ‘We’re making a movie together.’

Mama Mario made a disapproving sound in the back of her throat before reluctantly leading them to a corner table.

A waiter came rushing over with menus. ‘
Mi scusi
,’ Mama Mario said. ‘I go see other customers.
Buon appetito
.’

‘So,’ Linc said, ordering a double Scotch on the rocks. ‘What’s the deal with you and Tony Alvarez?’

‘I told you before,’ Lola said, sticking to Evian. ‘He’s helping me get over Matt.’

‘Yeah?’ Linc said, giving her the macho sexy stare he’d perfected over the years. ‘And how’s he doing that?’

‘Tony’s an old friend,’ she answered casually.

‘Hey, sweetie, it’s
me
you’re talking to. I know all about old friends.’ He took another hearty swig of Scotch and leaned across the table. ‘Are you fucking him?’

‘Linc!’ she said, managing to look affronted. ‘We don’t know each other well enough for you to ask me those kinds of personal questions.’

His hand slid under the table and on to her knee. ‘It’s about time we got to know each other better.’

She promptly removed his hand.

‘You’re not getting shy on me, are you?’

‘I think you’re forgetting you’re a married man.’

‘So what?’ he said carelessly. ‘You’re a married woman.’

‘
I
’m getting a divorce,’ she reminded him.

‘Hey,’ he said ruefully, ‘the way things are going, I might soon be joining you.’

‘I thought you and your wife were so blissfully happy?’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ he said, draining his glass and signalling the waiter to bring him another drink. ‘Shelby’s the best. Only she’s in this movie with her tits all over the screen an’ I don’t like it.’

‘I saw the film in Cannes,’ Lola said.

‘How d’ya think seein’ my wife like that makes
me
feel?’ he complained. ‘What would
she
do if it was me up there with my dick hanging out?’

‘If it was worth seeing, I’m sure the women in America would be very happy.’

‘It’s worth seein’ all right,’ he boasted, with a drunken leer.

‘Lucky you,’ Lola murmured.

After dinner the booze began to kick in big-time. ‘You got great tits,’ he said, attempting to grab a feel. ‘I like that in a woman.’

She fended him off with a sharp slap.

Reducing Linc Blackwood to rubble was going to be too damn easy. The man was a pathetic drunk. A has-been stud.

Perhaps that was punishment enough.

The moment Cat walked into the screening room with Nick she could tell that Jonas was uptight. Usually they met up, watched the dailies together, took notes, then compared them. Tonight Jonas obviously realized things were different.

‘Hey, man,’ Nick said, oblivious to any atmosphere, ‘I gotta take a piss. Save me a seat.’

‘What’s
he
doing here?’ Jonas asked, as soon as Nick left to visit the men’s room.

‘He caught me on my way out,’ Cat explained.

‘I thought we agreed we weren’t going to have actors see the dailies.’

‘Nick says it helps him with his performance.’

‘So
you
said yes.’

‘Don’t be so uptight. He’s an okay guy.’

‘Yesterday you were calling him a lech.’

‘He’s a lech, too. A leg-over merchant, as they say in England.’

‘How’s he getting back to his car?’

‘Dunno,’ she said vaguely. ‘
You
can drive him.’

‘Forget it.’

‘What’s up with you?’

‘Nothing.’

‘Actually, Nick saved me from Jump. My dear almost ex was being a major pain.’

‘I told you
I
’d stay and run interference,’ Jonas reminded her.

‘No need. I handled it.’

‘With Nick’s help.’

‘Yes, Jonas, with Nick’s help. Do you mind?’

‘Where’s Jump now?’

‘Back at his hotel. Can you imagine?’ she added indignantly. ‘He had the balls to inform me that I’d be nothing if it wasn’t for him.’

‘He’s only saying that to irritate you.’

‘Well, it worked.’

Nick returned and sat down next to her. Cat gave the signal for the projectionist to run the film.

She hunched forward in her seat, watching intently. On screen Nick was a powerful presence with his intense eyes,
sexy mouth, and a brooding quality that worked well for his character.

She felt chills. The movie was going so well. How had she got this lucky?

When the lights went up, Nick lit a cigarette and glanced over at Jonas–the only other person in the screening room. ‘How about I buy you guys dinner?’ he said. ‘I got a permanent table at Ago.’

‘I can’t,’ Jonas said, still uptight.

‘C’mon, man. We’ll chug a coupla beers and—’

‘I’ve got work to do,’ Jonas interrupted. ‘So do you,’ he said, staring pointedly at Cat.

She hated people telling her what to do. Jonas might be the big brother she’d never had, but that didn’t mean he was free to boss her around. Besides, tonight she fancied hanging out. ‘I think I’ll go grab a plate of pasta with Nick,’ she said, infuriating Jonas even further.

‘Hey, Jonah, whyn’t you make the cut?’ Nick asked.

‘It’s Jonas.’

‘Sorry, man.’

‘Are you sure—’ Cat began. Before she could finish, Jonas had made a fast exit.

‘Somethin’ I said?’ Nick remarked.

‘He’s got work to do. Jonas is very conscientious.’

‘Seems like a good dude.’

‘He is.’

‘Kinda buttoned up.’

‘Not really.’

‘Yeah. Really.’