Lucky (61 page)

At least Lennie looked great, but he was unsettled and restless. Better keep him away from the booze.

‘Does the bride know she’s redundant?’ she asked.

‘I haven’t told her.’

‘Is she going to be pissed?’

‘I don’t think she’s gonna light candles and shout hallelujah!’ He paused. ‘But on the other hand I will not be breaking her heart, just bruising her ego. She’s still got a thing for Flash.’

Jess’s face lit up. ‘You met Flash?’ she asked excitedly.

‘Met him, smelled his bad breath, admired his even worse teeth, and got stoned out of my skull just breathing the air around him.’

‘Oh boy! You met Flash.’

‘I’m telling you – he’s no big deal.’

‘Sure he’s not. Like we didn’t get off on his music a hundred times a day when we were at school.’

‘You
got off on him,’ Lennie pointed out. ‘I just liked the way he played guitar and held a tune.’

Jess began to giggle.

Lennie couldn’t help joining in.

‘Who’d you fall in love with this time?’ she asked affectionately.

‘Lucky Santangelo,’ he replied, suddenly serious.

She widened her eyes in amazement. ‘Are you kidding me?’

He grabbed another sweet roll. ‘Never been more serious in my life.’

With the departures of Gino, Lucky and Lennie, life aboard
The Greek
underwent certain subtle changes. Susan did not make a move without the Contessa’s approval and consent.

Dimitri, who considered the renewal of his affair with Francesca had been conducted most discreetly, relaxed his strict code of behaviour, and spent virtually every waking hour with the volatile actress. Most of the sleeping ones too.

Horace was an embarrassing presence whom they both tried to ignore. Alice consoled him all the way to her cabin, where he had sex for the first time in four years. Francesca didn’t do that sort of thing with him. Horace was just around to organize her life and handle her business affairs.

Olympia stayed on the yacht for an hour after Lennie left, then she called Flash at his villa.

‘Get yer stupid knickers over ’ere,’ he commanded. ‘An’ bring some bread, we’ll ’ave a party.’

The party lasted three days, and so did Olympia. She wondered how to tell Lennie it was over between them. Perhaps she wouldn’t bother. Let her lawyer do it, she paid him enough.

Fluff went on a shopping trip, then secretly ran off to Portofino with one of the Italians she had met at Regines. Jenkins hired detectives to find her, and when they did, he sent his bodyguard to bring her back. She returned, a sulky pouting teenager. Shortly after, they left for Texas.

Brigette tried to drown Roberto in his bath. CeeCee caught her in the act, and spanked her until the child wept.

Two days later Brigette went to her grandfather and complained that Roberto’s nasty black nanny had touched her ‘down there’.

Dimitri, too caught up in his passionate affair to bother with matters domestic, instructed Nanny Mabel to deal with the situation. Nanny Mabel, drunk with power at last, spanked Brigette for thirty blissful minutes. ‘And if you run to your grand-daddy and tell him,’ she threatened, ‘I’ll spank you for another half hour.’

CeeCee thought the punishment excessive, but kept her mouth shut and an eagle eye on Roberto at all times.

Susan, one long hot afternoon, when everyone except the Contessa was ashore, went to her stateroom and lay naked on her bed. Within minutes the Contessa entered and indulged her as only Paige Wheeler had indulged her before.

Susan shut her eyes and cherished every minute. The female touch was so . . . delicate. She wondered if she could ever stand Gino near her again.

Captain and Mrs Pratt saw all, heard all, and pretended nothing was going on.

The weather in the south of France was delightful. Dimitri Stanislopoulos’ summer cruise was a triumph – as usual.

It was not easy for Paige to arrange a sudden and unexpected trip to New York, but she managed it. Ryder had never been a possessive husband – thank God – just a man completely caught up in his work. Putting a deal together meant everything else came second. So when Paige told him she had to go to New York to meet with an important furniture designer from Italy, and to view an apartment one of her clients was thinking of purchasing – his only concern was the dinner party they were supposed to be having for Vitos Felicidade. The Spanish singing star was causing problems with the contract he had been offered. He wanted script approval, co-star approval, billing approval. ‘I think he wants to approve the way I take a crap in the morning,’ Ryder announced grimly.

The movie Bonnatti was financing seemed to be taking more time to put together than a Bishop getting laid. Any producer would be getting edgy. Ryder saw the dinner party as a social occasion to soothe ruffled egos and get the goddamn show on the road.

‘Postpone your trip,’ he told Paige.

‘I wish I could’, she lied. ‘But don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll make sure every last detail is taken care of.’

At the office a dozen appointments had to be juggled. Business was stronger than ever. Paige had a distinct style, and right now she was hot. She called a very dear designer friend of hers, Irwin Stroll, and asked if he could possibly take over a Brazilian couple who were on their way into town with nothing but money to spend. Irwin happily agreed to help her out.

Fortunately her two teenage sons were in Europe, backpacking across France. It would do them both good. Let them find out that life was not all new convertibles and Beverly Hills glitter.

She left on Wednesday morning, and couldn’t quite understand why the prospect of seeing Gino Santangelo excited her so much. On the plane she sat next to a young actor with a new TV series and one of the best bodies she had ever seen. Once he might have presented a challenge – how long would it take for her to get into
his
pants! But now it didn’t seem important. All she wanted to do was be with Gino.

You’re getting old
, she scolded herself. And somehow she didn’t mind one bit.

*   *   *

Lucky and Paige hit it off instantly. Gino brought her to dinner and said, ‘Paige is an old friend of Susan’s an’ mine from California.’

Oh yeh?
thought Lucky.
I bet.
She remembered Gino the womanizer. Susan had put a stop to all that. Now he had that look in his eyes again.

They ate at Elaine’s, one of the great New York restaurants for seeing people and having fun. Elaine, a dark and interesting woman – who knew
everyone
– escorted them personally to a table in the back.

Paige waved at some writer friends, while Bobby Zarem – the legendary PR whiz – stopped by their table to say hello.

It turned out to be one of those evenings where helpless laughter is only a breath away, and everyone had a wonderful time.

‘Who is she?’ Lucky asked Gino, when Paige vanished to the ladies’ room.

‘Kinda Susan’s best friend,’ he answered sheepishly.

‘Can you do a swap?’

He almost grinned. ‘Don’t get smart ass, kid.’

‘I don’t think it’s smart ass, I think it’s one of the best suggestions I’ve ever come up with! What do
you
think, Uncle Costa?’

Costa nodded, enjoying the game.

They stayed at Elaine’s until 1.30 a.m. and then it was time for home and bed.

Lucky observed her father’s hand on Paige’s thigh before they all rose from the table. He was still going strong. She loved him for it. She loved the whole week in New York. Things were signed and sealed in Atlantic City. Meetings were arranged with architects and builders. She was back in business with a vengeance, and it was a sensational feeling.

Waiting at the apartment were three messages from Lennie, written out in the butler’s spidery script,
PLEASE RETURN MR GOLDEN
’
S CALL
, the message read, and there was a number in L.A.

She crumpled the pieces of paper and dropped them in the waste basket. Olympia had found him first, she was not about to become involved.

You are involved.

I am not.

Really? What do you call it?

A transient lay.

Bullshit.

She pulled the crumpled messages from the basket and smoothed them out. Just as her hand hovered over the phone, it rang.

She knew it was him, and hesitated before picking up the receiver.

You are involved.

I am not.

‘Hello.’

‘Lucky?’

‘Who is this?’

‘Don’t give me that “who is this” crap. I’m in L.A. I’m doing the Carson show tomorrow. Can you fly out?’

She reached for a cigarette, and noticed her hand was trembling ever so slightly. ‘Stop living in a dream world, Lennie. What we had was . . .’ she searched for the right word, couldn’t find it and settled for ‘. . . momentarily exciting. Now it’s over. Just forget it. I have.’

He ignored her speech ‘I’m contacting a lawyer. If Olympia agrees I’ll go for an annulment.’

Lucky thought for a moment of Olympia . . . there was no way they could ever be friends again.

‘Did you hear me?’ he demanded.

She sighed. ‘Do what you have to do . . .’

‘I intend to. How about you?’

She took a deep breath. ‘Right now I am embarking on a project. I’m building a hotel in Atlantic City. It’s going to take all my time and energy.’

‘You’re not answering my question.’

‘I didn’t know you’d asked one.’

‘Let me spell it out. Are you going to divorce Dimitri?’

She didn’t want to be in this position. Who was he to question her?

‘Why don’t you leave me alone,’ she said wearily. ‘You’re a complication I don’t need in my life right now . . . just leave me alone . . .’

She put the phone down, drew deeply on her cigarette, and took no notice as it began to ring again.

*   *   *

Back at The Pierre, Gino and Paige were getting reacquainted.

‘Higher,’ instructed Paige.

Gino raised his tongue a fraction.

‘Softer,’ she begged.

He relaxed the pressure.

‘More,’ she pleaded.

He buried his face in her juices and felt thoroughly at home.

*   *   *

Lennie had no new material to use on
The Tonight Show
, much to Jess’s and Isaac’s disgust.

‘What the hell were you
doing
on that goddamn boat?’ Jess complained. Then she remembered the name of his latest passion, and shut up. Lucky Santangelo. Holy shit! Lucky Santangelo. The Lady Boss. Lennie might be a star, but he was way out of his league with that one. Way way out.

‘She’s the girl I met in the casino that time,’ he confided. ‘Remember? I told you about her. She stood me up.’

‘And had you fired.’

‘So what?’

‘Are you
kidding
?’ Jess screeched. ‘You went
ape-shit
about being canned.’

‘It didn’t do me any harm, did it?’

Jess shook her head. ‘Jesus! What can I tell you. Lucky Santangelo is . . . connected. She plays games with the big boys. Her father is notorious. He’s Gino Santangelo – one of the mob.’

‘How many years ago?’

‘Who gives a shit?’

‘No, come on,’ he persisted. ‘You’re such an expert on the Santangelos. How many years ago? Cos right now he’s just a feisty old guy married to a movie star’s widow.’

Jess was sullen. ‘Believe me, Lennie. Trust me. A few years ago Lucky Santangelo was involved in a shooting.’

‘What kind of shooting?’

‘Oh, it was all hushed up. The rumour was she’d shot this man who was her Godfather.’

‘Don’t give me rumours, give me facts.’

‘She shot him in the balls with his own gun, if you really want to know – something like that. The story was he tried to rape her – but the gossip around town was that it was a revenge move. He’d had her brother killed
and
her boyfriend.’

‘What boyfriend?’

‘Another Charmer. Marco. He looked like he walked straight out of a gangster movie.’

‘What happened to him?’

‘He got his head blown off in the parking lot of the Magiriano. I remember it well. I’d only been working there six months. It was frightening – like everyone was talking about some big gang war taking place, but it never happened. Lucky took off for a while, and everything quieted down. Enzio Bonnatti came in to run the hotel – he’s the guy she shot.’

Lennie was silent while he digested the information. He wasn’t sure whether he believed Jess or not, she had a vivid imagination.