Thrill! (24 page)

that's no way to build a future - not when two people can't communicate."

"Joey,"

she said, understandingly,

"I know you're upset now, but if that's how things were, then you've probably made the right decision."

Cassie returned carrying a tray with a bottle of beer, a can of 7Up, two glasses and a dish of chocolate cookies. She placed the tray on a table in front of them, and hovered, dying to find out what was going on.

"Thanks,"

Lara said, dismissing her.

Cassie had no choice but to go back inside.

Joey picked up the bottle of beer, flipping the top open with his teeth.

"You know what's so crazy about all of this?"

"Tell me,"

she said softly.

His eyes met hers.

"How come I'm here?

"I ... I don't know. . ."

she answered, feeling uncomfortably warm.

He took a couple of swigs from the bottle.

"It was like I hadda. come,"

he said intently.

"Like you're the only person I can talk to without feelin"

I'm bein"

judged."

"I'm flattered,"

she said, reaching for a cookie, even though she knew that right now she was incapable of swallowing.

"Hey, listen,"

he said, rubbing his chin.

"I know you're a big movie star and all, but somehow I feel you're my friend."

Another long pause.

"Does that make me crazy, Lara?"

"No, Joey,"

she said quietly.

"I am your friend."

He jumped up, striding over to the edge of the wooden deck, staring out to sea, his back to her.

"I never screwed around on Philly,"

he said flatly.

"Although believe me, I had plenty of opportunities. Plenty."

163 "I'm sure you did,"

she murmured.

"Y'see, I believed we were gettin"

married. Now I can do what I like."

"And what do you like?"

He spun around and their eyes met again for a long silent moment.

"I'd like t'fly to LA an"

meet Mick Stefan. Whaddaya think - am I too late?"

Tm not sure,"

she said truthfully.

"I'll be returning to LA in a few days, the studio's sending a plane. If you want, you can hitch a ride with me and we'll see."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Where can I contact you?"

"Dunno,"

he said with a vague shrug.

"Can't go back to our apartment, it's hers now."

"So you have nowhere to live?"

He took another swig of beer.

"I rented a car an"

stashed my two suitcases in the trunk. It's my new home."

"Where will you stay until we leave?"

"I was thinkin"

I'd check into the same hotel I was at before."

"No,"

she said quickly.

"Don't do that. Everyone will wonder why you're here."

"Hey"

he said with a bitter laugh.

"Even I'm wondering why I'm here."

She fixed him with her cool, green eyes.

"You told me why, Joey. I'm your friend."

He grinned, marvelling once again at her outstanding beauty.

"OK, friend, you wanna have dinner tonight? I know a great little lobster place on the beach."

She began to laugh.

"The same place you took me to before?"

"We had fun, didn't we?"

"Joey. . ."

she said impulsively.

"Why don't you stay here? I'll have the maid set up the guest room, then you can fly to LA with me on Saturday."

"C'mon, Lara, people will talk."

"I'm over twenty-one, you know. And you said you needed a friend."

A beat.

"So ... willyou stay?"

164

"Well. . ."

They exchanged warm smiles.

"Good,"

Lara said, and the butterflies in her stomach refused to calm down.

165

0^^^Jfl RICHARD REALIZED he'd made a mistake sleep^^^P^PL^ ing with his assistant. Once sex entered the picture everything changed, and now Kimberly was after him with a vengeance, forever asking when they could get together again. He regretted bringing her back to his house and making love to her. He especially regretted Summer almost catching them together. She hadn't said anything, but she was a bright girl - she knew. He wanted to ask her not to tell Nikki he'd had Kimberly at the house - but if he did, it would be as good as admitting guilt. He simply had to hope she wouldn't open her mouth.

She caught him at breakfast one morning.

"Richard,"

she said guilelessly.

"Will you talk to Mom for me?"

"About what?"

he asked guardedly.

"Well . . . here's the thing. I uh . . . want to stay in LA. Don't want to go back to Chicago."

"Tell her yourself."

"She won't listen to me - we always get in a fight."

She gave him a winning smile.

"But if you do it. . ."

"OK,"

he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

"Thanks, Richard,"

she said, favouring him with a little hug.

"You're the best!"

And he knew she had his number.

i* & i*

166

Actors trekked in and out of Mick Stefan's office at a lightning pace. He was not a patient man, and if someone started to read and he wasn't immediately sure they were getting it, he leaped to his feet, waved his gangly arms in the air, and yelled,'SayonamJ before they could finish. There were a lot of pissed-off performers marching out of his office.

Nikki was in shock. He did not work like other directors - he certainly didn't work like Richard. Speed was his mantra -get it done and get it done now! And he didn't care whose feelings he hurt.

As a favour to her, Richard came to one casting session and left after twenty minutes, shaking his head in disgust.

"You can't treat people the way he does and live,"

he said.

"The man's insane. One of these days he'll find an actor waiting in the parking lot with a loaded .45!"

Nikki felt she had to support Mick, this was her movie and it was absolutely necessary that she was in synch with the director, otherwise the film would run away from her.

"It's his way,"

she informed Richard.

"Everyone has a different work method."

She was worried about Lara's reaction to Mick. He was definitely an acquired taste, and once he and Lara got together she might balk at working with him. Even though Lara had verbally agreed to make the movie, she still hadn't signed a contract. Her agent was stalling. Nikki called him daily, but he always had an excuse. It was obyious that he didn't want his most important client starring in a small, lowbudget movie - especially since his client had made the decision without consulting him.

Nikki was sure that once Lara got to LA Quinn planned on talking her out of it. That's why there was no signed contract on her desk.

Oh God! What a nightmare if Lara backed out.

She spoke to Mick.

"Listen,"

she said.

"I'm not saying Lara's on a star trip or anything, only it's imperative that you treat her with respect."

"Respect - what's that?"

Mick said, smirking, the eternal cigarette dangling from his lower lip.

"For starters she hates cigarette smoke,"

Nikki said briskly.

"And she won't appreciate you smoking on the set."

167 "Don't do it when I'm working,"

he said, crinkling his eyes.

"Freakin"

problem solved."

"Also, your language. Can you clean it up for her?"

"Are you out of your mothafuckin"

mind?"

he said, baiting Nikki because he got off on putting her on.

"I'm gonna treat her like I treat any other actor."

"Great,"

Nikki groaned.

"That'll go down really well."

Richard couldn't wait to inform her that she'd hired the wrong director.

"He's a loose cannon,"

he said ominously.

"I've checked him out."

"You've also seen his work, so you know he's very talented."

Tm very talented,"

Richard replied immodestly.

"And I don't run around screaming at people and acting like a maniac."

"Let's give him a chance,"

she said.

"I can always fire him."

"That's a great attitude,"

he answered with a derisive snort.

"Do you know how much it costs firing a director once you've started shooting? Revenge is a lowbudget movie, and it's your]ob to keep it that way. If you want my opinion - you've made a big mistake talking Lara into doing this."

"I didn't talk her into it,"

she said defensively.

"I think you'll find that when she and your precious little genius director get together, it won't be a walk in the park."

Richard was voicing her worst fears.

"Everything will work out,"

she said, standing firm.

"You'll see."

"I hope so,"

he said grimly.

"For your sake."

Mick persuaded her to hire Aiden Sean for the lead villain. Aiden was an edgy and dangerous actor - not conventionally goodlooking, he had a certain sinister style that worked perfectly for the role of the main rapist. The problem was he'd been in and out of drug rehab so many times, he was almost uninsurable. Coke had been his pleasure, heroin his pain - supposedly he was now straight. The fact that he was an extraordinary actor was his only saving grace.

"Can you control him?"

she asked Mick, before agreeing to hire him.

"'Me? Mick said innocently.

"I can control an army of ants parading up your cute little chick-babe ass!"

168

"We're on such a tight budget,"

she worried, ignoring his sexist remark.

"We can't afford to be a second over."

"You tell me every day,"

Mick replied, with a wide-mouthed yawn.

"I tell you every day so that hopefully it'll sink in."

"Y'know, I like you,"

Mick said as if he'd just made up his mind.

"You're a tough chick-babe - but sexy with it. How'd you get into this business?"

"Don't worry about that,"

she said sternly.

"All you've got to worry about is getting Revenge finished on time and on budget."

"f & & &

<>,

" The next morning Summer got up early for once, catching Nikki

j, on her way out.

"How's your movie going, Mom?"

she asked, cute

J and pretty in rumpled cotton pyjamas.

r Nikki had taken Richard's advice and eased up on her daughter.

§ It wasn't like she was responsible. Summer lived in Chicago, and

|; would soon be on a plane home. Still . . . she couldn't help

I"

regretting that they weren't closer.

|

"It's going great,"

she replied, surprised, since this was the first

I glimmer of interest Summer had shown in her project. m

"Like I'm kinda psyched,"

Summer said.

"It's such a way cool

I?, thing to do."

B

|;

"Yes, it is,"

Nikki said, pleased that her daughter was finally

|, paying attention.

|>

"Uh . . . Richard told me you signed Aiden Sean,"

Summer

H added, trailing her to the door.

I,

"That's right,"

Nikki said, groping in her purse for her car keys.

R

"Do you approve?"

Ik

"Like he's totally bitchen!"

Summer exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

H

"I'd give anything to meet him."

"M So that's what this new-found interest was all about. Hmm . . .

J| Nikki thought, remembering her own hero-worship days. She'd

HI loved Robert Redford. Had a huge crush on Al Pacino. Been

K destroyed when John Lennon got assassinated.

H

"We don't start shooting for a while,"

she said.

"But when we

K do, maybe you'll visit the set."

169 That'd be awesome!"

"I have to go now,"

she said, checking in her purse to make sure she had her Filofax.

"What are your plans today?"

"The usual,"

Summer answered vaguely.

"What's the usual?"

"Shopping, sunbathing. I met this girl - Tina - we hang out together."

"Sounds fun to me."

"It is!"

Summer said with a big smile.

"Thanks, Mom."

"For what?"

"Oh, I dunno. It's kinda way cool being here."

Nikki left with a good feeling. When Summer wanted to, she could be adorable.

-fr if &

That night Nikki and Richard had a quiet dinner at a small Italian restaurant in Malibu. Richard was still in a lecturing mood carrying on about the do's and don'ts of movie making.

"Contrary to what you think, I do know what I'm doing,"