Thrill! (40 page)

"Somethin"

about you,"

he added, with a sly grin.

"It's not reciprocal,"

she said sternly.

"Big word."

She sighed.

"Go home, Aiden. That's what I'm doing."

"What's it like living with someone twenty years older than you?"

he asked, not finished with her yet.

What made him think he had the right to get into her business?

"No accounting for taste,"

she said tartly.

"Didn't you tell me you had a fifteen-year-old giving you head the other day? Let me see - you're thirty-four - that would make her nineteen years younger than you. She's probably never heard of Bruce Springsteen. Doesn't that make you feel ancient?

He laughed bitterly.

"You've got it wrong. Mick was the guy with the fifteen-year-old. Not me. I'm not into juveniles."

"Of course not,"

she said disbelievingly.

He took another gulp of Jack Daniel's.

"Then I guess you're not gonna help me do somethin"

about the script?"

"Take it up with Mick. He's the creative genius."

"I'd still like to fuck you."

"Wow - Aiden, you're such a romantic! Your girlfriends must faint with pleasure."

277 "What girlfriends?"

he said sourly.

"I don't have any."

"How about the fifteen-year-old?"

"Aren't you listening to me?"

he said, burnt out eyes watching her closely.

"It was Mick.

"Sides, she's major trouble."

"Not to mention under-age,"

Nikki said crisply.

"Aren't you embarrassed^

"Aren't you?"

he snapped back.

"Excuse me?"

"She's your daughter."

The words were out before he could stop himself.

There was a moment of deathly silence. The colour drained from Nikki's face and she sat down abruptly.

"What?"

she said blankly, thinking that there was no way he could be telling the truth.

"Shit! I shouldn't've told you,"

he muttered, taking another swig of his drink.

"Mick had no clue she was your kid. He told me she came on like a seasoned groupie - you know, the kind you trip over in this town. When he saw her at your house, he had a shit fit."

"Oh, God!"

Nikki said, suddenly feeling sick.

"Later she turns up at my apartment, an"

starts tellin"

me that if I don't screw her, she'll go to her dad and he'll have me arrested

"cause of her being under-age an"

all. This is bad for my karma, Nikki. I'm tryin"

to keep it together, which ain't easy - so do everyone a big favour an"

warn her off."

"Did you . . . sleep with her?"

Nikki asked, her mouth dry with the anticipation of his reply.

"Who, me?"

he said indignantly.

"No way. She's a fucked-up kid who's way out of her league. You'd better do something about her."

For once Nikki wished that Sheldon was there to share this enormous problem.

"I don't understand,"

she said wearily.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Didn't mean to.

"Sides, if I was gonna fuck anyone in your family - it'd be you."

"You're disgusting!"

she said angrily.

278

"No - I'm honest,"

he said, watching her closely.

"How about you?"

Her heart was beating fast. Stress, stress, stress. She was too young to feel like this. What should she do?

She stood up, determined to gain control of the situation

"Consider it taken care of, Aiden,"

she said, as coolly as she could manage.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to anyone. Including Mick. I'll deal with it in my own way."

"You got it,"

he said, draining his glass.

She hurried from the hotel and waited impatiently for the valet to bring her car around.

Who could she turn to? Sheldon or Richard? Or maybe it was best to leave them both out of it and handle it herself.

Yes, she decided, that's what she'd do, deal with it herself.

ft ft ft

Lara was asleep, tossing restlessly, dreaming of the sea enveloping her, flooding her house, taking away everything. She cried out in her sleep, waking abruptly, covered in a thin film of sweat.

She lay very still for a moment, the heavy darkness wrapped around her. Her breathing was heavy - too heavy. With a sudden start she realized she was not alone. Seated in a chair next to the bed was Joey. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.

"God!"

she exclaimed.

"You scared me."

"Maybe you should lock your door,"

he said.

"Maybe you shouldn't sneak around,"

she retorted, trying to take a peek at the clock on her bedside table.

"It's two a.m.,"

he said obligingly.

For a moment she was afraid, perhaps Richard and Nikki were right to be concerned about Joey. What did she know about him? Exactly nothing. They'd had great sex for a few weeks, but tonight she'd encountered a stranger sitting in front of her TV, casually ignoring her. And now that stranger was in her bedroom and he was making her very nervous.

"What do you want, Joey?"

she asked, keeping her tone even and noncommittal.

279 "We gotta talk."

"Now?"

"I can't do this, Lara,"

he said, speaking fast and low.

"Can't go for any kind of commitment. You're too nice for me ... I wanna be here for you, but I'm not sure I can make you happy."

"Joey, you are making me happy."

"I could blow it at any time. That's me. I'm selfish, want my own way - I'm not into this relationship thing, it's too tough."

"Are you saying you want to leave?"

"Dunno,"

he muttered.

"Joey,"

she murmured softly, understanding that he was frightened of commitment and not afraid to voice his fears. After all, he was coming out of a broken relationship and what had happened between them had taken place so fast - a lightning connection that was enough to frighten anyone.

"I understand, I really do. We're both confused by what's happened between us."

"It's not like I don't wanna be here for you,"

he said.

"Trouble is there's nothin"

I can give you that you don't already have."

"Yes, there is,"

she whispered.

"What?"

"You. I want you."

"You got me. You got me all the way,"

he said, burying his head on her shoulder, snuggling against her like a little kid seeking solace.

She stroked his thick dark hair, holding him close, and it was at that moment she realized she loved him. Not a sexual moment. Not a having fun moment. Just a pure connection that made her melt inside.

"Get into bed,"

she said serenely, quite sure they belonged together.

"You sure you want me to stay?"

This was a different Joey, vulnerable and insecure.

"Yes,"

she said, loving him all the more.

And he got into bed, and they held each other, and after a while they fell asleep in each other's arms, perfectly content.

Lara knew she'd finally found the happiness she'd been searching for all her life.

280

I CALL them the drug days. Although truth is I should call them the drug years, because time passed so quickly and I had no idea what was going on.

Drugs took over my life. Drugs were the only reason to get up in the morning. Drugs ruled.

I bought myself a shack on Zuma with the money I'd made from the action movies, and moved to the beach. Since I'd stopped working, the money didn't last long, so I hooked up with Christel, a beautiful swimsuit model who was also into the drug scene, and was not averse to performing a little extra money action on the side.

My life had gone around in a circle. But I didn't care. I didn't care about anything.

After a while the usual happened, Christel got fed up with supporting me and told me that I had to throw some money into the pot or she was gone. I was bloated and out of shape, couldn't get a job acting. Didn't want to anyway - who needed to work? Somehow I'd lost all ambition to be a movie star. The dream was gone.

One of my dealers sold me a gun.

"Tou need protection, man,"

he told me.

"These are dangerous times."

I liked the gun. It was my faithful companion when nobody else cared. It never answered back, and was always there when I needed comfort. I slept with it under my pillow, fully loaded.

This totally freaked Christel, who imagined it might go off one night and pierce one of her very expensive silicon breasts. She got on my case so often that I used to take it out and point it at her simply to piss her off.

281 Hey - when you're stoned out of your head you do strange things.

Eventually, Christel left me. Bitch! When you get right down to it, they're all bitches.

So there I was, a drugged-out beach bum with no money, and boy, I needed money badly because I couldn't get through the day without a little help from my pharmaceutical friends.

Then I remembered Hadley. She owed me, because she was the cunt who'd,gotten me fired.

Hadley lived in a mansion at the top of Angela Drive, bought for her by her gangster boyfriend who resided in New Tork with his plump Sicilian wife.

I drove up there one night with good intentions. All I wanted was to borrow a couple of thousand until I got it together again.

There was nobody home except Hadley. Her boyfriend wouldn't let her have live-in servants on account of the fact that he didn't want anybody proving he stayed there when he was in town.

She answered the door herself, staring at me like she was seeing a ghost.

"Yeah, I know,"

I said.

"It's been a coupla years. I don't look so hot, right?"

"You look like dog shit,"

she said flatly.

"What do you want?"

"Missed you, too,"

I said, not pleased with her snotty attitude.

"You're stoned,"

she said in a disgusted voice.

"Does that mean you won't lend me money?"

"Get the fuck out of here,"

she snapped.

A woman telling me to get the fuck out. Me! I couldn't believe it. Usually they were begging me to stay.

"Do you wanna repeat that?"

I said belligerently.

"You heard me,"

she said.

Enough was enough. I took out my gun, pointing it straight at her.

She went very pale and stepped back into the house, reaching for a conveniently placed panic button.

Not convenient enough. Quick as a flash I slapped her arm away and burst into the house.

She began to kick and struggle, somehow or other jogging my trigger finger. Anyway, I think that's what happened. The gun went

282

off, blowing a gaping hole in her chest that seemed bigger than China. She fell like a fucking stone.

Jesus! Whatever else happens to me I'll never forget that moment. I was totally high, but even through the fog - / realized what I'd done.

I turned and ran from the house like a maniac - sweat pouring down my face.

Halfway along the driveway I remembered Fd touched the door handle, so I raced back, taking off my shirt and wiping off the handle

- the only thing I could recall touching. Then I made it to my car and somehow or other drove to the beach.

Hadley's murder made the second page of the LA Times. Even in death she wasn't a star.

There was nothing to connect me to her, but just in case, I took off for Mexico where I spent the next couple of years drying out. It was the start of a new beginning.

283

^^f^__^Jjl KIMBERLY HAD to go. She was becoming a total ^^^PB^^ whiner, and Richard didn't care to be reminded of his cheating nature every time he glanced in her direction. He'd slept with her no more than four or five times, now she wanted more.

"When are you telling Nikki?"

she kept on nagging.

Telling Nikki? Was she insane!

Why did women have to place so much importance on sex? Casual sex was exactly that, and they should get with the programme and understand.

But how to get rid of her without a sexual harassment suit? Kimberly was the type who wouldn't think twice about trying to ruin a man's career.

The truth was he should have stayed married to Lara. She was beautiful, undemanding, and most of all, truly nice. But no, he'd had to screw that up too - systematically fucking his way through each year of marriage with a variety of different women.

What a jerk he'd been. He would never forget the look on Lara's face when she'd caught the make-up girl giving him head in his trailer. Her face had turned to stone.

"I want a divorce,"

she'd said, and after that there was no going back.