Dangerous Kiss (23 page)

'What?

'Well, was she?'

'If it'll make you happy, she was a dog,' he lied.

'Shame,' she murmured.

'C'mon, Lucky,' he said sharply. 'It's bad memories, and I do not care to talk about it any more.'

'Okay, okay, I understand,' she said, kissing him fervently. 'Pass me the phone.

I'll do the ordering.'

Alex Woods did not call Pia. The truth was that any woman paled in comparison to Lucky Santangelo, so even though he was prepping a new movie, and that was all he should have been thinking about, his thoughts lingered on Lucky. Ever since that one wild night in the desert he'd known she was the woman for him.

And yet he'd had to stand by, an observer, as she welcomed Lennie home; he'd had to watch their relationship flourish. He'd also been a guest at their house many times, had seen Lucky in every situation - as boss of Panther Studios, mother of her three children, godmother to Brigette. She was a remarkable woman, and as far as he was concerned she could do anything.

He'd really meant it when he'd suggested she should produce a movie. In fact, he'd welcome her savvy and know-how on any one of his projects.

In his heart he knew that Lennie would never allow it, because Lennie was well aware of how he, Alex, felt about Lucky. It was a man thing: instinctively you knew when another man was checking out your woman.

Not that Alex didn't like Lennie, he considered him an okay guy. But not okay enough for Lucky. He, Alex Woods, was the man she should really be with.

Alex had never married nor had children. His mother, the formidable Dominique, continually berated him for that. 'You should be married,' she often scolded. 'It's not normal for a man of your age to be alone.'

Hey, he wanted to say, you're not fucking normal. You're the one who sent me to military school and treated me like a piece of shit all my life. That is, until I finally made it. Then, all of a sudden, I was your son again and you wanted everyone to know it.

But he never said anything. She was getting old. She was married now and not such a domineering presence, thank God!

One thing he knew for sure: he certainly wasn't looking for a woman who reminded him of dear old Mama.

He often thought with wry amusement about his first encounter with Lucky. The movie he was involved with at the time - Gangsters - was in turn-around, and Freddie Leon, his agent, had suggested they run it over to Panther Studios, where Lucky had recently taken over. He'd walked into her office and been faced with this indescribably powerful and beautiful woman. Tall and slender, with a tangle of jet curls framing an incredible face, dangerous black eyes and a seductive smile.

The meeting had gone well, except that just as he was about to leave she'd stopped him at the door and said, 'I'm aware that Paramount passed on your movie because of the graphic violence, and I'm not asking you to tone it down.

However, about the sex - the script makes it clear several of the actresses are naked in certain scenes, yet it seems our hero and his friends remain modestly covered.'

'What's the problem?' he'd asked, genuinely not getting it.

'This is an equal opportunity studio,' she'd said. 'If the females take it off, so do the guys.' He'd stared at her like she was a crazy woman. 'Let me put it this way, Mr Woods,' she'd added. 'If we get to see tits and ass, we get to see dick. And I'm not talking Dick Clark.'

He'd left her office outraged, complaining to Freddie all the way to his car.

Freddie had laughed at him, so had his two Asian assistants - Lili, a softly pretty Chinese woman who'd been with him for ever, and France, who'd since departed.

Yes, Lucky Santangelo had managed to shock him, something that few women had been able to do. And yet, he'd fallen in love with her then and there.

He'd never forget the one magical night they'd spent together. Never. No woman could ever live up to Lucky. She was the woman he'd been searching for all his life, and when things seemed to be on track and moving along at a good pace, Lennie had come back into the picture, returning from the dead so to speak.

So now Lucky was his friend. But he wanted more than that.

He wanted her to be his everything.

They returned home around six. Lucky hurried straight to the answering-machine, where there was a message from Detective Johnson acknowledging the licence-plate information. She listened to his message, then clicked off the machine. 'Let's hope they can finally get some action going,' she said. 'Those guys are useless.'

'You think?'

'I know. They should've made an arrest long ago.'

'Can you believe how quiet it is here without the kids running around?' Lennie remarked.

'It sure is,' she agreed.

'Kind of like old times, huh?' he said, throwing himself down on the couch and smiling lazily. 'And, my darling wife, I have a great idea.'

'Wanna share it?'

'Well… how about you take off your clothes, and walk around naked?'

'I don't believe you!'

'C'mon, Lucky, humour me.'

'You're such a little voyeur,' she said. 'No way am I parading around like a hooker.'

He grinned. 'I love it when you turn prudish.'

'Okay, okay, here's the action,' she said, happy to see a smile on his face. 'I'll take my clothes off if you do the same.'

'It's a deal!' he said, leaping up and immediately starting to unbutton his shirt.

Lucky smiled and began humming stripper music. After a few moments, when he was down to his underwear, she collapsed in fits of laughter. 'You'll never make it as a male stripper,' she gasped. 'Sorry!'

'Why not?' he said indignantly, flexing his muscles while macho posing in his jockey shorts. 'I've got moves you haven't even seen.'

'And I don't want to.'

'I'm insulted.'

'Go back to acting, Lennie,' she said, choking with laughter. 'You're such an actor in real life.'

'Come here, woman,' he said, holding out his arms. 'There's something wrong with this picture. I'm down to my Calvins, and you're still fully dressed.' She ran into his arms and he hugged her to him, crushing his mouth down on hers. 'I've missed you so much,' he said. 'You gotta forgive me for behaving like an asshole. I think I'm out of it now. Normal life will resume.'

'It doesn't matter,' she whispered. 'I love you anyway. I always have and I always will.'

'You do realize how precious time is?' he said, holding her close. 'One moment we're here, the next gone. I've decided I don't want you out of my sight ever again.'

'It's you and me, babe,' she murmured. 'We're destined to be together for ever.

Soulmates.'

'Soulmates,' he repeated. 'You don't have to tell me twice.'

Chapter Forty-one

Brigette explored the house, talked to some of the guests, endured Leopold Lewyllen Wharton peering down her neckline, and found herself seated next to him at dinner, an elderly Member of Parliament on her other side. She'd never been so bored and restless. But, as she reminded herself, she wasn't in London to enjoy herself, she was here to make sure Carlo paid for what he'd done.

There were three tables, each seating ten people, so it wasn't until after dessert, when she got up to go to the ladies' room, that she bumped into Carlo again.

He caught up with her outside the dining room. 'What are you doing here?' he demanded.

'Excuse me?' she said innocently, noticing that he seemed disturbed. Good.

'Why did you tell Fiona we knew each other?' he continued, the expression on his handsome face quite agitated.

'I wasn't aware it was a secret, Carlo,' she said coolly. 'Is it a secret?'

'Well…' He obviously didn't know what to say. 'Because of what happened between us…'

She fixed him with her big blue eyes. 'What did happen between us?'

'Surely you remember?'

'No. Why don't you tell me?'

'We made love, Brigette,' he said, lowering his voice. 'And, if I may say so, you enjoyed it a great deal.'

'Oh, God!' she said, pretending to be upset. 'I had no idea you really were engaged. What'll Fiona say when you tell her?'

He took a step back. 'I am not planning on telling her.'

'You have to,' she said, widening her eyes.

'I do not have to do anything,' Carlo answered churlishly. Maybe it was her imagination, or did she see a bead of sweat on his perfect brow?

'Oh dear, I must have had too much to drink,' she apologized, fanning herself with her hand. 'Champagne's my downfall. Although I seem to recall that at the dinner in New York, you told us all that you weren't engaged.'

'True,' he said quickly. 'Fiona and I had broken our engagement for a few days.'

'How convenient.'

'Believe me, Brigette,' he said, ignoring her stab at sarcasm, 'it is best to say nothing.'

'Why?' she said, staring at him.

'Meet me for lunch tomorrow and we will discuss it.'

'You mean the three of us will have lunch?' she asked, still playing the innocent -

albeit a sexy one in her low-cut dress.

'No,' he said sharply. 'Just you and me.'

'Well…' she said, pretending to consider it. 'If you think it will help…'

'In the meantime,' he said, in a stern voice, 'do not mention the night we spent together in New York.'

'How can I mention it,' she asked ingenuously, 'when I don't even remember it.'

He leaned closer, sure that soon they would be a couple, and with her kind of money behind him he would rule the world. 'You're still as lovely as you were that one magical night, Brigette,' he whispered. 'I will remind you of things we did together. You will want to do them again.'

'I can't sleep with a man who is already taken,' she said primly. 'If you wish to see me again, then you must break your engagement immediately.'

'I know,' he said. 'The moment I met you, I realized it was over between Fiona and me. I am an Italian count. You, my sweet Brigette, will be my contessa.'

'There's something I don't understand,' she said, frowning.

'What, my darling?'

'If we had such a wonderful time in New York - and I'm sure we did, although I'll have to take your word for it - how come you didn't call me?'

'It's complicated,' he said. 'Fiona's father has been discussing my joining his company.'

'Really?'

'Tomorrow I will explain everything.' A pause, while he gave her the benefit of a long, lingering look. 'You will meet me, won't you?'

She nodded her agreement, knowing that soon she would have Count Carlo Vittorio Vitti exactly where she wanted him.

'I love you,' Lina said.

'What? Charlie managed, his eyebrows shooting up in alarm.

'I always say that,' Lina said, shrieking with hysterical laughter. 'I get off on seeing the panic rise.' She rolled off Charlie, stretching out one of her long arms to grab a cigarette from the bedside table. 'Course, I never mean it.'

'Shitcakes!' Charlie exclaimed, shaking his head in bewilderment. 'You really do dance your own tango.'

'Takes two, don't it?' she said, lighting up.

He regarded her with a certain amount of puzzlement. 'You're very… energetic'

'Oooh,' she said mockingly, flinging back a curtain of long, straight black hair.

'Tired you out, 'ave I?'

'I'm a movie star, baby,' he deadpanned. 'Movie stars never get tired or go to the bathroom. Surely you knew that?'

'I'm a supermodel, darlin',' she said, handing him her cigarette for a drag. 'We never get tired either. We always gotta look gorgeous an' be nice to people.'

'How convenient for you,' he said drily.

'Screw being nice,' Lina said vehemently. 'Sometimes I wanna kick 'em in the

'ead. Specially some of those bitches who call themselves fashion editors.

They're the worst.'

'You're forthright,' Charlie said. 'I like that in a supermodel.'

'No point in beating around the bush, is there?' she said. 'I'm a little Cockney girl from London who made good. Now I wanna make even better.'

'Ambition. Another admirable quality.'

'So,' she said, giving him a penetrating stare, 'am I gonna be in your movie or not?'

He blew lazy smoke rings in her direction. 'Is that why you fucked me?'

'No,' she said, taking back her cigarette. 'I fucked you 'cause you was there.'

Even Charlie was puzzled by that one. 'Explain?'

She giggled. 'Me mum would have a freaking fit if she knew I was in bed with Charlie Dollar. She loves you, thinks you're the best thing since a bit of toast and marmalade.'

'How about Grandma?' Charlie drawled sardonically. 'She love me, too?'

Once again Lina shrieked with laughter. 'You're funny,' she said. 'I thought all you American movie stars 'ad no sense of humour.'

'Depends on which American movie stars you've been sleeping with.'

Lina stretched languorously. 'I love sex, don't you? 'S better than a sleeping pill any day.'

'You're not planning on spending the night in big bad Charlie's bed, are you?' he asked, worried at the thought. 'I have a sometime girlfriend who's likely to walk in on us and shoot you dead. She's a devil with a gun.'

'It's usually the wife I'm watching out for,' Lina remarked, completely unconcerned.

'Sorry,' Charlie said. 'I'm all out of those at the moment.'

Lina kneeled up on the bed, hugging a pillow to her chest. 'Do you think Max is pissed?'

'About what?'

'About me coming home with you.'

'Not Max - he's used to it,' Charlie said, opening his bedside drawer. 'Here's the deal. You've got an agent on one side and a movie star on the other. Who do you think's gonna get the girl?'

'He's kind of cute,' Lina mused.

'You wanna fuck him, too?' Charlie enquired, taking out a plastic bag and a neat stack of cigarette papers.

'Why?' she said boldly. 'You into threesomes? 'Cause if you are, we can call him up, see if he'll give us ten per cent of his dick!'

Charlie roared with laughter. 'I have here some very fine grass,' he said, starting to roll a joint. 'That's, of course, if you're interested.'

Lina grinned. 'Now you tell me.'