Goddess of Vengeance (9 page)

Seeing Max Santangelo had made his night; he’d always had eyes for Bobby’s hot little sister. But when he sensed he wasn’t about to get anywhere with her, he’d switched his attention to her cute friend – which wasn’t a bad thing, because Cookie had a famous father – soul-icon Gerald M. And it soon occurred to Frankie that if he started dating Cookie, the tabloids would immediately latch on, and he too could hit the rags.

It was a plan.

Frankie liked having a plan.

*   *   *

‘I’m giving you my schedule,’ Lucky informed Max. ‘I’ll be taking off for Vegas tomorrow, staying there until after your party. I’ve got a board meeting of investors on Friday, and other business to take care of.’

‘Sounds like a fun time.’

‘Don’t knock it, Max, ’cause one day you’ll understand how much fun it can be running your own business.’

‘Not me,’ Max said, shaking her head.

‘What
do
you want to do then?’ Lucky asked, slightly exasperated that Max didn’t seem to have much drive.

‘Dunno,’ Max said with a casual shrug. ‘Gonna live life an’ find out.’

Sure
, Lucky thought.
You’ll find out all right. Things are not always as easy as they seem.

‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘you’ll find three e-tickets to Vegas on your computer for you, Cookie, and Harry. The five o’clock flight on Thursday.’ A beat. ‘Are you sure you’ll be okay in the house by yourself?’

Will I be okay?
Max thought.
Hot shit! This is totally rad. I’m planning my own party. No parents. Lose the housekeepers. It’s all one big green light. I cannot wait.

‘Mom,’ Max said scornfully, ‘it’s only for like
one
night. I think I can manage
that
.’

‘Is Ace coming into town?’ Lucky inquired.

Why was Lucky always carrying on about Ace? Did she think he was such a good influence? ‘Dunno,’ she muttered. ‘Maybe.’

‘You should invite him to your party in Vegas.’

‘Sure,’ Max said, checking out a text from Harry on her phone. ‘I’ll do that.’

‘You could come to Vegas before Thursday if you felt like hanging out,’ Lucky suggested. ‘What do you think?’

‘That’s okay,’ Max said, thinking she’d like nothing less. ‘I’m into being by myself. It’ll give me a chance to consider my future.’

‘Ah,’ Lucky said, ‘your future . . .’

‘Yeah, Mom, my future. Can we like
not
discuss it now?’

‘Do you still want to move to New York?’

‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Max answered vaguely. ‘I told you – I’m gonna decide.’

‘And you’re absolutely certain you have no interest in going to college?’

‘
You
didn’t do the whole college thing,’ Max said, irritated that Lucky kept on bringing it up. ‘Why should I?’

‘Those were different times,’ Lucky pointed out.

‘Yeah. The Dark Ages,’ Max said, rolling her eyes.

Lucky shook her head. No use getting pissed off. Nothing to be gained.

‘Strangely enough,’ she deadpanned, ‘we had phones during the Dark Ages. Instead of texting we actually talked. Can you imagine?’

‘What a thrill,’ Max drawled.

Brat
, Lucky thought
. Spoiled Beverly Hills brat. But she’s my brat, and one of these days she’ll grow up, just like I did.

‘I’m off,’ Lucky said, standing up. Sometimes playing the concerned mom was not for her. She loved her kids, but once they reached a certain age it was best to let them fly. ‘Are you home for dinner?’

‘Don’t think so,’ Max replied. ‘Gonna hang with Cookie and Harry.’

‘Okay then. We’ll see each other in the morning before I leave. Oh, and if you hear from Bobby, tell him to call me.’

‘Will do.’

Max waited until Lucky was out of sight, then she called Harry. ‘Party time at my house tomorrow night,’ she announced. ‘Alert the troops, and grab as much booze as you can from your dad’s liquor cabinet. Got it?’

Harry got it.

*   *   *

Once every few months Lucky had lunch with her old friend, the legendary and unpredictable film director, Alex Woods. They shared a history, a long friendship, and one night of twisted passion many years ago when Lennie was missing and Lucky had thought he was dead. Alex had never gotten over her, and she knew it, but she wasn’t prepared to give him up as a friend. He was loyal and insane and incredibly talented and forceful and sincere when he felt like it. During the time she’d owned Panther Studios they’d produced a movie together, and when she’d embarked on building The Keys, Alex had come in on the project as one of her major investors.

If Lennie wasn’t around she would be with Alex, and they were both aware of it, although it was never discussed.

In the meantime Alex dated Asian women. They came. They went. Sometimes they stayed longer than a few weeks. He didn’t care. Like Lennie, making movies was his passion – women and love affairs were secondary. Except for Lucky, who, in his eyes, became even more wildly beautiful as each year passed.

He studied her as she walked into Mr Chow. She wore white pants, a casual jacket and plenty of gold gypsy-style jewellery. She strode in like a panther, all sleek movement, her dark eyes flashing, her trademark mass of tumbled jet curls wild as usual. Alex stood up from the table.

‘Such a gentleman,’ she teased, as he moved forward and kissed her on both cheeks, inhaling the exotic fragrance she always wore. ‘How are you, Alex?’ she asked, sitting down. ‘Working hard?’

‘What do
you
think?’ he said with a wry smile. ‘I’m in post on the war movie I recently finished shooting in Morocco, and my editor is driving me nuts. Plus we’re way over budget, and the studio is throwing a shit fit. Fuck ’em.’

‘Are you pleased with it?’ she asked, scanning his face. He looked a little ragged around the edges. Alex drank too much; that, and his excessive smoking, was not good for him. He was still an enormously attractive man though, and she loved him dearly – as a friend.

‘Am I ever pleased with anything?’ Alex said, picking up a tumbler of Jack Daniel’s. ‘You know me, Lucky, you probably know me better than anyone.’

‘Isn’t it a little early for the heavy stuff?’ Lucky inquired, indicating his drink.

‘Jesus!’ Alex said. ‘Since when did
you
become the A.A. rep? Whyn’t you leave it to my girlfriends to be concerned about my drinking, they’re the ones who get off on bitching.’

‘How sweet.’

‘Sweet is the last thing I’m looking for.’

‘Well then,’ Lucky said briskly, ‘you should stop picking actresses and try finding a girl – I mean a woman – you can have a decent relationship with. It’s about time you gave up the chasing.’

‘Believe me, honey, it’s them who does the chasing,’ he said dryly.

‘Don’t call me honey.’

‘Why not?’

‘Save it for your one-nighters.’

‘You were a one—’

‘Alex!’ She stopped him with a deadly look. He was venturing into forbidden territory, and she didn’t like it one little bit.

‘Yeah, yeah, I get it,’ he said, taking another gulp of Jack.

Lucky ordered a bottle of Evian and leaned across the table. ‘Tell me about your movie.’

‘Don’t want to bore you.’

‘Why would I be bored, Alex?’

‘’Cause you know exactly what I’m going to say.’

‘And that would be?’

‘I’m gonna regale you with stories about what a bunch of fucking assholes my actors are.’

‘Then why do you hire them?’

‘Got no choice. Unfortunately I need ’em.’

‘How inconvenient for you.’

‘Yeah, robots are more my style,’ he said with a cynical laugh.

‘Imagine that!’

Alex smiled. It didn’t matter what kind of a mood he was in, Lucky could always make him feel better.

‘Did you hear that Venus is in the process of divorcing Billy?’ she asked.

‘Should I be surprised? Working with Billy was like taking a slog up the Himalayas with no Sherpas. That little prick took asshole to new heights.’

Lucky laughed. ‘Billy’s major box office. The public seems to love him.’

‘We all know that the public has no fucking taste.’

‘That’s what I like about you, Alex.’

‘I knew there was something,’ he said with a wry grin.

‘You tell it the way you see it.’

‘That’s me, Lucky. No bullshit.’

‘You’re unique.’

‘Takes one to know one,’ he said, signalling the waiter to bring him another drink. ‘How’s Lennie?’

‘Lennie’s fine.’

‘Shame,’ he said with a resigned shrug. ‘I was hoping he’d slipped off a cliff.’

‘Stop!’ she said sternly.

‘You know that’ll never happen,’ he countered. ‘And I do mean never.’

They stared at each other, a long intent stare which Lucky finally broke.

‘Okay,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘I want you to come to Vegas.’

‘I fucking hate Vegas,’ Alex said vehemently. ‘Especially after what happened there with Ling.’

Lucky flashed onto the memory of Alex’s live-in girlfriend who in the past had been sending her threatening notes and hatching a plan to shoot her. It was all so bizarre, but when Alex had caught Ling with his handgun in her purse during the opening festivities of The Keys, he’d gone berserk and thrown her out.

‘There are two reasons I need you to come to Vegas,’ Lucky said as persuasively as she could.

‘Go ahead,’ Alex said. ‘Try to convince me.’

‘Reason one. It’s Max’s eighteenth birthday next weekend, and I’m throwing her a party. You know she’d love you to be there. After all, you’ve known her since she was a baby.’

Alex groaned. ‘Blackmail,’ he said flatly. ‘Psychological blackmail.’

‘No such thing,’ Lucky said crisply.

‘Reason two?’

‘A board meeting of all The Keys investors.’

‘Jesus! I’ll send my business manager. He handles that kinda shit.’

‘I’m sure Max would be thrilled to see him, but I’m expecting
you
.’

‘Will Lennie be there?’ Alex asked, shooting her a meaningful look.

‘Of course.’

‘What kind of incentive is that?’

‘Knock it off, Alex. You’re doing this for me. Okay?’

‘Whatever the Lady Boss says.’

‘Fuck you, Alex.’

‘Anytime, Lucky.’

‘Then you’ll come?’

A lascivious grin. ‘If only.’

Lucky ignored his double entendre. ‘I’ll book you a suite. Don’t let me down.’

‘Jesus Christ! You’re so fucking bossy,’ Alex complained. ‘But I guess I’ll be there. For you – I’ll always be there.’

‘Thank you, Alex.’

*   *   *

As soon as Max was sure that Lucky had left the house, she began texting friends about the Malibu party she was planning. Never mind Vegas, she’d have her own crazy celebration, and with the house all to herself it should be a major blast.

To invite Ace, or not to invite Ace, that was the question. She wasn’t sure what to do about him. Ace could be totally great, or as Cookie and Harry had pointed out – totally controlling. Besides, it wasn’t as if she was in love with him.

Max had imagined she was in love only once, and that was in high school with a boy called Donny Leventon who’d broken her heart and left her crushed and disillusioned.

She’d never told anyone he’d broken her heart. She’d laughed off the fact that she’d caught him in Houston’s of all places with another girl.

She was sixteen at the time. Donny was seventeen, and they’d never slept together, although they’d done plenty of other things. Experimenting with sex was fun. Going all the way was not an option, not until she found The One.

Discovering that Donny was seeing another girl was a shattering experience. It had driven her to the internet where she was determined to hook up and lose her virginity to a suitable candidate – whether he was The One or not. She’d set up a meeting with a twenty-two-year-old boy who’d posted a major hunk photo. After arranging to meet him in Big Bear, she’d turned up, only to find that the major hunk was a disgusting ugly perv, who’d then kidnapped her and locked her up in some deserted cabin in the woods.

She shuddered at the memories. Thank goodness for Ace, who’d come along at exactly the right time and rescued her.

She wasn’t in love with Ace. She liked him in small doses, and that was okay because he didn’t live in L.A. They hadn’t slept together, but as with Donny they’d done plenty of other things.

Yes, she was still a virgin, and it was becoming an embarrassment, especially as Cookie had slept with an army of guys and boasted about them constantly.

But she wasn’t Cookie, and she didn’t want to be.

She was waiting – for what?

She didn’t know, but when it happened she’d be all over it.

Chapter Nine

W
ith Bobby in Vegas, Denver decided to have a night at home by herself. She was happy when he was in town. But she was also happy when he wasn’t.

I’m confused
, she thought.
I love him but I don’t want to love him. I don’t want to get hurt. I don’t want to make myself vulnerable.

BUT I LOVE HIM!

She thought about calling Carolyn, then remembered her friend was out on a gay date. How random was
that
? Carolyn had never indicated a yen for the same sex, but everyone had their secrets . . . and if taking the lesbian route was what she wanted, then so be it.