Inner Circle (24 page)

“Then let’s call her,” Eve said confidently.

“Before we go to the association?” Amber asked.

“Why wait? Let’s find out everything we’re dealing with so that we can have our facts straight when we bring this to the group. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars will be a good test for the association. Let’s see what we’re made of.” Eve handed Amber the phone.

Amber pulled Sa’Myra’s number from her purse and started dialing. She placed the phone on speaker and waited while it rang. Sa’Myra picked up on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Sa’Myra, it’s Amber.”

“So I take it you’re ready to settle?”

“I want to get the details so I can have an agreement drawn up.”

“Let me guess, you’ve got me on speaker phone, don’t you?” Sa’Myra asked sarcastically.

“Excuse me?” Amber quizzed.

“Don’t play with me, Amber. Everybody knows you don’t make a move without your girl Eve. So, just so we’re all clear on our earlier conversation, here’s the deal. I’m willing to have the abortion upon signature of your agreement to pay me the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars I asked for.”

“So you’re serious about that amount?” Amber asked.

“You heard me. Two hundred and fifty thousand. We all know what Sean makes. That’s pennies to you and him. Two hundred and fifty thousand and that’s my final offer.”

“How do we even know its Sean’s baby?” Amber asked defiantly.

“Do you
really
want to play that game? Trust me; two hundred and fifty thousand is a gift compared to eighteen years of child support, college tuition, medical bills . . . need I go on?” Sa’Myra barked.

Amber started to speak, but Eve placed a silencing hand on her wrist.

“You’re right,” Eve said to Sa’ Myra. “That is pennies to them. I’ll have the papers drawn up immediately and have them faxed over to you tonight.”

“Good,” Sa’Myra agreed. “Soon as I get the agreement, I’ll schedule the appointment.”

“Just like that, huh?” Eve scoffed. “All of this for a check?”

“This ain’t personal, ladies. It’s business. And speaking of business, make sure you come with a cashier’s check. I don’t trust you bitches.”

“Whom do we make the check out to?” Amber asked.

“What do you mean to whom? Me, of course.”

“Now who’s playing games?” Eve laughed. “You don’t trust us? Well, bitch, we don’t trust you. We’ll make the check payable to your attorney in care of you.”

There was silence on the other end for almost ten seconds. “His name is Carl Thornton,” Sa’Myra finally replied.

“Fine, we’ll call you when we’re ready,” Eve said.

“Damn, Eve, if I didn’t know any better, one would think I fucked your husband,” Sa’Myra chuckled sarcastically.

“Boo, if you had fucked my husband I would have kicked your ass and we’d be talking about two hundred and fifty thousand
stitches,
” Eve replied. “Don’t get it twisted. The smart thing for you to do is sign this agreement, take your money, and shut the fuck up.”

“Whatever. You’ll get a text message with my fax number in a minute,” Sa’Myra huffed.

“You do that,” Eve sneered, slamming her phone down. “Stupid bitch! How dare she go there with me?” Eve stared at the phone, then focused her attention back on Amber.

“Now you see what I’m talking about?” Amber drummed her freshly manicured nails on the table. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” she sighed in dismay.

A few seconds went by and a sly grin crept across Eve’s face. “Yep, like she said, that’s pennies to you and Sean.” Eve jumped up from the table excited. “Follow me!”

“Eve, what’s going on?” Amber asked, grabbing her pen and pad.

“Trust me, I just thought of something that will give little Miss Sa’Myra exactly what she’s asking for.”

22

Eve
drove down Highland Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood bypassing the star-paved sidewalks, bold lights, and bright colors of the Chinese, Kodak, and El Capitan theaters before arriving at her destination at Musso and Frank twenty minutes early. After a long night of research, phone calls with lawyers, and drafting out Amber’s settlement agreement with Sa’Myra, she had contemplated canceling her lunch with Jackie and Jai, but knew that the situation with Callie couldn’t wait on her ability to get in a full eight hours of sleep. She pulled into valet and relinquished her keys to Eric, the valet superintendent.

“Good evening, Mrs. Landon.”

“Good evening, Eric. How’s the family?”

“Fine, ma’am. Thanks for asking. I’ll park you up front as usual.”

“Thanks, my dear.”

Eve reflected on how she had been coming to Musso and Frank since her first visit to L.A., and in all those years, Eric had been the only attendant to valet her car. From the parking lot to the kitchen, the restaurant was famous for the professionalism and longevity of its staff. For decades, the operation had run like a well-oiled machine, boasting class and a rich history of celebrity clientele. Eve looked
forward to coming to the restaurant just to see what actors or writers would be dining on any given day. She would watch and listen as heads would swivel back and forth and the hum of conversation would rise with the arrival of each notable celebrity. She smiled at the thought of how things had changed, because now heads turned and people whispered when she entered the room. She and Chase were regulars, and on most occasions, when they came to eat, they couldn’t make it through the evening without being interrupted for pictures or autographs.

Eve entered the restaurant and was immediately escorted to the hostess station. As usual, the restaurant was packed with a variety of Hollywood’s who’s who.

As she sashayed through the aisles, she pretended not to notice the eyes that had now shifted in her direction. She had become social media royalty and knew that her public appearances were being monitored closely by the fashion police. Eve took pride in her ability to avoid fashion citations by making sure all her outfits got a stamp of approval by her stylist friend, Larry “Loves It” St. John. Larry had been assigned to dress Eve the first year she attended the Espy Awards with Chase, and they’d become instant friends. Although Eve wouldn’t dare add Larry to her payroll, she made sure that whenever she did any major shopping, he was right by her side in exchange for a few special thank-you pieces, compliments of Chase’s Black Card.

“Evening, Mrs. Landon. Your booth is ready. Follow me please.”

Mario led the way as Eve followed him through the maze of white tablecloths, china place settings, and crystal stemware. The aromas of beef, chicken, and fish lazily wafted about as she passed tables, but she dared not look down for fear of losing her footing. Falling on her ass in Musso and Frank would be confetti for the paparazzi that took up residence there, so Eve stared straight-ahead, keeping her eyes glued to the back of Mario’s red jacket, until they were finally in the aisle next to a row of booths.

As she slid into a booth Eve gave a cursory glance around the
room to see if she recognized anyone. She spotted Harold Enberg, a former client, at a center table and made a mental note to call him next week.

“May I take your drink order, Madame?”

“Let’s go with your best Pinot Grigio,” Eve said.

The waiter left and returned immediately with the bottle of wine. He poured a taste test.

“Perfect,” she said and held her glass to be filled.

Eve sipped her drink and continued to people watch. In addition to Al Pacino, she was pretty sure she spotted Johnny Depp at the bar talking with director Gore Verbinski.

She wondered how many deals and agreements were being hammered out throughout the room and how successful she’d be at negotiating her own deal later with Jackie and Jai.

Eve knew she was running the risk of asking the ladies to bend the association’s rules with her request, but she also knew that any organization established for the purpose of protecting finances, reputations, and social welfare survived because of the side bars, private agreements, and back room negotiations. Hell, history had proven that even the president of the United States had secret agendas, and as far as Eve was concerned, this was no different. True, it was very early in its existence for The Wives Association to require such dealings, but desperate situations called for desperate measures, and the situation involving the assault on the Tresses model, and the possibility of Callie’s involvement, was a ticking time bomb.

While Callie had not admitted it, Eve was sure that she was behind the beating. It was an issue that, if not handled quickly and properly, could bring down TWA before it had a chance to prove itself. It would have been nice, Eve thought, if their first issue could have been something as simple as the takedown of some groupie or the cover-up of some husband’s DUI. Either of those problems could have been easily dealt with using only the resources of the inner circle,
but breaking and entering and assault and battery were a whole different story.

Eve looked up just in time to see Jai making her way toward the table. She gave her a quick up and down, taking note of the classy green two-piece St. John pant set, the gold Tory Burch sandals, and matching Prada bag. As always, the bitch was impeccably dressed. Her long dark hair was pulled back from her face, a face that was clearly glowing from a recent facial.

Because of Jai’s naturally rich olive complexion, it was always difficult for Eve to determine whether she wore any makeup. In conversation, Jai had mentioned using only tinted moisturizer on her skin because she didn’t like her skin to feel cakey. Besides, she said, she relied on her signature individual lashes to serve as her dramatic facial accent and thought anything more would be too over the top.

It was true, Jai was a spoiled rich kid, but it could never be said that she did not know how to handle the title or the responsibility that came with it. She could be accused of being born into money, but it could never be said that she took it for granted. Parlaying finances was her forte. She knew how to get the most out of a dollar, and she had a keen eye for potential investment opportunities. It was a talent that made her valuable to the association, and hopefully, Eve thought, a talent that would prove to be resourceful in what she would be proposing today.

“Hey, diva,” Eve said, rising to extend a cheek kiss and a hug.

“Hey, girl,” Jai responded. She slid into the booth and quickly glanced around.

“Musso and Frank! Girl, I haven’t been here in years. My parents used to bring me here whenever we were on vacation. I didn’t think it was still open.”

“I know,” Eve said. “I still come here every few months just for the old-school celebrity feeling. Chase loves it here. You know how his ass loves attention.”

Eve poured Jai a glass of wine.

“So who’s joining us?” Jai asked.

“Just Jackie, and there she is now,” Eve said as Jackie appeared in the doorway.

They watched as Jackie wove her way through tables. She looked good, dressed in skinny jeans that accented her long legs, boots, and an off-the-shoulder sweater. In Musso and Frank, Jackie was in her element, and Eve and Jai observed as she paused at several tables to exchange pleasantries. It took her nearly ten minutes to finally make her way to their table.

“Sorry, ladies,” she said quickly hugging Eve, and then sliding into the booth next to Jai to repeat the gesture. “Duty calls. And some folks aren’t ever satisfied with just a wink and a wave. Knowing me, I’ve probably done some kind of scandalous story on half the people in here, so you know I can’t afford to pass up an opportunity to try to make amends for some of that shit.”

“And good afternoon to you, too!” Eve said with a hint of sarcasm.

“I said sorry. Shit, give me a break.” Jackie picked up the empty glass in front of her and poured herself a glass of wine. “Well, damn, y’all heffas coulda ordered a bitch a beer if you were going to drink up all the wine,” Jackie joked.

“I did order you a beer . . . bitch.” Eve stated.

“Don’t start with me, Eve,” Jackie laughed.

“Don’t pay any attention to Eve,” Jai said. “We know you’re a hot item right now. Especially with that exclusive you just broke on the Carmen Garza story. Excellent piece, by the way. And you looked amazing.”

“Girl, I try,” Jackie replied shaking her head. “That shit was sad though. All that pretty hair gone!”

Eve couldn’t believe her luck. She couldn’t have planned a better segue.

“Speaking of Carmen Garza, you know at some point we’re going to have to acknowledge that that’s an issue for TWA to get involved
in.” Eve eyed Jackie and Jai trying to read their initial response to her comment.

“Why?” Jackie asked rolling her eyes.

“Because of Callie, that’s why,” Eve argued.

“Humph! Are you sure we need to get involved in that?” Jai asked. “She hasn’t asked for our help. In fact, she hasn’t even admitted to being involved.”

“The way I see it, we need to be proactive and prepare for the worst,” Eve said. “The association is new, and she probably hasn’t even considered that we could be of any assistance.”