Lady Boss (46 page)

First the video, then the tour, next the movie. The rest of her year was well taken care of.

She'd heard that all tickets were sold out in record time as soon as the box-offices opened.

Maybe she shouldn't even worry about Martin until she got back, but she knew that if she didn't cement their relationship with a definite commitment from him before she went, by the time the tour was finished it would be over.

His phone call came at just the right moment.

‘I'm going to be in L.A. tomorrow,' he informed her, all business. ‘I'm planning a takeover at one of the studios. I'll pick you up at noon and we'll fly to San Francisco for the day.'

She didn't like it when he took her for granted. ‘What if I'm busy?' she said.

‘Are you?' he asked abruptly.

She took a moment before replying. ‘No.'

‘Why do you always try to give me a hard time?'

‘Because nobody else does.'

He laughed. ‘Good reason. Did you get the shares?'

‘Oh, those little things,' she said casually. ‘I added them to my collection.'

‘That's what I like about you.'

She held the phone tightly to her ear. ‘What?'

‘You're totally independent.'

Sure, Martin. But not when it comes to you
. ‘Isn't everyone?' she said coolly.

‘No. Definitely not.'

As soon as she hung up she couldn't wait to call Ron back. ‘We'll have to cancel the video rehearsal tomorrow. I'm flying to San Francisco for the day,' she told him.

‘With whom?'

‘Martin.'

‘Mmm…' Ron said in his usual bitchy tone. ‘Mister Big calls – little Virginia runs.'

‘
Don't
call me that.'

‘Why not?'

‘'Cause you
know
it pisses me off.'

‘Well, now, I'm
so
sorry, miss. However, some of us do feel we can still talk to you as if you're a mere mortal.'

Ron was in his definite pain-in-the-ass mood. ‘Cut it out,' she said crossly.

He changed his tune, suddenly becoming overly solicitous. ‘Shall I pop over and help you select outfits for tomorrow? You have to look your best.'

‘I can manage.'

‘How about Madame Loretta's girls? I could arrange to have them waiting at the hotel.'

Trust him to bring up the hookers. She should never have let Ron in on that little game. ‘The girls were a one-time experience. OK?'

‘Just checking. What are you doing the rest of the day?'

She relented. After all, he was her best friend. ‘Nothing. Come over if you want.'

‘Can I bring Ken?' he asked anxiously, still dying for her and the Ken Doll to become close buddies.

No way, José
. ‘Another time, Ron.'

‘You're such a bitch.'

‘Thank you. I love you, too.'

‘Have fun tomorrow.'

‘I plan to.'

After putting the phone down on Ron she immediately called Cooper.

‘What are you doing tonight?' she asked, getting straight to the point.

He sounded cautious. ‘I have a date with a seventeen-year-old ex-porn queen. Why?'

‘Can I come too?'

Now he sounded amused. ‘Are you suggesting a threesome?'

‘No! I am not! I'd like to go out for dinner. Martin's arriving tomorrow and I don't feel like being alone tonight. Can I join you or not?'

‘I'm sure my date will be thrilled,' Cooper said dryly. ‘We're going to a Mexican restaurant.'

‘Will you pick me up?'

He sighed. ‘Venus, I'll do anything you want.'

‘Just pick me up. That'll be fine.'

* * *

Martin arrived home from the office early because they were attending a dinner party. Since he planned to tell Deena he was leaving the next morning for Los Angeles, he didn't care to experience her wrath by walking in late.

Deena seemed particularly restless.

‘I'm off to L.A. in the morning,' he announced. ‘That studio deal is coming through.'

She didn't hesitate. ‘I'll come with you.'

‘No,' he said quickly.

‘Why not?' she asked, narrowing her eyes.

‘Because this is a complicated takeover. And when I'm this involved I can't have outside influences.'

She glared at him. ‘Is that what I am – an outside influence? I was under the impression I was your wife.'

‘You know what I mean,' he said.

She felt a sickness in the pit of her stomach. This was it. He was going back to Los Angeles sooner than anticipated. All this talk about the studio takeover coming to fruition was merely a smokescreen. The Bitch had beckoned and he came running.

Deena knew the time was drawing near to put her master plan into operation.

Eventually the moment of truth had to come, and Lucky was excited beyond belief. She waited until late Saturday night. They'd made love again, sent out for pizza, and now Lennie was settling down to watch
Saturday Night Live.

‘Hey – you coming in?' he called out to her.

She was in the bathroom brushing her long dark hair. Clad in one of Lennie's oversized shirts and nothing else she wandered back into the bedroom.

‘Are you
really
going to watch TV?' she teased.

He was stretched out on the bed. ‘Sweetheart, I don't have the strength to do anything else.'

‘Doesn't take much to tire you out, huh?'

‘Right!' he joked. ‘Non-stop sex'll do it every time!'

She curled up beside him. ‘Complaining?'

‘Are you kidding? C'mere, wife.'

He kissed her, putting his tongue in her mouth and sliding it across her teeth.

She shivered. ‘Don't do that unless you mean it.'

‘Oh, I mean it, lady.' His hands began to explore beneath her shirt.

She felt herself responding; Lennie always had that effect on her.

‘I thought you were tired.'

‘I made a rapid recovery.'

‘You're turning into Superman, Lennie.'

He smiled lazily. ‘Hey – give me a break – I've been seriously deprived!'

Gently she pushed him away. She wanted to make love again, but not until after she'd told him her news.

‘It's time to break open the champagne,' she said softly.

‘How come?'

She took a deep breath. ‘Remember that surprise I mentioned?'

‘Yeah.'

‘Now's the time.'

He stared at his wildly beautiful wife and it came to him in a flash. She was about to tell him she was pregnant.
That
was her surprise. And he was going to be the happiest expectant father in the world!

‘Hold everything,' he said. ‘Don't move. I'll get the champagne, you light the candles, and I'll be right back. Then you can give me the good news.'

‘You'll be crazy with happiness,' she promised him, kneeling on the bed.

He couldn't stop himself from grinning like an idiot. ‘You're probably right. You're always right.'

She grinned back. ‘Oh yeah, I'm
always
right.'

He rushed downstairs, grabbed the bottle of champagne she'd put in the fridge earlier, balanced two glasses, and raced back upstairs.

Lucky sat cross-legged in the centre of the bed.

He popped the cork on the champagne, poured the golden liquid into two glasses, and handed her one.

Solemnly she toasted him. ‘Lennie Golden,' she said, controlling her exhilaration, ‘I know it's not your birthday, but… I have something for you.'

He reached out and touched her face. ‘Did I ever tell you how much I—'

‘Quiet!' she interrupted. ‘This is
my
surprise.'

He settled back on the bed. ‘OK, go for it.'

In his mind he thought about a name for the baby. Maria for a girl, after Lucky's mother. And if it was a boy, how about Lennie Junior? Or was it too difficult for a kid to grow up with junior attached to his name? Yeah, it probably was. Hmm… How about Nick – a real gangster's name. Nick Golden – sounded good. A killer name for a killer kid.

‘Lennie,' Lucky said quietly, savouring every word, ‘I bought you Panther Studios.'

He stared at her blankly. ‘Huh?'

She repeated the words as slowly as she could. ‘I said I bought you Panther Studios.'

There was a long moment of silence while he digested this incredible information. ‘You've done what?' he managed at last.

‘How many times do I have to tell you?' she yelled happily. ‘
I
bought Panther Studios.
We
bought Panther Studios. It's ours, Lennie, it's ours!'

‘What about the baby?' he couldn't help blurting out.

She looked puzzled. ‘What baby?'

Her news sank in. ‘Jesus, you're serious, aren't you?'

‘Of
course
I'm serious. Where do you think I've been for the last six weeks? I made a deal to buy the studio from old Abe Panther, and he wouldn't sell to me unless I went in undercover for six weeks. What a trip! Can you believe it? Me – undercover – pretending to be Luce, the obedient little secretary. And Lennie, get this. I've been kissing Mickey Stolli's ass! In fact, I even talked to you on the phone one day.'

He was in a state of severe shock. ‘You talked to me on the phone one day,' he repeated, dazed.

‘That's right.' She grinned. ‘Isn't it incredible! We're movie moguls. We're gonna kick butt and make great movies!'

This wasn't exactly the news he'd imagined. This was a bombshell. ‘You're serious, aren't you? You've bought a goddamn studio.'

‘You bet your ass I have,' she said excitedly. ‘That's why we have to fly back to L.A. tomorrow. I've arranged a meeting on Monday morning I think you should come to. It'll be great. The lawyers will be there, and old Abe Panther himself. He's quite a character. I can't wait to see Mickey's face when they tell him. Not to mention his wife – the delightful Abigaile.'

‘How much did it cost you?' he asked blankly.

‘A lot. Trust me,
a lot
. But you know me when it comes to business, and Panther is worth every penny. There's land to be sold off, and a wonderful library of old films. Plus the Television Department really has a shot. Of course, when we stop making these dumb tits-and-ass films the revenues will go down. But only temporarily.' Her black eyes gleamed with excitement. ‘I plan to make really good movies, Lennie. I want to show women as real people. I mean, come on, what do we see on the screen today? We see women as men's fantasies. The guys making movies are a bunch of jerks – and it seems to me they all hate women. They've either got some slasher chasing them around cutting their heads off, or they've got them taking off their clothes while adolescent boys jerk off through holes in the wall. I mean, movies don't celebrate the human condition – they degrade it.'

He stood up, shaking his head. ‘Lucky, you don't know the first thing about film-making.'

‘You hardly have to be a fucking genius to put together a movie,' she pointed out. ‘Have you
seen
the guys running the industry? Anyway –' she raced on at full tilt. ‘Let's discuss what we can do about
your
movie. I've taken a look at the dailies and there's some terrific stuff in there. If we leave Marisa on the cutting-room floor, recast, reshoot, and you'll rewrite, then we can hire a new director and put it together again. It's salvageable if we take control.' She paused for breath. ‘Hey – maybe you'd even like to direct it yourself? How about that for a great idea?'

‘Would I be working for you?'

She missed the tightness in his voice. ‘Lennie, aren't you listening to me? I bought the studio for
us.
We're in this together.'

Distractedly he ran a hand through his hair. ‘Did you use my money?'

‘I don't have your money, do I?' she replied patiently. ‘I used
my
money.'

‘The money you inherited from Dimitri?'

Was his problem whose money she'd used? ‘OK, so I had a rich husband, I inherited part of the Stanislopoulos fortune. But now it's my money, and I can spend it any way I like.'

He began pacing up and down the room. ‘So you weren't in Japan?'

Was Lennie being obtuse on purpose? ‘Hardly.'

‘Let me get this straight. You were in L.A. impersonating a secretary at Panther Studios, while I was getting my balls busted in Acapulco. Is that right?'

‘I was securing our future,' she corrected. ‘You want to be a movie star – let's be in control. It's the only way.'

‘
You'll
be in control, Lucky. I'll be working for
you
.'

She was exasperated. ‘Will you quit saying that. How many times do I have to tell you? It's our studio.
Ours.
Hey – Lennie – I'm beginning to feel like a broken record.'

‘Why didn't you at least mention what you planned to do?'

She reached for a cigarette. ‘Because it would have spoiled the surprise.'

‘You know what I thought, Lucky?'

‘No, what?'

‘I thought you were going to tell me we were having a baby.'

She stared at him. His negative reaction was so totally unexpected and hurtful that she struck back. ‘I'm so sorry,' she said sarcastically. ‘Maybe you'd be happier if I was in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant.'

‘Is that such a terrible thing?' he retorted angrily.

She leaped off the bed. ‘I don't
believe
this. I've been stuck at the studio imitating a stupid secretary for six weeks for
us
. And now I tell you, thinking you'll be knocked out, and what do you do? God damn it, you start nagging.'

He glared at her. ‘Nagging? Oh, so that's what I'm doing, is it? You blatantly lied to me for six weeks. Then you break into my apartment, we have non-stop sex for twenty-four hours, and finally you spring this on me. And
I'm
nagging. Do you really think the world has to revolve around you, Lucky?'