The Love Machine (71 page)

“But what about a drink tomorrow?” Sergio asked.

“That’s a date. Five o’clock in the Polo Lounge.”

“I’ll be there,” Sergio said.

Robin ordered dinner from Room Service and turned on the television set. Dip’s show was on—he might as well catch it.

The commercial came on. The show started with the usual action teaser just as the waiter arrived with his food. Robin was just starting on his baked potato when he saw a close-up of Pauli. He almost choked on it. God damn Dip—he had
told
him not to use her! How had Dan gone for it? He pushed away the table and watched the show. It was bad. In an effort to build Pauli
into a permanent character the entire show went down the drain. He put in a call to Dan immediately.

Dan was stupefied. “Dip told me it was a direct order from you. Next week’s script is already taped. I gave her a contract for the rest of the season.” Robin slammed the receiver and put in a call to Dip. The wire was busy. The idiot was probably busy taking bows. He made reservations on the midnight flight out. Suddenly he remembered his date with Sergio. He didn’t even know his phone number—well, he’d leave a note with the captain in the Polo Lounge.

He arrived at Kennedy Airport at eight in the morning and went directly to his office. He called an immediate meeting with Dip and Dan Miller. Robin’s expression was deadly as he demanded that Pauli be written out after the following show.

“I can’t do it to her,” Dip argued. “She has a big interview today. She’s told all the press she’s a regular on the show and if she got axed it would hurt her reputation.”

“It’s an
order”
Robin stated.

“I own the package,” Dip said stubbornly.

Robin turned to Dan. “You have equal say!”

Dan stared at him curiously. “I have one-third say, and I’m willing to side with you.”

“Who has the other third?” Robin asked.

Everyone was silent.

Dan looked at him. “I thought you had it.”

For a moment Dip looked frightened. Then his face went hard and his body tensed as if ready for physical action. “No, chum, I have two thirds, so I have the voting stock as you might say.” Then he smiled. “So I guess that settles it. Pauli stays.”

Robin stood up and faced him. “Dip, once you did me a big favor. Do me one more. Never come near me again.”

Dip made a pretense at a pompous bow and left. Dan shifted his feet nervously as he waited for Robin’s reaction. He was surprised when Robin turned to him coolly and said, “Well, it looks like you’re stuck with Pauli. Good luck.”

“You can’t be angry at
me?”
Dan asked.

“I’m only angry that you thought I’d deal in on anything like this.”

“How does this affect my new show?” Dan asked.

“Is Dip in on it?”

“No.”

“Then you still have your deal.”

The ratings slipped after Pauli went on the show. In June, Robin canceled it. Dip was out of a job. But oddly enough the television exposure helped Pauli and she was signed to do a movie. Dip followed her out to the Coast and Robin concentrated on the new fall season.

Gregory Austin had scheduled the November stockholders’ meeting to be held on the Coast. Usually he made a quick threeday trip accompanied by Cliff Dome, but this time he had decided to spend a full week there. Judith needed the excitement.

Gregory stared at Robin’s picture on the cover of
Newsweek
. He realized the stockholders regarded Robin as their God, and to them Gregory was a semi-retired old man. But he had never felt better, and was now eager to resume command. He had made several subtle attempts to regain control, but so far all of his efforts had failed. Robin listened to his suggestions … but that was all he did—listen. Then he went on to do things in his own way. And so far, Robin’s way was the right way. The ratings were at a new high. IBC was Robin Stone’s network.

But Gregory hadn’t given up. The summer at Quogue hadn’t been too bad for him though Judith had been bored. Christ—a man spends thirty years to build up a network and a good life, then along comes one illness—a year and a half away from the scene and he comes back to find a new civilization.

His heart went out to Judith. He had seen the scars behind her ears. Jesus! Did she think he was idiot enough not to notice how her breasts suddenly stood up? He knew she must have done it while he was going through those weeks of shock treatment. She had been so great to him while he was ill. It was only natural that she had come back eager for excitement. And he had failed her. Yet he had to admit that he had enjoyed the idea of Robin’s take-over when he returned. In the beginning it had been relaxing to have someone else making the decisions. He had even enjoyed
the summer at Quogue and tried to ignore the heavy sighs that emanated from Judith each night as they watched television. But it was her attitude when they returned to the city that finally made him take action.

Judith began taking to her bed for days at a time. Some days she took sleeping pills every four hours. On these days Gregory brought in a nurse to watch over her and at night he slept in her room—he was terrified she’d set herself on fire as she staggered around hunting for a cigarette. When she wasn’t in bed, she shuffled around the house without makeup, in an old dressing gown. She refused to go out. He even offered to take her to El Morocco. She didn’t want to go alone. Okay, he’d ask Maurice Uchitel to give a party for her there—take over the upstairs room. This only caused her to go into a crying spell: “No one would come.” In desperation he placed a call to Dr. Brugalov, his doctor in Switzerland, and explained that Judith was going through a delayed reaction to the strain of his illness and asked if he could recommend someone in the States to help her.

Dr. Brugalov recommended a Dr. Galens. When Gregory explained the situation, Dr. Galens wanted to see Gregory each day. Oddly enough, he didn’t want to see Judith. Gregory was so desperate that he agreed. They went back to his paralysis, they discussed his sex life with Judith. He told Dr. Galens about the scars behind her ears, the small scars on her body. He felt sure she hadn’t done it to attract other men—Judith wasn’t like that and actually sex meant very little to her. Gregory felt she had gone through the operation to hold her position as the goddess on the front pages of
Women’s Wear
.

But Dr. Galens kept returning to their sex life. One day in desperation Gregory snapped, “Look, this girl was a virgin when we got married—so I started very slowly with her. And she never showed any desire to experiment. And that’s how it’s always been. Lately she must have read some of those ‘How To’ books—you know, those marriage manuals—because in the past few years she’s made some amateurish attempts to go down on me. I never would have dared to try it with her—she’s just not that kind of a woman. I don’t need outside sex. God knows I went through enough variations in my bachelor days to last me a lifetime. And if
straight uncomplicated sex was what Judith wanted, it was okay with me. Besides, it was our
life
she loved: it was exciting, and—” He had stopped suddenly. Jesus Christ! That was it! The fear! His fear! All interwoven with IBC and Judith—Judith loved the life he gave her. He loved her—no, it was more than that: he
worshiped
her. Despite his grumbling about the eggnog parties, he was still so damned thrilled she belonged to him—thrilled with the elegance she brought into his life. When he used to survey the dinner parties and realized she had created this beautiful world for him, he had always nurtured a hidden fear that something might destroy it. Another man? No, Judith wasn’t highly sexed. Money? He’d always have that. Illness? Yes—illness could destroy everything!

And now it had happened: he had lost Judith. She was courting self-destruction now. But hadn’t he done the same in returning and pretending to enjoy the luxury of having Robin run the network? Suddenly it was clear to him. He could get Judith back on her feet! It wasn’t going to be easy. But his fighting spirit had returned.

First he had to regain control of IBC. He took immediate action. He went to Robin and stated that the decisions for next year’s lineup should be brought to him. Robin looked at him with that lopsided smile.

“Why?” Robin asked.

Gregory was embarrassed. He couldn’t meet Robin’s cool, direct gaze.

“Look, Robin, I promoted you from newsman to president of this network. I’m proud of you, I want to work with you—you’re my boy.” He had tried to be open and affectionate.

Robin’s eyes had gone hard. “I’m nobody’s boy!” He spat out the word. “I’ve been calling every shot around here for almost two years. I can’t start asking your permission for every move I make. If you want someone to do that, get yourself another
boy!”

Well, Gregory could
get
another boy but he couldn’t let another network get Robin Stone. Nevertheless, each time he looked at Judith, his determination strengthened—his poor sad Judith who had gone through all those operations only to slip into oblivion because of him. He had to regain control of IBC.

He hoped the trip to Los Angeles would help. He didn’t expect
to stir up any real excitement with the stockholders—he had to play a waiting game. It was crazy but he had to hope that Robin’s shows flopped, that the IBC stock went down. He had to root against himself and pray for big losses. It was the only way he could get his network back.

Dr. Galens felt the trip would be therapeutic for Judith, providing she didn’t just sit in the hotel. Gregory had called Cully and Hayes and asked them to publicize their arrival on the Coast and get them invited to all the big parties. It galled him to have to take such measures, but Judith’s well-being was all that mattered. And Cully and Hayes had come through: several invitations had already arrived by mail. And Judith had stopped taking Seconals, gone and had her hair touched up and bought an entire new wardrobe for California. Perhaps the week of excitement would snap her out of her lethargy for good.

They were due to leave on Sunday. The Friday before, he called and asked her what time she wanted to leave.

“Must I answer this very second?” she asked. “Just tell them to have the plane ready by noon.”

He told his secretary to call his pilot and have him stand by. The secretary seemed surprised. “Mr. Stone took the plane two hours ago.”

“He what?”

“He’s flying to Las Vegas this weekend to catch some performer. Then he’s going to the Coast to attend the board of directors meetings. I assumed you knew—”

“I forgot,” Gregory said quickly. He sat back. How
dared
Robin take the plane! He sent for Cliff Dome.

Cliff sighed. “Look, Gregory, what do you mean, ‘how dared he?’ It’s the company plane, and he runs the company. You know what that plane has been nicknamed along Madison Avenue. The Flying Couch! Robin redecorated it so part of it has been turned into a bedroom with a wall-to-wall bed! And he rarely makes his flights without some girl—any girl to keep him company in that bed. I can’t keep track of him. Half the time I never know where he is.”

“We’ve got to stop him,” Gregory said.

“Unfortunately when you were ill, Judith gave him complete power. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to walk out. But
I knew I’d be playing into his hands. If he’d put in his own man as legal head, we’d be dead.”

“We’re dead now,” Gregory said quietly.

“No, he’ll bury himself.”

“What do you mean?” Gregory asked.

“It has to happen—especially the way he’s going the last six months. He makes insane decisions, and takes unheard-of chances. He put on two shows that
had
to flop and instead they came off as ‘high camp’ successes!”

“He’s like all the rest,” Gregory said slowly. “Power-mad.”

“No, I don’t think it’s power he wants. On the one hand, he seems to want his name to blaze like headlights—and at the same time, he throws mud at it. I’ll be very frank and tell you I can’t figure him out. There are even rumors that he’s queer, yet he always has a girl. Then there were rumors that he was getting a kickback and I spent weeks checking that. He wasn’t. There’s only one funny Wrinkle. There’s an actor—Sergio Milano. Until recently, Robin sent him three hundred dollars a week. I know this because his tax man and my tax man are cousins and I checked it out. Sergio Milano is making it with Alfred Knight.”

“Then you think Robin is AC-DC?”

“It looks that way. Sergio hasn’t made it big yet, but he’s been getting some good parts, and he’s a sexy-looking Italian. Obviously he’s making enough money so he doesn’t need any from Robin. Or maybe he’s stopped taking it because Alfred Knight is his new lover.”

“Look, can we put someone on this thing? I don’t know how it’s done.” Gregory looked embarrassed.

“I’ve done it already. I have a man who will tail Robin the second he hits the Coast. I figure we owe it to our stockholders, if we think we have a guy at the top who could get involved with a morals clause.”

“Cliff, I don’t want any scandal. It’s one thing to get rid of Robin, but another to destroy a man’s life. I won’t do that.”