‘It’s not silly. This is show business, remember?’
Rosie searched Nell’s face, not sure whether she was teasing or not. Nell’s expression was unreadable. Rosie murmured, ‘You didn’t really think I’d accept the ring, did you?’
‘To be honest, no, I didn’t. But he wouldn’t listen to me; he was so determined to buy the ring. I just had to let him go ahead and do what he wanted.’
Walking over to the bed, Nell sat down on it and stretched back on her elbows. Her face was thoughtful as she lay there without speaking for a few seconds.
Rosie glanced at her, then went into the dressing area where she put on three narrow gold bracelets and gold hoop earrings. Spraying herself with Bijan, she returned to the bedroom and hovered at the bottom of the bed in front of Nell.
Nell glanced at her. ‘I’m glad you’re with Johnny. He’s just what the doctor ordered, Rosie. He’s nice to you, isn’t he? What I mean is, he’s okay in bed, isn’t he?’
‘He’s fantastic.’
‘Not kinky.’
Rosie shook her head and laughed. ‘No, thank God. He’s straight as a dye. A bit insatiable, though. When I first arrived we almost ended up where you’re lying now. I guess you could say there’s a lot of chemistry between us.’
Nell smiled. ‘I knew you needed Johnny Fortune! God, I just knew it! Look at you, you’re positively glowing. Your skin’s like peaches and cream, and you’ve got quite a glint in your eye tonight, my lass.’
‘Oh, Nell, there’s nobody like you, nobody at all. I do love you. Now, tell me, how was Kevin?’
‘Oh Rosie, just great. Wonderful! We had a smashing weekend together. But I have to confess, commuting back and forth across the Atlantic this week has been a bit wearing, even on Concorde. Anyway, he sends his love. I thought I’d told you that on the phone.’
‘No,’ Rosie replied. ‘You didn’t. We only talked about Johnny last night.’
A dreamy expression now crossed Nell’s face and she sighed, raised her eyes to Rosie’s. ‘I might end up being your sister-in-law yet, my darling.’
‘I hope so. By the way, did you tell Kevin about Johnny?’
‘No. You didn’t say I shouldn’t, but then you didn’t say I should, so I made no mention of him. After all, I hate playing God. It’s your business and nobody else’s.’ Nell pushed herself up into a sitting position and eyed her dearest friend. ‘So, tell me something now. Apart from being sexually turned on by him, how do you feel about our bel canto balladeer?’
‘I’m crazy about him, Nell. He’s all the things you said he was. And very loving and warm. Thoughtful. I guess you could say I’m infatuated.’
‘Not in love?’ Nell raised a fine blonde brow and threw Rosie a speculative look.
‘I’m the cautious one these days, Nellie, after the horrible mistake I made with Guy.’
‘Ah, the dreaded Guy. What a son of a bitch he turned out to be, and I guess I can’t honestly blame you for your attitude. I think perhaps you’re right to go slowly. After all, you have a fabulous career and a life of your own, quite aside from Johnny. And he can be very demanding.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’s a star; he’s demanding.’
‘Gavin’s a star, but he’s not demanding. I don’t think he is, anyway.’
‘Gavin’s an actor, and a New York actor at that. Johnny’s a whole different kettle of fish, Rosie. He’s a singer, an entertainer, and the biggest star there is in the music world today. And that is quite a different world from the world of film and theatre. It’s all big flash, big money, big everything. It’s crazy in many ways. And Johnny’s the star attraction. People want to mob him, claw him, touch him, get close to him. Women swoon over him. Groupies crowd him. He’s used to being fawned over, catered to, flattered, offered anything and everything he might want. All that sort of ridiculous bullshit. He’s used to getting his own way, too. Look, he was impossible about that ring. He simply wouldn’t listen to me or respond to reason. Johnny wanted to buy you the engagement ring, and he sure as hell was going to buy it. Over my dead body, if necessary.’ Nell sighed. ‘I told him you’d never agree to become engaged, but he wouldn’t accept that, not even from me. All I’m saying is that Johnny is used to getting what he wants when he wants it.’
‘I see.’ Rosie turned away, suddenly feeling concerned about the relationship, not certain that she could cope with Johnny. Wilful people perturbed her. They were usually unreasonable, difficult and frequently temperamental.
Nell said, ‘Don’t turn away like that, looking suddenly gloomy and dejected. Johnny’s fabulous, despite what I just said. I’ve always told you that, for years, haven’t I?’
‘Yes, you have.’
‘He’s generous to a fault, with everyone. He’s kind, and although he likes his own way, he doesn’t really throw his weight around. Not too much. And he lives a clean life.’
‘Oh. What do you mean?’
‘No dope, no drugs of any kind; he doesn’t smoke, he hardly drinks, and he sort of keeps himself to himself in Hollywood. Anywhere for that matter. And he’s not all over the place, partying, living it up. Actually, he leads a relatively quiet life, I’d say.’
‘That’s the impression he gave me.’ Rosie smiled at Nell. ‘And I wasn’t looking dejected.’
‘Whatever you say, Rosie mine.’ Nell glanced at her antique diamond watch. ‘Hell, we’d better get a move on, my darling girl. It’s already turned five-thirty.’
‘But the concert’s not until eight.’
‘I know. However, it’ll take us an hour to get to Wembley, maybe a bit longer at this time. And Johnny wants us to go to his dressing room before the show starts.’
‘I’ll get my purse.’
When Rosie came back from the dressing area adjoining the bedroom, Nell was standing in front of the mirror hanging over the mantel, smoothing her silver-gilt hair into place.
‘You look great, Nellie,’ Rosie murmured, walking towards her. ‘I love you in that red suit. It’s very flattering.’
‘Thanks, and I’m glad we discussed what we were going to wear. I’d been toying with a black velvet trouser suit myself, instead of this red one. We’d have looked like a vaudeville act if I’d worn it.’ She laughed. ‘Let’s go. We don’t want to upset our star, now do we?’
Rosie laughed and linked arms with her. They left the suite.
Walking along the hotel corridor, Nell said, ‘The limo’s downstairs. And Johnny’s given us Butch to look after us.’
‘Butch? Who’s Butch?’
‘One of Johnny’s bodyguards. Andy and Jack, the other two, went with Johnny to Wembley.’
‘I see. By the way, why did Johnny leave so early?’ Rosie asked as they came to a halt in front of the elevators. ‘He rushed out at four-thirty.’
‘I told you, it takes a good hour to the Wembley Arena. He was probably trying to avoid the tea-time traffic. But, in any case, he always has about an hour of Hair and Make-up, and he likes plenty of time to get himself geared up, revved up for the show.’
‘I’m looking forward to seeing him perform.’
‘I thought you already had,’ Nell shot back and leered at her.
‘Nell Jeffrey! You’re wicked and provocative!’
‘That’s exactly what your brother says about you.’
***
Johnny’s dressing room was full of people, and for a moment Rosie could not see him. ‘Is it always this crowded?’ she asked, turning to Nell.
‘Yes, but it’ll thin out very shortly. Anyway, this is the outer dressing room. Johnny’s hair and make-up people will be through that door over there. Come on, let’s head that way.’
They had only taken a few steps when Nell caught hold of her arm and said, ‘Johnny’s in the corner, talking to Kenny, who plays keyboard, and to Joe, his personal assistant.’
‘He’s mentioned them to me, but are you sure we should intrude?’
‘Are you joking?’ Nell lau
ghed, propelling her forward with a firm grip. ‘I bet he’s bursting to introduce you to his guys. He’s done nothing but talk about you this week, and I told you earlier he thinks you’re the bee’s knees.’
‘Nell, honestly, you do have some weird expressions—’ Rosie muttered and paused in the middle of her sentence.
Johnny had swung away from Kenny and Joe in such an abrupt manner that she was positive he was angry. And when he turned around and she saw his face this was confirmed to her. He was furious, if his expression was anything to judge by. His vivid cornflower eyes blazed and his mouth was set in a rigid line. He turned back to the two men, who looked suitably chastened, she thought. He hissed something at them, then headed to the other side of the room where he entered the make-up area. Even the set of his shoulders told her he was put out.
‘He looks angry, upset,’ Rosie said quietly to Nell.
‘It’s probably a storm in a tea cup, all about nothing,’ Nell said in an undertone. ‘I’m sure he’s all right. He’s generally nervous, on edge, sometimes irritable, even a bit crazy before a big show like this, before he goes on.’
‘Perhaps we ought to leave, give him some privacy.’
‘Privacy! With all these guys here! Anyway, are you mad! He’s expecting us, Rosie. Come on. I bet Allie is in there finishing his make-up, and Maury will probably be starting on his hair. Then all he has to do is get out of that robe and into his clothes.’
‘All right, Nell, you’re the boss, and certainly you know him better than I do.’
‘Ah, but not in the biblical sense, my dear, certainly not as intimately as you,’ Nell teased, and before Rosie could respond she pushed her through the doorway.
‘Hi, Johnny!’ Nell exclaimed. ‘Can we come in? Or do you want to finish getting ready first?’
Johnny was sitting in a high make-up chair in front of a large expanse of mirror surrounded by theatrical make-up lights. He looked into the mirror and saw them, raised his hand in greeting; then he swung his head and looked at them over his shoulder. ‘It’s okay, Nell,’ he murmured, flashing a smile. ‘Come on, Rosie, come on over and meet Allie and Maury, who try to make me look half way decent.’
Rosie smiled at him and did as he said. Immediately she saw that he seemed perfectly normal; the anger of a moment ago had passed. After he had introduced her to Allie, Maury and his manager Jeff Smailes, who had just sauntered in, Johnny sat back in the make-up chair; he finally let the professionals finish the job they had started well over an hour ago.
Nell said, ‘Take the chair next to Johnny, Rosie, and I’ll sit over here.’
‘Thanks.’ Rosie lowered herself into the chair, accepted the glass of champagne someone offered her and watched Allie working on Johnny’s face. A handsome man without make-up, he was even more good-looking when cosmetics had been applied; devastating was the only word she could think of to describe him at this moment. Because he had a California suntan, Allie had used a tan foundation and she had shaded his cheeks before powdering his face. Now she was applying just the merest hint of blue eye shadow, which instantly intensified the colour of his eyes.
At one moment Johnny looked at Rosie in the mirror and gave her a cheeky grin, then let Allie put on his lipstick. Once she had done so he wiped it off with a tissue, licked his lips several times, wiped his mouth yet again, and then peered at himself in the mirror.
Maury said, ‘Okay, maestro, let’s get to the locks, shall we? Time’s a-running out on us.’ As he spoke, Maury began to brush Johnny’s blond-streaked hair into shape.
‘Not too much hair spray, Maury,’ Johnny said, and fifteen minutes later he was jumping out of the chair. ‘I gotta go, honey,’ he said to Rosie. ‘I gotta get my clothes. Wait here.’ He glanced at Maury and exclaimed. ‘This is my… very special lady, ain’t she the greatest!’ and then he was gone.
Nell came over to her, dragging a chair with her. ‘We’ll wait until he comes back dressed, spend another five minutes with him, and then I think we’d better go to our seats.’
‘If you say so, you know best.’
‘It’s just that he’s going to get awfully tensed up before he goes on, Rosie, and—’ She broke off as Johnny appeared.
‘You’re sitting right up front,’ Johnny said, walking back into the make-up area. He wore a pair of black trousers, a starched white shirt, open at the neck, and was carrying a black jacket. He came over to Rosie, and squeezed her shoulder, then swung away, looked in the mirror, patted his hair, wiped his mouth with a tissue and took a sip from a glass of water.
Then he turned away from Rosie and Nell and began to pace. He stopped at one moment and handed his coat to Jeff and kept on pacing, his head down, biting his lower lip. He came to a standstill, looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes, mouthing words to himself without a sound, as if rehearsing silently.
From the other room there was a sudden burst of loud laughter and he snapped his eyes open and said in a harsh voice, ‘Jeff, get everybody outta there. I gotta concentrate.’
He began to pace again and a fine film of perspiration began to appear on his face. He paused, took a sip of water, and went on walking up and down.
It was apparent to Rosie that he was quite oblivious to them, no longer aware of their presence. Always sensitive to performers, and conscious of the emotional stress they suffered, what they went through before a performance, she drew closer to Nell. Touching her arm, she mouthed silently, ‘Let’s go. He needs to be alone.’
Nell nodded.
Together they slipped out of the make-up area by skirting the edge of the room, leaving the centre of the floor to Johnny. Still pacing, his eyes were half closed, his lips moving as he went over his songs in his mind.
As they passed through the outer dressing room Rosie saw that it had miraculously emptied; Nell took hold of her arm and ushered her outside, where Butch was waiting to take them to their front-row seats.
***
Once they were in their places and settled, Rosie glanced around. She had never seen so many people gathered together under one roof; the noise was deafening.
‘There must be thousands here,’ she said to Nell. ‘No wonder he’s full of tension. Who’d want to get up and sing in front of a huge crowd like this?’
‘A star like Johnny. But I agree, it must be nerve-racking for him, for anybody.’ Nell’s eyes roamed around. ‘It’s some mob scene tonight.’
‘And they’re all his fans. My God, Nell, that says something about him, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes. Johnny’s a big draw. By the way, he told me you’re going out on the road with him. Up to the Midlands and the North. And then on to Scotland.’
‘He was very persuasive last weekend in Paris.’
‘I’m coming after all… it’ll be fun,’ Nell said.
‘I’m glad you’ll be with us. Are you going with him to Australia at the end of the month?’
‘Only for a week. The second week of March. Why?’
‘Johnny wanted me to do his Australian tour with him,’ Rosie told her, ‘but I explained why I couldn’t. I have too much work. I had to get up at four o’clock every morning this week in order to complete some of the costume designs, just so that I could take these next few days off.’
Nell eyed her carefully. ‘He’s always on tour part of the year, you know.’
‘Yes, I’m aware of that.’
A silence fell between them. They sat back in their seats, each lost in her own thoughts.
Then quite suddenly the lights in the arena dimmed, the orchestra began to play and hundreds of lights were focused on stage; multi-coloured spotlights and searchlights created spectacular special effects.
Ten minutes elapsed.
Johnny walked out onto the stage.
It seemed to Rosie that the entire arena swayed and shifted on its foundations as thousands jumped to their feet, stamping, waving, cheering and screaming his name over and over again. They were crazed.
Rosie had never seen
anything like it before.
Involuntarily, a shiver ran through her and she clasped her hands together, feeling suddenly anxious. There was something frightening to her about this roaring crowd, and about their adulation of him. What if they ever turned on him for some reason? They could tear him limb from limb. She shivered again and tensed in her seat.
Nell noticed this and looked at her swiftly. ‘What’s wrong, Rosie? What’s the matter?’
‘All these people, the way they’re behaving. We could get crushed to death if they surged, made any sudden movement.’
‘I know what you mean. Actually, that’s why we’re sitting down here at the front. We’re right next to an exit that goes backstage, so don’t worry. And that’s why Butch is with us, to look after us. About fifteen minutes before the end of the show he’ll take us through that door. We’ll catch the end of the concert from the wings.’
Rosie nodded, focused her eyes straight ahead.
Johnny was now centre stage.
He walked down to the front, waving and bowing to the crowds, acknowledging them. And then he looked in her direction and blew her a kiss before pivoting, returning to centre stage.
He remained standing with his back to them.
The audience finally sat down.
The noise abated.
The orchestra stopped playing.
Kenny Crossland on keyboard began to play the first few bars of My Heart Belongs to Me.
Johnny turned, his head lowered. Slowly, he raised it and began to sing.
Rosie sat watching him, mesmerized. Just as the audience was mesmerized.
He was a slim, slight figure in the middle of that vast stage and somehow oddly vulnerable. And immensely appealing. His good looks, highlighted by the make-up, leapt out at her; she recognized how enormously charismatic he was on stage, so simply dressed in his black suit and white shirt. There was this extraordinary electricity about him: his voice was superb; he held the audience in the palm of his hand. They loved him.
His very stillness commanded total attention.
Johnny did not gyrate. He stood perfectly motionless. The movement of his limbs was spare and he barely stretched a muscle. Occasionally, he swayed his legs in time to the music but his feet were still; sometimes he moved his body, but only fractionally. He lifted a hand once. For the most part he remained rooted to one spot. His power over them was his mellifluous voice and his looks.
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