by Lisa Rinna
Right as she was about to make some clever comment to Ryan Seacrest, just over his shoulder, she spotted Susie, who had her arm clasped on Mac’s like a shackle. That would have been OK, except that just at that moment, Mac glanced over at Tally, too.
The way he looked at her—with utter contempt—made her falter. Ryan covered nicely for her, and when the camera cut away, they both had a good laugh. Of course, he didn’t know she had only laughed to keep from crying.
Tally didn’t win that night, but she wasn’t disappointed. She had once believed that the biggest thing that could happen to her would be to win an Oscar, and now that she had one on her mantel, she knew that wasn’t true.
Susie had no Oscar, but as far as Tally was concerned, she had won the biggest prize of all. She had Mac.
Ever since he had left Tally, Mac hated attending the annual Vanity Fair party. He had to go in order to see and be seen, but every second hurt. It reminded him too much of the first time he saw her.
Tonight at the party, Tally seemed to be everywhere. He glanced up at one point to see Scorsese deep in conversation with her. Twenty minutes later, Tarantino was pitching her one of his Tarantino-esque plots. An hour went by, and there she was, sharing some inside joke with Halle and Hilary. When Clooney cornered her, Mac’s heart fell through a pit in his stomach.
Susie, who he knew had only been pretending to listen to Elizabeth complain about once again being overlooked for the Kennedy Center Honors, nudged Mac sharply. “What are you staring at?”
Of course, she knew. To make a point, she pressed her lips into his. Hard.
He knew she hoped Tally was watching, and he resented the hell out of her for it. They’d been married for three years now, and he still didn’t know what to make of his wife. His anger over how Tally had used him, coupled with the intoxicating sex with Susie, had spurred Mac to do the most impulsive thing he’d ever done in his life: ask a woman he’d known for less than forty-eight hours to marry him. Just as impulsively (at least, it had seemed that way), Susie had said yes to his offer, and there was no turning back from there.
He’d thought it somewhat odd how enthusiastic both of his parents had been at the news that he’d dumped Tally for Susie. Richard had called her “an outstanding young woman,” while Elizabeth had raved about how sweet she was. (By sheer coincidence, she’d met Susie the week before, through the hairdresser the two women shared.)
It had also surprised him how quickly Susie had pulled together the wedding—not to mention how she had insisted on holding it at the same place he was to have married Tally. But Susie’s reason for doing so seemed perfectly logical at the time, and somewhat romantic: she claimed she’d dreamed of having a wedding there since she was a little girl. Afterward, when his assistant, Carole, had shown him an article that detailed, point by point, all the ways in which Susie had copied Tally’s wedding plans, he knew he should ask her about it. In fact, he started to bring it up once, but he lost his train of thought when she began to unzip him. One thing led to another, and by the time she was through with him, he’d made up his mind that it all had been a big coincidence.
Still, something about her bugged him. He could never get over the feeling that everything she did or said came with an agenda.
He was a loyal husband, but in truth, he didn’t love her. And, the sex sucked. It was like making love to a lobster.
The news that Mandy was pregnant and would soon be getting married took her two closest friends by surprise.
After taking only a second to recover from the shock, Tally gave her a big hug. “That’s wonderful, Mandy,” she said. “Who’s the lucky daddy?”
“None of the usual suspects, if that’s where you’re thinking. I could never marry someone in the business. Talk about bringing your work home with you. Ewww!” Mandy wrinkled her nose, then got serious. “Actually, it’s Collin, my accountant.”
Sadie laughed. “You mean that quiet little guy you brought to our Fourth of July party?”
“One and the same. And listen, sorry about him not being more chatty that night. He’s just a bit shy.”
“That’s OK, he gave us a tax tip that saved us a fortune. In fact, Josh is proposing to his partners that they consider him for the agency’s business.”
Mandy smiled with pride. “That would be awesome!”
“You won’t show for a while,” Tally said. “When you do, what will that do to your career?”
“Porn stars have babies, too, silly. I’ve already given notice that I’ll be taking a leave of absence, starting immediately. And when I’m back in the saddle, so to speak, we’re taking the Taylor Made brand in a whole different direction. Collin and I are going to produce and distribute my films ourselves, and I’m already lining up a stable of actors to brand.”
“You’ve done well with Jerry,” Sadie said. “Why would you leave him now?”
“Well, for one thing, my site gets more than five million unique visitors a month. If I can sell direct, I get to cut out the middle man.”
“That makes sense,” Tally said.
“Besides, I’m bored with acting. I enjoy scripting and directing much more.” Tally and Sadie nodded. “Anyway, enough about business. The wedding will be held in Vegas at the Bellagio. For my bridesmaids, I’m thinking hot pink and short, short minidresses.”
Tally laughed. “Sounds like a plan. And I believe it’s my turn to throw the wedding shower.”
Mandy gave her a naughty smile. “No need to worry about offending any of my guests, because most of them will be porn stars—and they expect a great show.”
Chapter 29
THE THOUGHT THAT her husband might still be in love with his ex was eating Susie up inside. Of course he was, but Mac would never admit it to her if it were true. But if not for her suspicions, she would have left Mac long ago.
He had begun to bore her before their first anniversary. The sex was decent—at least, it had been in the beginning, when he was still raging over Tally’s supposed deceit—but after his anger had subsided, having sex became nonexistent. But she’d already plotted out an exit strategy, and so far, it was going brilliantly.
As an independent producer, Mac could only do so much for her career. But were she to marry a studio head, she’d have the pick of any project on the lot. Therefore, Richard Carlton had become her secret lover.
It hadn’t taken much to get Richard’s attention, just being in the right place at the right time—specifically, on the lot, after hours. And what the old man lacked in stamina he made up for in staying power, thanks to her stash of baby-blue pills.
Despite juggling two Carltons, she hadn’t dropped Jared completely. She’d just relegated him to between-scenes quickies or on the nights Mac worked late and she wasn’t seeing Richard. Or Gabriel, who had been right about the delights of honey and the thrill of restraints.
Susie never felt the slightest bit guilty about her behavior. Nor did she wonder if Richard felt guilty about their trysts. He was a studio head, for God’s sake. As for making an ass out of his son, she figured that’s how he got his rocks off in the first place. Talk about a dysfunctional family.
She felt her role of daughter-in-law-with-benefits gave her the right to do whatever the hell she wanted, to whomever she wanted. And that was especially true when it came to Tally.
That morning, when she found out that the script called for Katherine to beg for Jamie’s forgiveness during an elegant cocktail party, Susie’s gut reaction was Um, no way in hell. So when it was time for her to say her line in front of the cameras, she took her very real Cosmopolitan martini and tossed it onto Tally’s sparkly silver Hervé Léger bandage dress.
“Just improvising,” she murmured to the shocked Tally.
Susie was being a real bitch on set that day, and Tally was in no mood to tolerate it. After taking a second to recover from having a drink thrown at her, she remembered that she knew how to improvise, too. She took a tray of pastries out of a waiter-extra’s hand and
smacked Susie on the ass with it, leaving her rival’s Oscar de la Renta duchess satin, draped one-shoulder dress covered in cream and chocolate.
“Keep rolling! Keep rolling!” Larry Hornsby, the director, hissed to the stunned cameramen.
Tally, shaken but satisfied, turned to leave, but Susie tripped her. Tally almost fell, but she recovered nicely, and in the same movement, she punched Susie in the gut.
As Susie doubled over, Tally smiled triumphantly. Presuming that Susie had had enough, she walked up the grand staircase, only to hear Susie huffing up the steps after her.
No. No more, Tally thought. This is going to end, once and for all. As she paused on the stairs, it all came flooding back to her: the way Susie had humiliated Sadie with that atrocious bridal shower, Susie’s ongoing sabotage of her on the set, the demands she made to the producer in order to keep Tally’s role from growing on the show, how she had planted lies about Tally in the gossip columns, and worst of all, how Susie had lied to Mac and stolen him away and how the stress of losing Mac had caused Tally to lose their baby.
All of the memories boiled into a rage that Tally could no longer control, and Susie never saw the roundhouse punch coming.
And it was all caught on camera.
Satisfied, Tally walked off the set.
“Fire the bitch this very minute!”
Susie’s screeches were giving Burt a headache on top of his already brutal hangover. It was way too early for him to be on the set, but two of the network suits were already there, so of course, he came running, too.
“Shut your pie hole. Tally’s lawyers have already been in touch with me. Based on your attack, she feels her safety has been compromised, and her contract has been breached. She’s demanded to be released from it, and we’re honoring that so that we don’t get sued. But she has graciously given us her permission to use the scene, and she said she’s available for one more that writes her off.”
“What? You’re using it?”
“Hell, yeah! That will go down as the best catfight in the history of television.”
“The hell you are! She sucker-punched me—”
“I saw the dailies, Susie. You started the damn fight. If anyone should get fired, it’s you.” He looked her right in the eye. “Frankly, I think she did you a favor. You might actually get your Emmy this time.”
Susie paused to consider that possibility. Unlike Tally’s, her movie career was DOA, even with Mac calling in favors left and right. OK, sure, she didn’t mind if the scene stayed in. In fact, she’d tell everyone she had suggested it and then done some on-set improv with Tally to make it perfect.
For now, anyway, payback would have to wait.
Chapter 30
NOW THAT SHE was no longer on Dana Point, Tally felt completely liberated. She was free to pick from any of the wonderful scripts that arrived for her at Josh’s offices from producers and directors requesting that she consider them.
Where do I begin? Tally wondered. There were enough scripts to fill one of her bedrooms, where she arranged them in five rows that were stacked chest-high from the floor.
She placed an armload of scripts on the guest bed. Two of them were old enough that they were already in production with other actresses. With a touch of bitterness, she tossed those onto a pile destined for the recycling bin. While Dana Point had given her a lot to be thankful for, this last year in particular, the show had stood in the way of some great movie roles.
She shook off her disappointment. I have nothing to regret. All I can do is move forward, both in my career and in my personal life.
By late that afternoon, she had identified three scripts that intrigued her and whose producers were still looking for a lead actress. The project Scorsese had mentioned to her was one. Then there was a Spielberg epic, which looked like fun and had threequel written all over it.
And then there was Mac’s latest project, Tapestry. It was a period piece filled with intrigue and plot twists, and in the hands of the right actress, it would likely bring an Oscar nod. Even though it was a long shot, she put it in her valise with the other two scripts. Then she called Josh.
“Hey, Josh. Do you have a few minutes to meet with me? I’ve been looking over some of the screenplays you sent over, and there are a few that look really good.”
“Sure! Want to say sixish? Seven? Eight?”
“Seven works for me,” Tally said uneasily. “But don’t you ever go home anymore?”
“Only to sleep.”
Tally let that sink in. Something wasn’t right. For Sadie’s sake—and for Josh’s—she wanted to find out what was going on. After their meeting, Tally would suggest that they grab a bite, maybe even have Sadie join them as well.
“I’ll be there by seven.”
When she got to ICA, most of the staff had already gone home, but a lone assistant was still manning the reception desk. Of course, the assistant recognized Tally and immediately punched a call button on the intercom. “Have a seat, Ms. Jones!” she said brightly. “I just rang Josh’s assistant, Seth. He’ll escort you in.”
Tally grimaced. She’d had numerous opportunities to talk to Seth when he’d connected her with Josh by phone, and although he’d always been polite, there was a perpetual chill in his voice, despite her attempts to get him to warm up.
She busied herself with a copy of the latest Vanity Fair, which lay on the coffee table along with copies of Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, People, and the Los Angeles Times.
A full ten minutes passed, and still no Seth. The receptionist looked even more annoyed than Tally felt, and she buzzed him again. A moment later, someone else—another male assistant—came out into the reception area. The two assistants exchanged a few frenzied whispers, then the man walked off down the hallway.
Through the glass wall, Tally saw him enter the men’s room. When he came out, he looked annoyed. Seth followed a second later. The last person to emerge was a scruffy guy whom Tally recognized immediately. He was an actor who had appeared in guest roles on numerous television shows. He was also a known drug dealer.
Ah, so that’s it, Tally thought.
“Ms. Jones, great to see you again.” Seth’s smile was as placid as his tone. “Would you care to follow me back to Josh’s office?”
Tally was shocked to discover that Josh was a lot thinner than the last time she’d seen him. He was also more anxious. He couldn’t sit still and kept jumping up to stand in front of the floor-to-ceiling picture window that provided a million-dollar view of the Los Angeles skyline.
They spent the first half-hour discussing the pros and cons of the Scorsese and Spielberg scripts and the progress that had been made on each to identify a complete cast. During that time, Josh excused himself once to join Seth in the assistant’s cubicle, located right outside the office. When he came back, he was even more wired than before.
Sadie was right; he was definitely using again. Tally resolved to set him straight at dinner by telling him how worried she and Sadie were for him. She’d even threaten to walk if she had to.
Tally had deliberately left Mac’s project, Tapestry, for last. When she brought it up, Josh frowned. “Hmm. I’m guessing that for you, that project is a nonstarter.”
“That’s a shame. We both know I’d be perfect for it. Why hasn’t Mac cast it yet, anyway?”
Josh fiddled with the pen in his hand. “That’s a good question. Maybe he’s waiting for Susie to be done with this season of Dana Point.”
Tally couldn’t believe her ears. “You’re kidding, right? He’s going to waste this role on her?”
Josh shook his head. “Look, Tally, I know you’d be ideal for the role. But let’s face facts. Despite what you or I think of Susie’s acting abilities, we don’t control this project. Mac does.” He lowered his voice. “And he told me that he doesn’t want you in his life. Not even professionally.”
His words landed on her chest like a boulder, and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
Mac ha
tes me that much, even after all this time? Well, then, Susie has officially won.
She took a beat to regain her composure, then said, “No harm in asking, right? How about calling Scorsese tomorrow and telling him I’d love his consideration if he still wants me.” She shut her valise with a snap and stood up. “Care to join me at Nobu Malibu? Sadie can join us, too. There’s something else I’d like to talk to you about.”
Josh agreed, and they decided to take separate cars. After a quick call to Sadie, the plan was set. As he walked her to the elevator, Josh said he had forgotten something and had to go back to his desk. He’s getting his stash, she thought. But she went along with it.
Tally got to the restaurant before him. Sadie was already there, and she was clearly upset. “I just got a call from the police! There’s been an accident involving Josh, just down the road!”
“I’ll drive,” Tally said. Sadie grabbed her purse and followed her out.
The wreck was two miles from the restaurant on the Pacific Coast Highway. From what they could tell, it looked as if the car had spun out of control and hit a sixteen-wheeler head-on. The driver’s side of Josh’s car had been crushed.
The ambulance was already there, as were three police cars. Sadie ran up to the ambulance. What she saw stopped her in her tracks and brought her to her knees, screaming. They were zipping up a body bag.
Tally was at her side in a second, along with one of the policemen and a med tech. As her friend moaned in grief in the arms of the med tech, Tally grabbed the policeman’s arm. “That was her husband. Can you tell me what happened?”