Lovers and Gamblers

by Collins, Jackie

  ‘Thank you, Mac.’

  He laughed self-consciously. ‘Any time.’

  They dropped her outside the hotel where the telethon was taking place.

  ‘I’ll stop by Joe’s in a coupla days – see how you’re doing,’ the cop said.

  ‘Thanks,’ she waved. Wow! Close! They could have taken her in for being out of control of her own body! She giggled at that, and wandered in a side entrance of the hotel and found a ladies’ room.

  Her appearance in the mirror sent her into gales of laughter. She did look a wreck. No make-up, uncombed hair, staring wild eyes. She fished some dark shades out of her bag and covered her tell-tale eyes. Then she popped a couple of pills, and realized that she hadn’t eaten all day, and the nagging pain she had suddenly acquired was hunger.

  She drifted out amongst the slot machines and roulette wheels. ‘Where can I find Al King?’ she asked a security guard.

  He looked at her blankly. ‘Who?’

  ‘Forget it. Where’s the telethon?’

  ‘In the Princess Room – it’s all full – booked weeks ago.’

  ‘Yeah?’ She weaved slightly, moved away from him, and on impulse sat down at a roulette table. She fished in her bag, found a fifty and slid it over to the house man. He handed her a stack of dollar chips in exchange. She piled half of it on twenty-nine. The other half on thirty-five. Twenty-nine came up. She had won just under nine hundred dollars. ‘Let it ride,’ she said.

  The houseman gave her an imperceptible wink from beneath his green-tinted head shade, and spun the wheel. Twenty-nine showed again.

  A buzz went around the table. The houseman paid her thirty thousand six hundred and twenty-five dollars in placques. She tipped him the odd six hundred and twenty-five. The pit boss stepped forward to see what was going on.

  ‘My lucky night,’ laughed Dallas. Wow! Even money was easy to make when you were stoned!

  ‘Dallas?’ a voice questioned, ‘Dallas babe. What the fucker-ooney you doin’ in town?’

  She turned to see Bernie Suntan. Big, fat, sweaty Bernie.

  ‘I came to see Al,’ she smiled. ‘Is he around?’

  ‘For you he’ll be around. You feel all right? You look a little shaky.’

  ‘Terrific, just terrific.’ She pushed her stool away from the table, went to stand up, felt sick. Then the room was spinning… spinning… spinning… And she blacked out.

  As she fell the last words she heard were – ‘Thirty thousand bucks… who wouldn’t faint at winning that.’

  * * *

  ‘You want to make the party?’ Paul asked. ‘Everyone’s going to be there.’

  Al stepped out of the shower. He felt refreshed.

  ‘I’m going to give the tables my undivided attention,’ he said. ‘You want to join me?’

  ‘Your undivided attention lost you fifty thousand dollars earlier. That’s a lot of money.’

  ‘You’re telling the man who is just about to make one million dollars for two days’ work that fifty thousand dollars is a lot of money?’

  Paul frowned. ‘Stop jerking off, Al. You owe a fortune in taxes in England, and I suppose Edna is going to squeeze you ’til your balls drop off.’

  ‘Edna might have changed, but not that much. I will take a bet with you she asks for nothing.’

  Paul laughed disbelievingly.

  ‘As for my English tax situation – it’s all in hand, isn’t it? And now that I’m a tax exile…’

  ‘You are?’

  ‘I told you I’m not going back.’

  ‘Then you should have left before April.’

  ‘Now he tells me.’

  ‘I’ve been telling you for years. You never wanted to leave before.’

  ‘I had Edna to think of.’

  ‘Since when did you ever think of Edna?’

  Al began to dress. ‘You know your problem?’

  ‘Please tell me.’

  ‘You need to get laid. You’re becoming like an uptight old lady.’

  ‘We can’t all solve everything with a stiff prick.’

  ‘We can’t all get stiff pricks either. You got a problem there too, Paul?’

  ‘I’m going to the party. Go lose all your money, you stupid fuck.’ Paul stalked out.

  Al felt sorry when his brother had gone. He knew he was going through a bad time what with Melanie giving him the push and Linda pulling a number about not wanting to resume their relationship. But Jesus! What was he having – a picnic?

  The trouble with Paul was he thought he was perfect. Nobody was perfect. What Paul needed was to go out, get good and bombed, and jam it into some randy blonde. He thought he was too good to do that. That’s what really pissed Al off – why was it okay for him and not good enough for Paul? Al could remember the days when they had gone at it together. Share and share alike. But his brother had changed through the years. He had gotten uptight.

  The hell with it – what was he worrying about Paul for – he could look after himself. Let him go to the party and mix with the stars – personally he couldn’t give a shit. What he had in mind was a good hot poker game. Should be easy enough to find that in Las Vegas.

  He finished dressing and was just about to leave the suite when the phone rang. He indicated to Luke, who was reading a magazine in the living room, to pick it up. ‘I’m not here,’ he mouthed.

  Luke picked up the phone, listened for a moment, turned to Al. ‘I think you’ll want to be here for this. It’s Bernie Suntan – says he has that lady downstairs – the one you like.’

  It was the longest sentence Al had ever heard Luke utter. ‘What lady?’

  ‘Dallas.’

  ‘He says…’

  Al grabbed the phone. ‘Bernie? What’s happening?’

  ‘Like – your friend Dallas is here. She seems kinda out of it. I just hadda pick her up off the floor by the roulette table.’

  Al couldn’t imagine Dallas being any other way except in complete control. ‘Is she ill?’ he asked urgently.

  ‘Well…’ Bernie scratched his head and stared at Dallas – who was lolled out giggling on a chair in the manager’s office. Who was he to tell Al she was stoned out of her head? ‘I think she’d like to see you.’

  ‘Bring her up – what are you calling me for, schmuck? You know I want to see her.’

  ‘Sure,’ agreed Bernie, banging down the phone. You could never do anything right for Al. If he had taken Dallas up to Al’s suite without asking he would have gotten a right bollocking. ‘Come on, sweetheart.’ He took Dallas by the arm. ‘The big man is waiting.’

  She giggled. ‘Mustn’t keep him waiting, huh, Bernie? Mustn’t keep the great white master waiting.’

  Bernie was disappointed. He had thought this one was different. The few times he had seen her she had appeared to have conducted herself with a certain amount of class. But now she was just like all the rest. He could imagine what would happen when Al got a load of her in this state. One bang and out. Anyway, they were off to South America in the morning… What the fuck… Al would have been much better off taking advantage of some of the numbers in his little black book. Did he have some hot numbers! After all – Los Angeles was his town and he could have imported anything Al wanted to Vegas – anything!

  He thanked the manager, and guided Dallas out of the office. If she was what Al wanted then she was what Al was going to get.

  They made an incongruous couple. The fat man in the lewd ‘I choked Linda Lovelace’ T-shirt teamed with white bermudas and tennis shoes, and the giggling girl with a mass of tangled hair and dark glasses.

  ‘You got your cheque somewhere safe?’ Bernie asked. The manager had exchanged her chips for a more secure way of carrying her money.

  She patted her jeans pocket. ‘Yeah.’

  They boarded the elevator, attracting curious stares. Dallas started to sing in an out-of-tune voice. She smiled at two middle west matrons and their gaping husbands. ‘I’m a gonna get laid,’ she announced, ‘I’m a gonna mak
e it with Mister Superstar himself. Isn’t that exciting?’

  The two women turned away, clicking their mouths in disgust. The men glanced at each other, grinning with embarrassment.

  Bernie nudged her to shut up.

  She nudged him back. ‘For a man who choked Linda Lovelace you sure are shy.’ She winked at the two men. ‘Right, fellas?’

  The elevator stopped and emptied out.

  ‘What’s the matter with you?’ Bernie muttered, pressing the button for them to ascend even higher. ‘You turned into some kind of exhibitionist?’

  ‘My, my. What long words you know,’ she drawled. ‘Al teach them to you?’

  He pressed his mouth into a tight line. Fresh broads he didn’t need. The sooner Al was shot of this one the better.

  * * *

  After stalking from his brother’s room, Paul got to thinking that perhaps what Al had said was true. Perhaps he did need a woman. How long was it? Long enough. He had been shocked and mortified to have suffered from a wet dream two evenings ago. A horrible experience, and something that had not happened to him since he was sixteen years old. Physically he needed a woman. For once in his life he would just have to do it without the mental stimuli.

  He wondered for the fiftieth time what Linda was doing. She wasn’t the type of woman to just sit around. She enjoyed sex – she wouldn’t go this long without finding another partner. He hadn’t had much success at winning her back. He knew it was because he was just offering her the same old deal. Now things were different. Now Melanie had forced his hand. She had left him. And he had what he wanted, he had his two children. How would Linda feel about becoming an instant mother? He wasn’t too sure she would know how to handle it. He wasn’t even sure any more if she would want to handle it. All that talk about how much she loved him… Of course if he phoned her, told her that he had left Melanie…

  In the meantime he was going to follow big brother’s advice and get laid.

  * * *

  ‘Where is she?’ Cody’s voice on the phone was desperate.

  ‘I don’t know,’ Linda replied. ‘I moved out yesterday morning. How did you track me down?’

  ‘I called your agency in New York. Are you sure you don’t know where Dallas is?’

  ‘Of course I don’t know. If I did, I would tell you. Anyway, I thought she was going to Palm Springs.’

  ‘She did. Stayed there last night and was flown back to LA on Aarron’s plane this afternoon. She never arrived back at her house.’

  Linda glanced at her watch. It was eleven in the evening. ‘Maybe she’s visiting some friends.’

  ‘I know all her friends. I’ve checked them all out.’

  ‘Maybe there are a few you don’t know.’

  He was defeated. There were probably legions he didn’t know. ‘Yes,’ he agreed miserably. ‘I do have to talk to her, it’s really urgent. You have no idea where I could find her?’

  ‘No idea. What’s the panic anyway? Is she back on the series?’

  He was surprised. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘Just a feeling…’ Lew Margolis certainly hadn’t wasted any time. One glimpse of his wife’s picture…

  ‘They want her at the studio first thing tomorrow – got to re-shoot this week’s segment – they’re already out three days.’

  ‘She’ll turn up. I wouldn’t worry about Dallas, she can look after herself.’

  He was irritable. ‘I know that. The whole situation is so strange, it’s almost like she knew Margolis would change his mind. You know she didn’t want me to release a press statement, and she was right.’

  Linda yawned. ‘Sixth sense, I guess. Listen, Cody, I was just going to sleep, so if there’s nothing else…’

  ‘I’m sorry.’ He was immediately contrite. ‘I hope I didn’t wake you. I just thought you would know where she was. Can I give you my number in case she contacts you?’

  ‘She won’t contact me. She has no idea where I am.’

  ‘Did you two have a fight?’

  ‘No. I just felt the time had come to move on. You know, being with Dallas the whole time can sometimes become stifling.’

  She was telling him. Ruefully he said, ‘Yes, I do know that. What do you have now – an apartment?’

  ‘One room on Larrabee. Very pretty, communal pool – you must come by sometime.’

  ‘I’d like that.’ He hesitated, then, ‘If you’re not busy for dinner tomorrow… Do you like the Aware Inn?’

  ‘Lovely.’

  He was pleased. ‘I’ll pick you up around eight then, and in the meantime if you hear anything…’

  ‘I won’t hesitate to call you.’ She put the phone down and wondered why she had accepted a dinner date with him. He was nice – that’s why. He was attractive and kind and thoughtful, and why the hell couldn’t Paul be like him?

  Cody hung up and wondered yet again what kind of game Lew Margolis was playing. He couldn’t figure it out. What was the point of it all? And where was Dallas? Didn’t she realize he would be worried about her? Didn’t she care? He was finally facing the fact that she didn’t. There was only one person in Dallas’s life, and that was herself.

  * * *

  ‘You’re looking terrific,’ Dallas giggled, ‘horny and virile. Doesn’t he look great, Bernie? A real sexy hunk of man! Hey, Al – did you ever think of posing for one of those women’s magazines – like Playgirl or Viva? I mean you should – you’ve got the body. Hasn’t he got the body, Bernie? Great pectorals, I bet!’

  Bernie backed out the door. ‘I’ll see you at the party, Al. Gotta rush now. Gotta change.’

  ‘Oh – no more Linda Lovelace,’ lamented Dallas. ‘Shame! I bet she would have enjoyed being choked by you!’ She kissed an amazed Al lightly on the cheek and wandered into the suite, flopping down on the couch.

  ‘She’s out of it,’ Bernie hissed. ‘You want Luke should get rid of her?’

  ‘Is she drunk?’ Al asked.

  ‘Stoned, baby – son-of-a-bitch stoned.’

  ‘I’ll handle it,’ Al said shortly. ‘Luke – you can take off, I won’t be going out.’

  Luke edged past Bernie. ‘I’ll get something to eat, then I’ll be outside if you need me.’

  Bernie said, ‘Aw, Al, you should show your face at the party.’

  ‘Forget it. Those things are a pain in the ass.’

  ‘But…’

  ‘Goodnight, Bernie.’ He slammed the door in his face. Then he turned and walked slowly into the living room. Dallas was still on the couch. She had lit a joint and was dragging happily. She smiled at him, offered him a drag.

  He shook his head.

  ‘Well,’ she said, ‘wanna fuck now or later?’

  He stared at her. This was the one woman he had desired and been unable to have. This was the one woman that was going to be different. She was different all right. She was full of surprises. She was speaking to him like he usually spoke to them.

  So – here was the opportunity. Why wasn’t he stripping off his clothes, going at it, and sending her out of his life? What was he waiting for?

  He had wanted her desperately – he still did. But not like this, not while she was obviously spaced out and unaware of what was going on.

  ‘What are you doing in Vegas?’ he asked quietly.

  ‘Came to see you, sugar sweets. Came to consummate our meeting of the minds.’ She giggled uncontrollably. ‘Came to get fucked. By the King. Al is King, isn’t that what I’m always hearing? So prove it, man, show me. I’m ready, willing and able.’ She broke into song. ‘Ready, willing and able! Hey, sugar, come and kiss me, huh? Come and see if you’re gonna be the one lights this baby’s fire!’

  ‘What happened? What got you into this state?’

  ‘State! like what state?’

  ‘Come on, you know what I mean.’

  She rolled off the couch, bumped onto the floor, giggled, dropped the joint, attempted to stand, swayed against him. ‘Shall I take my clothes off?’ she slurred. �
�Want to see what I’m offering you? I thought you wanted me. That’s why I’m here, babe, service with a smile – and no charge. You like that – no charge.’

  He held her firmly by the shoulders. ‘Where are you staying? I’m taking you home.’

  She grinned. ‘I am not staying anywhere. I am with you. Hey – you got any coke? May as well make this a big trip. Whatcha say?’

  He guided her into the bedroom and eased her on to the bed. ‘Why don’t you rest a minute, you look tired. I’ll get you some goodies…’

  She threw her arms wide. ‘Wow – whole room is spinning like it’s a whole roundabout trip.’ She closed her eyes. ‘Gotta make sure…’ she mumbled, ‘goddamn dyke… nice to be here…’ She lapsed into sleep. He had known she would. Whatever she had been taking apart from the shit had finally knocked her out. Anyone could see she was exhausted. She looked terrible, unkempt and dirty.

  He sat on the side of the bed and watched her. In the morning she probably wouldn’t be talking to him again. If he had done what she wanted, he knew she wouldn’t have been talking to him.

  Al King. Gentleman. When had that transformation taken place?

  He gently removed her shoes and pulled a cover over her. She was still muttering in her sleep, but nothing intelligible. He went in the other room and emptied out the contents of her bag. Amongst the jumble of clothes and make-up he found two bottles of pills and a tin with about eight rolled joints in. He confiscated them all. Then he called her house in Los Angeles hoping to reach Linda. There was no reply.

  What to do? He wasn’t about to just fly off and leave her in the morning. Then it occurred to him that she could come too. His plane had to stop off in Los Angeles to pick up Evan, and he would surely reach Linda by then, so maybe she could come to the airport and collect Dallas.

  Three days in South America and he would be back. And when he returned that was the time to work something out with Dallas. She wasn’t just another dumb piece of ass – she was the woman he wanted – and she was just going to have to realize that. Maybe tonight would prove it to her. He could have done anything he wanted – but he hadn’t. When it happened, he wanted them both to know about it.