Yeah, well, two thousand was a lot of bucks, he reasoned. It would
take months of real work at Glamour Limousines to score that kind of
money-especially with clients like cheapskate Evans. Although right
now, as he headed toward the border, Mr. Evans seemed like a dream
passenger.
Suga didn't care for his Rolling Stones tapes. "Turn that crap off,"
she whined. "I hate Mick Jagger."
He saw no reason to take her lip. "Anybody ever told you to shut
up?"
"Oh?" she said sarcastically. "You're gonna tell me? Big fat
chance."
"How much older than you is Manny?"
"Mind your fuckin' business."
"Why'd you marry him?"
"Get fucked."
So much for conversation with little Miss Charm.
There was a long line of cars at the border. It was getting dark and
he was more nervous by the minute.
Suga sat in the back, chewing gum, perfectly calm.
By this time he imagined the suitcase was filled with cocaine.
They'd throw him in jail for fifty years if he was caught. Never
again.
This was it.
By the time they reached the guard, he was sweating through his
clothes.
The guard leaned down and looked through the window. "Do you have any
fruits, vegetables or plants?" he asked, peering into the back of the
car.
"No, just one juvenile delinquent I'm delivering to her parents," Nick
said pleasantly. Jeer, he actually sounded cool!
"Okay," the guard said, walking away.
Okay? Did that mean they could go?
Apparently it did. He put his window up and drove the car out of
there.
"Faster!" Suga urged from the back.
"I gotta stop an' take a piss."
"No!" she yelled. "Get away from the fuckin' border."
By the time they reached San Diego he was on a high. It was so easy,
like nothing. Christ, he could make this trip twice a day if he had
to. He checked out the rearview mirror. Suga was busy wriggling out
of her schoolgirl clothes and struggling into a short skirt and tight
sweater.
"Hey," he said. "Now you can tell me. What's in the case?"
"Two hundred and fifty thousand buckerooneys," she said casually.
"Wanna take it an' run off together, Nick?"
"Are you shittin' me?"
She hitched her skirt down. "Would I do that?"
"No drugs?"
"You think I'd have anything to do with drugs?" she sniffed
indignantly. "What I need is to find me a guy with enough balls to
split.
Manny would track us, but we'd have the money, wouldn't we? We could
vanish good."
Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars! Holy shit! What if he dumped
her and took off by himself?
For a moment he thought about it. But only for a moment. He had no
desire to spend the rest of his life running from Manny Manfred.
"Well?" Suga challenged. "You got the balls or not?"
The little bitch was testing him so she could report back to Manny.
"Whyn't you shut up," he said.
"Dumb prick," she muttered. "I meant it, you know."
He never found out if she was putting him on or not, because as soon as
they got back to the garage she jumped out of the car and vanished.
Luigi opened the trunk, removed the suitcase and brought it to Manny's
office.
"When do I get paid?" Nick asked, following him.
"Don't sweat it. Nobody's leaving town," Luigi said.
I made a mistake. I should have gotten the money up front. Now
they're gonna screw me.
"I did the run, I took the risk. I want my money.
"Later," Luigi threw over his shoulder.
He followed him all the way into Manny's office, where Luigi put the
suitcase down. "I want my money," he repeated.
"Yeah, Nick, sure," Manny said, producing a thick bankroll and peeling
off hundred-dollar bills. "Here ya go, ya did a nice job."
He didn't trust the fat man. Standing in front of his desk he counted
the bills. "There's only a thousand here," he said.
"That's right," Manny answered, reaching for a handful of cashews. "A
thousand for the first run, two grand for the second."
"No. We had a deal-two grand for this run."
"Tell ya what I'll do," Manny said magnanimously, crunching on the
nuts. "I'll split the difference. Ya get fifteen hundred for this
run, an' two an' a half for the next. How's that?"
Nick was angry. "Who the fuck d'you think you're dealing with?"
Manny's voice hardened. "Some punk kid who's lucky to have a job."
"I want my two thousand, Manny, or you'll regret it."
Manny's beady little eyes froze. "I'll regret it? You're threatening
me?"
"I know what's in the suitcase."
"Howdja know that?"
Suga might be a pain in the ass but he wasn't about to put her away.
"Do I get my two grand?"
Manny wheezed with laughter. "You're okay, kid. Q.J. said ya was."
He peeled off ten more bills and handed them over. "Ya can work for me
any Yeah, like he wanted to. Snatching the money, he walked out.
"See ya tomorrow," Luigi called after him. "Mr. Evans is comin' back
t'town. Nine p.m. LAX. Don't be late."
Fuck Mr. Evans.
Fuck Glamour Limousines.
He had his two grand-this was the last they'd see of him.
you can't leave," Nature shrieked.
"I have to," Lauren said.
"But why?" Nature demanded petulantly. She was so used to getting her
own way that she didn't understand the word no.
Nature was involved in a full-fledged affair with Emerson Burn. It was
not peaceful-another reason why Lauren had decided to move on. Their
screaming fights were legendary. Even worse, their passionate
reconciliations.
Valiantly she tried to explain. "I feel like I'm living in your
shadow.
It's time I got my life back on track."
Nature pouted. "We're having fun, ein't we?"
"Yes, but it's not enough for me."
Reluctantly Nature accepted defeat. "What will you do? Work for Samm
again?"
She shook her head. "I was thinking of starting my own businesskind of
a . . . you know, like a Girl Friday."
"Girl Friday? What's that?" Nature asked, hooting with laughter.
"Someone who does everything. I'll put myself out for hire and people
will pay me by the hour. I can even work for you occasionally."
"That's nice."
"Actually, I've been speaking to Pia and she's going to be leaving
Samm's."
Nature raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Pia's quitting? Samm'll have a
freaking fit."
Lauren hadn't planned on confiding in Nature, but now she couldn't stop
herself. "We've already talked about going into business together.
We'd call ourselves Help Unlimited."
Nature nodded. "Sounds good to me-but only if I can get you back any
time."
Lauren grinned. "Pay my hourly rate and I'm all yours!"
Help Unlimited was an instant hit. Word traveled fast, and before they
knew it Lauren and Pia were inundated with clients. In fact so many
that after the first three months they had to hire
two helpers. It was
a hectic existence. One day Lauren found herself watering houseplants
in a Park Avenue duplex and the next organizing a fantastic midnight
dinner for thirty on top of the Empire State Building!
Pia had met a man she was crazy about. His name was Howard Liberty,
and he was an executive with Liberty and Charles-one of the most
prestigious advertising agencies in New York. Howard was short and
sandy-haired with a pleasing personality. Lauren liked him
immediately.
"Good, because we're talking marriage," Pia admitted excitedly.
Nature's affair with Emerson Burn continued on its erratic course.
Once in a while he would call on the services of Help Unlimited, but
Lauren always made sure Pia dealt with him. Somehow she never felt
comfortable in his presence.
Every so often someone tried to fix her up, even though they knew she
wasn't open to a new relationship. She'd erected a wall around her
emotional life and it was there to stay. All her energy was directed
toward creating a successful business.
"What are you gonna do-stay celibate?" Nature asked.
"I don't have to jump in and out of bed to be happy," she replied
calmly. "I'm building a business."
"You're really strange," Nature said, shaking her head. "No way I
could go without sex.
Big surprise!
ria and Howard fixed a wedding date. "I hope this doesn't mean you'll
be leaving the business," Lauren said.
"No way!" Pia replied adamantly. "I certainly don't plan on sitting
home having babies."
"Good!" Lauren said, relieved.
One Monday morning Nature called at six a.m. Lauren groped for the
phone in her sleep.
"It's me!" Nature screeched. "I'm in Vegas. I bleedin' got hitched,
didn't I?"
"Hitched?"
"Married, of course! Me an' Emerson finally did it."
"Oh, no," Lauren mumbled.
"What do you mean, Oh, no? Ang out the flags. I'm bleedin' Mrs.
Emerson Burn, ein't I!"
Lauren couldn't think of a worse combination. The two of them together
were much too volatile, they'd kill each other. She struggled to sit
up. "Why did you do it?"
"Oh, this is nice," Nature said. "You're the first person I call, an'
all I get is negative shit. We're in love, Lauren. In love!"
"Does the press know?"
"Not yet."
"When they find out you'll be inundated."
"Emerson's calling is manager. I expect they'll arrange a press
conference. Can you fly out here to be with me? I'll pay."
"You don't have to pay. If you want me, I'm there."
"We're flying back to L.A. this afternoon. Emerson's a bleedin' maniac
at the tables-there's no controlling im. Gotta get im outta ere
quick.
Tell you what, why don't you meet us at is L.A. house tomorrow? Oh,
an' do me a big favor."
"Name it."
"Call Samm an' tell her. If I caller, she'll only scream at me.
Samm took the news stoically. It wasn't the first time one of her
girls had run off and married a rock star, and it wouldn't be the
last.
Pia wasn't thrilled when Lauren informed her she was flying to L.A.
"You know I'm getting married next week. I need you here," she said.
"I'll be back," Lauren assured her. "All the arrangements are in
lace-everything will go smoothly. And I promise you I'll be here."
"Why do you have to go?" Pia complained.
"Because Nature is my friend," Lauren said.
"Ha!" Pia exclaimed. "Nature likes you because you do things for
her.
Trust Pia to be cynical. "Thanks a lot."
Pia sighed. "What will you do? Sit by the pool watching them fight
while I run the business all by myself?"
"Come on, Pia," she said persuasively. "I've never been to L.A. I'll
only stay a few days."
By the time she'd organized her departure, Nature and Emerson's
marriage had hit the airwaves in a big way. Even though Nature had
said there were no press present, photographs of them began appearing
everywhere. Nature in a short white minidress lovingly feeding Emerson
wedding cake. Emerson in black leather, his mane of shaggy hair
falling way below his shoulders. Nature grinning. Emerson scowling.
They looked happy.
They looked stoned.
Lauren sat on the American Airlines flight studying the New York
Post.
A picture of Nature and Emerson dominated the front page.
"Rock stars," sniffed a blue-haired woman in the next seat.
"They're all degenerates, you know."
Lauren ignored the woman and closed her eyes. She was en route to L.A.
It was a long way from Bosewell.
Embarking from the plane she felt like a movie star. A uniformed black
driver greeted her at the gate and accompanied her to the luggage
carousel, where she pointed out her one small suitcase.
He looked surprised. "That it?"
"That's it," she replied, sure it must be a disappointment for him
having to meet a nobody like her. But he seemed quite cheerful as she
followed him outside to the limo.
Everything in Los Angeles seemed bigger and better. The sky was bluer,
the trees greener, and the limousine she climbed into was longer and
more luxurious than any limo she'd ever seen. It was white with black
windows, and inside there were tiny lights dotted all around the sides
"Ever been to L.A. before?" the driver asked as they cruised along the
freeway.
"Never," she replied, settling back into the luxurious leather
upholstery.
"It's a trip," he said, peering at her through the rearview mirror.
"I've been out here ten years now. Came from Chicago. Name's
Tucker."
"And you like it better here?" she asked politely.
"L.A. life is easy."
"How long have you worked for Emerson Burn?"
"Six months. He's a good guy. Sometimes I get to travel with him."
"I guess his marriage surprised you."
Tucker laughed. "When it comes to rock n rollers, nothing surprises
me."
Emerson lived in a mansion high in the hills of Bel Air. A guard waved
Tucker through, and the huge gates closed behind them as the limo
snaked its way up a long winding driveway. At the top of the hill was
the largest house Lauren had ever seen.
As soon as the limousine drew up to the front door Nature came running
out, wearing a red polka-dot bikini. "You're here!" she screamed
happily. "About bleedin' time." They hugged warmly.
"Come on in," Nature said, pulling her through the massive front
door.
"Welcome to me ever so umble home."
The house was a palace. High vaulted ceilings, old masters on the wall
and heavy overstuffed furniture." Course, it's not exactly my taste,
but I'll soon get im to change everything," Nature said
matterof-factly, dragging Lauren through a domed-ceiling hallway toward
the pool in the back.
"It doesn't look like his taste either," Lauren remarked, taking in
everything.
"Some queen decorator did it," Nature said off handedly. "Probably
; wanted to give im one." She laughed at the thought. "C'mon outside
an' congratulate the bridegroom."
Emerson Burn rested on a lounger beside an enormous blue pool wearing
nothing but a black Speedo bikini.
Lauren's eyes traveled to the bulge. Either he used padding or
everything you saw up on stage was the real thing.
His shaggy mane was bunched into a ponytail emerging from a black
baseball cap. Ominous black shades covered his eyes. On either side
of him was a small table. One held a phone, a tall jug of apple juice,
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