Goddess of Vengeance - Jackie Collins [108]
‘Hey – Venus,’ Kev piped up. ‘Long time no see.’
Venus gave Kev an imperious wave of her hand – her signature move when dealing with an annoying presence. She and Kev had never gotten along. When Kev was his assistant she’d insisted that Billy fire him. He hadn’t done so, which had made her resent Kev even more.
Suddenly the theatre next door to the restaurant began hemorrhaging crowds of people. The Gerald M. concert was over, and hundreds of excited fans were on the loose.
Venus’s bodyguards closed ranks around their precious star, and immediately began moving her off.
Billy decided he’d better get going before he was spotted.
Too late. A gaggle of delirious women descended on him yelling his name. Soon he was surrounded by screaming fans.
Where was Kev when he needed him?
* * *
‘I get edgy in crowds,’ Ace said, as they fought their way out of the theatre. ‘This is a freakin’ nightmare.’
‘Stay cool,’ Max whispered, as a fat woman inadvertently shoved her in the back. ‘It’ll soon be over. Then we’ll go find an In-N-Out Burger – that’ll put a smile on your face.’
‘You got that right,’ Ace said, grabbing her hand.
‘Shouldn’t we be heading backstage?’ Frankie said, stopping and indicating a side door where a select group of VIPs were being assembled to be escorted back to pay homage to Gerald M.
‘Yeah, right,’ Cookie answered vaguely. She’d hoped he wouldn’t notice, but obviously he knew the routine. Major stars always had their assistants gather together the people who merited a pass, then bring them back to the luxurious private bar where they patiently waited their turn for an audience with the star. Such bullshit.
Frankie changed direction and headed for the side door, while Cookie pulled on Max’s arm and hissed, ‘You gotta come with us. Puh-leeze!’
‘Oh, for crap’s sake!’ Max complained. ‘This entire night is turning out to be all about you.’
‘Ten minutes,’ Cookie pleaded. ‘Then we’ll go wherever you an’ Ace want.’
‘What he wants is for us to be by ourselves,’ Max said, wishing she was anywhere but here.
‘You can do that anytime.’
‘Not really, considering Ace doesn’t live anywhere near me.’
‘He should move,’ Cookie sniffed.
‘Maybe he will. But tonight I have to do what he wants. He drove all this way just to be with me, that has to count for something.’
‘Okay, okay,’ Cookie said impatiently. ‘Ten minutes, that’s all I ask.’
‘Fine,’ Max sighed. ‘After that you’re totally on your own.’
* * *
It didn’t thrill Venus, running into Billy. She supposed he must be in Vegas for the fights. He was with his horrible friend, Kev – always a bone of contention in their marriage. She’d always suspected Kev was a bad influence, therefore she’d never trusted him. She was sure he’d always been trying to hook Billy up with random girls on the side.
At least Billy wasn’t with that little tramp, his most recent co-star, Willow Price – famous for flashing her snatch at every photographer in town.
Her bodyguards hustled her through the casino and into a waiting limo hovering kerbside. Jorge trotted behind them, and jumped onto the seat next to her.
‘Where to, Miss Venus?’ the driver inquired.
‘Back to The Keys,’ she said to the driver, removing Jorge’s hand from her thigh. ‘Stop at the private entrance to Mood.’ She turned to Jorge. ‘Do you dance?’
He nodded.
‘Excellent, ’cause I feel like letting loose.’
* * *
‘You told Cassie about the Bahamas yet?’ Bobby asked.
‘I’m gonna surprise her,’ M.J. replied. ‘Kinda zip her out to the airport from Max’s party. She’ll never know what hit her.’
‘Girls don’t like surprises,’ Bobby warned. ‘They’re into preparing and all that crap.’
‘Preparing what?’ M.J. said. ‘I’ll buy her anything she needs when we get there.’
‘If you really think that’s the way to go.’
‘Yeah. She’ll love it.’
‘Okay, she’ll love it,’ Bobby said, although he didn’t believe it for a moment.
‘Cassie wants me to meet up with some super-agent who’s considering representing her,’ M.J. said, signalling