Jackie Collins, page 36
Nature heard, she made a special trip to the office, shrieking, "This
is bleedin' smashing! So, e's not a fag after all!"
Trust Nature to come right out with it.
From the moment they'd slept together Jimmy had started talking about
marriage. He wanted to do it immediately. "What's the point of
waiting?" he'd demanded.
The point ofwaiting is to decide whether we're making a mistake.
Samm was right-six weeks was not a lot of time to get to know
somebody.
But the more she got to know Jimmy, the more special she decided he
was, and certainly different from the other men she'd come across in
New York.
Even so, at first she'd said no.
"Why not?" Jimmy persisted.
She could think of no good reason.
He'd pressed until she finally changed her mind. Jimmy was attractive,
serious about his work, a good lover, and he genuinely seemed to care
for her. Besides, she was swept up in the excitement of his desire.
And the thought of belonging to someone and being safe was too tempting
to resist.
She didn't love him-whatever love was. But maybe that would come in
time.
Once she'd said yes, they both agreed they should do it as soon as
possible. For one rash moment she'd considered calling her aunt and
uncle in Philadelphia, but then she'd changed her mind. Who needed
Brad knowing? Besides, both she and Jimmy wanted the ceremony to be as
simple as possible.
"What about your family?" she'd asked.
"We lost touch," he'd said vaguely.
"How come?"
He'd raised an eyebrow. "Am I questioning you?"
Soul mates.
Pia announced she wanted to throw her a wedding shower, but she was
soon overruled by Nature, who decided a proper bachelor-girl bash was
more in order. "You deserve it," Nature announced cheerfully. "You
work ever so hard lookin' after us all, now it's our turn to do
something for you.
In a way Lauren wished she hadn't told anybody. Maybe it would have
been better if they'd just done it quietly with no fuss.
Too late now, Nature had plans.
Lauren protested, but Nature-as usual-refused to listen. "Be at me
apartment next Saturday at six o'clock. And don't expect to get home
until three in the morning-that's if you're lucky!"
There was no point in fighting Nature, she was like a great big Mack
truck. The safest thing to do was climb aboard and enjoy the ride.
As the days passed Lauren realized leaving Samm's was going to be a
wrench-she'd made so many good friends there. But Jimmy assured her it
would be fun for her to help him out at his studio, and it didn't seem
like such a bad idea.
Meanwhile there was so much to do. They had to take blood tests, get a
marriage license-and finally she went shopping with Pia, searching for
the perfect outfit, which Samm insisted on paying for.
By the night of the wedding shower she was a wreck. Nature was in top
form, screaming and yelling all over the place. She'd ordered a convoy
of limos for the night, and following behind the limos she surprised
everyone with six leather-jacketed bikers sitting astride their
Harleys.
"Ein't it nice having an escort," Nature joked, winking
conspiratorially at the convoy of guys. "Muscles an' black leather-me
favorite combination!"
First they went to an Italian restaurant, where everyone presented
Lauren with their gifts. She managed to put a good face on it, opening
the presents one by one and dutifully exclaiming that each gift was
exactly what she wanted.
Nature presented her with a huge black vibrator, which elicited much
mirth around the table.
When she was finished with her gifts, one of the better-looking bikers
swaggered into the restaurant, hit a button on a tape machine and
proceeded to do a raunchy strip to the Stones' "Satisfaction." He was
merely the appetizer, because from there they all piled back into the
limos and headed for a male strip club.
Lauren watched in fascinated amazement as the guys at the club proudly
presented their assets-thrusting them into the eager audience's
faces.
"Too many dicks," Pia said solemnly.
"Don't you mean assholes?" Lauren murmured, longing to get out of
there.
Nature was in her element-hooting and hollering at the guys to take it
off, sticking ten-dollar bills down their G-strings, loving every
minute.
At last it was over, and they dropped her back at her apartment.
She fell thankfully into bed. As far as she was concerned the evening
had been a nightmare-like some dreadful hazing ceremony. Still they'd
meant well, and she was lucky to have people who cared about her.
The next day she gave up her apartment and moved all her things over to
Jimmy's place. That night they ate dinner by candlelight and made
love. For the first time since leaving Bosewell Lauren felt she
finally belonged somewhere, and she knew that her decision to marry
Jimmy was the right one. She fell asleep in his arms, happy and
content.
The day before the wedding Pia picked her up and took her over to her
place. "You can't stay with your future husband the night before the
wedding," she scolded. "It's big bad luck."
In the morning Nature arrived, breezing through Pia's apartment,
bossily taking over." Ere," she said, removing a large sapphire ring
from her finger. "Youll wear this. It covers borrowed, blue and
new.
Now all we've got to worry about is getting you something old."
Pia produced a pair of exquisite filigree earrings. "These were my
great-grandmother's," she said, handing them over. "I'd be honored if
you wore them."
Lauren put on the oyster satin suit Samm had bought her, Pia's earrings
and the sapphire ring.
Nature peered at her critically. "I wish you'd let me fix your air."
"I like it just the way it is."
"Yeah, all neat and understated," Nature replied. "Unlike me," she
added, fluffing out her blond curls.
"You look beautiful, Lauren," Pia whispered.
They set off in a white stretch limousine-Nature's choice. "Shut your
eyes and pretend you're a rock star," she giggled.
By the time they arrived at City Hall Lauren's stomach was doing
somersaults. The driver helped her out of the car and she entered the
building, flanked by her friends.
They bumped into Samm by the elevator. "How are you feeling?"
Samm asked, chic as ever in a scarlet Chanel suit.
"Nervous," she replied.
"It doesn't show. You look lovely."
"Thanks." Her throat felt dry as she clutched her corsage of white
orchids and wished that everything was over and done with.
Pia and Nature ushered her into a side room to await the arrival of the
bridegroom. Jimmy was coming alone. When she'd asked him who his best
man was, he'd replied he didn't want one. "I travel solo," he'd
said.
Fine with her. Maybe that's why they got along so well.
She couldn't sit still. She got up, pacing nervously up and down the
small room, her mind racing this way and that. A few minutes seemed
like an eternity.
Nature kept checking her watch. "E's bleedin' late, ein'the," she
finally said in an exasperated voice.
"Maybe it's the traffic," Pia said, giving her a warning look.
"Yeah, well, bleedin' traffic or not, e's late. S'not nice to be late
for your own wedding."
After fifteen minutes, Pia slipped out of the room, found a pay phone
and called Jimmy's apartment. There was no answer.
Nature cornered her in the corridor. "What the ell's going on?
Where is the scummy bastard?"
Pia shook her head. "I have no idea."
"You wait downstairs," Nature said, "while I keeper busy here."
Another twenty minutes passed and Jimmy still hadn't shown up.
Pia called Samm out of the room and Nature joined them in the corridor
for a conference.
"Looks like e's dumped her," Nature said. "What a lowlife!"
"Has somebody called his apartment?" Samm asked.
"Yes. I did," Pia said. "There's no answer.
Samm shook her head, she'd had a feeling about Jimmy Cassady.
"What shall we do?" Pia asked.
"Fuck im!" Nature said. "Men! They're all no bleedin' good."
By the time an hour had elapsed it was obvious Jimmy wasn't coming.
Lauren took the news stoically, although she was breaking up inside.
Pia, Nature and Samm accompanied her back to his apartment.
There was a note pinned to the refrigerator door.
Sorry! Gone on assignment to Africa. Be back in a few months.
You can stay at the apartment until you find a place.
Lauren read the note twice before handing it to the others.
"Bastard!" exclaimed Nature, scanning it quickly.
"Oh, dear," said Pia.
Samm was more eloquent. "That lousy son of a bitch! I never trusted
him."
Lauren felt totally blank. Another rejection. It didn't matter.
Nothing mattered. One thing she knew. She would never trust any man
again. Never. Of that she was sure.
I he proposition was this-Manny wanted him to take the limo across the
border into Tijuana, pick up a passenger at the Tijuana Sunset Hotel
and then drive back into the U.S. It sounded simple enough.
"That's it?" Nick asked warily.
"Easy, huh?" Manny leaned back in his oversized chair, double chins
wobbling.
"Sure," he replied. "Depending on what the passenger's carrying."
"Let's make it none of your business," Manny said, rubbing his chin.
"That way you don't know from nothin'."
Nick decided he wouldn't trust Manny with a nun, but he sensed an
opportunity to make money, and since his stash from Chicago was fast
running out he investigated further. "How much?"
Manny shot him a knowing wink. "More than you're making now."
iisten," he said, "I don't know what I'm bringing in, but I ain't
crossin' the border for less than two grand."
That's a lotta money."
"The way I'm hearin', it's a lotta risk."
"Okay, okay," Manny said grudgingly.
The fat man had agreed too readily. Nick immediately wished he'd asked
for more. "When's this supposed to take place?" he asked.
"Sometime next week. Things are bein' set up now.
"Who's the passenger?"
"A schoolkid."
"A schoolkid?"
"Yeah. Wanna make something outta it?"
Nick knew he was stepping onto dangerous territory. There was no way
Manny's activities were legal. Did he really want to get involved?
Yeah-for two grand he really wanted to get involved.
"I got somebody for ya t'meet," Manny said.
"Who?"
"A special broad, so keep her outta your dirty mind."
Oh? Like he was going to hit on a girl that had anything to do with
Manny. Fat chance.
Manny hit a buzzer and the door opened.
"Say hello to Suga," Manny said, presenting her as if she was the Queen
of England. "Suga an' me-we been together five years. Married for
two," he added proudly. "Happy as a coupla sandbugs."
Suga was twenty-three, looked sixteen and acted as if she was twelve.
Her dress of choice was black rubber, barely making it to the top of
her chubby thighs, worn with lace-up white boots and as much fake gold
jewelry as she could manage without falling down. She was top-heavy,
short, her flesh was rosy and her hair shoulder-length spikes of dyed
blond with inch-long black roots. She smoked nonstop, chewed gum and
bit her nails.
Stationing herself next to her husband she stared balefully at Nick.
She had small beady eyes surrounded by too much makeup and mean little
lips curved in a perpetual sneer.
"Suga's a classy broad," Manny said, talking about her as if she wasn't
present. "Helps me with a lotta things."
Yeah, Nick thought, I bet she does.
"I figured you two should meet," Manny continued, touching his wife on
the thigh, "on accounta it's Suga you'll be collectin' in Tijuana."
Jesus Christ, what was he getting into? "You said it was a
schoolkid."
"Don't worry-she'll be dressed like one.
7
"You're putting me on.
Suga spoke up, her voice a shrill squeak. "Screw you," she said,
chewing gum like an angry cow.
This was going to be some trip.
Joy Byron's acting class was held in an empty warehouse on the wrong
side of Wilshire. Joy Byron herself was an elderly Englishwoman with a
voice like a hacksaw. She wore a long flowered dress on her bony body
and carried a parasol, giving her a somewhat eccentric Madwoman of
Chaillot look.
Nick would never admit it to anyone, but he was dead nervous. "So uh,
like, what do I do?" he asked, trying to sound cool.
"Nothing," Annie said. "You're merely an observer. Will you relax."
"Okay, okay," he said, wondering why he was putting himself through
this.
She grabbed his hand. "Come on, I'll take you over to meet her."
Reluctantly he allowed himself to be led across the room.
"Miss Byron," Annie said, "this is a friend of mine. Is it okay for
him to sit in?"
Joy Byron turned around and studied him. "And what is your name, young
man?" she asked in imperious tones.
"Nick," he mumbled.
"Do we have a surname?"
Nick Angelo."
"Lose the 0."
"She gestured theatrically. "Nick Angel-I can see it on marquees
now.
"Yeah?"
"But of course." She turned to speak to another student and Annie
pulled him away. "She likes you."
"How do you know?"
"I can tell."
He grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm not just anybody."
"That's what I like about you, Nick-no ego. Come on, we'll grab a seat
over here."
His eyes darted around the large musty room. There was a bunch of guys
in T-shirts and jeans doing their best Brando imitations, and lots of
pretty girls who seemed to take themselves much too seriously Actors.
Just like him.
When everybody was settled Joy Byron stood at the front and addressed
the class. "Today we shall speak about motivation," she said.
Long dramatic pause. "When I worked with Olivier, Gielgud, in fact all
the English greats, one of their first thoughts before going on stage
was motivation, motivation, what exactly is my motivation."
Nick could see this was going to be different from drama classes with
Betty Harris way back in Bosewell. And he was right. Joy Byron
