the queen’s arm in case he should flit off, when a girl said, ‘Sunday. How great to see you. How are you?’
She looked at the girl. Very trampy with long blonde hair, and a busty figure crammed into a shiny red dress. Sunday knew she had seen her somewhere before, but she couldn’t for the life of her think where.
‘Hello,’ she said.
The girl laughed. ‘Don’t you remember me? Dindi Sydne – Prince Benno’s friend. We all used to go to the beach together in Rome. You and Paulo – gee, I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t mention him. It was so awful what happened. Benno was heartbroken. Anyway, you remember me, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Vaguely she remembered her.
‘Well, here I am. Back in my home town,’ Dindi continued. ‘It just didn’t work out with Benno. Anyway, I was offered a movie, so here I am again. Would you believe I had to go all the way to Rome to get a job here? Ain’t life funny? You look great. Are you having a good time? Your publicity’s wonderful. Hey, did you see Steve Magnum yet? I’d love to meet him. Do you know him?’
Sunday shook her head. She knew who he was, of course. A film star, swinger, four-times married (all to famous ladies) millionaire. At least that’s what one read about him.
‘He’s a great friend of Jack Milan’s,’ Dindi said, ‘so I guess you’ll meet him. I haven’t even met Jack yet. My date is a real creep cameraman. Doesn’t know anyone. I don’t know how the hell he got invited in the first place. By the way, where are you staying? Let’s get together.’
‘The Château Marmont. But I really don’t go out much and—’
‘We’ll soon change that. I can fix you up with some live ones. Things can get a little dull around here if you just mix with the importants. Agreed, that’s a good scene, but a little action on the side doesn’t hurt. I’ll call you, must rush now, there’s a director over there I’ve had my eye on for weeks.’
Dindi wriggled off in her tight dress, and Sunday found herself standing alone. She looked around. The party was in full swing. Soon, she hoped, they would serve dinner and then her ordeal would be over.
She felt very much alone, but that had been a constant feeling ever since Paulo’s death. In the few months beforehand, she had watched him degrade himself. Would she ever forget the lengths he had gone to in hiding the drugs from her? Burrowing beneath the tiles in the bathroom like a dog, hiding little stores under the mattress, in the light fixtures, even on the narrow ledges outside the windows of their apartment. In the end she had been thinking about divorce, and the week before he died had threatened him with it. He had cried like a baby, making her fervent promises of how good he would be, how this time he was cured.
‘Sunday, dear,’ Ellie Milan bore down on her, ‘I’m putting you at a table with Jack. Table number two, you’ll see a place card for yourself. I’m trying to get everyone seated.’
She smiled. ‘Thank you.’ She followed the groups of people drifting towards the tables.
Dindi was sitting earnestly at a table, her hand laid casually on top of a fat man’s arm. His eyes were glued firmly down her neckline.
‘Hi there, Sunday.’ Jack Milan waved at her from table two.
She went over, returning his smile and shaking hands with the people already sitting there, to whom he introduced her. Abe Stein was among them, with a horse-faced wife who glared.
She was seated next to Jack on one side, with two vacant chairs on the other.
‘You look wonderful,’ he said. ‘And great in the dailies too. I understand Radiant are giving you a contract.’
‘Well, they have offered me one, but I’m not taking it. I don’t believe in long-term contracts, they’re too restricting.’
There was a short shocked silence from everyone.
Abe said, ‘I’d take it if I were you.’
‘ I haven’t done too badly,’ Jack said mildly. ‘I’ve been with Radiant
She looked at the girl. Very trampy with long blonde hair, and a busty figure crammed into a shiny red dress. Sunday knew she had seen her somewhere before, but she couldn’t for the life of her think where.
‘Hello,’ she said.
The girl laughed. ‘Don’t you remember me? Dindi Sydne – Prince Benno’s friend. We all used to go to the beach together in Rome. You and Paulo – gee, I’m sorry, I guess I shouldn’t mention him. It was so awful what happened. Benno was heartbroken. Anyway, you remember me, don’t you?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Vaguely she remembered her.
‘Well, here I am. Back in my home town,’ Dindi continued. ‘It just didn’t work out with Benno. Anyway, I was offered a movie, so here I am again. Would you believe I had to go all the way to Rome to get a job here? Ain’t life funny? You look great. Are you having a good time? Your publicity’s wonderful. Hey, did you see Steve Magnum yet? I’d love to meet him. Do you know him?’
Sunday shook her head. She knew who he was, of course. A film star, swinger, four-times married (all to famous ladies) millionaire. At least that’s what one read about him.
‘He’s a great friend of Jack Milan’s,’ Dindi said, ‘so I guess you’ll meet him. I haven’t even met Jack yet. My date is a real creep cameraman. Doesn’t know anyone. I don’t know how the hell he got invited in the first place. By the way, where are you staying? Let’s get together.’
‘The Château Marmont. But I really don’t go out much and—’
‘We’ll soon change that. I can fix you up with some live ones. Things can get a little dull around here if you just mix with the importants. Agreed, that’s a good scene, but a little action on the side doesn’t hurt. I’ll call you, must rush now, there’s a director over there I’ve had my eye on for weeks.’
Dindi wriggled off in her tight dress, and Sunday found herself standing alone. She looked around. The party was in full swing. Soon, she hoped, they would serve dinner and then her ordeal would be over.
She felt very much alone, but that had been a constant feeling ever since Paulo’s death. In the few months beforehand, she had watched him degrade himself. Would she ever forget the lengths he had gone to in hiding the drugs from her? Burrowing beneath the tiles in the bathroom like a dog, hiding little stores under the mattress, in the light fixtures, even on the narrow ledges outside the windows of their apartment. In the end she had been thinking about divorce, and the week before he died had threatened him with it. He had cried like a baby, making her fervent promises of how good he would be, how this time he was cured.
‘Sunday, dear,’ Ellie Milan bore down on her, ‘I’m putting you at a table with Jack. Table number two, you’ll see a place card for yourself. I’m trying to get everyone seated.’
She smiled. ‘Thank you.’ She followed the groups of people drifting towards the tables.
Dindi was sitting earnestly at a table, her hand laid casually on top of a fat man’s arm. His eyes were glued firmly down her neckline.
‘Hi there, Sunday.’ Jack Milan waved at her from table two.
She went over, returning his smile and shaking hands with the people already sitting there, to whom he introduced her. Abe Stein was among them, with a horse-faced wife who glared.
She was seated next to Jack on one side, with two vacant chairs on the other.
‘You look wonderful,’ he said. ‘And great in the dailies too. I understand Radiant are giving you a contract.’
‘Well, they have offered me one, but I’m not taking it. I don’t believe in long-term contracts, they’re too restricting.’
There was a short shocked silence from everyone.
Abe said, ‘I’d take it if I were you.’
‘ I haven’t done too badly,’ Jack said mildly. ‘I’ve been with Radiant
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