Hollywood Wives - the New Generation Read Free Page B

brother too.
    And sometimes she wasn't sure which one of the Richter brothers she
loved the most.

Chapter Two
     
    Lissa Roman had three best female friends, plus one token male. They
called themselves the New Hollywood Wives, and tried to get together at
least once a month, which wasn't easy, because they were all
exceptionally busy -except James, who played house-husband to his black
male lover, Hollywood music mogul, Claude St Lucia.
    'Look at you ladies go,' James was inclined to say, raising his
well-groomed eyebrows. 'Why not play it like me and do absolutely
nothing? It's so much
easier.'
    James was tall and English, with dark blond hair worn a tad too
long, and fine aristocratic features. He was extremely lazy, and a
loyal friend who could be relied upon to listen to all their problems,
and between the four women that meant a lot of problems.
    Lissa never felt the need to visit a shrink, she had James to depend
on, although she didn't tell him
everything
, and she
certainly wasn't about to reveal her suspicions about Gregg.
    Today they were meeting at Mister Chow's - a long time popular
hang-out on Camden Drive.
    Lissa got there first, safely delivered by her permanent driver,
Chuck, a large, bald black man, who doubled as her bodyguard. She'd
learned the hard way that she couldn't be too careful. She'd had her
share of stalkers, freaks and over-zealous fans. Caution was second
nature to her now.
    Then James walked in, debonair as usual in a casual Armani sports
jacket and perfectly pressed jeans. James loved clothes, Claude loved
buying them for him.
    Taylor Singer arrived next. Taylor was a tall, striking woman in her
mid-thirties, with cat-like green eyes, long wavy hair, and
well-defined features. She was married to Lawrence Singer, mega
Oscar-winning writer-director-producer. Taylor was an actress who had
plans to direct and star in her own project, a movie she'd been
developing and talking about for two years. So far it hadn't happened,
but with steely determination, and a great deal of help from her
powerful husband, she was sure it was about to.
    She was followed by Stella Rossiter, a short, dynamic blonde, who
produced movies with her husband, Seth, a man thirty years older than
his pretty, smart-mouthed third wife. Together they were a
well-respected, powerhouse couple who consistently made hit films.
    Stella was pregnant. Well, actually
she
wasn't - she was
far too busy to put up with the inconvenience of pregnancy so a mix of
her
eggs and Seth's sperm had been fertilized and implanted in a surrogate
mother. Stella was delighted to inform anyone who would listen that
they were about to give birth to twins. Seth's three adult children
from his two former marriages were not thrilled. Nor were his ex-wives.
    And finally, in strolled Kyndra, sultry queen of the divas, making
her usual late entrance.
    Lissa glanced pointedly at her watch. 'What is
this
?
Black time?' she demanded good-naturedly.
    'Oh, honey,' Kyndra answered in her low-down smoky voice. 'You all
would
still
be sittin' here come midnight if this was black
time!'
    Everyone laughed, while Kyndra settled into her seat. She was a
voluptuous woman, with a huge bosom, long Tina Turner legs, and clouds
of thick, dark curls surrounding a strong sexual face. She'd been
married for twenty-four years to Norio Domingo, one of the most
successful record producers in the music business. 'Come tomorrow,
Norio and I are in the recording studio,' Kyndra drawled, 'an' that's
the last you'll see of us until our party. So get this mama a lychee
martini an' let's
dish!
'
    It was Lissa's lunch, so she signalled to the waiter, ordered drinks
and all kinds of tempting starters from chopped seaweed to honey
spare-ribs. The food would probably sit there, as everyone - including
James - seemed to be on a permanent diet. But it was a good idea to
have it on the table just in case anyone was in an eating mood.
    'You're on, James,' Lissa said, turning to her best male