Chapter Eight
“You realize Elena is probably really pissed off at you right now.” I broke the silence when we were seated at our usual table.
“Yeah, probably.” Billy perused the menu.
“Don’t you care?”
“Not really.”
I stared at him. How could he be so cold towards her feelings if he was seriously dating her?
“Miss Stanfield, would you like to order your usual meal?” The waiter interrupted my thoughts.
“Yes please.” I handed him my unread menu.
“Mr. Stone?”
“I’ll have the lasagna, please.”
“Of course, sir.”
As Billy handed his menu to the waiter, he caught my gaze.
“What?”
“How can you be so flippant towards your girlfriend’s feelings?”
“What girlfriend?” Billy looked genuinely confused.
“Elena,” I annunciated.
“You think Elena is my girlfriend?” He seemed astounded at my thoughts.
“Yes,” I sarcastically answered. “I think Elena does too.”
“What? No, she doesn’t.”
“Billy, you can’t be that oblivious. She totally thinks you’re in a relationship.”
“No way.” Billy, looking uneasy, took a drink of his bourbon.
“If you don’t think you are in a relationship with her then you better discuss it with her. You can’t keep blowing her off like you did tonight. It’s not fair to her.” I was shocked at myself for defending Elena’s feelings.
“Yeah, okay, I’ll figure it out, but we are here to talk about what happened with you and Cal.”
“Not much to tell.” It was my turn to be uncomfortable with the conversation.
“What happened?”
I told him all the details of the conversation Cal and I had on the phone.
“He’s such an asshole. You need to get rid of him.”
I didn’t answer. I stared into my wine glass, which was once again filled with apple juice.
“Oh my God, you’ve been thinking about it, haven’t you?”
“Don’t sound so happy about it.” Admitting to it out loud gave me a twang of guilt.
“Sorry, I’ll try to tone it down.” He laughed, I knew he had no intention of doing any such thing.
“Come on, Billy, it’s not funny. I’m torn here. I’ve been with Cal for two years, that’s like a hundred Hollywood relationship years.”
Billy burst out laughing, almost spitting out his drink.
“I honestly don’t know what to do,” I confessed.
“Dump him. You shouldn’t have agreed to marry him in the first place.”
“About that.” I took a big gulp of my apple juice. “I never actually said yes.”
“You never said yes to his proposal?” His smile quickly disappeared and all jocularity was gone from his voice.
“No, he just assumed my hesitation was a yes. When he started celebrating, I didn’t want to upset him, so I didn’t say anything.”
“I’ve been tortured for the past couple of days thinking you enthusiastically agreed to marry him and that wasn’t the case?” He didn’t look too happy, in fact he seemed quite angry.
“I tried to tell you several times.”
“When? Before or after you punched Brianna and Elena?”
“Oh. My. God. I didn’t punch either of them.”
Billy laughed at my response, cutting the tension.
“Between that and people calling me a princess, I’m going to lose it soon.” I brooded.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tease. I knew you were trying to tell me something, but I figured it was about Cal and the wedding and, quite honestly, I didn’t want to hear about it.”
“Well, next time, talk to me and don’t shut me out like that.”
“Next time? Please tell me you aren’t going to torture me again by dating another loser that isn’t good enough for you.”
“Billy, why do you think you’re better for me than anyone else?” It was time for us to get this out in the open.
“I shouldn’t have to tell you why.”
“As I live and breathe.” Before I could respond we were interrupted by someone coming over to our table. “I knew I would find you two here.”
I looked up to see Benny Micheletti, Sonny Micheletti’s brother and supposed second in command. Benny looked exactly like Sonny except for a couple of years younger in age.
“Benny, nice to see you,” Billy warmly greeted him. “What brings you to town?”
“I had some business to take care of here in L.A. I have to fly back to Vegas tomorrow.” Benny sat in the booth with us; Tony and Vince once again just stood at the table, silently.
“Do you guys ever get a night off?” I asked the goons.
Tony gave me a steel gaze and Vince ignored my question.
“I was on my way to your house, but thought I would stop in here first just on the off chance that you were here,” Benny said to Billy.
“How come?” Billy asked.
“I hear from my brother that there is an upcoming wedding in our midst, and I wanted to speak to you about it.” I had a feeling I knew exactly what he wanted to speak to Billy about after Sonny’s previous remarks and it infuriated me.
“Me? Why?” Billy questioned.
“We can discuss it later.”
“No,” I angrily cut in, after watching the exchange. “Talk about it now.”
Benny gave me a hard look.
“I think it would be highly inappropriate to speak with Billy in front of the blushing bride-to-be.”
“I think,” anger pulsating through me, I began annunciating my words, “if you have a problem with my engagement then you should take it up with me, as should your brother.”
“I think,” Benny mirrored my angry tone, “you need to watch your attitude and tone when speaking to me.”
“If you have something to say about me to Billy then you can say it in front of me.”
Benny and I stared each other down across the table, neither one of us backing down.
“Okay, enough, you two,” Billy cut in. “Elizabeth, do you mind giving us a minute?”
“Fine,” I sharply answered, giving in to Billy’s request. “I have to powder my nose anyway,” I continued sarcastically, never breaking eye contact with Benny.
I left the table without another word and went to the ladies room.
When I arrived back at the table, Benny and his lackeys were gone and only Billy and our entrées remained.
“The goon squad left, I see.” I sat down in front of my chicken parmesan. It looked and smelled delicious, I dug into my plate.
“Yeah, I told them to go and that we’d see them in Vegas when we get there.” Billy began eating as soon as I sat down.
“Several months in Vegas with those guys lurking, that’ll be fun,” I sarcastically said, with a mouthful of food. “What did he want anyway?” I only knew too well what it was.
“He wanted to know how I was doing with you being engaged and whether I needed Cal to have some sort of accident before the wedding,” Billy said, matter-of-fact.
“I knew it.” I stopped, fork midway to my mouth. “He wanted to know if you wanted to put a hit on Cal.”
“Yup. Are you surprised?”
I thought about the question for a moment.
“Nothing surprises me with those guys. What did you say? Please tell me you told him not to do anything.” I had to ask. Billy was a wonderful guy but sometimes you never knew what he was capable of doing.
“I told him I was okay for now, but I’d let him know if I change my mind.”
“Nice, thank you,” I replied, acrimoniously.
***
The next night, I was scheduled by Al to appear at a fundraiser for the Wildlife Federation. They were having their annual Elephant conservation gala dinner.
I had asked Billy during our dinner the night before if he was going to go and he had said he hadn’t planned on it, but agreed to be my date.
“Elizabeth,” Billy shouted from the bottom of my stairs. “Hurry up, the car is going to be here any minute.”
“How the hell did he get in the house?” I asked as the hairstylist put the final touches on my loose upswept hairdo.
She shrugged her shoulders in response and declared me ready. I thanked her profusely for once again making me beautiful and began to descend the staircase that led to the front hallway and Billy.
I was wearing a sleeveless red A-lined dress that went down to my ankles. However, instead of just one slit up my leg, like the black dress from the previous night, there were two slits in the front and two slits in the back. A leg could be seen every time I took a step, so could the beautiful matching red stiletto sandals that had two straps crossed on the top of my foot.
Billy and I locked eyes before I made it to the bottom step. He looked incredibly handsome in a black suit with matching shirt and tie. My stomach began to flutter at the excitement of spending the entire evening with him without interruptions from Cal or Elena. A horrible thought to think of my fiancé, but there it was in my head.
“Holy shit,” Billy said as I stepped off the bottom step and stood in front of him.
“What?” I began to feel my hair, thinking something was out of place.
“You look unbelievable.”
“Thank you, you look pretty handsome yourself,” I said as I adjusted his tie to make it straight.
“I can’t take my eyes off that dress; this may be an issue.”
“No issues, you can look all you want.” I found myself flirting with him. I knew it was wrong while I was supposedly engaged, but I couldn’t stop myself. “You just can’t touch.”
“There’s only one problem with the outfit.” He ignored my comment. “You’re wearing that damn watch Cal gave you. I hate that watch.”
I held Billy’s gaze as I slipped the platinum, diamond encrusted Rolex off my wrist and threw it onto a nearby table.
“Better?”
“Better.” A playful smile curved his lips.
The moment was broken by the phone ringing. I answered it and it was one of my security guys announcing the car had arrived.
“Wow,” I said after I thanked him and hung up the phone. “They do still work here.”
***
Our limo pulled up to the end of the red carpet and one of the attendants opened the door for us. Billy stepped out first and buttoned the front of his suit. He then turned around and held out his hand to help me out of the car.
As soon as we joined the other celebrities, on the carpet, the cameras began to flash and, again, our names were shouted.
“Can we get the two of you together?” shouted one photographer.
Billy and I complied and put our arms around each other’s waists and stood side by side.
“Can we get separate shots now?” another photographer shouted a few minutes later.
Again, we obeyed and separated so they could take photos of us alone.
After a few minutes, we left the red-carpet circus and entered the ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The room was full of celebrities and movie executives. The décor was glitzy with low lit chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Each of the tables sat eight for dinner and were fully decked out in black and white with candles to help with the low lighting of the rest of the room. There was a stage at the front of the room that had a glossy black floor and bright white spotlights focused on a podium.
“How much did we pay for this dinner?” Billy asked as we worked our way through the room to our table.
“No idea, you have to ask Al.”
“Elizabeth and Billy,” Bobby Peterson said, as he stepped in front of us. “Don’t hit me.” He mockingly put his arms in front of his face and laughed.
“Very funny,” I responded dryly.
Bobby was an actor that always played the annoying best friend never a lead role. Each role had the annoying part down pat to his true personality. He was a short, stalky man that irritated every bit of me.
“I may hit you, though,” Billy threatened.
“Elizabeth,” Bobby scolded, ignoring Billy. “If you are going to cheat on your fiancé, it should be with me and not this putz.”
Billy was standing behind me, but he took a step towards Bobby.
“Bobby,” I cut in, holding Billy back. “I’m not cheating on Cal. He is away on location and Billy graciously offered to accompany me here.” I explained, knowing full well others thought the same way, but luckily Bobby had a big mouth and would tell everyone my explanation.
“Well, if you ever want to cheat, call me.” Bobby winked and then left us to go annoy more people.
“I hate that guy,” Billy complained as we continued through to the front of the room in search of our table.
We were stopped several more times to say hello to other people. We kissed all of them on the cheeks, and discussed upcoming projects. Thankfully, no one else mentioned anything about me almost punching Brianna and Elena.
“I’m starving,” Billy announced as we finally sat down.
Our table was at the front of the room just to the right of the stage.
“What’s happening on stage?” Billy motioned to the podium and microphone.
“There’s an auction tonight, as well as the dinner,” Delia Taylor informed us. She was the eighty-year-old wife of retired producer Derek Taylor.
Billy jumped out of his seat to help Mrs. Taylor into her chair opposite to us at the same table.
“Thank you, darling,” she said as she sat down. “My husband was hoping you would be here tonight. He is very much looking forward to speaking with you about that upcoming Las Vegas film of yours.”
“He is? I thought he was out of the game.” Billy questioned as he sat back down next to me.
“Yes, he is, but he’s quite interested in your project and has some ideas for you.”
“Sounds great.” Enthusiasm was not present in Billy’s voice when he responded.
“Ah, Billy, my boy.” Eighty-five-year-old Derek Taylor slapped Billy on the back as he joined us at the table. “I heard about your Vegas movie.”
I concealed my laughter by drinking from my water glass. Billy was being very gracious and listening to Mr. Taylor’s suggestions about the movie. However, there was a reason Billy was the boss—he didn’t like being told what to do.
“Those are great suggestions, Mr. Taylor,” Billy said after the older producer had finished speaking. Billy had no intention of using any of Mr. Taylor’s ideas. I knew this because he finished with, “I’ll have to see if we have time to incorporate some of them.”
Billy was always courteous and listened to other people’s advice, especially when they were old Hollywood royalty. However, he used that standard statement so later, when he was questioned why he didn’t use any of their propositions, he could simply say there wasn’t enough time for changes. That usually saved the other person’s feelings and Billy retained control of his project.
Next to join our table was the seventy-nine-year-old director Joseph Carson and his ridiculously younger wife, thirty-three-year-old, Krista, who promptly sat on the other side of Billy.
Billy was once again cordial and charming when Krista began to flirt and fawn all over him in front of her husband. However, I Billy’s jaw was tightening, so I knew he was uncomfortable and getting annoyed.
“Save me from this woman,” Billy hissed as he was about to take a drink.
I was about to tell Billy to change seats with me when I was cut short by someone putting their hand on Billy’s shoulder.
“I didn’t know you two were going to be here together.”
Billy and I turned at the same time to see Elena standing behind us. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming to this fundraiser?” she questioned Billy.
“I didn’t know I was coming until late last night when Elizabeth asked me to come.”
“I see.” Elena openly glared at me, making the situation even more awkward than it already was.
“Antonio Suarez,” exclaimed Joseph Carson. “Good to see you, old chap, how are things since they tossed you from that movie set?”
Krista quickly whispered in her husband’s ear, I assumed to remind him that I was the reason he was fired.
“I’m doing great, I just landed a new movie,” Antonio declared.
“Good boy, back on the horse already. What movie?” Joseph continued.
“I’m going to be directing the new Billy Stone movie in Las Vegas.”
Chapter Nine
“The hell you are,” Billy and I responded together.
“Oh, but I am.” A smug Antonio answered.
“What the hell, Elena?” Billy stood up. I remained seated. He was the producer, it was his fight.
“This is not the time or the place to discuss this.” Elena shut Billy down. “I can meet you in my office first thing in the morning.”
“I am the producer of this movie. You can’t make a decision like that without me.” Billy had lowered his voice as to not make a scene.
“I’m the head of the studio that is financing it. Therefore, I have the final say on everything.”
“You can’t do this,” he growled at her.
“I just did.”
“Why?”
“After you two ditched me last night, I ran into Antonio and we had a lovely conversation.”
There it was. Billy seemed to have caught her meaning at the same time I did. She was clearly pissed off Billy dropped her for me the night before and this was his penance.
“Antonio told me how he needed a job and this is our most recent production, so I hired him,” Elena continued.
“Okay, Elena, I see what is happening here.” Billy seemed dangerously calm as he spoke to her. “I take it, this is my punishment?”
“Punishment?” Elena repeated in a sickly-sweet tone. “Darling, I would never do that to you.” Her intentions were clearly written on her face, she was bitter and she was going to make Billy pay for that.
Someone stepped up to the podium on stage to announce that the festivities would begin soon and asked everyone to take their seats.
“Tomorrow morning in my office then?” she questioned Billy.
“I’ll be there first thing.”
Billy sat back down in his seat next to me. The other guests at our table were pretending not to listen to what had transpired.
“Mr. Taylor, as a fellow producer, can she really do that?”
“I’m sorry, my boy, but she has all of the power,” Mr. Taylor responded.
“Unless,” Mr. Carson chimed in, “you already have a director under contract, then she can do nothing unless she buys him out of it.”
“I do, I have Robert Stevenson under contract to direct.”
“Then there is nothing she can do unless she buys out his contract.” Mr. Carson was a thirty-year career director and knew his stuff.
“Yes, but she still has final say,” Mr. Taylor argued. “She can bring in the studio lawyers and give Stevenson another offer. If she really wants Suarez to direct, she will find a way around Stevenson’s contract.”
“Only if Stevenson agrees,” Mr. Carson responded.
“Yes, but what director isn’t going to agree to the terms?” Mr. Taylor continued to argue. “If he wants to continue working with the studio, then Stevenson will agree.”
“Can she change the actor’s contracts like that?” I nervously asked, I worried Elena would make good on her promise to have me taken off of the film.
Both older gentlemen laughed.
“Completely different union, my dear,” Mr. Taylor calmly answered my question. “Can’t touch any actor’s contract unless she wants a major lawsuit on her hands. You have nothing to worry about my dear.”
I was very relieved to hear that. I wasn’t worried, as there were other ways to deal with non-compliant studio heads but I didn’t want to have to go that route.
The person at the podium then began to speak and our attention was drawn away from the conversation at hand.
“I need to call Stevenson and see if she’s already pulled him from the movie,” Billy whispered, into my ear.
“Let it go for tonight. She’s trying to get a rise out of us and if we go storming off, then she wins.” My lips practically touched his ear, so only he could hear what I was saying. I lingered a second longer after I spoke to breathe in his cologne.
He leaned back and held my gaze.
“Trust me,” I purred, then caught myself and changed my voice to normal. “We’ll discuss it later.”
He nodded his head in agreement and we both focused back on the stage.
***
“I’m going to kill her,” Billy announced as he walked with me to my door after the gala. The driver had dropped us both off in my driveway and after the car had left I asked Billy in for a drink.
“Don’t say shit like that out here,” I warned.
“Who the hell is going to hear me?” He hung back with his arms out wide, looking around.
Darkness had fallen and the neighborhood was seemingly quiet. Of course, the high fences and multitude of trees gave an appearance of privacy, but as I had learned previously, you never knew who could be hiding. I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. The house was dark and quiet. If anyone, like Carol, had been around, the lights would have been on.
“Now you can say whatever you want.” I closed the door behind us.
“I need to make some phone calls,” he fumed as he stomped towards the kitchen.
“Hang on there, cowboy.” I pulled him back by the arm. “You don’t want to make any phone calls right now when you’re this angry.”
“Yeah, I really do.”
“No, listen to me very carefully.” I took his phone out of his hand. “You cannot make any rash decisions at this point. We need to let this happen the way she wants—for now. Go to her office tomorrow and plead your case. You know she’s not going to change her mind and you have to accept that.”
“Then why not make some calls to force her to comply?”
“Because,” I stressed. “Should anything happen to either her, her job, or the sniveling weasel Antonio right, now you will look like the guilty party.”
“How so?”
“Let’s recap, shall we?” I began listing on my fingers. “I got into a fight with Antonio on the set of the last movie and he mysteriously loses his job. You didn’t get the budget or location you wanted on this movie, which has yet to be titled, by the way, and the next thing you know the studio head goes off a cliff.”
“I had nothing to do with that.” Billy put his hands up in defense.
“Be that as it may. She then publicly announced that Asshole-Antonio, which is what I’ll be calling him on set, is going to direct, and you almost had a meltdown. Should something happen to either of them, you will be the first person questioned.”
“It wasn’t that public, just the few people at our table know.”
“Antonio has a big mouth. We don’t know how many others he has told already. I’m sure he’s quite proud that he’ll be directing me again and thinks I can’t have him thrown off the lot this time. So, I’m sure many people have been informed of his new job.”
“Too true.” Billy looked away as if in thought.
“Do me a favor and don’t do anything for the time being. Let’s just play this one out and see what happens.”
We were still standing in the hallway that led to the kitchen. Billy stared at me for a moment before he spoke.
“Fine, we’ll let her get away with this for now.” He emphasized the word “now”.
“Good, let’s get a drink and relax.” I went down the hall into the kitchen and grabbed a beer for him and an iced tea for me from of the fridge.
Billy followed me out to the patio where the pool and grounds were softly lit by garden lights.
“Just for the record,” he said as we sat across from each other at the table, still in our gala wear. “The only phone call I was going to make was to Robert Stevenson to see if Elena had bought him out of his contract.”
I peered at him over the top of my glass.
“Sure, you were,” I sarcastically answered, putting my glass back on the table without losing eye contact.
His up-to-no-good, sly smile crossed his face.
Chapter Ten
A few nights later Billy picked me up in his silver sports car to go to George Clooney’s birthday party at the After Eight bar in West Hollywood. Since it was a much more relaxed outing than the previous two nights, I did my own hair and makeup.
Billy and I both had jeans on, him with a dress shirt and blazer on top, and I had a straight black tank top with a short black jacket.
“I don’t want to stay too late,” I told Billy as we pulled up to the valet. “We’re already leaving tomorrow for Vegas and I want to make sure I have everything I’ll need.”
“You haven’t packed yet?”
“Of course, I have,” I lied. I hadn’t even started. “I just need to go over everything to make sure nothing is forgotten.”
“You haven’t packed yet.” He laughed.
“Whatever.” I blew him off. “Let’s just get in front of these cameras, say hello to everyone, and get out.”
“Deal.”
That is exactly what we did. There wasn’t a red carpet, just a bunch of paparazzo outside with their flashes constantly going off. We smiled for them, went inside, spoke with several celebrities, wished Clooney a happy birthday, and then said our goodbyes. Everything said, we were there a total of two hours.
“Where do you want to go for dinner?” I asked as we climbed back into Billy’s car.
I was interrupted by his cell ringing.
“Hello?” he answered. “Right now? Where?” He continued to speak on the phone. “I really can’t right now, I’m going out to dinner with Elizabeth. Can you do it without me being there?”
The conversation continued with him trying to get out of whatever it was before finally conceding he would go to where he was needed.
“Elizabeth, I’m sorry, I have to go to a meeting right away.”
“Now? It’s ten o’clock at night. Who are you meeting?” This didn’t sound like a standard Producer meeting.
He didn’t respond as he navigated the car through Beverly Hills.
“Billy?”
“The less you know the better,” he responded as he stopped the car in front of a small Italian restaurant, I had never seen before, on a dark, quiet street.
“You can take my car and I’ll get one of them to drive me home later.” He rushed to get out of the car.
I met him on the sidewalk. He was in such a hurry I didn’t want to protest. I gave him a quick hug goodbye and he left me standing beside the still running car. Unbeknownst to him, I had pick-pocketed his wallet when we hugged. There were a few things my older brothers had taught me as a child and that was one of them.
I hadn’t wanted to ask Billy who he was meeting, but I wanted to know and thought this was a more “honest” way of finding out.
I popped my head into the car, turned off the ignition, and turned on the four ways. The street was deserted and I wasn’t too worried about the car. I then went to the restaurant doors.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” I was met by a tall, dark-haired woman. “The restaurant is closed tonight for a private party.”
“Billy Stone just came in here, but he left his wallet in the car. I need to give it to him.” I lied, trying to look past her into the restaurant.
“I can take it to him.” She motioned to take the wallet from my hand.
“As you can understand, I would prefer to give it to him myself.” I answered curtly as I immediately pulled away from her.
“Ma’am, I cannot let you in.”
“Can you go get him for me, please?”
“No.”
“No?” Now I was pissed off, I had my suspicions on who Billy was meeting but I wanted to see for myself and this woman was in my way.
“No, you must go.” She began to close the door on me.
I quickly jammed my foot in the door to keep it open and I forcibly pushed my way into the restaurant. Something else my brothers had taught me. I hurried past her further into the restaurant and then stopped in my tracks, at the sight in front of me.
Sitting around a table close to the back of the room was Sonny Micheletti with his brother Benny on one side of him and Billy on the other side. Also at the table sat four other men, Rocco Natoli, Benny Reino, Joey Romano, and Louis Cioffi. All heads of their respective crime families from across the United States.
“Ma’am, you can’t—” The hostess caught up as everyone turned towards me. “Mr. Michelleti, I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop her,” she directed to Sonny.
“It’s okay.” Sonny raised his hand to stop the hostess. “Elizabeth, to what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Billy left his wallet in the car and I wanted to bring it to him.”
Billy jumped up from the table, checked his pockets, and then came over to me.
“You shouldn’t have come in here, and what the hell are you doing stealing my wallet?” he whispered.
“What are you doing with all of these guys?” I whispered back as I handed him his wallet.
“Elizabeth,” Sonny interrupted. “Join us.”
“No.” Billy turned around to face the table. “She has to go home and pack.”
“I wasn’t asking you,” Sonny sharply responded. “I was speaking to Elizabeth.”
“No thank you, Sonny. I’m sure you heads of state have something rather important to discuss and you don’t need me around.”
“How do you know we aren’t just getting together for a dinner among friends?”
I resented his tone. He was toying with me, as he knew damn well I wouldn’t want to stay.
“If this was just a friendly dinner, you wouldn’t be meeting at the back of a closed restaurant away from all the windows. No, I think I’ll go home and stay out of this, but thank you for the invitation.” My reply was dripping with sarcasm.
“Elizabeth,” Billy warned.
“I’m going,” I said to Billy.
“That smart mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one day,” Sonny dangerously added as I began to walk back towards the door.
“Sonny Micheletti,” I matched his tone as I turned back. “Is that a threat? Because if it is, I highly suggest you watch yourself.”
Sonny didn’t respond. we stared each other down for a minute while the others at the table looked on in interest.
“Elizabeth,” Billy cut in.
“I’m leaving,” I answered. “I assume I’ll see you in Vegas, Sonny.”
“You assume correctly,” he coldly responded.
“Nosy bitch,” Sonny muttered as I once again turned to leave.
Now I was really pissed off.
“Sonny.” I rounded back to the table and spoke through clenched teeth. “If I was a nosy bitch, I’d ask why Marco Trassari wasn’t part of this meeting. I’d also say it was strange that only five out of the six families that made up the current Commission were present and wonder why you left one out that being Marco. I would also ask what could you possibly be discussing without him?” I sarcastically shot at him. “However, I’m not a nosy bitch, am I?”
“I’m sorry.” Sonny backed off. “No, you are not. I shouldn’t have called you that.”
“You need to watch yourself,” I repeated.
Billy, clearly finished with the banter between Sonny and me, grabbed my arm and forcibly walked me to the door of the restaurant.
“Why do you do that?” he demanded when we were outside on the sidewalk.
“He’s such an asshole. He thinks he can threaten anyone he wants.”
“That’s because he can,” Billy hissed. “You need to stop going head to head with him. He does a lot of stuff for us and we need his continued support.”
I rolled my eyes in response.
“Go home and get packed. We’re leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I’m going.” I yanked my arm out of his grip.
“I’ll be over later to pick up my car,” he called as I opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat.
I opened all the windows to enjoy the warm California night air, revved the engine, and put the car in drive. There was no better feeling the in world than being behind the wheel of an Aston Martin sports car.
“No speeding,” Billy yelled as I tore away from the curb and took off down the street towards the Hollywood Hills and home.