Read Online Hollywood Divorces / Hollywood Wives: The New Generation by Jackie Collins - Free Book Online Page B

Amber was a great cook, but Michael tried to avoid her food because a person could gain ten pounds just by glancing at her cakes and pies and freshly baked cornbread. Every time he ate dinner at their house he had to put in an extra two hours at the gym.
    Once, long ago, when Amber was an exotic dancer, she’d weighed one hundred and fifteen pounds. Now, after three children and nine years of marriage to Quincy, she was hovering at two hundred. Standing beside her husband she still looked petite.
    Michael entered the cosy family room, where his partner was happily ensconced on the couch, his cast-covered leg propped in front of him on a foot-stool.
    Michael indicated the cast. ‘How long?’
    ‘How long what?’ Quincy said. He was a large, overweight black man, with surprisingly soft brown eyes, bushy hair, and extra-large hands and feet.
    ‘How long are you shirking work and leaving everything to me?’
    ‘You’ re capable,’ Quincy said, with a big smile, ‘an’ I deserve a rest.’
    ‘You do, huh?’
    ‘C’mon, man,’ Quincy said plaintively, ‘I’m gettin’ up there. If I take a few weeks off, you can run things.’
    ‘How many cases do you think I can cover by myself?’
    ‘Shit!’ Quincy complained. ‘I’m an old man. At least lemme take a few days.’
    ‘You’re fifty-three, Quince. That’s forty if you go by today’s standards.’
    ‘Yeah, an’ you, my friend, are forty-four, so what does that make you?’
    ‘Overworked,’ Michael said. ‘I expect you back behind your desk in a week.’
    ‘Yes, sir !’ Quincy joked. ‘You got it, boss man!’
    ‘Screw you,’ Michael said good-naturedly.
    They had too long a history to ever get mad at each other. They were friends first, business partners second.
    ‘So,’ Quincy said, clicking off the TV with the remote that never left his hands, ‘what’s goin’ on that I should know about?’
    ‘Everything seems to be under control,’ Michael said. ‘The personal assistant case went down this morning, there’ll be a new hearing in six weeks. The gardener on the Merron estate was fired and they’re not pressing charges. And, uh…oh, yeah…Lissa Roman came in. I played herone of the tapes. She wants us to take care of removing her husband from the house.’
    ‘Ah…Lissa Roman…’ Quincy sighed, a gleam in his eye. ‘Some looker, huh?’
    ‘Didn’t really notice,’ Michael said, keeping it casual.
    ‘Bullshit you didn’t notice!’ Quincy roared. ‘She’s the foxiest piece of—’
    Before he could finish the sentence, Amber entered the room carrying a tray loaded with goodies.
    ‘Piece of what , honey?’ she asked. ‘Go ahead, spit it out. Don’t mind me, I’m only your wife. ’
    ‘An’ what is my lovely wife bringin’ me?’ Quincy said, quick to turn on the charm.
    ‘A punch on the jaw if you don’t clean up your bad-boy talk.’
    ‘Ouch!’ Quincy said. ‘I was merely testin’ my man here t’ see if he got a hard-on in the presence of Miz Roman.’
    ‘You’re disgustin’!’ Amber exclaimed affectionately. Then she turned to Michael. ‘Did you?’
    ‘Jesus Christ!’ Michael said. ‘The two of you are as bad as each other.’
    ‘Did you?’ they both chorused in unison.
    Michael shook his head as if he couldn’t believe they would ask such a thing. ‘She’s a lovely woman who happens to be going through a difficult time,’ he said. ‘The guy she’s married to has to be the world’s biggest moron.’
    ‘Oh dear.’ Amber sighed. ‘Our Michael is definitely smitten.’
    ‘’Fraid so,’ Quincy agreed. ‘Shame he can’t do nothin’ about it.’
    ‘Will you two quit with this shit?’ Michael said abruptly. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, I have a perfectly nice girlfriend.’
    ‘Which one is it this week?’ Amber asked innocently. ‘Letetia? Carol?’
    ‘Man, I can’t keep up with this Casanova,’ Quincy chortled. ‘He’s got pussy fever!’
    Michael shook his head again, he was in no