Roz, shocked, pulled back fromMick. “That’s not true,” Mick saidquickly and reached for her.
But she slapped him hard across hisface and snatched away from him. “Getaway from me!” she said angrily.
“It’s not true, Roz!” he said just asforcefully.
But Roz was already hurrying out ofthat penthouse. And this time, he knew,she was not coming back. She even triedto slam the door so hard that it flew back open.
Mick stood there, shocked, his facefrowned. Why would a woman he hadn’tseen in over a decade suddenly call him with that bullshit? He was stunned. Absolutely flummoxed. “What the fuck is going on?” he asked outloud.
But Roz wasn’t shocked at all. It was as if that Voice Mail confirmed herworse fear. And as she made itdownstairs, across the lobby, and out onto the sidewalk of the austere hotel,she fought back tears. Deuce quicklyopened the limousine door for her, she hurried inside, and she knew what shehad to do. No more delays! No more worrying about Mick’s feelings whenhe didn’t give a damn about hers.
As Deuce drove her away, staring ather worriedly through the rearview, she pulled out her cell phone and calledBilly Lancer. “It’s a yes,” she said assoon as he answered.
“Wonderful!” Billy responded. “I’ll come down and we’ll celebrate.”
“No,” Roz said quickly. “I mean, not a good time.”
“I understand.” Billy was pleased, and worried about her atthe same time. But then he rallied. “Okay! Welcome aboard, Roz. I’ll notifythe casting director. And let me knowwhen you’re ready to get together and sign the paperwork, to make it official.”
“I will,” Roz said, and ended thecall.
And what should have been joyous, thefact that she was about to take on the role of a lifetime in a production thatwas two years guaranteed, caused her, instead, to cry. The tears that she had been suppressingflowed freely. She couldn’t control theflow at all. Mick was cheating onher? He was in love with anotherwoman? Or even if it wasn’t love, justlust, how were they going to come back from that?
“Oh, God,” she said as Deuce droveher through the congested streets of New York city. “This is too much!” she cried.
Deuce, stunned by the usuallyin-control Mrs. Sinatra bawling like that, looked at her through the rearview,felt he was peeping in on something beyond private, and looked back at the roadahead of them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
The security gate of the Sinatracompound opened, and Mick sped his Cadillac Escalade all the way up to the mainhouse as if a barely in control tank was invading the property. Teddy came out of the house and hurried downthe steps as Mick just sat behind the wheel, hunched over.
Teddy went up to the SUV and gotinside on the passenger seat. And thenhe looked at his father. “Pop, whathappened?”
“What are you doing here? She called you?”
“Deuce called me. He said she cried all the way from NewYork. And I just had a conversation withRoz. She told me about Bella, and aboutthat Voice Mail. What’s going on?”
“That’s none of your fuckingbusiness,” Mick said.
Teddy’s jaw tightened. Sometimes he wanted to beat the shit out ofhis father. “You’re still fooling withher?” he asked him pointblank.
Mick frowned. “With who?”
“Charlotte, Pop. You know who!”
Mick didn’t respond to that.
Teddy exhaled. He was the only man in the family who couldspeak plainly to Mick, but it was a risk for him too. “You’re going to lose Roz,” he said. “You’ve got to get your shit together oryou’re going to lose Roz!”
Mick seemed to dismiss his concern,although Teddy could never tell with his father, as Mick unbuckled his seatbelt. “Find Charlotte,” he ordered. “Then call me.” He got out of the SUV, and headed inside thehouse.
As he entered the house, the twins,their bookbags on their backs, were hurrying down the staircase.
“Hey, Dad,” Duke said. “Bye, Dad!”
Mick frowned. “Where are you going this time of night?”
“With Teddy,” Duke said and hurriedout of the door.
But Jackie stopped, stood on hertiptoes, and hugged Mick’s neck. “Benice to Mommy,” she whispered in his ear when he bent down to her, and then shemade her way out of the door too.
As Mick continued up the stairs, hewas getting more than a little pissed. Forcing the children from their beds over what? A fucking phone call? He hurried up the remaining stairs, acrossthe landing, and into the master bedroom.
When Mick saw the overnight bag onthe bed, he frowned. “What are youdoing?” he asked her.
“I’m getting my shit,” Roz said asshe threw an armful of lingerie into the bag, “and getting the hell out ofhere. That’s what I’m doing!” She threw more clothes in.
“Can I explain?” Mick asked.
“No!” Roz decried as she zipped upthe bag.
But Mick couldn’t believe it. “You aren’t going to even let me explain?”
“No!” Roz said again as she grabbedthe bag. “You haven’t done me right,Mick,” she said. “You haven’t treated meright!”
“I’m not sleeping with that woman,Rosalind.”
“I’m not talking about thatwoman! I’m talking about me! I’m talking about how you’ve been treating me! I’ve needed you . . .” Her voice cracked andthe tears returned.
Mick stood there stunned by the sightof his non-emotional wife so emotional!
“I’ve needed you and you’ve beendoing everything but attending to me. Tomy needs. And I’m not talking sexualneeds, either. But emotional needs. You’re like a fucking block of ice when Ineed more, Mick. I need more than you’rewilling to give to me. I’ve allowedit. It’s my fault too. But I’m not allowing it anymore. Sometimes I’m weak, I’m sorry, but I am. Iknow you hate weakness, but sometimes I’m weak, Mick, and need you at thatlevel! Maybe it’s something you can’teven give to me. I realize the kind ofman I married. But gotdammit,man, there has to be some growth! Somechange. Some recognition of what I needand want instead of what you’ll willing to make me settle for.”
Then just talking became too painfulfor her. “I’ll send somebody for therest of my things,” she said, and hurried out of the bedroom.
Mick was too stunned to speak. He couldn’t believe it. What
