Charles and Jenay glanced at eachother. And Charles glanced at hiswatch. He had called him. He told him what time the guy was going to bethere. Where was that knucklehead, Charles wondered.
Mick told Charles about what happenedlast night at Frankie DiGenova’s place, and how he had gotten no further thanhe had been before he went to Frankie’s place. But that was no excuse, Charles felt, for Mick not to be there already!
“Sit down for a minute,” Charles saidto Roz. “You guys don’t have to shoveoff right away, do you?”
But before either Roz or Billy couldanswer, the front door opened and, to Roz’s and Billy’s shock, Mick walked in.
Thank God, Charles inwardly said. “Mick!” he said out loud. “Come in!”
Mick, looking so sexy, Roz thought,in his dark-blue suit, slowly walked into the living room.
“Guess who this is?” Charles askedMick, motioning toward Billy. But sincehe’d already told him who was taking his wife to dinner, he didn’t wait for ananswer. “It’s Billy Lancer, Mick. The legendary producer.”
Billy was still stunned to be face toface with the man he hated most on the face of the earth, but he managed tosmile and extend his hand. “How areyou?” he asked him. “You’re Roz’shusband, right?”
Mick didn’t answer him, nor shake hishand. He looked at Roz instead. His beautiful wife that he missed so badly hehadn’t slept a wink since she’d been gone. “Where are the children?” he asked her.
Roz felt her heart squeeze justseeing Mick up close again. “Upstairs,”she said.
Mick looked her up and down. She looked just as he knew she’d look: likehis angel. “Going somewhere?”
Roz could feel the pain in her hearttry to reassert itself when he asked that question. She’d rather be with him that night, not anybodyelse. She loved him so much! But she wasn’t going to love him to such anextent that it meant she had to sacrifice herself. “To dinner,” she said. She started to add a business dinner,but she didn’t feel she had to explain herself.
But Mick did. “Why?” he asked her.
“Why?” Billy asked with a grin. “I would think that would be obvious. We’re old friends going to dinnertogether. You got a problem with that?”
Billy didn’t mean to lose his coollike that, but he couldn’t help himself. He truly hated Sinatra.
Charles and Jenay were both surprisedby Billy’s harsh tone toward Mick, and Roz was especially surprised.
But it was enough for Mick to finallylook at the producer. “She’s going todinner with me,” he said to Billy. “Herhusband,” he added. “You got a problemwith that?”
Billy tried to smile, but Mick’sarrogance rubbed him the absolute wrong way! “I don’t think so, no,” he said. “And I don’t mean no, I don’t have a problem with it, because I do. I mean no, she’s not going to dinner withyou. She’s going to dinner with me,”he said, and he said it emphatically. “Her longtime friend.” Then helooked at his date. “Ready, Roz?” heasked her.
But if Billy thought Roz was going totake his arm and shun her husband’s, he had another thought coming. Roz was staring at Mick. Then she looked at her friend. “I think I’ll have to take a raincheck,Billy,” she said.
Charles and Jenay inwardly sighedrelief. That was what they wanted tohear! And although Billy was royallypissed, and wanted to kick her ass, he continued to smile. “A raincheck, hun?”
“Yes,” said Roz.
“Why? Because he showed up?” Then hehad to catch himself again. Fucking Rozwasn’t the point. Making Sinatra sufferwas. “Well alright,” he said. “A raincheck it is.” He grabbed the hat that he had taken off whenhe entered the Sinatra home. “See you inLondon, Roz,” he said as he began to walk away.
But Mick frowned. “London?” he asked.
Billy knew that would push the bigman’s button. That was why he’d saidit. “Why yes,” Billy answered Mick in away that allowed his long ago acting chops to come to the fore. “Didn’t she tell you? I’m giving her the chance of a lifetime. A guaranteed two year run at the Old Victheater in London, England. She’s movingthere, of course. But I’m sure, beingthe wonderful, caring, sensitive husband you are, that you understand.”
Mick knew an insult when he heardone, and for some reason that fellow got under his skin. And his anger flared out of nowhere. To everybody’s shock, Mick took his fist andknocked the shit out of Billy. Hepunched him so hard and violently that Billy fell over the side table with amassive fall.
“Mick!” Roz yelled, shocked. Even Charles and Jenay were shocked. “What did you hit him for?” Roz asked as shehurried around the fallen table to assist Billy.
“Get his ass out of here!” Mick saidangrily. “And I mean now!”
Charles hurried to Billy’s side, too,but not to aid him. But to save him fromfurther harm. “Time to go, buddy,” hesaid as he helped Billy to his feet.
“What happened?” Billy asked, dazedand confused. It felt as if a train hadhit him.
“A robbery tried to happen,” Charlessaid, “but my brother wasn’t going for it.”
Roz understood what Charles meant. She didn’t like Billy’s little “good husband”putdown of Mick either. But why wasviolence always Mick’s first response?
When Billy touched his face and sawblood on his hand, he frowned. And triedto rush Mick to hit him back. “Why you asshole!” he said angrily, with clenchedteeth, but Charles and Roz held him back.
“He’s not the one,” Charles warnedBilly. “Trust me, Mister Producer. You do not want to tangle with that man!”
“Let him bring his ass over here,”Mick said.
“Stop it, Mick!” Roz yelled at him.
“Yeah, you’d better get your boy,”Billy said.
“That’s it!” Charles saidangrily. Was this Hollywood legend afucking fool? He grabbed Billy by hiscoat lapel and hurried him toward the front door.
“Roz?” Billy was yelling as he wasbeing forced out. “Call me, Roz!”
And then Charles pushed him out ofhis house. “Good day, sir!” he said, andslammed the door in Billy’s face.
Billy stood on the outside ofCharles’s house stunned. He hadn’t beenmanhandled in over a decade. Hisdriver/bodyguard got out of the limo and hurried to his side. “Are you alright, sir?” he asked him.
“Me?” Billy asked, walking to the limo with the driver struggling to keeppace.
