Hollywood Wives - the New Generation by Jackie Collins Read Free Book Online

nothing? Oh yes, he
had a job, a van, and a small rented one-room apartment, but that was
about it. Why couldn't
he
enjoy the luxuries that all these
rich people seemed to possess? Why couldn't
he
be living in a
mansion with a swimming pool and several luxury cars in the driveway?
    Exactly what had this Lissa Roman bitch done to deserve such
recognition anyway? Sung some slutty songs and exhibited her body in a
few commercial movies. Any little tramp could do that.
    And then Lissa Roman herself put in an appearance. The woman had
porcelain skin, white blonde hair, ruby red lips and a welcoming smile
which revealed small sharp teeth. 'I'm so glad you're doing this,' she
said, in a low throaty voice. 'Would you like a copy of my latest CD -
maybe for your wife or someone?'
    'What?' he said, frowning.
    She looked a little taken aback that he hadn't jumped.
    At that moment it occurred to him that Lissa Roman thought everyone
loved her. Well, she was wrong. She was standing in a room with someone
who couldn't give a rat's ass.
    Danny obligingly handed her one of her CDs and a pen. She turned to
Eric with a bright smile. 'To whom shall I sign it?' she asked.
    'Eric,' he muttered, watching her carefully.
    She signed the CD with a flourish and handed it to him. She'd
written
To Eric - with love, Lissa Roman
.
    'Want me to explain how this new scanner works?' he asked, shoving
the CD in his back pocket to be thrown away later.
    'No,' she said, shaking her platinum head. 'Danny will fill me in.
Nice meeting you, Eric' And she left the room, leaving behind a trail
of exotic perfume.
    'Isn't she a treat?' Danny enthused, when she'd gone.
    Eric grunted. He didn't find her a treat at all.
    'She's
so
nice to everyone,' Danny said reverently. 'Such
a
lady.'
    Lady, my ass
, Eric thought, as he continued working. And
then he noticed the two trade papers casually laid out on Danny's desk.
Variety
and the
Hollywood Reporter
. They both
sported stories on the front page about Lissa Roman. Danny had outlined
the pieces in thick red pen, ready to put in her scrapbook.
    As he worked, Eric managed to read the headlines.
Lissa Roman
Inks Three Million Dollar Deal For One Night's Work at Millennium
Desert Princess Hotel
.
    Three million dollars. Eric was in shock. That amount of money could
buy him everything he'd always craved. And this blonde bitch was making
it in one night.
    He managed to scan the other headline. She was opening a new hotel
in Vegas for which they were paying her three million big ones. Jesus!
    Then it came to him in a flash. What if he
kidnapped
her
and held her for
ransom
? Would her record company pay? Would
her movie bosses cough up? Or would the cops come down so hard that
they'd find her before he could collect the ransom?
    Back at the office he looked her up on the Internet. There were over
eight hundred sites devoted to her. He clicked onto several of the main
ones, and found out more than he ever wanted to know.
    She was very, very famous. Too famous.
    She'd made seven movies. Released ten best-selling CDs. Appeared on
over a thousand magazine covers. Been married four times.
    How did he go about kidnapping someone with such a high profile?
This obviously needed meticulous planning.
    Over the next few weeks he spent all his spare time following her,
soon discovering she was an extremely well-protected woman who never
went anywhere by herself. She was always accompanied by a publicist, a
driver, sometimes guards, and often her husband - a muscle-bound man
who never appeared to work.
    Eric realized that kidnapping Lissa Roman was not going to be an
easy task.
    He decided that befriending Danny - her loyal assistant - might be a
good plan. So he called him up, reminded Danny who he was, and
suggested they meet for a drink.
    Danny agreed, and they met at a gay bar on Santa Monica Boulevard.
    'My boyfriend would be livid if he suspected I was stepping out on
him,' Danny said archly. 'However, he's away in Seattle for