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a lady. Works every time.'
    'Now don't you be teaching my son sexist crap like that,'
    Lucky scolded sternly.
    'Bullshit!' Gino spat. 'The sooner he learns, the better off he'll be. For his sixteenth birthday I'm takin' him to Vegas an' buyin' him the best-lookin' hooker in town.'
    'No, you're not.'
    'Yes, I am.'
    'The last thing I need is my son getting your antiquated take on women.'
    Gino roared with laughter. 'I never had no complaints, kiddo.'
    'Shove it up your ass, Gino.'
    They did not have the traditional father-daughter relationship.
    Steven returned to the table. 'What are you two up to?' he asked.
    'I'm listening to Gino blow wind,' Lucky said, feigning an exaggerated yawn.
    'That's nice,' Steven said, shaking his head. 'When you two get together it's exactly like being back in high school.'
    'I can't help it if he's stuck in a time warp,' Lucky said, laughing.
    'Time warp, my ass,' Gino interjected. 'I'm tellin' you the way it is with men and women. It's about time you understood.'
    'Hold that thought,' Steven said. 'Here comes Alex and his date.'
    Lucky glanced up at the approaching couple. 'And what exotic little number is Alex with tonight?' she asked casually.
    'What do you care?' Steven asked. 'It's you he wants.'
    'Nonsense,' Lucky said, knowing that Steven, along with Venus, was absolutely correct. Alex Woods did have a thing about her, and she was strongly attracted to him, too, but not enough that she would ever betray Lennie - except, of course, that one time when Lennie had been gone for months and she'd thought he was dead. It was a secret she kept close to her heart, because it was better Lennie never knew. Instead of lovers, she and Alex had become best friends, a friendship they shared with Lennie, although he was not as close to Alex as she was.
    Alex Woods. Writer. Director. A man who did everything his way and usually got away with it because he was Alex Woods, and in the great Hollywood tradition he was one of those characters who stood alone. Alex was shining brilliance in a sea of mediocrity, a true original talent like Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and Oliver Stone.
    'Lucky,' Alex said, bearing down on her. At fifty-one he was still a dangerous-looking man: darkly brooding, with compelling eyes, heavy eyebrows and a strong jawline. He was tall and fit, due to vigorous daily workouts. His hair was longish, curling just above the back of his collar, and he always wore black.
    Tonight he was in a black tuxedo with matching shirt and no tie. Alex enjoyed making statements.
    His date was Asian. Big surprise, Lucky thought. The girl was petite and in her twenties. Lucky hadn't seen this one before. It was rare that any of them lasted longer than six weeks. She often joked with Alex that he had an assembly line that churned out Asian women on a regular basis.
    'Hi, Alex,' she said warmly, standing up to greet him.
    He let out an admiring whistle. 'Spectacular!' he said, checking out the floor-length red Valentino that skimmed her slender body, plunging at the back to reveal almost everything. 'Sometimes,' Alex said. 'I almost forget how dazzlingly beautiful you actually are.'
    'Compliments,' she said, smiling. 'You must want something.'
    'Oh, yeah,' he said, smiling back. 'That shouldn't surprise you.'
    'Stop it, Alex,' she said sharply, not in the mood to deal with his heavy flirting, which he indulged in whenever Lennie wasn't around. 'Introduce me to your date.'
    'Pia,' he said, pulling the girl forward.
    'Hi, Pia,' Lucky said, checking her out.
    'Hi, Lucky,' Pia said, not quite as submissive as his usual type.
    Thank God! Lucky thought. Dealing with Alex's never-ending procession of girlfriends was exhausting. Recently she'd told him that she couldn't do it any more. 'Do what?' he'd asked innocently.
    'Well,' she'd said, 'when the four of us go out to dinner, you and Lennie have a fine old time talking about everyone and everything, while I'm stuck making polite conversation with your