Read Hollywood Wives - the New Generation for Free Online Page A

sun for a week. Putrid. But since he
wasn't about to hire him for his good hygiene, who cared if he stank?
'I was thinking 'bout how you said you hated your job.'
    'I do,' Arliss agreed, nodding furiously. 'I certainly do.'
    And who wouldn't? He was the caretaker of a big old building filled
with nothing but rats and roaches and memories of the time it was a
flourishing dress company. Why the owners needed a caretaker in a place
they'd been threatening to pull down for years, was beyond him. In the
meantime, it was his job to keep the transients out and the place
protected.
    Protected from what? Who knew? Who cared?
    He'd fashioned himself a makeshift apartment in the basement, and he
didn't have to answer to anyone - except the snotty-nosed son of the
owner, who put in an occasional appearance.
    Still, what kind of an existence was it to be shut up in a deserted
old building all day and most of the night? Arliss wished for something
better, although deep down he knew there wasn't anything better. He had
no qualifications, he could barely read, he was fortunate to have any
kind of job at all. However, it certainly didn't stop him from
complaining, which - after several beers too many - he'd obviously been
doing to this Eric Vernon character.
    Pattie slid a cold bottle of Heineken in front of him while shooting
Eric a flirtatious sideways glance. This infuriated Arliss, because
he'd been trying to get her to pay attention to him for months.
    'She'll give ya crabs,' he muttered to Eric, as Pattie sashayed off.
    Eric got it immediately. 'Not interested,' he said abruptly.
    Why not
? Arliss thought.
You one of them faggot freaks
?
Prudently, he kept his thoughts to himself. If Eric Vernon was a fag it
was none of his business as long as the man kept on buying. He lifted
the cold bottle of beer to his lips. 'You married?' he asked.
    'No,' Eric replied. 'Are you?' He asked the question even though he
already knew the answer. He knew everything about Arliss Shepherd that
needed knowing.
    Arliss shook his greasy head. 'I'm stupid, not soft,' he said
scornfully. 'Wimmen give a man nothin' but trouble.'
    'Right,' Eric agreed, his small, sharp eyes checking out the bar.
    'Course, they're all right for some things,' Arliss added, with a
lewd wink.
    Eric had endured enough small-talk, weeks of it in fact. What he
needed now was action. Leaning closer to Arliss, almost recoiling from
the stink, he said, 'How would you like to make some
real
money?'
    Arliss's narrow face brightened. Real money. Who wouldn't want to
make a score? If he had real money he could buy himself a better life.
'How'd I do that?' he asked, trying not to sound too eager.
    'By co-operating on something and keeping your mouth shut.'
    'Somethin' legal?' Arliss said suspiciously.
    'If it means big bucks, do you care?' Eric shot back. He knew Arliss
had done time for petty burglary so he would not be averse to criminal
activities.
    'How big
are
the bucks?' Arliss ventured.
    'Enough to keep everyone happy,' Eric said, tapping his fingers on
the bar. 'I need to put together a team I can trust.'
    'What kinda team?'
    'I've been watching you and your friends. You all seem pretty tight.'
    Arliss did not take kindly to the thought that Eric had been spying
on them. Davey and Joe, and especially Big Mark, would not like it
either. Big Mark could crush this guy's ass if Arliss gave him the
word. Mark was the strong one in the group. He worked as a bouncer at a
club on the strip, and according to Mark, not a night passed unless he
split some asshole's lip or broke a nose or two.
    'We're tight all right,' Arliss said stiffly. 'Tight enough not to
need any intruders.'
    'Don't get me wrong,' Eric said quickly, 'I'm looking for a few guys
who can handle themselves in any situation
and
make big money
doing it.'
    'Doin' what?' Arliss asked, blinking rapidly.
    'It doesn't matter,' Eric said, backing off. 'I sense you're not
interested.'
    'Didn't say that,' Arliss growled. 'If it means big