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girl, and soon he’d be married again.
    This time he was sure it would work out.
     
     
    ‘What’re you doing tonight?’ Chris asked Jonathan, as their plane landed.
    ‘Going to bed as soon as I can,’ Jonathan replied, yawning. ‘I start off tomorrow with Matt Lauer on the Today Show . Then there’s the press junket, followed by Letterman . I’ll probably end up doing thirty interviews.’
    ‘Thirty-five,’ his P.R. woman murmured, sotto voce .
    ‘That’s heavy,’ Chris said, not envying the life of a movie star.
    ‘Gotta do something to cover your exorbitant bills,’ Jonathan joked, flashing his boyish grin.
    Chris let it slide. Yes, his bills were exorbitant but, damn, he was worth it: none of his clients had any complaints. He was on call twenty-four hours a day and they all took advantage.
    ‘What are your plans?’ Jonathan asked, still being polite.
    Chris shrugged. He hadn’t really thought about how he’d spend the night before meeting with his father. A man needed to be at the top of his game when he sat in a room with Red Diamond, so maybe the hotel and Room Service was the best idea.
    On the other hand there were clients in town he should call, and since he was in New York, he might as well take care of business.
    Before leaving L.A. he’d promised his youngest client, Birdy Marvel, that he’d try to attend her concert. Birdy Marvel was an eighteen-year-old singing superstar, who was steadily veering out of control. If she stayed on the path she was boozing and partying her way down, she could easily end up like Jett–who last time he’d seen his self-destructive half-brother, was a total wreck. So bad, that Chris had contacted Jett’s friend, Sam, and begged him to do something. A few days later Sam had staged an intervention and put Jett on a plane to Italy. Unbeknownst to Jett, Chris had financed the trip, including Jett’s eight-week stay in rehab.
    ‘I might drop by to see my client, Birdy Marvel,’ he said. ‘She’s got a show tonight.’
    ‘How delicious !’ exclaimed Jonathan’s gay stylist, overhearing. ‘She’s so… bountiful ! I simply adore the way that little girl jiggles her pom-poms!’
    ‘Fake tits,’ said Jonathan’s manager, joining in. ‘I got a real hang-up about fake tits. Hate ’em.’
    Chris nodded, although he’d never given it much thought. But he had to agree–there was nothing like the real thing.
    Later, after checking into the Four Seasons, he decided against sitting through the concert. He’d seen Birdy perform a dozen times–he almost knew her moves better than she did. If he showed up at the after party full of compliments, she wouldn’t know the difference.
    Yes, that’s what he’d do. Take a shower, make a few calls and go out later.

Chapter Five
     
    ‘T his isn’t how it should be,’ Liberty wailed, perched on the over-stuffed brown couch in the living room of her mom’s small apartment, tucked away in the basement of Red Diamond’s brownstone.
    ‘You just gotta get down with it,’ Cindi said, fussing around the place, arranging magazines in a pile next to her, and fluffing up the cushions. ‘ I can’t look after you ’cause of work, Kev’s away, an’ the doc wants the dressin’ on your arm changed every day–you got burned, girl. It ain’t no joke.’
    ‘Tell me about it,’ Liberty said gloomily.
    ‘An’,’ Cindi added sternly, ‘you gotta stay off that ankle. Now, I ask you, who better to watch you than your mom?’
    ‘I can think of plenty of people,’ Liberty muttered, furious with herself for no other reason than she’d had the bad luck to take such a disastrous fall.
    ‘A coupla days,’ Cindi said, ‘An’ you’ll be zoomin ’ outta here.’
    ‘Thanks a lot ,’ Liberty said ominously. ‘That’s if I survive that long.’
    ‘Tell your mama to fix you those honey ribs you suck the crap outta,’ Cindi suggested, licking her lips at the thought. ‘You’ll not only survive, it’ll put some