'That's fantastic!' Cat exclaimed.

'Anyway,' Amy continued, 'so we kinda sorta... y'know, decided to get married.'

'Holy shit!' Nick exclaimed.

'Insanity obviously runs in the family,' Cat remarked.

'I'll tell you something,' Nick said, indicating Cat. 'If my girl wasn't already married, we'd probably be doin' it ourselves.'

'We would?' Cat said.

'Yeah, we would,' Nick said, challenging her to argue.

'I dunno about that.'

'I do.'

'I don't.'

'You always have to be the boss, don't you?'

'Yeah, as a matter of fact I do.'

'What you need is a man who can control you.'

'And I suppose you're that man?'

'Looks like it.'

'Children! Children!' Amy chided, as Jonas walked in.

'Hey,' Jonas greeted them. 'You're here.'

'And I always thought you were so introverted and careful,' Cat said, shaking her head. 'Obviously I was totally wrong.'

'She told you,' he said sheepishly.

'She sure did! I'm proud of you, Jonas. Get your butt over here - the bridegroom owes me a kiss.'

'Here's the plan,' Nick said. 'We'll grab a couple of hours' sleep, then we're gonna blow this town wide open. We got some major celebrating to do. It isn't every day my little sis gets married!'

She'd been lying to him. Lola Sanchez loved Tony Alvarez. She did not love Matt Seel.

THE BITCH HAD BEEN LYING TO HIM ALL ALONG.

Matt prowled around the house while his wife slept in the luxurious bedroom she wanted him out of.

Matt out.

Tony in.

It was that simple.

Goddamn spic. Matt hated his guts. If it wasn't for Tony Alvarez everything would be all right between him and Lola. They'd stay married. Probably have kids to cement the deal. And he, Matt Seel, would become a superstar.

Jesus fucking Christ! Tony Alvarez was the devil. He'd lured Lola away with his devilish powers.

Matt walked to the bar and took a bottle of beer from the fridge. He drank it down in several big gulps, then opened another.

Did she honestly expect him to leave again? Leave, so that she could get all cosy with the spic?

Of course, she wasn't exactly a pure American girl. She was a spic herself, if the truth was known. And the truth was known, she didn't try to hide it.

Lola Sanchez. The Latina sex bomb.

LOLA SANCHEZ. CHEATING BITCH!.

So the two spics wanted to be together and have little spic kids, was that it?

While he, Matt Seel, a pure-born American, was left out in the cold.

He'd had enough.

Tony Alvarez was not going to come between him and his future.

NO FUCKING WAY.

Cat closed her eyes and gave herself up to the moment. Nick was a skilled lover with all the right moves. They had a rhythm going, a fantastic, wonderful rhythm. Being in bed with him was almost as if it was their first time together.

Making love on the beach earlier seemed like some kind of distant crazed adventure.

This had all started as a revenge fuck, but now she was in bed with Nick Logan in Las Vegas and enjoying every minute of it. They were totally compatible.

'You do know that you're fuckin' gorgeous, don't you?' he said, pumping away.

'Such a way with words,' she murmured, moving out from under him so that she could get on top.

He began to laugh as she straddled him. 'Always gotta be in charge, huh?' Then his laughter turned to heavy breathing as she rode him to an incredible climax.

'Jesus!' he exclaimed, when they were both finished. 'That was the greatest.'

'Mmm,' she agreed, rolling off him. 'You're not bad.'

'Seems like you've had a practice run or two,' he said, reaching for a cigarette.

'And I've got a feeling you've done this before,' she murmured.

'A few times,' he said, lighting his cigarette. 'Never with anyone like you.'

'And he knows what to say too.'

'Hey, the first time I saw you I knew this was gonna happen.'

'I didn't.'

'You certainly did,' he said, blowing smoke rings toward the ceiling. 'You were trying to ward me off 'cause you were my director and it wasn't cool to hop into bed with your main actor. Right?'

'Your ego is out of control.'

'Took a lotta willpower, though, didn't it?'

'Don't flatter yourself.'

'There's nothing like the real thing, huh?' he said, turning toward her.

'I thought casual fucking was your bag.'

'Then I met you.'

'Hmm...'

'Hmm, what?'

'Until the next one comes along.'

'You're wrong, Blondie. Very, very wrong.'

'We'll see,' she said, not prepared to believe a word he said. 'Only don't sweat it, 'cause casual sex suits me just fine right now. We can make it as casual as you like.'

Chapter Forty-Four.

Something awoke Lola. She wasn't sure what it was - a noise, a bump, or maybe it was a car starting. She sat up and glanced at the clock. It was almost six in the morning.

Hmm... if there was an intruder on the premises, Big Jay would've been on the case. He slept above the garage in his own apartment, and there was also a guard on duty down by the front gate.

She wondered if Matt was still asleep in the guest bedroom. Had she been too harsh on him?

No. Why pretend? He was about to walk away with a lot of money, and a case of half-assed fame. Women would want to be with him simply because he was the ex Mr Lola Sanchez.

She clicked on the TV, switching to the security channel where she could see the gate.

There was a car leaving the driveway. Her car. Her Bentley.

Oh, shit't Matt had taken her Bentley again. He'd gone and taken her car. Damn!

She couldn't believe his nerve. He knew how pissed off she'd be.

Oh, well, too late to stop him now.

Did this mean that she'd have to give him another settlement and the Bentley?

Because it was unlikely that Otto would get it back for her a second time.

Her thoughts shifted to Tony. Today she'd call him and tell him her plan. 'I think we should get married,' she'd say. 'Dump the putta and let's get serious here. I'll arrange a fast divorce, and I promise I'll never run out on you again.'

Yes, that was what she'd say. And Tony would forgive her, because if he wasn't prepared to forgive her, he wouldn't have lured her into the bedroom at the party, locked the door and forced her to her knees.

Not that he'd had to force her. She loved giving Tony Alvarez head. He was the best-tasting man in the world. A prince, a king. He was her man. And she loved everything about him.

Was it too early to call him? Yes. Tony was a night person. When he wasn't working he usually slept until noon.

Was Maria lying next to him?

Unlikely, because after she'd told him about catching his girlfriend with Raja, he'd probably dumped her. Tony was not the kind of man who'd put up with sloppy seconds.

She got out of bed and went into the bathroom. It was almost light outside, and she didn't feel like going back to sleep. She thought about driving over to her mother's. Claudine always rose early, and sometimes she could be persuaded to fix pancakes with crispy bacon and homemade maple syrup.

Yes, she'd go over to Mama's house, corner her in the kitchen and tell her very calmly that she did not love Matt, that there was no way she was staying with him, and if Tony would have her - they were getting married.

If Claudine threw a shit-fit, it was too damn bad.

Matt drove Lola's Bentley as though he was a General about to go to war. Oh, Lola would be so angry when she noticed her precious car was gone. He couldn't care less. After all, he was only borrowing it. He'd bring it back, because very soon she'd want him back.

He'd dressed all in black and found his ski-mask, which he'd placed on the passenger seat. He also had on a knitted cap pulled low on his forehead. His outfit made him feel powerful and invincible - like a Ninja warrior.

Whistling softly under his breath, he headed for the Hollywood Hills.

'There's no way I can sleep,' Cat said, suddenly sitting up in bed. 'I'm way too hyper.'

'Me, too,' Nick agreed. 'Wanna go play?'

'It's six a.m.,' she pointed out.

'So?' he said, yawning. 'There's no clocks in casinos. Nobody gives a shit. I'll set you up with a bunch of dollar bills and you'll play the slots.'

'Oh,' she said tartly. 'You think I'm playing the slots while you sit at the blackjack table having fun with the grown-ups?'

He reached for a cigarette. 'You'll have fun playing the slots.'

'Who do you think I am? A little old lady on a walker?' she said, jumping on top of him. 'I insist you teach me blackjack.'

'I can't believe you've never played,' he said, rolling her off him.