Free Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins

text from Harry on her phone. ‘I’ll do that.’
    ‘You could come to Vegas before Thursday if you felt like hanging out,’ Lucky suggested. ‘What do you think?’
    ‘That’s okay,’ Max said, thinking she’d like nothing less. ‘I’m into being by myself. It’ll give me a chance to consider my future.’
    ‘Ah,’ Lucky said, ‘your future . . .’
    ‘Yeah, Mom, my future. Can we like not discuss it now?’
    ‘Do you still want to move to New York?’
    ‘Maybe, maybe not,’ Max answered vaguely. ‘I told you – I’m gonna decide.’
    ‘And you’re absolutely certain you have no interest in going to college?’
    ‘ You didn’t do the whole college thing,’ Max said, irritated that Lucky kept on bringing it up. ‘Why should I?’
    ‘Those were different times,’ Lucky pointed out.
    ‘Yeah. The Dark Ages,’ Max said, rolling her eyes.
    Lucky shook her head. No use getting pissed off. Nothing to be gained.
    ‘Strangely enough,’ she deadpanned, ‘we had phones during the Dark Ages. Instead of texting we actually talked. Can you imagine?’
    ‘What a thrill,’ Max drawled.
    Brat , Lucky thought . Spoiled Beverly Hills brat. But she’s my brat, and one of these days she’ll grow up, just like I did.
    ‘I’m off,’ Lucky said, standing up. Sometimes playing the concerned mom was not for her. She loved her kids, but once they reached a certain age it was best to let them fly. ‘Are you home for dinner?’
    ‘Don’t think so,’ Max replied. ‘Gonna hang with Cookie and Harry.’
    ‘Okay then. We’ll see each other in the morning before I leave. Oh, and if you hear from Bobby, tell him to call me.’
    ‘Will do.’
    Max waited until Lucky was out of sight, then she called Harry. ‘Party time at my house tomorrow night,’ she announced. ‘Alert the troops, and grab as much booze as you can from your dad’s liquor cabinet. Got it?’
    Harry got it.
    *   *   *
    Once every few months Lucky had lunch with her old friend, the legendary and unpredictable film director, Alex Woods. They shared a history, a long friendship, and one night of twisted passion many years ago when Lennie was missing and Lucky had thought he was dead. Alex had never gotten over her, and she knew it, but she wasn’t prepared to give him up as a friend. He was loyal and insane and incredibly talented and forceful and sincere when he felt like it. During the time she’d owned Panther Studios they’d produced a movie together, and when she’d embarked on building The Keys, Alex had come in on the project as one of her major investors.
    If Lennie wasn’t around she would be with Alex, and they were both aware of it, although it was never discussed.
    In the meantime Alex dated Asian women. They came. They went. Sometimes they stayed longer than a few weeks. He didn’t care. Like Lennie, making movies was his passion – women and love affairs were secondary. Except for Lucky, who, in his eyes, became even more wildly beautiful as each year passed.
    He studied her as she walked into Mr Chow. She wore white pants, a casual jacket and plenty of gold gypsy-style jewellery. She strode in like a panther, all sleek movement, her dark eyes flashing, her trademark mass of tumbled jet curls wild as usual. Alex stood up from the table.
    ‘Such a gentleman,’ she teased, as he moved forward and kissed her on both cheeks, inhaling the exotic fragrance she always wore. ‘How are you, Alex?’ she asked, sitting down. ‘Working hard?’
    ‘What do you think?’ he said with a wry smile. ‘I’m in post on the war movie I recently finished shooting in Morocco, and my editor is driving me nuts. Plus we’re way over budget, and the studio is throwing a shit fit. Fuck ’em.’
    ‘Are you pleased with it?’ she asked, scanning his face. He looked a little ragged around the edges. Alex drank too much; that, and his excessive smoking, was not good for him. He was still an enormously attractive man though, and she loved