Sunset & Vine: Loose Lips (5 page)

She was also the flirt of the trio, known to fallen in love at least twice in one breakfast setting.

“Remember, I was the first one to ‘spot’ the heat between Dotty and Sam. It takes one to know one!” Laughing while reminding the girls.

“It was the way they tried to ignore each other while working. I am clever that way.”

“The love connection is my field of PhD and don’t either of you forget it.” As the other two women howled.

“I have only had bad luck with men lately because they only want me for my legs!”

And indeed, what a set of legs she did have. Long, caramel, Tina Turner legs, one of which she made sure was “accidentally” extended while sitting at the edge of a table every morning.

“My muscles need to stretch or they will get violent!” she told her giggling friends at the table.

“Honey, violence is what men want from those legs of yours!” stated Irene. All three let go of a backstage belly roll!

“I’ve tried so hard to tame them, but they just can’t be tamed.”

The three of them were in the thick of it all and used their morning meeting to pump up the volume of energy between them before heading out for work.

* * *

Victoria thought about the dark, handsome stranger in the “race car driver overalls” all day that day. In fact she couldn’t think of anything else. Once at home, she analyzed the interaction that had occurred between the two of them. Playing it out over and over in her head, she hoped she had not been too distant towards him. She concluded that she could make it up to him in the morning by being extra friendly and sweet. Surely he would show up again, he seemed to like the place.

“Oh, damn, what if he doesn’t come in? What if I have just ignored what could have been the sexiest man I have ever met?”

“What an idiot I am! ‘Always keeping the wall up for protection!’ Ok…get a grip on yourself, he’ll show again. I am sure he will. I can feel it. I hope?”

Victoria had to self-consciously behave in a normal manner the following morning. It was an attempt to appear normal while fighting to contain her excitement. She had selected the sexiest business suit she could find in her vast clothing when getting prepared for work that morning. Hoping to impress her “new man,” who she had not even formally met. Admitting to herself that there was no denying the intense attraction that she felt between them. So brief, yet so powerful.

“I can’t ever remember being so enamored and affected by meeting a man as I have been with Mr. Sexy Ferrari.”

The following morning, the Tripartite were all wearing bright red and pink glossy lipstick and looking particularly fashionable in their form-fitting blouses and sweaters. No doubt hoping to get their chance to catch the eye of the Ferrari stallion.

“Ms. Executive Stuck-up” had her work cut out for her with the local competition.

Victoria took her usual seat.

“Hi, Dotty! Isn’t beautiful outside this morning!” she exclaimed.

“Good morning, Miss. Steele, yes it is beautiful today, and so are you. Love that suit, it looks wonderful on you. Better be careful, you might catch some big Italian’s eye dressed like that!” Dotty said with a wink and a smile.

“Oh, I don’t think so, Dotty.” As demurely as she could, worried that all the women, and men for that matter, in the place could tell she was anticipating another chance meeting with Mr. Dark and Handsome that morning.

Victoria went about her routine as usual, with the only exception being that her heart skipped a beat every time the front door swung open. Seven-thirty arrived, nothing…then eight o’clock, then eight-fifteen. He wasn’t coming. She had to leave for work as her schedule was packed that morning. Maybe he would show tomorrow. She had to believe there would be a second chance. She just knew there would be.

* * *

“Well, I guess the rich bitch ran the stallion away,” lamented Natasha, referring to Victoria.

“No wonder that last movie of hers broke her winning streak. If she casts for movies like she does for dates, she’s in big trouble!” Laughing amongst themselves.

“I see ol’ Dotty wasted no time getting acquainted with the new “Michelangelo of Hollywood,” Maria-Angela added.

“Doesn’t she have a husband … AND Sam?” cracked Irene.

Victoria was anxious, once again, in anticipation of the next morning. She had butterflies in her stomach at thinking about seeing the man from Italy. It had been a brief encounter, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. The way he stared so boldly into her eyes, everything in the blink of a second. She had made up her mind the night before, as a woman of action, that if he failed to show this morning, she had remembered “Hollywood Ferrari/Jaguar” on the back of his overalls.

She hadn’t become CEO of a leading film studio by waiting around, wishing for rainbows. She knew when to recognize opportunity. This put Victoria’s determination on the front burner. By the time her evening had ended and she crawled into bed, Victoria allowed herself to fantasize for a moment what it would be like to kiss his incredibly handsome face.

“What the hell! Snap out of this nonsense! You don’t even know this man and you are already thinking about kissing him!” Lamenting to herself aloud.

With that she flicked the light switch off and tried to sleep, but couldn’t get that mass of curly black hair and citrus smell out of her mind. Finally she drifted off to sleep thinking about life in rustic Italy.

Under false pretense; Victoria had a reason for her visit to Hollywood Ferrari/Jaguar. Ms. Steele informed her personal Jaguar consultant that an unusual sound was suddenly emanating from her car.

“I need it looked at immediately please.”

Her true intention was to hopefully cross paths “accidentally” with the man that had made her blush so profusely.

While waiting nervously, she heard the PA announcement,

“Cino, please meet Ms. Steele in the lobby for immediate assistance.”

Victoria was not certain of his name, but she believed she had overheard him telling Dotty that it was in fact Cino.

“That Dotty, thank goodness for her friendly sweetness, she’s helped in ways that she will never know.” Reminding herself of the other morning.

Immediately after the announcement the large service doors swung open. Victoria suddenly felt a rush of excitement hit her, then utter and complete disappointment. In walked an older gentleman that could have been her Italian’s grandfather, half his size and the farthest away from her “Mr. Italy” that she could have imagined. The older gentleman was heading straight towards her as her shoulders slumped in obvious disappointment, chopping off a full inch of her height as they sank.

“Could I be at the wrong location?” she asked herself as the older man neared her. An accented, deep, hypnotic voice from behind her made her melt like warm chocolate on a hot day spoke to her, “Signorina Steele?”

Startled, she stared as the older gentleman strolled past her. Victoria slowly turned, heart racing from nervousness, excitement, and hope, to face none other than Mr. Cino Salvaggio in all his gloriousness.

“I will extend a far better impression upon him this time around.” Thinking to herself.

“Well, hello there!” she said in a feigned surprised greeting.

“What a coincidence running into you again!” she faked and flashed a smile.

“I am sorry; I don’t understand? There is an issue with your car, no?” he replied in a coldly formal manner.

“Umm, yes, there is a strange noise coming from the engine. I wanted to investigate it right away,” Victoria stumbled.

“I see; shall we take a look?” Cino spoke in a serious tone.

“Yes, of course. May I ask, do you not remember us meeting a few days ago? At Schwab’s?” Hesitating while starting to lose her nerve.

In his most defiant attitude, he declared, “You have assuredly mistaken me for someone else as I am quite clear we have never met.” Matching the same dry tone she used in her “Good morning” to him the other day.

Victoria, now immensely embarrassed, assumed that he was indeed not interested in her and that she had completely misread his initial intentions.

They proceeded to the car as he asked for her keys. Now, completely rattled, she timidly laid the keys in his large, tan hands. Cino immediately felt a shock wave pulse through him as her soft hand slightly touched his.

After starting the car and hearing nothing out of the ordinary from the engine, just as Cino had suspected, he said “Perhaps we should take it for a drive around the block to gather the feel of it in action?”

“Of course, you are the expert.”

“THAT I am.”

Victoria went silent and pondered what a fool she had made of herself.

She began to withdraw from the interaction, hoping to regain some level of dignity from her bruised ego.

Cino walked to the passenger side of the sleek convertible and assisted with the passenger door as Ms. Steel eased into the intimate two-seater. He then slid his large frame into the driver’s seat and started the engine. They drove off into traffic with an uneasy wall of silence lingering and stinging bewilderment between them. Upon reaching the first stop light, both stared straight ahead in uncomfortable silence.

With a mixture of humility and authority, Cino stated, “Of course I remember you, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the moment I laid eyes on you.”

It had been apparent to him that there were no issues with the car, long before taking it for a drive. It was also obvious that she had sought him out on a contrived expedition on her behalf to locate him.

“My instincts were spot on from the first time we looked at each other. I felt it,” he thought.

There was undeniable tension and chemistry between the two of them mixed with wild expectation, which was finally acknowledged by both. Cino was startled by the sound of a blasting horn behind them as the light had long been green. Although he’d been looking straight ahead, the change of light had gone completely unnoticed. He immediately pulled the car over to the curb.

The intimate pod of the luxurious sports car forced them to look at each other for the first time with open feelings of intense excitement. Cino took his right hand from the car’s gear shift and rubbed the outside of his fingers down her smooth left cheek, staring deeply into her eyes for a moment of intense silence.

“May I have dinner with you tonight?”

“I would like that very much,” Victoria replied in a hushed voice.

“I’ll pick you up. I know a wonderful small Italian place I’d like to share with you.” she continued.

“Perfetto. What time?”

“Is 7:30 OK?” she asked.

“Va bene,” that’s great, replied Cino.

At that very moment, Victoria would later swear she could count each and every long black eyelash languishing around those big dreamy brown eyes.

Cino was swimming in beauty again. He now felt at home in his new Hollywood for the first time since his arrival. He was staring at the kind of beauty his eyes were used to. This was the beginning of a serious story. The kind your gut and tells you, “This is what being human is all about.”

It switches on instincts that you never knew even existed, something like you had never encountered in the arena of love.

“Victoria Salvaggio. Umm, I like the sound of that,” she thought.

“E cosi comincia!” And so it begins! He smiled to himself.

Chapter Twelve

Michael/Mae

Screenwriter Michael Deeves found all the subtle drama that morning highly entertaining. An expert people watcher, he rarely missed many nuances of human behavior while seated in what could only be referred to as the “bird’s eye view.” He was definitely the cool, silent type. Forever seeking out the characters who live out their lives in his screenplays, he was an observer of the nth degree.

“I observe my characters from above, almost as if I am in an ethereal floating state while viewing them in action.”

“Schwab’s is the perfect locale. I have been coming to Schwab’s since childhood having first been introduced by my mother on a Saturday shopping trip. It was about a week after watching Sunset Boulevard for the first time,” he told a friend.

“There I was, gliding through the doors of Headquarters’ as it was known in the movie.

“‘Headquarters’ being the local Hollywood hangout for the up and coming artists of the movie, music, and literary circles. Based on that movie alone, I expected to walk in and see the joint full of starlets, writers, singers, and deal makers. I settled at the soda fountain with a Coke and hot dog. The only stunning beauty in the place was my mom. Let there be no doubt, had it not been for me and my siblings, she could have had Hollywood at her feet with a face like hers.

“My “office” at Headquarters was a small booth situated in the corner at 2:00 high. It gave me the perfect 360 of the entire place. At mid-way in my career, I have been told that the looks are still there and I have no trouble holding my own with the young starlets, especially when they find out that I am a writer. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have a 6’ 165-pound lean swimmer’s build either.

“Hey, life is about the angles, and I try to work everyone...including the William Holden look-alike with smart looking reading glasses.

“Starlets love the mother and son shopping trip story and I never tire of telling it to their willing ears,” he shares with another writing buddy.

“The rotation of characters at Schwab’s is where my fascination lies. There is a non stop supply of “gonnebees,” who’s gonna be somebody, followed by the constant re-supply of “couldabbeens,” as in “I could have been somebody.

“It’s simply paradise for a writer,” he exclaims.

“Just look at all the fluttering going on with these women this morning. All of this over one good looking stranger. They all behaved as if Zeus had walked in looking for a wife!”

Michael was a bit curious himself about the guy in the bright Ferrari overalls. Was he a race car driver?

“A new character for my work, for sure.”

He figured he would eventually hear it all from Dotty anyway. Dotty ran a tight ship and knew just about everyone, and everything about everyone, that walked in the door, within 10 minutes. She was friendly that way. These regulars had become a sort of Breakfast Club with the occasional new face to stimulate things.

Deeves started out as an actor. Not just any kind of actor, but a method actor! The kind who bring characters to life via experience. This was a mission that he took very seriously. He had left Hollywood for life experience in New York, Rome, London, and around the world, only to discover that it was all right here in Hollywood, along with perfect weather to boot. This town was one of the most powerful magnets in the world, the possibility of fame and fortune making it irresistible.

As an actor who had had limited luck with stage, film, and TV, he needed to find a way for his characters to come to life when the acting agent wasn’t calling. Writing was the answer.

“I had my office and an all-day supply of java from Dotty. No pressure to drink and leave as they had come to realize the value in having the place look filled with the artsy types.” Telling a friend.

“How’s that Oscar winning screenplay coming?” was Dotty’s routine question once a week.

“Just don’t you forget poor little ol’ Dotty when you hit the jackpot!”

“I won’t...I promise. Your coffee is the fuel that has kept the engine going Dotty.” Laughing to himself at the thought of catching Dotty sneaking longing glances at Sam. She had no idea that he had walked past the window early one morning before opening and caught a peek of the two of them kissing in the kitchen.

“Hey, whatever floats your boat,” he chuckled. Michael was a staunch believer in never “kissing and telling.”

* * *

Maria-Angela had interviewed four times for the household position with the movie icon, Mae Vaught. Ms. Vaught offered her the job after a chance meeting at Schwab’s during which Maria-Angela let slip that she secretly danced while doing housework. Ms. Vaught loved it! Informing Maria-Angela, “An artist for an artist, you’ve got the job as long as you keep dancing!” She’s had been counted among the screen legend’s few close confidants since.

Legendary film star Mae Vaught exploded onto the Hollywood movie scene in 1944 at the age of 19 by winning the Oscar for Best Actress in A River With No End. Mae brought with her an exotic face, piercing blue-gray eyes, and a fiery persona. Her exquisite etiquette and mysterious past only added to her allure. There was speculation that led many to believe that she was indeed descended from exotic royalty. A rumor that had been cooked up by a tabloid reflecting her Oscar winning film role.

The lead role was that of a half-breed, Indian princess kidnapped and forced to marry a powerful, barbaric white rancher enchanted by her irresistible beauty. So captured by her charm he prevented her escape three times as she attempted to flee down river back to her people. Upon return after the third attempt she decided to stay and fight for her life. The ensuing battle resulted in the untimely death of the arrogant rancher and her eventual control of his fortune. Those who had assisted in her imprisonment and recapture now faced her revenge. The movie was a massive box office hit!

“I’ve had to fight for everything in my life. From decent film roles to pay. I won more than I lost!” she was fond of saying.

Mae Vaught had held Hollywood at her feet, having reached the pinnacle of box-office power early in her career. She was one of the first actors to demand a percentage of her films in lieu of a straight salary. This shrewd move endowed her with enormous wealth even by Hollywood’s standards.

Her life had been shared by two husbands. The first sought a divorce and half her fortune upon discovering that her “German” ancestry was overshadowed by a much larger percentage of real Cherokee blood... and for icing on the cake, a black grandmother! All of which was barely reflected in her white skin, blue-gray eyes, and envious face, except her incredible cheekbones.

One must remember this was an era of intense racial discrimination. Mae had fried much bigger fish when facing down Hollywood studio heads.

“I demanded a fair share in my highly successful career. They didn’t like that. But I won.” Relating the story to journalists.

As one of the richest women, or men for that matter, in Hollywood, she would not be deterred or flinch in defense of her reputation and honor...along with the best legal minds a huge fortune could buy. Her sense of fairness fueled her passion to fight injustice.

Having been raised under mixed parentage she understood a smattering of the Cherokee language. Her traitorous first husband, the spoiler, hustler, ex-theatrical agent and seeker of a free fortune, had discovered her secret and verified it by speaking to her one morning in Cherokee.

“Osdasunale.” Good morning. He’d spent a week learning the proper pronunciation.

She automatically replied, “Wado,” thank you, and quickly realized what he had done.

He used this as a confrontation to blackmail her about her secret past.

A fierce survivor, Mae met the accusation head on by holding a press conference to announce to the world, “It was discovered that I am of mixed Cherokee heritage, and I hope it will not change the love and devotion of my fans. I say this based on the equality of all human kind, so defined in our beloved US Constitution.” And she continued on with something about, “All red blooded, decent Americans believe in freedom and justice for all!”

It worked. Months later, upon exiting the court house, when questioned by reporters about her feelings regarding her just-granted divorce, her only reply, as she stopped cold and stared directly into the reporters eyes was, “Lie down with dogs...well, you know the rest.”

“I am thrilled to know how devoted my fans are, and to discover that I am OK!” she exclaimed, as she turned for a wave to the cameras before boarding her handcrafted 1938 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic en route to her villa in the ultra exclusive Bel-Air section of Hollywood.

The crushing crowd of admirers screamed, “Our Cherokee Princess!”

Mae had secretly taken care of her beloved black grandmother in luxury for years. She was to discover later, that she was not by a long shot, the only mixed blooded American star gracing the silver screen as they fulfilled the dreams of an era and a society full of racism.

“Hell, I am probably the most American of most of America!” she would say with a laugh while talking to Maria-Angela.