The Love Machine (74 page)

His grin was loose. “Alfie, you heard what the lady said. Who’s got a car going toward the Beverly Hills Hotel?”

“Johnny there lives on North Canyon—hey, Johnny, when are you packing it in?”

The young man across the room signaled that he was on his way. “There’s your ride, luv,” Alfie said.

“How dare you!” She turned her back on Alfie. “Robin, take me home.”

“Sure, but not this moment. I want to finish my drink.”

Alfie went behind the bar and handed him the bottle of vodka. “Looks like it needs freshening.”

Judith watched him refill his glass. “Robin, I want to leave—with you.”

“Look, luv,” Alfie said, “we all can’t have just what we want. Now I’d like to marry Sergio and have babies. Unfortunately, it just can’t work out.”

Her eyes blazed as she stared at Robin. “You like being here with all these degenerates!”

“I like being with my friends.” He left her and walked over to the couch. Alfie and Sergio followed.

Judith stood against the bar. Nothing like this had ever happened to her. Alfie’s easy scorn … they treated her as if she was a common girl on the town. She was Mrs. Gregory Austin,
but she had been pushed around and ignored. She poured herself a large Scotch. The clock hanging over the bar ticked loudly in the silence. Suddenly she was aware that almost everyone had gone. Only Robin and those two queers remained, huddled together on the couch. He was doing this to her intentionally, to make her feel cheap. She got off the bar stool and something on the floor caught her eye. It was a gold bracelet. She read the inscription and a slow smile came to her lips. She held it gingerly as if it would soil her fingers and approached the men on the couch.

“Now I see why I was told to leave. The three of you really do want to be alone, don’t you?”

The men looked at her curiously. Alfie saw the bracelet and leaped to his feet. His hand automatically reached for his wrist. He lunged for her but she backed away. “You bitch—I had it on tonight. Where did you get it?”

“I found it on the floor behind the bar.” She dangled it before him. “The catch must have broken. It’s really a very interesting bracelet.”

Sergio jumped up and headed toward her. “Give him back that bracelet.”

With a quick motion she dropped it into her bra. Then she brushed her hands together. “Now it’s where neither of you fairies have the nerve to go.”

Robin got up slowly. “Maybe you forgot about
me
. I’m not afraid of tits.”

“You’re a fairy too.” But she backed away from him. “The Love Machine—with you it’s girls for your name, but men are your game. The bracelet proves it.”

“What’s Alfie’s bracelet got to do with me?”

“You tell me,” she said lightly. “It has Sergio’s name on the front, and on the back it says
From Robin Stone, Christmas, Roma, 1962
. But Alfie was wearing it. Is that why you wanted to stay, Robin? So you could have it out with Alfie for taking your real lover away from you?”

Sergio turned to Robin pleadingly. “It’s the bracelet I asked from you in Rome. Remember you said that I could have anything I wanted engraved on it? So I had your name put on the
back. I wore it always. It was and is my dearest possession. But Alfie gave me his.” He held out his arm showing a similar gold bracelet. “Alfie’s mother gave him this. It was the closest possession
he
owned. So we exchanged bracelets.”

Alfie nodded. “It was something I treasured, Robin.”

Judith threw back her head and laughed. “This is the most touching scene I’ve ever witnessed. Well, I guess I’ll be on my way. I think Gregory will be delighted with this bracelet. I think all the scandal sheets will enjoy it too. We might make it in time for the board of directors meeting on Tuesday. After all, Robin, we’ve got to see that you are—what’s the word—oh yes, totally unemployable.”

“Judith, I don’t give a damn about the network. If you have a gripe against me—fine. But don’t get Sergio or Alfie involved. You could hurt their careers.”

She looked at him and laughed. “You’re making it sound better and better.” She turned to Alfie. “I think the scandal sheets would adore knowing about you,
luv!”
Her eyes blazed in anger. She started for the door.

Sergio lunged for her. Alfie grabbed her and pulled her to the center of the room. Robin started toward them to break it up, but Sergio was closing in. He had her trapped behind the bar. She looked around wildly, like a cornered animal. Suddenly she saw the gleaming Oscar. She picked it up, and as Sergio moved toward her, she brought it down on his head. He fell to the floor immediately.

“You bitch!” Alfie screamed. “He’s unconscious—you’ve
killed
him! Oh God, Sergio… .” He was on his knees sobbing over the unconscious man.

Judith raced toward the door but Alfie leaped up and caught her. “Oh no you don’t!” His hand lashed across her face. Robin picked up Sergio and placed him on the couch. He heard Judith scream. He knew Alfie was slapping her, but he was sure that nothing more than her dignity would be hurt. His main concern was for Sergio. He got some ice and put it to his head. “Be careful!” Alfie shouted. “His skull might be fractured.”

Robin turned, took one look at Judith and rushed across the room. Her lip was cut, blood was streaming from her nose. Her
hairpiece was askew and looked oddly comical against her battered face. Robin tried to intercede, but Alfie dragged her from his reach by the hair. Miraculously, it remained on. She screamed at the top of her lungs. Robin grabbed Alfie’s arm and forced him to release her. Judith’s pajamas were torn at the neckline, revealing part of her wired bra. The bracelet slipped out and clattered to the floor. Alfie grabbed it. Then, for good measure, he gave Judith another blinding slap across the face.

Robin grabbed her and she clung to him, sobbing. “I’m sorry, Judith,” he whispered. “But when you play like an alley cat, sometimes you get
treated
like one.”

They all froze when they heard the chimes and the pounding at the door. “Open up! It’s the police,” a loud voice called.

“Oh my God,” Judith began to sob. “This will kill Gregory. Look at me.”

“You! What about
me!”
Alfie screamed. “And Sergio! This kind of publicity can ruin us all … because of you—you bitch!”

Judith clung to Robin. “Get me out of this. Oh, God, please get me out of this and I’ll never do anything wrong again.”

“You’ll
never do anything wrong! You’ve got your millions to go back to. What about me? I’ve got a morals clause!” Alfie spat at her.

Robin held Judith against him, and grabbed Alfie with his free hand. “Alfie, I’ll get you out of this—only I’ve got one condition: Maggie Stewart gets the lead in your new picture.”

“What
picture? We’ll all be run out of town tomorrow.”

“Judith!” Robin held her off and stared at her mottled face. “Your story is that I was drunk. I went on the make for you. I ripped at your dress. Sergio stepped in to help you. I went to hit him, he ducked and you got the blow—that explains your face—then I smashed Sergio.”

“And what was
I
doing?” Alfie asked.

“You rushed to her defense and I clipped you.” He reached out and gave Alfie a resounding punch on the jaw. Alfie yelled. Robin smiled slightly. “Sorry, chum, but if you’re defending the lady you have to take your lumps.” Robin noticed that the pounding at the door had stopped. He knew the police were trying to make a forced entrance from the back.

“Now, everyone know their lines? I hope so, because here comes the law—”

He turned around just as the police came in through the bedroom terrace. In panic, Judith dashed for the front door. She flung it open and faced a blinding flash of camera bulbs. The reporters tramped into the room. She dashed back to Robin, then, seeing the press and police, she backed away. Dimly she heard Alfie explaining, “It’s just all a ghastly misunderstanding. Mr. Stone stayed to talk to me about Miss Maggie Stewart—I want her for my new picture—and we had a few drinks. Robin had one too many. He really didn’t know what he was doing. Good God, he couldn’t be on the make for Mrs. Austin if he was sober, she’s old enough to be his mother.”

Judith’s swollen lips grimaced at him. “Why, you dreary little”

“Easy,” Robin said. “Let’s just say this wasn’t my night.”

Then the ambulance arrived. They all watched the doctor kneeling over Sergio.

“How is he?” Alfie asked anxiously.

“Probably just a concussion,” the ambulance attendant answered. “However they can’t tell till they X-ray.” Then he shook his head. “You movie characters sure play rough.”

The policeman whom Robin had met earlier in the evening took him by the arm and stared at him with a wounded expression as if to say, “And I trusted you.” Alfie was asked to come along as a witness. Judith refused to press charges, but she was taken along despite her objections.

It was all routine at the police station, except for the newspapermen. It seemed to Robin that every reporter in town was there, plus a television cameraman from a local station. Robin did not try to avoid the cameras, but he shielded Judith throughout. When one inventive cameraman darted between them and managed to get a shot of Judith’s swollen face, Robin lunged after him and smashed his camera. The other cameras picked up this byplay, but order was instantly installed by the police. Alfie refused to press charges. “After all, I took a poke at him first. And he was drinking,” Alfie said.

The doctor phoned in to say that Sergio was all right—it was
only a mild concussion. Robin paid a fine for disturbing the peace and wrote a check to the newspaperman for destroying his camera and it wound up with everyone being released.

Then he drove Judith back to the hotel and parked near Crescent. “We can go in this way and avoid the lobby. I’ll walk you to the bungalow.”

“Robin—”

He looked at her. One eye was beginning to discolor and her lips looked raw and bloody.

“Put some cold compresses on your face,” he said. “Tomorrow you’re going to have a real mouse on that eye.”

She touched her face gingerly. “What do I tell Gregory?”

“Exactly what you told the police.”

She reached over and took his hand. “Robin, I know this will sound crazy to you, but I really loved you.” Tears came to her eyes. “And now I’ve destroyed you.”

“No, baby,
I’ve
done it myself—and maybe it’s about time.”

He walked her to the bungalow. It was dark inside.

“I won’t wake Gregory,” she said. “There will be plenty of time to tell him about it tomorrow.”

“Sleep well, Judith.”

She clung to him for a brief second. “Oh, Robin, why did all this have to happen?”

“Go into your bungalow,” he whispered, “and stay there. Stay where you belong from now on.” Then he walked away and went into the hotel. He turned off his phone, fell across the bed and went to sleep without even taking off his clothes.

Gregory Austin was awakened at seven in the morning by Cliff Dome. “Jesus, Gregory,” he said, “I almost fainted when I heard the news. How is she?”

“How is
who?”
Gregory tried to rouse himself into full consciousness.

“Judith.”

Gregory stared at the clock on his night table. “What in hell are you talking about?”

“Gregory, the lobby is filled with reporters. You’ve got a ‘Do not disturb’ on your line, but I told the operator I’d take full responsibility for breaking it. Have you seen the morning papers?”

“For Christ’s sake, man, I’ve just opened my eyes. What is all this talk? And what’s Judith got to do with it?”

“Robin Stone beat her up.”

“What!” Gregory dropped the phone and raced into Judith’s bedroom. She was sleeping face down on the pillow. He tugged at her arm gently. She mumbled and gradually awoke. He stared at her in shock. “Judith—your face! You’ve got a black eye! What happened?”

“It’s nothing.” She tried to bury her face in the pillow.

He pulled her into a sitting position. “Cliff is on the phone. There are reporters in the lobby. There’s supposed to be a story in the newspaper.
What happened?”

“Get me some coffee,” she said slowly. “It’s not as serious as you think.”

Gregory raced back to his bedroom. “Judith’s all right. Get up here immediately, and bring all the newspapers.” Then he sent for coffee. Judith finally got out of bed and came into the living room. “I look worse than I feel,” she said with a wry smile.

“Tell me what happened.”

“There isn’t much to tell. Robin drank a lot. Suddenly he lunged for me. Sergio tried to protect me and then when Robin lunged for him he ducked and I caught the blow. Then Robin knocked Sergio out—and then the police arrived. That’s all.”

“That’s
all?”
Gregory thundered. “Look at yourself! Why didn’t you send for me? Or Cliff Dome?”