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"I’ll vacate only after we chat"

She considers this and, gri, forces herself to ask quickly, "Okay-hoas the Oldha around the room "Chatted with Elsa Klensch The usual"

"How is Elsa?" she asks, still glaring

"Elsa and I are both Capricorns so we get along very nicely," I say "Is it cold in here or is it just

"It was, er, very, very-oh yeah-important"

"Important?" Lauren asks semi-dubiously

"Clothes are important, baby"

"They eventually clean furniture, Victor"

"Hey," I exclaiet out of here"

"What were you doing?" I ask,the whole apartment in "Why weren’t you at the show?"

"I had a photo shoot pro a terrible movie I’m in with Ben Chaplin and Rufus Sewell," she hisses, barely able to contain herself "Then I took a bubble bath and read an article on the impossibility of real eazine" She stubs out the cigarette "This was a draining conversation, yet one I’lad we had The door’s over there in case you’ve forgotten"

She walks past me, down a hallway covered with a Berber-style woven carpet and Moroccan eainst the walls and then I’ back onas Lauren stalks into the bathroo her hair dry Behind her a poster for sos above the toilet She’s so annoyed-but maybe in a fake way-that I have to say, "Oh couys who say things like ’But what if I want a new Maserati’ all the time I bet your life is filled with that" I stop, then add, "Too"

She picks up a half-ene by the sink, downs it

"Hey," I say, pointing at the framed poster "You were in that movie?"

"Unfortunately," she ?"

She closes her eyes, touches her forehead

"You just finished a new h an array of Estee Lauder jars, Lancoe balredients, puts it down, finally gives up and just looks at herself in the mirror