Playing House Away From Home

Chapter 2

Elvis sighed as he placed the Pepsi bottle he had just finished on the nearest table before throwing his head back against the couch. Once filming started, there would be too many early starts. Elvis tried not to be negative in regards to that but he couldn't help but dread having to get up early. He already had to drag himself out of bed at least an hour before it was time to go so he wouldn't arrive at the studio hung over and yawning constantly.

"Hey E," Red hollered. "Cilla's callin' out here."

Elvis heaved himself up, fingers tangling the hair he had just brushed. "Yeah, I'm comin', man."

He walked past the rest of the Mafia members gathering and over to the phone, which was off the hook. He picked it up, beginning to massage his temples with his free hand.

"Cilla?"

"Hi honey," she said in a sugary sweet voice. "You up?"

"Yeah, I'm obviously up."

"How far did you get with recording?"

"We're just about  done."

"You say that every time I call."

"Well, that's how it is."

"I'm only asking because I want to know when I can finally come down there."

Elvis groaned. "I know. But they want me and Loretta getting to know each other without you and her husband around. I miss my family, she misses her family."

"I'm not really concerned about her and her family here. If her husband is fine and dandy with this I don't care. I care about us and our daughter."

"Don't you think that I do too? I think I explained it to you more than once."

"I think it's ridiculous that we can't be with you. As if we'd be in the way. Just because she has seven kids and a drunk husband who would just disturb everyone Lisa and I have to be separated from you too?"

"It ain't seven, it's six."

"Excuse me?"

"She's got six kids," Elvis elaborated, already regretting the slip up before Priscilla's shriek fired out of the receiver.

"And why exactly do you know that?"

"We talk. You spend some time together, you get to talkin'-"

"Aren't you supposed to be recording rather than talking?"

"Loretta's just a little bit older than me and she's been married since you weren't much older than Lisa is now. They got all these kids and...god, Cilla she's not interested in me in that way."

"Most women are interested in you in that way whether you see it or not."

"Well, then she ain't most women."

"In that movie are you...do you have to kiss her?"

"It's pretend," Elvis bit out. There had always been tension between Priscilla and his co stars, but as far as he could recall it hadn't been this bad since Ann-Margret. And Loretta wasn't anything like Ann.

"So you have to kiss her?" Priscilla asked again. "You don't think that she's pretty, do you?"

"And what if I did?"

"You're just..." Priscilla trailed off when a sharp cry could be heard in the background. Panic engulfed him as the name of his daughter passed through his lips, "Lisa?!"

"Yes," Priscilla snapped. "She just slammed her head in the table." In a calmer voice, she spoke to Lisa Marie. "Oh Lisa, what are you doing? You silly girl you. You silly girl."