by Carlyn Cade
“How’re you doing this morning, kiddo?” Hal asked, displaying a warm smile as she sank into his plush leather couch.
“Everything’s fine, Hal, except for one thing I forgot to mention before.”
“And that is...?”
“Farrell Fontaine. He plans to call you about me. I know what your answer would be if he wanted me for one of his porn films.”
“Yeah, the roof would probably blow right off this building.”
“That’s why I love you, Hal. You’ve always got my back. Linda is one lucky woman.”
Hal had one of the strongest marriages she knew. The love they had for one another radiated from inside each of them whenever Stacia saw them together. Linda Montgomery was no trophy wife either, although she had the assets to be. She had a law degree from Harvard, like Hal, and practiced law in a penthouse suite in downtown L.A.
“Thanks, but I think I’m the lucky one to have her.” Hal leaned back in his recliner. “By the way, how’s old Farrell doing?”
“He was in rare form. He almost pulled me off my chair at dinner, then passed out.”
“I feel sorry for him. He’s a good producer, or was, I guess. He did a great job on my mother’s first movie.”
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and Hal’s assistant announced the arrival of Nathan and Arthur.
“Show them in,” Hal instructed.
The two men entered the room, and Hal stood up and immediately became the executive attorney-businessman-agent experience had educated him to be. “Mr. Sterling, Mr. Keyes,” he said. He extended his hand to each of them and motioned toward the over-stuffed leather chairs in front of his desk. “I think you’ll be comfortable here.”
At Hal’s nod to her, Stacia moved from the sofa to a chair he’d placed at a right angle close to his.
“I understand you’re interested in Stacia for your new movie,” Hal began. “This meeting, as you know, is simply an inquiry for more information.”
“That’s fine,” Nathan said. “Thank you both for agreeing to see us.”
“Suppose you tell us more about your plans. The name of the movie, for starters, and who your financial backer is. We need to know that in order to make sure of your credibility and also to be certain everything and everyone is legit. Stacia will, of course, be paid whether it is a hit or a flop. We will need a guarantee on that.”
“You don’t fool around, do you?” Arthur said. “I see now where your reputation comes from.”
“Okay, let’s start with the easy ones first,” Nathan suggested. “The movie is London Affair.”
“Are you serious?” Hal stood up from his desk, stuck his hands in his pockets and walked toward the door. From the dark expression on his face, Stacia wondered if he was going to open it and ask the two men to leave.
“That was my mother’s first picture,” he finally said. “The one she received her Oscar for as supporting actress.”
“I thought you’d be surprised,” Nathan commented. “That’s one of the reasons we wanted to tell you in person.”
“It was filmed in 1949. My mother was nine at the time.”
“We know,” Nathan said.
“Do you also know the horrible things that happened after the filming of it?” Hal sputtered.
“What horrible things?” Stacia asked, unaware the words had even been spoken.
“Never mind,” Hal said, dismissing her in a tone of voice she hadn’t heard him use before. He walked back to his desk, sat down, and steepled his hands. She could tell he was in control again. “I don’t feel comfortable recommending this film to Stacia.”
Stacia’s mouth flew open, as did Nathan’s and Arthur’s.
“I didn’t know you’d have such strong negative emotions about this particular movie. I’m sorry,” Nathan said. “We studied the film closely. It would be easy to use Stacia’s image over Audra Parker’s. Arthur here is the expert on this. In fact, we believe Stacia bears a striking resemblance to Audra and their ages mesh perfectly.”
“And the ensuing publicity?” Hal remarked, sarcasm tinting his words. “I don’t suppose that had anything to do with your choice?”
“Yes, naturally, we considered that,” Arthur declared, “but as a determining factor, the answer would have to be no. We can obtain the rights for this movie at a fair price. It was an excellent movie and, as you know, it won an Oscar for Best Film, as well as a nomination for Audra posthumously for Best Actress.”
“I don’t know.” Hal shook his head. “But, I’ll tell you what. Let’s hypothetically consider it. What about Stacia’s salary?”
“I believe her rate is 10 mil a film,” Nathan said. “We’re prepared to double that and offer her $20 million.”
“Well, gentlemen, you two have done your homework, I’ll say that for you. Your offer as it stands now, however, is not acceptable. With all the uncertainties of this project and repercussions that cannot be anticipated at this time, I can’t recommend this project to Stacia as is.” Hal folded his hands and allowed his fingertips to touch his bottom lip momentarily. Then he spread his arms out and, fingers up, he pointed to a large stack of screenplays on his credenza. “See those? These projects are just for Stacia to accept or reject. I’m sorry, but under the circumstances, you need to raise your ante another ten mil.” He settled back in his chair as if he were a brick building that couldn’t be moved.
Stacia was blown away by all of her agent’s negotiations. Who would pay her $30 million to act in a movie? As innovative as Nathan’s and Arthur’s ideas were, she would have played the role for nothing.
The two men looked at each other, and Nathan nodded his head in his partner’s direction. “We were told not to haggle over her salary,” he said. “Our backer authorized us to accept a proposed sum of up to $10 million more than we first offered. He said you were a master at negotiating and that you’d always win in the end. I understand now what he meant.”
“All right, we can continue then.” Hal dismissed the compliment as if it hadn’t taken place. “Now, what about your mystery backer?”
“Sorry, but he remains anonymous, or he’s out of the deal.”
“How do we know he can afford it? What proof do we have?”
For the second time, Nathan and Arthur looked at each other and smiled.
“Oh, he can afford it, all right,” Nathan said. “To calm any fear you might have of him dropping out, he said he’d deposit Stacia’s salary in her bank immediately into an escrow account. This would be distributed under the usual terms of her contract, if she agrees to do London Affair.”
“Well, outside of the choice of movie, everything else seems to be in order. Stacia and I will discuss this and let you know the answer soon, within a day or two.”
“Sounds fair enough.” Nathan stood up to leave.
Arthur did too. He turned to Stacia. “I hope you come on board. We think we have a winner here, and how many times can you get in on the ground floor of a new idea?”
The four shook hands and said their good-byes, and Nathan and Arthur left Hal’s office.
“Well, Stace, there you have it. What do you think?”
First, thank you for getting me $30 million. Wow, I can’t believe it. You’re an amazing agent, you know.” She shook her head. “None of this seems real to me.”
Hal chuckled. “It will be when you see the numbers in your bank account. Anyway, it’s all in a day’s work and you’re worth every cent…and even more.”
“I really don’t know anything about the movie though. I haven’t seen it, but nevertheless, even though it’s a gamble, I’m 100 percent for it, if you believe it’s right for me. Do you?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to talk to my mother about it. That may sound strange for a grown man to say, but she was there when the original was made. And by the way, so was Farrell, as one of the producers.”
“Are you saying we should suggest he be a producer on this one also?”
“N
o, of course not,” Hal said. “I do think, however, that maybe Arthur was right. How many times can you get in on the ground floor of a new idea?”
“Then it’s settled.” She started for the door. “We’ll plan on saying yes, unless your mother convinces us otherwise.”
“There is one more thing, Stace.” Hal walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I want to apologize for being rude to you in front of Sterling and Keyes. I had no right to be that way. It was totally unprofessional, and I am deeply sorry, both from the standpoint of being your agent and your friend.”
“We’re all human, Hal. I’ve had to ask many people to forgive me when I’ve had little temper ‘flare-ups,’ as my brother calls them.” Stacia tapped her red hair and smiled at her agent. “It comes with the territory, or so I’ve been told.” She gave Hal a little hug. “Are you certain this film is right for me? If you don’t want me to do it for any reason, no matter how personal, I’ll respect your judgment.”
“It wasn’t right for Audra Parker, the original actress.” A trace of bitterness coated his words.
“But she won an Oscar nomination. I don’t understand.”
“Sorry, Stace. I know I’m being unfair to you by not telling you everything, but the news they were considering doing London Affair hit me hard in all the wrong places. I need a little time to recoup.” He ushered her to the door, leaving her more confused than before.
As the automatic outer doors of Hal’s office building swung open, exposing her to the brilliant California sun, Stacia shivered from a chill as cold as the Arctic air. She couldn’t help but wonder what kind of ghosts were being stirred up by the very mention of the long ago film entitled London Affair.
CHAPTER THREE
“I understand from what my son was saying, they want to remake London Affair. I’d hate to see that happen,” Helen Ashley Shores said, her voice still carrying the purring-sound diction her profession must have required she learn years ago. “I have some very unpleasant memories from that period of my life. Publicity would only stir them up again.”
Hal had arranged a meeting with his mother and Stacia to take place in his office, not only to discuss the upcoming movie proposal, but also for the two women to get acquainted privately, without him present.
“But if things happen to work out and they do this remake, do you think it’s a good career move for me to be in it?” Stacia asked. “I mean, I’d be the only new actor in the movie.” Looking down at her hands, she noticed they were trembling.
She was scared of the responsibility of making or breaking a movie by herself, scared her acting wasn’t good enough, and because she was in complete awe of the glamorous older actress sitting beside her in Hal’s office, she also was scared of this woman’s answer. A star and a child Academy Award winner. Doubt rose like a tidal wave inside her at the thought of following the greatness of Helen Ashley Shores, the other actors, and the movie down a path that had radiated success.
Stacia glanced up into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen and a friendly smile that seemed to light them up even more. “I don’t know if I have the talent or experience to do that.” There, she’d confessed the truth to a legend, and that scared her worst of all.
Helen reached over and patted Stacia’s arm. “Of course you do, my dear. Acting is your forte’ as it was once mine. The audience will love you. Your vulnerability will shine through just as Audra’s did. You are very much like her, you know.”
“That’s what Nathan and Arthur said, and they also upset Hal terribly when they told us the movie was London Affair. Can you maybe explain to me what the mystery is concerning this movie? I didn’t want to ask him. He just seemed too emotional about it.”
“Hal was just trying to protect me from any future pain and memories from the past. The circumstances regarding the deaths of Audra and her leading man, Mark Bennett, at the conclusion of the film were a topic of hot speculation that lasted for a long time.”
“Is that why you have such bad memories and why you’re against remaking this movie?” Stacia hoped her blurted-out comments weren’t too blunt for the woman.
“It’s true I do have extremely painful memories about events that happened then. They’re too personal to discuss. Hal and Linda know, and so do a few other people. Please forgive me, Stacia, for not sharing them with you.” Helen rubbed her hands together nervously. She seemed unaware she was even doing so. When she noticed her actions, she put her hands together neatly in her lap.
“I respect your privacy, but someone sent two $25,000 tickets to me, and they agreed to pay me $30 million to do the film. That is a lot of money. Plus, I can’t explain the driving desire I have to play this part. It’s something inside me I don’t understand. I just know it’s something I need to do. No, make that must do.” Stacia stomped down hard on her fears and let her innermost feelings surface. But she had her secrets too, and she didn’t want to tell Helen about the recurring dream she’d been having every night since the party.
She assumed the woman running in her dream through the darkness, terrified of bombers, could be associated somehow to the plot of the movie, London Affair, because it took place in London. But Stacia couldn’t overlook two mysterious facts that kept haunting her. One, she’d never seen the film, so how could she have known the plot? And secondly, the first night she’d had the dream was the night of the party – before she even knew what movie Nathan and Arthur had chosen to remake.
“Well, Stacia, I don’t see why my feelings should have anything to do with your decision because, after all, it’s your choice to make, not mine. And if you don’t do it, someone else will, and I’d rather have you doing Audra’s part. As I said, you’re so much like her. You seem the perfect choice to play her role. The film will keep the high quality of the original with you playing the lead.” Helen sighed and offered Stacia a resolute smile. “Anyway, it was a long time ago. I’ve grown up and healed since then. If you feel so strongly about it, you should say yes. And you have my blessings. I’ll help you in any way I can.”
“Are you sure you mean this?”
Helen nodded.
“Then, if it isn’t too hard for you,” Stacia said, “I’ll accept their offer. And I’m hoping we can get together soon, so we can discuss everything you remember about the film and especially Audra. Anything you can tell me will help me with the role.”
♥♥
When Hal joined them a short time later in his office, he brought with him a tray of small éclairs, chocolate-covered strawberries and mini-mint cookies, as well as beverages.
“Stacia,” he said, “tell my mother about the Caviar-On-Ice party while I play host here.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Stacia replied. “Nor have I ever seen anyone with the enormous talent of Prince Clayton.”
“And good looks. I saw him on TV the next morning,” Helen explained as she reached for an éclair from the plate Hal passed her.
“Well, I guess he did have rather nice brown hair and eyes.”
“Leave it to you, Stace, to get that close,” Hal joked when he offered her treats.
“Oh, Hal, don’t tease the poor girl,” Helen scolded. “Now, Stacia, tell me about his sculptures.”
“I felt as if I’d walked into a winter paradise. I was fascinated by what he’d created, and when I met him, he seemed really nice.”
“You met him!” Hal seemed surprised. “You didn’t tell me that.”
Embarrassed, Stacia looked down. “Oh, it was nothing, really. We sorta bumped into each other. It was only for a moment. Then after dinner, we danced, and he asked me to stay with him to try to get more donations for the charity from the guests.”
“Is there something else you’re not telling us, Stacia?” Hal asked.
“Are you playing detective now, son?” His mother answered his question with another one.
“Just a hunch, Mom. I know Stacia pretty well, and I think she’s not telling us everything.”
/> “If she isn’t, stop trying to get it out of her, and leave her alone. Girls are allowed to have secrets, you know.” She smiled at Stacia.
“There is a little more. I did have lunch and dinner with him the next day, but he left the day after that. So whatever happened between us was here and gone, just like he is. I doubt I’ll ever see him again.”
“Ahem.” Hal cleared his throat. “Speaking of the prince,” he began, “did you know he lives in his father’s grandiose palace in the Swiss Alps with no roads leading to it? The only entrance, except for the helicopter pad on the roof, is through the front gate when guests step off their planes. As for the security there, Fort Knox could take a lesson from the king. Guards are posted at the front gate, the back entrance and the roof. And as if that’s not enough, missiles are ready to shoot off at the touch of a button in order to guard and protect it from an airborne attack. Needless to say, the best electronic technology is also implemented there.”
Stacia was glad Hal started on the subject of the prince’s life, because then he wouldn’t query her any further. “Why all the security?” she asked.
“Probably because this exiled king is fanatical regarding the safety of his family and friends and his financial dealings. If you owned the richest bank in the world inside the walls of that fortress, how would you protect it?” Hal grabbed a newspaper from his desk and pointed to the article. “His reviews claim the prince is being hailed as the Fredric Remington of ice sculpturing, a high compliment. They also say he’s the best artist in his field, not only because of his carvings but also because of his use of lights in highlighting them.”
Stacia stared at Clay’s photo in the newspaper, and her heart started fluttering faster. She couldn’t help but remember the intimate kisses they’d shared right before he left. “He was so nice for being a prince and that rich.”
