by Joe Corso
“Well, I’d rather tell you about it when I see you.”
“Okay then, tell ya what,” she responded. “If it has to do with real estate property, if you give me an idea of what you’re looking for, I can bring some things with me to show you. Otherwise, I’ll just have to come back to my office to get them.”
Moose thought about it for a moment.
“Okay. We’re looking for a place big enough for a movie studio and we need a really nice office for the President to work out of. Can you come here now?”
Sophia was quiet for a moment. Wow, these guys always went big. She collected herself, played it cool, and answered.“Yes. I’ll need a little time to gather some flyers for you. I’d say it’s probably more like an hour, hour and a half. Where will you be, in your room?”
“No, I’ll be waitin’ in the lounge with my two associates.”
Sophia paused for a moment before entering the lounge. She easily spotted Moose seated by a window with his two friends. Walking briskly, she headed toward his table. As she approached, Moose stood to acknowledge her and extended his hand but instead, Sophia leaned over and lightly kissed him on the cheek. If only she knew what Moose was thinking. From the moment he first saw her when buying the house for Jimmy the Hat, there had been some sort of intrigue. This was a great excuse to see her again. Trenchie watched as Moose squirmed at the warm welcome he received from Feldstein. He was amused.
“Sophia,” Moose said. “I’d like to introduce you to my friends. This is Trenchie.”
Trenchie stood to shake her hand. Sophia couldn’t help but notice his height and stature, much bigger than Moose and Moose was a large man.
“And this is . . .”
Sophia’s eyes lit up as she focused on the other man.
“Swifty Card,” Sophia said, finishing Moose’s sentence for him.
Like Jimmy the Hat, Swifty was dressed in much the dapper manner. Red had always insisted that both Jimmy and Swifty appear in public dressed like the stars they were. Like, Jimmy, he sported the finest threads, complete with tucked-in-the-pocket hanky, spit polished shoes, and neatly groomed, freshly cut hair.
“I loved your movie the Prize Fighter,” Sophia said, appearing totally unaffected. “It was wonderful and so were you as the fighter.”
“Thank you, Miss Sophia,” Swifty answered, in true gentleman form.
Sophia, always quick on her feet, and always in business thinking mode retorted, “Will you be needing a house too?”
Swifty smiled, showing his perfect set of pearly whites.
“I hadn’t given it much thought, but after our business is concluded, I might be interested in takin’ a look.”
She smiled back, thinking she may have hooked him.
“May I put some properties aside for you to view in the near future?”
It was a good closer’s question. Swifty could either confirm his interest now or look like he was full of baloney.
“Sure, I don’t see any harm in that.”
“Good. Now, what exactly are you gentlemen looking for at present?”
Trenchie explained that his boss was opening a production house and needed a good location from which to operate – a building large enough to house multiple movie sets. Properties that size were rare, but Sophia nodded in a matter of moments, even though the men at the table had no idea what that meant.
“I can recommend a place. It’s most likely the only location that comes to mind right now that might suit your needs here in Hollywood – high-end, but perfect. It’s the old Galaxy Studio lot. The buildings have been empty for years, never been taken down, all the sound stages are still there, and there’s a building with plenty of room for executive offices right there on the property.”
“Take us there,” Moose said unhesitatingly.
As she drove, Sophia couldn’t help but glance over toward Swifty who was sitting in the front seat. She was trying to size him up. He was certainly handsome, no question about that, but he didn’t have that raw sex appeal that James Roman had. Swifty seemed introverted and she guessed more uncomfortable in a crowd, unlike Roman. It was when Swifty caught her staring at him and he smiled back at her, that she got a sense of his star quality. His smile was contagious. Yep, it was his smile. The smile could attract females like moths to a flame, different from Jimmy, but similar in a way.
The property was large – over 60,000 square feet. After traversing the vacant, abandoned buildings, Trenchie finally spoke.
“Let’s take a look at the offices you were telling us about.”
Sophia led them on a tour of the executive office building beginning with the top floor all the way to its basement. Trenchie wasn’t much of a visionary, but if Red wanted to make movies, this place would do the trick.
“How much?” Trenchie asked.
“How much for what, exactly?” Sophia responded.
“For everything.”
Sophia was quiet for a couple of seconds.
“You mean for the property in its entirety including the executive building?” she asked.
“Yeah. How much for all of it?” Trenchie answered and asked at the same time.
Sophia did a wonderful job of projecting calm but her insides were another story. At this juncture, she couldn’t fathom the commission that this might mean.
She answered.“The price for everything including this building would be around … twelve million dollars. It would require a substantial deposit. We could then work through a bank I know regarding the mortgage.”
Trenchie thought for a moment, looked over at Swifty, glanced back at Sophia, and added, “Look, if we buy this place, it would be predicated on you giving Swifty here a house paid in full in Hollywood Hills near where Jimmy lived.”
Sophia thought for a moment and nodded in understanding.
“While I can’t make that commitment on behalf of my company, I can ask, and I can certainly use my persuasive tactics to see if it might be arranged,” Sophia replied.
Trenchie nodded. Swifty smiled. Sophia kept her composure.
“Can you find us a phone?” Moose asked.
Sophia nodded yes.
The group boarded the elevator and headed downstairs to use the phone in the little security house on the property still maintained in order to prevent vandalism.
Sophia was the first to use the phone. Armed with her faithful, little red spiral notebook and pen, she called her office and asked the manager to check the afternoon edition of the newspaper for any newer listings and to crosscheck those with any already logged listings of homes in the Hollywood Hills area. Careful with her words, she explained that if the realty firm could locate living quarters for Swifty, that the possibility of securing a purchase for this long abandoned property was pretty good. Truth be told, the company stood to make a staggering sum if this deal went through. Sophia knew from her previous dealings with Moose and James Roman how these men worked. Moose had bought the house for Jimmy the Hat, on the spot, with cash. Money had seemed no object. Life for nightclub owners sure was grand, she thought. That’s about all she knew about this group, that and the fact that they had close connections to movie stars like Jimmy and Swifty. Whatever the case, it would take some time to locate a home meeting their specifications. In the interim, Sophia suggested that they all step out for lunch and she knew just the place. It was an old celebrity’s hangout located in West Hollywood.
Sophia and the men settled into their seats at Hollywood Eats and enjoyed some lively conversation about nothing, but about everything, especially life in California and some of its kooky inhabitants. Fifteen minutes or so passed and Sophia checked her watch. She excused herself to make a call using the phone next to the restrooms. Just moments later, she returned, sporting a grin that screamed “satisfaction.” The group had barely received their salads when Sophia informed them that her boss had found a home that might clinch the deal. Now it was up to the big man, Big Red, to decide.
Moose’s turn. After he fini
shed his salad, he headed for the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Blue?” Moose said. Until Lonegan was out of the picture, instructions were clear. Let no ears around the caller hear Red’s name.
“I found the perfect property for you. It’s the old Galaxy Studio lot, which has all of the sound stages, including an executive building for offices. They’ll even throw in a house in Hollywood Hills, Mulholland Drive, for Swifty, which of course you will own. The price is pretty steep. They want twelve million for all of it.”
“Is the woman standing near by?” he asked.
“Yeah, she’s sittin’ at the table. We’re having lunch.”
“Tell her she has a deal for ten million. Go ask her while I hang on.”
Trenchie left the phone dangling by the phone booth and walked back to the table. He told Sophia of Red’s offer and returned to the phone.
“Mr. Blue, I’ll call you right back. She has to call her boss to see if they can do it.”
“Tell her it’ll be a cash deal. That might make the difference.”
The words “cash deal” were always music to a broker and real estate agent’s ears. Sophia quickly dialed the office. This would necessitate yet another call, her boss informed her, as he would need to contact the principles involved. He asked that she remain close by to await his call. Faithfully, she waited by the phone, pacing like a tiger, anxiously anticipating its ring. It seemed like an eternity.
Twenty– five minutes later, she had her answer.
“Okay,” the voice on the other end informed, “they accepted the deal. Tell your client it’s his, but as discussed, it’s a cash deal only.”
Moose called Red and introduced him to Sophia over the phone as Mr. Blue.
“The deal is yours, Mr. Blue, for ten million cash,” Sophia said. Sophia, knowing no differently, thought that to be his real name.
“And that includes the home for our star Swifty, correct?”
“Yes, that is correct. The house is included in the deal.”
“Do you have a pen, Ms. Feldstein? Here’s my lawyer’s name and phone number. Call him when you get back to your office and while your lawyer draws up the contract, take some photos please. Make sure I get plenty of pictures. I’d like to see what I’m getting for my money. I’ll call my lawyer now and tell him to expect your call. From this point on, our lawyers will handle the legal aspects of this transaction. It was nice speaking with you, Ms. Feldstein. I look forward to meeting you when I arrive in Hollywood.”
Sophia hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment as if it were a living entity. Who the hell were these people? Nobody spends ten million cash.
Back in the car, Moose asked Sophia to take them to Swifty’s house.
“But I can’t get in,” she added. “I don’t have the keys to the front door.”
“No problem,” Moose said. “I think I can handle it,” he said as he smiled.
She asked no questions, just returned his smile. But there was something else that she wanted to know. Now was the time.
“Just exactly what does your boss do?” she asked. “What business is he in that he could authorize and spend ten million dollars based on a phone call?”
Moose bobbed his head and smiled.
“My boss,” he said, “owns many businesses including car dealerships, banks, and if you saw Swifty’s picture, in the movie, there was a club – The Starlight Club. He owned that.”
That got her attention.
“That club was beautiful but you said owned, not owns.”
“Well, there was a little bit of bad luck – the place burned down. I guess it was good in a way because with the club gone, he can now concentrate on his dream of ownin’ a movie studio.”
“I’m guessing that your boss must be a very rich man.”
“Yeah, and you’d be right, but I don’t know enough about his finances to tell you for sure the details and don’t really care to know. He’s kinda private that way.”
The home on Mulholland Drive was really not that far away, but with Los Angeles traffic, it was at least a half hour before they arrived at a home on a cul-de-sac. Once outside the car, they found themselves overlooking the twinkling lights of Hollywood glittering down below. Moose took out a packet of small tools from his pocket and in less than ten seconds flat, the door was gently pried open, surprising Sophia. Moose gallantly swept his hand in front of him, signaling her to enter the house.
Moose felt happy around Sophia and just like in the past, he felt the urge to ask her out, but just as before, he didn’t. Seeing her again now, he was more smitten than ever and Sophia was enjoying the attention he was giving her. Moose had always been committed to Red and his work and because of that, had found little time for women, but surely Red would understand. Sophia was different. He could talk to her for some reason. She was outgoing and he introverted. She was comfortable in a crowd; he held back. She was always smiling; he wasn’t.
When Jimmy died, Moose had returned to Hollywood to take care of his affairs. With Sophia’s help, he had sold Jimmy’s house and returned to New York, but he had thought of her often. He had wanted to call her, but always found an excuse not to. It’s true that she thought of him, as well, but she couldn’t quite figure him out. He was very different from the men she knew, but she liked different. Admittedly, she was different too, but as the months went by, she thought less and less of him, while he thought more and more of her. It wasn’t until the call today that those stirrings resurged.
The house was lovely. It was the perfect bachelor’s pad – a pool table in the game room, a jukebox, a large lagoon-shaped pool, plenty of bedrooms, slick marble floors all throughout and decorated in mahogany from top to bottom.
“What?” Moose asked, almost thinking that his ears were playing tricks on him.
“What are you doing tonight?” Sophia asked, completely blindsiding the man who had long ago captured her fascination.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I guess I’ll be with the guys tonight.”
Trenchie caught her meaning immediately and was unsure if Moose was connecting the dots. He and Swifty shared a laugh.
“We don’t want you with us,” Trenchie said with a little glint in his eye.
“Nah, we have to talk business,” Swifty continued, “and we don’t need you around.”
“Hey, I have an idea,” Trenchie said. “Sophia, since we’re gonna be busy, would you do us a favor and look after Moose for us?”
Slick, she thought, real slick. She was delighted at the suggestion.
“Of course. I’ll pick you up around seven tonight? We can have dinner and hit a few night spots. How’s that sound? Don’t worry guys, I’ll take good care of him.”
Moose was embarrassed and happy at the same time.
“Could I use your pen?” he asked. She smiled as she handed it to him and watched his every move as he scribbled the hotel address on the back of an old business card.
“Moose, you nervous or something?” she asked. “I already met you at the hotel lounge, remember?”
Sophia laughed. Trenchie and Swifty howled. Moose turned red.
“See you at seven then,” he managed to say.
Chapter Twenty–Three
The real estate contract prepared by Sophia’s attorney arrived. Red’s lawyer, already having scrutinized it, handed Red a copy to read. Satisfied, Red signed it and handed it back. The attorney stood patiently in front of Red’s desk waiting for the check. He had a lot of things to take care of today and was anxious to be on his way. Red opened his desk drawer, pulled out his ledger, and found the white envelope with his bank’s name on it hidden under the cover. It was the ten million dollar bank draft. Red passed it off to his lawyer. His lawyer opened the envelope, did a quick scan of the bank draft, and placed both the check and contract into his attaché.
“I’ll deposit this into our firm’s account tomorrow morning. It’ll take about ten days to clear. When it does, I’ll wire the money to their bank. C
ongratulations. You’re now the owner of Starlight Productions.”
Red was all smiles. He now owned a movie production company. It was a longtime dream and for a man who had most everything, monetarily that is, it felt great. It was the same feeling that he had when Angelo had opened the doors to his masterpiece ballroom in The Starlight Club, long ago. He was on to the next chapter in his life – the movie business.
Sophia walked up to Moose, all dressed up, waiting in the lounge.
“Where do you want to go first, Moose?” she asked.
“Let’s have dinner first,” he answered in a decisive sort of way. She liked that. “And then we’ll take in a show or hit a bar or two if you like. You know Hollywood better than I do. I leave it up to you, my dear. You decide.”
“You feel like Italian?” she laughed, knowing that would please him.
“Hey, that’d be great.”
“Okay, it’s over to Miceli’s then. You’ll love it. The food’s great. I recommend the eggplant parmigiana. It’s the best. They have singing waiters, piano singing. It’s a fun place with great home cooked food.”
“How far is it?”
“Not far. It’s on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles. We’ll be there in no time.”
Dinner was delightful. Sophia and Moose talked about everything in life and sat the entire evening solving the world’s problems. Moose loved the quaint environment and the food was as authentic Italian as it could be. He enjoyed the singing waiters and made a mental note to suggest that Red entertain this idea for his next club, if there was one.
After dinner, Sophia asked Moose what he’d prefer next – a movie, visiting a club for a drink, or taking a drive down to the beach at Santa Monica where they could have a few drinks by the ocean.
“Santa Monica sounds good to me. I could enjoy a drink, a cigar, and you, all at the same time,” he said, winking at her.
She giggled at the thought of him enjoying her by the beach. She hopped behind the wheel of her Caddy, put down the convertible top, and wrapped a lovely white silk scarf around her head to protect her hair from the wind. Off they went, driving and riding to the tunes of the Sinatra eight track In The Wee Small Hours, Ole Blue Eyes’ voice serenading them all the way to the beach.
