Wait…he did have one thing to be thankful for. His lawyers and family had made him have a prenup with Alana. It was going to save him millions.
It wouldn’t save him any heartache, though. Nor would it restore his shredded dignity. That was gone forever. He’d pleaded with the woman who had cheated on him to give their marriage another try. He still had a nasty taste in his mouth from saying the words. She’d destroyed their love when she’d been unfaithful but he’d been willing to see if he could fall in love again. She’d pretty much laughed in his face.
“Dinner is in about half an hour.”
Carrie stood in the doorway of Paige’s office wearing a blue apron over her casual sundress. Even at the end of November, Florida was almost eighty degrees.
“Thank you.” He held up his whiskey glass. “I think I need a refill.”
He tried to stand but the room spun and he had to grab the arm of the chair. Carrie was instantly at his side, helping him sit back down as she took the empty glass from his hand. He protested but she shook her head. “Relax, Hamlet. I’ll get you a refill.”
He scowled, not sure if the American girl was serious or if she was teasing him. “I’ve never played Hamlet but I did play Richard the Third.”
She nodded and reached into the drawer of a desk, pulling out a bottle. “I know. Paige and I went to see it at the local movie theatre for the National Theatre showing. You were amazing.” She held up the whiskey bottle. “This isn’t as fine as what you were drinking. It’s from my own stash but I think you’re far gone enough that you won’t be able to tell the difference.”
Max cleared his throat and sat straighter in the chair, trying to look as sober as possible.
“Are you insinuating that I am in my cups?”
She handed him the refilled highball glass. “I’m not insinuating anything. I’m saying it straight out. You’re soused, dude.”
“I am not a dude,” he said stiffly. This was why Paige made fun of him. “And thank you for the compliment.”
She shrugged and leaned back against the desk. “You brought a rawness to the role that I appreciated.”
“You read the Baird?”
Laughter bubbled from her pink lips and her cheeks turned the same shade. “I only know what I read in high school. Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet. That’s it. They were kind of depressing. It didn’t make me want to read more.”
Max found himself smiling for the first time that day. “They are tragedies. But you went to see it anyway.”
“Paige wanted to go. Then she spends the entire trip home telling me how she would have rewritten it to have a happy ending. So basically I get the best of both worlds. She has a good imagination.”
“You should try one of Shakespeare’s comedies,” Max suggested but Carrie pulled a face.
“I get hung up on the language and it pulls me out of the story. I think I’ll stick to regular novels.” No one said anything for a long moment and the silence seemed to thicken between them. “I’m sorry about your marriage.”
Max stiffened, shocked that Nate and Paige had revealed something so personal. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Carrie. He did. Obviously if she worked for Paige she knew how to be discreet but it was just one more person who knew his humiliation.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “They didn’t tell me. You did.”
Scowling, he shook his head. “I did no such thing.”
“You did,” she declared with a smile. “Last night you were drunk and mumbling something about women, cheaters, and prenups. I got the meaning behind the words pretty quick. I am sorry. She doesn’t deserve you.”
That was an interesting observation. Carrie didn’t even know him.
“Maybe I deserved this,” Max challenged. “Maybe I was a real arsehole to be married to. Maybe I cheated on her first.”
“You didn’t.” Carrie slid down into the office chair. “If you had you wouldn’t be this upset. You might have been an asshole though but that still doesn’t mean it was okay to cheat. That’s not cool at all.”
“No, it’s…not cool.”
It was also painful as hell. Like his heart was ripped out of his chest with her bare hands.
Giggling, she reached for the bottle and held it up, but he shook his head. He needed to sober up a little before dinner. “You sound funny when you say cool. I don’t think proper British gentlemen are supposed to use that word.”
“I’m not all that proper,” he shot back, letting his gaze rake her from head to toe. Maybe a rebound shag was just what he needed. “And being a gentleman is a real pain sometimes.”
It was then that he saw her left hand. Why he hadn’t noticed before, he didn’t know. But there it was.
A diamond engagement ring.
Nothing ostentatious. Just a regular, normal engagement ring for a regular, normal couple. Probably less than a carat, and he would know. He’d spent way too much time picking out Alana’s ring, knowing it would be photographed by every tabloid in the world.
“You’re getting married.”
She smiled and held up her hand. “I am. We’ve been dating for four years so I guess it’s about time.”
“Are you commitment shy?”
She shook her head. “Not me. Mark. He’s been married before so he wasn’t sure he was ready to do it again until recently.”
Max had to stifle the urge to tell her to run, very far and very fast. Marriage and commitment was fraught with opportunities for heartbreak and pain.
“Congratulations,” he said instead. Manners had been hammered into him from an early age. “I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”
She was regarding him with amusement. “No, you’re not sure at all. You think I’m going to be miserable. That’s okay. I get that you’re in a mood. I’d be the same if I was you.”
He tossed back the remainder of his whiskey and set the glass on the desk. “Paige promised to feed me and get me drunk. That’s only one out of two.”
Carrie laughed and stood, offering her arm. “Then by all means let me help you to the table. Dinner will be served very soon. You don’t want to miss out.”
Sadly, Max was sure he’d already missed out. His chance at happiness and love was gone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Frustrated, Paige tossed the skirt on the bed. She was running out of time and needed to be dressed for her meeting, but she had a big problem.
Nothing seemed to look right. This was just about the biggest meeting of her life and her clothes were all wrong. What had she been thinking when she’d packed for New York?
“Darling, after your meeting do you want to go to lunch?”
Nate froze in the middle of the hotel bedroom, his gaze taking in the pile of clothes on the bed. She was sure she looked a sight as well, standing in her bra and panties. He’d been patient with her excitement since she’d received the call right before Thanksgiving and had even offered to accompany her here on their way back to London. Of course she’d jumped at the chance to have him by her side. He might not be attending this meeting with her but they were a team making this movie together.
“I don’t think they’ll let me in the restaurant dressed like this.”
He placed the script he was reading on the bed and approached her carefully, like she was a wild horse about to bolt. “Don’t like anything you packed, love?”
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the skirt she’d just tossed away. “I hate every single thing I packed. It’s all wrong and I’m an idiot who only wears pajamas all the time.”
Those last words were choked out as a lump lodged in her throat. She had no idea what to wear to a Hollywood meeting. A bank meeting? Sure. But big studio executives? She was clueless.
Rushing to her side, he pulled her into his arms, dropping a kiss on her temple. “You are not an idiot, love, and you wear some rather fashionable jammies. Now let’s take a look at what you packed. I’ve been to many of these sorts of m
eetings and I’m sure we can find something here that will be suitable. Did you bring a skirt or dress?”
“I brought two skirts.” She held them up for his inspection. “Black and red.”
He picked up an eggshell colored lace blouse. “This with the red skirt and the black pumps. Very classy and elegant.”
“You’re a freakin’ genius.” Paige stood on her tiptoes and pulled Nate down for a kiss. “I’d been eyeing that combination but I wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. Man, Treetop, you made my day.”
“I’ll bank the points for the next time I’m in the doghouse.”
She pulled the shoes from her suitcase and placed them by the bed. “Are you planning to be there any time soon?”
Tossing the rest of the clothes back into the dresser drawer, she laid the outfit onto the bed but Nate moved closer, his hands cupping her sensitive breasts.
“It’s a crime to cover up these beauties. They should be displayed like the work of art they are.”
Biting her lip against the surge of desire, she had to stifle her moan as his thumbs brushed her nipples. “Are you suggesting I walk around topless?”
“Only for me.”
His lips pressed against the curve of her breast, his tongue snaking out under the edge of the lace. They were only headed one place if they kept this up and she needed to make that meeting on time.
“Let’s put this on hold, handsome.” She gently pushed at his arms. “I can’t be late. This meeting it too important. For both of us.”
He stopped back reluctantly and sighed, his gaze still glued to her boobs. He was a breast man through and through.
“You’re right. Finish dressing and I’ll walk you downstairs and to your car.”
“I don’t have a car. I’ll just get a cab.” He was smiling that I-have-everything-under-control-smile again. “You ordered a car service for me, didn’t you?”
“I did,” he nodded. “I just wanted to make sure you’re taken care of today when I’m not around to do it.”
There were times this coddling and spoiling stuff was pretty good. “Thank you. That was very thoughtful.”
“I know you’re nervous but you have no reason to be, love. They want your books and you have control of the negotiation. Remember that. You have what they want.”
She slid the skirt over her hips. “I hope you’re right. I want this deal. For us, handsome. I can’t wait to work with you.”
“We’re an unbeatable team.”
* * *
Paige met the two movie executives in a tall office building just off of Park Avenue. She was ushered into a conference room with a large oval table, plush leather chairs, and a pretty female assistant in the corner who she was told would take notes. Paige’s stomach tumbled with nerves but she managed to smile and shake their hands as her agent Kris introduced her. Burt Ellis and Earnest Thorpe.
Wait…Burt and Ernie?
“Paige, we are so excited to finally meet the woman who created these amazing stories,” Burt gushed. Or was it Ernie? She’d been too nervous to pay attention. “This is going to be a very important film. I can feel it. A movie that everyone will want to see.”
That was quite the overstatement but she was happy to see their enthusiasm about the project. That boded well for the rest of the meeting.
“Thank you, I’m excited as well.” She fiddled with the hem of her blouse under the edge of the conference table. It gave her fingers something to do. “I have a lot of ideas about the movie.”
Ernie leaned forward, a grin on his face. “We absolutely love, love, love the ideas your agent forward to us, plus the sample pages of the script. Pure gold. No, make that Oscar gold.”
They really were laying it on thick. While she thought her books were good, they weren’t the heavy literary works that won Academy Awards. She wrote feel-good stories that made people cry and smile.
She nibbled at the muffins they’d placed on the table but stuck to water instead of coffee. She was already jittery and overexcited.
They bantered back and forth about their ideas for the production, even discussing ways they could market the movie to the masses. They didn’t need to discuss money as she wouldn’t even be here if the dollar figure wasn’t fair. This was all about creative control and so far they appeared to be open to her vision, but then they hadn’t discussed all of her ideas. Better to ease in and pick her battles. She wouldn’t win all of them, of that she was sure.
Paige thought she was home free when she saw Burt and Ernie exchange a look that wasn’t a happy one. Well, crap.
“There is one thing,” Ernie began, shifting in his chair. Even he didn’t want to talk about it from the looks of things. “You’ve chosen Nate Mason as Flynn and also slated him to direct. We have some concerns about that.”
A quick look at Kris’s face told Paige that this was the first she was hearing this too.
She didn’t panic, instead crossing one leg casually over the other, although her stomach twisted into a knot. “What concerns do you have?”
Burt held up his hands in almost surrender. “We understand that you and he are in a relationship.” He used air quotes when he said relationship. Really? Air quotes? “But we believe he lacks the star power needed to bring in the crowds that this story deserves. If you’re set on someone from the UK, let’s talk about Maxwell Hayes.”
“Max? Trust me, Max is not Flynn. Not even close.”
Ernie’s brows went up. “You know Hayes? That’s even better. We can sweeten the deal for him with the directing. He can sell tickets.”
Paige shook her head. “Flynn is Nate. Nate is Flynn. He is my first and only choice.”
Burt sighed and seemed to regroup. “We like you, Paige. We like your work. But after last year, Nate just isn’t an A-lister, if he ever was. When we market this movie, we want people buzzing about the story. All people will be talking about will be Nate’s PR nightmare.”
“He’s rehabilitated.” Paige argued. “No one talks about Stella anymore.”
“But they will,” Burt shot back. “Otherwise, he’s just not that interesting. He runs, he reads boring English literature, and is – I mean was – something of a playboy. What else do they have to talk about?”
“His large body of fine acting,” she answered, keeping her features as schooled as possible. “Nate is a great actor. Possibly one of the best in the business.”
And her mood had just gone to hell. She had taken a swing to the dark side. Heaven help Burt and Ernie.
Kris decided it was time to pop into the conversation. “I think we can all agree that we want a great movie to come from this project. I think we can also agree that Paige’s cooperation hinges on making any casting and directing decisions.”
Ernie’s head bobbed in agreement. “We completely understand but we all want to make money here. Nate is an immense talent and I agree that he may be one of the best actors of our time. But he’s had two box office flops in a row. He can’t put people in the seats and that’s a fact.”
Paige had had enough.
“First of all, he was born to play this role and he’s going to do an amazing job. As for the movie flops, the first one was a terrible film but Nate received excellent reviews. The consensus was that the actors deserved better material to work with. That one is on the writer and director. As for the indie movie, that was never going to be a big grossing film. The story is too niche for that. Once again, his acting was reviewed positively. He received an Emmy nomination a few years ago, so his acting must not suck.” She leaned forward and looked Burt in the eye. “Who do you want to see in the role? Who is your dream casting?”
His smile widened. “I’m so glad you asked. We think Sam Collins would be perfect and have that star-power draw that we need. I think we can get him too if we give him points on the back end.”
“Sam Collins,” Paige repeated, giving Kris a look of disgust. Sam was a nice man and a great actor but he wasn’t the Flynn type in the least. “Isn
’t he a little busy making Scorsese films?”
“We heard that he wants a break to do something lighter,” Ernie crowed. “He’s looking specifically at book adaptations.”
“Who told you that?” Kris asked, her brows pulled down into a frown. “I haven’t heard that.”
The two men shifted in their seats, clearly uncomfortable with the question. Burt glanced at Ernie before speaking.
“Actually it was Stella Riley.”
Stella Riley. Paige should have known. That girl needed to mind her own business.
“I didn’t realize she and Collins were that close,” Paige replied tightly, knowing full well that Sam couldn’t stand that woman. “What else did Stella say?”
More fidgeting and fussing but Paige and her agent simply sat there patiently waiting. They wanted answers. This time it was Ernie who broke first.
“We saw Stella at The Ivy yesterday at lunch. She reminded us that Nate has a history of bad judgment. We can’t have someone like that starring and directing in one of our movies.”
Paige couldn’t control her reply. “Might I remind you gentleman that the bad judgment Nate showed was dating…Stella Riley? If I were you, I wouldn’t make the same mistake of trusting anything she has to say.”
Burt cleared his throat and Ernie took a long swallow from his water bottle but they weren’t saying anything else. Frankly Paige didn’t want to hear more of their excuses.
This was every nightmare she’d had about this project only now she was living it in full living color. Taking a deep breath to steady her voice, she placed her hands flat on the table before speaking. She had to say this exactly right.
“Gentleman, this is what I was trying to avoid. The entire reason I’ve fought so hard for creative control was to stay out of discussions like this. Sam Collins? He’s a great actor but he is all wrong for this. In addition, I’m not sure how Stella Riley became a consultant on this project especially considering that her own acting career is made up of one good role in a romantic comedy and then low budget horror films for the rest.”
A Kiss For The Cameras Page 19
