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As soon as the door closes behind him, Zev pounces.
“Reece. What. The. Fuck? You can’t be serious.” He leans toward me and says this in a loud whisper as he if he’s afraid someone will overhear us.
“I’m dead serious. You haven’t read the book,” I respond in a tone that’s calmer than how I feel.
“I don’t need to read the book. We don’t make movies like this. We chase box office dollars, not critical acclaim.” He slams his fist on the table.
Zev’s worked here longer than I have. I know he resented my promotion to Studio President last year. I’ve been sensitive to that and have treated him with the respect I believe he’s earned. But no matter how he feels, I’m his boss and he clearly needs to be reminded.
I raise an eyebrow at him. “Since when did you decide the creative or financial strategies of this movie studio?” I ask him, my tone quiet, but my anger not disguised.
He pales a little, and when he speaks again, his tone is less combative.
“Fine. But you’re going to have to explain this to the writing team. You’re going to have to get legal to sign off on it and you’ll also have to explain to the board when we dump money into it and don’t make it back at the box office.”
I sigh. I don’t want to alienate Zev, I respect him. I know he’s got the conventional wisdom right, but I know this movie will be a success. I won’t let it be anything else.
“I want to tell this story. I’m willing to take a risk. If it does well, it’ll be great for the studio. Yeah, we chase box office success over critical acclaim. This is our chance to have both. I think Ms. Vega’s got real star power. She’ll be great when we start doing promo for it.”
All of a sudden his expression loses some of its hardness, and a conspiratorial grin spreads across his face.
“You want to fuck her, right? I get it, she’s gorgeous. I mean, I’m married, but I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on that hot little body.” He slaps my shoulder as he stands up and starts toward the door. “But, Reece, there are cheaper ways to get some ass. I bet she’d be on her knees for you if you just asked.”
I close my eyes and exhale. This is the movie business. The casting couch is real. People use sex as currency all the time, and this sort of banter is common. But not at Artemis Film. My father and I are two of only four male Chief Executives across the entire organization. We’ve worked hard to create a culture that rewards creativity and hard work. This is where the brightest people want to work because they know that nothing but their effort and attitude counts.
I pick up the contract and start to flip through it, letting Zev know that I’m done talking. Just as he reaches the door, I call his name. When he stops I look him straight in the eyes. “I’ll only say this one time. Consider it your warning.” He frowns in confusion. “If I hear you talking about anyone who works for or with us, like that again, I don’t care how long you’ve known my father. You’ll be gone.”
I look back at the contract and flip to the next page. He doesn’t say anything as he leaves, but the door closes with a tiny slam. I don’t really care how he feels. I meant every word.
I pick up my pen and add a few provisions to the contract. Lucía Vega is asking for a lot. I’m going to give it to her.
2
Lucía
The ride back to Los Feliz feels interminable. Sol is bursting with excitement and I’m coming out of my skin.
“That went better than I could have expected,” he says. It’s mid-September and the weather is picture perfect. The windows are down and I’m grateful for the fresh air. I feel hot and unsettled. He’s practically bouncing in his seat. “I hadn’t expected Reece to be at the meeting.”
“Yeah, that was a surprise,” I mumble as I stare unseeingly out of the window. All of the other studios had a mid-level executive make their pitch. They’d all just wanted to buy my rights. Then they’ll write the screenplay to tell the story they think will be most marketable. I couldn’t stomach the thought of my story being exploited like that. Sol and I drafted that agreement thinking no one, especially not one of the largest and most successful film studios in the world, would say yes. We’d never presented it to anyone before. No one had made it past the pitch. I hadn’t expected anyone to, but then, I hadn’t anticipated Reece Carras or his passion.
My pulse jumps as I remember the real thrill I felt when I walked into the room and saw him there. I recognized him right away. He’s as famous as most of the stars in the movies he produces. The only son of the Carras Media Dynasty, he’s the heir to a fortune that is made up of assets that span the globe.
He’s also a former Olympic athlete. He won gold five times for Team USA. When he came home from his final Olympic games, triumphant, but badly injured, he picked up the mantle of responsibility and worked his way up to head of the studio over the last ten years.
At the same time, he started making a name for himself in the immigrant rights movement. He’s put his money where his mouth is. He has a legal defense fund that is set up to pay immigration attorneys who represent people when they are detained. He’s used his celebrity to campaign for politicians who share his point of view. I’ve followed his activism and he’s been a hero of mine for years. Meeting him today was surreal.
He’s not what you’d call classically handsome. His features are too strong, his brow too brooding, his lips too full. But that five ’o’clock shadow at ten in the morning? I didn’t realize how attractive that could be until I saw it on his strong jaw. My fingers itched to touch it. The intensity of his gaze was nearly hypnotic, I found myself losing track of my thoughts when he looked at me.
I can see why he was voted “Sexiest Man Alive” by a major magazine last year. He’s sinfully compelling. And tall, and still as broad and wide as he’d been when he was swimming competitively. I remember watching him at the Olympics and being awed by his agility in the water.
My reaction to him has surprised me, I’ve never thought much about men. But, I’ve also never met a man like him before.
It takes us ninety minutes to get back to Los Feliz and Sol talks almost the entire time. I’m lost in my thoughts. The scene from the book, the one he said struck him, was one of the hardest to write. I took it straight from my own experience as a child and the hurt from that day is something I’ve never forgotten. It was a turning point in my life and that he understood it so clearly, moved me.
For the first time since the idea of selling the film rights came up, I find myself hoping it will happen. I’m not sure that he’ll actually sign the agreement once he reads it thoroughly. I’m asking for a lot of money—and a lot of control.
Big budget action films are his studio’s bread and butter. So, this book adaptation is definitely not in their wheelhouse.
