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I smile despite myself. When I catch a glimpse of my reflection in my bedroom mirror, I have to give credit where credit is due. “I guess Idolook kinda hot.”
Taylor slaps me on the butt. “Hell yeah, you do! Like a sexy flamingo.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the best hype woman ever?”
She winks. “I wouldn’t mind hearing it more often. Come on, Uber’s waiting downstairs. Let’s get wasted!”
Chapter 3
Tip #3: A powerful man never has to raise his voice to be heard.
HUNTER
Idon’t make a habit of coming to places like Sensational.
Not for personal reasons, at least. This is purely for business purposes.
Sitting across from me in our private booth in the VIP lounge is Ashton Hartley. We’ve worked together on several film projects before, but I’ve only ever managed to convince him to invest a couple hundred thousand here and there. If tonight goes according to plan, I might secure the fifteen-million-dollar investment I need to get my latest film project off the ground. In many ways, my choosing to come meet him here at Sensational was a strategic move.
What better way to butter a man up than with plenty of booze and pretty girls?
“I looked over the script,” Ashton says after downing the rest of his old fashioned. He flags down our assigned bottle girl and holds his empty glass up. She nods and scurries off to get him a fresh one. “I like the vibe, but I want you to consider changing the title.Juliet After Romeofeels like I’m signing up for a Shakespearean rom-com remake, not an action spy thriller.”
I hold back a scathing remark. It’s obvious he didn’t look over the script at all. “The characters’ code names are based on the NATO phonetic alphabet. It’s got nothing to do with Shakespeare or romance.”
“Thanks, babe,” he says when the bottle girl returns. He reaches into his coat to tip her an even hundred.
“Thank you so much, sugar,” she says giddily. She blushes when she looks at me, smiling sheepishly. “Would you like anything, Mr. Stride?”
I shake my head. I’m not here to drink, I’m here to work.
Ashton drinks greedily, gulping down like he’s been stranded in the Mojave for a whole week without water. “You’re directing and producing?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“And who are you thinking about casting as the lead?”
“I’ve already spoken to Winslet, and she’s expressed her interest. I’ve also got Johansson in mind, but her agent says there may be a scheduling conflict. At this point, I’m open to casting someone fresh. I’m getting tired of the same old faces on the screen.”
“How much did you say you need again?”
I see my opportunity and I take it. “Thirty even,” I inform, deliberately overshooting.
Ashton brings the glass to his lips and pretends to mull things over. He thinks that he’s the one in control here, but in reality, I’m playing him like a fiddle. He’s a stingy type of investor, the kind that believes in safe bets. If I’m going to pry the money I need from his wallet, I’m going to have to think two steps ahead at all times.
“Fifteen is the most I can do,” he says. “In this economy, I hope you understand.”
Bingo.
I hold back my excitement. “I really can’t convince you? You know my films always make a generous return at the box office.”
“I said what I said, Stride. Take it or leave it.”
I lean back in my seat. The circular booth has a high back and a low table, a curtain of string lights surrounding us to give us privacy. It’s not the most comfortable thing I’ve ever sat in, but I’m not about to squirm and give Ashton the upper hand.
“I understand. I’ll just have to make do with fifteen million. I’ll send over the paperwork by the end of next week.”
Ashton smiles. He’s got the ugliest fucking teeth, crooked and yellow. “Excellent. I’m looking forward to—”
