Idolized (Hollywood Stardust Book 3) (8 page)

The man’s voice rattled his eardrum. “Fine, getting ready to go to a meeting.”

“I hope it’s a meeting about finishing a movie.” Glen Orlando, one time friend of his father, businessman, organized crime boss, and general thug, barked into the phone.

Before answering, he turned away from Ben and cupped his hand around his mouth. “I’ve told you before that I’m working on the movie, I need some more time. Trust me no one wants this movie finished more than I do.” If Ryder ever spoke one truth, that last sentence was it. His desperation to finish the flick was what brought him back to the life that killed his father and ruled Ryder’s life.

The day he stepped over the threshold into Glen’s office five years ago, his chest tightened, but he had to move forward. At that point, he had exhausted all his traditional funding sources including himself, Logan, and banks. His father made him promise that no matter what he would follow his passion.

“Ryder, come in.” Tailored suit, cigar hanging out of the corner of his mouth, grey hair combed straight back, Glen motioned to the chair across from his desk. “May I offer my condolences on the passing of your father.”

Though it had been several months, the words still cut through him. He felt defective every time someone acknowledged the facts. It was so much better to live in the land of make believe. “Thank you.”

“He was a good man.” Glen nodded.

Ryder swore he was walking through a old time noir movie set, complete with the one hanging lamp in the center of the room, a couple of thugs strategically standing in a couple of the corners, and even a dame sitting at the edge of the desk.

“Look, it is him.” The woman pointed at him. “Will he give me his autograph?”

“Of course, darling.” Glen patted her knee and tilted his chair back as Ryder took his seat.

For a moment Glen rocked his chair back and forth and stared at him.

Trained to control his every action, and no stranger to this arena, Ryder put his script in his lap and waited. The man was simply sizing him up, and Ryder couldn’t appear to be too anxious. He had to wait until he was asked.

“So, tell us about your movie.” Glen continued his rocking.

By this point, his elevator pitch had been perfected. “It’s a movie where fact and fiction converge. A time travel fantasy where the hero and heroine visit several different settings taking on several different roles in order to collect the different pieces to create what they feel is a machine that will supply a supreme energy source for the world.”

A slow smile grew over Glen’s face. “Roles like in movie roles?”

Ryder straightened up. “Exactly.”’

Glen stayed absolutely poker-faced. “What’s the title?”

“Working Title.” Ryder grinned.

“Well, what’s the working title?” Glen asked.

“That’s the title.” Everyone always reacted the same way. That had to make for excellent publicity.” “The title is Working Title.”

“Oh, I get it!” The woman clapped.

Glen rubbed his chin and looked around the room.

A couple of the men nodded.

“Here’s what we want to do.” Glen resumed his rocking.

What Ryder wanted was money, but he needed to bide his time. The checkbook had to be in the drawer. Maybe they would just hand him cash, even better.

“Unlike most who come to us, you have a name.” Glen pushed himself out of his chair and stood. “Of course it’s a name that we were instrumental in creating.”

Though his muscles tightened, he didn’t flinch. His father created him, none of these people. Everyone came out of the woodwork the second a celebrity was involved, and he knew better than to contradict him.

“Rather than write you a check and make you pay us back with a small service fee, we have instead decided to go into business with you.” Glen came around to the front of the desk and peered down at him. “Your movie will be our first foray into launching a more legitimate business, if you will.”

Everyone around the room let out a small chuckle.

“We want a movie, we want your name attached to it.” Glen reached into his suit jacket pocket, pulled out a check and held it out to him. “Consider us your producers.”

They wanted a movie, he wanted a movie. Their funds would allow it to finally happen. After only a moment’s pause, he plucked the check out of Glen’s hands. “Consider me your director.”

“Then go make something happen.” Glen returned to his seat. “Let’s discuss the details.”

Ryder glanced at the amount. It would be a start. He came there for money and walked out with business partners.

It all seemed so easy.

Didn’t everyone say that once they had the check in their hands?

“Ryder, no one said this would be easy.” Glen’s voice bore through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. “Here’s the deal Ryder. We want to see progress or we want the rights to the movie.”

Ryder tightened his grip on the phone, waiting for the “or else.” When none came, he took it upon himself to end the conversation. “Our agreement was for a movie and you will get a movie.” In no lifetime would he give his movie up.

“Your agreement has deadlines, none of which has been met on your part.”

“If you spent a little less time calling me, maybe I could finish.” He shut his eyes and saw nothing but black. At the moment he didn’t have any sort of movie, he only had movie parts. Long ago he started the age old tradition of robbing Peter to pay Paul, but there were about fifteen other people he robbed, paid, borrowed and lent that created a spiral he didn’t really know how to escape except by his charm and good looks. Hell, it worked all these years.

“Ryder.” Glen growled into the phone.

He cleared his throat. “Glen, I want to make a movie. I’ll call you next week and give you a progress report.”

“You better stay in contact.” Still without the proverbial “or else” Glen hung up.

“Seems as if the world wants your movie.” Ben wound the car through the canyon and around all the multi-million dollar homes until they drove through the gates of one Ms. Tuttle.

“You act as if you’re surprised.” He ran his hand through his hair as he got ready to face yet another situation.

“Never, boss.” Ben stopped in front of the house. “Do you want me to wait for you?”

“No, grabbing some wheels and some clothes, then have to bolt for a meeting.” He high-fived Ben. “Catch you later.”

“I’m starting to keep a tab of your promises.” Ben lifted a tattered notepad.

“Remember, ninety percent of anything is who you know, and you know me.” He gave Ben a pat on the shoulder, got out of the car and sauntered around to the side entrance, letting himself in with a key that wasn’t nearly as grand as Cora’s.

The lack of the security system beeping to be turned off could only mean one thing. Someone else was in the house, and he stopped. “Damn.”

Maybe it was only the cleaning crew. He couldn’t remember the days they came.

“Ryder, is that you?”

All right. The cleaning crew wasn’t here. He would have to face Teresa Tuttle and he plastered his role-winning smile to his face and headed toward the front of the house.

On the divan by the window, with the ocean as her backdrop, lay Teresa Tuttle, not quite a MILF, Ryder would classify more as an OSILF or older sister I’d like to…

“Ryder.” Teresa sat up, jolting him out of his acronym.

“Turtle Shell.” He began his trek across the room, only to be halted by Ms. Tuttle holding up a tablet computer and a set of car keys. His car keys. Well, her car keys. Actually, the car she bought for him to drive. He didn’t want to get too hung up in technicalities. “Ah, my keys, I’ve been looking for those.”

“My keys.” She slid the key ring in the cleavage of her dress. “Come take a look at what was all over the Internet today.”

Though he already knew, he appeased her, went to her side and plucked the tablet away. “Did you know that Ms. Caine is CEO for Chargge.com?”

“Everyone knows that.” Her voice hardened.

He decided to make his small talk even smaller and scanned the story of him and Cora on the front page of her own website. “I think I look all right in that picture. The lighting could have been better.”

“Maybe if you would have taken the picture solo, the light would have found your angles,” she snarled.

If small talk wouldn’t work, he would have to go for big talk, especially since he was on a time constraint. “Cora is the reason the third film being backed by the studio.”

“And that is why you were giving her a friendly peck at the party?” Teresa jutted her jaw out.

While the end of this whole thing with his turtle shell had been sitting on the horizon for quite some time, suddenly it sped toward him. The moment they got possessive, it ended, but at the moment, he also needed some wheels and threads. Rather than small or big talk, he went with a different strategy. “What do you want me to do?” Ah, the passive aggressive question, a good old standby.

“I don’t know. I knew what I was getting myself into.” She sighed and shook her head.

“That’s not the Turtle Shell I know.” He kneeled down by her feet, slid the tablet under the furniture, and plucked the keys out of her cleavage. “The Turtle Shell I know would know exactly what she wanted.”

“I’ll tell you what I want, Ryder Ignatius Scott.” In a move that even impressed him, she snapped the keys out of his fingers.

Though he wanted to lunge for them, he stayed perfectly, still primed to act. Plus, his reaction time was off as he was still swallowing back the sour taste in his mouth at the use of his middle name.

“I want you to pick a door.” She dangled the keys above his head. “Choose the bedroom and the keys and the rest of the trappings are yours to keep, or choose the back door and get the hell out of here with anything that wasn’t charged to one of my accounts.”

“That’s quite a game show.” His first thought was to ask if there was a door number three, but he managed to hold back.

The grandfather clock at the far end of the room chimed as if timing his choice. He needed to leave soon to make it to the meeting with Cora, and he stood. “Let’s play a game shall we?”

Something told him he was going to be late.

HOLLYWOOD STARDOM

FADE IN:

INT. HOLLYWOOD, CA – ROXY AND WILLIAM’S HOME – NIGHT.

ROXY – Lies back on the bed with the remote control in hand. The television flickers in the background.  She glances over and looks at the time. It’s after 2:00 a.m. and she turns off the television and tries to shut her eyes.

O.S. The sound of a door opening and closing.

Light shines through the room and WILLIAM enters.

ROXY

Oh!

(She shields her eyes.)

WILLIAM

Sorry baby, rehearsal ran late.

(He takes off his jacket, jeans and pulls his shirt over his head.)

ROXY

How did everything go?

(She sits up in bed.)

WILLIAM joins her in bed and takes her into his arms.

WILLIAM

It went well, I think we’re finally making headway on the new material.