Impossibly Tongue-Tied (9 page)

(At first, it seems that Nathan is drawing a blank. Then, as the name registers, his mouth drops open a bit. He smiles to himself, and he nods his head in wonder. It's obvious that he thinks he's won the jackpot.)

(WIDER ANGLE as KATERINA McPHERSON leisurely saunters into view. Nathan jumps off the stool to shake her hand. She smiles up at him before taking his hand in hers, then pulls him in close to her as she gives a soft approving laugh. This makes him blush.)

KATERINA: Nathan…
well
…I've been looking forward to meeting you. You know, I saw your reel—

NATHAN: (
In shock and awe
) Ms. McPherson,
wow
…Gee! I'm—I'm
speechless
…

KATERINA: (
Feigning modesty
) What? Did Sam not tell you I was going to read with you? (
She gives another knowing chuckle
) He's…he's such a
naughty boy
, that Sam. I, uh, hope that won't throw you…or anything?

NATHAN: What?
NO!
No, not at all…I'm just so…
honored
. (
He now looks off camera, at Hugo
) Um, Mr. Schmitt, just…whenever you say go…

V/O HUGO: Great…uh, how about picking it up on page The ultimatum? Nathan, feel free to build the kind of tension you think is necessary for this scene, and Katerina will follow your lead, okay?…Great. Frank, can you cue the scene?

V/O FRANK: (
FX of a series of BEEPS and there is a flash of LIGHT, indicating that the scene is starting
.) Nathan Harte audition, take one.

KATERINA: (
Looking off-camera, at Hugo
) Um…Sorry, Hugo, darling, I…I was just wondering…Before we start, would you
mind if…if Nathan and I could just take a moment and…well, I know this sounds
odd
, but…can we
kiss
first?

V/O HUGO:
(Confused) Kiss?
Hmmm…Well…uh…That's not in the
scene
…

KATERINA: I know, my darling Hugo…It's just that—well, I'm going on my gut here—(
She takes a single finger, and lays it on her bosom, then lets it travel slowly, achingly down her well-defined abdomen, to just above her exposed belly button. Nathan seems somewhat fixated by this.
)—But I think that our doing so might…you know, take the edge off of Nathan's audition. I mean, I want Nathan to see that—(
With a sweet giggle
)—that I'm only human…Just like the girl next door, right? Is—is that okay?
You
wouldn't mind, would you, Nathan?

NATHAN: (
Still in shock
) Um…
no
! Not at
all
.

V/O HUGO: Uh…(
Hesitantly
) Sure, yeah, okay…I mean, heck, the script has a couple of sex scenes in it anyway. Might as well see if there's, um, any chemistry, right?

KATERINA: (
Looking Nathan right in the eye) Ummm
. Yeah. Chemistry. I'm guessing we'll have no problem there. Right, Nathan?

(Nathan blushes, nods slowly. The look on his face says, “What, is this a dream or something?”)

V/O HUGO: Okay…well, the camera
is
rolling…So—

(Katerina puts a hand on Nathan's face. He turns his head to kiss it, gently. With just the slightest hesitation, he pulls her closer to kiss her face, too. She melts into him, her hands playing him as if she was Lara St. John and he was a brand-new Stradivarius. At first he freezes. But then, slowly, he reciprocates, his hands roaming her body as if he were a blind man reading Braille.)

(TIGHTER ANGLE as the kiss lingers on…and on…)

V/O HUGO: Well…
that
certainly seems to work…Gee. Okay, now…Cut.

(
There is no response to his direction. The camera lingers…and lingers…
)

V/O HUGO: I said,
cut!
…Frank, you can turn off the goddamn camera now…
Frank!

(
CAMERA OUT
)

 

Here is what Nathan told Nina about the audition:

Yes, Sam was right, the part was his for the asking. Go figure!

And that he couldn't believe his very first movie would be directed by the esteemed Hugo Schmitt, a director whose technique she'd been raving about even back when they were in high school. When he heard Nina's gasp, he just presumed she was as amazed as he was over this unexpected twist of fate.

Oh, and by the way, guess who he'd be starring opposite? Could she believe
Katerina McPherson?
“She stopped by during the audition…and read with me.” He threw it out there cautiously.

He didn't mention the kiss.
Hell, no. No way.

Because he knew how she'd react: first with surprise, then shock, and finally hurt.

And then she'd ask him if he had liked it.

And even if he said, “No! Of course not,” Nina would know he was lying.

So he kept it to himself.

“Omigod! That must have been—awesome!” murmured Nina. “Wow, I can
totally
see her in that role…”

Nathan watched her face for any signs of concern, or jealousy…but only saw her joy for him. Which only made him feel guiltier than ever.

And which was why he took her in his arms and kissed her…hard…then he took her in the bedroom and made love to her…longingly…

…and all the while, he hated himself for imagining that he was making love to Katerina McPherson.

Afterward, as they lay in each other's arms, Nina mused out loud, “So is she nice? Gee, I can't
wait
to meet her!”

 

 

“Wow, what a stud. Too bad his headshots suck.”

Because the criticism came from Fiona Truman—the head partner of Truman, Lyle, & Callahan Public Relations, which now could proudly claim Nathan Harte, the stud in question, as a new client—Sam fully anticipated that this minor issue would be resolved in a matter of days.

Sam knew better than to argue with her. Instead he stared down at the black and white photos of Nathan that Fiona was perusing with a photographer's loupe and sighed. Of course, Nathan would be disappointed that the photos wouldn't be used, particularly since they were brand new. Well, too bad. Fiona's recommendations were golden: no ifs, ands, or buts. And although Fiona ostensibly answered to Nathan (and not the other way around), in reality, her marching orders were set by Sam in a weekly meeting Sam had with Fiona every Tuesday morning to run down the publicity agenda of all his clients who were handled by TLC.

And Sam's orders for Fiona were, quite simply, to do everything in her power to make Nathan a star, now that
Forever and Again
had been greenlighted. Filming had begun over a week ago, to accommodate a six-week window in Katerina's jam-packed schedule. If they had waited any longer, her next available shooting date would have been years off, and by then, Katerina would have been too old for the lead role, anyway: that of an innocent albeit nubile college freshman.

Not that she'd ever admit to
that
.

“Yeah, well, I'm not surprised you think they're crap. Nathan told me—quite proudly, I might add—that he got them done for only fifty bucks.”

“Yikes! Well then, if that's the case, then frankly, I think the poor guy got ripped off.” She crumpled them up, one by one, and tossed them into the conference room trash can.

Sam got the message. “Right. Okay, so, let's get them redone. Whom would you suggest?”

“Let me see if Jack Guy can squeeze him in sometime this week. If not, I'll get James White to do it. Either way, I'll have some stock cover poses shot at the same time. You know, for the second-tier mags, general editorial purposes, fan club blogs, and so on. Already the tom-toms are beating about him. Did you see Baxter's column this morning?” She tossed her auburn curls, a habit Sam had come to recognize as her way of making mental notes.

“Sure did. Great work, Fiona. So, what's your take on Nathan's overall look?”

“Well, we've certainly got a lot here to work with. He's got fab cheekbones. Those soulful eyes should definitely melt a few hearts. Um…a little shaggy in the brow area, but we
can work on that…although it hasn't hurt Gyllenhaal, right?”

“True. At the same time, we don't want the tabs comparing the two, because Nathan will come off as the clone, since he's the newbie.”

“Gotcha. When I set him up with Burton Machen at Pick-ford for a cut, I'll also get his opinion on shaping Nathan's brows. We'll do it just prior to the photo shoot. And I'll go in with him on both appointments.”

She did the head toss again. He assumed she was rearranging her own agenda in her mind, to accommodate the client who would make her year for her when the fanzines started touting him as the rising star to watch. “I'll schedule a manicure and a facial, too, while we're at the salon. Hey, he's not one of those fly-over state types who will balk and call it ‘too girly,' is he?” Fiona asked.

“So what if he does? Set him straight. Just tell him Tom and Russell do it. That should shut him up,” said Sam.

Fiona nodded knowingly. “Yep, works every time. Within a year he'll be hooked on the thought of being the newest poster boy for metrosexual manhood.” They both chuckled. She then clicked off the other things she felt they had to discuss.

First on the agenda was his wardrobe. Because of Nathan's height, broad shoulders, and washboard abs, certainly Armani and Sean John were a good start. “I'll go shopping with him, and make sure that he throws in some Hugo Boss. Prada's got some new stuff out that looks like it was just made for him.” She smiled knowingly. “And certainly, we've got to put that cute ass of his in some DIESEL denim. Gay vague, you know?”

“Sure, go for it,” murmured Sam. “But don't try to explain that to Nathan. He may not grasp the concept.”

“Gotcha. All he-man, eh? Well, we'll keep it our little secret.” When Fiona was through with him, the kid wouldn't have much of a first paycheck, but this was what was called “investing in one's career,” so too bad; he'd have to bite the bullet.

As for his social agenda, Fiona felt that, currently, Nathan's left a lot to be desired. “His outside interests are his gym and his acting classes. Mostly he stays home with his wife. Apparently he doesn't do much clubbing. Hell, he told me he's never even seen the inside of Chi. Go figure.” Fiona was puzzled. “I mean, how could you claim to be an actor in Hollywood and have
not
been there, for god's sake?”

“Yeah, well, I don't get the feeling that Donald Ducks have a heck of a lot of discretionary income to play with, anyway.”

“You've got a point there. Not only that, but I could hear some whiny brat—sounded like a boy—in the background—”

“She—he has a
kid?
” This was news to Sam. Nina hadn't mentioned it, and because she looked like such a baby herself, he would have never dreamed she'd had a kid. He blushed just thinking about her and her small, taut stomach.

Did knowing that she had a kid make him feel differently about her?
Hell yeah
. Suddenly he realized that any man who was willing to get involved with her couldn't jerk her around, not ever.

Not that he planned on doing that:
getting involved
…

Or, if it just so happened that they
did
get involved, he certainly wouldn't jerk her around.

She's just too good for that…

Damn! Damn! amn! Stay on track! Focus…Focus…

“Where do you want to start?” He threw the issue of Nathan's social agenda back in her court.

“Well…he should certainly get out at least a couple of nights a week. Do the red carpet for a premiere, or a well-covered party. And definitely he should hit some of the hot spots, you know: Concorde, LAX, Mood, Privilege, and of course the Grill. I'll have my assistant, Dominique, get him on the appropriate VIP lists. I don't suppose he has a Sidekick or something, so that we can update his schedule as events are added?”

“Here's his cell number.” He wrote it down on a business card and slid it across the desk to her. “Call him there until you can get him a Sidekick. You can bill it here.”

“Will do. I'll ask him to come around to my office to pick it up, and I'll teach him how to work with it. I don't suppose he'll have an assistant anytime soon, eh?”

“Not yet. I'd suggest keeping Nina—his wife—in the loop. She strikes me as…quite efficient.”

Fiona nodded, but he could tell she was not convinced. “We'll keep planting juicy tidbits with Serenity and Baxter, and Liz, of course. Rush & Molloy, Page Six, Jeanette. Certainly Ted at E! Network. I'll hit the phones the minute we finish.”

“With what kind of hook?” he asked.

“Well, we've got the Hugo/Kat project. A second angle is that he's another adorable dude from Brad's home state of Missouri. That alone begs the question, ‘Is he the next Brad?' And from what I hear from Kat, Nathan just may be that…particularly if she can convince him to dump his wife for her.” Fiona gave Sam a knowing look.

“What exactly have you heard?” Already the word was out on Nathan's audition tape, eh?

“Heard? Heck, I
saw
it. That tape is
priceless
. If the Academy had seen it, she would have that Oscar already, hands down. To hell with having to bulk up thirty pounds, or wearing some damn prosthesis. Gee, it's too bad they don't give an Oscar for soft porn.”

Not good
, thought Sam.

“Where did
you
see it?”

“Kat requested a DVD of it…for her own personal viewing pleasure. I was at her place, going over her media calendar for the coming week, when it arrived by messenger, from Hugo's studio. She couldn't wait to show me. She is really smitten with this kid.”

“Great. Just great.
Damn!
If Nathan dumps Nina for Kat before he's even launched, that might kill his career, not make it.” Sam turned to his speakerphone. “Riley?”

“Yeah, boss?” Sam's assistant always listened in to his conferences and took notes. Even disemboweled through the intercom, Riley's voice had a Zen quality to it. Just hearing it made the tension go out of Sam's shoulders.

“Get Hugo on the phone.”

“Will do.”

A few moments later, Sam heard Hugo's greeting: “I know why you're calling, Sam. Believe me I do, and—”

“Oh yeah?” Sam took a deep breath. “What the
hell
happened over there, Hugo?”

“Things got—well, they got a little out of hand. But I'm way ahead of you, guy. Trust me, I personally burned the film. I
swear
.”

“That's good. Otherwise, this project goes
up in smoke
.”

“Got it. Hey, by the way, Lucinda and I are celebrating my birthday Wednesday night, over at Ago. Care to join us?”

“Sure, I'll be there. But I'm warning you, Hugo, if some of that X-rated footage you shot of my boy ends up on
Entertainment Tonight
, I will personally wring your neck. You won't live to
see
another birthday.”

Sam hung up before Hugo could say anything else. He was pissed at Hugo, who, of all people, should have known better than to let Kat have her way with Nathan. On DVD no less.

Damn, maybe
I
should see this clip
…

“So, just what
is
the situation with the wife?” Fiona's question brought him back down to planet Earth.

“She's a saint. Pure as driven snow. Definitely an asset to him.”

“Then again, if he dumps her—St. Nina becomes a liability that needs damage control.”

“Which is why you've got to make sure that this little fall from grace stays under wraps.”

Fiona hesitated for a moment. “Look, Sam, if it
does
get out—well, personally, I'm not all that sure that it's necessarily a…a
bad
thing.”

“You're kidding me, right?”

“No, now just hear me out: If Nathan and Kat do become an item, it might just
help
his career. I mean, Federline was unknown before Britney, and he dumped the mother of his child, and
she
had another kid on the way. Hooking up with Brit put him in the limelight, am I right? And when Marc Anthony dumped Dayanara for Jennifer, not even a year after
their
second kid was born, no one batted an eyelash.”

“Yeah, well, Anthony already had an established fan base.
And
a prior divorce. And at the time, Federline didn't have a career to speak of. Then again, Nathan won't, either, if his gets killed from the get-go, just because he's viewed only as Kat's new boy toy. He's got to be able to stand on his own rep. Otherwise—”

Otherwise, what?

Otherwise Kat gets her wish earlier than she anticipated, and Nathan's marriage breaks up earlier than expected?

Otherwise the release of the audition video boosts interest in the movie?

Otherwise Nina, heartbroken, is dumped…and Sam can pick up the pieces?

But I don't want it to happen that way.

Well then, how
is
it supposed to happen?

That was a very good question. But at that moment, Fiona's question took precedence: “…until then. Whattaya think of that?”

Focus…Focus…
“Huh? Sorry, I missed what you said.”

“I was suggesting that we play down the family angle for now, and play up his talent. I know that Kat was instrumental in choosing Nathan to play opposite her, but despite that, the script calls for a strong male lead, and I got the distinct impression that Hugo has no doubts that Nathan will be brilliant in it. Why don't we just lead with that, and feed the press periodic snippets of footage that bears this out?”

She was right.

Nathan Harte was a film publicist's wet dream come true.

And by the time Fiona got through with Nathan, he'd be granted his own digit on the cell phone speed dials of every important director in town.

 

SAM: (
Clearing his throat, then very businesslike
) Hi, O. Sam here. Just, um, checking in on—you know, Wilbur.

O: (
With a sultry purr
) My goodness, Sam, is that really you? Great to hear your voice! I've
truly
missed you, handsome.

SAM: Yeah? I bet you say that to all the boys.

O: (
With a husky chuckle
) You're right, I do. I don't always
mean
it, though.

SAM: I'm happy to hear that I'm the exception to the rule.

O: Without a doubt, lover. As for an update, I can honestly report that Wilbur hasn't exactly been burning up my phone line lately. I guess he's…
preoccupied
, as they say.

SAM: Yeah, I sort of figured that. As you can imagine, I'm relieved to some extent…Oh, of course, I plan on honoring our deal for as long as Hu—
Wilbur
wants to keep in touch.

O: That's because you're an honorable man, Sam. I'm sure your…
girlfriend
…appreciates that.

SAM: At the moment, O, I'm footloose and fancy-free.

O: You don't say? In a total state of bachelor bliss, as it were?

SAM: (
He pauses before speaking
) Well…I wouldn't say that…I guess you could say that I'm admiring my ladylove from afar.