L.A. Fire (3 page)

 
“You bet. You’re missing out though. The place is crawling with hot guys
tonight.”

 
Right then I heard some kissing in the background, and Angela squealing. “Stop
it, babe. I’m on the phone.” My stomach immediately twisted into a knot. Ziggy.
The bass player in my ex-boyfriend’s band. The ex-boyfriend who was the love of
my life and cheated on me three months ago, ripping my heart into a million
pieces.

 
“K, Ange. I’ve got to go.” More squealing. I hung up and let out a long,
shuddering sigh. I knew Ange totally loved Ziggy, but every time he was around
it was just another reminder of a chapter of my life I wanted to erase. Or at
least properly close. As I sat there, with feelings of anger and despair and
embarrassment welling up, I decided I needed a drink or two to drown my
sorrows. I’m not so much into drinking alone. I know it’s a bad habit, but
tonight I needed it. I grabbed a bottle of Merlot, poured out a glass, and took
small sips as I consoled myself with the fact that I indeed had something major
to celebrate. I’d found a nugget of gold in the agency’s trash heap. I couldn’t
wait to see the look on my boss’s face when I showed him what I’d
discovered.   

***

 
“Morning, Mr. Cooper,” I said breathlessly as I rushed into his office the next
morning.

 
He peered up at me over his reading glasses, his eyes full of curiosity. “It’s
Paul. And please have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair on the opposite
side of his desk. As I settled in, I took a look around. He had a corner office
with huge windows overlooking the skyline of L.A. From up here I could see the
impressive skyscrapers, a tangle of bustling freeways, and the ocean in the
distance. On the one wall not made of glass, he had an abstract painting,
patches of blue and white and gold done in broad strokes, suggesting the ocean
at sunset. “That’s a John Zurier,” I said, pointing to the painting.

 
The corners of his mouth quirked up. “Quite right,” he said. “You know your
art.”

 
I smiled back at him. “My mom’s an L.A. art fanatic.”

 
“So, what’s up?” he asked, giving me all of his attention.

 
I handed the script to him, along with my report. “I found this in the slush
pile last night. It’s not just decent. It’s exceptional.”

 
He smiled at me, and started absently running his thumb along the edge of the
pages. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Because after reading tons of that horrible
stuff, even the mediocre ones start to look like pure genius.”

 
I crossed my legs, adjusted myself in my seat and leaned forward. “I promise
you this is worth your time,” I said, sounding more earnest than I intended to.

 
His eyes started to twinkle with amusement. “I admire your confidence. And
based on your resume, it’s safe to say I trust your instincts.” He adjusted his
reading glasses, then thumbed through the pages of the script again. “I’ll tell
you what,” he said. “I have some free time this morning. I’ll go through this
and tell you what I think after lunch.”

 
I couldn’t help it. I started beaming. “Great!” I said, sounding like the over
enthusiastic newbie that I was. I quickly got to my feet and headed over to the
door. “I’ll have those meeting notes typed up for you before lunch.”

 
As I exited his office, I heard him chuckle softly behind me.

***

  “Hey there.”

  I looked up from my computer
screen, and felt a jolt of surprise at seeing Amanda, who’d I’d already dubbed
as the office bitch, standing there. Today she had on a black, V-neck Calvin
Klein dress, with a huge purple jem hanging on a silver chain around her neck.
Her feet were clad in black Mary Janes. I had to admit, she looked good. The
dress really complemented her tall, thin frame. “What’s up?” I said.

  She bit her lip, once again
smearing lipstick all over her front teeth. “Listen,” she said. “I think we got
off to a bad start. How ‘bout you let me take you to lunch?”

  I eyed her skeptically for a
moment, then decided everyone deserved a second chance. “Sounds great,” I said,
beaming up at her. “Just give me five minutes to finish something?”

  She nodded, her sleek brown hair
bobbing around her face. “Sure,” she said, “I’ll meet you in the reception
area. We’ll go to a great sandwich place just down the street. Their chicken
and roasted red pepper on a Kaiser is to die for.”

  Stepping out into the street, I
was hit by the sultry September heat. As we walked along the sidewalk to the
restaurant, I noticed the leaves on the palm trees looked like they were on
fire in the blazing noon sunlight. A hot dog vendor had a long line of
customers, including a woman dressed in a fuchsia dress and six inch strappy
stilettos. Walking beside Amanda, I felt short and stout. But then a group of
men turned to stare at me, and Amanda started scowling.

  We found a comfortable booth in
the back of the restaurant, settled in, and ordered our sandwiches.

  “So how are you finding working
for Paul?” she asked, the icky, but now familiar sugar-sweet tone creeping back
into her voice.

  My guard immediately went back
up. I eyed her carefully for a moment, and she returned my gaze with a hard
stare. “He keeps my busy,” I said. “But I’m not complaining. I’m learning a
lot.”

  She tilted her head to the side,
and looked at me in a condescending way. “What was that all about in his office
this morning?”

  So this was a fishing expedition.
Well, I wasn’t going to give her anything. “I just needed some clarification on
the work I was doing for him.”

  “Oh?” she said. “It’s all pretty
straightforward. Easy, you know? At least it is for me. Sorry to hear you’re
struggling.”

  I felt myself tense up, and my
mouth form a thin line. She stared back at me with a look of victory on her
face. “Sorry if I hit a nerve,” she said, oh-so-sweetly.

  I smirked back at her. “Well I
guess we can’t all be perfect.”

  Her eyes narrowed as she
inspected my face to see if I was mocking her. So she picked up on my sarcasm.
At least she wasn’t tone deaf. I’d give her that.

  “Listen,” she said, leaning
forward. “Paul’s time is precious. If you keep bugging him for help, he’ll get
irritated. I know all about your discoveries of screenplays while you were in
school. But don’t get all high on yourself. Those were just for small
competitions. This is the big leagues now, Sarah. And I have way more
experience than you. So if you find something in the slush pile, pass it by me
before you go to Paul. You know, so you don’t embarrass yourself.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her, rage
pumping through my veins. “So I don’t embarrass myself?” I said evenly, “Or so
that you can steal the credit for my discovery?”

  Her jaw muscle started twitching,
and her hands clenched into fists. “You’re a nobody,” she said. “So get off
your high horse.”

  I took the final bite of my
sandwich, chewed it carefully without taking my eyes off of her, then wiped my
mouth clean. “I discovered three scripts that are in development at major
studios. While in school. Have you discovered anyone, anyone at all?”

  Her jaw muscle started twitching
harder, and she bared her teeth at me, Pit bull styles. “I didn’t think so,” I
said, throwing my napkin on the table, then standing up. “It’s been real
pleasant,” I said. “And by the way, you’ve got lipstick on your teeth again.”
With that, I rummaged in my purse for some money, threw it on the table, and
strutted out of the restaurant, feeling proud of myself for putting that total
bitch in her place.

***

 
“Sarah.” I looked up from my desk. Paul. “Come into my office,” he said, gesturing
for me to follow him. Walking behind him, I felt my nerve ends begin to tingle,
and my palms begin to sweat. He looked so serious. I started questioning my
judgment. Maybe he thought the script was horrible. Maybe my judgment was
completely off. Amanda had just called me a nobody with no experience. Maybe I
was overestimating my skills, my instincts.

 
When we got to his office, I quickly wiped my hands along my black pencil
skirt, leaving streaks on the material. I mentally cursed myself. If I wasn’t
pouring coffee all over myself, I was smearing sweat all over my clothes. At
least the skirt was black, and the stains would dry quickly.

  I settled into the seat across
from Paul, and readied myself for a lecture about wasting his time. I took a
deep breath, then raised my head to meet his gaze. His brown eyes held a
glimmer of an expression I couldn’t quite place. At first. Then I realized what
it was. Pride. His eyes were full of pride. I watched him grab a pen, and then
tap it purposefully on his desk. “Sarah,” he said, his tone low, but tinged
with cautious excitement. “The screenplay you found is phenomenal. I can
already think of three directors who would be falling all over themselves to
buy up the rights.”

  He beamed at me, and I felt myself
choke up a bit. I dug my nail into my thumb to keep myself from tearing up. The
last thing I wanted right now was to look like an emotional basket case. I
had
to keep it together. Paul gave me a funny look, and then his face softened.
“It’s okay to be overwhelmed Sarah. This is your first major find. If I were
you, I’d be jumping for joy.” Then he grinned at me and said, “You’ve done
well, kiddo.”   

  Something about the way he called
me kiddo made my defenses go down. Paul was in his mid to late thirties, at
least fifteen years older than I was, and suddenly, in the company of this
seasoned, kind but stern man, it felt okay to show how much of a newbie I
really was. I let out a shuddering breath and quickly wiped the corners of my
eyes, all the while grinning like an idiot.

  He looked at me softly again, and
pushed over a box of tissues. “Get it all out now,” he said. “I need you to be
totally calm and focused when you call. . .” he looked down at my report,
“Jason Burns in for a meeting.”

  I looked at Paul in disbelief. “
I’m
calling him?”

  I saw a trace of impatience seep
into his expression. “Yes, Sarah. You discovered him, and you’re going to set
up the meeting. I want him in here tomorrow, if possible.”

  I immediately got it together,
and gave Paul a firm nod. “I’ll call as soon as I get back to my desk.”

  His eyes crinkled slightly in a
warm look of approval. “Great.”

  “I won’t waste any more of your
time,” I said, getting up.

  “Not so fast,” he said, motioning
for me to sit back down.

  “I talked to Julian about the
screenplay. Though we work separately, we’re still partners, and we often both
sit in on interviews with new potentially important clients. So he’ll be in the
meeting as well. Anytime tomorrow between two and four works with both of us.
If Mr. Burns can’t come in then, another possibility is Friday, also between
two and four.”

  At the mention of Julian’s name,
I felt my breath catch, and my stomach quiver. I shifted slightly in my seat
and cleared my throat, hoping that Paul hadn’t noticed my reaction. I quickly
scanned his face, but his expression was steady and inscrutable, betraying
nothing.

  He leaned back, and gave his desk
a few empathic taps with the end of his pen. “When the meeting is set up, let
both me and Julian know.” Oh, hell. I sucked in a deep breath. I was going to
have to actually talk to the man? Just the thought of hearing Julian’s deep,
seductive voice again made me feel giddy. How I was going to sit through an
entire meeting with him and actually concentrate on what was going on was
beyond me.

  “Is that everything?” I asked, my
voice sounding a little high pitched, possibly even a little hysterical.

  Paul’s brow furrowed slightly,
but he nodded at me. I got up and headed back to my desk, still feeling a
little lightheaded and a little shaky.