Chapter Nine
Ezra
Marc told me at the last minute to meet him at the movie studio so I could receive my script. “Wear something nice, too,” he said just before I hung up the phone. For as long as I had been doing movies, I’d never received the script at the movie studio. Come to think of it; I’ve never had the luxury of going to a movie studio before since most of my films were low-budget.
I put on a casual suit and headed to the studio. As I pulled into the parking lot, I made a phone call to Marc. “Hey, I’m here. Where do I go?”
“Hold on a second; I’ll be right out to get you.”
Minutes later, Marc came out of the building dressed in a black suit with a white button-up shirt and a black tie. He stood on the porch, patiently waiting for me to join him. After I had exited my car, I met him on the top stair. He firmly shook my hand with a smile. “Well, here we are. This is how the big boys do it.”
“The studio?” I asked, releasing his hand. “It seems like an event going on here.”
I heard the music playing just inside the building. “Yeah, there is. Come on, let me show you what’s inside.” He put his arm around me as we walked through the doors. There were appetizers resting on top of tables around the edges of the room. In the middle, there was a small fountain that spurted water five feet into the air before it splashed down into the water basin. The floor was polished to a crisp shine, reflecting everything that stood above it like a mirror.
“Wow,” I said as I looked around the room. “All of this for a movie script?”
“You’re not small-time anymore, babe. This is big-time. You are amongst movers and shakers right now. This is how the major movie companies do things. Everything comes with a party.” Just then, a waiter approached us.
“Hors d'oeuvre?” he asked as he extended the silver platter in front of us.
“Why not?” Marc said with a smile as he scooped one off the platter. “Ezra, you should try one. These are to die for.”
“No, thank you.”
The waiter bowed his head and continued walking through the crowd. “You are missing out,” Marc said as he swallowed his appetizer whole. He grabbed his handkerchief and patted his mouth to clean off the residue. “Anyways, the director will hand you the script later tonight, but for now,” he put his hand on my shoulder and rotated me until she was in my line of vision. “Your co-star is right over there at the punch bowl. How about you go and introduce yourself to her? It wouldn’t hurt to start building a working relationship with her. It will go a long way while you two shoot the movie.”
“Yeah,” I said as she smiled in the middle of her conversation with an older gentleman. “That’s not a bad idea at all.”
I approached her as she held her purse tightly underneath her arm. Her dress sparkled as if she were headed for a beauty pageant, and her hair was tied into a bun. I licked my lips as I stepped closer to her; her breasts sat perfectly beneath her dress. “And we meet again,” I said as I stood beside her.
The whites of her teeth shined bright as we made eye contact. “Ezra,” she said, “I was wondering when you were going to show up.”
“So, that means you were looking for me?”
“Um,” she chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well,” the older gentleman said, “I will leave you to it. Congrats again on the role, Hannah. And you too, Ezra. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you.” He shook my hand, then walked away, leaving me with a perplexed look.
“Um, who was that?”
“He is the director’s brother. I don’t know what he does, if anything, but he has been talking my ear off since I ran into him a few minutes ago. You just saved me from the agony. I didn’t want to be rude because he is Leonard’s brother, but–”
“Hey, come on, you can be nice. I mean, it looks like the guy is on his last leg anyway. He might have croaked right in front of you if I didn’t show up. He just needed a little more time.”
Her mouth hung open for a moment until a laugh sputtered out. “My God, that was mean! He is not that old!”
“He is old enough,” I said as I dipped the spoon into the punch and poured it into my glass. “But if that is your type, then I apologize. You might like them old. Hell, if you get married, that is less time you have to deal with them.” I wrinkled my eyebrows. “Wait a minute; you just might be on to something.”
She laughed, “Wow. You’re either a grade-A jerk, or you just like to get a reaction out of people.”
I took a sip of punch. “Well, maybe a little of both.”
“I see.”
“So. You didn’t bring a significant other with you to this event?”
“No. I don’t have one of those.” She took a drink, then placed her glass on the table. “It’s just me. It’s been that way for a little while now.”
“Oh, really?” That was all I needed to hear. “What is a beautiful woman like you doing single?”
“I wish I knew the answer to that, but I don’t. I’m like the last piece of bread in the bag. Nobody wants me.”
“Shit, I don’t know about you, but I ALWAYS eat the last piece of bread in the bag. Always.”
She blushed and looked away from me just as Leonard stepped to the middle of the room. “Thank you for attending this special script release event. I am thoroughly excited to begin shooting this wonderful movie. I would like to take the time to thank our two stars, whom I see together already.” He smiled. “Building more chemistry between one another. I love it. I absolutely love it! Please, both of you, come up here with me, front and center. Ezra Hamilton and Hannah Black.”
The people in attendance clapped as we walked, hand in hand, to the front of the room next to Leonard. “This is brand new talent, and I believe that we have two future stars in the making. I know they will put their best foot forward during this movie and not only will it launch their careers to new heights, but they will also make us a lot of money before they do!”
The audience laughed as he clapped his hands together. “Now, everyone enjoy yourselves, and in just a few moments, we will hand the script out to all of our actors and actresses, but for now, enjoy yourselves. Mingle. Drink. Eat and laugh, because that is why we are all here.” He shook my hand, then kissed Hannah on the cheek and walked away, leaving us in the front of the room.
“So, Hannah Bread,” I laughed. “I mean, Black. Maybe we should get together and go over the script sometime soon. I know we are not shooting for a little while now, but it’s probably good to stay proactive here.”
“Oh, yeah. Sure thing,” she said, attempting to hide her face. “Yeah, um. Monday is good. Is Monday good for you?”
“Monday is perfect.”
“All right.”
“Ezra, baby, I’ve got some people I want you to meet,” my agent called out to me as I stood next to Hannah.
I shook my head, “I need to–”
“Yeah, sure. I understand. You’ve got people to meet, and I’m sure–” just then, another person beckoned for Hannah’s attention. “–I’ve got people to meet, too.” Our laughter mingled together and led us staring into each other’s eyes for a moment. “Yeah, so… I guess we will exchange numbers before we leave or something?”
“Yeah, absolutely.”
“OK.”
She smiled and hesitantly walked away from me as my eyes glued to her backside. Just then, Marc put his arm around me. “Ezra, baby, come on. Important people! Important people waiting for you, babe. Let’s get this ball rolling!”