4
Gina George, Albert Bosch
was to discover the next morning, liked to sleep even later than he did. He got
up, put on shorts and sandals, and went to the kitchen to make coffee. He
poured two cups and put them on a tray, along with a pitcher of half-and-half,
a sugar bowl and two spoons. As he padded back into the bedroom, balancing the
tray on one hand, he saw Gina, covered by a sheet, turning toward him without
sitting up.
I was just waking
up, she said. How did you know?
I have been
thinking about you, he said.
Wow, thats
powerful, she said with a smile. Your thoughts about me mustve woke me up.
He smiled back. I have been thinking about your idea, he
said. I think its wonderful. She sat up, and her
perfectly spherical breasts came into full view. He could not help
staring at them, and almost lost the balance of the tray; he had to
steady it with his other hand. She took one of the cups and began to
sip from it without adding any cream or sugar.
I like it black and bitter, she said.
I like it creamy and sweet, he responded, his gaze
still on her bosom. They both laughed. He balanced the tray again on
his left hand, and with the right hand he creamed and sweetened
his coffee. He took the cup and put the tray on the nightstand.
But, she said
after a few more sips – the coffee was hotter than she
was used to – I dont
know if we could get it financed here.
We will think of
something, he said as he sat down on the bed. He put his cup on the tray,
gently but firmly took hers from her hand and likewise put it away, and put his
hands on her breasts. He was surprised at how firm they felt.
Back in the gym, riding the
stationary bicycle, Barry Bergman looked across at the fly, now idle, where he
had spotted Leslie Lyman the previous day. She did seem rather immature for a
twenty-two-year-old, but if she were cast as the
ingénue – an oversexed ingénue
– she would be just right. She would have to be blonder, of course. And maybe
slightly bigger boobs, or maybe a lot bigger – well see what Doc Kruger thinks
– but otherwise just right. Now her roommate Jennifer, if she were interested,
could be the smart girl; the two of them together would be a gold mine, maybe
with someone like Frank Bond doing both of them...
In the afternoon, Gina
George and Albert Bosch were once again walking on the beach, the tips of the
waves lapping at their bare feet. The bright sun was in their faces, but the
ocean breeze cooled them, and the combined effect was delicious; he had never
felt anything like it before. He savored the silence that was broken only by
the sea, the wind, and the gulls. On this June weekday the beach was almost
unpopulated. Then the thought that he had promised her came to him in all of
its obviousness.
Why dont we do it
in Europe? he asked rhetorically.
Do you think well
get backing there? she asked questioningly.
I have some
experience. We just need to find a government of a small country, or of a
region, that wants to promote its products, and tourism, and whatever, and as
long as we show the characters drinking the local wine...
And saying how
good it is... she filled in.
And its effects...
And the scenery, and so on... Im sure well be able to get the minister or the
commissioner of culture, or something, to help finance it.
What about
casting? she asked.
We will use local
actors. They will be thrilled.
And the language?
We will have a
little dialogue in the local language or dialect, just for color, but of course
the main language will be English. They want it like that. And of course you
will be your American self.
And how, pray
tell, Gina asked after some reflection, do we find such a magic kingdom?
Well, Albert
replied, there is a Spanish actress who once worked
for me, named Sofia Marés,
who told me that her regional government – its like a state government here in
America – would love to back me on a project like that. Im quite sure that I
still have her telephone number, and tonight, when its morning there, I will
call her.
Uh, Jennifer? he
said, almost timidly.
Yes?
This is Barry
Bergman. Im...
I know who you
are, Mr. Bergman.
Call me Barry.
Okay, Barry.
Im calling
because your roommate Leslie told me that you might be interested in working
with me.
Thats right, she
said slowly, I might be.
Lets get together
and talk. Would you like to meet me at the...
Why dont I just
come over to your place, since were going to end up there anyway.
Quite a girl, he
thought.
Well, sure... let
me give you the address...
Its okay, Leslie
already showed me where you live – on the map, that is.
Wow, thought Barry
Bergman. Wow, he said. You seem to know everything.
I can be there in
twenty minutes, she said, and concluded with See ya! before hanging up.
She arrived as
announced, wearing an orange tube top and tight-fitting black jeans over
two-inch-heeled wedge sandals, with a plain black leather purse – logo-less
like her jeans – clinging to her left hip and hanging from a strap that was
slung around her right shoulder. When he let her in she simply said Hi with a
smile and walked past him into the living room.
Her golden-tinged
brown hair – sort of auburn, or maybe titian, he thought – that she wore in a
simple ponytail could be left as is. And her boobs made up in shapeliness –
accentuated by the purse strap that passed between them – for what they lacked
in size, by the standards of the industry. Augmentation was an option, as
always – Leslie would need it for sure, just as Gina had – but in this girls
case, maybe not. Well see what the screen tests show.
She sat down on the
sofa unbidden, crossed her legs and said,
Im ready for the
interview. She swung her purse over her head and put it on the coffee table.
May I? she asked.
She was nervous, he
thought, and trying to hide it.
Sure, he said.
Would you like something to drink?
Sure, she said,
whatever youve got.
Oh, Ive got
lots...
Well, Ill have
whatever youre going to have. I dont know much about drinks. I tried out for
cocktail waitress when I first got here, and I was a total flop.
So what are you
doing?
Office work.
Leslie had already told him that – she had referred to Jennifer as a
secretary – but he wanted to hear it directly.
And youd like to
work for me instead? he asked as he poured the gin into the glasses.
I think so.
I do have an
office, you know, he said while pouring the tonic, but I take it thats not
what youre interested in.
I dont think so,
she said very slowly.
He approached the
sofa with the drinks, handed one to her, and sat down beside her. He
deliberately sat down quite close to her, expecting her to move away in order
to keep the proper distance, but she did not. Their hips were almost touching.
Cheers, he said,
raising his glass. She did the same, they clinked and each of them took a
sizable sip.
I need to make
sure that you understand the nature of the work in our movies, he said.
I think I do, she
said. No simulation, right?
Thats right, he
said. Theres more, but thats basically it.
Id like to give
it a try.
How old are you?
Twenty-four.
A good age, he
thought. And whats your actual name?
Jennifer
Garabedian. She took another sip of her gin and tonic.
Hmm... What if we
call you Jenni Jarman – Jenni with an i,
just like Lesli without an e. Jenni
Jarman and Lesli Lyman. Doesnt that sound good?
Yes, especially
when theyre underneath Barry Bergman. He laughed. You like alliterative
names, she went on, dont you?
Alliterative, he thought. What a classy girl.
Yes, I do. Ill
tell you a secret. My first name wasnt originally Barry.
What was it?
It was Henry.
Can I call you
Henry in private?
Im afraid youd
remind me of my mother...
Scolding you? she
asked while taking another sip.
Thats right, he
laughed again. You know psychology, dont you?
I minored in it,
at Cal State Fresno.
What did you major
in?
Theatre arts. I
came here with the idea of getting a masters, at Cal State LA or Northridge.
When... uh... if
you work for me you get to take acting classes privately. I encourage all my
actors to do it, though I must say they dont all take advantage of the
opportunity. Ive got a special deal with one of the best drama schools in
town.
Which one?
Its confidential – you know, theyre worried about their reputation. She nodded with a smile.
I cant tell you until youve signed the contract, which has a confidentiality
clause...
Where do I sign?
she asked cheerfully, suddenly getting up and putting her almost-empty glass on
the coffee table.
Shed be perfect as
the horny college girl, he thought. Wearing glasses, talking intellectual talk
that she could probably write herself, and then... boom!
Well meet with my
lawyer, maybe tomorrow or the day after, and he will explain all the clauses to
you. Might as well do Leslies contract at the same time – they should be
pretty much identical.
Jennifer sat down again, even closer to him
than before. Their hips made full contact.
I would like you to know that, he added,
turning his head toward her, whatever you may have heard about this business,
all the sleazy aspects, we dont work like that. I value my performers, and I
make sure theyre well compensated.
Wow, said
Jennifer, Sounds fantastic. Are there any other interesting clauses I should
know about, like maybe a sanity clause? she asked with a laugh.
Well, said Barry,
if you take sanity back to its Latin root,
it means health, and yes, there
is such a clause: medical checkups every month, including HIV.
Sounds good to
me, said Jennifer.
Do you ever wear
glasses? he asked her, seemingly out of nowhere.
Yes, she
answered, for reading. Im farsighted. Ill have them on when we do the
contract.
Do you have them
with you?
Yes, of course.
Would you like me to put them on? she asked, still in interview mode.
Please.
She reached for her
purse and fished out a pair of glasses. As she put them on, she said, Now Im
going to see all of your blemishes.
The glasses were
wire-rimmed, and she looked lovely in them. For the movie they would have to be
replaced by something more conspicuous, more intimidating – big black rims that
would dominate her face, until she would take them off with a flourish.
Just keep them
confidential, huh? he said. Well put that in another clause in the
contract.
She looked at his
face intently. There arent as many as Id thought, at least physical ones,
she said, and gently dabbed his face with her right index finger. Here is a
mole, and heres a red spot...
How about other
blemishes, like, say, moral ones?
Ill tell you
about them when I find them, she said huskily, and then Ill call you Henry.
She removed her glasses, placed them on the coffee table, and turned to face
him. But now, Barry Bergman, she continued as she put her arms around him,
Im very attracted to you. She kissed him lightly on the mouth. I felt it
right away, last night, when you came by to pick up Leslie, before I knew very
much about you. It must be the Armenian-Jewish connection.
But Im not
Jewish, he said, backing away from her in mock indignation. Im Svedish, you
know, like Ingrid and Ingmar.
She got the joke
immediately, and burst out laughing. And Im not Armenian, Im Norvegian. A
Norvegian Garabedian, she said, making the words rhyme.
He suddenly felt
inflamed with desire as he had not been since the first times with Gina, years
before. An image of Gina flashed in his mind, first of her face and zooming out
to her naked body, but it dissipated when he noticed that, in the embrace,
Jennifers tube top had slipped down an inch or two. He took her by the waist
and began to kiss the exposed tops of her breasts. She grabbed the sides of her
top and pulled it down onto her abdomen, baring her chest. She began to recline
her body backward as his mouth moved downward, and suddenly sat up, making his
head fall into her lap. He sniffed at her crotch.
Why dont we continue this interview
someplace more comfortable, she said, loosening her ponytail and letting her
hair fall over her shoulders.
On the way to the
bedroom he wondered if Jennifer wanted to work for him only because she wanted
him. He might have to let her know that he was not a one-woman man. In fact, he
was a many-woman man; how else could he be, in his business? Or wasnt that
obvious to a smart girl like her? After all, he had slept with her roommate, so
to speak (it was Leslie who had done most of the sleeping, probably from too
much to drink), only the night before. Besides, she was about to get into the
business herself.
He dismissed the
thoughts once they reached the bedroom, hand in hand, with her tube top still
around her waist. Why spoil a nice evening?
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