have sex with me, she could have just asked, without committing to an entire week of being ordered around. She’s a very shrewd woman who wouldn’t have taken such an outlandish bet unless she knows something I don’t, and that worries me. She’s bound to have an ace up her sleeve.
My thoughts are interrupted by the intercom.
“Mona Simmons for you on line three.”
Only half a month after our little restroom fling and she’s already calling. I just hope she’s asking for a favor and not a repeat performance. Either way, I’m going to see what she knows about Claire and the Cheyenne situation.
“Mona, so nice to hear from you,” I say with facetious cheer.
“Mason, we need to talk.”
Hardly a desired conversation opener, and her voice has a strange tone. I’m guessing whatever Claire’s up to has already affected Mona. If Claire used her knowledge of the Melrose Star thing to screw with Mona, I’m going to be very pissed.
“What’s up? You sound upset.”
“Listen, we have a problem…”
When the pause reaches a too-dramatic length, I ask, “And what is this problem?”
“I’m pregnant.”
My brain spins immediately and I can’t help but think about how utterly fucked I might be. Then I remember a crucial detail about our tryst.
“I was wearing a condom,” I say. The subtext, which I am prepared to spell out if need be, being that I can’t possibly be the father.
There’s more silence on the line, then I hear snickering.
“Gotcha!”
She’s laughing now, but I don’t see the humor.
“What the fuck?” I try to remain calm.
“Oh, come on. It was funny and you know it.”
My breathing slowly resumes, but she’s trying my patience. “What do you need?”
“Lighten up, Mason, it was just a joke,” she says. “Don’t get pissy.” When I don’t say anything, she continues, “I need to talk to Sidney Blomfield. Do you know him?”
She wants to talk to the head of Warner Brothers? Good luck with that.
“Yeah, I know Sidney.”
“Can you send him word that I have a project I’d like to discuss with him? And that you know me?”
“Mona, here’s what I’ll do instead. I’ll put you in touch with Michael Turner at Warner. He’s a little further down the food chain, but he’s got Sidney’s ear. That’s your best bet.”
“Not good enough. I want to talk to Blomfield himself.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Well you can’t. It’s pointless for me to try to put you in touch with him, trust me.”
“I did trust you,” Mona says. “I let you fuck me, in a men’s room no less, because in return you promised to occasionally help me with things like this. Surely that hasn’t slipped your mind?”
“I haven’t forgotten. It was a memorable ten minutes,” I reply. “But here’s the thing: What I actually promised was that I would help your career as best I could. And my best advice regarding you ever getting a meeting with Sidney Blomfield is that you meet Michael Turner first. He’s an executive VP at Warner, and if Michaels’s impressed by whatever it is you’re pushing, Sidney will find out about it. But if I send you directly to Sidney, he won’t talk to you and he’ll be pissed at me for wasting his time. I know these things.”
She mulls it over, then says, “Okay, Michael Turner then.”
I give Mona Michael’s number. “I’ll give him a call so he’ll be expecting to hear from you. Don’t make me look bad.”
“I understand. Don’t worry.”
She probably gets that the first time she puts me in a bad light will be the last time I help her, restroom fuck notwithstanding.
Now it’s time to pry a little. “Hey, I have a question for you: Has Claire Jarrett said anything to you about Texas Flood since the meeting?”
“No,” she says. “Not a peep. I never dropped Cheyenne’s demand, though. It still stands.”
“Obviously, but don’t get her hopes up. Anyway, I was just curious if Claire had contacted you.”
“Nope. And
My thoughts are interrupted by the intercom.
“Mona Simmons for you on line three.”
Only half a month after our little restroom fling and she’s already calling. I just hope she’s asking for a favor and not a repeat performance. Either way, I’m going to see what she knows about Claire and the Cheyenne situation.
“Mona, so nice to hear from you,” I say with facetious cheer.
“Mason, we need to talk.”
Hardly a desired conversation opener, and her voice has a strange tone. I’m guessing whatever Claire’s up to has already affected Mona. If Claire used her knowledge of the Melrose Star thing to screw with Mona, I’m going to be very pissed.
“What’s up? You sound upset.”
“Listen, we have a problem…”
When the pause reaches a too-dramatic length, I ask, “And what is this problem?”
“I’m pregnant.”
My brain spins immediately and I can’t help but think about how utterly fucked I might be. Then I remember a crucial detail about our tryst.
“I was wearing a condom,” I say. The subtext, which I am prepared to spell out if need be, being that I can’t possibly be the father.
There’s more silence on the line, then I hear snickering.
“Gotcha!”
She’s laughing now, but I don’t see the humor.
“What the fuck?” I try to remain calm.
“Oh, come on. It was funny and you know it.”
My breathing slowly resumes, but she’s trying my patience. “What do you need?”
“Lighten up, Mason, it was just a joke,” she says. “Don’t get pissy.” When I don’t say anything, she continues, “I need to talk to Sidney Blomfield. Do you know him?”
She wants to talk to the head of Warner Brothers? Good luck with that.
“Yeah, I know Sidney.”
“Can you send him word that I have a project I’d like to discuss with him? And that you know me?”
“Mona, here’s what I’ll do instead. I’ll put you in touch with Michael Turner at Warner. He’s a little further down the food chain, but he’s got Sidney’s ear. That’s your best bet.”
“Not good enough. I want to talk to Blomfield himself.”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “Well you can’t. It’s pointless for me to try to put you in touch with him, trust me.”
“I did trust you,” Mona says. “I let you fuck me, in a men’s room no less, because in return you promised to occasionally help me with things like this. Surely that hasn’t slipped your mind?”
“I haven’t forgotten. It was a memorable ten minutes,” I reply. “But here’s the thing: What I actually promised was that I would help your career as best I could. And my best advice regarding you ever getting a meeting with Sidney Blomfield is that you meet Michael Turner first. He’s an executive VP at Warner, and if Michaels’s impressed by whatever it is you’re pushing, Sidney will find out about it. But if I send you directly to Sidney, he won’t talk to you and he’ll be pissed at me for wasting his time. I know these things.”
She mulls it over, then says, “Okay, Michael Turner then.”
I give Mona Michael’s number. “I’ll give him a call so he’ll be expecting to hear from you. Don’t make me look bad.”
“I understand. Don’t worry.”
She probably gets that the first time she puts me in a bad light will be the last time I help her, restroom fuck notwithstanding.
Now it’s time to pry a little. “Hey, I have a question for you: Has Claire Jarrett said anything to you about Texas Flood since the meeting?”
“No,” she says. “Not a peep. I never dropped Cheyenne’s demand, though. It still stands.”
“Obviously, but don’t get her hopes up. Anyway, I was just curious if Claire had contacted you.”
“Nope. And
Similar Books
