[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.What was it he had written that day? An autographed picture to a special fan.He remembered the inscription because he had done it twice before he had gotten it right."Chiun.To the wisest, most wonderful, kindheart-ed, humble, sensitive gift of man.Undying respect.Rad Rex."Strange he should think of that now.CHAPTER 9Gerald O'Laughlin Flinn signaled the waiter for another round of Bloody Marys."Not me, dearest," said Wanda Reidel."One's my limit when I'm working."Flinn flashed her a smile so bright it looked as if his teeth had been painted with refrigerator enamel."Oh," he said casually, "you're working today? And I thought this was just a social call."Wanda Eeidel smiled back, a smile as warm as a codfish's skin,"And you're as full of shit as a Christmas goose," she said, still smiling and using the tine of her appetizer fork to pluck a piece of Alaskan king crab from between two right front teeth."When an agent like me and the number one negotiations honcho for a big network like you get together, it's always business."The waiter with the name tag "Ernesto" returned with the two drinks.Flinn took them from the tray and put them both in front of his own plate."Would you like anything, dear?" he asked Wanda.She looked up at the waiter, a young, well-groomed vaguely foreign man with dark wavy hair and skin with a faint olive tinge."There are a lot of things I'd like," she said, her eyes fixed on the young waiter's, "but they'll have to wait." The waiter smiled and nodded.He turned away."Just a minute," she said.He turned back."I'll have a dish of ice cream.What kind of ice cream do you have ?""What kind would Mademoiselle desire?" the young man asked in flavored English."Mademoiselle, God, Mademoiselle would like rum raisin." She turned to Flinn."Do you know I haven't had rum raisin ice cream in twenty years? Do you know I'd do anything for a dish of rum raisin ?" Back to the waiter."Anything.I don't suppose you have rum raisin.""We will locate some for Mademoiselle," the young waiter said and moved smoothly away into the kitchen where he said to the maitre'd in a voice that was all Bronx: "You sure that bitch is worth all this trouble?""That bitch can buy and sell you and seven generations of your family, Ernie," said the maitre'd."Then I gotta go over to Baskin-Robbins and find some rum raisin ice cream.She wants rum raisin ice cream, for Christ's sake.Nobody eats rum raisin ice cream.What's wrong with that tub of shit?""If she wants rum raisin, you find rum raisin," said the maitre'd.As Ernie went to the door, the maitre'd called, "If Baskin-Robbins doesn't have it, find the nearest Howard Johnsons.Hurry up.Take a cab if you have to.And while you're looking, I'll mix some up.""Mix it up?""I guess so," the maitre'd shrugged."What's in it? Vanilla, rum, and raisins, I guess.We'll try.But you try to get it first.""How much do you want?" asked the waiter."Better get a gallon.She ate three portions of king crab.That garbage pail'll probably eat the whole gallon."Back at the table, Gerald O'Laughlin Flinn finished half of the first Bloody Mary and said, "Well, if this is business, what is this business about?""Rad Rex.""Oh, yes," said Flinn, reminding himself to be cautious."Very pleasant, fellow, Rad.But he seems to have some inflated ideas of the economics of daytime television." He looked at Wanda, blandly wondering what the Octopussy wanted with him and why she was interested in Rad Rex.Christ, the fruitcake wasn't even a stud for her.Wanda smiled."I suppose he gets those ideas from reading his thousands of fan letters each week."Flinn shrugged."You know the type who writes fan letters to soap opera stars.Demographically, zeroes.Not worth spit.They don't have enough money to buy anything, and even if they did, they couldn't find their way to the grocery store.""Demographics is a lot of shit," said Wanda."Anyway," said Flinn, finishing off the rest of the first Bloody Mary neatly."We're very close to a contract with Maurice Williams for Rad's services.How does it all interest you?""First.You're a liar.You and Maurice Williams are a million miles apart on a contract.Second.More important.Maurice Williams is out." She looked up from the plate, a tiny driblet of crabmeat sticking from the side of her mouth like the tail of a small fish being swallowed by a barracuda."They're out.I'm in.I'm Rad's new agent."The polish peeled off Gerald O'Laughlin Flinn as if he had just been dipped in lemon juice."Oh, shit," he said.Wanda smiled."Now, now, love.It might not be as bad as all that."Flinn picked up the extra Bloody Mary.If he had drunk it, it would have been his third for lunch.But instead he fingered the glass, then placed it back down on the table, inches away from where it had been, but farther from him, symbolically out of reach.One did not swill down Bloody Marys when getting ready to negotiate with the Octopussy, or more blood might wind up being spilled.He shrugged."I didn't mean that against you," he said."It's just that it's difficult to be negotiating for months with one agency and then have to start all over again with another.Do you know the minor points we've worked out? Hundreds probably.That's hundreds of points you and I'll have to start all over again on."Wanda searched for another scrap of crabmeat.Finding none, she used the side of her fork to scoop some of the thick red horseradished cocktail sauce into her mouth.An errant spot of sauce dropped on her chin and remained there for a few seconds until Wanda could put down the fork and pick up the napkin.Flinn looked at the red droplet and said to himself, This women's going to kill me.This women's going to eat me alive.Wanda answered the unspoken thought."It just won't be that bad, Gerry.Not that bad.""That's what you say."She put her napkin down briskly.She pushed her plate away from her toward the center of the table.It clinked heavily against the base of the full Bloody Mary glass.She folded her hands on the table in front of her, like a seven-year-old sitting in church, waiting to make first Holy Communion."First," she said, "the hundreds of points you negotiated already.The hundreds.Thousands.I don't give a shit.They stand.All right by me."Flinn's eyes widened slightly."Right," she said."I don't care.They stand.Now.What's Rad making now in the series?""Sixteen hundred dollars a week," said Flinn."What's Maurice Williams been asking?" said Wanda."Three thousand a week.""What have you offered ?" asked Wanda.She kept her eyes riveted on Flinn's so he could not look away, could not turn his head to find a lie or half-truth floating around somewhere near the ceiling and snatch it up for use.No point in lying, Flinn thought; She could check it out anyway."We've offered twenty-two hundred a week.""We'll take it," said Wanda.She smiled at Flinn's open look of shock."Now that wasn't so difficult, was it?" She looked around."Where is that cute little swordsman with my ice cream?"Flinn did not care about her ice cream.Right then he did not care about anything except the prospect of rapidly getting Rad Rex's name on a contract.His right hand reached out and fondled the Bloody Mary."Just like that? You'll take twenty-two hundred a week?""Just like that.We'll take twenty-two hundred a week."Almost of its own volition, Flinn's right hand brought the full Bloody Mary up close to his mouth and he took a long swallow [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]