Chapter 22

Ours was a working honeymoon. Laura, Cathy's mother, became their personal assistant. Tory's mother went back home to reorder her home life, promising to be back soon. Both sisters stayed for a little while. We took them sightseeing, gave them a shot of fame as extras in a club scene. Amy shared her sister's red locks, while Sarah had the dark hair of her mother. They were both attractive girls in their own right, but they didn't hold a candle to Tory.

Dorian was handling the day to day operations, I was only called in when a financial decision was needed or a crisis arose.

The woman we had hired to play the lead character was starting to be a problem. Hispanic, she had the strikingly dark hair and sultry beauty her race was famous for, as well as the temperament. This was her first really big role, and she started developing an attitude pretty early on. I was called in.

We were in a small conference room again, in fact the same one that led me to where I am now, personally. I hope the good memories were enough to influence the meeting. Dorian, Leah, and our director were present, as well as Maria, her agent, and publicist. I never gave them a chance, speaking first.

"Maria, when you took this role, I'm pretty sure the director explained our expectations. Let's go over them again. You were hired to do a specific job, in a specific way, as laid out by the director and to a lesser extent the screenwriter. You agreed to those terms as part of your employment contract. Now you want to renegotiate those terms. Let me clear this up. There will be no changes. Do you want a reputation as a difficult bitch to work with, or that of a professional willing to do whatever is necessary for the success of the project? Think about that for a day and give me an answer. If you really can't work with us, we'll gladly let you go and wish you well. If you decide you want to enhance your reputation as a competent actress, then this whole meeting was pretty much pointless, wasn't it?"

Her mouth hung open and her agent flamed red. "Not acceptable. She deserves a..."

"First class ticket home. Our business manager will handle the details. Have a nice life, Miss Garza. Luck to you in future roles."

I left them stunned, walking out the door. My phone started ringing immediately. I checked, and it was her agent. I let it go to voice mail. Leah called me next.

"You sure you want to do this? You said yourself she was perfect for the lead role."

"She was, until this shit came up. I have to wonder, how much was her and how much her agent was involved? Doesn't matter, she's done. Have Jerry see who's out there, we need to recast as soon as possible."

Leah surprised me. "Will, I've never asked you for a professional favor in the whole time we've worked together. Please, I'm asking for one now. I don't think this was Maria's idea, and it's plain to see that's she devastated. I really think she'd do an excellent job, and I know you think so to or you'd have never let us hire her. If I send her to you, just her, no agent or entourage, will you talk to her? If you listen to her and still don't change your mind, you haven't lost anything. Please, Daddy?"

I grinned. Dorian had nicknamed me. "You're the father figure of our little family. And I've watched Leah around you. She hangs on your words sometimes, looking for approval. And just like a daughter, she knows how to mainpulate your love for her into getting what she wants."

Leah had jokingly started calling me Daddy after that, and it stuck. Most of the crew actually thinks she is my daughter, and most times we don't correct them. And just like a daughter, she'd sulk if I didn't give her what she wanted. My wives thought it was hilarious, but told her to never, under any circumstances, call them Mom.