Secrets (3 page)

What have you been up to these days? He smiled slowly at Sabina over their drinks. Sabina remembered the tragedy in his life. But it had been a long time ago, and he didn't wear it on his sleeve. He never talked about his wife, or his children, except to very, very close friends. Everyone had been devastated by their deaths. There had been a memorial service at the Stephen Weise Temple on Mulholland that had been attended by literally thousands. There had been no funeral, there had been no bodies for the airline to return. There had been nothing. Only air. And heartbreak. And broken memories. And regrets. I hear you did a very nice film last year. He had heard more than that. That it had done dismally at the box office, despite decent reviews. But he knew what Sabina was capable of. He had seen her in enough films. He knew exactly who and what she was. And he wanted her. Far more than she knew. She needn't even have bought the hat, but he enjoyed the effect as he sat watching her with a sparkle in his eye. It was work that brought him to life now, work that he loved, and for which he lived. He had lived with the tragedy of his loss for long enough, he had put it aside, he had made peace with it. It no longer ruled his life. But work did, and he liked it like that, and he was thinking of that now. Manhattan, the property was called, and Sabina was perfect for it.

Sabina laughed at the kindness of his remark. Only Mel would have put it that way. He was always a gentleman. He could afford to be. He was at the top. The pinnacle. He owned the world in which he moved, and the network kissed his feet for the sure successes he produced. He made a fortune for everyone, himself, the networks, the sponsors, the actors involved most of the time. And he was generous in the way he dealt with all of them. He didn't need to screw anyone. It made him desirable in every way, and Sabina wasn't only thinking of his career as she looked at him over her glass with a smile that showed the generosity of her lips.

The film was a bomb. A nice bomb, but a bomb nevertheless.

You got good reviews. He was biding his time.

That's about it. Good reviews don't pay the rent. Or her other expenses.

Sometimes they do.

Tell that to the boys who make the films. They want big box office, no matter what it takes. And screw the reviews. They both knew it was true, to an extent.

That's the nice thing about TV. There was no change of expression in his face although he knew the minefield he trod as one of Sabina's eyebrows shot up. The ratings mean a lot more than the reviews do in movies. In fact, they meant everything.

She looked annoyed. The ratings don't reflect anything real and you know it as well as I do, Mel. They reflect a lot of little black boxes attached to sets in the homes of mindless boobs. And all of you drool or tremble for fear of what the ratings will do. Give me a theatrical film any day.

Still feel the same way about TV? He looked mild and relaxed as he ordered another Perrier.

It's a world of crap. Beneath the hat, her eyes blazed. She had always hated TV. And she had told him as much every time they met.

He smiled. But profitable crap.

Maybe. But I thank God I've never prostituted myself for that. She looked pleased with herself, and he felt mildly dismayed. But she hadn't read the script of Manhattan yet. He knew if he could get her to, it would change everything.

There are worse things, Sabina. And you know as well as I do that a lot of the movies being made aren't worth the film they're printed on. And they're no more satisfying than doing a cameo appearance on a sitcom.

Sabina looked outraged. That's ridiculous, Mel. You can't compare movies and TV.

I can, and probably better than anyone, since I'm involved in both. They're both satisfying and they're very different. But there's merit in both. There's nothing better than a really fine, long-running TV series. It gives the actors more satisfaction than Gable probably got doing Gone With the Wind. They both smiled at the comparison. Now there's a movie for you, Sabina. She laughed at the thought. She took herself seriously most of the time, but Mel made it easier to laugh at herself. He had a knack for loosening people up, making them comfortable, making them laugh ' making them important ' and successful. And he had thought seriously about Sabina before their lunch. She had been around Hollywood for years, twenty years at least, maybe even twenty-five. And having invested that many years in the business, she deserved more recognition than she was getting. And that was something Mel Wechsler, or at least Manhattan, could give her.

You ask any actor in the business, Sabina, who's done a long-run show on TV and ask them how they felt about it. You get a chance week after week to come across with some kind of substance, to hone your character, your performance. Hell, half the actors involved in those shows end up either writing or directing them they get so involved in the guts of the show.

They probably do it out of self-preservation. She eyed him from under the brim of her hat and he laughed.

I don't suppose anyone's ever accused you of being stubborn, have they?

Only my agent.

No ex-husbands? He had forgotten that about her, but as she shook her head, he remembered. She was a solitary soul, but so were a number of women of her ilk and era in the business. They were too involved in themselves and their work and their appearance to have much time to waste on a husband. And if they did, it was seldom for more than a season. It was something that had bothered him about her when they met, the fact that she'd never been married. He always seemed to have a preference for women who had had long-term involvements, and they usually seemed to have children. It filled a need in him that he was no longer able to fill himself. He didn't want another family, he couldn't have lived through another loss like the first one, but he loved being around other people's kids.

I've never found a man I was tempted to stay with. She was honest with him. Sabina made no bones about who she was, where she was going, or what she wanted. And the truth was that she was content with her life-style.

That doesn't speak too well for the men you've known. Their eyes met and held, and they ordered lunch when the waiter returned, as the conversation turned to easier subjects. He had no plans for a summer holiday. He had long since sold the ranch near Santa Barbara, and when he felt a need for a few days' rest, he rented a house in Malibu on the beach and he spent his time reading scripts and relaxing. But he had no time for that now. He had been in meetings with the network for weeks, and now he had some serious work to do. He was casting Manhattan, it was going to be the most important show of its kind, a series like no other before it. And what about you, Sabina, no trips in store?

She shook her head and looked vague as she toyed absently with her salad, and then looked up at him from beneath the hat again. For an instant, she looked vulnerable in a way he had never seen her look before. It was a look that made him want to shout, Freeze frame, to stop the action and keep her looking that way forever. But it was gone the moment she smiled and shrugged one of her exquisite shoulders. I have to go to San Francisco for a few days. Other than that, I'll be here all summer. He also knew she wasn't working, and hadn't for all intents and purposes since the film the year before. He wondered if she ever got desperate about the fact that she hadn't made it bigger than she had. Or maybe was content as was. That was difficult to believe about a woman like Sabina. And he was hoping that she felt at least a little urgency now about her career.

He waited until their coffee came, and then gently broached the subject. I was hoping you'd read a script for me.

Her eyes lit up slowly, with a warm glow. She had hoped it would be something like that. Either that or that he wanted to take her out again. She would have been open to that possibility as well. In fact, she would have liked it, and was't quite sure which she would have preferred, or if she could still have both, Mel, and a part in his next movie. And his movies were rare now, which made it even more flattering that he had thought of her. Either way, she would have been happy, although she needed the work, and wondered if he knew it. Hollywood was a small town, and what people didn't know, they suspected, or imagined or whispered. It was a town filled with gossip and rumors and badly kept secrets. I'd like that very much. I take it you're putting together a new movie.

Not exactly. There was no point in lying to her. He had the script in a briefcase under his seat, just waiting to hand it to her after lunch, if she agreed to read it. I'm putting together a new series.

Her green eyes snapped shut like twin doors to the Emerald City. That leaves me out then.

I was hoping you'd at least read it, Sabina. There's no harm in that. His voice was powerful yet gentle, and there was something very seductive about him. She could feel the pull of the man, just sitting next to him at the table, over their espresso.

You're a very persuasive man, but I'd be wasting your time and mine. She attempted to sound polite, but it was obvious that she wasn't interested in his series.

I can spare the time. He wanted to say, And so can you, but he didn't. How long does it take to read a script? And if it's as good as I believe it is, I don't think you'll regret it.

She smiled and shook her head with a look of amusement. For you, Mel, I'd do almost anything, but I won't do that. I know what you wan't. You want me to fall in love with it, but I won't.

And if you did?

I still wouldn't do it.

Why not?

Maybe it'll sound crazy to you, but principles, I guess. I just won't do TV.

You're not acting in your own best interest, Sabina. I wouldn't have asked you here if I didn't know this part is right for you. The character is so much like you that it could have been molded right on your body. I see you and I see Eloise Martin. The series will be called Manhattan, and this isn't just any series. It's glamorous, and important, and expensive. It's going to affect the American television industry like no other show before it, and I know that you're right for the part. I could have called your agent instead of inviting you here today. I could have waved dollar signs and contracts at him, but I didn't want to do that. I want you to fall in love with this woman, to see what I do, how much of you she is ' and then we can talk about the rest. I understand your integrity, believe me, I do ' but I see something more. I see the long range, and what this could do for you. For your career. A year from now, you could be the biggest name in this country. It's hard to conceive of it now, but I know that the show has that kind of impact. I haven't been wrong too often in recent years, touch wood he knocked on the table and smiled at her and I know I'm not this time. I really wish you'd read it. This could put you at the top of your career, and Sabina, you deserve it. He looked as though he meant every word he said, but Sabina still didn't look convinced when he stopped speaking.

And if it's a flop?

It won't be, but if it is, it's no worse than your last movie. So what? You're a survivor, you go on. We all do. But it's not going to be a flop, Sabina. It's going to be a success that will kick the breath out of everyone in this country. It's dramatic and it's tough and it's brilliant. It's not mealymouthed or funny, there's nothing halfway about it. And once a week, sixty million people could be watching you, Sabina. Watching you and eating it up. Your life will never be the same again. Ever. I'm absolutely certain of it as I sit here. He sounded so convincing, so sure, that for a minute she was tempted to read it, just for the hell of it, just to see what he was cooking up that was supposedly so different. Hell, she had nothing else to do except lie on her terrace and go down to the pool and wait for the phone to ring. What harm was there in reading it after all? And as she thought about it, she suddenly smiled, and laughed out loud as she looked at Mel Wechsler.

No wonder you're so damn successful, Mel, you're one hell of a salesman.

I don't even have to be on this, Sabina. You'll see what I mean when you read it. Manhattan is you, from start to finish.

Are you working on a pilot?

This time he laughed. You don't flatter me very much, my dear. Even the network isn't that cruel. No, I'm not working on a pilot. He was such a sure thing that no one expected Mel Wechsler to do a pilot. We'll begin with a three-hour special on opening night, and go on to a sixty-minute show once a week after that. We want to open with big bang and that'll be it.

I might read it. But I don't want to mislead you, Mel. Nothing has changed about the way I feel about TV.

All right. He reached under his seat and the script for the three-hour special appeared. That's fair enough. I would just be grateful to you if you would read it. Grateful. It was a brilliant choice of words, and so like Mel. Grateful. He was grateful, and she was damn lucky. And they both knew it. I'll be very interested to know what you think about it. God knows we've both read enough scripts to have a nose for them by now. He was including her in his expertise and it was no accident. She was suddenly very aware of how skillful he was. In truth, the man was a genius, with people, and in his field. And she had enjoyed her lunch with him. Enough so to hope he'd call her again. At least if she read the script, she'd have an excuse to see him. I also shouldn't tempt you, and you probably don't give a damn, but we're having the costumes done by Fran+oois Brac. In Paris. Whoever plays Eloise Martin will spend a month in Paris for fittings at his couture house there, and then she gets to keep the wardrobe. In spite of herself, Sabina could feel a glint in her eyes. It was a hell of an appealing offer, not to mention the money he would probably pay. It would solve her problems for a long time to come. Maybe even forever.