sentences flawlessly and really makes it sound alluring. Hershel will definitely be getting his money’s worth out of this soundtrack. Now I can see how Olive made such a nice living doing that conversational business… she’s really good at it.
After she’s all done, I tell Ren that it’s a wrap, and he closes up the stage, handing me the recorder to return to our dock neighbor. I take the digital cassette and put it in a messenger bag to be sent to the commercial production company tomorrow.
Olive sees me putting the tape into the bag.
“ You don’t have to spend any money sending the tape over to the production company, Mister Sharp. I’m planning on going over there tomorrow morning and I can deliver it for you.”
“ You’re not going there tomorrow, Olive. You’re never going over there.”
She’s flabbergasted.
“ What do you mean I’m not going over there? I’m in the commercial. I have to be there. We have a rehearsal to do… don’t we?”
“ Olive, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you asked me to help you out with the harassing calls you were getting from Hal, and the fact that he threatened to blackmail you. Remember that?
“ Well, I’ve put an entire plan into operation, and I think it’s the only way we can ever get Hal out of your life. If you go to that production company, you’ll be on his hook forever, and I can’t imagine what he might ask for next time.
“ Listen Olive, I want you to trust me on this one. Everything will become clear to you in the next month or so, and if it makes you feel any better, you’ve just earned your fee in full. Once I turn this tape over to the production company, you’ll have seventy-five hundred dollars coming to you, and you don’t have to do anything else to get it.”
“ How are they going to make the commercial without me? Hal wants me to call him tomorrow when I get to the production company, just to make sure everything is okay.”
“ Not to worry, kid. I’ve got that covered too.”
* * * * * *
Chapter 7
The production company is calling. They don’t know it yet, but the plan is proceeding perfectly.
“ Mister Sharp, this is Nick at Volcano Productions. I’m afraid there’s been some mix-up with the casting. A girl came in here and handed me your card, telling me to call you. She says she’s supposed to star in the commercial. Is that correct?”
“ That’s right, Nick. Just to put your mind at ease, here’s what I want you to do. Dial your sponsor’s number on a cell phone and then give the phone to your star. She’ll talk to him for a couple of minutes, and then she’ll give the phone back to you. At that time, Mister Belsky, your sponsor, will personally let you know that she’s approved for the job. That way, there’s no responsibility on your part: you’re just following orders.”
“ Okay Mister Sharp, but just between you and me, she wouldn’t be my first choice for the part.”
About a half hour later Nick calls me again.
“ I don’t believe it Mister Sharp. I did exactly what you told me to do. I called Mister Belsky’s private line, and he answered. I know it was him because I recognized his voice. Then I told him that his star had arrived and he asked to speak to her. I handed her the phone, and she walked off to a corner of the room and started to sweet-talk him on the phone. I worked on a couple of porno films when I was first getting started in this business, but I never heard a conversation like that before. When she handed the phone back to me, it sounded like Mister Belsky was out of breath, but he definitely confirmed the fact that she was the female he wanted to star in this commercial.”
“ That’s great, Nick. As they say in the business, break a leg.”
*****
It’s now almost a month later and the newscasts are buzzing about a new sports car that’s being introduced and how it will premier at Belsky’s Beverly Hills Auto Mart. The promotion calls for the
After she’s all done, I tell Ren that it’s a wrap, and he closes up the stage, handing me the recorder to return to our dock neighbor. I take the digital cassette and put it in a messenger bag to be sent to the commercial production company tomorrow.
Olive sees me putting the tape into the bag.
“ You don’t have to spend any money sending the tape over to the production company, Mister Sharp. I’m planning on going over there tomorrow morning and I can deliver it for you.”
“ You’re not going there tomorrow, Olive. You’re never going over there.”
She’s flabbergasted.
“ What do you mean I’m not going over there? I’m in the commercial. I have to be there. We have a rehearsal to do… don’t we?”
“ Olive, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but you asked me to help you out with the harassing calls you were getting from Hal, and the fact that he threatened to blackmail you. Remember that?
“ Well, I’ve put an entire plan into operation, and I think it’s the only way we can ever get Hal out of your life. If you go to that production company, you’ll be on his hook forever, and I can’t imagine what he might ask for next time.
“ Listen Olive, I want you to trust me on this one. Everything will become clear to you in the next month or so, and if it makes you feel any better, you’ve just earned your fee in full. Once I turn this tape over to the production company, you’ll have seventy-five hundred dollars coming to you, and you don’t have to do anything else to get it.”
“ How are they going to make the commercial without me? Hal wants me to call him tomorrow when I get to the production company, just to make sure everything is okay.”
“ Not to worry, kid. I’ve got that covered too.”
* * * * * *
Chapter 7
The production company is calling. They don’t know it yet, but the plan is proceeding perfectly.
“ Mister Sharp, this is Nick at Volcano Productions. I’m afraid there’s been some mix-up with the casting. A girl came in here and handed me your card, telling me to call you. She says she’s supposed to star in the commercial. Is that correct?”
“ That’s right, Nick. Just to put your mind at ease, here’s what I want you to do. Dial your sponsor’s number on a cell phone and then give the phone to your star. She’ll talk to him for a couple of minutes, and then she’ll give the phone back to you. At that time, Mister Belsky, your sponsor, will personally let you know that she’s approved for the job. That way, there’s no responsibility on your part: you’re just following orders.”
“ Okay Mister Sharp, but just between you and me, she wouldn’t be my first choice for the part.”
About a half hour later Nick calls me again.
“ I don’t believe it Mister Sharp. I did exactly what you told me to do. I called Mister Belsky’s private line, and he answered. I know it was him because I recognized his voice. Then I told him that his star had arrived and he asked to speak to her. I handed her the phone, and she walked off to a corner of the room and started to sweet-talk him on the phone. I worked on a couple of porno films when I was first getting started in this business, but I never heard a conversation like that before. When she handed the phone back to me, it sounded like Mister Belsky was out of breath, but he definitely confirmed the fact that she was the female he wanted to star in this commercial.”
“ That’s great, Nick. As they say in the business, break a leg.”
*****
It’s now almost a month later and the newscasts are buzzing about a new sports car that’s being introduced and how it will premier at Belsky’s Beverly Hills Auto Mart. The promotion calls for the
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