[Chapter 61: The Wolf and the Lamb]
Sherman Oaks, Hillside Mansion.
Caroline Jones finished her call in the hallway and pushed the door open to the study, addressing Sarah Jessica Parker and Broderick: "We were just talking about him when he called me."
Broderick's eyes widened in surprise. "You know him?"
Sarah Jessica Parker chimed in, "The last time I got caught by the paparazzi with Downey, Caroline had worked with him."
"Not just that," Caroline replied smoothly. "He had some public image dealings with Dwayne Johnson." She wouldn't go into details: "I also handled PR for Johnson and met him a few times."
Broderick pondered for a moment. "Perfect, you should talk to him. Get all the footage back, get him to sign a non-disclosure agreement -- make it clear he needs to keep his hands and mouth to himself, or else the consequences will be serious."
Sarah understood what it took to smooth things over: "Money isn't an issue."
Broderick nodded slightly. He needed to put a stop to this news; he owed quite a few favors. But being Jewish, he also figured it was best to spend as little as possible: "Give him as little as we can -- better yet, nothing."
...
Caroline recognized the client's needs and drove straight to West Hollywood. Along the way, she made a call, receiving the specific address and room number.
The car stopped in front of a swimming facility.
From a nearby vehicle, Edward spotted Caroline getting out alone. He scanned the area and dialed Hawke's number: "Boss, it's just Ms. Jones who showed up alone."
On the other end, Hawke instructed, "Keep an eye out. If anything seems off, call me immediately."
Edward replied, "Got it."
Caroline entered the swimming facility, changed into her swimsuit in the VIP lounge, found the designated room, and punched in the room code to enter.
The private suite was made up of a changing area, a lounge, and a small pool.
In the pool, a muscular figure swam toward her.
Caroline shot her trademark sharp tongue, "Did you learn to swim out in Wyoming? That's quite a horrible technique, looking like a hairless wolf."
Hawke reached the edge of the pool and retorted, "A little lamb like you would be tossed out to feed the coyotes in Wyoming."
Caroline stood tall, chest out: "I'm thin, and I'm proud."
Her swimsuit was barely more than what you'd get in a pair of socks.
Hawke glanced over, estimating her figure might be a B+, and suggested, "Get in the water."
Caroline tied up her long hair, descending the steps into the pool: "Why talk here?"
Hawke swam over: "Do you trust me?"
Without a hint of hesitation, Caroline replied, "Not a chance. Do I trust a rival in our business? That's a century joke."
Hawke responded, "Same here; I don't trust you either."
He moved closer to Caroline, touching her hair lightly.
Caroline didn't hold back, pinching Hawke's arm in return.
But with his short hair, Hawke had no secrets to hide.
He continued, "To show good faith, let's take a swim first."
Caroline shrugged and dived beneath the surface.
Hawke followed her lead.
They swam for a while and returned together to the shallow end, sitting at the steps.
Caroline said, "You really know how to create trouble, why are you always targeting my clients?"
"A tip-off came my way," Hawke said with apparent sincerity. "An actor from the Sex and the City crew called me, giving me a location. I can't tell you the specifics, but he was furious -- complaining about being left out of their shenanigans, clearly feeling quite unbalanced."
He pointed at Caroline's designer swimsuit: "See? Yours is Chanel, while I'm stuck with the generic stuff. You're loaded, while I'm broke. If you were in my shoes, would you let such a scoop slip away?"
Caroline cut through the chatter: "You must know that the news can't get out; forget Channel Eleven, no network would touch it."
Hawke remembered the fatty Harvey from his previous life, realizing her words rang true.
"Channel Eleven has already contacted me." Caroline clearly had done her homework: "You took their money, and now you're planning to sell the video elsewhere. That's a breach of contract. Hand over the footage and sign a non-disclosure agreement, and we'll call it even."
She showed no signs of her usual frivolity: "Everybody likes money, but the future matters more. They have considerable power in this field; if you cross them, you won't last in this industry."
It was impossible to just take things without a fight. Hawke loved playing the game of deception but hated being played himself.
He replied calmly, "I signed a broadcast agreement with Channel Eleven. 'Midnight Entertainment' has already breached it, and I could re-licence it."
Caroline scoffed, "You're more shortsighted than I thought. Do you understand the difference between a one-time feast and a daily meal?"
Hawke went on, "The media can't get it out; what about online? If that fails, I can sell to Valley Media. I remember GE being their main stakeholder. Broderick has clout in Hollywood; can he sway GE?"
Caroline, coming from a traditional PR perspective, hadn't considered that angle.
Hawke asked her, "How much do you think Valley would pay for the rights?"
Caroline stared at him, brain firing on all cylinders: "You won't sell to Valley because you've agreed to meet me."
Hawke borrowed Edward's words: "I'm a broke guy, and I'm crazy broke; a broke guy isn't afraid of any other ghosts."
He added, "All that pull and talk about threats, you can skip it. I'll give you the video, and I'll sign the NDA."
Caroline didn't believe it would be so easy.
Hawke prepared in advance to mitigate risks and set up for the future: "Ms. Parker contributed $500,000 to enter into a collaboration with West Coast Media Entertainment Studio. They'll prepare a plan to help her further define her career development."
Caroline splashed water at Hawke, saying, "You're so cautious."
Hawke replied, "You guys selling me out isn't that unusual, right?"
Caroline's primary goal was to put this matter to rest, and seeing the need for dollars, she proposed, "$500,000 is too much; that money could hire a bunch of homeless folks to storm your studio. I can convince the client for $250,000."
Hawke lightly splashed the surface, pondering the next steps: "For a $250,000 career development plan, I'll have to think this through."
But Caroline kept staring at him.
Hawke initially didn't notice but soon caught on: "What are you doing?"
Caroline splashed water onto Hawke's face: "Don't you know the rules?"
Hawke stretched out his legs, reclining slightly, and said, "I understand; you can bring it on, I won't fight back."
Working in PR, Caroline had a thick skin: "Sheep can't breed with wolves; the models don't match." She saw the idiot acting clueless and stated plainly, "I brought you a deal, shouldn't you give me a cut?"
Hawke countered, "You clearly left yourself a profit margin."
Caroline didn't engage further; she stood up, exited the pool, and swayed her curvy backside toward the towel rack: "I want to see the video."
Hawke followed her up, catching the towel she tossed and casually wiped himself off before heading to the lounge, opening his laptop to bring up the three video deals.
Caroline observed in silence.
The standard media exposure methods didn't seem to work effectively here, and Hawke thought about pivoting: "Sarah takes good care of herself; she doesn't look like someone in her mid-thirties, her skin isn't any worse than yours."
Women hardly admit defeat in this regard; Caroline touched her smooth, fresh face, saying, "Because Beverly Hills has top-notch cosmetic techniques."
Hawke asked, "Did she use Botox?"
Caroline didn't answer directly, instead said, "I will facilitate this deal, but Sarah won't show up herself; she will entrust me to sign on her behalf."
Hawke received the answer he sought, no longer pushing: "I won't attend either; I will have Edward represent the studio to work with lawyers to draft the agreement."
With both sides agreeing, Caroline took her leave.
After contacting Edward, Hawke departed the swim facility.
...
Just half a day later, Caroline contacted Hawke again; Sarah and Broderick had agreed on the terms.
Sarah commissioned Caroline and the lawyers to sign with West Coast Media Entertainment Studio, paying $250,000 for the latter to create a career development plan.
Meanwhile, both parties also signed relevant non-disclosure agreements.
Hawke began drafting a plan, knowing that only after preparing it could the other side expect to see it.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.