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Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. BOOKS BY STUART WOODS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  64. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  65. What’s next onyour reading list?

Butch hung up. Curly thought he was getting a little too big for his britches; tonight he would have to trim the boy’s wick a little, teach him who was still boss.

—

THE ACTRESS’S NAME was Brooke Taylor, and Butch treated her to lunch at the new Ralph Lauren restaurant in the Fifty-fifth Street store. His bosses wouldn’t complain about his spending time with a celebrity, who might become a major customer.

“What a beautiful room,” she said, looking around.

“Would you like a glass of wine with lunch?”

“No, I have to watch my weight. I’ve no time to lose pounds before we begin production.”

He ordered mineral water for them both.

“Last night was a lovely evening,” he said, “particularly the very last part of it.”

“I thought so, too.”

“Once you start shooting, what will your schedule be like?”

“When we’re shooting interiors I start at nine—it’s in my contract—and I don’t work after six, except for night exteriors. When we shoot morning exteriors, it’s likely that I’ll be speaking lines by seven AM. It’s a thing about the light.”

“I’m just figuring out how I can spend as much time as possible with you without exhausting you.”

“If I’m in bed by ten—and asleep by midnight—I’ll be fresh as a daisy when the car comes for me.”

“Now that’s a schedule I can live with.”

“But not when we’re doing morning exteriors. I have to be asleep early on those days.”

“I can live with that.”

“Good, because you’ll have to. This is going to be a career-making series for me, and I’m not going to screw it up just to get laid.”

“And I wouldn’t allow you to, on my account. I want to see you happy at all times.”

“And if the series goes the way I think it will, then I will be happy. The writing is outstanding, and the production values will be deluxe. My set apartment is almost as nice as the one I live in.”

“Which is very nice indeed. I compliment you on your taste and style.”

They ordered lunch and both made do with a salad.

“Where did you get your schooling?” she asked at one point.

“Groton and Yale,” he replied truthfully, not mentioning his graduate course in being a convict. Then he reconsidered. “There’s something you should know about me, and you’d better know it now.”

“That sounds ominous.”