A briny waitress plopped a disturbingly pink mug in front of me, a wilted purple flower starting to capsize in its frothy depths. “Bombs Away,” she said with a smoker’s rasp. I crinkled my nose and looked up at Lou skeptically, but she was crackling with delight, waiting to see if I’d actually drink it. I sniffed it—grapefruit and something that made my tongue curl. I took a sip: mezcal. Smoky and bitter and juicy.

“Not bad,” I said to Lou.

“See? I know you better than you think.” Lou reached out with one finger and gently tapped the corner of my mouth with her nail. A bead of sweat rolled along the inside of my knee, tickling. “Is that a new lipstick? No need to dress up for little ol’ me.” Lou cracked that lopsided grin, and her hand went back to her drink. A little red smudge lingered on it, then on the glass.

I resisted the urge to swipe at my lips. “I might be paying Jackal a visit later.” And it was true, I might do that. There were many things I might do later that evening.

“I don’t know if that means he’s a lucky man or a very unlucky one.”

“Somebody’s gotta keep him in line.”

Lou chuckled a little. “Always a thing for the bad boys,” she teased.

“What use do either of us have for boys?”

Lou smiled at me, her face glowing. “So? How did it go with Klein? Tell me, tell me.”

Jackal didn’t show, that’s how it went. “He’s rough with her,” I said. Trying to think up the best way to break the bad news.

Lou lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. But her eyes were still twinkling, so I knew it was a challenge, not a letdown. “Bor-ing. Besides, that can be fun.”

I took another sip of my drink—going down easier all the time. “Not when you’re the man who’s made a living as the kindly cardiganed grandfather of Hollywood.”

It was a thing Lou had taught me to do well: walk through the pitch ahead of time. So you’ve got pictures of me naked with some broad. What do I care? Let ’em see. You always had to have an answer. Besides recruiting and training the girls, it was the most important part of my job: crafting the pitch for maximum payout. And for Klein, I had the pitch down pat. Just no pictures. Yet.