Chapter Twelve

Brandin Jessup was royally pissed. Pacing around his luxurious suite at The Teale Centre, you would never know he was in drug rehab. The Teale Centre was the place to go if you were a Hollywood celeb in need of top medical treatment, a quick pick me up, a quiet place to relax, or a weekend getaway without the paparazzi. The best part of it was, you could spin the publicity any way you needed, as this place was all about service....at a price.

The object of Brandin's outburst was a soft-spoken, nondescript man in a light business suit. Thomas Dern was the antithesis of a Hollywood agent. He never hustled. He never swore, smoked, drank, or gambled. in fact, Thomas Dern was known throughout the trade as 'The Mormon'. A moniker that, while it was not actually true, fit the image that he projected.

"I told you this was a bad idea, Brandin. You should have honored the contract. Getting into a pissing contest with Matt Sharp was moronic."

"Hey asshole, you work for me. Who are you calling a moron?" Brandin screamed.

Thomas locked eyes with his young client and softly but clearly enunciated his reply. "If the shoe fits..."

Brandin tried to hold his agent's gaze, but crumbled and flopped back into a chair. "FUCK! Now, what do I do?"

"The way I see it, you have limited options. You signed a contract to star in a film. You violated said contract by going into drug rehab. I seriously doubt that it would help to announce that you were only pretending as a ploy to stall the picture and squeeze a better contract out of the Sharps."

"Hey, why not? It's not like they've signed another actor to play the part. Why can't we announce that I'm all better?"

Thomas Dern's sigh was that of a patient tutor who has suddenly realized that his pupil will never be able to figure out simple arithmetic. "Let me see if I have this straight. You want to go public and say that you falsified a urine and blood screening in order to extort millions of dollars from Matt and Danielle Sharp."

His disgust was not feigned, "You do realize that jail is not nearly as nice as this place, right?"

Brandin looked crestfallen. There had to be a way to get out of this mess. He was Brandin Jessup. He made millions of dollars and was always in the news.

Sure, he had a reputation as a bad boy, but that was all part of his image. He had already been arrested twice on drug-related charges. The first one had been when the police had responded to reports of a naked woman screaming for help from the balcony of his condo. They had found the girl in tears and stoned out of her mind. They had found Brandin nestled between two other naked young ladies. They had also found a wide variety of pharmaceutical and recreational drugs in plain sight.

That episode had earned him a one-year probation with mandatory drug counseling.

Six months later he sideswiped a California Highway Patrol car as the officer was clearing an accident scene. His Lamborghini continued down the road almost 100 yards before coming to rest against a guardrail. By the time the officer reached the car, he was passed out. While Brandin only had vague memories of the evening, his candidly unflattering arrest photos (taken by a photographer with a police scanner that just happened to be nearby) went viral. The judge immediately revoked his probation, and a lot of money had to change hands in order to keep him out of jail. He ended up with a two-year probation, a hefty fine, damages, and 100 hours of community service.

Characteristically (for Hollywood), it only added to his popularity and he was very much in-demand. His agent had found out that Matt and Danielle Sharp had purchased the rights to Soft Kill, a screenplay by one of the industry's hottest screenwriters. The lead role was a challenging character that would put Brandin on the map as a serious actor, rather than just a leading man. It was the kind of role that could transition him from heartthrob to serious adult star. While Brandin was concerned about what the part might do to his image, he was smart enough to realize that Thomas Dern was right. At thirty-one, he had to cross over into serious dramatic roles, or his career might derail.

"OK Thomas, I get it. I was a moron. So how do we fix it?"

The agent maintained his composition while smiling inwardly. Brandin Jessup was a better than average actor who had been skating through life. While he was no better than hundreds of Hollywood hopefuls, he had one huge advantage. He was already a star, which added to the marketability of any project he was attached to. This would gain him the opportunity to hone his craft and develop into a major star well into the future....provided he didn't keep ruining it by being stupid.

"I think we have no choice but to sue."

"How? I thought you said we were in breach of contract?"

"Oh, we are in breach, and they have the power to drop us from the project."

"Then how do we sue?"

Thomas Dern had made a lot of money in this town. He knew the risks that he would be taking with the Sharps. He also knew that they were deeply invested in this project, and needed to get it up and shooting in a hurry. Even though they were riding a wave of success, a single disaster could wipe them out. This city could break you in a heartbeat.

The trick would be to convince them that it would be less costly to bend than it would for him to try fighting the long battle that Thomas Dern could put them through. He also knew that his client would have to make major concessions just to get back in. It was going to cost them both on this picture, but Thomas Dern was in for the long haul. he could take a short-term loss to reap a larger harvest down the road. He was banking on the belief that the Sharps could not afford to take the same risk.

"Here is what we are going to do...."