Page 2 of Second Act
“They took the dress out of the Chanel exhibit for me. Elizabeth Taylor owned the necklace. Richard Burton gave it to her,” she said proudly. The trappings of stardom were all-important to her.
“He would have given you a bigger one,” Andy said, smiling as he approached to kiss her. He always enjoyed her company. He wasn’tmadly in love with her, but they were comfortable with each other, which was all he wanted. She was a bright, interesting woman and a good actress, and he didn’t have any illusions about the fact that if he wasn’t who he was, she wouldn’t have been dating him. But the arrangement worked for both of them, and they were a familiar pair in Hollywood. She loved being in the press with Andy, and he didn’t mind. He was used to it, and it was important to Alana. He had never found the kind of relationship his parents had, even with Jean when he was married to her. His parents’ relationship really was a love match, but he guessed that his father had been a more attentive husband and had had more time to spend with his wife.
Andy remembered distinctly how his mother’s face had lit up when his father walked into the room, and the slow smile on his father’s handsome face when he put his arms around his beautiful wife. It had embarrassed Andy as a child, but now he remembered it fondly. He and Jean had always been more matter-of-fact with each other, and playful when they were younger. They had married soon after college. But Jean didn’t have a romantic nature, and Andy was shy when he was young.
They became more like friends than lovers as time went on, particularly when he got busy with a big job. Their friendship had carried them through the years, but not all the way to the end. She had admitted to him when they divorced that she had been lonely married to him. Andy thought Jean’s new husband was intelligent but dull, although he was supposedly a talented surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and people came from all over the world to be operated on by him. But Jean said they did everything together when hewasn’t working, which was something she and Andy had never done, and she had had no interest in the glamorous side of Andy’s life.
Jean had hated going to the Academy Awards and having attention focused on her and Andy. She always felt like she’d worn the wrong dress and felt like a drudge compared to the movie stars. They were impossible for a normal human to compete with. Andy was always very polite and told her she looked lovely, but there was no excitement in his eyes when he said it to her, or in hers. They had fallen out of love with each other and hadn’t noticed, while he was running the studio and she was driving Wendy to soccer games and ballet classes. Over the years she had become a soccer mom, and he was surrounded daily by gorgeous movie stars. He had never cheated on her while they were married, but in the last few years of their marriage they hardly ever made love anymore. They had outgrown each other.
The women he dated after the divorce were almost always movie stars. They were readily at hand, and eager to be seen with him. It was easy for him. Alana was a prime example of that. Such women fed his ego, but never touched his heart. He didn’t expect to fall in love again, and he hadn’t. But it was important to him to be with a woman he could talk to. He had no interest in ingénues and starlets. They looked like paper dolls to him. Alana was intelligent, even if she was ambitious, and constantly aware of what was good for her career. But he was never bored or embarrassed to be with her. She was ladylike, and he enjoyed being with her, whatever her motives. She wasn’t interested in marriage either. Just in furthering her career.
When Andy and Alana got to the red carpet, the press rushed toward them, and Alana looked dazzling in the white gown, with the diamonds sparkling on her neck and ears. She posed for the cameras and she and Andy stopped several times, and once inside, the television cameras focused on them constantly. Andy took it in stride. He had lived with it all his life. It was all familiar territory to him.
Both of Global’s films won, one for best picture, the other for best actress, and Andy was pleased. He had expected them to win, but it was always gratifying and never got old. He was proud of the studio, and to be the head after all these years.
He and Alana went on to the two most important after-parties when the ceremony was over, and the press crowded them again on the way out. Alana was ready for them, her hand tucked in Andy’s arm as they made their way through the crowd, and they talked to an endless stream of people at the parties. Andy was tired of it by the time they got to the second one, but he knew how much Alana enjoyed it, so they stayed, and he chatted with Phil Lieber, an important producer he knew, while Alana stopped for a minute to talk to a friend.
“What do you think of the rumors about AMCO?” Phil Lieber asked him, with a martini in his hand. Andy was tired of talking and drinking by then and looked unimpressed by the question. “I keep hearing they’re going to sell Global.” It was the kind of thing people said, but it never went far. There was no substance to it, just gossip.
“Nothing new there, Phil. Every time there’s a blip in the stock market, someone says they’re going to sell. AMCO loves being in the movie business. There have been rumors like that as long as I’ve been at Global.” Andy was visibly bored by the conversation. Lieberwas a scaremonger, and Alana caught the tail end of the conversation when she got back.
She brought it up to Andy on the way home in the car. Andy was dropping her off at her place. It was late. He had an early meeting the next morning, and she never stayed with him after the Awards. She would want to gossip on the phone with all her friends the next morning, and he would be in his office long before she woke up.
“What was that Phil Lieber was saying about AMCO selling Global? Someone else said it to me last week. It sounded crazy to me, but is it true?” She looked worried, and she frowned as much as her latest Botox shot would allow.
“I hear that stuff all the time. They’re not selling. I doubt they ever will. They have too much fun being in the movie business. And we make them a ton of money,” he said confidently.
“Good, I’m glad you’re not worried.”
“No, I’m not. Thank you for joining me tonight,” he said, as his Bentley came to a stop in front of her house.
“I loved it. I always do, thank you for taking me,” she said, and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Do you want to come in?”
“I’d love to, but I’m dead. And I’ve got a breakfast meeting tomorrow at the crack of dawn.” She wasn’t bothered by his refusing. She hadn’t expected him to spend the night, or even come in for a while. They were both tired, but she thought it best to ask. “I’ll see you on Saturday,” he said, and kissed her just before she got out, and then he walked her properly to her door and saw her in.
He was back in the car two minutes later, thinking about Global’s two films that had won. He was always pleased at their wins. They had at least one Oscar-winning film every year, or several, for bestactor or actress or director or best picture. The sweet smell of success was so familiar to him now. He didn’t take it for granted, but he was accustomed to it and considered it the norm.
The driver took him home, and when Andy crossed the patio, he noticed how beautiful the pool was, all lit up. It was a balmy night with a star-filled sky, and he sat down for a minute, just to enjoy it. He sat back in one of the lounge chairs and looked up and smiled. He remembered nights when he had gone camping with his father in Wyoming and Montana and how close the stars had seemed, and how full of falling stars the sky was. The memory of it still warmed his heart. As he looked around at his home, he realized again that he was a lucky man, and all was well in his world. He couldn’t imagine a better life than the one he had.
Chapter 2
Andy’s breakfast meeting the next day was with Tony Bogart, the CEO of AMCO, Global’s parent company. Tony had been in the job even longer than Andy had been in his, and had been the one to hire Andy nineteen years before. They knew each other well, and were cordial but had never been close friends. Tony was sixty-four now, approaching retirement, seven years older than Andy, and had been at AMCO for twenty-five years. He had clawed his way to the top. There had been many broken men and careers left in his wake. Anyone foolish enough to challenge Tony’s absolute power or put him at risk in any way was sure to come to a bad end. Andy had never put him in that position. It wasn’t in his nature, and he didn’t need to. Andy ran a fiefdom all his own, did it brilliantly with concrete results that AMCO could bank, and had always maneuvered carefully around Tony, knowing to pay homage to his ego and his rank. It didn’t take much to keep Tony happy, and to this day he tookfull credit for having handpicked Andy for the job. It had been a wise choice that had paid off for them all.
The two men couldn’t have been more different. Andy was quiet and discreet, much like his genuinely masculine father, with the best traits of his kind, while Tony was consumed with ambition and always somewhat paranoid, watching his back. When in doubt, he attacked, and he had injured enough people in his career to have justifiable concerns that someone might be after him, for either revenge or his job. Andy wasn’t his enemy, so he knew he was safe with Tony. Tony was insatiable in his pursuit of power and had a weakness for young women. He had married twice during Andy’s tenure in his job. Andy had gone to both weddings. Tony was recently divorced and dating another twenty-five-year-old. She was a trade show model he had met through an escort service. Under the slick surface and the expensive Italian suits, there was something sleazy about Tony that Andy had never liked, but he never let it show.
They met at the Polo Lounge. Tony ordered a hearty breakfast, and congratulated Andy on his wins the night before at the Academy Awards. Andy had final say on every movie that Global produced, and an infallible instinct for success.
“You knock one out of the park every time,” Tony said admiringly. “You have the best nose in the business for talent and the pictures that will work. The boys upstairs at AMCO will be happy,” he added, looking relaxed. They had breakfast once a month to bring each other up to date on any news they wanted to keep confidential and not put in emails. Tony was particularly careful about not leaving a trail of his communications. AMCO had survived several biglawsuits, with enormous settlements over the years, and he had learned the lesson the hard way. So far, Andy had never had anything to hide, which was a surprisingly clean record in the film industry. He set a strong example of principled transactions and honorable dealings, even more rare in their business.
“I learned it from my dad,” Andy said modestly. “My father had an incredible eye for great talent,” and had discovered many young actors who went on to become big stars, and who always credited John Westfield for giving them the chance.
Andy only had cereal and toast, and they were both drinking their coffee when Tony leaned back in his chair, looking relaxed, and brought up the real reason for their breakfast this time. “I’m sure you’ve started hearing some of the rumors around town. Gossip flies around Hollywood faster than fires in Malibu,” he said, while Andy waited for him to deny them, as he had before. Rumors about AMCO and Global weren’t new to either of them. AMCO was an enormous entity with a voracious appetite, and Global had become the most successful studio in the business, thanks to Andy, so the gossip mill worked overtime about them. Tony leaned forward in his seat, and spoke conspiratorially to Andy, so not even a waiter could hear them. The Polo Lounge was full of the most important players on the Hollywood scene, in music, in film, actors, producers, studio executives. Big business and delicate negotiations were conducted in that room.
“I never pay attention to the rumors,” Andy said, looking relaxed. “If they’re true, we will find out soon enough, and most of the time they’re not, about Global anyway. We have no secrets.”
“That’s not entirely true,” Tony said, in a voice barely louder thana whisper, “this time anyway. I wanted to give you a heads-up. AMCO has made some big decisions. Global is in great shape, thanks to you, but some of our other companies are suffering from the times. Globalization and technology have knocked the bottom out of some of our investments. We want fresh blood and an influx of money. We weren’t considering Global for how to get it, but FAQTS made us an incredible offer. Apparently, they’ve had their eye on Global for a long time. It’s a personal interest. FAQTS is still a privately held company, and it’s huge now. They own some of the biggest streaming services, and they want to expand into the moviemaking business. We made a decision. We’re going to sell. It comes as a surprise to me too, but it makes sense for AMCO financially. They’re paying us billions. Your job is secure, of course. It’s a new business for FAQTS, and you’re the obvious one to run it. Some heads may roll at the lower end, but you’re safe at the top. You have nothing to worry about. But we thought you should know. We’ve been in secret talks with them for months, and the numbers have lined up right for us, so it’s a go. We’re working out the fine points now, and we’ll bring you into it as soon as the deal is signed, so you can meet everyone. They’re very excited about you, Andy. It’s all still confidential, of course, so you can’t talk about it, but I wanted to let you know. It’s not just gossip this time, it’s real.”
Tony looked satisfied as he sat back in his chair again, and Andy looked shocked for a minute. He wasn’t expecting that. Not by a long shot. He had gotten his job nineteen years before, when AMCO had bought Global Studios and fired the previous studio head. Traditionally, a new owner made a clean sweep and fired the people who had been running a company they bought. It was how he hadbecome studio head at thirty-eight, when Tony offered him the job. It wouldn’t be surprising if a new owner did the same now and replaced him, but Tony was adamant that Andy had no cause for concern, and although Andy didn’t like him, he believed him. Historically, Andy had been the best thing that had ever happened to Global. He had made it the success it was now.
