She drew my face down and the towel slipped from her body to the floor as she stretched up to her tiptoes and kissed me.
Then she leaned her head back and looked up at me with mischievous, laughing eyes.
"Boss," she whispered, "ain't it about time you signed my contract?"
6.
It was the same bungalow office I'd used ten years ago, when we were making The Renegade.
Nothing had changed except the secretaries.
"Good morning, Mr. Cord," they trilled in unison as I came in.
I said good morning and walked through to my office.
Bonner was pacing up and down nervously.
Dan Pierce was seated on the long couch underneath the window.
I looked at him for a moment, then without speaking, walked behind my desk and sat down.
"I asked Pierce to come over and help convince you," Bonner said. "You can't make a picture costing this much without a name."
"Dan couldn't convince me to go to the can if I had the runs."
"Wait a minute, Jonas," Dan said quickly. "I know how you feel. But believe me, I'm only looking out for your good."
I turned to him.
"Like you did when you sold your stock to Sheffield without checking with me?"
"The stock was mine," he said hotly. "I didn't have to check with anybody.
Besides, who could get in touch with you?
Everybody knew that you didn't give a damn about the company, that you were unloading part of your own stock."
I reached for a cigarette. After a moment, I nodded.
"You're right, Dan," I said.
"The stock was yours; you didn't owe me anything.
You did your job and I paid you for it – in full, for the five years your contract still had to run."
I leaned back in the chair and dragged on the cigarette. "I just made a mistake.
You were a good agent when I met you. I should have left well enough alone."
"I'm trying to keep you from making another mistake, Jonas. When the script of The Sinner was written, it was a vehicle for a big star – Rina Marlowe.
She was the biggest there was.
You can't just take a girl with no experience, and who nobody's heard of, and put her in a picture without stars to support her.
They'll laugh you out of the theater."
I looked up quizzically. "What do you think I ought to do, then?"
I could see the quick look of confidence come into his eyes.
"Get a couple of big names," he said. "Use the girl if you want but back her up. Bogart. Tracy. Colman. Gable. Flynn.
Any one of them insures it for you."
"I suppose you can get them for me?"
He missed the sarcasm. "I think I could help," he said cautiously.
"Well, bless your little bleeding, ten-per-centing heart.
That's very kind of you." I got to my feet. "Get out, Dan.
Get out before I throw you out.
And don't ever come back on this lot while I’m on it."
He stared at me, his face turning white.
"You can't talk to me like that," he blustered. "I’m not one of your flunkies who you can buy and sell."
"I bought you and I sold you," I said coldly. "You're the same guy you were when you tried to dump Nevada's show for Buffalo Bill's.
You'd sell your own mother if there was anything in it for you.
But you're not selling me any more.
I'm not buying."
I pressed the buzzer on my desk and one of the secretaries came in.
"Yes, Mr. Cord?" she asked from the open doorway.
"Mr. Pierce was just leaving- "
Dan's face was livid with rage.
"You'll regret this, Jonas."