by Jillian Dodd
“Yeah, I know. I fucked up bad this time.”
Wednesday, October 8th
Keatyn & Aiden’s beach house - Malibu
KEATYN
My cell phone wakes me. I see that Dallas is calling and quickly answer.
“We have a problem,” he says.
“What’s wrong?!” I exclaim, waking Aiden up. “Is RiAnne okay?”
“She just had a contraction and you remember how fast the last baby came. We’re on our way to the hospital.”
“Do you need me to do something? Come watch the kids?”
He takes a deep breath. “Riley called me just before all hell broke loose at my house. He, Knox, Dawson, and our little angel, Jennifer, were arrested in Vegas. I’m supposed to bail them out, but now I can’t.”
“Why are they in Vegas? I thought Riley had a date with Ariela?”
“She was kissing someone, presumably her husband, when he got there.”
“Oh, man. Poor Riley.”
“We need to get Ariela out of here. She’s fucking with his life. And when she fucks with his life, she’s fucking with ours too. With our company. Can you imagine the press if this gets out?”
“Shit. I’ll call Vanessa and see what she can do. You go to the hospital and take care of your wife. I’ll go to Vegas.”
“Thanks, call me when you know more.”
“You do the same. Tell RiAnne I said I’m sending her good vibes for a quick, painless, and healthy delivery.”
“Will do.”
I hang up, drop my phone on the bed, and plop back on my pillow.
“What’s going on?” Aiden asks.
“RiAnne is in labor. Riley is in jail.”
“In Vegas?”
“Yes, I need to go bail them out.”
He slides his hand down my arm. “Surely, you can just wire the money.”
“That isn’t really the point, Aiden. It’s not just Riley. It’s Dawson, Knox, and Jennifer. I don’t know what all went down, but we need to pray there aren’t any pictures.”
“You aren’t going anywhere. What you need to do is go back to sleep. I’ll take care of bailing them out.”
“I can’t go back to sleep, Aiden. This is all my fault.”
He pulls me into his arms and hugs me. “It’s not your fault.”
“Yes, it is! I’m the one who saw Ariela and invited her to dinner. Riley was so excited to take her out. He was talking to Dallas about how they had made love the night before. How he’d never be able to sleep with anyone else. That she ruined him. Dallas called it true love’s fuck. It was so beautiful that it made me cry.”
Aiden kisses my nose and puts his hand across my stomach. “Pregnancy has your hormones crazy right now.”
“That may be true, but I started this whole mess. I’m pissed at Riley for getting arrested, but I also feel responsible. And although I want to just go hug him, I’m also worried that his arrest could have a negative effect on our business. What if the board gets wind of it?”
“Why don’t you have some breakfast then meet Vanessa at the office? She can help you sort it all out. Do some damage control, if need be. Boots, I don’t want you getting stressed about this.” He bends down and kisses my belly. “It’s not good for you or our baby.”
I reach for one of the gingersnap cookies Grandma made me, grab it out of the plastic bag on my nightstand, and shove it in my mouth. “Breakfast is over. Go, please. Now. Or I’m going.”
He gives me one more kiss and gets out of bed.
The second he leaves the bedroom, I call Vanessa and Tyler and ask them to meet me at the office as soon as possible.
Vanessa’s Estate - Holmby Hills
VANESSA
I’m pulled out of a hot dream, where Dawson and I are having sex on the ridiculously expensive gold inlaid saddle that Bam bought me, by my ringing phone.
I rub my eyes, pick up the phone, and answer a call from Keatyn.
“I was having a really hot dream. This better be good,” I tease her.
“Who were you with this time?” she asks. I’m always telling her about my random hot dreams. She’s even turned a few of them into scenes in her movie scripts.
“Dawson.”
“Oh—um, so the reason I’m calling is because I need your help. Like, right now.”
I quickly sit up and grab a pen and notepad off my nightstand. “What’s going on?”
“Riley, Knox, Jennifer, and Dawson went to Vegas last night. It was wild. I expect we’ll need some damage control on this. Knox and Jennifer are too famous for someone not to have noticed them. And you know how the tabloids scour the arrest records.”
“Who got arrested?!”
“All of them.”
“Do you know what they did? The circumstances behind the arrest?” I ask.
“I’m not sure,” she says. “Dallas was going to take care of bailing them out. But then RiAnne started having contractions, so he had to take her to the hospital.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to find out what they have! I think it’s a boy. She seemed to be carrying the baby low.”
“I think it’s a boy too. We’ll find out soon! So, do you think you can meet me at the office? I’m going to head there in a few minutes.”
“Of course I will,” I say, already scrambling out of bed.
While I’m getting ready, I’m scrolling through tabloid sites. And not liking what I’m seeing.
This is way worse than an arrest notice.
Captive Films definitely needs my help. This has the makings of a publicity nightmare, and it’s going to take some brilliance and a whole lot of manipulation on my part to get this under control. I start thinking of ways to spin it.
But as I continue to scroll through the damning photos, I can’t help but smile about one thing.
Even though there are numerous photos of the group with random girls, Dawson doesn’t appear to have hooked up with anyone.
And that makes me feel happy.
I stop in the kitchen on my way out the door.
Ariela is perched at the breakfast bar eating an omelet made by my chef. I think he has a little crush on her.
“You’re up early this morning, Miss Vanessa,” he says. “What can I make for you?”
“Just a coffee to go, please,” I tell him then turn to Ariela. “Riley was arrested in Vegas last night along with Dawson, Knox, and Jennifer.”
“Arrested? Is that why Riley and Dawson had to go to Vegas suddenly? Because of Knox and Jennifer?”
“I’m not sure why, but this doesn’t look like a business trip to me.” I toss a few of the photos I printed out onto the counter.
She looks at them and lets out a sad sigh. “I thought . . .”
“He was different?”
“Yeah. How could he do this after the night we shared?”
I shrug and say, “He’s a man.”
“I didn’t sleep at all last night. That look he had, on the video we watched of him leaving, it’s the same look he had when I told him I wasn’t moving here with him. I tried calling him last night. I texted him. Left messages. I have to fly up to the vineyard today and be there all week. If so much wasn’t riding on this wedding, I’d go sit at his office until he showed up and get to the bottom of this. I know you think otherwise, but I know in my heart he saw me with Collin.”
“I don’t mean to sound callous, but if he did, this is the result. A PR nightmare for Captive Films. One that I need to figure out how to fix.”
“Can you fix it?”
I shake my head. “At this point, there are too many photos out there to fix. I’m going to have to work on damage control.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, getting teary. “I shouldn’t have come here.”
I give her a hug. “It’s okay. I’m just a little overwhelmed right now. I promise when I see Riley, I’ll tell him the kiss was unwanted. In case he did see.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“But that’s all I can do. It wi
ll be up to him to decide if he wants to talk to you about it.”
“Thank you. I understand and appreciate it.”
Captive Films - Santa Monica
KEATYN
When I get to the office, I start scanning celebrity gossip websites.
The first one I go to, the one with the widest reach, has a video of a very intoxicated Jennifer dancing around a stripper pole.
Make that, dancing around and then falling off a stripper pole.
My phone dings with a text from a board member who lives on the East Coast.
Jennifer Edwards is trending on Twitter. And not in a good way. We can’t be associated with someone of this character. You need to cancel her contract immediately.
I switch over to Twitter and pull up the trending hashtag #JEdsStripperFail.
The video from her stripper dance, where she twirls around a pole then face plants, has become a meme. And been shared millions of times already. Jeez, doesn’t anyone sleep?
My office phone starts ringing off the hook.
Then my cell rings.
It is another board member, a long standing and vocal one.
“Hi, Walter,” I say, trying to sound cheerful.
“You sound too happy this morning. Have you not been online?”
“I just got into the office. It’s six a.m. in California.”
“Well, then the whole world knows but you. Let me read you a headline. Captive Films CEO Riley Johnson arrested in Vegas. And another. Riley Johnson, CEO of Captive Films—”
“I’m aware of Riley’s arrest. I’ll deal with it, Walter. Thanks for alerting me.”
“Keatyn, I know Riley is your friend, but this isn’t good for our business. I’ve spoken to some of the other board members and we’re in agreement. You need to ask Riley to resign.”
“Captive Films is more profitable than it’s ever been because of Riley. You and the board know that.”
“Does he need to go to rehab? What the hell is going on with him?”
“It’s personal. Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
After I end the call, I lay my head on the desk trying to figure out how I’ll handle it.
I smell Tyler coming long before I hear him.
“I brought you some coffee,” he sings. “I suspect it’s going to be a long day.”
My stomach starts to churn.
“Um, I’ve given up coffee for lent.”
“It’s not lent. Come on, smell it. You know you love it.” He waves it across my desk, causing me to gag.
“Please, don’t ever bring me coffee again! It’s making me sick!” I cry out.
He narrows his eyes at me, takes the coffee out of the office, and comes back with a cup of lemon tea. “My sister drank this when she had morning sickness,” he says softly. “She said it helped.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you, Tyler. Please don’t tell anyone. We haven’t even told our families yet. The crazy thing is I’m sitting here wondering if I announced my pregnancy today if it would give the press something else to think about.”
“Well, you know how fickle the press is. They’re always moving on to the next big scandal. And if they thought you were pregnant with Knox’s love child while engaged to Aiden that would be a pretty big scandal. Can you imagine the headlines?”
“It would take the focus off Riley, Jennifer, and Captive. Make the board happy.” I touch my stomach. The thought of using Aiden’s and my baby, my pregnancy, to create headlines sickens me.
My cell rings again.
“Shit, it’s my grandpa.”
“Would you like me to leave?”
“No, it’s okay, Tyler.” I hand him my laptop. “Look around. Maybe it’s not as bad as I think it is.”
“Will do, boss,” he says, making himself comfortable on the couch.
“Hey, Grandpa,” I say into the phone.
“It’s a good thing I’m an early riser. Every single board member has called me this morning to raise a ruckus. They all want Riley’s head.”
“I’ve heard from a few of them myself. You always have good advice. Tell me what I can do to fix this.”
“You can’t fix it, Hotshot. He has to. I know he’s your best friend, but this is business. Don’t let your relationship blind you to what’s going on. It’d be different if it was a one-time thing but he’s starting to get the kind of publicity Captive doesn’t need. Between his relationship with Jennifer, the way he behaved at dinner and, now, this. You can’t bury your head in the sand. You have to deal with it. And I’m afraid the board is right.”
While I’m talking, Tyler is printing off pictures and laying them across my desk.
Riley shirtless and humping a Greek statue.
Riley and Knox with girls draped all over them in a party bus, cheesing for the camera, their eyes bloodshot and bleary.
Riley naked, sitting on the edge of a hot tub preparing to dive into the middle of about ten topless women.
Knox, wearing a shirt but no pants, being cuffed by a police officer.
Grandpa is still lecturing me, so I have to stifle my laugh. It’s pretty funny seeing Knox’s naked ass all over the news, especially when it was supposed to be revealed for the first time ever in the next Trinity movie. The studio is probably going ballistic about it.
“Your days at Eastbrooke don’t mean shit when it comes to business.”
Tyler lays a photo of a topless Jennifer sitting on Knox’s lap swigging tequila straight from a bottle on top of the ad mock-ups for Daddy’s Angel.
Something clicks.
“That’s it, Tyler. You’re brilliant!” I shout.
“Why’s Tyler brilliant?” Grandpa asks as Tyler goes, “I am?”
“I have to go, Grandpa. I’ll take care of it all. I promise,” I say, quickly ending the call.
“What are you going to do?” Tyler asks. “This looks really bad. Like so bad you may need to send them somewhere remote until it all dies down.”
“Our senior year at boarding school, we threw different themed parties every other weekend. One was Heaven and Hell.”
He tilts his head at me. “I don’t get it.”
“Shh. I’m still thinking it through. Will you go check on Vanessa? She should be here by now.”
I stare at the mock-up some more and suddenly know exactly what to do.
The board won’t know what hit them.
The press won’t know what hit them.
And, by the time we’re done, the board will be telling me to give Riley a raise.
And maybe even suggesting something I’ve been considering doing since I found out I was pregnant.
Vanessa strolls in, dressed to kill in a black pencil skirt, black spiked Louboutins, and bright red lips that match the bottom of her heels.
“Have you seen all the pictures? How the hell are there so many out there already? I have some ideas for damage control and I think I can get the photos with nudity taken down by calling in some favors, but I think the best thing to do is let it burn out on its own. The last thing we want to do is add more fuel to the fire. We’ll make them lay low . . .”
“I just thought of something that might allow us to add fuel to the fire in a good way.” I tell her my idea. “But I’m not exactly sure how to spin it. Any ideas on that?”
“You two could rule the world if you put your minds together. And, Vanessa, if you have to face the press today, you’ll rock it, girl. Love the shoes,” Tyler says, taking notes on all the things we need done today. “Okay, so I’ll pull five of our best assistants and have them do nothing but cover the phones today. What do you want our official response to be? And when will you be ready to make a statement to the press?”
“Our official response has to be: Captive Films has no comment.” Vanessa says.
Tyler says, “But, I thought--”
“No,” Vanessa says, still thinking it through. “For this to work, the press will have to figure it out on their own. We can’t even hint at it.” She
turns to me. “Don’t you think so, Keatyn?”
“You’re the master at this,” I say. “But, yes, I think you’re right. If we’re going to pull this off, they’re going to have to figure it out on their own. Otherwise, they’ll see what it really is. Our attempt to manipulate it.”
“I feel like the Wizard of Oz,” Vanessa laughs. “All smoke and mirrors.”
“How long does it take to bail someone out of jail?” I ask. “We’ve got to get everyone on the same page. Pray Jennifer doesn’t post anything on her social media in the mean time.”
“It doesn’t take long,” Dallas says, strolling in.
“Dallas, what are you doing here? Did RiAnne have the baby already?”
“Ha. False alarm. Doctor told us it will probably be at least two more weeks. My wife is not happy. I decided to let her mother deal with her.”
“She keeps saying she wants this baby out of her,” I laugh.
“Even with the public relations disaster that is Vegas, it’s a whole lot safer here than it is at home right now,” Dallas says. “On a side note, I just spoke to Aiden. He’s wired the money, they’re out, and have taken off. Should be here in about an hour. And he gave them strict orders not to speak to the press or post anything on their social media.”
“Another reason I love him,” I say. “I want them to come directly here. As in do not pass go. Is Aiden going to meet them at the airport?”
“Yes, and I told him to bring them all here. So how bad is it?”
“Take a look,” Vanessa says, pulling him toward my desk and gesturing toward the printouts. “It’s bad.”
Dallas scratches his neck and grimaces.
“Tyler,” I say. “Will you please take all these photos into the board room and get it set up for Vanessa as command central? Then get Lisa, Barry, Dawn, and Craig from the marketing team assembled, privately fill them in on our plan, and have them start working on our list of to dos. We can trust the four of them to help get this all pulled together. But everyone else should be kept in the dark. Have them call in every favor we have to get hair, makeup, and a photographer here within the hour. We’ll also need them to pull together the guest list and get the invitations out. And, somehow, we need to cast Matthew today. Anyone have ideas on how we could do that?”