by S. E. Law
“Well, this has been quite the ride, Tammy Thompson. We should talk about this later, don’t you think? Since it’s getting kind of late?” Tammy’s eyes go wide, but she doesn’t answer. “Yeah, we’ll talk about this later. It’s almost 1 a.m., and I really should be getting back home. I have to be back in this office in a few hours, and I’ve got a lot of work to do in the meantime. But I’ll see you around. Okay, Tammy?”
She nods, which I take as a good sign. Maybe she’s just nodding because she doesn’t know what else to do, but I’d like to think she might want to see me again under different circumstances.
I start to leave, but then remember I should probably assuage some of her fears.
“By the way, don’t worry – I’m not going to report you to the police for breaking and entering. I mean, as long as you agree to my terms. Be a good girl, and I’ll be in touch.” I leave her with that and head out. The gears are turning in my head. I know exactly what I’m going to do with that girl, and I’m pretty sure she’ll be ready and willing to sign on for what I have in mind.
It’s nothing too crazy, just a bit of fun for the both of us.
I shake my head. It really is just too perfect. Who would have thought that the pieces would have fallen so into place?
Before leaving the building, I go back to my office and grab the file I came all this way for. I guess I have this little annoyance to thank for the great end to my evening. I came into the office feeling irritated, but I’m leaving with the biggest smile on my face.
My day started off with me dreading the upcoming meeting tomorrow (well, technically, later on today). I also had some other bad news come across my desk. And then it ended with me messing up by forgetting the file.
But now, the entire day has fully turned around.
As I climb into my car and drive back to my apartment, I run through everything that just happened in my mind. I almost lost my composure back there, considering the scene I’d walked in on. Thankfully, little Brick had stayed in my pants. The fit of my slacks might have felt a little uncomfortable, but I’d managed to keep my cool the entire time. If I want this plan of mine to work out, then I’m going to need to tread carefully. There are a lot of factors I have to consider, but I like a challenge.
Tammy is about to be the most fun I’ve had in a long time. The film business keeps me busy and happy, but after a while, certain things start to become monotonous. This is the change in my routine I’ve been looking for.
Oh, how things are suddenly looking up.
3
Brick
I woke up this morning still wired from last night. Getting to sleep had been a task. Watching Tammy masturbate in the studio had gotten me all revved up, and I’d had to wind myself down, which had taken a little bit of time.
Now, I’m at work and about to head into the meeting I was all stressed over. Even with thoughts of Tammy running through my head, I was able to go through the paperwork in preparation for today. As the CEO, I have to arrive prepared or else the whole operation falls apart. I don’t have a lot invested in this particular meeting, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to half-ass it either.
“How did prepping go last night?” Robert, my best friend and CFO, asks, coming up behind me and giving me a hearty pat on the back. He looks rather smug right now, like he expects to be proven right.
“It went really well. Extremely well. Even better than you could ever imagine. I’m ready to hear the pitch today.”
“Great,” he says deliberately. “I’ll see you in there, then.” Robert gives me a smile before he leaves for his office. I’m guessing he thought I’d complain about something because that’s what I usually do before a meeting like this. Pitch meetings annoy me. I prefer to read coverage or the entire script myself, but sometimes we fund a project from the ground up, which requires seeing a treatment and the potential creators we’d be working with. It requires a lot of prep and usually ends with me rejecting the proposal.
Every once in a while, a good idea is pitched, but more often than not, a couple of hacks waltz in thinking they’ve got the next great American film. Those types can be insufferable. I like confidence, but there needs to be good work to back it up.
But I’m going into this meeting with a happy face because nothing can bring me down. Not with Tammy on my mind. Even if the two guys presenting end up being some of the worst creators we've ever had to deal with, I'm not going to have a shitty day.
The meeting starts in about ten minutes, so I grab what I need and head to the conference room. Everyone except for the people pitching are already set up at the table. Because I am the CEO, everyone beneath me wants to be at the meeting before I get there. I guess they are trying to make a good impression, though I don’t really care. As long as they arrive at the specified time, I’m satisfied.
A lot of posturing happens in front of me, so much that it doesn't even register half of the time. People think performing these mostly empty gestures will impress me, but gestures never do. What I appreciate is all of my employees who work hard. I respond to results, and Brick Productions is flourishing because of my employees’ dedication.
I take my seat at the head of the table, ready to start the meeting. I give a little opening speech because setting expectations is important. Mine are honestly quite low for this pitch, but I simply let the room know to be critical. Not everything that glitters is gold.
“The Yacht team should be here any moment. When listening to their pitch, note things like marketability and the potential for award season. We’re not looking for a passion project. Disregard feelings; I want logical decisions, okay? Hard numbers aren't a possibility right now, I know, but let's get as close as we can. We’ve already lost some money on a few films this year, and I don’t want to continue that trend.” Everyone nods. I’m not against passion projects, but since I basically have my own opinion formed already, I want to set a certain tone for the meeting ahead of time.
At the end of the meeting, I’m the one who is going to make the final decision. A lot of people in this room are a bunch of yes men. I really need to get some turnover. Robert is the only person who gives me any advice that is actually helpful.
If we're going to be a cutting-edge studio, there has to be more than two people contributing to the big decisions.
“Mr. Barrister, The Yacht team is here.”
“Let them in, Nancy.” Our secretary brings in the presenting team, two young-looking guys, before leaving. I can tell from their appearance that they rate themselves highly. At first glance, their clothes look casual, but with a little bit of examination, you can see that their wardrobe is all expensive designer stuff. They’re trying to create a contradictory image that is honestly played out. Maybe if they had debuted ten years ago, they would be seen as trendsetters, but these days, they just fade into the Hollywood scene, barely making a dent.
I wonder if their film ideas are just as played out as they are.
“Hello, everyone. We’re really excited to be here. We hope you like our presentation.”
I’m not sure who recruited these guys. I know it wasn’t Robert. He usually bats a thousand, and after reading this script last night, I’m already leaning to the side of no. But by then, it was too late to call off the pitch. I should have read the script a lot earlier, but it kept getting shoved to the side because it wasn't high on the list of things I wanted to do.
Now, because of my procrastination, I’m forced to keep the meeting. I may have a reputation for being a jerk, but I do actually consider people and situations before reacting. I don’t drop the hatchet willy-nilly. I mean, maybe they can convince me. Stranger things have happened after all.
“Go ahead,” I motion with my hand. I don’t need long introductions; I prefer if people just jump right into the pitch. I’ll give these guys at least half of a chance.
“Right.” The two of them take out their materials and start talking about their project.
“We were hoping to do
I start to zone out because my attention has not been captured quickly enough. They haven't even given their logline yet, which is a rookie mistake. I didn’t care about the project coming into this meeting, and that was already causing my mind to turn off. Then their first line just didn’t grab me. With my thoughts already in the negative regarding their script, it would have taken a hell of a hook to grab my interest, and they didn’t have one.
Instead, my thoughts immediately go to Tammy. I can’t believe what happened last night. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I mean, I caught her filming herself nude. And not just nude, but fucking masturbating! Jesus Christ. Like...what the hell? Who does that? It was one of the boldest moves I’ve ever seen. I’m sure she never expected anyone to walk in on her. I mean, I guess I have no idea what she was actually expecting. It would take a lot of leaps for me to get into her exact headspace. Either way, life had other plans because I was able to witness glory. Thank God my need to know what was happening on that sound stage had outweighed the common sense idea of calling the police.
She was so gorgeous lying there on the table. When she came, it was electric. I almost busted a nut right there. But I’d managed to keep my cool. Years in the film business has taught me how to keep cool under pressure.
She’s nothing like I remember her being. Of course, I hadn’t seen her in a long time. It must have been…five years? Maybe longer? We’ve met a couple of times over the years. Her father, George, has worked for me for almost fifteen years. It makes sense that she's changed since it has been so long. The main surprise is just how much she has changed! I would’ve remembered someone as beautiful as her. True, I can be a little self-absorbed at times, but I'm not blind.
Company barbeques, holiday parties – I’m sure she came to those, but the Tammy I remember was a little girl. Buckteeth, braces, and no curves. She had skinned knees and a rat’s nest for hair. She was just my employee's kid!
But last night, she was someone else. She’s curvy everywhere and so luscious. Everything about her is absolutely gorgeous. From her beautiful brown curls to her magnificent breasts to the rest of her. Literally everything.
Fuck! I’m getting hard again, and she isn’t even in the room. I’m going to have a very embarrassing moment soon if I’m not careful. This needs to stop. No one leaves these rooms unless I do, and I’m not about to walk out of here with a massive bulge in my slacks. There are limits to how far even I will take things.
“So yeah, that’s the story we’d like to bring to the public. I like to think it’s a massive critique on consumptive society regarding the masses.”
That’s what I got from reading the script. It didn’t seem like a particularly good story, and their themes are presented sloppily. I don't think it would do well at the box office or with critics. Maybe with the right director, it could work. But there would need to be quite a lot of overhaul if this film was to become a viable project for us. For me to be willing to do the overhaul, I have to really believe in the potential of a project and its creators.
But I saw in their pitch deck that one of their hardline points is that one of them would be directing the movie. From the energy I’m getting from these two, the pitch is going to be a hard no from me. While it is good to advocate for yourself in this business, flexibility is also important. If these guys are going to treat this script like their baby for the entire process, they'll never achieve anything worthwhile. And they seem to be blinded by their own singular vision.
At the end of the day, I don’t want to produce anything with them. They seem like the type to make all kinds of weird demands. And it looks like they don't even have the talent to back up their shortcomings.
With their pitch over, it’s now time for me to give feedback. There isn’t much I have to say with them here, so I throw out my signature line for getting someone out of the room.
“We’ll get in touch,” I tell them. They nod, thanking us for our time before leaving the meeting.
“I thought they had some interesting ideas,” Jonah says. He’s the one who brought the proposal to me, I believe. Sometimes he hits the mark, but this time, he was way off base. I can see where he might have thought this was something worth pursuing, but he should have done a lot more work toward making it interesting for me if he really wanted our studio to pick it up.
“Yeah, it could really come together, I think. Maybe if it’s produced a certain way,” Chris comments. A few more people add their two cents, but they all keep their comments vague. It’s clear they’re all avoiding making a definitive statement until I make my own opinion known.
“We’re not bringing them on. We’re going to cut the project. Since we never hired them, we don’t have to fire them, but someone let those guys know. I don’t feel like it.” They all nod, taking my words as if they are the words of a genius. I do my best not to roll my eyes. I can see that Robert is highly amused with everything that has just happened. He tends to find joy in my minor frustrations. Some would say that makes him a shitty friend, but to me, it just means he has a more objective eye. Because if Robert finds something amusing, then that means it’s not as big of a deal as I think it is.
I watch everyone continue to talk about what a great choice I’ve made. It really was the obvious choice. If most of the room didn’t have their heads so far up my ass, they would have been able to articulate this themselves. I don’t need or care to listen to any more of this ass-kissing. I’m learning nothing, and the monotony of their remarks is feeding into my boredom.
“I’m going back to my office. You all feel free to continue this meeting if there are other things you need to discuss.” I get up and leave. There’s nothing else I need to do here. This meeting is unproductive, at least for me, and I’m sure it’s not going to pick up anytime soon. Robert stays behind. He’s more immune to the boredom that can set in from these types of interactions. Plus, he always tells me any necessary highlights afterward.
I walk into my office and sit down. Opening my briefcase, I reach in and wrap my fingers around the cassette tape I acquired last night. I didn’t want to leave it home today, just in case something were to happen to it.
“Look at me,” I mutter. I’m getting all sentimental. I’ve never had anyone so burned into my mind. It’s like she’s a drug or something, and I haven’t even tasted her yet. All I’ve got is this saucy little tape. And there’s not much I can do with the tape except watch it, which I know will give me quite a bit of pleasure.
But I want more. I like a little bit of voyeurism, but it’s not my main hobby. I can get by with it, though. For now. What I ultimately want is more of Tammy, but how? I told her we would talk later, but I haven’t got a clue as to how to broach the subject.
I know what I want – the problem is how to go about getting it.
A knock at my door pulls me away from my thoughts. I look up to see Robert standing there.
“Is the meeting over already?”
“I called it. They weren’t saying much of anything, so I thought it would be better to just have everyone go and get some actual work done.”
“Ugh. Robert, you really are the best CFO a guy could ask for.”
“I know, I know. I try to remain humble, but you shower me with so much praise and a very sizable paycheck,” he shrugs, leaning against my door frame. “However, since you think so highly of me, you want to tell me what had you so distracted at today’s meeting? I noticed you weren’t really engaged with the pitch.”
“It was a little boring.”
“But that’s not all. There’s something else going on.”
I look at my friend. Usually, I would tell him what’s going on. It’s not like we have a daily gossip chat, but if he asks me what’s up, I let him know. That’s why we work so well together. Because there are no surprises or secrets between us.
“To make a long story short, it’s a girl. She has presented me with a conundrum, one could say.”
Robert pushes off the door frame and stands up straight. He crosses his arms, his curiosity obviously piqued.
“Well, well. Isn’t that something different? I wonder who the girl is that could not only cause Brick Barrister confusion but also distract him during meetings. She must be something else. How interesting.”
“It’s not that big of a deal.” At least, I’d like to think it isn’t. Admittedly, Tammy has gotten under my skin, but I don’t believe she’s fully burrowed into it yet. I mean, I’m not downplaying the situation. That’s the way it really is, right?
“Whatever you say, Barrister. Just don’t go sporting any boners during our company meeting. That’s a hole I cannot dig you out of.” Robert laughs at his own joke while walking away. I scoff, rolling my eyes. He’s always joking around, but his humor does often get me to crack a smile and pull me out of my surly moods.
But maybe he does have a bit of a point under all of those jabs. Tammy is the daughter of a long-time employee. That shouldn’t present any complications, though. Tammy doesn’t actually work for me, so this isn’t really an HR situation, I don’t think. And it’s not like George can protest about two consenting adults doing whatever it is they want to do in their personal time. That is, if Tammy wants to do whatever it is with me.
I need to think of a way to convince her. She’s probably still shocked about getting caught masturbating on my property. Personally, I’m still shocked myself. I never imagined someone would be so bold. The whole situation is crazy.
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