The Love Of Money - S02 E203

Story 3 weeks ago

The Love Of Money - S02 E203

Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 203

Chloe slid the glass door open. I stepped inside.

The private pod was… surprisingly intimate. Dark paneling lined the far wall, raised just enough to let the hidden lights beneath cast a soft, warm, flattering glow.

Charity sat at the table, looking resplendent in a cocktail dress and tasteful jewelry. Her hair fell naturally down her back in a dark, glossy sheet, held in place by decorative barrettes that kept it off her face.

The second person in the room was Karly Titus.

She looked beautiful—soft, dark-blonde curls framing her heart-shaped face.

She wore a dark blue silk blouse that hung off one shoulder and swooped low over her chest, showing off delicate collarbones, warm creamy skin, and the barest hint of cleavage.

When the door clicked shut behind me, she stood and gave me a bright smile. Now that the table wasn’t blocking my view, I caught the rest: black, well-fitted pants—just tight enough to show well-proportioned hips.

Not that I didn’t know what she looked like already. I’d seen one of her first movies, Blood Ship Five, which had a tasteful shot of her climbing out of bed in nothing but lingerie.

She extended her hand. “Mr. Upton? Karly Titus.”

I took her hand—soft, warm, and delicate. “I know who you are, Ms. Titus. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

What I saw next surprised me. Plain as day, in her eyes was pure relief, mixed with awe.

She hadn’t been sure I’d come and was grateful that I had.

Here I was, the starstruck boy meeting an up-and-coming, beautiful celebrity, yet she looked almost as intimidated as I felt. Something about that loosened the knot in my stomach.

“Please… call me Karly, and the pleasure is all mine,” she said. “I know you’re a busy man. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.”

I wanted to tell her I was the one grateful she’d flown all the way from Vegas, but I reined it in and instead said, “Of course! Please have a seat.”

I took the seat next to Charity, who was practically beaming. She’d been trying to make this happen for a while.

A waiter came moments later and we ordered drinks—my treat with no expense spared. I wanted to make a good first impression on the celebrity.

While we waited, we made small talk. Karly told me about growing up in Canada, moving to the States to hunt for work, the struggle of living in Los Angeles, and eventually finding a roommate who’d become a boyfriend. They’d bought a house together last year… and were now trying to untangle that mess, since they were no longer dating.

Our drinks arrived. I used the pause to shift the conversation.

“So, Charity says you’re interested in making a movie.”

Karly waved a dismissive hand. “I have a project I’ve been working on for a couple of years. Jack was helping me, but that… stopped when we broke up.”

“What’s it about?”

“A hostage situation,” she said, “in an escape room.”

My eyebrows climbed. I glanced at Charity, who watched me over her cocktail with a pleased little expression.

“That sounds cool.”

“I think so,” Karly said. “I’ve already got a writing credit—they liked the revision work I did. And I’ll be one of the main characters.”

She leaned forward, her loose blouse falling open just enough to show a touch more cleavage. Eye contact became a challenge.

“But that’s not what I wanted to talk about today,” she added.

That threw me. I’d been told she wanted me to fund her film.

“It’s not?”

She rested her elbow on the table, chin in her palm, as the alcohol dulled her own anxiety, making her more comfortable.

“No. I wanted to talk to you about something else entirely. About the Vegas situation.”

“You mean the shooting?”

“Yeah. I think it would make a great movie.”

My reaction was immediate—visceral. The idea of the most terrifying moment of my life being played out for the world to see made my skin crawl.

I almost told her no, but then paused, reconsidering.

People had shown me an enormous amount of sympathy when I came back from Vegas. Very few knew the real story. Most thought I’d just been caught up in terrorism or an armed robbery. Many didn’t even realize I’d been kidnapped. Of course, there were stories… rumors of a kidnapping, but they were often accompanied by wild and outlandish details or speculation.

In the past two weeks, I’d burned through all the goodwill Vegas had earned me.

I could use more.

A tight, well-crafted retelling of my story, delivered to the silver screen, might be precisely the kind of reset in public sentiment I needed.

Karly saw my hesitation and went into damage control. “I know what you went through was traumatic. I’m not asking for a ‘yes’ right now. Just… think about it.”

I studied her, mulling it over. “What do you know about the details?”

She hesitated. “Erin and the others stayed with me, so… probably more than most. I wouldn’t include anything you weren’t comfortable with being in the story.”

‘Weren’t comfortable with’… what a fucking understatement.

I could still feel Charity’s blood on my hands… still see Ray’s head burst across the concrete.

Still feel the sting of hopelessness as Charity was dying in my arms.

I looked at that same girl sitting next to me. “What do you think? You lived it as much as I did.”

Charity’s wistfulness vanished, replaced by a sober, drawn look. “I… I wouldn’t mind. Not if it helped us.”

I turned back to Karly. “So, this is ‘based on true events’? Mostly entertainment with a certain level of truth?”

“I’m not looking to make a documentary, if that’s what you mean.”

“Right. I can’t imagine doing this without taking it seriously.” I took a breath. “I suppose you’ll want to know everything.”

“Whatever you’re comfortable sharing,” she said. I could see her excitement growing by the moment—as if every second I didn’t say no, her dream inched closer to reality.

And… I found myself wanting to help her make it happen. Not because she was Karly fucking Titus. Not just because she was a beautiful, talented actor.

No. Because ideas were starting to spark in my own head.

“There will have to be conditions,” I said.

“Of course.”

“I get approval over everything. And veto power over anything I don’t like.”

Most people would have pushed back at that demand. Karly didn’t. She hesitated but ultimately accepted it by giving me a nod, though a reluctant one.

“I’m not trying to write it for you,” I clarified. “I just want to make sure it’s told from a certain angle.”

“What angle?” she asked, tilting her head.

I took a sip of my drink, buying myself a few seconds.

Fuck. I didn’t know her. I needed to be ***********ive about what I shared with her until she earned my trust.

“We were supposed to meet earlier… a couple of weeks ago,” I finally said.

She flushed. “Yeah…”

“You canceled because of all the shit happening in my life, right? All the bad press?”

“Yeah,” she repeated. “I thought it was best to keep my distance. My career’s starting to take off, and I was afraid being tied to so much negative attention would hurt it.”

“What made you change your mind?”

She thought for a moment. “I really want to make this movie. I think there’s something there… especially since it’s about one of the most interesting people in the world in recent history.”

She glanced at Charity. “So, I reached out to her, she talked to Erin, and… they explained everything to me.”

“And you changed your mind just like that?”

Color rose in her cheeks.

I jumped to reassure her. “Oh, don’t worry! I’m not blaming you! I’m just trying to understand you a little more.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’re not the careless, thoughtless loser a lot of the media makes you out to be.”

“Careful, Ms. Titus. That might be the nicest thing anyone’s said to me this week.” I lifted my glass in a toast and took another sip.

Her smile—God. She’d been pretty before, but when she smiled like that…

“Okay,” I said as I put my drink back down. “I think we can help each other.”

“How?”

“You tell a really good fucking story—my story. But the villain needs to be someone specific.”

“Well, considering I don’t know who the villain is, I can work with that.”

“Good. I want the villain to be Hiro Tanaka.”

Her smile vanished. “I can’t… I can’t make a real person the villain.”

“Of course not,” I agreed. “I’m not asking you to get sued. I want a villain who resembles him enough that anyone with half a brain can connect the dots, but different enough to give us plausible deniability.”

She looked uneasy. “I don’t know if I can do that. Isn’t he involved in, like… half the entertainment industry?”

“Yeah,” I said. “But I’m starting my own studio—fully funded by me and run by people who work for me.”

Karly frowned. “Don’t you already have… like, four?”

“Through VistaVision, yeah, but imagine working with just me… no shareholders. No outside producers, but with all the benefits that a company like VistaVision has—think distribution and marketing. Of course, I’d like to buy out anyone who might have the rights to this film and make sure that we’re equal partners in this.”

Her eyes widened.

“Then you get full control—well, almost full. I’m the only one you have to answer to, and from what I’ve heard so far, it sounds like our visions align pretty well, so chances are… I won’t.”

She chewed on her thumbnail as she studied me with those pretty hazel eyes, and Erin’s words floated through my mind.

…imagine escorting her down the red carpet to a movie premiere you made possible. Karly in a little red dress…

“Okay,” she finally said. “Let’s make a movie.”

***