Page 41 of Blood Stone

Chapter Nine

Kate pushed the thick bound agreement back over the table to sit in front of Garrett. “You bring Patrick on board and take care of him, and for that, you get one percent North America net on theatrical, DVD and Blu-ray,” she said.

Roman noted the change of phrasing. It was no longer five million they were discussing. Now Sauvage was sitting across the table from her, she had adjusted her language to make the terms sound less like they were picking over a commodity. There were producers who wouldn’t have bothered, or for whom being sensitive to Sauvage’s feelings wouldn’t have even occurred to them.

Garrett didn’t touch the wad of paper. “At least make it gross.”

Kate smiled. “You think you’re the only one who wants in on this deal, Garrett? I could raise another five million and more to take care of Patrick all by myself. I don’t need you. Net.”

Roman kept his jaw clenched least he smile and give himself away. She had used his shield.

But Sauvage was frowning, looking to Garrett.

And Garrett was smiling.

The ace.This was the ace, Roman realized.

“Patrick won’t deal with anyone but me,” Garrett said smoothly. “I offer compensations you and your backers couldn’t possibly extend. You could raise five million a hundred times over. You could even find and offer him the forty-two million that is Patrick’s current standard salary for a movie. I guarantee right here and now, in front of Patrick and everyone at this table, he would not deal with you if I’m not a part of the deal.”

And Garrett’s gaze flickered toward Roman. It was instant, and then gone.

Roman caught his breath and the shape and outline of the ace fell into place.Sweet Jesus, he breathed to himself.

He leaned across the corner of the table, and put his lips to Kate’s ear. “He’s got you. Give him the gross. I’ll explain later.”

Kate looked at him sharply. Then she sat against the high back of the buffet and let anger and frustration settled into her features. “Fine,” she said, her voice stiff. “Gross.”

Garrett rested his hand on the agreement, and slid it slowly across the table again. He turned it so it was facing her the right way around. Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a gold pen and dropped it on top of the agreement. “I had a gut feeling,” he said. “The agreement is drawn up for 1% North American gross on theatrical, DVD and Blu-ray. All you have to do is sign.”

“Not without a lawyer looking it over first,” Kate shot back, fury dripping from every word.

“I’ll read it,” Roman told her, holding his hand out.

Kate handed it to him, her face in neutral again.

Roman scanned the pages slowly, absorbing the structure of the agreement. Most of the contract was boilerplate stuff – indemnifying everyone in case of the most unlikely scenarios possibly happening. His legal training was dusty, but he remembered contract law as being interesting because writing contracts was often future oriented, focused on whatmighthappen and trying to cover every possible eventuality. This contract was written by someone who had really thought it through. And, surprisingly, it was a fair contract, covering Kate’s ass as much as it covered Garrett’s.

Roman pushed the contract back in front of Kate, open at the signature page. “It’s a good contract. Nothing scary,” he told her. “It binds him to exactly what you just agreed on. You, too.”

“I see,” she said. She glanced at Garrett. “You had a gut feeling, huh?”

Garrett lifted his shoulders. An elegant shrug. “I’m good at reading people.” He smiled. “And I do my research.”

Kate picked up the pen. Roman pointed to where she was to sign.

“I don’t readGCmagazine on a regular basis,” she said, as she signed. “But about two years ago they ran a survey. Power women and their beddable quotient. A friend told me I was on the top fifteen list.” She handed Roman the pen, for his signature as witness.

“I remember the survey,” Garrett replied. “You were ranked at somewhere around sixty-three percent.”

Roman pushed the contract on.

“That’s right,” Kate agreed. “Something like sixty-three percent ofGC’smale readership would take me to bed given the opportunity.”

Garrett picked up the pen and signed, then handed it on to Patrick Sauvage, who witnessed it. “Not hard to understand why,” Sauvage observed, with a small smile.

Kate stood up, picked up her satchel and slung it over her shoulders. “Well congratulations, Garrett. You fucked me over good and proper.” She smiled at the rest of the table. “Have a great day, everyone.”

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