Page 181 of Private Lives

Jim pushed himself back up on a pillow.

‘Jess, I think we both know there have been a few wrong turns this summer.’

‘Wrong turns? You’ll remember it was your slimeball client who did the dirty on me.’

‘Sure, but you haven’t exactly made strong moves since then. What about the naked HQ shoot?’

‘How do you know about that?’ she asked, startled. ‘It’s not out for two months.’

‘Jose Silveira isn’t the most discreet man in the world.’

She could feel her heart beginning to hammer.

‘And why the hell did you let the All Woman execs bring in another female lead?’ Jim continued. ‘If I had been your agent, you can be goddamn sure it would never have happened.’

She stubbed out the cigarette and got off the bed.

‘Shit,’ she muttered, pacing across to the window. ‘Does everyone know every detail of my life?’

‘Hey, don’t blame yourself, kiddo. You just need better representation, someone who can actually deliver what’s best for you.’

For years Jess had felt a strong loyalty to Harry Monk, the legendary agent who had plucked her from the other starry-eyed hopefuls stepping off the bus in LA and guided her to superstardom. The bond had surprised her ruthless instinct, but deep down she had always been grateful to Harry. Yet Jim’s words now struck a chord. Jessica knew she should simply not be in this position, and she could only hold her team to be responsible.

‘Better representation? Like who?’ she asked cautiously.

‘Like me.’

She barked out a laugh.

‘You’re kidding. What about Sam?’

‘What about him? Lots of couples have the same representation. You can build your brand as a couple. Look at the Beckhams; you can barely tell where one starts and the other ends.’

‘We’re not a couple any more, Jim. Or haven’t you noticed?’

Jim paused for a moment.

‘And was that the right decision?’ he asked.

She turned back towards him, fury on her face.

‘He cheated on me! What the hell do you expect me to do?’

‘I understand your anger, Jess. Hell, I’d have cut his balls off and made a smoothie. But the split wasn’t all bad. Everyone likes drama, and it’s made you more normal.’ He eyed her carefully. ‘Jess, this isn’t about how you both feel. It’s business, pure and simple. You have to think about it logically. Are you and Sam more powerful as individuals or as a conglomerate?’

‘So you think we should go back to be

ing Jess and Sam, the power couple?’

‘Think bigger,’ said Jim. ‘You don’t want to be one of the most popular couples in Hollywood. You want to be one of the most powerful couples in the world. You should be getting invitations to the White House, appearances at Davos, being courted by world leaders, like Angelina is. The sky’s the limit, baby, believe me. You just got to have the vision.’

He got out of bed and went out of the room, returning a few moments later with the slim leather folder.

‘I’ve prepared a document for you.’

‘A document?’

‘A business plan. Taking your career to the next level. Taking the Sam and Jess brand to the next level.’