some Cokes. I’m hungry as a bear. The sodas, in old-fashioned Coca Cola bottles, arrive quickly.
“Everyone was freaking out we were going to lose our number one star,” begins Blake.
“Nah, I’m the man of steel. Invincible,” I counter with a chuckle.
“That’s what I tell my wife and she actually believes me.”
I laugh again. I like Blake. He’s a real guy. A straight shooter.
He takes a chug of his Coke. “We honestly didn’t think you’d make it to the Golden Globes. Congratulations on your nomination. We’re all rooting for you.”
Thank God, I googled myself. I would have had no idea that I was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Dramatic Series. I humbly thank Blake.
He takes another swig of the soda. “Are you ready to get back on the set? It was quite a challenge writing you out of the show. We almost had to shut down production. Run a couple of repeats.”
“Can’t wait. It’s a killer episode. I’ve got my lines down.” I don’t tell him that I’m still trying to figure out my character and the show. And that I haven’t finished reading the most recent script, let alone rehearsed it.
“Awesome.”
Our lunch arrives. Blake and I both dig into the overstuffed sandwiches.
“Hope you can come to the focus groups tonight,” he comments, after swallowing a biteful.
I saw those on my schedule, but forgot to ask Zoey what they were all about.
“Definitely.”
“Great. We’re testing out the idea you had for the season finale. We want to make sure it works. It’s quite a twist.”
My stomach bunches. I have no idea what it is. I’m eager to find out.
“By the way, we want to show the season finale at MIP.”
MIP? “Cool.”
“We think it’ll generate a lot excitement with our international broadcasters and licensors. You know, you’ve become a commodity…a brand.”
“And what would that be?”
“Hot sexy action hero. Women love you and men want to be you. Your Q-Score is through the roof.”
“What’s a Q-Score?”
“Remember?”
No.
“Your popularity rating. You are the number one actor in the world. You’re even more popular than Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.”
“Holy shit!”
“Holy shit is right. We’re going to beef up our marketing and merchandising efforts. There’s a Kurt Kussler movie in the works as well as a series of books, and Megatoys approached us about developing a line of Kurt Kussler action figures. Who knows, a Kurt Kussler animated series could be next. My wife Jennifer, who’s a guru when it comes to kids’ programming, thinks that’s a great idea.”
“Wow!” I lift my Coke bottle to my lips and take a long sip while he tells me I have a hefty profit participation in all ancillary merchandising. I make a mental note to share this information with my business manager Scott. Feeling comfortable with Blake, I change the subject. Maybe he can offer me some insight into my personal life. “Do you know my fiancée Katrina Moore?”
Blake’s blue eyes darken. He pinches his lips and then responds curtly, “Yeah. What about her?”
“Do you know we’re getting married live on TV? It’s a ratings stunt for her reality show.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Brandon.”
“Getting married live on TV?”
“No, getting married to Katrina.”
I’m taken aback, but before I can ask him what he means by that, he apologizes.
“You know what, man. Forget I ever said that. It was totally out of line. I wish you and Katrina much happiness, and if we’re invited, Jen and I will try to attend.”
I ponder his interesting choice of the word “try.” Wouldn’t most people say, “love to attend” or “would be honored to attend?” Maybe, I’m reading too much into it. I mean, they’re a super busy power couple and probably have tons of equally important overlapping events. I let it go. But not soon enough.
“Well, there you are!” That voice. I recognize it immediately and so does Blake. His face goes ashen. I look to the right, and there she is striding toward us in her six-inch stilettos and a thigh-high pencil skirt. Katrina! With her bouncing hair, pearly white smile, and long-legged gait, she exudes sex and confidence. Every eye is on her.
“What are you doing here?” asks Blake before I can. His raging eyes narrow and his fists ball so tightly his knuckles turn white.
“I thought I’d stop by and say hello to the two of you.”
“How did you know I was here?” I ask as she slinks into the vacant chair next to mine.
“You shouldn’t be so careless, darling. You left your schedule