Capítulo 306: Chapter 307: Marking
[Chapter 307: Give You a Stamp]
After listening to Paula Wagner's response, Eric mulled over his thoughts for a moment before saying, "Actually, it's not a bad idea. Letting go of the smaller tasks allows you to focus on being a producer. Who knows, maybe we'll have the chance to work together in the future."
"Work together?" Paula Wagner asked, raising an eyebrow.
Eric glanced over at Cruise, who was enthusiastically describing Days of Thunder to Nicole, then turned back to Paula with a smile. "Yes. I think you're a highly capable agent, and Firefly is expanding fast -- we need talent like yours."
Paula quickly picked up on the hint in his words and smiled politely. "Mr. Williams, I'm grateful for the compliment, but Tommy and I have a solid working relationship. Let's leave it at that."
"Of course," Eric nodded. "I didn't expect you to consider it now. But if you ever feel like a change, know that Firefly's door is open to you."
Before Paula could respond, Cruise's voice rang out across the room. "Hey, Eric, I'm right here! Poaching my team members in front of me? That's cold."
With Cruise's lighthearted tone, Eric laughed and replied, "Tommy, every company wants top talent. You'd better keep an eye on Paula -- she might jump ship at any time."
Cruise chuckled as if Eric were joking. "Not a chance. Paula would never leave. Hollywood can't find another Tom Cruise."
At this, a slight discomfort flashed across Paula's face, a reaction Eric caught instantly. The brief moment of embarrassment only made him smile to himself. It was like planting a seed. In a few years, he thought, maybe Paula would be producing the Mission: Impossible series. As for who the lead would be, it probably wouldn't be Mr. Cruise.
Turning back to Paula, Eric's thoughts drifted to another name. Maybe he could try his hand at winning over another one of Cruise's close connections. Pat Kingsley, for example, was a formidable agent. Just recently, he had overheard Nicole mention her frustration with her own agent, suggesting she was on the lookout for someone better.
As Cruise continued trying to convince Nicole, she listened politely but then shook her head. "Mr. Cruise, I appreciate the offer, but I'll need some time to think it over."
Cruise's eyes widened in disbelief. "Nicole, do you know what Top Gun did for my career? Days of Thunder could do the same for you. With this role, you could take your career to new heights!"
Nicole glanced at Eric, as if hoping he might jump in, but he stayed quiet. Sensing this, Cruise pressed on, "You're not seriously considering that Ghost role, are you? Molly does nothing but cry! It's a trophy role with no depth."
Hearing Cruise's comment, Paula barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes. She had known from the start that Eric and Cruise were on two different wavelengths. In her view, Eric was young, ambitious, and sharp, but Cruise's blunt criticisms were bound to provoke him eventually.
Cruise's words grew bolder, but Paula decided to cut him off. "Tommy, we should get going -- we've got work to get to this afternoon."
Cruise snapped out of his persuasive tone, brushing off Nicole's hesitation with a casual smile. "Think about it, Nicole. But don't take too long," he said with a grin, signaling the waiter to bring the bill.
"I will, Mr. Cruise," Nicole responded politely.
...
After settling the bill, Cruise and Paula left. Eric stayed seated and ordered a fresh pot of coffee. He turned to Nicole with a curious smile. "So, what did you think of him?"
Nicole paused, contemplating her response. "He's arrogant, not as sharp as he thinks, and, frankly, terrible with people."
Eric winked. "People like him are easy to handle."
In the past, she might have entertained such an idea, but now, as an A-list actress, Nicole saw no reason to compromise herself. Getting close to someone as self-centered as Cruise would only bring trouble.
She stirred her coffee slowly, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at Eric with a sparkle in her eye. "Honestly, I'd rather have someone else in my corner."
Eric wasn't expecting that. "You can forget about that -- I'm not so easily won over. I'm always the hunter, never the prey. In Hollywood, there are only two types of women: those I'm interested in, and those I'm not. None have ever caught me."
Nicole arched an eyebrow. "So, which type am I?"
Eric didn't hesitate. "The latter."
Nicole went silent for a moment, then demanded with a hint of annoyance, "If that's the case, why did you keep me on for the Sleepless in Seattle role?"
Eric shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "I found it amusing."
Nicole stared at him in disbelief, but after a moment, her expression shifted, a confident smile tugging at her lips. "I see."
Eric blinked, surprised. "See what?"
"Oh, you're jealous. You're jealous because you saw me talking with Tom Cruise," she said matter-of-factly.
"Why on earth would I be jealous?" Eric asked, genuinely baffled.
"I can tell from the way you're talking," she replied, lifting her chin slightly. "You'll never admit it, but you're definitely jealous."
Eric chuckled, shaking his head. "Alright, believe what you want."
Nicole smirked, savoring the moment. After a pause, she asked, "So, what do you really think of Days of Thunder?"
Eric raised his eyebrows. "If you're interested, take the role. You don't need my opinion. I'm sure a jealous man wouldn't say anything nice."
Nicole laughed softly. "I'm passing. The character's nothing but an eye-candy, and she barely has any screen time. Even if the movie does well, it won't add much to my career."
"Then it's settled," Eric said, finishing his coffee. He stood, ready to leave.
Nicole followed suit. "Wait up."
...
As they reached the car, Eric started the engine and turned to her. "By the way, didn't you mention that your current agent isn't a good fit? I think I know someone better for you."
Nicole tilted her head, intrigued. "Who?"
"Pat Kingsley. She's Cruise's agent, and she's excellent. You might want to reach out to her. She's a very capable woman."
Nicole's face fell slightly. Although Eric had sold UTA to ICM and Kepler had become a partner of ICM, their relationship was still very close. Moreover, Kepler's ability was top-notch in Hollywood. No matter for which consideration, Nicole would rather leave the agency affairs to Kepler.
"It's your choice. If you want Kepler as your agent, just tell him. I'm fine with it if he is."
"Okay, okay, I'll go find Pai Kingsley and give it a try," Nicole shrugged, a mischievous glint appearing in her eyes. "But aren't you worried? If I share an agent with Tom, things might get… interesting."
Eric curled his lips, looked around, then slowly parked the car on the side of the road. He unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned in, and kissed her deeply.
Nicole was surprised at first, then looked around worriedly, but soon realized that the glass of this car was specially treated and passers-by could not see inside, so the girl hugged Eric's neck without hesitation and stuck out her tongue to fight back.
After kissing the girl's red lips enough, Eric slid down her cheeks and neck, roughly tore open the buttons on Nicole's chest, and pulled off her bra.
Nicole pressed Eric's head to her chest with rapid breathing, allowing the man to move. After a moment, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her soft body.
"Ah..." she screamed and pushed Eric away. She quickly retreated to the co-pilot seat and looked down at her chest. There was a circle of shallow teeth marks around the little cherry on the right side.
Eric leaned back, grinning. "I'll leave my mark on you. Remember, you're mine now."
Nicole blushed, quickly pulling herself together. She punched his shoulder playfully. "You're insufferable, Eric, you scoundrel, bastard, thug, rogue, pervert, lecher..."
Eric laughed as he drove off, his laughter filling the car.
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder