Chapter 4 - an opportunity

In the next eighteen months, Sid’s career took off in a very big way. His production company seemed to have hit after hit. It was the longest lucky streak he’d ever seen. That, and the fact that he was secretly dating one of Hollywood’s most eligible leading ladies, made him feel like he was the absolute king of this town.

“This place is incredible!” Zayla marvelled as she toured the ground floor of Sid’s new multi-million dollar pad. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Yeah? Not bad, huh?” Sid smiled back. “But I didn’t just call you over for a social visit today,” he stated professionally; taking Zayla into his new, lavish study and making her sit in the chair in front his desk. “This script came across my desk a couple of weeks ago,” he explained, reaching into his drawer and throwing out a large, heavy paper copy of it. “Why don’t you take a look?”

Zayla took it politely and flicked through, but she hardly had time to read the whole thing now.

“This is going to be a huge movie!” Sid said excitedly. “There’s a real ‘Oscars-buzz’ about it!”

“Oscars?” Zayla asked greedily. “Seriously? Are you saying you have a part for me in this?”

“Oh, yeah!” Sid nodded. “I’m attaching you as the lead. A Beauty Queen turned philanthropist.”

“The lead?” Zayla shouted back. “Seriously. Can you do that?”

“Of course I can! I’m funding it. What do you say?”

“Sure!” Zayla smiled in heady disbelief. Neither of the two TV pilots she’d been involved with this year had been picked up, so Sid always knew that she would jump at the chance.

“Great!” Sid nodded. “We’ll want to start filming the early scenes of the movie in a few weeks. Are you available?”

Zayla nodded emphatically.

“Then you’ll need to start your new nutrition programme.”

“Nutrition?” Zayla asked, confused. “Do I need that? I could pull off a Beauty Queen, no problem,” she smiled cheekily, brushing her long, gently curling hair in front of her face and posing through it.

“A retired Beauty Queen,” Sid corrected her. “According to the script, the lead needs to gain seventy pounds from those opening scenes.”

Silence filled the room. “I can’t do that!” Zayla spluttered back in shock.

Sid stood up and walked around his desk. “Oh, I know you can!” he grinned, positioning himself behind Zayla’s chair and bending down so that he could rest his chin on the girl’s shoulder. He kissed her sweetly on her ear and then whispered in there. “And I’m going to be negotiating a nice big, FAT cheque to go with that even nicer big, FAT belly I’m going to be growing on you for the role!”

His hands had slipped out and were enveloping Zayla from behind; reaching under her blouse and rubbing up and down her flat stomach. Zayla’s agent would try and fleece them for all they were worth. But hearing the gentle moans that were coming from the girl's lips, Sid knew that he was at least part-way to getting her on-board.