The post-premiere party was held at the Hard Rock Cafe. After circulating briefly with Steven, Maddy found a perch by one of the bars, not too close to the DJ, so it would be quieter. She had learned from attending enough of these parties that sometimes it was easier to split up than be on each other’s arm for hours on end. Steven was in his element, shaking hands, accepting congratulations, the prince of the night.
A photographer was making his way around the floor, and Maddy watched as Steven and Bridget posed together, both with blinding smiles. They looked like they were on top of the world.
“Now, why is a girl as beautiful as you all alone?” a voice said. She turned to see Billy Peck, and embraced her old friend warmly.
“Your father was amazing,” she said. “He looked like he was having a great time on the press line.”
“Are you kidding?” Billy asked. “People thought he was dead until Bridget rescued him. He can’t believe he’s making this much money in his old age.”
A handsome early-thirties blond guy with broad shoulders came up to Billy, and they hugged and clapped each other on the back. “Have you met Maddy Freed?” Billy asked, gesturing to her. The guy shook his head. “Maddy Freed, Ryan Costello. Ryan and I are working on Stick Shift.”
All she could remember was that it was a buddy movie. “Right, what’s it about again?”
“I’m an uptight Brit,” Billy said, “stranded in the Midwest because of a plane problem, and I have to hitch a ride with Ryan.”
“That sounds hilarious,” she lied.
“Ryan keeps making me break,” Billy said. “If you haven’t already, you have to watch Bunk. It’s set at a summer camp in the 1980s, and Ryan plays the activities director.”
“I hope Bunk isn’t what I’m remembered for,” Ryan said. His voice was deep and masculine, like a slowed-down record player.
“I’ve watched that goat-milking scene on YouTube like seventy times,” Billy said, laughing.
“You’re starting to creep me out, man,” Ryan said. He came off as smug, maybe because he was new to Hollywood.
“So are you a Tommy Hall fan, Ryan?” she asked.
“Yeah, but they totally messed with the ending of the novel,” Ryan said. “Where he begins to suspect that Richard is a mole.”
“You read the novel?”
“Of course. It’s all about Richard as the father figure for Tommy. Because he’s always searching for his dead dad. Every guy in America with a shitty dad loves Tommy Hall. That’s why this movie will be a hit.”
A woman was coming toward them in a strappy black dress whose hem began at the knee and then rode up in a dangerous upside-down U before returning to the other knee. Maddy didn’t recognize her at first, but then she saw it was Kira. Her breasts seemed smaller, and her hair had gotten longer and blonder. They hadn’t spoken since they wrapped the Elkan Hocky.
“You must be so proud of Steven,” Kira said, kissing her on both cheeks.
Maddy introduced her to the men. Billy and Ryan ogled her openly. “So what are you doing out here?” Maddy asked.
“I moved.”
“Really? I thought you were going to stay in New York forever.”
“I did, too. But there’s more work here, and this was the right time to make the transition.”
“Ah, you’ve crossed over to the dark side,” Billy said. “For years I tried to live in London, and then I realized I was fooling myself.”
“What about Zack?” Maddy asked Kira. “Is he still in New York?”
“Yeah, but he’s moving out in a couple of weeks. He transferred to Bentley Howard’s L.A. office.”
Maddy was hurt that Zack hadn’t called but didn’t want to say so. “Is Reggie moving out, too?”
“We broke up. It was too stressful, I was never around. And she joined A.A., so she wanted to be with all her A.A. friends. She got super-neurotic about alcohol. I couldn’t kiss her if I’d taken echinacea.”
“There’s alcohol in echinacea?” Maddy asked.
“Oh yeah,” Ryan said. “A drop of echinacea is like a fifth of Maker’s.”
“I can’t believe how different you look, Kira,” Maddy said. “Did you lose weight?”
“Eight pounds. I did this cleanse. Don’t worry, I’m not ano. It’s just that after the shitting I’ve done the past week, there is nada in my lower GI. Later.” She walked off, swaying her hips, and Maddy watched the men watch her go.
“I wouldn’t mind getting a look at her lower GI,” Billy said. Ryan whispered something to him, and Billy bent over laughing.
Maddy and Steven arrived home from the private after-party at three. There was plastic hanging from the bedroom ceiling, but these days she hardly noticed it. The renovations were never-ending. She was living in Roman ruins.
In bed, she said, “I’m proud of you,” and pulled Steven close. “You were so good as Tommy. You’ve found your stride.”
“Are you saying I didn’t have a stride before?”
“I just mean you’re a spy, and you do all this action, but it’s like you’re you at the same time. And everyone loves you.”
“Do you?”
“More than all of your fans put together.”
She felt close to him, connected. He was most pleasant to be around when he liked himself. If Tommy Hall made him feel relevant, funny, and strong, then she would support The Hall Fixation and the inevitable sequels.
When she got on top of him, she could feel his erection. He moved his hands on her and took his time, kissing her, sucking her breasts. Maybe it was the champagne at the party, but soon she was close to coming.
He moved her so they were lying on their sides, and then he pivoted her and lifted her haunches so he was taking her from behind. As he thrust himself in and out, she wondered if he was imagining that he was Tommy Hall making love to the girl in the movie, Cherry Rodriguez or Chevy Rodriguez. She still wasn’t clear on the name.
One day in the early fall, Bridget took Steven to lunch. The Hall Fixation had taken in a whopping $58 million in its first weekend, continuing to build over the spring and summer. The nation and the world had been swept by Tommy fever. Business sections ran long stories on the long-lead marketing campaign and branding, Steven was swarmed by Tommy fans every time he went out. Critics extolled its performances and pacing; a New York Times reviewer called it “a postmodern action film.” Over the past few years, the highbrow reviewers had taken to praising the occasional popcorn film. They would use words like “camp” and “entertaining” to show they knew they were going out on a limb. But even the good reviews made little difference to the box office; films like The Hall Fixation were critic-proof.
Apollo Pictures had already green-lit the next adaptation, The Hall Surprise, with Bryan Monakhov adapting and directing again. Bridget had read the first draft and liked it better than the first.
“I got an interesting call from Neil Finneran at Apollo today,” she told Steven at the restaurant, after their salads had arrived. “Faye Fontinell in The Hall Surprise? He had a really interesting idea about who could play her.”
“Yes?”
She said the name and Steven jerked his head back in surprise, then bit a piece of arugula, chewing and not saying anything. She was anxious about how he would react, because she was already sold. The thing about these franchises was that you kept having to outdo yourself. Each Tommy Hall needed to be bigger, splashier, and better than the one before. And SteMad was the hottest couple in Hollywood. The mere announcement of Maddy’s participation would get audiences primed.