Like Hughes

"This is Adrian Vale's first venture into playing a villain, and he makes a success of it: cunning, greedy, and foolish. Perhaps he should try more roles of this kind..." Adrian stopped reading and shook his head with a laugh. He waved the newspaper at Naomi, who was spreading jam on toast beside him. "You never thought they'd say something nice about me, did you?"

"That isn't exactly praise, Adrian. You can see that, can't you?" She kept her attention on the toast.

"He knows," Galen said. "He's asking on purpose."

"That's his specialty," Sanders added. "Pretend he doesn't understand, then wait for somebody to feel sorry for him."

"I had no idea you were such a quick thinker, Sandy. Since you're so quick, why haven't you sorted out my assistant problem?"

Naomi laughed at their bickering and handed Adrian the toast. "Eat your breakfast. Don't worry about what the New York Post says. If they enjoy taking shots at you, why give them the satisfaction?"

"I'll listen to Nami." He shrugged and took a large bite.

After the paper's repeated attacks, he had little reason to trust a flattering review. This one was no exception. On the surface, it praised his convincing performance as a villain. Underneath was another suggestion: forget leading roles and stick to playing the bad guy.

He was used to it. There was no point dwelling on it. He wasn't Howard Hughes, with all those ways to make the press shut up.

"You're in charge here today, Galen. Sort the Hughes material for me, would you? I've finished the first ten numbered files. If it gets too much, tell Sandy to move faster." Breakfast was over, and Adrian and Naomi were getting ready to leave.

"You're taking this role seriously," she said once they were in the car. "I don't think I've ever seen you work this hard."

"Sweetheart, I work hard on every role. This one just gets a little extra." He kissed her cheek. "You'll hurt my feelings, talking like that."

"Of course. You always work harder than anybody, on every single role." Her eyes creased with amusement. She seemed to enjoy humoring him.

He was about to start the car when something occurred to him. He turned and studied her, then lightly squeezed her shoulder and waist, making her laugh and squirm. "What are you doing?"

"It's a shame you're so petite. Otherwise, you could have tried for Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator." He sighed. "We could have worked opposite each other. We've never actually done that."

"Maybe I don't want to." Her gaze flickered. "People say every actress who plays opposite you ends up involved with you."

That reminded her of something. "Galen mentioned Cate Blanchett was playing Hepburn. Haven't you worked with her before?"

"Yes. On The Talented Mr. Ripley and Bandits. All right, sweetheart, let's talk about something else." He changed the subject before she could ask a question he couldn't answer.

"Let me think." She tapped a finger against her cheek. "I could have gone after Charlize Theron's part in The Italian Job. If my height hadn't been a problem there too."

"Nami, I've told you. Charly's a very unusual woman." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I've never wanted to... All right, at first I did. Sometimes I still do, but not very much. You see somebody attractive and you notice. That doesn't mean you have to act on it. People can control their instincts."

Since he had agreed to have a child with Naomi, they had become more candid with each other. Some subjects no longer needed to be approached sideways. That also meant she felt freer to needle him. Choosing to overlook something didn't mean she would never mention it. Usually her remarks were easy to dismiss; just when he was about to forget, she found the right moment to remind him. That was why he had rushed to defend himself.

"You're misunderstanding me. You really were good in that film. I'd have liked to see you play a villain in person, and work opposite him." She smiled and rested her hand on his.

He waited a moment. "Including the punch?"

"Including the punch." She nodded.

Then she smiled more gently. "I know what you're thinking. I admit I can be sensitive sometimes. But... I trust you. I should trust you."

The words seemed to come out of nowhere, but he understood. She meant the earlier story about Nicole. Naomi was intelligent. In the first rush of emotion she had believed what she heard; with time, she had begun to work out at least some of what had really been going on.

Except he could no longer honestly tell her that nothing had happened between him and Nicole. 'What would she think if she knew?'

He managed a smile and started the engine. "Let's go. Today is yours. No Aviator, no Italian Job. If you'd like, I could introduce you to Charly properly. She's funny. You'd like her. Assuming she'll promise not to tell you all my secrets. I talk to her the way I talk to Leanna."

Talking to Charlize had helped him understand what was troubling him. Men really were greedy, possessive creatures. He could find reasons for what had happened with Nicole, tell himself that all those clashes had created a spark. But what about Kelly Brook? What explanation did he have for that? Did he really have so little control?

He didn't think so. Women made their interest clear at practically every party he attended. Some were beautiful; others had plenty of other ways to attract attention. Usually he flirted a little and left it there.

But with Kelly, it had happened at The Italian Job premiere, with Jason Statham right there in the main room. It was fortunate nobody had caught them. Who knew what Jason would have done? Mark Wahlberg valued loyalty too. He might not have made a scene, but he would certainly have pulled away if he found out.

Why had he let it happen? The thrill of doing something he shouldn't? That wasn't the whole explanation. He had believed Kelly when she said things with Jason were going nowhere. He had taken the distance between them that night as an opening. There was more to it, though. She had approached him now and then from the time they met on set, curious at first, then visibly more interested as she heard about his successes.

That look had stayed with him. When they were alone at the premiere, he had seen it again, bright and expectant. Was she another woman hoping to get something from him?

Thoughts like that made him appreciate what power could do, and envy Howard Hughes all the more. The deeper he went into Hughes's life, especially the gossip, the stronger that feeling became. They both had reputations as playboys. Adrian was a long way behind.

Some accounts put the number of places Hughes kept for women around Los Angeles at more than a hundred. An exaggeration, perhaps, but it made the point. Then there were the stories of his seeing someone he wanted, telling his staff, "I want her," and leaving them to find her and offer inducements.

In the end, Hughes had been immensely wealthy and powerful. Adrian could just about call himself rich. His holdings hadn't grown dramatically since the last time he checked, but together they were still worth at least a hundred million dollars. Influence was another matter. Backlot Pictures was growing, but it had shallow roots. The seven major studios and the media groups behind them controlled most of Hollywood's resources. Even if his company kept growing, he could hardly expect it to rise beyond the top rank of independent producers.

Some influence was better than none. He would keep putting money into the company. Not simply to make it easier to pursue women, though he couldn't pretend that played no part. More than that, he wanted some ability to protect the people close to him: Naomi, Jordana, Katie, Zooey, Camilla, and the others.

Bringing Naomi to stay at the Beverly Hills house and having breakfast with Galen and Sanders was part of an effort to strengthen those ties. Since the move, they had rarely spent time together like that. Katie had already stayed on another occasion. Jordana, not yet on summer break, had agreed over the phone to come. Zooey had neither accepted nor refused. Galen and Sanders knew to keep those private visits to themselves.

Hughes had paid heavily for compromising photographs of Hepburn and threatened the newspaper owner to protect her, even after their relationship ended. Adrian thought he might hesitate at the cost. He wasn't Hughes. In the end, though, he would probably do the same if the relationship had meant enough to him. 'Who would be my Katharine Hepburn?'