The General's Wife

"Can I get you guys something to drink?" Tyler waved in the general direction of a bar cart in the corner of his office. After his guest declined, he motioned them to a seating area in his office. The "office" was actually a pole barn on his ranch. It was located fifty yards from the main ranch house and had been custom built for Tyer's use as an office when working on his Texas ranch. It was luxuriously appointed and could have been designed by Ralph Lauren. Ranch house meets Neiman-Marcus was the motif and it worked well.

The three men seated themselves and Tyler began the discussion. "You've had the proposals for a week. What are your thoughts?"

Alex answered for Jack. "Let's address the issue with Bonham, McLeod, Garcia. We agree to the proposal in principal but with once change."

"I'm sure I can guess," Tyler said dryly, "but why don't you tell me anyway."

"We maintain merchandise rights," Alex stated.

"I told the suits at Ascendent that dog wouldn't hunt when they added it to the contract. I'm sure B-Mc-G retaining merch rights isn't a deal breaker. Other than that, we're good?"

"Absolutely. Now let's talk about Jack. $250,000 seems a bit low for the television rights. Even with the EP credit. How many seasons do you anticipate this show running and why don't you plan on using Jack as a script writer?"

"A quarter million for TV rights for a first-time author with very little name recognition is pretty normal. The executive producer credit will pay off big time for foreign syndication. Everything we put out is snapped up by overseas markets. Jack, your cut as an EP will go over a million per season and we think there is enough material in your book for four seasons. As to writing the scripts?" Tyle shook his head. "I write all the scripts. I'll let you read them and I'll listen to your suggestions, but I have final say on every word of every script. Full stop. End of story."

Alex looked at Jack and shrugged. "It's your call but it's a good deal for you. I want to hammer out a couple of minor changes, but overall, I think you should go with it."

Tyler said, "There is one little thing I want to bring up. You've heard about the casting so far?" Alex definitely had heard about the casting. It was all over the news. Casting Mark Tibbs would have been big enough, but casting Maria Elena Montoya had caused earthquake like tremors throughout Hollywood. That was the biggest "get" of the last decade.

Jack nodded. "Mark Tibbs for James Bonham and Maria Elena Montoya for Angelica Bonham, Robert's wife. Who're you casting as Robert Bonham?"

Tyler turned his head as far as it would go to the right and then the left, as if he was releasing some inner tension. "I've got a guy in mind for the part. He's not a professional actor. As a matter of fact, I don't know if he's had any acting experience. But he has the looks and the charisma and the presence and I think he would be a natural." He paused and sat back in his chair.

"Okay..." Alex said. "Now that you have our interests, who is it"

In reply Tyler handed both Alex and Jack a sheet of paper. Alex glanced down and his eyes grew wide as he immediately grasped where Tyler was going with this. Jack just looked puzzled.

"This is my Wikipedia entry." It took a second, but the penny finally dropped for Jack. "No. Not just no, but hell no."

"Jack, you're perfect for the role. You have the looks and the charisma. I know you're not an actor, but if I can turn a football player and a soccer player into respectable actors, I know we can do it with you too."

"Well, first off, I'm too old to start acting. I would look ridiculous."

"Let me counter that," Tyler said. "Did you ever see the John Wayne movie 'True Grit?'" Seeing Jack nod, Tyler proceeded. "When John Wayne made that movie, he was the same age that Tom Cruise was when he finished filming the last Mission Impossible movie. And you're almost a decade younger than Tom Cruise. I'll throw one other name at you: Audie Murphy. The most decorated soldier of World War II. He was awarded every medal for bravery by every allied country in the war. He became an actor. And he wrote an autobiography and starred in the movie version of that autobiography playing himself. You'll be fine, Jack. If a Texas boy like Audie Murphy can act, I know you can!"

"But...I mean...I..." Jack cast around trying to counter Tyler's argument. He was stuck for a reply. He finally looked at Alex who was trying to hold back his laughter.

The Gables on the Creek Restaurant

Turtle Creek

Dallas, TX

"Mrs. Bullard, I am so glad you could join me."

Kathy could not believe her luck. She had only been married to Jack for three months and already things were happening for her! When she received the phone call from Carolyn Collier asking to meet for lunch, she thought there must be some mistake. Carolyn Collier was the doyen of Dallas society and married to the owner of Collier Petroleum. Carolyn had told Kathy that the meeting was about the annual Beef and Oil Gala. Kathy knew that the BOG was the most exclusive annual event held in Dallas. It was Texas' version of New York's Met Gala. Every mover and shaker and politician and celebrity with Texas roots would be there.

"Please call me Kathy," she said as she exchanged an air kiss with Carolyn.

"And I'm Carolyn," she smiled. This was only partly true. Her closest friends called her Cary. She had a feeling that Kathy Bullard would never have that honor, but who knows?

The ladies sat and were soon approached by a server who took their drink orders. Taking her cue from Carolyn, Kathy ordered a Chardonnay as well.

"We were surprised to hear that Danny Bullard got married. Everyone thought that he was a confirmed bachelor. No one even knew he was dating anyone."

"We were dating for several months. We chose to keep our relationship quiet. I'm kind of a private person and don't like to spread my personal business out there."

Carolyn gave Kathy an appraising look. She only partly believed her story. She was reminded of a line from Julius Caesar about Cassius having "a lean and hungry look." Carolyn was sure there was more to the story but chose not to pursue it. A wife's background was not necessarily a dealbreaker. She knew of an African-American Supreme Court justice that had met his Caucasian wife on a race-play prostitution website. As long as a wife managed to bury her past, who cared?

"That's awesome," Carolyn said. "To shift the topic to the reason I wanted to meet you; are you familiar with the Beef and Oil Gala? The BOG?"

"Yes, of course. It famous. Anyone who is anyone goes to the Beef and Oil Gala."

"Well, that's true. But it's actually a charity fund raiser. Every year we collect about ten-million dollars for charity with the BOG. I've been the chairman for the last ten years and my co-chair has been Lorena Garcia-Marquez for the last five of those years. Lorena wants to take a step back this year to spend time with her husband and their new child."

"You had a Mexican girl as your co-chair?" Kathy asked in surprise. Maybe BOG wasn't as big a deal as she thought.

Carolyn considered Kathy through narrowed eyes. "Lorena Garcia-Marquez is Texas royalty. Her great-great-great-grandfather died at the battle of San Jacinto fighting for Texas independence against Mexico. Her great-great grandfather was one of the co-founders of the oldest and most well-respected law firm in Texas, if not the United States. She is a partner at that same law firm of Bonham, McLeod, Garcia and so is her husband. She is not some "Mexican girl"."

Kathy paled at hearing this and knew that she had committed a faux pas. Did Carolyn know that she was once married to a McLeod and that he wrote a book about the law firm? She had rumors of a TV series based on the book. Kathy looked around the restaurant. Was she being set up? "I apologize. That came out so much worse that what I meant. She sounds like an amazing person and I would love to meet her someday."

Carolyn gave Kathy a side-eyed look, but chose to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was nervous. Maybe she was racist. Maybe she was a nervous racist. If so, that put her firmly in the camp of half the wives in Dallas.

"So anyway, we are looking for someone that can bring both new blood and a sponsorship to the Beef and Oil Gala. This year's Gala was held last month, but we start working on the next Gala immediately after."

Now we get to it, Kathy thought to herself. What her ex-husband would refer to as the rat-killing. She wasn't being set up; she was being hit up. The co-chair of the BOG if she could swing a big enough donation.

"How much of a sponsorship are you thinking?" Kathy asked.

Carolyn had been looking for a $250,000 sponsorship. Based on her overall vibe with Kathy Bullard, Carolyn revised that number upward. "$300,000," she said.

Kathy let out a gasp at that number. That was a huge amount. There was no way that she could commit to that without discussing it with Danny first.

"I have to discuss this with my husband," Kathy replied.

"Of course, my dear. Think it over and let me know. But also keep in mind all the doors that this will open for you. You are new to Dallas society. It can be difficult to get an "in" with the right set. This will set you up nicely. Now let us enjoy this Tuna Niçoise, shall we?" Carolyn knew her social climbers and how to appeal to them.

Executive Offices, Fenix Financial

Austin, TX

Office of Michael Sullivan, CEO

"Hi Danny. Good to see you again." Michael Sullivan ushered Danny Bullard into his office and toward the chair sitting in front of his desk. Some dealers he took to the sitting group in the corner of his office; some he placed in front of his desk as a power play. He did not like Danny Bullard and wanted this meeting to be over as quickly as possible. The only reason that he had agreed to see Danny at all was because he had made the drive from Dallas to Austin without an appointment. Michael felt that he could give him a few minutes.

Once the pleasantries were dispensed with, Michael asked Danny what he could do for him.

"Our dealer participation agreement is up for renewal in six months," Danny said. "I want to talk to you about an early renewal."

As the CEO of Fenix Financial, Michael did not usually involve himself in dealer negotiations. He employed a sales staff for that. If a dealership was large enough and sold enough of Fenix Financial F&I products, they often asked that Michael be personally involved in the process. Other dealerships had such a long history with Fenix, that Michael wanted to be involved to maintain his relationship with the dealers. Danny Bullard was neither of those. He was a former football player and was arrogant enough to think that warranted the involvement of the CEO.

"We can talk about that," Michael began. He tapped a few keys on his computer. "Year to date, you are down ten-percent in Finance and Insurance product sales but your loss ratio is up 20%. Tell me about that."

Danny's face flushed for a moment as Sullivan questioned his operations. He had always thought of Michael Sullivan as a pencil-necked geek. The kind of bean counter who sat behind a desk and dotted i's and crossed t's all day and had no idea about the real world. He looked down on Sullivan and considered him to be a big pussy. If Danny had ever deigned look around Michael's office, he would have noticed the Golden Gloves trophies and the photos of Michael from the army. He might have even noticed the ranger tabs on Michael's uniform. But probably not.

"As far as business being down; we are in a down cycle. Car sales in Dallas are either down or flat at most dealerships. It happens. Business is up; business is down. We'll be up in a few months. As far as our loss ratio being up so much...we lost our service manager a few months ago. I'm having to manage the service department plus manage the dealership. It's kicking my ass, but I have some interviews lined up for service manager and I hope to fill that soon. That will get a handle on the loss ratio." Danny knew that this concern would pop up. The dealer's loss ratio was the percentage of sales of extended warranty versus what the claims on those extended warranties totaled. You had to call in a claim if it was a legitimate failure. It was when the service department started inflating those claims that the problems began. A car needs one tie rod but you tell the warranty company that it needs two. A gasket is barely seeping a tiny bit of oil but you report it as a leak with drops visible. Suddenly a two-hundred-dollar claim is inflated to twelve-hundred. Great for the dealership's bottom line, but not so great for the extended warranty company. Especially considering the dealer override.

Ah, the override. As an incentive to sell their F&I products (extended warranty, GAP coverage, appearance protection plans, tire road hazard warranty) Fenix Financial provided a no interest loan to the dealership principal (owner.) This loan was paid back via the sales of F&I products. That is why sales managers and F&I managers pushed those products so hard. They had no idea what the owner's incentives were, but they knew that to keep their jobs they had to sell F&I products. Fenix Financial had provided Danny with a five-million-dollar loan during the initial signing of their dealer participation agreement. That agreement was ending in six months and Danny wanted to lock in Fenix for another agreement. And loan.

"Considering your decreasing sales volume and increasing loss ratio, we can extend your dealer override to two million, but I don't know that I would be comfortable extending it for more than that."

Danny did not like that answer. "Even with sales being down, we are still the largest GM dealership by volume in the entire Southwest. I was thinking a ten-million-dollar override."

Michael shook his head. "That's not going to happen. I might be willing to go three, but we would have to put certain guarantees and safeguards in the contract."

Danny was not happy but he didn't have much choice, He needed cash now and Fenix Financial was his best shot. He could shop for a new finance company, but that process took months and he needed cash now. Fucking Beef and Oil Gala.

Straight Flush Ranch

125 miles west of Austin, TX

Set of "The Lawyers" TV show

"You settled in okay, Jack?" Tyler Sherman asked. "Have you met the other talent yet?"

Jack McLeod shook his head. "What the hell am I doing here Tyler? Six years ago, I was teaching history at West Point. A year ago, I was teaching history at CTSU. Now I'm supposed to convince people I'm an actor?" Jack shook his head. "You must be really desperate if I'm the best you can do."

Tyler laughed. "Don't forget; I not only saw your screen tests; I was there for them. You're a natural actor. I've seen this with military leaders. Part of being a leader is playing the role of leader. If you're good at it, your soldiers follow you and believe in you. If you're not good at playing the role, they don't trust you or follow you. Like I said, you're a natural." Tyler waved and wandered off to do whatever it is that show-runners do. Jack sat back in his chair (his name printed on the back just like in the movies!) and took it all in.

He had met all the actors during the table reads and was immediately struck by the professionalism of the cast. This was not the entitled, spoiled group of actors that you read about in the Hollywood gossip trades. Everyone showed up on time, ready to work and with their lines memorized. Mark Tibbs seamlessly traded his natural British accent for a southern accent for his role as James Bonham. Jack had lost his most of his Texas twang over the years and had spent enough time in the south that his accent passed muster. But the person that had surprised him the most; the person that he had become in awe of, was Maria Elena Montoya. Everyone knew her tragic story and everyone was considerate of her feelings. She had been away from acting for three years but you would never know it by watching her on set. She was the first on the set and the last to leave. She was always ready and willing to lend a hand to anyone that needed help. It did not matter of it was the gaffer or the caterer. Maria Elena was there offering help.

When Jack had met her for the first time at the initial table read. She had smiled at Jack and told him that she had enjoyed reading his novel. His first thought was, 'yeah sure you read it' but her next words stunned him.

"To really understand Angelica, I wanted to try to get into her head. I couldn't really do that just by reading your novel. I had my agent request a copy of your dissertation and I read that as well. That gave me better insight into who Angelica was as a person."

Maria Elena Montoya was not just a pretty face who could repeat back lines that someone else wrote for her, a "talent" that so many actors of both sexes thought made them special. Nor was she a pretty face that sat atop a pair of long legs that could traverse a catwalk in a fashion show. She also was not just the niece of the king of Spain and the widow of an F1 racecar driver. Maria Elena Montoya was a complex, intelligent woman whose stunning looks hid a near genius IQ. She was comfortable talking about Parisian fashion or quantum computing. She was well read and articulate about a wide range of topics. Jack was smitten with the thirty-five-year-old actress and knew that he needed to stay as far from her as was possible. He could easily make a fool of himself and he would not allow that.

The first scene which Jack would film with Maria was a scene from Episode four. Tyler's original thought had been to cast a younger actor to play a young Robert Bonham. When Jack had shown up at Tyler's ranch with a mustache and his hair grown out, Tyler realized that with a little makeup and special effects they could easily de-age Jack, allowing him to play Robert across decades. This would not only save money; it would provide a more believable continuity across time. And Jack was nailing it.

In the scene they were shooting today, Robert Bonham had been pushing Angelica away. His wife had died in childbirth six months previously and Robert felt that he needed to grieve more. Angelica had been in love with Robert since she was a teenager and yearned for him. Robert was obstinate in his insistence that they not be together. Angelica threw caution to the wind and threw herself at Robert.

Scene: Office interior of Bonham Law Firm--Day

Angelica

"Mi querido, you cannot mourn forever. I am here. I love you. I ache for your touch. Do not push me away."

Angelica walks towards Robert. Her arms are outspread. As she slowly approaches Robert his expression is conflicted. He mourns his wife but she is dead. Angelica is beautiful, vibrant and desires him. Robert closes his eyes and a calmness washes over him. His face seems to relax and a smile crosses his lips. He opens his arms and Angelica throws herself into his embrace. They passionately kiss.

End Scene.

The British have a word that is unique to them. It is a word that is hard to translate into American English. The word "thunderstruck" comes close but is still lacking. The British word is gobsmacked. Kissing Maria Elena left Jack gobsmacked. This was not good. This was not good at all. He had to find Tyler. It was time for his role to be recast

Bullard Chevrolet

Service Department

Danny Bullard was pissed. Out of the four interviews he had scheduled for a new service manager, three had cancelled on him. Two of those had not even bothered to call; they were just no-shows. He had been running the service department as well as the sales department for almost six months and the stress was getting to him. He was yelling at employees and customers alike. His wife had born the brunt of his anger. Last night he was so angry that he had shoved Kathy into the closet door in the bedroom. For a moment he could see the terror in her eyes that he might come after her and harm her. Fuck! He just needed to find a good service manager.