Page 14 of Tommy Gabrini: All Fall Down
“Next to nothing,” Tommy said.
Reno inwardly rolled his eyes.Get the gotdamn contract signed, he was inwardly yelling,and then get real with her. But not yet!
“Surely you know my name.”
“I also know,” Tommy said, “that you will benefit greatly by this investment. Our European Industrial Complex will be the first of its kind, with every known industry under its wings. It will be so vast and so important that nobody will be able to replicate it for decades. And by then we will have such a foothold on commerce that they will always be fighting just to catch up.”
The woman listened intensely to Tommy’s take on their business venture, but Reno knew where her mind was. “How tall are you?” she asked him.
“Tall enough.”
“I’m five-nine. Does that intimidate you?”
“Not in the least.”
“How big are you?”
Tommy didn’t answer that. This was ridiculous! But by getting out of that car, he’d already agreed to play this ludicrous game with her for business sake. “Big enough,” he said.
“Oh you are being modest, Tommy Gabrini. I heard you are rather unusual in that department too. Unusual in the supersized sense,” she added with a laugh.
Reno laughed with her, although he found her disgusting too. “Now that you have his vitals,” he said, “and you obviously approve,” he added, “will you now sign this contract so we can get this show on the road?” Reno opened the portfolio he carried.
But she was still wholly focused on Tommy. “I knew one of your girlfriends a long time ago,” she said. “Liz I think her name was. She said you were a great guy. The kind of guy any woman would want. I said yes, but is he good where it counts. She said that too, and we laughed.”
She and Reno laughed at that. “Now about this contract,” Reno said.
“Are you married?” she asked Tommy.
Tommy looked at her. “I am, yes. Married with children.”
“He’s married, yes, but how could a face like that be tied down to one woman?” Reno asked. “He’s married to the world.”
Although Ingrid laughed, Tommy looked at Reno. “The world? Really Reno?” But his response made Ingrid laugh even harder.
“One thing for sure,” she said, “you’re a very alluring man. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Although . . .”
Reno was getting concerned. Was Tommy not going to be enough for her? “Although what?” asked Reno.
“You will require much work I see,” she said, “to get you on my side.”
“You sign this contract,” said Reno, “and he’ll be on your side and you’ll be on his side and we’ll all go home in limousines.”
“Paul Newman fromThe Color of Moneyright?” asked Ingrid.
Reno smiled, even though he had no clue where that line came from.
“But it doesn’t matter. We all go home in limousines already,” said Ingrid, “so who cares about limousines? What really matters,” she added, “is will you, Tommy Gabrini, at least every now and then, be willing to go home with me? Because you’re cute. Anybody ever tell you how cute you are, Tommy Gabrini? Unlike weasel over there.”
Reno saw that she was motioning toward him. And he took offense. “Weasel? Who you calling a weasel? I got your weasel right here,” Reno said and squeezed his balls and lifted them toward her.
Ingrid laughed. Tommy shook his head. It was like a horror show to him.
And he’d had it. He stood on his feet. “I told you I was married and you dismissed it as if it was nothing.”
“That’s because I’ve seen photos of your wife. She’s hardly worthy of you.”
“You don’t know my wife so you would be wise to keep her out of this conversation.”
