Goldengirl

‘We are resigned to that,’ said Serafin. ‘Candidly, there is no point in trying to conceal her intentions once the Olympic Trials have taken place from July fourteenth through the twenty-fourth. She will then be nominated for three events and must make it clear why she is not participating in the relays. There will be four weeks for your negotiations. Is that sufficient?’

‘It will have to be,’ said Dryden.

‘Do you accept the commission?’

‘Hold it,’ broke in Valenti. ‘What’s your percentage, Dryden?’

‘For this assignment, fifteen.’

‘Jesus H. Christ. What does that leave for us?’

‘Eighty-five,’ said Dryden. ‘If it makes the mathematics easier, you can pay me twenty.’

‘Don’t push me,’ warned Valenti. ‘How much do you figure we can hoist?’

‘Provided she gets the three, and is still breathing, something approaching $20,000,000,’ said Dryden. ‘That’s my estimate.’

There was a pause for mental arithmetic.

‘I’m agreeable,’ said Valenti.

‘That goes for me, too,’ Armitage chipped in.

‘We take out the expenses after Dryden’s cut?’ said Sternberg, ‘And split five ways? I make that a little over three million each.’ Cobb had taken a calculator out of his pocket. ‘Check. In that case, it’s okay with me.’

‘Just a minute,’ said Dryden. ‘What does Goldengirl stand to make out of this?’

‘Five good friends!’ squeaked Sternberg, convulsed with his wit.

Serafin was quick to intervene. ‘Of course, I am making provision for her. For administrative purposes, Mr. Dryden, we shall be forming a corporation to be known as Goldengirl Incorporated. It will undoubtedly simplify your agency’s dealings with us. The board is, of course, constituted by the members of the consortium. My share of any profits that accrue will ensure that Goldengirl has everything she requires to finance her for the rest of her life.’

‘But she isn’t on the board?’ said Dryden.

Serafin shook his head. ‘Too young. Instead, I propose to set up a trust fund on her behalf. She will get a generous proportion of my income from her activities. After tax, that is.’

‘May I ask what proportion?’

‘It isn’t settled yet,’ said Serafin, ‘but I had in mind at least a third. She will be a millionaire if your estimate is correct.’

Dryden was thinking fast. He doubted if it would help Goldine materially to join the board. It was better to work through the trust. There wasn’t much room for maneuver with hard-headed characters like Sternberg and Valenti, but he might try squeezing them a little. The best chance of a breakthrough was with Serafin. ‘I’m mainly interested in the backup the board could give to the merchandising campaign,’ he said. ‘I like the notion of a Goldengirl corporation. That’s good business practice. What worries me a lot is the slice she gets of the revenue. It might create difficulties if the press got to know she had no direct interest in Goldengirl Incorporated. Okay, you have an answer to that in the trust, but anyone sharp enough to find out about the trust is going to ask what proportion of the Goldengirl millions goes into it. On a quick calculation, it’s around five per cent. I appreciate the outlay of expenditure on this project, gentlemen, not to mention the risk you are taking and the long-term planning involved. Unhappily, the press and public won’t, and it wouldn’t be advisable to tell them. They’ll see it simply as exploitation. I make no criticism — I’m thinking just from the PR angle.’

‘You’re suggesting we should increase the girl’s share?’ said Cobb, eyebrows twitching.

‘I’d like to see it raised to fifty per cent.’

The silence this created was broken by Valenti. ‘What’s in it for you if Goldengirl’s cut is fifty per cent?’

‘No more than if it’s five,’ said Dryden. ‘I’m interested only in what the public is told. A hostile press could hurt the project a lot.’

‘That figures,’ conceded Valenti. ‘We don’t want some wise guy shooting off his mouth in the Los Angeles Times.’

Dryden nodded. ‘It’s heaven-sent for some investigative reporter out to make a name for himself.’

‘How would you propose that we increase Goldengirl’s share?’ asked Serafin with caution.

‘In two ways. First, by abandoning the percentage concept in favor of a guaranteed sum. Let’s be candid — you weren’t expecting me to come up with an estimate as high as twenty million. I could be wrong; this sort of thing is a crap shoot in many ways. But basing it on contracts we’ve negotiated lately on behalf of top-line stars, and allowing for the girl’s exceptionally marketable personality, it’s the closest I can come to any sort of estimate. It surprised you a little, I could see. None of you were counting on as much as three million a piece, or we would never have had such instant unanimity.’ He paused, preparing them for his terms. If they were led to expect a figure half as much, this ploy might be successful. ‘A guaranteed sum, I said, and I would be prepared to agree the same amount for my agency’s services.’

‘How much?’ asked Sternberg.