"It isn't lucrative." "Yeah, you got to always consider the cost preparation." "Ask Uri." "Hold on a second." "Hello?" "What's up?" "I'm good. I had a great meeting today." "Damon Dash." "Great meeting." "Yeah." "Hold on a second." "Let me take this, man." "Yes, Damon is definitely...." "Hello?" "Damon is definitely building the studio." "I'm definitely producing, and you are in." "Listen to me very carefully." "This is my year." "I have two guaranteed shots at blowing up." "Number one:" "Damon Dash is buying a movie studio and making me his top producer." "And number two: if by some freak accident his deal falls through... then Count Tommaso Lupo, this billionaire Italian media mogul... is desperate to hire me as his right-hand guy." "Yeah." "Check out Belize." "It's off the coast of Mexico." "It seems to me they've got very bribable cops." "Ford!" "l'll call you back." "Where have you been?" "Hey, sweetie!" "lt's been two years!" "How are you?" "No!" "Where have you been?" "It's been two years." "You remember $9,300, what I gave you when you were a bum?" "Are you still a bum?" "I want my money, $9,300." "You seriously hitting me for $9,300?" "l called. I sent e-mails." "You haven't returned any of my messages." "Are you crazy?" "This is incredible." "Where is my money?" "l was talking about you..." "No!" "$9,300!" "Let's talk about that!" "...with Damon Dash." "Are you finished?" "I don't care about Damon Dash." "No, I'm not finished." "Go ahead, finish." "l want $9,300." "Remember that?" "l gave it to you when I didn't have it." "You should finish." "And I felt sorry for you!" "l'm producing two films with Damon." "l want $9,300. I don't care about him!" "He's building a film studio." "l don't care!" "Showed him pictures, you'll be a star." "l don't care about being a star!" "l was just talking about you." "l want $9,300." "And he loves the idea." "This is classic." "l don't care. I want my money." "You want $9,300?" "Get away from me. I want my money." "l'm offering you $93 million." "l don't want it." "And you go for chump change." "We'll talk, after you show up with it." "l used to think you're a moron." "l'm wrong!" "You've got a psychosis!" "You are wrong. I want my money!" "It's like a self-destructive disease!" "You're crazy!" "l wish you were a moron." "l want my money. $9,300." "Look around." "l am not looking around." "You will always remember you blew it." "l want my money now!" "A chance at fame for cigarette money." "You want it?" "I'm going to a meeting." "I've got $10,000 in my jacket." "Hand it over!" "I want it right now!" "Are you sure?" "Give it!" "Don't look at me like that!" "Are you positive?" "l want my money!" "Now!" "This is the moment." "The ship is sailing away." "Give me my money!" "You're killing the golden goose." "Fine!" "Right now!" "That's all I want." "You're pissing me off so much, I'm going to give it to you." "You don't have it." "Liar!" "l'm not gonna 'cause you're a moron!" "You're such a liar, you make me sick!" "You're sick, destructive." "Won't give it." "l want my money!" "Goodbye, moron!" "Remember this moment." "Oh, my God!" "Ford, don't walk away from me, Ford!" "Excuse me, are you Prof. Ben Rabinowitz?" "Yes." "You must be Vera." "Great to meet you. I had no idea you were this lovely." "Thank you." "What's up?" "You're late." "That's what's up." "I had a meeting in the park." "This is not a meeting?" "What you got?" "Listen. 1-900 phone calls." "Are you familiar with that kind of stuff?" "l'm sure you made a couple." "A few." "We could set up an account, outside of the country." "Let me ask, as I'm interested when someone applies for a job... as an assistant, because it's a job that can be any number of things." "What do you want from this job, and what do you want from life?" "Where are you in your life now?" "Wow, that's a big question." "You'll need bribe money for the local cops." "It's not a lot of money." "You know what I mean?" "You got to check out what's the best place." "Bermuda.... lt's a safe common thing because they're out of our jurisdiction out there." "I read the book you just published." "Horror of Horrors, yes." "Very interesting." "Prof." "Rabs." "Hey." "Hey, how you doing?" "This your friend?" "How you doing?" "This is, I hope, my new assistant." "How you doing?" "This is my guy I was telling you about." "Yes." "Ready to do the damn thing." "Good." "What I'm doing is these guys are gonna come into my class." "lt's open season." "Trying to mix races." "You're going to work for this guy?" "I'm going to try to." "Carol!" "Gas, gasoline prices are going up like crazy. I got a guy... bringing in...." "He owns a gas station down in Brooklyn." "What we do is mix a little water with the gasoline." "They're gonna come in thinking they're gonna get a lecture prepared by me... and instead I'm going to step back and turn over the hour to you... and just say to them, "Experience this reality."" "Hey, Carol!" "Not enough to mess up the actual cars... but just enough to make it worthwhile, you know what I mean?" "No, you get a layover on...." "Listen." "You get a little layover on the money." "What are we, the consultants?" "The fucking thing adds up." "We go in." "We set up the guy." "Why is this funny to you?" "It's remarkable how one book and one course... can serve to bring out all kinds of people... and connect and erase artificial boundary lines." "People are plagued by sexual-- -ls that Mike Tyson back there?" "Hey, Carol!" "I don't believe this shit." "Excuse me." "Mike Tyson." "I'm Hassan Al-lbrahim Ben Rabinowitz." "I'm a professor of African studies... at the university here." "And I would love it if you would come to my class... to talk to my students because I think they could benefit greatly from you." "Listen, brother, I'm not who you believe I'm to be. I'm Buck, nigger." "I'm Buck from Minnesota." "You don't know me." "Take the finance pages." "There were two stocks with the same symbol." "One was on NASDAQ." "One was on the American Stock Exchange." "One was worth 50¢ a stock and the other was worth $75 a stock." "You're not Mike Tyson?" "No, nigger. I'm Buck." "l thought you were Mike Tyson." "l'm Buck. I don't give a fuck!" "Fucking Christ!" "Hold on a second." "lt's perfectly legal. lf you got the...." "Shit. I'm sorry, Ford." "It's Buck, nigger." "I'm pimping in the light." "Now, go on." "If you knew better, you'd do better." "Get the fuck away from me." "All right." "Okay." "You know, bin Laden, Sharon, intermediator, Midwest crisis!" "Good luck, Buck." "I don't believe this bitch." "You should look into this other thing." "What are you looking at?" "Look over here." "Listen to me, I got this porn thing happening." "What do you got?" "Distribution of porn." "Bringing in these beautiful girls from Kyiv..." "Moscow, Saint Petersburg." "These girls are working for nothing." "What do you do?" "l'm retired, actually. I work out a lot." "You do." "Where do you work out?" "Sport Club Reebok." "Really?" "Me, too." "Yes." "Do you?" "Your name is?" "Vera Barrie." "And yours?" "Michael." "Michael, right." "Of course, yes." "Nice to meet you." "I didn't want to interrupt anything, but that turns out not to be Tyson." "At least he says he's not." "Are you serious?" "I don't know." "He says he's not Mike Tyson." "He looks a lot like him." "This is my daughter, Vera." "Hi." "How are you doing?" "Hi, pleased to meet you." "That's an amazing bracelet." "l bought it downtown in SoHo." "Would you like something like that?" "Yeah, it's nice." "So, uptown or downtown?" "l'm on the Upper West Side." "Okay." "Maybe I'll see you there." "That would be great." "Okay." "Nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you." "That's a friend of yours?" "Yes. lt's a friend, Michael, I've known for a while." "So, anyways l was saying that actually...." "Oh, God." "Prof. Rabinowitz." "I'm jammed, overwhelmed." "Maybe the week after next I'd love to. I'm sorry." "Could you set up, like, a makeshift set?" "You know?" "Yeah, sure." "These girls are working for free, basically." "Then you gotta redistribute all over North Hollywood and California." "There's a lot of competition for that." "But that's good." "I will absolutely try to." "We'll have some surprises for you, too." "Okay?" "Sorry, I should have called." "But okay." "Thank you." "l don't know what to say." "Pardon?" "You don't have to know." "What are you doing today?" "You having a good day?" "Just hanging around." "I had to go to class." "Really?" "Are you waiting for someone here?" "You." "No?" "Do you think I can get your number sometime?" "Yeah." "Yeah?" "I got it." "Ended up being a beautiful day, huh?" "Yes." "Beautiful weather, 80 degrees, sunshine." "You know what I'm saying?" "You stay here in the country." "You put a little suit on." "l call from somebody else's phone." "Exactly." "You go into a big business, like a hotel, or something." "Right?" "Hotel's good." "You doing anything tonight?" "I'm not sure yet." "But I'll let you know." "All right." "Okay." "Cool." "Thank you." "Nice meeting you." "Sorry about that." "Are those students of yours?" "No, those are actually teachers." "Oh, really?" "Yeah." "And I assume that's an old friend of yours?" "From about five years ago." "Haven't seen him in a while." "Like the other guy, too?" "Actually, it's weird I saw both of them." "lt is weird." "I'm the mouthpiece." "So I'm taking most of the risk. lt's 60l40." "When did you become a negotiator?" "I'm taking the risk." "You're here in the country." "lf shit goes-- -l'm in the country?" "If shit goes down, you get five months, tops." "l'm the one outside dealing with shit." "Whatever." "That raises an interesting question." "Did you actually know those two guys... you strangely enough approached?" "Or were they new?" "No." "Like I said, one of them, this last guy, I haven't seen in five years." "It was a shock to see him." "The other I haven't seen in a couple of years." "Now, if we're going to work together... the only way to make it worthwhile is if we're truthful." "So I am going to say something abrupt to you. I think you're lying." "I think you took the occasion... of my odd sudden encounters... to, in effect, explore the possibility... of knowing two men on one street whom you found attractive... and there's no reason you shouldn't be able to admit that if that's the case." "Okay, you're right." "No, I hadn't met them before." "Forget it." "Listen, mail-order brides, are you familiar with that concept?" "Nothing judgmental. ln fact, to tell you the truth, it intrigues me." "And I believe that you're... obviously in your early-middle 20s." "You're on a journey, as we all are." "And that journey is just beginning." "I'm at a different stage of my life." "I feel it necessary now to have a social-philosophical context... to feel I'm doing good in bringing races, colors, and creeds together." "You're finding out who you are, and that's a legitimate place to be." "What are you thinking right now?" "I think that this... extremely wonderful sales pitch that you're giving to me... about how you might be able to help my life or help me discover myself... might possibly, I don't want to offend you, but might possibly be... an intelligent ruse to see whether I'll fuck you." "You are absolutely and completely and totally wrong." "Really?" "Yeah." "I don't believe it." "You're right." "If you're making me admit something, I'll make you admit something." "And you did." "You're partially right." "The thing is, it is a side benefit, maybe." "What I'm really interested in is... can I be of use in some interesting way... to somebody who is on a journey?" "I like to feel connected to people who are young." "That's why I teach." "And it fascinates me to take someone who is smart and lovely... and just starting out in life and to be part of that journey if I can." "That's lovely, if that's the intention." "I would be grateful for that... because I'm looking for that in my life." "I'm not looking for mentors who are looking for something sexual from me." "Okay." "Then we'll have a great relationship." "Great working relationship, yeah." "We'll start next week?" "Okay." "Thank you." "I cannot believe I allowed... you three to talk me into this." "You should be home grooming yourselves." "Instead you're getting all messed up and disheveled." "Can we talk about this later?" "Okay, but I'm not introducing you to Damon... if you're not crisp and neat and clean." "I'm not going." "Okay?" "Are you okay?" "You're Lori Singer, right?" "Yeah." "l thought I knew you from somewhere." "l'm Vera. I love your work." "Thank you." "I've enjoyed it." "I liked you in Short Cuts." "Thank you." "It's wonderful working with" "Was that your boyfriend?" "He's a friend of mine." "A very good friend." "This is unbelievable." "Look, there's no way... you're meeting Damon today." "Your feet and your knees... are muddy." "Your clothes are wet." "I love the right cheek... of your ass." "What about the left one?" "It's good with your right cheek." "It's perfect." "So what do you do?" "I'm just searching, walking around and searching." "Really?" "Yeah." "I haven't quite figured it out yet." "What have you been up to?" "Actually, I'm going to work on a Woody Allen film." "You are?" "Yes." "He's great." "Yes." "That's cool." "Have you worked with him before?" "Just spoken with him about a number of things." "And I like his work a lot." "Nice." "So I look forward to that." "Fun, fun." "So you're still doing films?" "You're still acting?" "Yes." "And I've got a couple of concerts this summer and" "Concerts?" "That kind of thing." "What kind of concerts?" "l play cello." "You do?" "Come on, let's go." "Yes." "l'm sorry." "lt was nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you." "Good luck, whatever you choose." "Thank you." "What are you looking at?" "What?" "What are you looking at?" "What am I looking at?" "You were looking at that girl." "I'm not. I'm looking at the squirrels running around." "There are no squirrels." "Why can't you let us come and meet him now, Ford?" "'Cause you're sweaty and unpresentable." "I'll make it tomorrow." "Go home and get ready." "I think we look great." "Yeah, Ford Welles." "Yeah, I told Damon Dash." "Damon and Biggs were going to meet me at 1 1 :00, two-and-a-half hours ago." "I left three messages in the last hour." "Are they receiving the messages?" "Ford." "F-O-R-D." "Hold on." "This Damon's car?" "What's going on, fellows?" "Hold on there, bro." "Nice ride." "You were gonna let him get in?" "How's it going?" "Ford Welles." "How's it going?" "Hold on a second." "Can I call you right back?" "Ford Welles." "Nice to meet you." "What's up?" "What you need?" "I was worried that you weren't going to show up." "What are you talking about?" "You want an autograph?" "You have a pen?" "No, 1 1 :00." "Ford Welles." "Who?" "Ashley set up a meeting with me at 1 1 :00." "Right here." "I got a meeting here, but it ain't with you." "She told me we would meet here at 1 1 :00." "About meeting some girls." "Hello." "Hello." "Hey, sweetie." "Hey, Mom." "Did all the furniture arrive yet?" "No, but they delivered the bed." "I hope it's a firm, hard mattress." "lt's great." "Great." "Yeah, really hard and really firm." "A firm, hard mattress is essential for your back, honey." "Hang on." "Okay." "Hello." "Hey, Vera." "What's up?" "Hey, you." "I'm actually in your neighborhood." "Are you?" "Yes." "What are you doing?" "I'm done with class." "Can I come up?" "Of course." "Okay, I'll see you in five." "Come straight up." "Bye." "Bye." "Sorry, Mom." "How's Dad?" "l got a stable full of beautiful girls." "What, you like a pimp?" "l'm not a pimp. I'm a friend of theirs." "That why your collar's like a pimp's?" "You got a show going on?" "Seriously though, you have not seen girls like these before." "All right?" "I'm talking about models and actresses." "One of them was in Vanity Fair." "One was a daughter of a debutante." "I'm involved." "I'm just gonna explain something to you." "These other people that do that." "I'm in the videos. I love the girls." "One of them raps." "Two of them, actually." "Hey, mama." "What are you doing?" "Capturing your radiance." "Great. ls this a new hobby?" "I'll make it one." "You're hot." "Stop." "You're hot!" "Stop." "You are, look at you!" "You're making me feel uncomfortable." "You need to own it, girl." "So, we can have some lunch?" "Yes, we're going to have some lunch." "Okay, put the camera down." "You're hot." "Say it." "Stop, Vera." "No." "Yes." "l don't want to." "I don't want to be filmed." "Don't hide from me." "Stop." "l want to kiss you." "Can I kiss you?" "Yes." "Good." "Listen, if you want to stop by, like a 20-minute thing." "You meet these girls." "You could help." "Honestly, to be quite honest with you, I don't need any girls." "I'm talking about rappers, singers, actresses, multi-talented models." "He wants to know what you're selling." "This is my partner, Biggs." "How's it going?" "Great to meet you." "Weren't you talking about somebody calling somebody?" "These girls are beautiful. I met your girl Ashley...." "What's her name?" "Hangs out at that club on Avenue C." "Have a good time." "Good luck." "I'm just talking about 20 minutes." "You could meet these girls." "You'd be blown away." "I'm talking about setting up studio time." "I could produce films for you." "You're starting a studio." "Did I tell you you were hot?" "This window is hot." "It's time to try that bed." "I'm not kidding." "Excuse me, Count, I know Richard Meyers is a great architect... but the place seems a bit high, doesn't it?" "I'm not worried about the money." "I'm not so sure I want to be on display so people can spy on me in the street." "The Coleman deal is heating up." "I figure we make our move now." "I'm sure the stock will be able to clear six easily." "It'll clear ten." "The word is the jackal is gonna try to make a problem for us." "Let him try." "I've got the preliminary agreement on the Franco-ltalian telecom deal." "Want to initial it?" "Not until I read it." "Pronto." "Just say in honor of the Count Tommaso Lupo." "What Forbes article?" "The 400 richest Americans." "You're not included 'cause you're not American." "But they make reference to you in 1 1 of the entries." "What kind of references?" "Partnerships, stock positions, etc." "Et cetera?" "l haven't actually seen the article." "Well, get it for me today." "What about the CDs?" "I got Bach, the Beethoven Emperor Concerto, and the Beethoven sonatas." "All played by Glenn Gould?" "Mostly." "They didn't have the Gould recording of the Beethoven." "If I asked you for a Mercedes, would you bring me a Lincoln Town Car?" "Of course not." "If I ask you to get a Gould recording, it's because I want a Gould recording." "Give the others to a musical illiterate who doesn't know the difference... and find me the Gould." "Yes, sir." "Pronto." "Tell him if he wants to fly in from Tokyo tonight... I can discuss it with him at breakfast Friday at The Regency." "You have the mayor at 9:15." "8:30 to 8:45." "I can give him 15 minutes." "Count, Richard Turley... an influential journalist wants to do a cover story on you for a magazine." "What kind of magazine?" "I don't know." "He's a freelance writer, but anything he writes will be good." "What's his angle?" "He's a respectful admirer and he shares your politics." "Does he?" "What are my politics?" "What do you want me to tell him?" "Meet him." "Make him understand I want to see the article before he turns it in." "Count." "Forgive my rushing in, but I know you appreciate initiative..." "and I was afraid I'd miss my chance" "What do you have, Ford?" "The deal I was mentioning to you before: models, movies, music... the entertainment company I'm putting together. lt's on the verge of fruition." "I have these three actresslmodellrappers, all blonde." "Very highbrow." "All beautiful." "Unbelievably talented." "Global appeal." "Like a higher breed, like a more elegant breed of rap." "Not the kind of thing you usually" "What's up?" "Sorry." "Kendria, what're you doing here?" "You told me to meet you." "I said I have a meeting." "You're supposed to meet me at the restaurant." "Gentlemen." "How are you?" "Hi, Michael." "Good to see you." "Good to see you." "The Count's running behind." "He's only going to have a minute or two for you." "Wait in the restaurant." "The Count and I have important business" "A count!" "For real!" "Oh, my God!" "I've never met royalty before!" "This is not the time or place." "That is so dope." "This is an important meeting." "l rap. I'm good." "Different style from what I was talking about." "She is more of a niche market." "Get you naked, can't wait to taste it" "This is not...." "The others are...." "Don't talk about blowjob rap in front of royalty." "You're screwing this up." "Sorry." "My employees are like my children." "He has my number." "l'm too lenient with them sometimes." "I'll meet you at the restaurant." "Have a good day." "I'm very pressed for time. I thought I made it clear." "Perhaps I didn't." "I operate in secret, so I won't be interested in your new ideas... until we resolve the matter that we were talking about when we first met... which, frankly, is the reason I'm standing here talking to you." "I understand fully." "So are you going to introduce me to this person I wish to meet or not?" "l am. I absolutely am." "When?" "As soon as I...." "You haven't even mentioned it?" "I have." "We've discussed it extensively." "She is dying to meet you." "She read all the articles I gave her." "Looked at the pictures." "She said you were elegant and stylish and dignified and distinguished." "Did he speak to the senator?" "He had me speak to the senator." "He authorized me to tell you it was... economically and politically a complete success." "Did you get anything on paper?" "Nothing on paper in a real way." "The senator is averse to paper trails." "Are you happy with that?" "Well, if I can't count on the Count, then who could I count on?" "My sentiments exactly." "You showed her the spread in GQ?" "She flipped." "She went nuts." "She said you wear clothes as if they were tailored right on your body." "So what's the delay?" "is there a problem you're not telling me about?" "Or a personal resistance?" "No." "None at all." "No way." "None." "Zero." "Nada." "If it were, I would understand." "I'm a man of the world, you know." "Absolutely." "I mean, absolutely not." "Zilch." "When will you do this?" "I'll be in Rome and Saint Petersburg on Saturday." "I won't be back for two weeks." "I am with you fully and completely." "When?" "Now." "Now?" "Meaning?" "Now." "It's open." "Hey, angel." "Hi, baby." "Shit." "This place is shaping up." "You rich little daddy's girl." "What the fuck are you doing?" "How dare you provoke me like this." "How are you?" "Good." "Nice bed." "Firm and hard, just like you like it." "That's what I said to my mother." "l beg your pardon?" "My place is good, huh?" "Once everything's unpacked and the furniture's in, it'll be a sensational loft." "I am sure it is." "It's nice when money is not an issue." "I am going to whack you." "Where is your sense of humor?" "Bend over and I'll look for it." "Bend over?" "Yes." "Bend over?" "I saw this really interesting film last night, by the way, on cable." "Did you?" "What was it called?" "I don't remember the name." "It was an Italian movie. lt was cool." "It was about this billionaire... who pays $1 million to this other guy to fuck his wife... and the husband actually facilitates the whole thing." "Really interesting." "How is that interesting?" "It leads to some intriguing questions." "It leads to... the fundamental existential question... we all have to face before we can know who we are." "Namely, what am I capable of doing?" "Are you speaking sexually?" "Sexually and every other respect." "Let's stick with sexually for now." "You're saying, for me to discover... who I am, I need to find out whether I can fuck another man for $1 million?" "That's not what I'm saying." "Where did you come up with that?" "That's the last thing on my mind." "Yeah, the last." "The absolute last." "That's a figure of speech." "It certainly wasn't a specific proposal." "Indecent or otherwise." "Absolutely." "Conscious or unconscious." "That's right." "Why did you bring it up?" "Bring what up?" "The movie." "Stop toying with me." "l'm not toying with you." "Yeah, you are." "Now that you mention it." "Now that I mention it?" "Now that you mention it... I did happen to have, coincidentally... a conversation totally unrelated to this particular subject... with Count Tommaso Lupo." "Count Tommaso Lupo?" "The Italian media mogul." "Yes." "Yes, I know who he is." "So?" "What do you mean, so?" "So where is this going?" "What's it got to do with us?" "I've been working for him recently." "Odd jobs." "He's a collector." "Of what, women?" "Antique cars, rare manuscripts, first editions, you'd be surprised." "Drugs?" "He's one of the most legitimate men in the Western Hemisphere." "Coincidentally." "Coincidentally?" "You said "coincidentally"" "Right." "So the Count saw me kissing you goodbye on the steps... of the Metropolitan Museum after coming out of the Caravaggio exhibit." "What's so coincidental about that?" "Because he'd seen you before in the Air France Concorde lounge... a year ago, when you were returning from Paris with your parents." "And here you were again, affecting him the same way." "How coincidental." "Smitten." "Smitten!" "That's the word he used." "He said he was smitten by you." "Fascinating." "That's my point." "No, thank you." "Leading up to your own indecent proposal." "I didn't make any proposal." "No, but you discussed me with him." "Yes." "And money came up in the discussion?" "Money always comes up in discussions with the Count." "Did he say he wanted to meet me?" "Yes, he did." "And what did you say?" "I said I was sure you'd be fascinated with the stories he has to tell." "And you'd enjoy exposing yourself to someone as accomplished as he is." "is that the phrase you used, "exposing" myself?" "That's not the point." "Then he said something like... he said he would like to give you, as a token of his appreciation... for your loveliness, $100,000." "Which I assume you assume I would give to you." "l hadn't thought that far ahead." "Take a shot, stretch your mind." "Well, if you force me to think about it... I'd probably say since you're in pretty good shape financially... and I'm just getting started, you might want to front it to me." "That's not the point." "Anybody can get money. I could with my eyes closed." "That's not what I'm about here." "I'm a mentor. I'm not a hustler." "I'm a conduit. I'm a circuit." "Listen, listen to me very carefully." "My whole mission on this planet right now... in relation to you, is to introduce you to yourself." "You know that." "You're a deeply sexual human being." "You have major erotic power." "The easiest thing, and the most selfish... would be to convince you to limit yourself to one person." "That'd suffocate you and be ignoble of me." "A hustler would do that... I refuse to hustle. I want to lead you down the path of Ovid and Sappho." "D.H. Lawrence." "Edna St. Vincent Millay." "To say nothing of the whole hip-hop revolution." "It's the path of the Bible. "Seek, and ye shall find." "Know thyself."" "You are so ready right now to open yourself... to discover your capacity for multiple men." "Multiple in the sense of at least a few, maybe not at the same time... but sequentially." "I'm getting ahead of myself here, and you might not want to hear this... since you're a year away from being there... but at some point, you're gonna be ready to explore women... and enjoy them." "They already desire you all the time." "You're just oblivious to it." "But that's down the road." "Let's stick to the present." "All I ask is that you meet the Count." "Set it up." "Really?" "It's what you want, isn't it?" "Yeah." "I thought you wanted to make love to me." "I did. I do." "Who's stopping you?" "You know what I love about this building, sugar?" "Security." "24-hour concierge, surveillance monitors, a high-tech intercom system." "Know what I also love?" "The architecture." "No one designs buildings like this anymore." "No one." "Of course no one designs buildings like this." "We live in a different era." "l.M. Pei is not Stanford White, and Rem Koolhaas isn't Mies." "You're saying with a straight face any contemporary architect can do this?" "No one even comes close." "Art isn't a competition." "Of course art is a competition." "Everything in life is." "I can't believe I'm married to such a Philistine!" "Having high standards makes me a Philistine?" "You can drop that stuff wherever you want, Dad." "l'm starved. I've got to get something." "How about over here?" "That's fine. I don't know if I have much in the fridge." "Hey, you got the curtains up." "Yes, I did." "And I love them, and thank you." "What are we on this planet for?" "To make our little girl happy." "She's not a little girl, she's grown." "She's a woman." "Get used to it." "Thank you, Mom." "Thank you for noticing." "Hey, great mattress, pumpkin." "Firm and hard." "I thought we'd have a nice lunch." "What are you guys up for?" "I can't." "The man I am trying to get a job with is coming over at 4:00." "The professor from Columbia?" "He's black, right?" "No." "What makes you think that?" "Your mother said something about sub-Saharan Africa." "That's not what I said." "That's his book, Daddy, not his skin color." "Horror of Horrors." "I don't care." "You know me." "I love black people." "Hey, I've got an idea." "Why don't we have lunch with him?" "Your mother and I can meet him." "Dad, it's an interview." "He's not going to want to have lunch with all of us." "Then your mother and I will wait here until he comes." "Get a little peek." "No!" "For Christ's sake, Victor!" "She is trying to land a fucking job." "At least, honey, I'd like you to take this golden opportunity with this loft... and everything that we are trying to give you to dump Ford." "Very funny, Daddy." "Sugar...." "l'm going down to the car. I get sick when I think of that would-be hustler." "Come in." "You have to excuse the mess." "I just moved in." "I'm supposed to be a man of the world, but all of a sudden... I must confess I feel like a nervous schoolboy." "Well, relax." "Make yourself at home... as much as you can, considering...." "Can I fix you a drink?" "What do you have?" "I have wine, champagne, water, soda, juice." "I'm a thirsty girl." "A glass of champagne sounds lovely." "Okay." "Al nostro futuro." "I hope the slightly artificial circumstances... of this first encounter... don't make you feel too awkward." "No." "Why?" "Do I seem awkward?" "Quite the opposite. I was just.... lt doesn't matter." "I'm still nervous, that's all." "Tell me, did you have anything particular in mind?" "About what?" "Where to go." "What to do." "I have my driver outside... a boat docked at the 79th Street Basin to take us out to sea... and my plane and my pilot on hold to fly you anywhere in the world." "You overwhelm me." "You don't seem too overwhelmed." "You're right, I'm not. I'm impressed." "Actually, I'm not really impressed either. I'm intrigued." "Maybe I better quit while I am ahead." "No, I don't want you to quit." "We're just getting started." "Please, sit." "So what should I call you?" "Count?" "Signor Lupo?" "Tommaso?" "How about Tommy?" "Okay, Tommy." "Did any of those options appeal to you?" "Boats, planes, cars?" "Not really." "You want to know why?" "Rushing off with you right now, even somewhere exotic or exciting... although it might be a ball, to me seems like it would be an evasion." "Evasion?" "Evasion of what?" "Of what's going on." "Going on?" "Between us." "What do you want with me, or from me?" "You mean for you." "That's how I look at it." "Okay, what would you like for me?" "Novelty." "Pleasure." "Enrichment." "And where do you think you can best provide those?" "Running around or right here?" "I see your point." "Apart from being beautiful, you're a very clever girl." "Not girl." "Grown woman." "My mother just straightened my father out on that today." "Oh, yes?" "Yes." "What does your father do?" "He makes money." "There's nothing wrong with that." "No." "How, may I ask?" "How does he make money?" "A little of this, a little of that." "How do you make yours?" "Communications." "Communications?" "Yes." "Why?" "We're communicating right now." "You won't make any money from me." "That's okay. I make enough money from the rest of the world." "I'm curious." "Ford told me about your reaction to me." "Your...." "Passion?" "Passion." "My, my." "I hope you won't make light of it." "Not at all. I'm flattered and curious." "Can you tell me how you found a passion for me?" "I mean, we haven't even spoken." "You know the story of Beatrice and Dante... the greatest poet in Italian history?" "He was seized by her, riveted." "Permanently enamored... and romantically fixated from nothing more than one fleeting glance." "I have always been a creature of instinct." "When something or someone excites me, I know it immediately." "What happened with you, I won't say it never happened before." "So in that sense it's not like Dante, where the vision only happened once." "But there was, there is this urgency to knowing you." "Knowing me in the Biblical sense?" "That's up to you." "As I said, I'm only here to please." "Santa Claus, St. Francis, Mother Teresa all rolled up into one?" "You say that with a touch of sarcasm." "What else do you think I might want from you?" "Want me to take a wild guess?" "The wilder, the better." "Love." "Sex." "Romance." "Someone to make you feel young." "Someone to make you feel desired." "Are you married?" "I've been married for 42 years." "42 years." "Holy shit." "How old are you?" "Sixty-nine, if you'll pardon the expression." "You look pretty good for 69." "Not the greatest compliment I've ever received, but I'll accept it." "I didn't mean to offend you." "I think age is irrelevant." "You're saying that to be kind." "No, not really." "I once saw Picasso on film, and he was really appealing for 80." "But then, Picasso was Picasso." "How much money do you have?" "I'm not sure I follow that transition." "I tend to skip transitions." "Are you avoiding my question?" "I have no idea how much money I have." "$1 billion?" "Depends on the day. lt fluctuates." "Do you have a mistress?" "As a matter of fact, I do." "A cellist." "A lovely and gifted woman." "And how old is she?" "Forty." "Ancient." "My mother is 44." "May I ask you a question?" "Why do you need my permission to ask me a question?" "I will only ask it, if you'll answer without any fear of wounding my ego." "Do I seem fearful of wounding your ego?" "Are you glad that I'm here... or would you prefer that I leave and you never hear from or see me again?" "I'm still curious." "What if I had no money?" "What if I was a flight attendant for Alitalia?" "Aren't you too old to be a flight attendant for Alitalia?" "Let's say they made an exception for me." "You wouldn't be you if you had no money." "You'd be you, minus $1 billion." "That's a big minus." "is it important to you to have a lot of money yourself?" "No, not really." "I'm more interested in the idea of money, how it controls people." "What they'll do to get it." "Ford, for example, he'd do anything to get rich." "He's a desperate, ambitious, frightened guy." "Why are you with him?" "Why do you ask?" "What are you implying?" "That he's too young?" "is that what you're saying?" "That I need to find myself a good octogenarian to liven things up?" "I'm sorry, that wasn't nice." "I'm being mean to you." "All you're trying to do is please me." "I'm giving you a hard time." "What an ingrate." "Maybe I should be punished." "You're not giving me a hard time, but you didn't answer my question." "Why am I with Ford?" "I don't know." "You answer a question like that rationally... it never sounds true, even if you're not lying." "You knew that." "You've been around longer." "So let me see." "He is incredibly beautiful... and he's a great lover." "And he's funny and smart." "And he would kill for me if I asked him to." "Who would you want killed?" "You don't seem like a violent person." "You never know." "When I get angry, I really lose it sometimes." "How much money do you have in your pocket right now?" "About $10,000." "Apart from this." "What's that?" "$100,000." "What for?" "You." "To do what with?" "Whatever you like. lt's yours." "I get that part." "But what is the purpose?" "The purpose?" "It's a token of my esteem." "I thought Ford had spoken to you." "I hope I'm not embarrassing you." "Embarrassing me?" "If I were you, I'd be worried about embarrassing myself." "It's not enough?" "is that what you're saying?" "How would I know if it's enough when I don't know what it's for?" "For a really nice dinner, absolutely." "It's more than enough." "Maybe even 10 dinners, 20." "Twenty maybe even, and a couple of lunches." "But for something else, I don't know." "Why?" "What did you have in mind?" "I told you, to make you happy." "Yeah, so you say." "Unfortunately, you'd come up a bit short if that's your primary intention." "How much more might I need to... come up... aumentare... long enough for your satisfaction?" "I don't know." "Why don't you run out for a while and come back and surprise me?" "Are we talking all cash?" "l'm not talking." "You are." "Would $1 million interest you?" "What's your rush?" "There's no way to verify that the painting is authentic." "I'm asking is there any way to verify that the painting is inauthentic." "Well, find out. i'll talk to you later." "Vera." "Hey, what's going on?" "Vera!" "Hey!" "What's the matter?" "Hey, would you stop" "Don't touch me!" "l never want to see you again." "What's the problem?" "Fucking prick!" "What happened?" "I can fix it, but I can't do anything unless you tell me what's gone wrong!" "The only thing gone wrong in my life is you... the only way you could fix it is by disappearing." "What happened?" "Did he hurt you?" "No, he didn't hurt me." "Get the fuck away from me!" "He did something to you, or you wouldn't be acting like this." "Get away from me before I destroy you." "I will, just tell me one thing." "Did he fuck you?" "Yeah, he did what you arranged for him to do." "Okay." "So where's the money?" "What money?" "The $100,000." "The $100,000?" "How about the $1,000?" "How about the $100?" "I don't follow." "No, of course you don't." "That's why we're having this idiotic argument... you are who you are, you'll always be." "The richest man in Italy." "An international mogul?" "That's what he is." "That's not what he is." "He is a fraud." "Like you." "A fraud, how?" "What did he do?" "It's not what he did." "It's what he didn't do." "He fucked you and didn't pay you?" "l'm not telling you anything." "I'm trying to get away from you!" "Why didn't you get the money before you had sex with him?" "Don't you dare blame me for this!" "You set this up!" "You chose him!" "You promoted him and I have to say, "Cash up front!"" "What am I supposed to be... some streetwalker, picking up derelicts for dinner money?" "Listen, this is a serious problem." "I can handle it." "Go back to the apartment, wait for further notice." "I'm going to drag this cocksucker by his neck... and make him personally beg you to accept the money." "The Count excuses himself for being so late." "He's usually very punctual." "He's just been delayed." "There has been an emergency with the Italian government." "The Count is now busy meeting with the ambassador here in New York." "It's very important." "The Count is on the phone right now." "Perhaps we can take the chance to get some background information... about the Count while we are waiting for him to arrive." "Absolutely." "He should be here in 15 minutes." "This is Ford Welles." "The Count asked for a favor, I've taken care of it." "Do you know where l could reach him?" "Which marina?" "The Count will be absolutely delighted to meet you." "Americans are very curious about this man." "He is the most mysterious man in Italy, right?" "Nobody knows anything." "He's mysterious because he's very private." "He never gives interviews." "There are a lot of questions to ask." "Our readers want to know about this man." "He's so mysterious." "Why is he going to the White House?" "These secret trips to the White House." "He doesn't really know anything." "But what is he doing in China with the satellites?" "He's amplifying his horizons." "Of course the Count will need final approval on the interview." "I always give that assurance to my special subjects." "is it true that he's actually the most important man in Italy?" "He's very busy." "He comes very quickly." "He apologizes for the Count." "He's usually very precise with time." "This is an emergency." "How long will he be in New York this time?" "We're going to need a lot of time to discuss his whole background... and the corporation and the projects in America." "He said we should be able to do everything." "He's very, very interested." "Doesn't he own every television network in Italy?" "is he an intermediary for the Vatican?" "Does he represent the Vatican?" "He would rather not answer questions to do with the Vatican." "He's not authorized, and I'm sure maybe the government" "The Count." "He's coming now." "Michael Burke, the tax lieutenant." "Nice to meet you, sir." "l notice you're looking at the boat." "lt's gorgeous." "You like it?" "Here." "l love it." "This is yours." "Mine?" "For all the good work you've done." "The Count is a very generous man." "Lupo!" "Where's my $100,000?" "Take it easy!" "Take it easy!" "Hold it!" "You want to talk?" "Where's my $100,000?" "Come with me, calm down, we'll talk." "You understand?" "Yeah." "Just a minor misunderstanding." "I want my $100,000." "That's between you and Vera." "Don't play dumb, you prick." "Vera says you fucked and stiffed her." "You didn't give her a dime." "Where's my money?" "I gave Vera $1 million in cash." "You gave Vera $1 million?" "I want you to come right now to Vera's apartment... and tell me in front of her that you gave her $1 million." "Hello." "Hi, sugar, I'm in the car with Mom." "Hey, Dad." "How about dinner tonight at the Tribeca Grill?" "No, I don't think I can tonight." "How about tomorrow?" "Can you hang on a second?" "Okay." "Hello." "I'm downstairs." "I'll leave it open." "Dad, that was my new boss." "I have to go." "Oh, yeah, you found a boss." "Sunday at 9.:00 at Elaine's." "What're you banking?" "We'll talk about it tomorrow." "Okay." "Okay, bye." "I don't feel like kissing you right now." "Are you sure that there are no details that you forgot to mention... about what happened between you and Lupo?" "Nothing you want to add or subtract?" "There is nothing I want to add or subtract, no." "Now you say that this guy... after you allow him to do certain things with you... refused to show any financial appreciation." "And you say you gave my girlfriend... $1 million in cash." "Am I right so far?" "You are right in saying I gave a gift to Vera." "As I made clear to her... it had nothing to do with anything else that happened between us." "It was a gift." "Purely by an act of appreciation and love." "Well?" "Well, what?" "What do you have to say to what he just said?" "He's lying." "Why are you doing this?" "Doing what?" "Standing up for my rights?" "Refusing to play the fool?" "I think the best thing for everybody, under the circumstances... is for you to pay her $100,000, or better yet... to pay me as her designated agent... the $100,000 you owe her, and then get out of our lives for good." "I gave Vera $1 million." "I'm not giving her another cent, which is the way she said she wanted it." "You told me you felt certain things with me, and for me." "That we had an understanding we'd see each other again... and that we would give each other pleasure and go on." "Privately." "That sounds just like me, doesn't it?" "Believable dialogue coming from me." ""The sexual pleasure we gave to one another, a private understanding."" "I'd love to hear that in a court of law." "I'm sure many people would believe it." "I might as well just stand next to you there." "We'd make a perfect couple." "You can say anything you like now." "You could do what you like." "But nothing can change what happened between us last night." "I think this little escapade has gone on long enough." "I am sorry that it had to come to this." "I was ready to look to you as my mentor." "I was ready to do jobs for you, to deliver for you, to share with you... to bring a little youth and fun and light into your life... in exchange for few simple favors... and some cash that you can readily afford." "But you turned out to be exactly what Vera said, a fraud." "And I have no respect for you anymore... and I want my fucking $100,000 dollars now!" "Lupo!" "Lupo, can you hear me?" "Fuck!" "Lupo, wake up!" "Shit!" "Yes, I'm calling from 55, Niagara Street, Apt. 13." "I need to report a homicide." "Homicide?" "lt was an accident." "My boyfriend killed someone." "It wasn't a homicide!" "Hello." "The Count is a major figure in Italy." "This is fucking crazy." "Why am I in handcuffs right now?" "It was an accident." "An old guy fell down." "That's it." "Ask Vera." "Ask her. lt was an accident." "I'm innocent." "He fell." "Death by a blunt trauma to the head." "He died instantly." "It was an accident." "He fell." "He hit his head on the thing." "You got anything else?" "I got a witness, girlfriend." "Said she saw him do it." "Saw me do it?" "It was an accident." "He was an old guy who fell!" "I'm innocent." "This is crazy." "She's in a state of shock." "She doesn't know what she's saying." "Looks like you got it under control." "l do." "Good work." "This is crazy." "He fell and hit his head." "Why am I in handcuffs?" "Why am I arrested?" "I was here when she called 91 1 ." "If I were a killer, why would I still be here?" "I stayed to clear my name." "It was an accident." "That's not what she said." "Anything she says otherwise is because she's in a shock." "Look at her." "She doesn't know what she's doing." "He tripped." "He fell." "He hit his head." "There was no violence." "It was a totally natural, legitimate death." "Detective, look, I can see by looking at you... that you know your job, know what you're doing." "Do I look like a killer to you?" "Nothing you say can help you now." "We're going to take you downtown." "Get an attorney, you talk to him." "That's it." "This is crazy, I'm in handcuffs." "You're taking me downtown." "All I'm saying is... I was here when she dialed 91 1 ." "If I had killed him, why would I be here?" "I stayed so I could clear my name." "I could be on my way to Canada right now." "This is nuts." "I've never hurt anybody in my life." "I have no record at all. I'm a hustler." "Let's go." "Maybe a little harmless hustler." "I've never been arrested in my life." "You have now, pal." "This is crazy!" "Vera, tell them!" "Don't let them do this to me!" "This is nuts!" "I'm innocent!" "Vera!" "I'm innocent!" "I didn't do anything!" "Vera, tell them!" "Hi, Mom." "Not good, actually." "Yeah. ls Dad there?" "I am going to come over and talk to you guys, okay?" "No." "No, I'm going to take a shower and get myself together." "I would rather tell you when I get there." "All right?" "Okay." "I love you, too."