" Alison!" " Good morning, Amanda." "Finish that update on the soft drink account?" " I need it this morning." " Worked all night." "I have it here." " Let's see." " I'll show it to you inside." "I need to read it before my 10:00." "Alison, really, when I ask for an update," "I expect a detailed and thorough analysis." "This is completely slipshod work." "This will do me more harm than good." "What if we show it to Lucy and see what she thinks?" "Frankly, I don't give a damn what she thinks." " You work for me, remember?" " Amanda, I don't know what else to do." "Look, let's just forget about it, OK?" " Fine." " So how's Billy?" "Oh, he's great." "I'm surprised you haven't heard." "He got a new job as fact checker, Escapade Magazine." "Really?" "Good for him." "I guess my encouragement finally paid off." "All he needed was the proper push." "Not that I'm one to take credit." "You know, Amanda, the truth is..." "He doesn't think the two of you should communicate." "Obviously, he has some hard feelings, and his life is complicated enough" " without dredging up the past." " I see." "And that's what he told you?" "Well, not in so many words, but as you know, when you live with a guy, it's easy to read between the lines." "Well, I'm glad he's doing well." "And Alison, next time, please try to do better." "Good morning, Escapade Magazine, please hold." "Yeah." "Yeah, the magazine just wanted to make sure we had all the facts straight." "OK, thanks for your time, bye." "Thanks." "Hey." "I never knew magazines went to such lengths to verify their stories." "Actually, I've been doing some verifying myself." "I called Columbia to see if I could get a copy of the articles you said you wrote for the newspaper." "They keep everything on microfilm." "They cross-referenced your name, and couldn't find one single article." "You're kidding." "That's strange." "You know what," "I must've used William instead of Billy on my by-lines." "No, no, no, I had them check William." "Along with Billy, Bill, Willie, Will." "Even Wilhelm." "Look, I don't know what you're trying to prove." "What're you?" "You lied on your resume." "Think nobody's smart enough to figure it out?" "Cameron, obviously you're very smart." "Nobody hired you to fact check my life." "Oh, I'm sorry." "Call me a zealot." "I have a fanatical regard for the truth, that's why I chose this field." "I won't see it corrupted by the likes of you." "Spare me your speeches." "If you're going to do something, go ahead and do it." "Billy, it's Nancy." "Could you come into my office?" "I'm afraid I already have." "I'll be right there." "You wanted to see me?" "Close the door, Billy, we need to talk." "Sit down." "You know, Billy, nothing's more important to me than trust." "In my friends, my employees." "Can you understand that?" "Look, I know Cameron spoke to you, and the fact is, I lied on my resume." "I didn't go to Columbia." "Employers seem to be more interested in schools than people, so I just figured you wouldn't hire me otherwise." "That doesn't make it right, but..." "Anyway, I would certainly understand if you want to let me go." "Billy, I didn't hire you because of your resume." "You didn't?" "I hired you because I think you've got a lot of potential." "I go by my instincts." "I always have." "What is it you really want to do at this magazine?" "Well, I want to write." "You know, I'm a writer." "Maybe I can give you a chance to prove yourself." "There's a wedding in Hollywood this afternoon." "I need someone to cover the story." "The rest of the staff is busy." " You interested?" " Absolutely!" "Good." "Here's the information." "And..." "I believe in second chances." " Don't let me down." " I won't." "And, Billy..." "Don't lie to me again." "No, I'm telling you that people get attached to their tattoos." "It was an emergency appendectomy!" "Yeah, but you cut the A out of his girlfriend's name, for crying out loud." "Great." "Watch him try to file a malpractice suit." " I have a tattoo." " Oh, you do not." " Do too." " Do not." "Somewhere you'd never expect." " Where?" " Guess." "I don't know." "On your shoulder?" "On your ankle?" "Guess not." "On your..." "Let's just say it's somewhere between my shoulder and my ankle." "That's like all my favorite places." "So what is it?" "A rose?" "Somebody's name?" "What?" " A butterfly." " Really?" "I had it applied while I was in the midst of this torrid affair in medical school." "I guess I was feeling very naughty, very sexy, and very free." "Unfortunately, Dr Hedick doesn't find it quite so alluring." "That's what you get for dating a dermatology resident." " Love that's only skin deep." " Yuk, yuk, yuk." "And now, if you'll excuse me, I've gotta get back to my rounds." "Your left cheek." "You're getting warmer." "Don't look now, but this incredibly gorgeous guy has been checking me out for the last 15 minutes." " Where?" " The one in the suit and tie." " Matt, don't be so obvious." " That's a handsome guy." "Typical." "Now that I'm totally committed to Terrence, men are coming out of the woodwork." "At the market, on the street..." " I'm giving off this scent." " Oh, please." "Give me a break." "It's true." "It's that air of nonchalant unavailability that reels 'em in." "Maybe you're right." "Here he comes." " Hi." " How are you?" " Hi, I'm Scott Daniels." " Matt Fielding." "I know." "I'm a lawyer with the firm that represented your discrimination case." "I'm sorry that we never had a chance to meet." "Well, it's nice to meet you." "This is a friend of mine, Rhonda Blair." " Hi." " Hi." "Well, I recognized you and wanted to say hello and give you my card." "Thanks, but I don't think I'm gonna need an attorney anytime soon." "Even if it's for dinner?" " I'll give you a call." " I'll look forward to it." " It's nice meeting you, Rhonda." " A pleasure." "What was it that you were saying about that irresistible scent" " that you've been giving..." " Shut up!" "Hi, Billy, it's Amanda." "This is my third and final message." "I just called to congratulate you on your new job." "I think it's wonderful, and I never had a doubt in my mind that you could do it." "You have the right stuff." "Anyway, please call." "I..." " Hi." " Hey." "Hey, you know, you were wrong about Cameron." "The geek told my boss I lied on that resume." " Billy, no!" " Then the weirdest thing happened." "She calls me into her office, and she gives me a writing assignment!" "What?" "That's wonderful." "Said she didn't hire me for my education, she hired me for my talent." "Personally, I think she did it to spite Cameron." "What's the story?" " It's a wedding." "A dog wedding." " A what?" "These two Pomeranians." "They met at a party in Beverly Hills, fell in love and got married." "I mean, of course, they could've just lived together, but I mean," "Zsa Zsa got pregnant, then Sebastian, his owner..." "They have great jobs so they figured they may as well start a family." " You're gonna write about this?" " It's for the Urban Absurdities column." "I guess so." "Yeah, well, it's a puff piece, but I'm going to stay up all night and make it the best damn puff piece Nancy's ever read." " That's great." " Any messages?" "No, I think the machine's on the fritz again." "Well, as soon as I get paid, that's the first thing I'm going to buy, a new answering machine." "Right." " Billy, this is wonderful." " Really?" "Yes, I mean it's humorous and satirical without being nasty." " I like that." " Thank you." "I may have to edit, but I think we can use this in this month's issue." "Oh, man." "Fantastic!" "Settle down, you haven't exactly won the Pulitzer." "No, but this is the first time I've made it into a magazine" " that people actually read." " The first time is a rush, isn't it?" "I'll say." "I have an opening for a staff writer position." "It doesn't pay more than you're making now, at first." "But I can guarantee you'll see your name in print at least once a month." " You interested?" " Interested?" "I'm..." "I'm out of my mind!" "OK, take this to Cameron and have him fact check it." "You bet." "Oh, and wait, before you go out there..." "You were crooked." " Now you look like a reporter." " Nancy, I really appreciate this." "I don't know how to thank you." "It's OK." "I'm sure we'll think of something." "Do me a favor, would you?" "Stop working on the next proposal until you get this one right." "Has Lucy seen it?" "Don't waste time challenging me." "I'll show it to Lucy when it's ready." "All right, what's wrong with it?" "The descriptions are trite, the goals are ill-defined and the conclusions read like wishful thinking." "Honestly, I don't mean to be harsh, but your work's not up to the level it was before you went chasing your boyfriend all over the country." " Are we clear?" " Perfectly." "Alison Parker." "Oh, hi, Billy." "I'll expect the rewritten proposal on my desk tomorrow." "Say hi to Billy." "Well, it's time to celebrate." "I was just made staff writer at the magazine." "A promotion?" "That's great!" "How'd that happen?" "You just started." " Well, just lucky, I guess." " And talented." "I'm glad someone appreciates you." "Yeah, anyway, I'm gonna be calling everybody." "What do you say we all have dinner tonight." "Oh, great." "OK, 7 PM, Bangkok Princess, and Billy, congratulations." "You deserve it." "Bye." "A promotion, huh?" "I always knew Billy would do well." " Don't forget to tell him I said hello." " I won't." "To Billy Campbell, out of the taxi cab and behind the computer." "Finally making his living as a writer." " Cheers!" " Cheers!" " He better be able to pay his rent." " Well, thanks guys." "I just..." "I want to say something to you that..." "Oh, my God." "No, I just want to say that the friendships that we all have here has really helped me." "No, seriously, it's really helped me to keep going on this, and..." "I feel like I'm on the road now." "I think that I owe a lot of it to you guys." " So here's to all of you!" " To us!" "We really are proud of you, Billy." "Yes, we all are." "Hi, everybody." " Hi." " Hi." " Hey." " Hi, Alison." "Hi." "I'm just here to pick up takeout, and I wanted to tell you that I've been leaving messages for you on your machine, but I haven't heard from you." "Is everything all right?" "I mean, you're not mad at me, are you?" "No, that machine keeps acting up..." " So, yeah, we should talk." " Definitely." "And I'm sure Alison has already given you my congratulations, but let me make it personal." "Call me." " Bye, everybody." " What was that?" "Billy, if I were you, I'd get my machine fixed." "Oh, that was good." "It's kinda weird isn't it?" "How she just showed up like that." "She just showed up at Billy's Dad's funeral." "She wasn't asked there." "That's what I mean." "She should pick up what's going on." "I mean, he's ignoring her, avoiding her, not returning her calls." "Well, that's partly me." "I've been erasing her messages." "Well, that puts a different spin on things, doesn't it?" "I don't know, man." "I can't see why you're throwing Amanda away." "Keep her around for a friend, at least." " Keep her around?" " Never know what could happen." "You make her sound like she's a lamp or something." "I think all he's saying is maybe you should give her another look." "Unless you're finally gonna step up to the plate with Alison." "Well, that's not likely." "So then what's the problem, man?" "I mean, for a single guy, you sure do make things complicated." "It's simple." "I don't love the girl." "I'm not gonna string her along." "Maybe she doesn't want love." "Maybe she just wants the physical stuff." "Look, it's different for you, you're not married." "Take it from me, follow your libido while you can." " So what happens when you're married?" " Well, actually... nothing." "You're still attracted to women." "I don't think there's anything wrong with that." "I don't think it's something you can turn off and on." " Better keep it on low." " Right." "That's what I mean." "You can have an attraction to a woman, even an intense one." "That doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, does it?" " This is all hypothetical." "Right?" " Well, yeah, it's just conversation." "Something on your mind, Mr Hanson?" "I was just thinking about something Michael said tonight." "He was fishing for permission to talk to this woman he's attracted to." " Permission from you?" " Yeah." "Me and Billy." "He just wanted to see what we thought." " Seems like dangerous advice." " How so?" "Well, it seems to me that you and I were lovers way before we actually did it." "I'm not knocking this body, but I fell for what's inside, you know?" "Didn't you?" " Yeah, I guess I did." " Good answer." "Now, about these body parts..." "What do I look like, Superman?" " Yes." " Good answer." " Billy?" " Yeah?" "Come on in." "Before this gets out of control, I wanted to apologize." "For what?" "I erased Amanda's messages off the machine, she's been asking about you at work and I didn't tell you." "No, it's a little more than that, you lied." "I mean, you told me she hadn't asked about me at all." "Well, I didn't want you to get hurt again." "I told you before I left Seattle that I didn't think she was right for you." "And you know I like to keep my work life separate from my..." " Home?" " Right." "Home." "Anyway, I'm sorry." "And I wanted to make it up to you by taking you out to lunch tomorrow." " I could see where you work." " Sounds great." "I'm still going to get my messages from now on, right?" "Yes." "I promise." "Good." " Night, Alison." " Good night, Billy." " Hi." "I'm looking for Billy Campbell." " Oh, he's schmoozing with the boss." "I'm Cameron." "You the girlfriend?" "Oh, not exactly." "I'm meeting him for lunch." "The doctor cuts off his ears, pulls his scalp up over his head to cover the bald spot, and he's got a full head of hair." "The doctor sews his ears back on and he looks great, he looks like he's 25 again." "But, God, he's so hard of hearing." "Wait." "You said you wanted a light piece to balance the corruption story." "We should do something about this." "Men and hair." "The one thing they can't stand to lose." "It's great!" "We can focus on LA men." "Replacement remedies of the '90s, do women give a damn?" "Et cetera, et cetera..." "You want to do it?" "Sure, I mean, of course it can't compare to the dog wedding, but..." "You'll never have to worry about going bald." "You've got a great head of hair." "Does everyone tell you that?" "Maybe it's none of my business, but it looked pretty intense." "I mean, she had her hand in your hair, and she's looking at you like you're her next meal." "I don't believe this." "We were talking about hair." "You know?" "A story about hair." "Fine, I'm just telling you what I saw." "What everybody in the office saw." "You don't want to believe me, that's up to you." "I was in there." "I know what was going on." "It was work." "What is going on with you?" "Every time I'm around a female lately, you're freaking out." "That is not true." "Amanda, the messages, and now this." "I mean, I'm all grown up." "You don't have to protect me from women." "You don't have to keep them from talking to me, or worry about them hitting on me at work." "I can handle it myself, Mom." "Billy, thank you for lunch." "I've got to get back." "I'm making it on this job because I have talent." "Because I can write." "So last night is two months since I've been going out with Benjamin Hedick, dermatologist and model train enthusiast." "What a geek." "Anyway, we're at this wood paneled steak house kind of place..." "I'm thinking to myself, this is a step up, I guess we're getting serious." "No, Kimberly, not with him." "You can do better, believe me." "Wait." "Over pie and amaretto, he tells me that his old girlfriend from Cedars-Sinai wants to get married." "He wants me to be happy for them and invites me to the wedding." "Oh, my..." "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I think God did you a favor on that one." "Kimberly." "Kimberly, you're a beautiful woman." "You shouldn't waste your time on guys like that." "What?" " Can I be honest?" " Sure." "I cried last night, but not over Hedick." "I cried because I'm falling for a wonderful friend of mine that I can never have." "Does this friend know how you feel?" " He does now." " Oh, Kimberly..." "I wish I knew how he felt." "I'd love to spend the night with him." "At least once." " Hey, good-looking." " Hey, what do you think?" "I think..." "I think this guy's a catch, Matt." "If things go well, maybe you guys and Terrence and I can go out to dinner." "Rhonda, slow down." "We've hardly even met." " Although I am pretty excited." " You see." " Hey, Billy." " Hey, guys." " Hey, how's the new job?" " Never-ending." "I'm going to be working all night." " The price of success I guess." " Yeah, I'm paying it." "Have a good night." " Yeah, you too." " Night." "And you, sir." "You have a very good night." " I'm gonna do my best." " I want details!" " Billy, hi." " Hey." "Look, I just want to tell you..." "I'm sorry about today." "I made dinner." "I thought we could talk." "That's nice, but I've got to get back to work." "I'm on a deadline." "Good, then sit down." "And let's eat." "I slaved for hours over a hot stove getting the damn pasta sauce jar open." "Look, Alison, some of the things you said about Nancy..." "No, you were right." "I was completely out of line." "You know I think you're a terrific writer." "If I get overprotective, it's only cos I care." "I know." "I'm sorry too." "I feel like I've messed things up between you and Amanda." "Truth is, things weren't that hot to begin with." "Every office has politics." "We'll work it out." "So you really think my boss was hitting on me, huh?" "Oh, who knows?" "Maybe she's just a touchy-feely kind of person." "Work situations get weird sometimes." "Trick is to keep boundaries between personal and professional life." "When to be political, when to be a friend." "Isn't easy cos there aren't rules." " Yeah." "Well, you gotta trust your gut." " Exactly." "You're a good judge of character." " You know what you're doing." " I've got to run." "I came back to change the shirt." "Gotta meet Nancy at the office to go over my piece." " What about my dinner?" " I'm sorry, just save something for me." "I'll have it for breakfast." "Kimberly!" "I've been looking for you all day." "Kimberly, we gotta talk." "Kimberly!" "I just want to go home." "I was stupid to say anything." "Now I feel completely humiliated." "Well, don't." "You're a wonderful, bright, incredibly attractive woman, and I don't want us to lose what we have." "Give me a break." "What we have is a little flirtation that went too far." " Listen, I didn't mean..." " I know, I know." "It was a game to you." "I just started to take it too seriously." "Don't worry, I won't make that mistake again." "Now, there..." "Does that feel like a mistake?" "Don't start something you're not willing to finish." "Look, it's..." "It's just not that easy." "Let me know when you figure it out, doctor." " To first dates, awkward as they be." " Hear, hear." " You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" " No, no." "Go ahead." "Nice part about a smoking section." "Light up without somebody calling cops." " Want one?" " No, no thank you." "What a day." "I've been busting my ass at work so hard, this is the first nice dinner I've had in ages." " Hey, what's your specialty?" " Primarily, I'm working in the area of large scale industrial accident litigation." "Toxic spills, equipment malfunction, the like." "Good for you, Scott." "Some of these big companies are incredibly irresponsible and dangerous." "They put profit ahead of safety." "It's nice to know someone's representing the underdog." "Actually, I represent the dangerous, irresponsible companies themselves." " They have rights too." " Yeah, of course they do." "It's also incredibly lucrative." "Eventually, I want to open my own practice that specializes in this work." "I'm more of an entrepreneur." "I'm not gonna sit on my butt for ten years waiting for some fart to make me a partner." "No, of course not." "And I know what you do." "Social... something or other." " Social work." " Right." "Yeah, I run a halfway house in Hollywood." "Right, I remember the case." "You decided to take your job back rather than proceed with the litigation." "We were like, "What's this guy doing?" "He's got an airtight case." " He could walk away with major bucks."" " I wasn't in it for the money." "My feeling is, earn all the money I can right now, and then start indulging my altruism." "No, Scott." "You gotta, you gotta have a sense of personal ethics about what you do." "Maybe, when I can afford 'em, I will." "You see, if I were you, I would open my own private practice in Beverly Hills." "Rich kids have problems too, right?" "You could make a killing." "What looks good?" " Hey, there." " Hi, honey." "I am so glad you're home." "You know, I feel like I haven't seen you in years and years." "Yeah." "You were asleep when I got home last night and gone when I got up." " What's cooking?" " I'm roasting chicken." "Oh, really?" "With tons of garlic, just the way you like it." "Honey, this is going to take forever, and I'm beat." " I'm going to grab a quick sandwich." " No, no, no." "Why don't you just come over here and sit down, and I'll pour you a glass of wine." "Honey, what I really need is a good night's sleep." "It might relax you." " You know alcohol keeps me up." " Exactly." "You know, the truth is, I grabbed dinner at the hospital and right now all I can think of is bed." "Oh, come on." "You understand, don't you?" "Sure." "We'll just save it all for tomorrow." "This looks great." "Good night, sweetheart." "Good night." "Sorry, no club soda." "Hope mineral water's OK." " It's fine, thanks." " How was dinner?" "Boring, but necessary." "Well, I've done as much as I could." "Here's the glossary of drug terminology, like you asked." "Though I would still like to clarify a few of the finer points with the original author." "Come, sit." "This is good." "Maybe you can call the AMA tomorrow and pull some quotes." "Absolutely." "Thanks, Billy." "You did a great job." "You really saved me some time." "No problem." "My neck is in such knots." "These 15-hour days are killers." "Would you mind just giving me a little, a little rub right here?" " This side." " Sure." "Oh, it's so good..." "Don't ever stop." " Nancy, Nancy, Nancy, Nancy." " What's the matter?" " Can't stand a little attention?" " I'm sorry." "I have to go." " Great, after all I've done for you." " Oh, don't say that." "That's not fair." "Oh, come off your high horse, Billy." "I found you attractive, forgive me." "So let's just forget this ever happened, OK?" "Fine." "While we're at it, why don't we forget about your promotion as well." "Say, baby..." " Hey, babe." " Hey, how'd it go last night?" " Was it great?" " What'd you do?" "Lie and wait for me?" "Matt, I'm on my way to class, OK?" "You guys going out again this weekend?" "Rhonda, he's just not my type." "What do you mean he's not your type?" "He's fine, he's an attorney." "Did you sleep with him?" "Yeah, we just hopped up on the table after dessert and got it over with." "I didn't even like him." "We had nothing in common." "Maybe he was nervous." "He asked me out again." "I can't believe it." "See, you should go." "Give it another chance." "You waited until you met someone like Terrence, but I'm supposed to grab the first hot guy that comes along?" " I didn't say that." " Yes, you did." "That's exactly what you're saying." "It bugs me." "Do you think I'm any different because I'm gay?" " I'm trying to encourage you." " I want the same things you do." "I want someone I enjoy, someone I'm attracted to on every level." "Someone I respect." "I'm willing to wait, just like you did." " OK, you're right." " OK." "I just wanted you to have a good time." "I wanted to have a good time too." "It ain't easy out there." "Since when have I ever slept with someone on the first date?" "Since when have you even had a date?" "You know, believe it or not, I do manage to keep some things private." "Really?" "Like what?" " You're impossible, you are." " I'll see you later." "I'm in the shower this morning and I started to think about work differently." "It's like a heavyweight bout or something." "Amanda just wants me out cold and gone." "So instead of getting all mental about how unfair it all is," "I've got to stand toe-to-toe with her and bang heads." "Sound like a good plan?" "Yeah, but your boxing metaphor is off." "Billy, what's going on?" "Are you all right?" "I'm fine." "OK." "No, I'm not fine." " I'm a fact checker again." " Oh, what happened?" "I didn't want to sleep with Nancy." "She came on to you?" "Yeah." "I don't want to talk about it." "Billy, this is terrible." "No, it's just stupid." "I should've done it." "I mean, hell, I'd probably be associate editor in a matter of weeks." "I don't see what the big deal is." "She's not that bad looking, and I'm a guy." "I like sex." "It was like it's understood." "Like it was part of my job description." "She gets bent out of shape, like I was the one who was out of line." "There was nothing honest about it, either." "I mean, this was not about me, it was about her power." "Billy, there are things you can do." "I mean, we can even get legal help to help you force her to give you your job back." "Thanks, but I have to handle this myself." "I gotta go." "I'm late for work." " Bye." " See ya." " I love you." " I love you too." "Honey, since you finally have a day off, why don't you meet me at the studio?" "We'll have lunch on the roof." "We haven't done that in so long." "I'd love to, but I have to go into the hospital anyway." " I've got clinic patients to check on." " Michael, you work too hard." " OK." "We'll have a great dinner tonight." " OK." " Promise?" " Promise." " OK, you have a good day." " You too." "Hi, Kimberly, it's me." "I need to see you." "Come in." " We have to talk." " No, we don't." "Look, I've been trying to figure out if any of this was my fault." "If I gave you any signals, or anything." "I didn't." "You made me a staff writer, and I'm good at it." "So you can't bust me back to fact checker cos I wouldn't sleep with you." "I don't think you have the maturity to be a staff writer, that's all." "OK?" "You're a liar." "I think you better get back to work." " You can have your job." "I quit." " OK, goodbye." "You know, I really wanted this job." "I liked this magazine, I liked you." "I thought I was gonna learn from you." "But all I learned was the same old thing." "Some people only use power to make other people smaller." "And I think it's pitiful." "Billy, wait a minute." "Billy, that was very embarrassing for me last night." "I don't know, I guess I hoped you found me attractive, but I..." "Don't you get it?" " You put my job on the line." " Let me finish." "You know, I worked my way up in this business." "I had to put up with a lot of come-ons." "I wrote it off as part of the territory." "I guess I was just looking for a chance to turn the tables." "Well, you tried." "Congratulations." "I was hoping you'd quit so I wouldn't have to see your face this morning." "I almost let you walk through that door." "I feel bad about what happened, and I'd like to make it right." "That's a hell of a lot better than I got from the bosses that were all over me." "You want to give it a shot?" " Well, what do you want to do?" " You're a staff writer again." "No funny business from me, and just hard work and good stories from you." "Well, if you throw in an apology, you've got yourself a deal." "You drive a tough bargain." "I'm sorry." " Hi." " Hi." "Come on in." "I thought maybe we could talk over lunch." "I made salad nicoise, nothing too heavy." "Do you want a glass of wine?" "I have a chardonnay, but I forgot..." "I forgot to chill it." "Kimberly..." "I can't stop thinking about you."