“I don’t trust lawyers either.” Jacob broke in. They all laughed. He continued. “I am going to tell you what Donald is offering. Anna will give you an idea how this will impact you, you know, what it is really like to work for Fritz, not just what the contract says but what it is really like. I’ll just say he is the best client I have. Except for running me out at short notice to take care of people like now he is really civil. But then he takes care of me too. When I send him a bill for today he will probably call me up and tell me there is a mistake in it. He will tell me I didn’t charge enough and have me revise it. But when he calls me like this I make time.” He opened a folder and pulled out three copies of a contract. He told Sandra to pick one copy, then asked Bretz to do the same. “I want you to pick a copy so you know they are all the same. He told me to get this over to you today. He wants you to look at it, have Attorney Bretz look at it and if you have someone you trust as an advisor have them look. He is not pressing you for a quick answer but he only asks that you actively review it and give him a timely answer.”

Attorney Bretz started reading the contract. When he finished Sandra was on the last page. He waited till she looked up.

“So?”

“Let me sum up what I read here. I sign, I have my legs amputated and I get five thousand dollars every month till I die, even if I never work.”

Samuel nodded. “That’s how I read it. He calls it a retainer.”

“I don’t understand. Without legs I have no value.”

“Actually that isn’t true but let’s assume it is. It’s Donald’s money. He can do what he wants with it. There are a couple stipulations. You can only work for another studio with his permission and you would have share the earnings at another studio with him. He wants fifty percent of what he would pay you here for the same work.”

“So if another studio offered me a hundred thousand what would I get?”

“If you worked twenty days he would take about twelve to fifteen thousand. He figures if you can’t work for him when you are working for someone else he should get a cut.”

Anna broke in. “If he doesn’t have work or another studio has work that is worth more he lets you do it. He even has two people who try to find us outside work. He wants us working. If nothing else they try to get us talk show appearances. If we work we make money, get exposure and he gets some so it is good for him and us. I do more than half of my work for someone else.”

It took an hour to go through the contract.

Samuel asked the others to let him talk to Sandra alone. When they closed the door Sandra asked what he thought.

“Having your legs cut off is extreme.”

“But we both know that is probably going to happen anyway. Is it wrong to not tell them?”

“Donald knows that. He wants you.”

Samuel called them back in. “She wants to have some time to think and hear from her doctor.”

“Can we expect an answer in two weeks? There isn’t anything sacred about that time but it would be good if it is in that time.”

Sandra nodded. “Unless the doctor gives me news that is much better than I expect the answer will be within a couple days and it will be a yes.”

“One thing. Donald wants to have you see a surgeon who is doing a new procedure and if possible he wants to wait for that surgery till I buy your contract from the studio. If this will risk your life or health  he will forgo that. A dead actress is worth nothing to him.”

“Let me see what the doctor says. He is coming in after noon.”

“Do I have your permission to start negotiating with studio to buy your contract? We want that done as soon as possible so you are free to do what you must.  Once that is done you will be free to do what is needed.”

“Sure.”

“We will negotiate but we will not sign anything without your approval.”

Denise Chapter 01: Success in Hollywood

Denise Chapter 38 – Carol Calls Sandra

Denise Chapter 40: Sandra Faces More Surgery