Ten minutes after they left the house, Brandon and Roger were sitting in the conference room within the San Jose branch office of a major Hollywood producer, the studio for filming movies right next door in a big, aircraft hangar-shaped building. The studio president, as well as the director and executive producer for the movie were in attendance to represent the offscreen partners in the venture. Two major Hollywood actors were also in attendance, a woman to play Brandon's abducted wife that he had to rescue within the movie, and a man to play the antagonist that Brandon fought with at the end of the movie. Lillian Tomlinson was dressed in a black woman's suit with slits in the skirt, her cinnamon brown hair really popping as it was set against the beige walls of the conference room. She had a confident beauty that drew people to her, one factor in why she had become such a big name actress. Lillian was more accustomed to playing the wisecracking female lawyer type character than the damsel-in-distress, but had quickly signed on to the movie when she learned that she would be playing opposite the macho hunk Brandon Hargrave.
Her eyes traveled to him every now and then, going up his body to take in all of his impressive physique and handsome face. With a body like that and teen heartthrob good looks, it was easy to see why the women fell at his feet. Lillian herself felt an intense physical attraction to her future costar, but she hid it well under a professional veneer. She felt it was too bad that this movie's final script did not feature a love scene, as she would have enjoyed rolling around in a bed with Brandon, even if the sex was not real. Lillian had not only signed on for Brandon, but also because the script was solid and the story well-written. With good writing and talented star power, all indications were that the movie would be a big hit at the box office.
Fred Garland was dressed in a business casual look of tan khakis and a plain blue collared shirt, having just finished shooting his last movie two days ago. Fred looked a lot like Pierce Brosnan in his prime as James Bond, although his square jaw had him looking more like a tough guy than Brosnan's comparative baby face. Garland often played the hero in his movies, which made this movie where he played the villain more of a draw since he was playing against type. Since his character for this movie was a wrestler type, he had worked hard to put on the muscle he needed to look convincing for the role. Like Lillian, he was impressed by the writing of the script and liked that he wasn't going to be just a throwaway bad guy with no depth. He was actually a fan of Brandon as a kickboxer, so the chance to work closely with him was an added bonus that had him saying yes to this movie offer instantly.
The first two hours of the conference involved working out the shooting schedule, pay, and all the small details that went into the actual making of the movie, shooting schedules, and how much each actor would receive before and after the film was wrapped. It was during this time that agents and lawyers representing the actors appeared from a side room, and Brandon got his own lawyer to talk him through the legal aspects and make sure everything was wrapped up in a neat bow. Once final contracts were signed and collected, the agents and lawyers left the room to return to their offices. The next hour was spent discussing the script and the characters the actors would be playing, as well as the overall story of the movie. The movie was going to be called Love & Kickboxing, a play on the title of the movie Love & Basketball, and how closely the events of the movie mimicked events in Brandon's own life was slightly unnerving. The plot was that Kickboxing World Champion Brandon Hargrave, essentially playing himself, would refuse to be bought by the Mob, and they in turn would kidnap his wife to force him to do their bidding, sparking a rescue effort that would climax with a final battle with Garland's character Cross Conway, a former pro wrestler turned mobster whose grappling skills were a big threat against Brandon's striking style.
The conference wrapped with instructions to return the next day to begin filming, and Brandon left with his copy of the script to begin his pre-fight workout. Many fighters took a break from fighting when filming a movie, but Brandon had worked out his schedule so that he could do his parts while still staying active with his career. They arrived at the Ironjaw Kickboxing Gym, where Roger went over his next opponent with him. His name was Tyrell Hardy, a black fighter known for his calculated attacks from outside,the kickboxing version of an outfighter from Boxing. Tyrell was the current number one contender with a style different from any he had fought before. This kind of fighter was particularly challenging for Brandon's aggressive style of Kickboxing, so he would have to be on his toes against this fighter if he wanted to keep his belt.
Brandon and Roger worked out and practiced strategies to counter Tyrell until the sun went down. They watched video of his fights and looked for holes in his strategy, of which there were not many. Tyrell was good at keeping distance between himself and his opponents, able to go for many rounds and calculate exactly when and where to use the knockout force and win a fight. Many of Brandon's previous opponents for the title, such as Glover Kennedy, had fallen victim to Tyrell's unusual style. Closing in on an opponent like Tyrell was risky even for the best fighters, so the best strategy Brandon could adopt was to become a counter fighter, being more patient than Tyrell and exploiting the holes in his guard when he did attack. After a shower and change of clothes, Brandon went home with Roger.
In the driveway, he got out to head for his truck and drive over to Vanessa's dorm.
"I'm heading over to Vanessa's place."
"Just don't stay up all night, champ," Roger said with a chuckle.
Brandon waved him off and then backed out of the drive, cruising over to the nearby campus. He walked up to Vanessa's dorm door and gently knocked before entering. Closing the door behind him, he chuckled softly as he saw that Vanessa had fallen asleep waiting for him.
Brandon walked across the room and sat down on the bed, making little noise. For a little while, he just watched her sleep peacefully. She seemed to be dreaming, and from her facial expressions, he could tell it was a good dream. He looked Vanessa up and down, thinking about everything they had gone through together since they had first met on this very campus. More than ever, he realized that he was head-over-heels in love with this woman, and wanted a bright future full of love for both of them.
"Wake up, baby," he whispered as he gently began to shake her by the shoulder.
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