Aldo saw the two men leaving his uncle's office and he stepped inside. "Sorry about barging in before, Uncle Sal."
"Decorum. That's the difference between a wiseguy and a thug. No one respects those streets toughs you hang out with. You think it's respect, but it's only fear. You don't earn respect by putting a knife to a man's throat; you earn his respect by making him believe you're capable of slitting his throat while all the while conducting yourself with decorum." Amato tapped the ash from his cigar into the ashtray. "A thug needs to command respect from the barrel of a gun; but I can bring a man to his knees with a mere whisper. You must learn to comport yourself with decorum."
Aldo shrugged. "I said I was sorry, Uncle Sal."
The older man grumbled. "I've got a job for you."
Aldo's eyes radiated excitement. "Is it a shakedown? Or maybe a hit? I'm ready for it; I can do it."
"I'm talking about a real job; a career. Do you want to be a punk all your life, shaking down shopkeepers? I'm investing in a movie with some new players in town so I need someone on the inside to protect my interests. That guy you saw leaving with Antonio—
his name's Morey Rochester. He's the producer and your new boss."
"That little weasel in the tacky suit?"
"I'm serious, Aldo. As an investor, I recommended he give you a role in the film and he agreed. Decorum, Aldo. You've got to be professional. You're going to show up for work every morning."
Aldo frowned. "You mean like a real nine-to-five job? But Uncle—"
"Think how proud your mother's going to be when she sees your face on the big screen." Amato saw Aldo needed a bit more convincing. "You think you're a ladies' man now? Actors get ten times as much ass as you do, and that includes some of the sexiest starlets in Hollywood."
Aldo's eyes lit up. "So, I'll be working with Hollywood starlets in this movie?"
Amato smiled. "Play your cards right and you may even get a dressing room with your own casting couch."
***** ***** ***** *****
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Cops and Robbers
Ficción General* A Quirky Crime Drama * A pair of FBI agents set up a bogus movie production as part of an unlikely sting operation to snare a mob kingpin. They buy the worst script in Hollywood and hire a failed movie producer whose career is on the skids; a...
