Chapter 131 – Something to Excite You Even More
After New Year's Day, Aaron rushed straight back to the Indecent Proposal set in Las Vegas.
Fortunately, Robert Redford had finally regained his condition — the filming could continue normally.
"Don, keep your eyes on the dailies," Aaron instructed.
"If you see anything off, call me immediately."
He couldn't stay on set forever; Don Steele would have to shoulder the responsibility now.
"Don't worry," she said. "I understand."
Aaron stayed in Vegas a few more days, confirming with his own eyes that Redford truly was back on track. Only then did he relax.
Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List shoot in Kraków was also progressing smoothly.
Since American universities were on winter break, Aaron had specially invited Jennifer Connelly to join him in Las Vegas.
That night, on the glittering Las Vegas Strip, inside the Sands Casino Hotel—
Aaron and Jennifer sat at a poker table, chips stacked in front of them.
"Stanford only gives you twenty-something days for winter vacation?" Aaron asked.
"That's right. From mid-December to early January," Jennifer replied.
"I have to head back to campus soon."
She had spent most of her break in New York with her family — she hadn't even returned to L.A. at all.
"A shame," Aaron murmured, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
"Oh, by the way," she said, "The Silence of the Lambs and Ghost both received a bunch of nominations. Feeling confident for the Golden Globes?"
Aaron shook his head.
"Let the distributors worry about that. Neither film was released by Dawnlight anyway.
Awards are nice, but I don't lose sleep over them."
He had never pretended to pursue art-house prestige; commercial success was always his priority.
"I'll graduate next year," Jennifer said softly.
"Once that happens, I can finally put my full energy into my acting career."
Aaron nodded.
"In the summer, I'm planning to launch production on Speed.
It'll hit theaters next year — consider it a graduation present from me."
"Come on," he said, gathering the chips. "This is boring. Let's grab a drink."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her toward the bar next door.
Just as they stepped inside, Jennifer suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Oh— Aaron, look! Isn't that Michael Jordan?"
Suddenly, Jennifer Connelly pointed toward a nearby card table.
A tall Black man sat there, cigar in hand, playing poker with a relaxed confidence.
Aaron glanced over and chuckled.
"That's him. He led the Chicago Bulls to the NBA championship last season.
He's doing great this year too. Must've come to the West Coast for a game—and decided to try his luck in Vegas."
He had long heard the rumors: Michael Jordan loved women and loved gambling.
Seeing it with his own eyes, Aaron could only think—accurate.
After a casual glance, Aaron wrapped an arm around the girl beside him and took her into the bar next door.
Jennifer sipped a cocktail, head bobbing gently to the metal music thundering through the room.
"Oh, right—Las Vegas is hosting a tech convention at the Sands Expo Center. Want to check it out?"
"A tech expo?"
Aaron considered it, then nodded.
"Sure. Could be interesting to see what new gadgets are coming out."
---
The Next Day
It was already noon by the time Aaron appeared at the convention center—
unsurprising, considering he'd spent most of the night "working hard" on Jennifer.
He hadn't expected much from the expo, but suddenly stopped dead in front of a presentation stage.
A small tech company was holding a pre-IPO roadshow.
"America Online."
Aaron's eyes widened.
So it's finally going public…
He immediately pulled Jennifer over, grabbed their brochures, and found two seats.
"You're one of their users too?" Jennifer teased.
Aaron shook his head, looking at her.
"You know this company?"
"Sure. They're a tiny outfit that does computer-based online services.
They only changed their name to 'America Online' last year—they used to be called Quantum Computer Services."
She shrugged.
"Most tech companies focus on hardware or software development or electronics sales.
But this one? Their whole business is consumer online services.
Small company, small customer base. I'm surprised they're going public at all."
She genuinely doubted whether anyone would buy their stock.
"Going public is a good thing," Aaron said, taking her hand.
"I want to buy AOL stock as an investment."
A grin spread across his face.
"You really are my lucky charm. Coming to this expo with you was the best decision I made today."
AOL's future reputation was legendary—Aaron knew that all too well.
Buy during the tech boom, then sell at the peak when AOL merged with Time Warner?
He could already picture the payday.
Jennifer only smiled, though she still warned gently:
"Investing is fine—but don't get carried away. Stocks can sink just as quickly."
"Relax. The Microsoft stock I bought last year already went up."
He had spent over fifty million on Microsoft shares—now worth more than fifty-seven.
---
That Night – Sands Hotel
In the dim, luxurious room, Aaron pressed Jennifer beneath him, indulging himself in her perfect 34D curves.
"Darling…"
Feeling the excitement building inside the man above her, Jennifer flipped over smoothly and climbed atop him.
"What now?" Aaron asked, stroking her sensual figure.
Jennifer leaned close to his ear, whispering with a teasing breath:
"Obviously… to make you even more excited."
Before he could respond, she kissed him deeply—then slipped under the sheets entirely.
"Mm…"
Aaron exhaled sharply, staring at the hotel ceiling as pleasure clouded his thoughts.
Through the haze he still calculated:
AOL's IPO would be around $10 per share, with about 2 million shares released.
He didn't know the final outcome yet, but it shouldn't deviate much.
He needed to tell his investment manager to start preparing for a major purchase…
---
After Jennifer returned to school, Aaron flew back to Los Angeles.
He immediately transferred $3 million into the Dawn Fund to secure AOL shares.
Then he scheduled a meeting with Al Pacino at the Charlie Hotel in West Hollywood.
With a smile, coffee in hand, Aaron opened:
"There's no more trouble on that end. Scent of a Woman can start on schedule."
Pacino let out a small sigh of relief.
"Good. I was honestly worried I'd have to jump in early. Glad Robert's fine."
"Otherwise," Aaron admitted, "I would've postponed Scent of a Woman and pulled you into Indecent Proposal instead."
That would've been the last resort—and he had really hoped to avoid it.
The rehearsals for Scent of a Woman had gone well.
Pacino's scenes with newcomer Matt Damon had chemistry.
Everything was ready.
Now all they needed was to start filming in New York.