Klondike Page #27

A nice moment between the two as Meekor surveys him, sees the

almost paternal concern in Bill’s face. He nods.

MEEKOR:

I’ll hitch into town with Goodman’s

team.

BILL:

And while you’re at it--get that

goddamn wood from Belinda.

Meekor nods. Begins crossing toward Goodman’s site. Bill

looks after him, concerned.

INT. SALOON - NIGHT

Belinda, drinking a whiskey. Eyeing the Count across the

room. With his clique. The only man in this whole muddy hellhole

who doesn’t have a speck of dust on him. Whiling away

the night belittling courtesans. Specifically: Sabine.

COUNT (TO SABINE)

Come here.

(squeezing her, surveying)

I like you. No sharp edges yet.

Skin's smooth, innocent-

SABINE (FLIRTATIOUS)

Easy now, Count...

COUNT (REACHING UP HER DRESS)

How ‘bout we get a feel of that

paystreak-

SABINE (QUIETLY, UNCOMFORTABLE SMILE)

We're in public...

COUNT:

That's sort of the point, isn't it?

SABINE (DIPLOMATIC SMILE)

Prefer to be a bit more classy than

that-

COUNT (SMILES)

Oh, you have an opinion?

He stuffs a bill into her cleavage.

22.

COUNT (CONT’D)

Well, I just bought it from you.

(more bills)

And the next one in your head. And

the next one. And the next one.

It’s a significant amount of money. Which for the moment

stills her hesitance. Acquiescing:

SABINE (UNEASY SMILE)

Then perhaps I can humbly request

we finish this upstairs-

COUNT:

Ah, but darling. To make a request

requires you to have an opinion.

And I've bought all your opinions,

remember?

She sees the look on his face. Patrician, used to getting

what he wants.

SABINE:

What...do you want me to do?

COUNT (BELITTLING)

You're a whore. Be a whore.

Dance.

As Sabine complies, begins dancing, if a bit disquieted,

Belinda watches from the bar. Winces. Ya dumb wench. Why're

you in with this son-of-a-b*tch?

COUNT (TO SABINE) (CONT’D)

Take the clothes off.

Sabine takes pause. Sees all the lascivious eyes on her.

Dirty, yellow-toothed miners licking their chops. Count,

seeing her dither, stands, tosses a coin at her feet.

COUNT (CONT’D)

Let’s relieve you of that pride.

She picks it up, dances. Count crosses to her. Everything

heightens--her unease, the looks, the music. She pulls down

her shoulder straps-

COUNT (CONT’D)

More.

Another coin. Men pressing in. More flesh revealed by her-

Count, moving toward the door, tosses another coin-

COUNT (CONT’D)

More.

23.

She now has a fist-full of cash, half her flesh revealed--and

as she picks up the latest coin-

Count shoves her outside--into the rain!

EXT. SALOON - CONTINUOUS

She slips out into the street, nearly loses her feet. Turns

to see that everyone’s pouring out of the saloon in high heat-

Count tosses yet more coins at her feet!

COUNT:

More!

Sabine, intimidated, picks up the muddy coins; we’re with her-

utterly humiliated--in a half-state of undress, her hands

and flesh spattered with mud, quickly growing soaked-

--and she slowly rises, regards the Count, still under the

eave. As are the rest of the MEN. Perfectly dry, while she

alone is the muddy spectacle in the street.

A beat. Something changing in Sabine’s eyes. Gone suddenly is

the recalcitrance. Instead, she darkens into...a temptress.

She sheds her dress. Lets it fall into the mud around her

feet. She stands there in her undergarments in the rain-

SABINE:

That enough whore for you, Count?

COUNT:

Does it look like it, young lady?

Laughter. She moves toward him, slowly gyrating, putting on

the Full Whore. Unbuttoning, pulling away her bodice-

SABINE:

Just kinda curious how much is

enough whore for you in a woman...

Little bit ain't enough, is it?

Sabine:
a siren. Dark. Sexy. And beneath it all, scorned.

SABINE (CONT’D)

You want more whore.

She begins peeling away the rest of her undergarments--til

she’s nude--the men at first in a high frenzy-

SABINE (CONT’D)

All of you all. You want more

whore, don't you?

She’s scarcely 2 feet from Count now--she outside the eave in

the pouring rain--he, spit-shined and dry beneath it-

24.

SABINE (CONT’D)

Woman who'll check her soul at the

door-

She runs her muddy hands along her body, smearing her wet

flesh, her crotch, in an ever muddier caress--then along his

crisp-white clothes--toward his crotch-

SABINE (CONT’D)

--do whatever you want--let you do

whatever you want to her--let your

friends join in, too-

The Count, rendering silent. Feeling that she’s sullied not

just his clothes, but also his soul. The whore is suddenly

too much of a whore. And by being so...suddenly human.

Deserved of more than this.

SABINE (CONT’D)

That...enough whore for you, Count?

As the moment hangs in the air--this naked half-muddy,

completely drenched woman before the entire town--Count and

all the men feeling so dirty they want to take showers-

BELINDA (O.S.)

Enough.

They turn to see Belinda has emerged. A coat in hand.

BELINDA MULRONEY

Lady’s done for the night.

Count tries to compose himself. Shakes his head nevertheless.

COUNT:

That's not for you to say. She and

myself have a contract.

Belinda, uncowed, tosses Sabine the coat, then hands her a

large wad of cash.

BELINDA MULRONEY (DARKLY, TO COUNT)

You've been outbid.

EXT. DAWSON CITY STREETS - MOMENTS LATER

Belinda marches Sabine up the street in a huff. Not entirely

sure what to do with the courtesan. Belinda: not so great at

personal relationships.

SABINE (DEFIANT)

Showed him.

Belinda turns on her, exasperated.

25.

BELINDA MULRONEY

You didn't show him sh*t. Standing

out there buck-naked in the rain

with money in your hand. He's

right. You're a goddamn whore.

(takes money back)

And gimme that.

Seeing Sabine look back surprised--like the money’s hers-

BELINDA MULRONEY (CONT’D)

Don’t look a gift horse in the

mouth. I just saved you.

SABINE:

Who says I need saving?

Belinda nods to her, standing garishly wet and half-clad in

the rain.

BELINDA MULRONEY

You shitting me, woman?

SABINE:

(Somewhat ashamed; half-

defiant)

We all do what we do.

She nods to the money. Matter-of-fact:

SABINE (CONT’D)

I need that money.

BELINDA MULRONEY

Well, guess what. So do I. And I

earned it. Legitimately.

SABINE:

You don’t understand. I’ll sleep

outside. Hotel I stay in is by the

night. No man is gonna pay for it

tonight, not looking like this, not

after making that spectacle...

BELINDA MULRONEY

Not my problem.

Belinda turns to go. Sabine quietly panics. Stops her.

SABINE:

Please, Ms. Mulroney. Please. I’ll

do whatever you want...

She tries the siren bit again. Seduction. Silently comes to

Belinda. Puts her hands into her coat. Belinda looks at her

incredulously. You’re really gonna try this? Dear God are you

desperate. But she...opts to play along:

26.

BELINDA MULRONEY

Yeah? Then you keep reaching down.

Down by my waist there.

(as Sabine does)

Yeah, that pocket...

Sabine, thinking she’s the one manipulating, pauses.

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