It wasn’t the reaction I’d hoped for. I thought Marcia would be on my side, but she seemed to be only thinking of her company. “The first lawsuit is with the agency, Marcia.”
“Right, but if you sue Gloria, all of the authors she represents will sue as well, and then we’ll either be sued right along with her, or they’ll want us to represent them. Either way, it’s a huge expense.”
“I’ll give you the money!” I said, exasperated. How could she think this was just about money? It was about integrity and doing the right thing by Addison.
Her well-manicured eyebrow shot up. “No offense, but you don’t have enough money, Jaxon. As successful as you’ve been, you can’t cover this.”
“What the fuck am I supposed to do, then? Using Addison’s book is not an option. I’m sure that she signed that contract without reading it through.”
Marcia’s lips pursed. “That was her mistake and maybe a lesson she needs to learn.”
I could literally feel my blood pressure rise. Of course, Marcia was right. If only Addison had listened to me. “Look, that can’t happen. There has to be a way around it.”
“Maybe I can shuffle production around a little, but that will depend on if you get your own book done, quickly. How close are you to being done?” Marcia asked gently.
“Not far enough. I could word vomit something, but it would suck. It has to be up to my standard, or I can’t publish it.”
“I understand, honey,” she said, trying to comfort me. “We can’t either. But then, I’m stuck. The contract with your agency is valid.”
“Marcia don’t make me get a cease and desist against S & S,” I said, my tone stern, though inside I was panicking. I knew both Addison and I were totally fucked if Gloria had a signed contract with the ghostwriting clause in it. It wouldn’t matter if I ruined my career, they’d just slap someone else’s name on it.
“You’d be willing to tell the world you’ve lost your edge? I know Gloria, and she’ll never lie down and take the blame. She’ll be all over The View and the late-night talk show circuit before either of us can blink.”
I sighed again. Marcia was right. “How could I not see what a viper Gloria was?” I asked, angrily.
“Well, she’s beautiful and a big-time agent. Ten years ago, you were as green as this student of yours. Plus, you were probably sleeping with her.”
My head fell back as the deep breath I’d sucked in left my lungs. “Oh, God.” As angry as I was at Gloria, I was also upset with Addison. I told her not to sign that fucking contract without me.
“I’d hate to see the career you’ve built over the years, tainted, Jax,” Marcia said. She only called me Jax when she was placating me.
“It isn’t just about me. I would have shit myself if someone had ripped off my first manuscript.”
“You didn’t rip it off. Not if this Addison person signed the contract. Maybe you can just suck it up this once, fire Gloria, and we can all move forward. Your brother or one of the S & S attorneys can get Gloria to sign an NDA in lieu of suing she keeps her mouth shut going forward, and I promise to publish your student’s next book. Win win.”
“Screw suing Gloria. I want to file criminal charges because she forged my signature.”
“Can you prove it?” Marcia asked, skeptically. “If you can’t, trust me when I say she won’t be prosecuted.” Her head cocked to one side. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, honey, but it is what it is. This is New York. There are more important criminals to prosecute.”
“Not to mention S & S suffers because Gloria’s other clients sue,” I admitted.
“Yes. Any books under contract with Bloom would be on hold.” She looked at me sympathetically. “Plus, do you really want publishing’s first introduction to Addison’s name being a scandal? It could hurt her future.”
My jaw jutted out in defiance, but I shook my head. “No.”
“What is your relationship with her? Could you work something out to share the royalties, or maybe we put both of your names on the book? That’s something I could swing.”
The last thing I was going to do was compound the situation by sharing that I was intimately involved with Addison. “I see two problems with that. One, I don’t want to take credit for her writing, and two, she deserves one hundred percent of the kudos for this book. It’s amazing.”
“It truly is, and I understand, but I’m trying to figure out a way to make the best of it, for all of us. You reciprocate and put her name on your next manuscript with you and you share royalties that one, too. Problem solved. A lot of authors are teaming up in today’s market. She’ll be richer than she ever dreamed.”
Everything inside of me didn’t want that bitch, Gloria, to get away with this bullshit, but Marcia was right. It would be a mess for all of us. The worst part for me was my relationship with Addison had been destroyed. “She won’t want to start her career by coat tailing off of my established career.”
Marcia lifted both hands. “Are you sure? A lot of new authors would jump at the opportunity to be associated with you.”
I shook my head. “Not Addison. She’d think it was cheating the system.”
“Talk to her before you decide. We have a few days before I need those edits back.”
I ran a hand over my face and then nodded reluctantly. What choice did I have?
“What about Gloria? Will she still get paid?” I asked, hating that I already knew the answer.
Marcia’s expression was resigned. “Unless you can prove she forged your signature, then yes. Fire her, and then it won’t happen again.”
I felt like my head would explode on top of my shoulders, I was so angry. “I can’t stand that that bitch will get away unscathed.”
“It’s only money, Jax. More can be made,” Marcia offered sympathetically. “She won’t get away unscathed. “She’s about to lose her number one client. She’ll lose millions over this.”
I inhaled a deep, calming breath. Marcia was right. We had to make the best of a shit situation, but I still had to see what Jefferson could offer
An hour later I walked into the offices of my family’s law practice. It was a big deal, taking up several floors of a massive Manhattan skyscraper, with more than thirty partners and associates. I nodded to the middle-aged receptionist and walked past the front desk without pause. My father and brother’s offices, as well as four other senior partners, were on this floor. The woman knew me because she’d been with the firm since I was a boy.
“Carol,” I acknowledged her. “I’m here to see Jefferson.”
“Go back, Jax, but you might need to wait a few minutes. He’s with a new client, I believe.”
I stopped and tapped my fingers on the top of the partition she sat behind. The names of the partners Michaels, Michaels, James & Spinter were emblazoned in large gold letter on the wall behind her that served to separate the reception area from the offices. I’d have to walk around it to go back.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I knew in my gut that the new client Jeff was with was Addison. I was yearning to see her even though my ego was bruised, and I was feeling hurt that she didn’t trust me. I was also angry she’d signed the contract which now had us all screwed.