I felt a metaphorical steel wall come crashing down around me. My personal feelings aside, I had to deal with this bullshit as quickly as possible. “Can you please buzz him, Carol? If he’s with Addison Tomms, I need to be in that meeting.”
Carol’s brown eyes widened. “That’s pretty irregular, Jax.”
I offered a sly smirk I didn’t feel. “Yeah, I know. Can you do it, please? Tell him I just came from a meeting with S & S.”
She picked up the phone and pressed a button on the console. “Jefferson, Jaxon is here. He said he met with S & S and needs to speak with you about it.”
There was a pregnant pause to which I attributed Jeff asking Addison if he could include me.
“Yes sir. Thank you.” She put the phone down and waved me in.
I winked at Carol and began the walk through the firm toward my brother’s corner office. Normally, I’d go to the other side and stop in to see my dad, but today, I didn’t feel like explaining why I was in the office.
I used one knuckle to lightly rap on the door and steeled myself for seeing Addison. It had been a month since I’d laid eyes on her and my first instinct was to take her in my arms and kiss her, but over the weekend the many unanswered calls and texts and her blatant mistrust of me had built an invisible shield around my heart. I couldn’t make her trust me, and if she didn’t, well, then there was no future for us.
I just wanted the best possible outcome and then get back to real life without hope and fairy tales. If I were honest, my relationship with her was probably the main cause for my writer’s block. I’d been so consumed with kissing her, touching her since the moment I first read her words, that my concentration was off. All I could think about was being with her and helping her launch her career, my focus was off of my own writing. I’d do whatever was necessary to get out of this mess, then I wanted to move beyond both Addison and Gloria. It was no wonder Jeff was so adamant about keeping his relationships emotionless, but really, this was the first time that emotion had stirred in one of mine, as well.
“Come on in, Jax,” Jeff called from behind the heavy wooden door.
I turned the knob and pushed it open before walking into the large, window-lined office. One wall, behind my brother’s desk, was solid built-in bookshelves loaded with legal books and case law. It was a serious looking office, with heavy dark wood and deep brown leather furniture. There was a private bathroom off to one side, and a sitting area away from the desk.
My eyes scanned the office automatically, hungry for the familiar feminine figure and beautiful face I knew I’d find there. Addison was sitting, almost at attention, on the edge of one of the leather upholstered chairs opposite my brother who sat behind his massive desk. Her back was straight, and she was dressed in a dark blue suit. She was fidgeting; nervous. Her long, dark hair was pulled back into a demure bun. As she glanced briefly in my direction, her eyes following me as I moved into the office. I met her gaze for a split second, noting the tear tracks down her cheeks. I told myself her pain didn’t matter. I couldn’t let it. If I did, I’d be lost.
My chest tightened uncomfortably. My first instinct was to go to her and take her in my arms, to tell her it would all be okay, but I was held back by my own sense of self-preservation.
Instead, I turned my focus on my brother, deciding that I didn’t want to take the chair next to Addison, and seated myself on the matching brown leather sofa halfway across the room. The office was tasteful, but I’d always found it a bit stuffy and old-school; smelling of leather and old books.
Was Jeff planning to represent us both? My mind worked through the various scenarios and I couldn’t make any of them work, but if so, surely it meant that Addison no longer thought I’d stolen her book, but then, she should have known all along. I swallowed at the vitriol still lingering in my throat. Good for her, but I was still pissed. Her first instinct was to think the worst of me and that was the bottom line.
Jeff looked up from a document he was examining. “What did you find out, Jax?”
I cleared my throat to ease the tightening, but it didn’t work. “Are you planning on representing us both, then?” I asked uncertainly. “Shouldn’t we speak in private?”
Addison had the grace to flush, and even though it didn’t seem possible, her back stiffened even more. She looked down at her lap, her fingers fiddling absently with the small handbag resting in there. The curve of her beautiful face stirred something inside me that I wanted desperately to deny. It might be desire, but more so, it was a level of pain I’d never felt before.
Her eyes pleaded with mine. “Jax, I’m so sorry—” she began, but I put a hand up to stop her.
“We can talk later, Addison,” I said firmly, though I wasn’t sure if I wanted to talk to her, at all. I felt strange, weak; like there was an elephant sitting on my chest, my throat ached, and my eyes burned. I’d be damned if I’d melt like a fucking sissy just because my dick got hard for one of my students. The cluster fuck I found myself in demanded my full attention. “Let’s just deal with this right now.” Her expression turned even more strained, but she nodded her acquiescence.
“What did you find out from the publisher?” Jeff persisted. “Can you get out of it?”
Jeff already knew what I was about to say, but I explained for Addison’s benefit. “S & S has first rights of refusal on any of my works, but I didn’t sign a contract on the latest book, however.”
“Yet, they have one?” Jeff guessed astutely. “With your signature on it? How is that possible.”
I nodded with an indignant huff, my jaw jutting out in anger. “Forged, but it’s so good, even I couldn’t tell the difference.”
Addison let out a small sound with her quick intake of breath. She wiped at another errant tear that rolled down her face. She looked terrified and helpless and everything inside me roared to protect her. If only she’d believed in me. I swallowed hard.
“I don’t know how we’ll prove it, Jax. It’s your word against Gloria’s.”
“I figured as much.”
Jeff looked at Addison with an arched brown. She answered his silent question with a nod.
“Addy has authorized me to discuss her case with you, Jax. She has no intent to sue you. She knows—”
“Sue me?” I sniffed indignantly. “For what?” I asked incredulously. “I didn’t do anything! Christ!”
I should be relieved, but all I could think was that she had no right to sue me in any case. I wasn’t the one who ripped off her manuscript.
Could this get any more fucked up?
Jeff held up a hand. “She knows, that. Unfortunately, there is a clause in her contract that says the agency may sell her manuscripts to established authors for a flat fee if they don’t get picked up under her own name.”
Fury rose and heat began to seep beneath the surface of my skin. I could feel it burn my chest, neck and face. “Gloria didn’t try to sell it on behalf of Addison,” I barked. “Obviously.”
Jeff sat back in his chair and smoothed down his tie. “In order to prove it we’d have to depose all of the editors from the big five publishers, plus all of the smaller imprints Gloria works with. It would take months and could be very expensive.