“Yes, I’ve already been lectured once today on how expensive it could get,” I snapped waspishly.
My brother continued, unperturbed. “We could threaten Gloria with a huge lawsuit and maybe she’d settle or let Addy out of her contract, but from what I know of her, she’s a barracuda. The best I can hope for is get the agency to quietly forfeit its commission and slap her with a gag order. Then we could work it out with Simon and Schuster.”
I shook my head. “Gloria will never admit to this kind of scheme. It could ruin her credibility.” My voice was cold and flat. I felt dead inside. I didn’t give a flying fuck if I ever wrote another word as long as I lived.
“Let’s get back to what the editor said,” Jeff redirected. “What’s the publisher’s position?”
“Marcia said their contract is with the agency, and while she believes me, and she’s regretful, the book is on the schedule to publish in spring. I asked her to just change the name on the cover to Addison’s, but they’ve already started promoting it under my name. Orders are already in.” My voice was flat as I rattled off the indelible facts.
“Do you think she’d back you up, Jax?” Jeff asked. “If I represent them pro bono will they sue Bloom and Wandough and push the book back until you can finish it?”
Addison was sitting, frozen in her chair, still looking down at her lap.
“That’s generous, brother, but B & W, established as it is, can’t cover this nut. It’s more about collateral damage than it is about money in the present. The concern is that a bevy of other authors the agency represents may be party to that lawsuit, and they don’t want to sue their profitable authors, many of whom they already have active contracts with. As I mentioned, the book is already being marketed, and the suing the agency, even if we win, will not cover the damages. S & S has their own reputation to guard.”
“Can they put both of your names on the cover?” Jeff asked. “I want to sue this bitch, but my first concern is your career. Let’s face it. You have two dozen books already, you’ll write more.”
I shook my head. “Marcia suggested the same thing, but I don’t want to do that. Addison deserves to publish under her name. This is her first book.”
Addison had been looking at me while I spoke. I could feel her eyes on my flesh as if she was touching me and I turned to meet her gaze. She looked sad and resigned.
“I understand if you think that’s the best thing to do, Jax.”
“No, you don’t understand, Addison!” I stood up abruptly, raising my voice. I started pacing the room, then turned on her. “You deserve your own break-out moment. You’ll question whether you could have made it on your own if you are chained to me on your first release. For the rest of your life… you’ll wonder! You’ll never know if it was your book, or my name, that made it successful. I won’t do that to you. Do you think I want that on my conscience?”
“But… I don’t want your career or reputation ruined, either” she shook her head, her eyes welling with tears. When they tumbled down her cheeks, my heart broke even though I was angry at her.
“You should have thought about that before you signed that fucking contract when I told you not to!” I barked and she visibly started in her chair.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you! How could I know it would be you they gave it to, or even that it would be this particular book? Gloria said signing the contract would put my work in front of publishers and that was a way to get my foot in the door. Even then, I told her no. She did slide that clause in after I said no.
“Why didn’t you wait to sign anything until I got back? Was it so urgent you couldn’t wait six weeks?”
“I did it because I didn’t want you to think I was hooking up with you just to get published. I wanted to do it on my own.” Tears welled in her eyes again. When she looked so innocent and damaged, I wanted to do nothing but protect her.
My heart was waging a war with my mind. It made more sense now. “Gloria is a viper!”
“How was I supposed to know that? She was your agent! I thought you trusted her, so I could, too!” Addison said tearfully, slumping back in her chair and putting a hand over her eyes. “I’m sorry I fucked everything up!”
Jeff sat quietly in his chair watching the situation play out between me and Addison, but his brow arched up and his gaze met mine.
“Marcia did have another solution. We let it publish, I’ll give you every bit of the royalties, and then, you take the new manuscript I’m writing and publish under your name. At least you’ll have your name on a cover… without mine.”
“No, no.” Addison shook her head adamantly. “No, I don’t want to take your book. Do you think it would be any easier to reconcile?”
“I don’t want to do this, either, Addison, but I don’t see another way to make this whole. Even doing this is still wrong, but at least then you wouldn’t be tied to me.” I spoke directly to her. I still felt defiant, but I couldn’t help pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to her. Addison reached out slowly and used it to wipe her eyes. “Gloria has a bunch of contacts in the media and there is no way she won’t spin this if we go public. It could ruin both of our careers.”
“I don’t have a career yet,” she said brokenly.
I paused. Neither option would work and still let Addison stand on her own laurels. “I know, and that’s why I can’t do that to you. If someone has to take a bath on this, it will be me. As far as the media is concerned, I stole your book.”
My brother shook his head and Addison looked shell shocked.
“No, Jax,” he said. “If S & S doesn’t want to sue any of their authors, then that applies to you, too. What happens to you if you simply back out?”
“Nothing, except my reputation would be ruined, anyway. Even if they didn’t publicize the details and sue me, they’d lose millions on unfulfilled orders and no one would trust me to meet my deadlines. No one will want to publish my work ever again. No biggie,” I said, drolly. “But I guess that’s better than being tagged a thief. But right now, I really don’t give a shit. I don’t care if I ever publish another book.”
“But, I do,” Addison’s soft voice interjected. “You can have the manuscript, Jax. Let them publish it as yours. I couldn’t live with myself if your career was ruined because I was so stupid.” She wiped at her cheeks with both hands before lopping her and stood to leave. “Thank you for trying to help me,” she said to my brother.
She rushed for the door, but I reached out and stopped her. My hand closed around her upper arm. “I don’t want your book, Addison. You were so certain I stole it; I refuse to take it as charity. I’d rather rot in hell then pass off your work as mine! You don’t get to doubt me then set yourself up as the martyr when you signed a contract that I told you not to sign!”
Finally, the emotions of anger, frustration and hurt were to the boiling point and erupted. My heart was beating hard, my chest was tight… I felt like I was drowning, and I might as well be. I was on the verge of losing my career and the only woman I’d ever loved. To make matters worse, I felt like a chump.