Unleash Me, Vol. 1 (Unleash Me, Annihilate Me Series) (7 page)

“
Excuse
me?
”
I
said.

He looked at me.
 
“
I have a feeling you had no part in this, so don
’
t take it personally.
”

“
I
’
m sorry.
 
But if you call me a clown, you should
know that I
’
ll
take it personally.
”

He looked up at the ceiling.
 
“
Why is it that every fucking writer I have to work with
these days turns out to be a goddamned diva?
”

“
Diva?
”
I
said.
 
“
You don
’
t even know me.
”

Before I could go further, Blackwell
intervened.
 
She squeezed my arm,
stepped away from my side, and moved directly in front of him.
 
She had to be a good fifteen inches
shorter than him, not that that stopped her.
 
She was a force, and more than ever before,
I saw her true strength emanate from her in waves of anger.

“
Back
off,
”
she
said.

“
So,
you did this to her?
”
he
said.

“
You
’
re damned right I
did.
 
And you
’
ll be grateful for it.
”

“
Will
I?
 
When?
 
She looks ridiculous.
 
What the fuck is it with those diamonds
on her lips?
 
And why is she naked
beneath that tux thing she
’
s
wearing?
 
Does that say
‘
serious author
’
to
you?
 
She
’
ll be a laughingstock.
”

“
She
writes entertainment.
”

“
She
writes schlock.
”

“
I
write what?
”

“
Schlock.
”

That stung to my core
—
it
hurt more than I imagined it would, likely because he was the one who optioned
my books, and I thought that he was fully behind them and me.
 
Still, I needed to stay as professional
as possible, so I swallowed my response.
 
Let Blackwell roast him.

“
Do
you know anything about publicity, Marco?
”
Blackwell interrupted.
 
“
About
style?
 
About creating a persona
that others will look up to?
 
Do you
have any idea how powerful that is in today
’
s world?
”

“
Sorry,
Barbara.
 
I
’
m about the written
word, not about creating some faux celebrity, whose book, by my estimation,
needs a complete rewrite before Wenn publishes it.
”

“
A
complete rewrite?
”
I
said.

He snapped his head at me.
 
“
That
’
s
right.
 
A complete rewrite.
”

“
I
don
’
t
understand,
”
I
said.
 
“
I thought you liked my
book.
”

“
Your
book has its moments, but most of it is shit.
”

“
Are
you out of your mind?
”
Blackwell said to him.

“
Hardly.
”

“
Oh,
darling, please.
 
I think you
’
ve lost it.
 
The book you went after was in the
Amazon Top 100 for weeks.
 
It hit
number one.
 
It sold hundreds of
thousands of copies.
 
It
’
s still sitting there
as we speak.
 
You went after it
because of all that.
 
You went after
her because you knew the fact that she
’
s had three bestsellers in a row wasn
’
t a fluke.
 
And you dare to insult her by calling
her work schlock?
 
And by calling
her a clown?
 
What the hell is wrong
with you?
”

“
My
apologies that I haven
’
t
met Ms. Ward before this.
 
But if I
had, I never would have signed her if I thought she was going to come here
dressed like a freak show.
 
You
’
ve made her look like
a poseur, and I don
’
t
do poseurs.
”

“
So,
her work is diminished because she
’
s wearing couture?
”

He waved his hand at me.
 
“
That
’
s
couture?
”

“
In
fact, it is.
”

It was too much.
 
It was beyond insulting.
 
Today was supposed to be
celebratory.
 
Why was he acting this
way?
 
Whatever the reason, I sure as
hell wasn
’
t
going to put up with it.
 

“
Give
me the contract,
”
I
said.
 
“
If Mr. Boss is having
second thoughts about signing me, I
’
m perfectly fine publishing my work on my own.
 
Hand me the contract.
 
Let me rip it up.
 
You can keep your five million
—
I
don
’
t
need it.
”

But Marco Boss was quick.
 
He snatched the contract off the table
before I could grab it from him.
 
“
Too late.
 
You
’
ve signed the paperwork and you
’
re dealing with me
now.
 
We
’
ll work on your little
zombie books together, but I want nothing to do with today
’
s photo shoot.
”
 
He turned to Blackwell.
 
“
Which is on you, by the way.
 
If the marketing campaign fails, it
’
s because you
’
ve turned her into
some kind of high-priced call girl.
 
Remember that.
”

“
Oh,
you stupid man.
 
What I
’
ll remember are the
cheers and the adulations, darling.
 
And then I
’
ll
absorb the exaltations of how brilliant I am.
 
There will be none of the other.
”

“
Then
you
’
re
a fool.
 
You know nothing about the
publishing world.
”

In a pseudo-daze, she looked around
her.
 
She spread out her arms and
said,
“
Is
there a more ridiculous person in this room right now?
 
I
’
ve seen tantrums before, but this is verging on some sort
of Disney caricature.
 
It
’
s as if he
’
s six again and
someone took away his toy train.
 
Or
his little Batman figurine.
”
 
She looked straight at him.
 
“
Marco
—
my
poor, dear, lost Marco
—
you
know damned well what I
’
ve
done for your other authors in the past.
”

“
Nothing
you did to them came close to this.
”

“
That
’
s because none of them
could work a look like this.
 
Lisa
can.
 
Now, apologize to her.
 
I could call Alex and have you
fired.
 
You know that.
 
Either you throw your weight behind this
girl and stop harassing her, or you
’
re looking for a new job.
 
Choose.
”

“
If
you lose me, you lose Wenn Publishing.
”

 
“
Are you serious?
 
Does your ego know no bounds?
 
We have dozens of outstanding editors
here.
 
You
’
re just a piece of
unfortunate gum on the bottom of a high-end shoe.
”

“
Really?
 
Do any of those editors have two
Pulitzer Prize-winning writers under their belts?
”

“
I
could give a damn about your prizes or your senior status, Marco.
 
I could give a shit about any of it,
because all you did was take pen to paper and shape and edit someone else
’
s work.
 
You certainly haven
’
t written anything of
your own to boast about, so stop behaving as if you have.
 
Now, you
’
re a good editor
—
we all recognize that
—
but
you
’
re
not irreplaceable.
 
Nobody is.
 
Not even me.
 
Don
’
t you dare insult a new writer when she
’
s about to step in
front of a camera for the first time.
 
How dare you do that to her?
 
You
’
re
setting her up for failure.
 
Apologize to her now or you are out of here.
”

He leveled me with a glance.
 
“
I
’
m
sorry that she
’
s
made you look like a tramp,
”
he
said to me.
 
“
I understand now that
none of this was your doing, but it
’
s still what you look like.
”

And that was it for me
—
I
’
d had enough of
him.
 

“
I
think that
’
s
about it for me,
”
I
said.
 
“
I don
’
t do wallflower.
 
In an effort to be professional, I
’
ve held my tongue as
long as I could, but no more.
 
Do
you want to know what I see in you, Marco?
”

“
Lay
it on me.
 
Let
’
s see what you
’
ve got.
”

“
It
’
s just what everyone
else is thinking, and probably has been for years.
 
You
’
ve shared your impressions of me, so now, here are mine of
you.
 
You look like a roid freak to
me.
 
Are you?
 
I have to wonder.
 
Are you shooting up in the locker room,
or in private?
 
Are your needles
clean, or are they dirty?
 
I bet
they
’
re
dirty.
 
I bet you
’
re into that kind of
risky behavior.
 
I bet you get off
on it.
 
But to me?
 
It looks as if you
’
ve been shooting up
for years.
 
And I have to wonder
why?
 
What are you overcompensating
for?
”