But that wasn't important now, so all I said was, "Hey, I can write my own press releases."
It was a joke. But from Anna's frown, she didn't see the humor – not that I could blame her.
Looking to move on, I said, "Anyway, the thing is, when I signed this latest contract, I agreed to a certain amount of promo stuff –withFelicity."
"You mean, like where you're appearing at the same events?"
"Yeah. But together, as a couple."
"Oh." She gave a rueful laugh."Flynnicity."
I hated that term. Still, I nodded. "Basically."
"But I'm not following," Anna said. "What does that have to do with you hiring me?"
"It's about that contract," I explained. "I'm not gonna sign anything without an out. So at the time, I try to get it written up so it only applies if Felicity and I are still together."
"You said youtried? But they didn't agree?"
"Right. And after going back and forth, we meet in the middle."
"What's the middle?" she asked.
"Remember that 'out' I mentioned? It only kicks in if either one of us is seeing someone else."
She bit her lip. "Like me."
"Yeah, it's younow. But that wasn't my original plan."
"So whatwasyour plan?" she asked.
"The truth? I didn't have one. But I figured it wouldn’t be a big deal. If Felicity and I broke up, I'd move on, and so would she."
"But she didn't?"
I gave a low scoff. "What doyouthink?"
"Me? I think she's crazy, well, for you anyway."
"Maybe. But there's more to it. The second I hook up with someone else, Felicity's claws come out."
"Oh, really?" Anna said with a wry smile. "I had no idea."
"It's more than making a scene," I said. "She has a way of ruining people. She's good at it, too."
Anna's smile faded. "How so?"
I considered my history with Felicity Saint Cloud. She and I had been on-and-off-again for nearly four years. During the off-times, Felicity had been busier than I'd realized at the time.
"Let's say I'm seeing another actress," I said, "Felicity can make it hard for them to get new roles. And by hard, I mean they might never work again."
"So she sabotages them?"
"Pretty much. And if I'm seeing someoneloweron the totem pole, she can make their life a living hell."
Anna gave me a perplexed look. "So what are you saying? No one was willing to date you?"
I considered the countless offers I'd had, evenwhileFelicity and I had been together. "That's not it," I said, "I'm just saying, I didn't want these other girls paying the price formyproblem."