“Smart, siren.”
“Okay, so what’s going on?”
“I’m going to have to let you go as my assistant.”
“I’m getting fired by my own husband?” she cried.
“If it makes you feel any better…” I paused and adjusted our positioning so she could feel my hard-on. “I have a severance package for you.”
She rolled her eyes. “That was bad. And it makes it sound like you’re going to cut it off, so it’s also gross.”
I grimaced. “You’re right.”
“In case you’ve failed to notice, you haven’t let me be your assistant in a long time. You’ve got Malcom for that.” She put the back of her hand to her forehead. “First, you replaced me, and now you can me.”
“Technically, you hired him,” I pointed out. “You replaced yourself.”
When things got busier and Greer accepted that I’d rather have her with me than running bullshit errands, she started the exhaustive and selective hiring process. She was far better at it than I was. Malcom wasn’t interested in a job to get his foot in the Hollywood door. He didn’t want to be an actor, model, or anything else. He also wasn’t looking to mooch for a paycheck without lifting a finger. He liked being an assistant, and he was a damn good one.
“Shit, you’re right.” She still crossed her arms as she stared me down like I didn’t tower over her even with her boosted on my lap. “Why am I fired?”
“Because I’m taking a break from acting.”
My wife dropped all pretenses of resentment as alarm mixed with worry on her pretty face. “What’s wrong? Did something happen online?”
“No.”
It was the truth. I steered clear of comment sections, but the small social media team that worked for me didn’t. They reported back with anything I needed to know. There was still shit talk. There always would be. But for the most part, people loved Greer. And they loved the way I loved her.
There was also nothing wrong.Summerwas the huge success I’d known it would be—once I got past kissing someone else.
I did two movies after that. The spy thriller had a big budget and a good script, but the special effects were the focus and everything else suffered.
The whodunit mystery, though, was the most fun I’d had with a role. I wanted to do more projects like that. Just in a different way.
I shared that. “I want to give directing a try.”
“Okay,” she said immediately. Zero doubt. Zero hesitation. Zero prodding questions of whether I thought I could handle it.
“If it goes well, maybe a production company down the line. Or even a small studio like A24. I want to be able to make the kindof movies I love with people who share my vision. Not ones who bitch and moan and cut corners to pocket more of the budget.”
As I spoke, Greer’s smile grew. “It’s an amazing idea.”
“It might go south.”
“It won’t.”
“We could lose a lot of money if it doesn’t pan out.”
She looked around. “I think we’ll survive. More importantly, it’s a moot point. This is going to be perfect for you.”
“Forus. I want you to run it with me.”
The first hint of reluctance hit as she pressed her lips together. “I’d be out of my depth.”
“You said the same thing about being my assistant and look how amazing you did.”
“You can’t say that after you just terminated my employment,” she tried to joke past her very real apprehension.
