Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102549 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 513(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Prescott and Kit are SEALs, for fuck’s sake. They were bigger than me before. Now …
The thought of them throwing me around fills my mind, and a shiver runs down my spine. My suit pants tighten because my cock is already on vacation and imagining what the guys are going to do to me. It’s highly unprofessional while negotiating signing a new client.
A new pain-in-the-ass client too. This guy Uncle Damon has chosen to represent is pissing me off. He thinks he’s going to be the next biggest queer quarterback in the NFL. Better than Peyton Miller even. Even though he’s going in undrafted and hasn’t even been on a team for the last twelve months. It’s like he saw my brother and said, “Hey, I played college football. I could do better than that guy.”
Fucker. My brother kicked ass his rookie season with Arizona, taking the team further than they have been in a long time. Sure, they were knocked out early in the playoffs, but they made the playoffs.
Torey Nelson is saying how he could’ve taken Arizona all the way, and I’m silently gritting my teeth.
Uncle Damon can tell I’m getting agitated, too, because he smiles at me and then says to Torey, “Sorry, did I introduce you to my intern? Brady Talon, this is Torey Nelson.”
Suddenly, the guy’s façade drops. The chair he’s been swinging on falls forward, the front legs hitting the floor with a loud thud. “T-Talon?”
Damon’s smile widens. “We’re a family-run agency. Peyton Miller is one of my clients, and if we’re going to sign you, you will be part of this team. This family. Which means I would advise you not to compare yourself to anyone else on my roster.”
“Or maybe anyone who is competing at the NFL level when you’re not,” I say, and when Uncle Damon glares at me, I add, “yet.”
As if realizing this isn’t a done deal and he’s risking losing the representation he sought out, not the other way around, Torey turns from cocky and arrogant to ass-kisser. Of course. Not that I should judge him. If we hadn’t grown up in the family we did, we might not know how to act around prospective agents.
We’ve always been told that being confident is a good thing, but there’s a fine line between that and unattractive cockiness.
When I decided I wanted to be a sports agent, I knew I was going to have to learn to deal with an athlete’s ego. I thought it would be easy, having grown up with Peyton Miller as a brother. Turns out when you don’t love the person you’re representing, it’s really hard not to tell them to cut the shit. At least with Peyton, I can tell him that and he won’t fire me.
Uncle Damon has this amazing touch with all of his clients. He’s patient but can be stern when he needs to be. I need to learn that tact. I’m trying to swallow down my annoyance and remain professional, but I don’t know if I’m pulling it off.
“Of course,” Torey says. “I’m a team player. I promise. Ask any of my coaches and teammates.”
“There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition,” Uncle Damon says, “but it’s when it becomes toxic, you’ll get a reputation for something you don’t want to be known as: a sore winner or loser.”
“Yes, sir.”
I try not to laugh at the sudden flip in attitude.
“You might want to learn some humility.” Uncle Damon stands. “We’ll leave the meeting here for now. If you’re still interested in representation, we’ll be happy to sign you with King Sports, but it depends on what kind of agent you’re looking for. We’re hands-on, and we will call you out on poor behavior. Someone else might be more willing to kiss your ass and let you get away with the shitty attitude, but they’ll also be the first to drop you at the sign of a scandal.”
Torey swallows hard. “I want a supportive agent. I want someone who will fight for my rights as a queer athlete, and that’s why I came to you first. The things you’ve done for the queer community—”
Uncle Damon sits back down at the negotiating table. “Those things were only achieved because of the standards I put on my players. Image is everything, and unfortunately, in this business, everything can be taken out of context or twisted. Some agents believe any publicity is good publicity, but I’ve had clients almost lose their places on teams because of poor decisions. If you are interested, we can get you signed and send you a PR coach to train you on how to conduct yourself in interviews, with press, and also other players. You’re allowed to hate anyone internally, but we’ll train you to be nice to them anyway.”
Even though he’s talking about sports and specifically what he expects from his players, I can’t help applying it to the industry as a whole.