Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85838 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 343(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
He might be in the zone, but his confession knocks me right out of mine.
5
HYPOTHETICAL FUCK
Zane
As dinner wraps up, I take a private vow.
I won’t whisper filthy nothings to Maddox anymore. I won’t touch my new agent again. And I definitely won’t steal a private moment with him at the bar once this meal ends.
Because I could ask him for a nightcap. Two single guys grabbing a drink while the parents among the crew hit the hotel hay. Parents always want extra shut-eye on the road.
But do I suggest a drink when Maddox signs the receipt at the table and snaps the leather folder closed?
I do not.
I’m damn well-behaved as I give an earnest nod to my new trio of agents. “Thanks for dinner. I’m stoked to work with all of you.”
Vance smiles from across the table. “I’m so glad to hear that. It’s going to be great.”
“It is.” Their faith helps shake the nerves that have been dogging me lately. The kind of sponsorships that Maddox is suggesting felt out of reach my first few years in the majors. I don’t want to risk this golden opportunity for the sake of one hot night with the guy who’s going to land the deal.
Nope. I’ve taken a vow to behave.
The four of us make our way out of the restaurant, and I don’t even check out Maddox on the way to the hotel elevators. Instead, I catch Vance’s eye and slow my pace, letting Adriana and Maddox walk ahead.
“Hey,” I whisper.
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Thanks again. For looking out for me,” I say, patting his shoulder. He plucked me from the lower rounds of the draft, putting his faith in me when others didn’t. I don’t take that lightly. “Since the beginning.”
“Always, kid.” He slugs me on the arm. “I’ve got your back. You feel good about these two? If you don’t, I’ll keep you all to my lonesome.”
I smile, letting him know I’m good with it. Clearly, he thinks they can strike gold, and if I’m anything, I’m a damn fine team player. “Like I said earlier, if this works for you, it works for me.”
“It’ll work for all of us,” he says. We catch up to the others as Adriana yawns, then Vance does too.
“I’m gonna crash in three, two, one. I’m so glad I’m staying here,” Vance says, eyes bleary, voice slurry.
“Me too,” Adriana seconds, sounding ready to collapse. “But I’ll be up at six, working the phones.”
“Of course you will,” Maddox says.
“You too,” she tells him with a knowing smile.
“You guys are too fun,” I say, teasing them as we reach the bank of elevators.
“We’re a barrel of sleep-deprived monkeys,” Vance says.
To keep the mood light, I turn to Maddox. “Is it past your bedtime too?”
Shaking his head, he stabs the down button. “I’ve got a little more stamina,” he says, pressing the pedal lightly on the innuendo. But then he surprises me when he adds, “So, I’m going to see a friend over in Hayes Valley.”
I straighten to attention.
Wait.
Friend? He’s seeing a fucking friend? And was he going to see this friend if he’d accepted my come-home-with-me offer?
Then, I slam on the brakes.
Dude, did you really just mentally argue with yourself over whether your new agent was hypothetically going to ditch his friend to hypothetically fuck?
I need to get it together.
I’m going home, anyway. I have a game tomorrow evening. A workout in the morning.
There. I breathe past the stupid burst of jealousy.
The elevator doors grind open. Soft blue lights illuminate a sleek car. We step inside, the four of us. Maddox takes the back left corner. I move to the right. Vance and Adriana take the center.
This distance is necessary.
Ten seconds later, the tired parents step out on the eighteenth floor. “Take the stairwell next time,” I tease Vance as Adriana heads the other way.
He waves me off as he trudges down the hall to his room. “I don’t see you taking it either.”
“Fair point,” Maddox says, shooting me a sly grin.
Are you so smart-mouthed with the friend you’re about to see?
But I bite my tongue as the doors start to close on the two of us. We’ll be all alone for eighteen long floors down, down, down. What’s an elevator ride between two guys who want to fuck but can’t?
Eons.
Especially since he’s seeing a friend. I clench my jaw, irritated he’s going to hit the town, tempted to ask what the hell his story is.
Maybe I’ll ask right the fuck now. But as the doors start to whoosh closed, a brassy voice calls, “Wait up!”
Maddox sticks out an arm and the elevator grunts, the doors jerking back open. A woman in heels and a little black dress totters in, followed by another woman in a pink top and jeans. Two men careen in after them, belting the chorus to “Livin’ on a Prayer.” The foursome reek of tequila and karaoke.