Page 7 of Turn Me On
“We were shooting the breeze about the Hawks versus the Renegades this season,” I improvise, giving Zane a chance to do the same. He lives in San Francisco, so it’s reasonable he’ll have an opinion about football allegiances. “Hawks all the way.”
The ballplayer is quiet for a moment, and I hold my breath. This is the moment. I’ll either lose the job I just jumped ship for, or I have a shot to redeem myself.
At last, Zane says, “I’m a Renegades man. And it’s a pleasure toofficiallymeet you too,” Zane says.
Thank you, your honor, for the reprieve.
Zane’s tone is noticeably cool though, and he’s ice when he adds, “Maddox,” with a twist of his lips.
Ah, hell.
He’s covering for me, but he sure as hell is pissed I let the flirtation go as far as it did. I should have introduced myself sooner.
If I could just grab a minute with him before the meal, I can apologize.
“Vance, let me settle up here, and we’ll join you at the table. Zane and I just had a bet going about who’s looking stronger going into training camp this summer,” I say.
Zane waves a dismissive hand. “We can settle up later,” he says, then walks away. I’ll have my work cut out for me to make this right.
I swear, cocks are the biggest troublemakers in the universe.
4
OUT OF THE ZONE
Maddox
As I close my bar tab, I clear my head of lustful thoughts. At dinner, I’ll focus on my credentials—Adriana’s too—and impress Zane with those. I’ll be straightforward and businesslike.
The way I should have behaved at the bar.
After I tuck my platinum card back into my wallet, I weave through the dining room to the booth reserved in the corner. Vance and Adriana are seated on one side, which leaves me to slide in next to Zane. I get another hit of his scent—the hint of oak from his aftershave and soap from his post-game shower. I try to ignore it; it’s already been near-fatal to my judgment.
Zane doesn’t even look at me as we peruse our menus.
After we order, Vance takes the lead, launching into the details of my new role at CTM. “So, here’s the good news,” he tells Zane, gesturing to Adriana, then me. “Our sports management team has been watching these two while we’ve been competing with them.”
My right-hand woman clears her throat. “Well, you made a good attempt to compete,” Adriana says with a cheeky smile.
Vance holds up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. Our philosophy isif you can’t beat ’em, hire ’em the hell away. Seriously though,” he says to his client. “I’ve got you covered when it comes to negotiations with the Dragons, but we wanted more specialized expertise on the brand side because it’s so vital to sports marketing.”
Now’s my turn to impress the man I should not have hit on. I rattle off the deals we’ve inked with Fortune 100 brands for all our clients, like the Seductive Cologne deal for Carter Hendrix on the Renegades, before I finish with, “And we also worked with Crosby Cash on the San Francisco Cougars to develop a line of lucky socks.”
The third baseman is famous for his superstition regarding footwear, but I might have specifically mentioned him because he’s another baseball player.
“Good to know,” Zane says evenly, then goes quiet again.
That sure as shit doesn’t sound like he’s warming back up. I’ve got a long way to go if I want to win him over.
I rattle off more of our deals from the last several years. “And I personally handle Nate Chandler’s endorsement deals, as you noted,” I say. Hiring a billboard to sayI strike killer deals for all my clientswould be less obvious, but I’m determined to regain his respect. And, since Nate’s one of the team captains for the San Francisco Hawks and a high-profile player in the NFL, who happens to be gay, I add, “We make sure players of all backgrounds get the deals they deserve, matching them with the right brands.”
Zane turns to me, his jaw set. “And what will that mean for me? And maybe, say, Energize Drinks?”
Vance cuts in. “That’s why I asked Maddox and Adriana here. They know Energize Drinks well.”
He shifts his eyes away when he says it. I’m not surprised. He warned me before dinner I’d have to deliver the bad news.
Zane perks up, sitting higher. “That so?”