Chapter Twenty-Six
The breakfast meeting was tense, but Armi was determined to proceed normally. Hayden had begged off and he’d agreed, knowing how traumatized he’d been after the confrontation with Russell.
“So I’ve gone over the salaries, and our take from advertising and adding the two players from the NAIA won’t strain our budget or exceed the NFL cap. If we offer the two standard contracts, include offset stipulations but also incentives, we have a good chance of signing them.”
Silence reigned for a moment.
“That sounds good, Armand.” Troy Geiger shot a quick glance at a scowling Whitmore, who sat mute. “Jacob and I will review the contracts and forward them to you.”
“Thanks.”
Coach Jackson held up a hand. “Can I just say we all owe a thank-you to Armand? If it wasn’t for him insisting on us expanding our scouting beyond the high-profile college players and free agents, we might’ve missed these two potential stars. My coaches are already looking forward to the start of the season and going through the lists of these D3 and NAIA schools to see if we can scope out some rising juniors. I’m liking the new path you’re putting us on.”
Troy nodded. “I agree. It might’ve taken you some time and a few stumbles along the way, but I think you’re getting a good handle on how to run this team.”
A warm glow filled him. Armi wasn’t used to so much praise heaped on him. Or any at all. Maybe it was poking the bear, but Armi wanted to know. “Jacob, you’ve been pretty silent. What do you have to say?”
“Where is Russell in all this?”
Armi’s brows drew together. “Meaning what?”
Whitmore frowned. “He’s the GM. We should wait until he’s back full-time before making these major decisions.”
God, he hated confrontations. His heart pounded, but he tried to remain calm and folded his hands. “Why?”
“What the hell do you mean, why?”
“There’s no need to raise your voice,” he responded quietly. “I asked you a simple question. Why should I wait for Russell?”
“Because,” he snapped, “he’s the one in charge. Russell has always been involved in all the major decisions regarding the team. Next to your father, he was the leader. He should’ve been—”
“The new owner?” Armi filled in. “Don’t deny it. That’s what you think, isn’t it?”
“What if it is?” Jacob challenged. “You don’t know shit about running a football team.”
“Maybe it’s time we stop doing things the old way and listen to new voices. New ways of thinking.” Armi tried to remain civil simply because he’d been taught to be respectful. Even to people who might not deserve it.
“You mean your way?” Jacob demanded and stood. “I’m not taking orders from some kid who doesn’t know the difference between defense and offense.”
“I believe in listening to all voices. That’s how a true team operates. If you can’t guarantee that you’ll agree with that, then maybe it’s time for you to step aside.”
“I don’t have to listen to this bullshit from some flower-carrying fairy. Come on, Troy.” He walked to the door and flung it open. Troy remained seated, and Jacob waited. “Troy? What the hell are you waiting for?”
“I’m waiting for you to stop following Russell like a puppy and think for yourself. Yeah, Armand’s made some mistakes, but he’s trying, and if we don’t help, isn’t that only hurting the team and our bottom line?”
Armi held his breath as Jacob went apoplectic. “Are you out of your fucking mind? Bad enough we’ve got an owner who sleeps with men, didn’t you hear what happened this morning?”
“No. Should I have?” Troy glanced around the table.
Coach shook his head. “Not a clue.”
Armi’s face burned. “There’s no need to bring that up here. This is a business meeting about the Kings. Not a referendum on my personal life.”
“Your personal life reflects on the team.”
“No. It does not,” Armi snapped. “Go into any stadium and ask a fan who the owner of the team is. I’ll bet most don’t know, and even more importantly, a hundred percent won’t care about his or her personal life unless they’ve committed some unforgivable crime.”
“He’s got a point, Jacob,” Troy agreed.
Jacob snorted. “His boyfriend was a porn star. You all okay with that image for the team?”
Troy’s and Coach’s brows rose.
“What does his boyfriend have to do with the team?” Frowning, Coach looked to him for an explanation.
Armi met his eyes. “He works here. It’s Hayden. My PA.” Their brows disappeared under their hairlines, and he rushed to explain. “It happened when he was seventeen—a kid. The record was supposed to be sealed and the one video destroyed, but Russell dug it up and tried to humiliate Hayden and me. But we’re not going to allow something that happened decades ago to hinder us, personally or professionally.”
“It’s not that big of a deal, Jacob,” Troy stated. “I’m not interested in what someone did when they were seventeen. Maybe you never got into any trouble when you were young or did stupid things you regret, but all I have to say is I’m glad there was no Internet back then. And considering some of the messes our players get into now…” He shrugged. “Porn is pretty far down on the list.”
“Amen,” Coach muttered.
“You’re all assholes. Wait until advertisers pull their spots, the endorsements dry up, or players don’t want to sign with you because of this gay garbage.”
“What do you mean, with you? Aren’t you still part of the team?” Armi asked.
“No. I’m done. The Kings’ days are numbered. I’m not willing to circle the drain with them and watch a lifetime of hard work vanish. I’m retiring.”
He slammed out of the room, leaving the three of them staring at each other.
Armi cleared his throat. “Well…that was…interesting. I guess I’ll be looking for a new legal counsel for the team. If you have any suggestions, let me know, and I’ll put out a call to some headhunters. I would think Jacob has up-and-coming people on the team to step into his shoes.”
“Don’t let him burst your bubble, kid,” Troy said with more kindness than Armi had ever heard. “I know it’s been a rough road with your father, and none of us really helped you or showed much faith in your ability to take over the team. I personally wanna apologize for that. I was wrong, and I’m sorry. But I gotta say, you’ve come a long way these past couple of months, so whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
Hoping his face didn’t reveal his wicked thoughts, he nodded. “I plan to. Trust me.”
**
“Keep it up? You’ve got to be kidding me,” Hayden gasped. “And you kept a straight face? You’re a better man than me.” Howling with laughter, Hayden fell on his bed. With no need to hide their relationship any longer, he and Hayden had left the office together and decided to have dinner at Armi’s house. He didn’t care where they stayed except for checking on his roses. They’d showered and were relaxing in bed before ordering dinner.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment all day.” Armi pounced on him, and they rolled together until they lay side by side, legs tangled. Joy and light radiated from Hayden’s face, and Armi loved seeing Hayden free and filled with peace. “I know it was rough for you, but I’m glad everything’s out in the open.”
Hayden’s eyes glimmered. “It was, and it’s a crushing weight off me. As humiliating as it was to have everyone in the office hear about my past, it’s nice not to be waiting, wondering if that was the day someone would find out.”
“I hate that you’ve lived like that for so long.” Armi touched his face and guided their lips together. “I only want you to know love from now on.” He pressed kisses to Hayden’s neck, then traced with his tongue the ink patterns on Hayden’s arms. “I want to give you that love.”
“You do. And I love reciprocating.” Hayden’s fingers skimmed his face as he continued to kiss and lick his body. Armi grasped his heavy cock and lapped at the slit, swirling his tongue over the wide crown. Their eyes met and Armi engulfed the full rigid length in his mouth.
“Ohh, yeah.” Hayden sighed. “ Mmm . You’re so perfect.”
He pushed Hayden’s legs apart to kneel between them and took him deep to the back of his throat. The thick shaft filled and stretched his jaw, and he gasped for air but continued to rise and fall on it, the pleasure washing away the pain. His fingers dug into Hayden’s muscular thighs as he licked and sucked hard, his tongue sweeping against the pulsing vein of Hayden’s dick.
“Baby, oh fuck.” Hayden twisted the sheet in his fists, hips snapping as he keened and thrust deep. His entire body stiffened and he came, shooting down Armi’s throat, and Armi eagerly drank it all. “Give me a minute to recover.” Hayden cracked an eye open.
“Don’t worry.” Armi gripped his aching cock. “I can do it.”
A grunt burst from Hayden, and Armi found his legs over Hayden’s shoulders and Hayden’s mouth on his ass, biting and kissing the cheeks. “But I can do this.” He nudged his slick, wet tongue past the rim, working it in fully, and Armi cried out, his body springing to life as every nerve ending leaped into flames.
“ Ahh , God, it’s too much.” But he lifted his ass higher, forcing Hayden’s tongue farther inside. It was so good. So damn good.
Hayden slipped his thumbs in to pull the tight opening wider. “You love this, don’t you? Love having your ass eaten. I love tasting you.” Hayden’s breath ghosted past Armi’s skin. “So delicious.”
No one had ever given him this kind of pleasure, and Armi thought he’d explode from the emotions flooding through him. It was so…primal. So wanton and filthy and yet incredibility hot and sexy. Armi gripped his cock and ran his hand up and down its throbbing length. But Hayden didn’t let up, and Armi was buffeted from all sides, his skin stretched to the limit.
“I’m gonna…gonna…” He writhed beneath Hayden’s wicked mouth.
“Let go, baby. I love you.” With his tongue buried up Armi’s ass, Hayden pressed a finger on the smooth skin behind his balls, and Armi saw stars.
“Oh, fuck.” He came, spraying across his chest and stomach. “Hayden.”
“I’m right here,” Hayden murmured, lips moving slowly against his sweat-drenched skin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
They lay cuddled together, Armi waiting for his heart to settle. “After that first time, I never thought I’d see you again. But to have you love me the way I am? I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“Next to me, you mean.” Hayden’s fingers played in his hair.
“ Mmm .” Armi wasn’t going to argue. Not when he lay limp and boneless, a puddle of contentment. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you the most interesting thing that happened out of that whole meeting.”
“Yeah? What?”
“Jacob quit.”
Hayden’s eyes flew open. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. And Troy apologized for not being more supportive and letting my father—”
“Be a dick? A piece of shit?” Hayden grimaced. His thumb traced Armi’s cheek, and Armi leaned into his touch. He couldn’t imagine a time simply being close to Hayden wouldn’t turn his bones to water.
“I’ve learned a lot about myself since my father died.”
Hayden pulled him near. “Oh?”
“I thought I was doing this to prove to him that I could. That I wasn’t the failure, the loser he always said.”
Hayden held him tighter. “You’re not. You never were.”
Armi continued as if he hadn’t heard Hayden. “But then I realized, somewhere along the line, it changed. And I was no longer doing it for him. I was doing it for me. I wanted to take responsibility and prove to myself, more than anyone else, that I could succeed.”
“I still hate that your whole life he kicked your confidence to the curb and made you feel less than. You do know you’re doing an incredible job with the team, don’t you? People respect you because you lead with kindness. And contrary to what your father said, that doesn’t mean weakness.”
“I’m happy, though. Because of you, I feel more. More alive, more capable. Freer to be who I always wanted but never imagined possible. That first night we met, I was so far out of my comfort zone, I might as well have been on the moon.”
Hayden drew circles on Armi’s shoulder with his fingertips. “I know. You were such a surprise—a wonderful, gorgeous surprise. I could see you weren’t a hookup kind of guy, but you opened up to me, like one of your roses.” Hayden leaned in to kiss him. “And I couldn’t resist getting pricked by your thorns.”
Even though they’d already had the conversation, Armi tried again. “I have an idea. About living together. Because I don’t want to sleep alone.”
“I don’t like it either—”
“So how about a compromise?”
Hayden wrinkled his nose. “How would that go?”
“Weekends here and weekdays at your place. I’d need to check the roses and spend time with them, but I think we could work it out. And in the winter, after the season is over and before the trade deadline hits, we can go to my house in the Hamptons or, if we want someplace warm, take a long vacation. I have someone I trust to come in and care for the roses when they’re not in bloom.”
“I don’t know…I don’t want to feel like I’m living off you. And won’t people in the organization resent you showing favoritism toward me?”
“We wouldn’t be the first office romance. And I still need you as my PA. That’s not going to change.”
“True, true.” Hayden heaved a dramatic sigh. “Who else could you get to keep you in line and out of trouble?” His eyes twinkled. “And clean up your messes?”
“All while being the most fabulous lover? No one.” Armi kissed him. Excitement brewed in his chest, thinking of the two of them starting a life together. Here or wherever they decided.
“I can’t disagree with that.” Hayden’s eyes sparkled like polished emeralds. “But it’s easy to make love to you. All you have to do is touch me, and I’m hard.”
“You mean like this?” Armi threw his leg over Hayden’s hip.
“I’ve created a monster.”
“ Rawr ,” Armi teased, licking up and down Hayden’s throat. “Still think this is a bad idea?”
“Impossible. Loving you is the best idea I’ve ever had.”