Anthony
ANTHONY
“FIRST THING YOU need to know is that we aren’t charging you a higher percentage this year.”
Her words had me dumbstruck and then immediately followed with me feeling insulted.
“Nah, I don’t work like that. I can appreciate you doing me this favor because of my brother but—”
“I’m sorry, what?”
She looked so offended I almost didn’t repeat myself.
Billy had her hand behind her ear like she hadn’t heard me clearly.
When she told me to swing by her office I wasn’t sure what we needed to talk about.
My contract was fairly straightforward because I was a practice squad player.
We’d already gone over the percentage escalation that was built into my original contract with her company, B & B Sports Management.
“Doing me these favors because of Antwan. What I say?” I wasn’t being smart but she and I had already been over how I didn’t rock with this favoritism shit.
Her brow rose, and a sly smile came across her face.
“I’m trying to understand what you said too, ‘cause I could’ve sworn you said I was doing something for your brother.
I don’t like anyone enough to miss out on money if they don’t share my blood.
I’m my husband’s agent and he gets charged a percentage too. ”
I laughed because I knew she wasn’t joking. Hell, Coby’s Drunk in Love ass was probably paying her twice as much as she requested but it ain’t tricking if you got it.
“Cold.”
She smirked but I could tell that she didn’t feel bad about it at all. “It was business before it was pleasure. Now back to the business at hand.”
“Listen, Billy, is it alright if I call you Billy?”
Because we weren’t as cool as I would’ve liked and I walked on eggshells around her sometimes. When we first met I’d been an asshole and life had served me up a quadruple dose of humility. I kept waiting on the day she rubbed it in my face but after all this time, she never had.
Gotta stop thinking every woman is like my mama.
She rolled her eyes and gave me a look that conveyed I was clearly trying her patience. “You already called me Billy so you might as well keep on.”
I nodded and took a breath to figure out how I was going to say what I needed to without sounding like I didn’t have faith in myself.
“I know that my talent isn’t really on the level that you normally take in. And that some part of you is doing this because of Antwan. And I’m not gone lie, I appreciate that shit. Being signed to B & B is something that I’d wanted even way back in LSU—”
“And you were on the radar then too.”
Her interruption gave me pause because I hadn’t thought that people were looking at me like that way back then. I felt good knowing that what I’d done hadn’t been overlooked but my contributions were always overshadowed by my mistakes.
“I appreciate it, but we both know things have changed. I’m not the same person I was mentally and I’m sure people are questioning my talent. I want to be treated the same way you treat everyone else when they get signed.”
“Cool, awesome. Let me clear something up for you. Do I look like the type of woman to do a favor for someone? Especially if that favor takes money out of my kid’s trust funds and food off their table? You’ve seen their daddy, them jokers can eat.”
I folded my lips together because the last thing I wanted to do was come at her like she was money hungry but I also didn’t want her to think I was calling her soft. That was definitely something that she wouldn’t want to be known as when it came to business.
“I…that seems like a loaded question.”
Billy’s smile was mildly devious but I saw a hint of respect in her features.
“I’m glad you’re smart enough to realize that.
First, Anthony, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think you were worthy of being a part of B & B .
I helped advocate for you to get a spot with the Desperados .
Not because your sister-in-law is one of my best friends or because your brother is there and tries to monopolize my husband’s time more than our oldest son.
I did it because of the talent I saw in you that you so desperately tried to snuff out by being stupid—”
I jerked back but I couldn’t help but grin because she delivered that barb smooth as fuck. “Gotdamn I was waiting for it and it still took me by surprise. Just throwing my past straight in my face like that?”
“How else you want me to give it to you? I’m going to be tough on you because trust me honey the media will be far worse.
They’ll call you everything but a child of God and you’re supposed to sit there and take it.
I believe in you, but I damn sure ain’t about to coddle you.
The old Anthony would’ve expected that shit, but something tells me the one sitting in front of me doesn’t. ”
I nodded because she was only doing what I apparently couldn’t pay her more to do this year. “You’re right.”
She waved me off like my confirmation wasn’t necessary.
“I know, I just needed to give you that reminder about yourself because I could see the doubt start to creep in. I’m not about to talk behind your back but I’m also not going to kiss your ass.
Your brother knows how I operate better than anyone.
If he didn’t give you the advice before you got here be mad at him.
He knew you needed to get your chin checked.
So, I need to go cuss his ass out because he got me doing the heavy lifting his ass should’ve done before you left the house to bring your ass over here.
” Her face was balled up like she was truly fed up with the both of us.
“Got—well damn how I get ‘Twan in trouble just sitting here?”
She rolled her eyes before she went back to saying what she needed to.
“Don’t ask too many questions before you dig him in even deeper.
Now, this is what I was trying to say before your ego interrupted.
This is a deal that we do for players who are just entering into the league because we need you to have enough available capital so that you can eat, live and perform with enough money for the year so you don’t do something stupid.
And I am blessed enough not to need to take food out of your mouth to put food on my table.
So stop trying to block your blessings.”
I shifted in my seat damn near itching to get up and expend some of my pent-up energy. “I feel like I’m at the principal’s office or getting cussed out by somebody’s mama. How many times you gone read my ass, Billy?”
She flashed as she swiveled from side to side in her chair with her legs crossed. A beautiful smile that I was sure had muhfuckas more focused on her face than her words. “As many times as you need so that you can gather yourself. You’ve learned your lesson from that shit, right?”
I didn’t hesitate to answer her. “Yes.”
“I thought so. Now, there are plenty of people clamoring at the idea of you and your brother stepping into your first season as a roster player and not just scout team. Folks are going to be throwing money at you left and right. The idea of having both Phillips representing their brand will have people locally and nationally trying to get y’all signed on. ”
“That’s crazy to think. I mean, maybe in a few seasons but I ain’t even done anything too big yet to have people coming at me like that with offers.”
I’d finished talking but she sat silently in her chair with her arms folded. “You done?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Good. I was just trying to see if you were just hell-bent on being a sad ass, self-sabotaging muthafucka. Now are you gone hush and listen so I can put money in your pocket?”
“Billy, I hear you. But I don’t want people to think I only got here because of my brother.”
I hated that it was a sticking point for me but it was.
My brother had enough people trying to eat off him that didn’t deserve it.
From extended family that never gave a fuck about us to our mama trying to emotionally blackmail him.
More than ever, I wanted to get everything on my own, not out of competition but out of my desire not to be a burden to him.
“Here’s the thing you have to understand Ant, can I call you Ant?” She threw my words back at me and I laughed at her being silly.
“You already did so you might as well keep the party jumping.”
“Smart ass. Like I was saying, there is always going to be somebody in this world who will hate on you because of the advantages that you had. Advantages that you reaped the benefit of because of your brother. But none of that shit was on the football field. It was the real-life shit that Antwan made shake so that you could go to prep school, have conditioning coaches and everything else. You didn’t have it easy but you didn’t have it as hard as some and people will always have something to say.
But it was still your talent that shone through all that.
I’m not one of these people who shits on nepotism.
You think I’m grinding this hard for my babies to start from the bottom?
Fuck no. They're gonna know how to be good stewards of their shit but if they eat off my name or get ahead because of it then I did my job right. Now if you got this position just because of your brother and you sucked? That’s one thing.
But you know the quickest way to shut a bitch up? ”
I sat back cause I felt like she was gone say some shit that would hit my soul. “I feel like you about to tell me.”