Chapter 20 Ben
twenty
Ben
Finding out who owns the Bloomburg Aspens is like trying to crack the code on the Rosetta Stone. Everyone is zipping their lips and giving me phone numbers to call that lead me to more phone numbers, until finally, I have a meeting.
Secret societies have nothing on the call tree of a professional sports team.
I can’t put a finger on it, but I feel like Christine wouldn’t appreciate me going above her head. Until I meet the owners, all her calls go to voicemail.
The man I spoke to about the meeting arranged for a meeting in a brewery, of all places.
Not that I’m complaining, but if I want to keep my identity secret and personal issues private, it might not be the best place for us to talk.
I’m trusting the people on the other end for this one. It’s my only choice.
With Lukas on the road for four days, it gives me time to gather information without him knowing, and while I wanted him to be in on it, in case it jeopardizes his position on the team, I’d rather have time on my own to figure out how to deal with it.
The weather is growing colder, and Christmas looms on the horizon. When I pull into the parking lot of the Tilt-a-Whirl brewery, white Christmas lights hang from every available tree. It’s a soft, romantic feel despite the lingering aroma of beer, and it continues inside the establishment.
The doors close behind me, and it’s a quiet evening for the restaurant here.
Two men in cowboy hats sit at the bar talking to a blond bartender, while a table in the corner has a group of men talking and laughing with drinks.
Since I’m not even sure what the man I’m meeting here looks like, or his name I realize, I approach the bar.
“Excuse me.” All three sets of eyes turn to me, and I feel a little lightheaded. Must be the cowboy hats. “I’m supposed to be meeting someone here and I, ah, I don’t know their name.”
The bartender grins and sticks out his hand. “You must be Ben. I’m Zane.”
I take his hand and smile. “So you’re the owner of the Aspens? Are you sure this is a good time to talk?”
The darker-haired cowboy at the bar chuckles. “It’s as good a time as any. He’s not the owner, though. The fellas you need to speak to are hangin’ out right over there.” He lifts his chin towards the only other table in the corner with the four men.
“Oh, um, okay. I’ll just introduce myself to—”
But the man whistles loudly. “Hey, fellas, Ben is here.”
“Okay then,” I mutter and turn to see the man I spoke to at the Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago. He’s dressed differently, but I can’t forget those glacier-coloured eyes. “Oh my god. It’s…it’s you!”
He extends a hand to me, and I take it. “Austin Maloney. Nice to meet you properly, Ben. Not just me. I have partners in this team.” He pulls a chair up to the table.
“Everyone, this is Ben. The mascot for the Aspens I told you about.” He points to each person at the table.
“This is my husband Logan, my brother Jacob and another of the owners, Matts.” I wave at them all, still stunned that I spilled my guts to the owner of the team without even knowing it.
The cowboy from the bar slides up a chair next to me and spins it around, sitting backwards. “I’m owner number three.” He offers a hand. “I’m Blaze, and I know shit about hockey, but I like to invest in things. Diversity and all that, you know? So don’t mind me and talk to these guys.”
“Ben, I have to say I love your performances. If you ever give classes on that kind of stuff, I run the LGBTQ+ youth shelter in town, and I’d love to arrange a workshop or something.
” Jacob, an adorable man with short brown hair and a kind smile, says with so much enthusiasm, I have to wonder if maybe that’s been on his mind for a long time.
“I would totally be into that. I actually own a yoga studio here and teach classes, so it wouldn’t be a stretch.”
“Oh, yoga? Really?” The attractive man next to Austin lights up. “Baby, we should go.”
Austin smiles at the man and shakes his head. “We can talk about that after, Logan. First, we need to talk to Ben about the issues he’s having with the team.”
Logan and Jacob excuse themselves and join the other man at the bar while I remain with Austin, Matts, and Blaze.
“I need to ask…how come you keep your ownership such a secret?”
“It’s not really a secret,” Matts begins.
“It’s more like we prefer to stay low profile and choose competent people to run the team for us.
Like this place.” He waves an arm around him.
“I’m part-owner here, but I leave most of the daily decision stuff to my partners.
I do all the landscaping and planting and outside things they hate. ”
“Oh. You own multiple businesses, then. That’s cool. I guess beer and hockey go together. That’s a smart move.”
Austin laughs before turning those amazing green-blue eyes on me. “You don’t follow sports much, do you?”
Laughing, I shake my head. “Nope. I wasn’t even a hockey fan until this year. Lukas has been teaching me, though, and I enjoy watching him play.”
“Matts and I used to play professional hockey together,” Austin says, and he pauses, like he thinks that might help me know who he is.
I only smile and nod. “Have you been to the Fall Fling in town before?” I shake my head, and Austin continues.
“It doesn’t matter right now. The point is, we’ve both been out of hockey actively for several years, and I wanted to bring hockey here since the town has grown. ”
Blaze clears his throat. “I’m a more silent partner.
Mostly.” He laughs to himself, and I don’t know why, but I like him immediately.
“I secured the land and financed the buildin’ of the arena.
The first group intendin’ to take over the team were not people I wanted to deal with…
. then these two came along with a proposal.
They let me sit in on things to include me, but I’m just a guy with a lot of money who likes to help friends. ”
“Oh, um, thank you? I think?”
Blaze winks and unwraps a toothpick from his pocket.
“Just tell us what’s going on, Ben. From the top,” Austin says.
So, I do. Beginning with how Christine scouted me and approached me with an offer to be the mascot. I included the details of the contract and brought a copy that Blaze immediately took to skim through. Then I ended the story with meeting Lukas, and neither of us knowing what the other did.
“Well, I have to say I’ve never been fond of the whole no-relationships-in-the-workplace thing,” Matts says, and Blaze snorts in agreement.
“Tell me about it. We’d both be single.” He laughs before passing my contract to the other two.
“This contract has a few red flags, Ben. The numbers she’s quoted you and the bonus structure don’t add up. I know this because I’m the one who set the budgets, from coaches and players’ salaries to how much the concession workers get paid.”
“Oh my god. Am I going to owe money back?” My stomach flips at the thought, but a warm hand lies on my arm.
“Not at all. We’ll discuss all that between the three of us after, but the thing that stands out most to me is this whole thing about not tellin’ people who you are.”
Austin chimes in. “It’s standard not to tell people when you’re a mascot, Blaze. Prevents them from profiting off it personally if they’re successful.”
“That’s all well and good, but why say he can’t disclose to someone he’s in a relationship with?
Isn’t that what an NDA is for? You can’t exercise that much control over one person’s life like that.
Hell, world leaders can have affairs, but the mascot has to live like a monk or lie? I don’t like it.”
Blaze sits back and crosses his arms while Matts and Austin exchange a look.
“Has Lukas talked to his coach or anyone about this?” Matts asks, and I shake my head.
“I don’t think so. I was hoping to have it solved before he got back. Is there a policy where you can’t date team members or something? One of the other players told him to tell the coach, and I don’t think he did.”
Another look between Matts and Austin, and I bite my lip. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Did I just fuck Lukas’s career by doing this?
“Ben,” Austin’s soft voice settles my worries somewhat. “We need some time to look into a few things, and I promise we will move as fast as we can. While we do that, don’t talk to Christine and don’t tell Lukas.”
“I have to tell him,” I plead.
“Give us until the team returns home. That’s all I ask.”
With a heavy sigh, I nod. “Okay. It’ll be hard, but I’ll wait until I hear from you.”
“I promise it will work out,” Austin says, and while his tone gives me hope, it’s hard to keep the worry away that I might have fucked up the best thing to happen to me.
“Since you came all the way out to the brewery, why don’t you stay for a bite to eat?” Matts nods towards the bar. “Zane makes amazing food. Our treat.”
How can these guys be so kind and understanding to a complete stranger who’s begging them to change their team policies? It’s almost unreal, but then I remember not everyone in the world is a C-U-Next-Tuesday. Kind people exist.
“Uh, sure. I could go for making new friends over food.”
After settling at the bar and telling Zane what I like, he heads to the kitchen, leaving me with Blaze and Jacob.
Matts and Austin excused themselves to the office, and the other man with the amazing blue eyes and a cowboy hat said hello and goodbye after kissing Zane goodnight.
This place is packed with hot men, and I’m almost sad I’ve never been here before.
I should ask James if Brandon has brought him here, since cowboys seem to be a theme.
“I’m curious why this place is so quiet tonight. It’s the Christmas season. Shouldn’t it be packed?”
“It usually is, but we had an event here earlier for the shelter.” Jacob then tells me how he had a group of teens do some Christmas hamper sorting and packaging here and then fed them all.
The brewery was closed to the public for the event, and when Zane’s husband left, he was delivering the hampers to a warehouse in town tomorrow.
“Wow. You sure do a lot.”
Jacob flushes with the compliment and sips his Coke.
“My brother and I didn’t have a great home life.
We do as much as we can to give back and to provide other kids with better experiences.
” He puffs a breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for that to sound so conceited.
It’s just something that I’ve always wanted to do. I’m a caregiver by nature.”
“It’s true,” Blaze offers. “Jacob is one of the best people you’ll ever meet.”
I chat with the two of them more about my job, since they know the situation, and what each of them does in the community.
“I grew up here and only came back last year. I wish there were as many queer events and groups like this when I was a kid. It might have made my life a little easier to know I wasn’t alone.”
“You’re never alone now that you know us.” Jacob smiles. “Seriously. We’re a family that keeps growing.” He laughs to himself. “Or the in-laws that never leave. It takes a lot to get rid of us.”
Zane drops off my burger, and I spend another thirty minutes just eating and laughing with these three. The food is amazing, and their company is just as satisfying. Jacob and I share our contacts and discuss a yoga class for the shelter kids.
Before I leave, Jacob lowers his voice. “If you don’t mind, can I ask if all the extra bendy stuff helps in the bedroom? I don’t need details but, like…does it add to it?”
I almost laugh until I notice the serious look on his innocent face.
“It doesn’t fucking hurt, that’s for sure. Without giving you details, I’ll just say it makes things a little more…creative.”
He nods along like he’s in a classroom and hanging on the teacher’s every word.
“This is good to know. Not that I need more creativity.” He snort-laughs. “Matts wouldn’t complain, though, and it might distract me from the lavender farm idea.”
“Oh, I love lavender! A farm sounds fun.”
Blaze overhears my excitement and laughs. “It’s only fun if you keep Jake out of it.” He finishes his drink and taps the counter. “On that note, I’ll be off. It was a pleasure meetin’ you, Ben. I hope we see you around again.”
“I’ll be back. I guarantee it.”
When I turn to Jacob as I gather my jacket, he cocks his head.
A slight pink blooms on his cheeks. “Listen, I’m just gonna say it.
I like to have sex in the lavender garden here when it blooms. I’m a little freaky that way.
That’s why a whole-ass farm of the stuff might not be good.
Well, it would be good, but it could never be open to the public. ”
I did not see that coming. Not even a little.
“I don’t judge, man. But also, I feel like there’s a story behind that and maybe one day you’ll share it with me.”
He grins. “I just might. Have a good night, Ben, and I’ll be in touch.”
Zipping my coat up against the cold, I walk to my car and slide behind the wheel. While it warms, my mind wanders to lavender, and I wonder if it’s an aphrodisiac or just something quirky with Jacob. Maybe I’ll look into it.
As I drive away and all the twinkling lights of the brewery fade behind me, I hope the next time I come back here it’s with Lukas and good news.