Chapter 34
brEAKING: MAN FIRES WRONG PERSON, REGRETS EVERYTHING Correction issued: agent was the problem
Tanner
Ping. Ping. Ping.
I growl as notification after notification comes through on my phone.
The video is out there. There’s no way Alaia leaked the video. Not after the article she wrote, basically calling Sam a backstabbing asshole for betraying my trust.
And Sam isn’t answering my calls. He’s completely ghosted me. In the middle of the biggest PR scandal of my life, he isn’t to be found.
Which isn’t suspicious at all.
I’m such a dumbass. I defended him to Alaia and called her a liar. I wouldn’t listen to her explanation – the truth. I believed in my agent.
I try calling Sam again. I don’t bother with his private number. He won’t answer it. I call the reception instead.
“This is Vanguard Player Management. How may I direct your call?”
“I want to speak to Sam Voss.”
“Who may I say is calling?”
“This is Tanner Long. And before you say Sam isn’t available to me. Let him know I will send a pineapple pizza to his house every hour of every day until he accepts my call.”
Sam hates pineapple on pizza. The smell makes him feel nauseous. Good. He makes me feel nauseous.
“Hold please.”
I pace the living room of my hotel suite as I wait for him to answer. And he will answer. I wasn’t kidding about the pineapple pizza. I can be as ruthless as he is.
“Tanner. Sorry, we haven’t connected in the last day. Things have been crazy.”
“Cut the shit. I know you leaked the video. What I don’t know is why.” I have my assumptions, but I want to hear the truth out of this bastard’s mouth.
“Ahem. What do you mean?”
“We’ve known each other a long time, Sam. I can tell when you’re lying.”
“Look, Tanner. You’re a liability – plain and simple.”
“A liability you earn a shit ton of money off of.”
“I don’t deny it, but you also cause me the most work. Dealing with the scandals. Blowing out the fires. The list goes on and on.”
“Are you complaining about having to work for the millions you’ve earned off my back?”
“I’m trying to explain how you’re a difficult client.”
“And you’d prefer clients who aren’t difficult. Clients such as Victor Saunders.”
“You heard.”
“You literally did a press release.”
“You never read those press releases.”
True. I don’t. But my teammates do. And they look out for me. More proof there are people I can trust in this world. Sam just isn’t one of them.
“To sum up. Victor Saunders is your latest client and you leaked the video so you could get rid of me. Fine by me. You’re fired.”
“You can’t fire me,” he sputters. “I’m firing you.”
“Whatever. I deserve better than an agent who sells me out because I’m too much work.”
And I do deserve better. I’ve put up with Sam and his bullshit for too many years. His inability to answer my calls when I need him. His lack of finding me good sponsors. His general laziness.
I deserve more. I deserve an agent who’s loyal to me. Who looks out for my best interests.
I never worried about it before because I assumed I could never find an agent I’d trust. But Alaia showed me the error of my ways. I can trust my teammates. I can trust her. I can find an agent to trust.
Just because I couldn’t trust my parents doesn’t mean no one in the world can be trusted.
I don’t recoil at the idea of trusting someone. My heart doesn’t race with fear. Something settles inside me instead.
All because of Alaia. I need to win her back. I’ll do whatever is necessary.
“We’re done here.” I disconnect the call before Sam can respond.
I throw my phone on the sofa. I need to find a new agent, but first, I need to win Alaia back.
Before I can figure out any ideas, there’s a knock on my door. I open it and scowl at the person standing there.
“What are you doing here?”
Belinda shoves her way into the room. “I’m here to clean up your mess, obviously.”
I start to shut the door but Knox pushes it open. “I thought you could use some backup.”
More proof there are people worth trusting in this world. “Thanks.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “Anytime.”
“Now,” Belinda begins. “I have a few ideas on how we can repair the damage.”
“Didn’t Sam fire you? He leaked the video. Obviously, he doesn’t care about my reputation any longer.”
She purses her lips. “I was hired to handle the media storm should the video get leaked. I will do my job regardless of your relationship with your agent.”
I’m impressed. And I’m not easily impressed after nearly a decade of dealing with public relations and the press – most of whom will sell their firstborn for a good story.
Not true, I remind myself. Alaia isn’t that way. And apparently neither is Belinda.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Now.” She taps her tablet. “Let’s discuss those ideas. I think we should start with you and Alaia admitting the article she wrote was about your agent. Everyone’s discussing loyalty in the NFL at the moment. Let’s strike while the iron is hot.”
“Nope. I’m not bringing Alaia into this. This is my mess to sort out.”
She scowls at me. “You brought her into this when you asked her to pretend to be your girlfriend.”
“Our relationship isn’t pretend anymore. I love her, and I won’t expose her to my problems any longer.”
“Proud of you,” Knox says and warmth fills me.
I don’t have a dad who’s proud of me. Simply because I refused to follow the career path he insisted on. Hearing Coach Knox – a man I respect – say he’s proud of me is even better. He’s not my dad. He’s not morally obligated to be proud of me. But he is.
Belinda glares at her tablet. “Most of my ideas involve your girlfriend. Are you certain you won’t involve her?”
“Not happening.”
“But what about this photo shoot? We’re making a calendar of the most popular team members. We’ll sell it and the proceeds will go to a charity chosen by the players who are in the calendar.”
“I’m still in for the calendar. Gage, Nolan, Brock, Corbin, and I have already chosen the charity.”
“Alaia was supposed to come to the photo shoot. My photographer was going to snap pictures of the two of you looking all lovey-dovey.”
Lovey-dovey? I don’t ever look lovey-dovey. I’m not a member of a boy band. But it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m not parading Alaia around to repair my reputation. I won’t use her. Not anymore. She deserves better. She deserves the world.
“Alaia’s not coming. I’m not forcing her to do any more PR stunts with me.”
“Actually.” Knox clears her throat. “Alaia should be at the photo shoot anyway.”
My brow wrinkles. “Why would Alaia be there?”
“Belinda. Can we have the room for a minute?”
She glares at Knox for a second before nodding and marching into the hallway. “You have five minutes.”
Once the door is shut behind her, I return my attention to Knox. “What’s going on?”
“The Seals hired Alaia as their new PR manager.”
“They did?” He nods. “Awesome. This is such a great opportunity for Alaia. I’m so proud of her. She’s going to do such a wonderful job. The Seals are lucky to have her.”
Knox grins. “You really do love her.”
It’s not a question but I don’t hesitate to answer anyway. “I do.”
“She doesn’t seem to feel the same about you. She nearly didn’t accept the job with the Seals because she doesn’t want to be around you.”
My stomach drops to the floor. She said she cared about me, but after how I acted, how can she? I need to show her I was wrong. But how?
I run my hands through my hair and tug on the ends. I really screwed up. “What am I going to do?”
“She’ll be at the photo shoot. You’ll have a chance to speak to her then.”
But she’ll be busy doing her PR thing, and I’ll be busy with the photographers. Not an ideal situation to reconcile.
“Nah.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to beg her to give me another chance when she’s busy with her brand new job. Alaia is a professional. She won’t appreciate me interrupting her when she’s working.”
“I guess you’ll need to find a different time to speak to her.”
I snort. “As if she’ll answer my phone calls.”
“Hmm…” He taps his chin. “We need to come up with a way to get the two of you in the same place, so she’s forced to listen to you.”
The door bursts open and Belinda enters. “This is where I come in. I have ideas.”
“Were you listening at the door the whole time?” I ask.
“Not the whole time.”
I don’t believe her. I lift an eyebrow.
“I had to answer a few messages for part of the time.”
I open my mouth to remind her of a little thing called privacy. But stop when I realize this is the perfect opportunity. I have no idea how to win Alaia back. Belinda is a PR queen. She has ideas. I’d be stupid not to at least listen to her.
“Okay. What are your ideas?”
Her eyes sparkle. “Let’s get to work.”
As I listen to her ideas of how to get Alaia and me in the same room without tipping Alaia off first, I think of how I can convince Alaia I screwed up. How I can win her back.
Make no mistake about it. I will win her back. Because I can’t live without the woman who showed me trust is real. The woman who taught me what loyalty is. The woman I love.