Chapter 19
A plan had been made. Well, two, and it was more like finalizing the crap Jake, Ty, and Renato had started Friday night.
When everyone sounded like they were still willing to send the bulls out without riders, and Jake felt like he had a strong enough backing to make it possible for these men to keep going, J.D. said it was time to leave.
At first, I was worried he was hurting. His ribs were still healing up, and while they were mostly back together, he'd been sitting in a hard chair all day long.
I couldn't imagine it counted as truly relaxing.
But when we made it back to our room, that man headed for the phone and ordered up some massive meals from room service.
That was when Tanner informed me J.D. had been dealing with his concerns by sucking on his vape. In other words, he was stoned. Me? I was exhausted. Not the physical kind, though. This was more emotional, or mental. I couldn't quite tell, and I really didn't want to fret about it.
I just wanted a hot shower, a big meal, and to be tucked between two men all night long.
The next morning started off with a bang, though.
My alarm didn't go off. Thankfully, J.D.
's did, but I was now later than I wanted to be.
Jumping up, I scrambled to get my shit together.
Clothes had to come first. Then I hurried through brushing my teeth.
I was in the process of braiding my hair up when J.D.
slipped into the bathroom - and someone knocked at the door.
"I got it!" I told the guys, heading that way.
I also wasn't stupid, so I checked the peephole. On the other side was a face I was pleased to see. Flipping open all the security locks, I pulled the door open to find my Deviant representative standing on the other side.
"Hey, Rhaven!" I greeted her.
She chuckled, then held out something soft looking. It took me a moment to realize it was a stuffed animal - but not exactly cute. This thing was mostly black with quite a bit of pink, and looked like it would give kids nightmares.
"So, Dez wanted me to give this to you," she explained. "Er, one of the owners. Ugly stuffed animals are her thing, and she was thinking about doing some branded merch for our first athlete."
"Me?" I asked, accepting the plush thing Rhaven was holding out.
Then I looked at it. Ok, it was cuter than I'd thought. There was a possessed-looking bull with a little voodoo doll on his back. Oh, and the doll had both a black cowboy hat and pink hair in a braid down her back! That made it even cooler.
"This is amazing," I said, stepping back and inviting Rhaven inside. "Guys! You've got to see this!"
"See what?" J.D. asked, coming around the corner.
Behind me, Rhaven pushed the door closed, then turned - and stopped hard. J.D.'s pants weren't buttoned, but he'd managed to at least zip them. He hadn't gotten around to finding a shirt yet, though.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, reaching for the door again. "I'll wait in the hall, Cody."
J.D. just hooked his thumbs in his pockets and lifted his chin. "What, don't like tattoos or something?"
I glanced back to find Rhaven staring at the floor - and her cheeks were bright pink. "I..." She swallowed hard but didn't lift her eyes. "This..."
"You're fine," I assured her. Then to J.D., I said, "Put on a shirt before you give the woman a heart attack. She probably isn't used to men who run around half naked every chance they get."
"Who's naked?" Tanner asked, making his way out of the bedroom to see. "Oh, hey Rhaven. I think you're blushing."
She immediately shoved both hands over her face. "I am dying over here!"
"I got some Mike's to make it better," Tanner offered. "Or coffee. Depends on how early you start drinking." He was headed to the coffee.
"Coffee," Rhaven said, dropping her hands slowly so she could fan her face. "Sorry."
"If you apologize again," J.D. told her, "I'll get all offended."
"I just didn't mean to... I mean, you're barely dressed, and I'm trying to be professional. This is my first time doing this whole representative thing. Usually, Amy handles it, but she..." And Rhaven's mouth snapped closed.
"She's not into cowboys?" I guessed.
"Not at all," Rhaven admitted. "I like the chaps."
"Shit," Tanner said around a laugh as he carried a cup over. "We all like the chaps. You should see J.D. in them, since I get the impression Cody isn't your type."
"She's not," Rhaven said, flashing me a smile.
But I caught as her eyes flicked over Tanner. From the way he smiled, I was pretty sure he'd seen it too. Before he could say anything, I decided to change the subject.
"Check out the plushie!" I said, thrusting it at him.
J.D. huffed and made his way over. "I want one!"
"We've only made one so far," Rhaven admitted. "And Cody, if you're ok with that, we'd like to sell them in your booth during the events, as well as online. You'll get a royalty off the sales."
"Damn," Tanner said, turning the bull and rider over in his hands.
I wasn't sure if he was talking about the royalty or the toy. It was cute - but in a tough way. The sort of thing that didn't make me feel like Deviant was trying to "girly" me up.
"I like it," I said.
"I do too," J.D. admitted, snagging it from Tanner's hands so he could see it himself. "Oh! She has a braid! And she's in pink and black!"
"I know!" I agreed, pushing in to look at it again. "Do I get to keep this one, Rhaven?"
"All yours," she assured me. "So, do we move ahead with this?"
"Yes," J.D. said before I could answer. "And if you want a ride over, I'm about to take Cody."
"No, I have a car," Rhaven said. "I also want to get there early today."
Which gave me an idea. "You know," I told the guys, "I could probably ride over with her, then you wouldn't have to make two trips, J.D."
"You can also get her into the back," Tanner pointed out. "Means she wouldn't have to mess with the press."
"And tell me about this strike you riders are doing," Rhaven said. "Yeah, I'm good with that."
"Ok, let me grab my gear," I said, hurrying back into the bedroom.
I could hear them talking in the other room while I found the last few things I needed.
Their voices were soft, but friendly. I quickly tossed my stuff together, slung both bags over my shoulder, then hurried back to the main room.
But as I stepped in, I saw all three of them clustered together, and Rhaven was showing them a few details on the stuffed toy.
She was a bit taller than J.D., surprisingly.
Half an inch, if I had to guess. Then again, she was wearing combat boots and he was barefoot.
Tanner had on his boots, making him just a bit taller, but like this?
They were cute. Rhaven looked all thoughtful, but the boys were far too invested in the toy.
"You know," I said as I made my way over, "if you signed with Deviant, J.D., then you could get one of your own."
"Tempting..." J.D. said, flashing me a little smirk. "But you get to be the hotshot for once. Now go pick a fight, rookie."
"Yes, sir," I said, darting in to give him a quick kiss.
Then Tanner shifted over to get his. Since Rhaven already knew about our situation, this was ok. It felt a bit weird, though. I kept waiting for her to judge me, but that was my own problem, not anything she'd done to make me expect it.
And when we made it into the elevator, heading down to her car, she proved it. "You know, it has to be easier when your guys are dating each other too."
"Than what?" I asked.
She chuckled. "Um, one of my boyfriends is bisexual. The other's straight. I mean, they're good with the situation, but I feel guilty when I leave them curled up in bed together."
I nodded, thinking about that. "But the straight one's ok with you dating the other?"
"Yep," she said. "Granted, they've been friends awhile. Well, sorta. They knew each other." Then she waved that off. "It's complicated. Plus, I work with one, and the other kinda works for us? No, is sponsored by us." She murmured as if that wasn't quite right. "Competes in events we host."
"A gamer," I realized.
Which made her flash me a smile. "Yeah. I mean, we all are, but that's how I met him." But she bit her lip like she was trying to hide a little smile. "In truth, they're my first boyfriends. Not a lot of guys who want to date a trans woman."
"I mean, mine aren't my first, but number one was an asshole who basically did it on a dare, and number two?" I groaned. "Ty is just too possessive."
The elevator opened on that, showing the lobby. Rhaven reached out to hold the door open, gesturing with the other hand to show I could go first, then fell in beside me close enough to keep her voice down.
"Ty McBride? Like, the cowboy?"
"Bull rider," I confirmed. "Yeah, him. I mean, he's gorgeous, but he was more worried about keeping me safe than letting me do my thing."
Rhaven grumbled in understanding. "I swear boys can't get out of their own way sometimes. They also aren't all bad."
"No, they're not," I agreed. "At the professional level..." I paused to open the main door, letting her leave the building before me this time. "...it's like they accept me easier than the ones at the lower levels could."
"You proved yourself," she said with a little shrug. "And with country boys, I'm going to bet there's a bit of that whole Southern gentleman thing going on."
"Or northern," I agreed. "Yeah, I mean some of these riders are from Canada, Brazil, Australia, Mexico, and so on. Not just Americans, you know? And yet, there's like this understanding between them. They talk shit, show off, and I've been surprised at how few are actually assholes."
"But Ty is?" she asked.
I made a noise and rocked my head from side to side. "Asshole of a boyfriend. Damned good bull rider, and he still supports me riding, so sorta? More like a good man, but a shitty boyfriend."
"Ok, good to know." She clicked a button on her keyfob, making a car in front of us beep in response.
I waited until I'd put my stuff inside and climbed in beside her. "Good why, Rhaven? Because it sounds like you might be up to something, and I'm willing to help."
"Deviant wants a bigger footprint in the bull riding world," she said as she started driving.
"Our conversion has been good, and the exposure has been excellent for our less popular games.
Even better, you've been bringing in an even split of women to men, so Chance thinks we should look at sponsoring a few more riders. "
"Get J.D.," I told her.
"Shit, I would love to sign him," she admitted. "Sadly, I'm not sure if he has any room for our logo, and he doesn't sound interested."
"He is," I assured her. "He also wants to make sure he's set up in case Tanner can't come back."
She glanced over quickly. "Why wouldn't he?"
"Because Austin told the management he's gay.
" I shrugged. "I mean, we all know his sexuality is the real reason, but I think it's also because they're trying to run me out.
The worst part? Tanner really is the best bullfighter we have.
I mean, Jorge and Isaac are damned good, but Tanner's just a bit better. Just a little crazier, you know?"
"A little more deviant?" she asked with a wink.
Which made me chuckle. "Yeah, I guess. Not that I think his dating guys should be considered deviant."
"I mostly meant the crazy in the arena," she clarified. "Balls to the wall, refusing to give up, and that sort of thing." But then she hummed thoughtfully. "And he works with Jorge and Isaac?"
"Yep. They aren't suspended, but refuse to work without him."
"Because teamwork is overpowered," she said softly.
"Yeah, makes sense. And if you really want to help me, Cody, then keep an eye out for people like you and J.D.
Those willing to push boundaries, do the right thing.
.." And a grin took over her face. "And who believe teamwork really is overpowered. "
"I can definitely do that," I promised. "I also know a few rookies who really need a sponsor. Jackson Cloutier comes to mind. He's a perfect fit."
She nodded slowly. "Then I'll have to keep an eye on him."