Chapter 42
We stayed out talking for a few hours. Cody slapped down a credit card, saying it was all on her. My guys ordered their drinks, and the beer kept flowing. Surprisingly, none of us had too many - not even J.D. And seeing Max enjoy a fruity little cocktail with Cody felt oddly right.
Even better, the conversation wasn't all about the what-ifs.
Nope, Max asked if Cody and J.D. would be willing to help him sign a few more riders.
Wes Gilbert, Jackson Cloutier, and Jake Cunningham were on his shortlist. When J.D.
asked why, Max had smiled. Cody had nodded like she could see right through him.
I could make a guess as to what they were planning, but I didn't want to.
Nope, my complete attention was on catching up with Jorge and Isaac.
It had been weeks since I'd seen them last, and it felt like an eternity.
I got to tell them about J.D.'s mom's place, that we were still going strong, and all the good things.
But eventually, the night had to end. We headed back to our massive suite and picked a room.
Then the three of us shared a very nice and relaxing shower.
That may have led to some rolling around in bed together, so when I woke up the next morning, it was tangled up, naked, with both of them.
My phone was beeping softly, warning me I needed to make sure I looked good for this.
Deviant wanted us in the jerseys they'd brought. We'd all agreed to pair it with jeans and our properly-colored Chucks. Maybe it wasn't the most country look, but it was ours, a nice reminder that we weren't like the rest of the cowboys here.
I made sure to shave, tucked my hair back under my straw hat, and then it was time to go. J.D. gave me his approval. Cody ran her eyes over me in a way I liked a little too much. Then, I headed across the hall to bang on the door of room 3302.
I wasn't even done knocking before Isaac opened the door, inviting me in. Jorge was still lacing up his shoes, but other than that, we were all ready - and early. But since we still had to find this conference room, I was willing to head there ahead of time.
Naturally, it was at the end of the hall and truly impossible to miss.
The building was curved a bit, which made it easy for them to have a few closed-off offices.
I counted three doors and two windows. So while I wasn't sure how those were walled off, someone had the sense to make a seating area out here. We took it.
"What now?" Isaac asked.
"Uh, we wait?" I guessed, because the Deviant people weren't here either.
Jorge checked his phone. "Fifteen minutes. Do you think they're meeting with all of the directors or just the president?"
"I'm actually hoping it's more than just Merrill," I said.
"Fuck, but if it's Sousa?" Isaac asked. "I don't think he likes you, Tanner."
"No, but I've gotten quite a few good arguments since they suspended me." And I explained about what Ty had said, and Jake. Cody and J.D. had made some good points too.
Jorge nodded, taking those in, but Isaac had another question. "What do you know about this Chance Hunter guy?"
"His company is massive," Jorge said. "I play a few of their games. Good stuff. They've also been in the middle of some serious shit in the gaming world. I'm talking death threats and shit."
"Damn," I breathed. "Well, I know Chance threw money at Cody the moment he heard J.D. and I are both with her. When he realized we're together too?"
"Seriously?" Isaac asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. He basically said he wanted all the empty space on her and didn't care how much it cost. She's getting six figures every weekend from them, guys."
"Shit!" Jorge gasped.
But Isaac smacked my arm - then Jorge's. That he was looking up the hall? Yeah, we shut the fuck up real fast, because that was Donald Merrill, Antonio Sousa, and Nash Haynes heading toward us. Even worse, all three were glaring right at us.
"What are you doing here?" Mr. Sousa demanded when he was close enough.
"We were asked to be here," Jorge said, making a little gesture that made it clear I shouldn't say shit.
"And what are you wearing?" Mr. Merrill asked.
"That was my idea!" Chance called out.
I damned near sighed in relief. Together, all of us turned to see Chance, Braden, and Rhaven heading this way like some kind of power trio.
Once again, Chance was wearing little more than jeans and a t-shirt, but in a way that made it look as impressive as a suit.
Braden and Rhaven were both wearing Cody's shirts, the ones with that pink logo on them. Everything else they had on was black.
"Gentlemen," Chance said, gesturing to us. "I'd like to show you my idea."
Donald Merrill crossed his arms and glared at me. "Rainbows?"
"An entire spectrum of colors," Chance said.
"Bright colors that make them easy to spot out there in the arena, no different from the colored jerseys the bullfighters wear now.
The difference..." And he gestured for us to turn around.
"My company's logo is on the back, right where the cameras and fans will see it. "
"The current political climate doesn't make rainbow attire a good idea," Mr. Sousa said. "Now, if you want your logo on matching shirts, we can do that. I'm sure Charlie, Peter, and Stephen will gladly - "
"No," Chance said. "Gentlemen, let me make this very clear to you. I want the wolf pack."
For a moment, the three directors exchanged looks. I didn't need to be a mind reader to understand them either. They hadn't expected Chance to have a clue about bullfighting - let alone the Pbr. That he knew the nickname people used for my specific team? They didn't like that at all.
"Impossible," Mr. Haynes said. "Tanner Burns is currently suspended."
"Then change that," Chance told him.
"That is not how the rules work," Mr. Merrill snapped.
Chance simply lifted a brow. "Oh, it's not?
Then perhaps you'd like to explain Cody Jenning's scores to me?
She's riding better and better, but she keeps being scored lower and lower.
Her spurring is improving. Her displays of control are rivaled only by a few of your riders, and yet it seems those very hard and fast rules aren't applying to her.
" He looked back at Braden. "Did I get that right? "
"You did," Braden said. "Those were the fan comments we read on the YouTube videos."
"Mm," Chance murmured as he looked back to the directors.
"Could the bias be because she's a woman?
I'm sure that has nothing at all to do with it.
Just like I'm sure the rumors the riders have been telling me about Tanner have nothing to do with his suspension.
Then again, Deviant Games has no interest in tying our name to a public entity with a reputation for discrimination. "
"There's no discrimination!" Mr. Merrill snapped, pausing to toss a warning look at me. But when he looked at Chance again, his tone had changed. "Mr. Hunter, would you like to step into a conference room with us?"
"Not really," Chance said, moving to one of the empty chairs to lower himself down. "Bullfighters?" He gestured to the chairs beside us. "I think this discussion is the sort of thing that involves all of us."
"Sir," Mr. Haynes tried, "we don't typically discuss contracts in front of the employees of the company."
"I'm sure," Chance said, sounding like he was taunting them.
"I, however, am not like most of the businesses you work with.
Deviant Games is a privately owned company.
I'm not beholden to shareholders. I don't need to get approval from anyone else, and our reputation has been made by being transparent about who and what we support.
" He gestured to us. "Like a trio of men who have one hell of a reputation online. "
"You know," Braden said casually, "the place where we operate."
Rhaven simply smiled in a smug way. She wasn't talking, but I was getting the impression her silence said more than words could. Then again, she was a "problem" just like I was, or Cody. J.D. too, but they didn't know about him yet.
"So," Chance said, clearly continuing whether the directors liked it or not, "we can discuss dollars privately, but I'm very motivated here.
The riders my representative talked to all made it clear this was an out for them.
From gang violence to poverty, bull riding gave them a chance when nothing else did.
They pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and bull ropes, and that's what we want to represent. "
"Never mind that our demographic is the same as yours," Mr. Haynes pointed out.
"Yes, that is convenient, isn't it?" Chance asked. "You'd think that'd make me even more invested. However, I don't want second rate noobs. I'm not interested in having mouth-breathers wearing my logo."
"English," Braden fake-whispered at him.
Which made Chance chuckle. "Ok, let me put this another way. I don't want the B team. I don't care what you say about why they're back. I want these three men, in my colors - "
"Blue and green?" Mr. Merrill asked. "And yes, I did my own research on your company. Deviant Games has its own share of controversies."
"Yes, we do," Chance agreed. "Then again, sounds like they run parallel to yours.
Excessive drinking, drug use, profanity, and a lack of respect for the rules?
Those are things both of our markets are known for.
Combating sexism? I blazed the trail on that, and now the Pbr is doing the same.
I watched one of your boys make a very nice speech about Southern hospitality. "
"Gentlemen," Rhaven corrected.
"It's the same thing, isn't it?" Chance asked, lifting a brow at Mr. Merrill.
But Mr. Sousa was clearly tired of this. "So what do you want, Mr. Hunter?"