She smiles, then gives him an appreciative look, shooting a quick glance at the kid before answering Sutton’s question. “It’s just that I don’t want to let him down.”
Sutton smiles in this sympathetic way that would irk the shit out of me but somehow seems to have the opposite effect on Emerson’s mom. “You’re not going to let him down, Cece. Look at how far he’s come. He has your full support and it’s obvious how much you love your children. I don’t even have to know the other two to know that you’ve given them all they need and more.” She looks between both parents to include Emerson’s dad in that statement as well. “But here is where I step in. You’ve done your job raising an incredible, talented son. You’ve managed to keep him focused and disciplined so he could finish not just high school, but college, getting a degree before being pulled away by the lights of the NFL. Look at all you instilled in him. He’s twenty-two years old and, frankly, could have pursued this path the moment he turned eighteen, but he didn’t. That’sthanks to you, his parents. You instilled in him all of the most important things.” She pauses here, making sure to look at them all in turn. “He’s smart, strong, and educated. Emerson will go far in life no matter what path he takes.”
Oh, she’s good.
“But now it’s time to let someone else take the reins. It’s time to put your son’s future in the hands of someone who cares, in the hands of someone you trust. And that someone is me.” Sutton presses a palm to her chest. “My job is to make sure your baby is taken care of, while also taking some of the more menial tasks off your plate”—she looks at Emerson pointedly— “and off of yours. While you focus on being the star I know you’re about to be, I will make sure you get the very best offers available to you, from salary to living expenses, perks, endorsements, and deals. I will work my ass off to protect you from bad players, and trust me, there aremany. I manage everything so you can focus on doing what you love.” She breathes deeply, then adds, “But it’s much more than that, Emerson, and I want to promise you that with me in your corner, your family will be supported as well. They will have access to me twenty-four-seven, whether your mom needs a shoulder to lean on when she’s missing you”—she squeezes the woman’s hand— “or whether Emma wants to bring her friends to the next home game. That’s who I am, and who I will be for you. Forallof you.”
I run my tongue over my teeth as I wait, giving Sutton her chance to make the sale before I claim the ball and kick it through the goal posts. She’s fucking incredible, but I know what it’s like to sit where that kid is right now. All things considered, Sutton may have theheart, but she doesn’t have the numbers to back up her promises.
She’s hungry for it, and there’s something really intriguing about someone with that much passion. She’s not jaded by the business yet, which can’t be said about a lot of my competitors.
But passion alone doesn’t close deals.
It doesn’t win negotiations and it certainly doesn’t sign paychecks.
Emerson is thoughtful for a moment, then he swivels his head toward me. “What can you give me that she can’t?”
My eyes flick across the table to Sutton and, for the briefest of moments, I hesitate. Her eyes are bright as they meet mine, passion and commitment evident in every plane of her face.
Fuck me, I’m going to hate this next part.
But the woman is good, so I have to be better. Even if that means being a fucking prick.
She certainly didn’t come to play; even I’m intrigued by her pitch. Sutton has said everything Emerson’s parents want to hear. She’s playing onheart, like her last name and company’s slogan suggest. And I have no doubt she’ll do her best to deliver everything she’s promised and then some—
Grayson clears his throat beside me. “What can Max give you that she can’t?”
Shit.I brace myself for whatever Gray’s about to say.
“Aside from the fact that he’s played the game?”
In my peripheral, Sutton’s mouth drops open. It’s a test of strength not to look at her. When she’s in my orbit, all I want todois look at her. But I maintain focus on the kid and mentally prepare myself for the fact that Sutton will likely hate me even more once this meeting has adjourned.
“Listen,” I say, hoping to soften the blow. “We are all aware that Ms. Hart is good at what she does. If she wasn’t, I have no doubt she wouldn’t be here. But I don’t think we’re looking forgood. Are we?” I pause for a moment, looking around at the people gathered here. “You’re highly sought-after, Emerson, you said so yourself. Which means you’re the best. What youneedis the best.” Shaking my head, I continue, “You don’t need good representation, kid, you need the very best in the field, someonebacked by knowledge and experience, and benefiting you with countless connections both onandoff the field. The kind of agent who knowsallfacets of the business because he’s been on both sides of this conversation.”
I swear I can hear my opponent’s teeth grinding, but I continue before she can interject. She had her time to pitch, and this is mine.
“I sat in chairs exactly like the one you’re sitting in now, in conference rooms like this one, with agents and owners alike promising me everything under the sun. All my dreams within reach…” I nod as I remember the way it felt to have everything I ever wanted dangling in front of me. “I know what it feels like to wrap my hands around a ball, that rough pigskin hitting your palm. I know that, by some freak accident, the scents of stale beer, hot dogs, and a stadium full of thousands of sweaty fans somehow mixes together to create the most potent drug the world has ever known.” I press my fist to my chest. “I know that rush of adrenaline that fills your body with electricity as you step through the tunnel, the way your veins buzz so wildly it feels like you’ll never come down from that high.”
I pause and breathe in deeply, recalling the scents of the field, the rush of adrenaline, the chanting of my name… and ignore the pang of melancholy that often accompanies such memories. Now’s not the time for reminiscing.
“I knowvividlythe absolute high that comes from a stadium full of strangers chanting your name, the way it feels to place this ring on your finger after years of fighting for the win.” I hold up my most cherished Superbowl ring for emphasis, the one I received during my first year of professional ball. “Ilivedthe euphoria of signing autographs for kids who could only dream of being where I was someday. I know what it’s like to be a hot commodity, to be inundated with sponsorships, brand deals, and naked women like you wouldn’t believe…”
Emerson’s dad snorts, then covers up the sound with a cough. I meet his gaze briefly before returning my attention to the kid. I don’t have to look at Sutton to know she probably just rolled her eyes.
“I know what it means to want something so badly you can taste it.” I pause, meeting the eyes of everyone at the table before settling once again on the kid. “And I know what it means to lose that. I know the pain of having everything you ever dreamed of in the palm of your hands, then watching it get stripped away in the blink of an eye” My voice cracks on the admission and I clench my jaw until the ball of emotion in my throat loosens. This part of the speech always fucking gets me, no matter how many times I’ve delivered the words. “I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that youneverfeel that loss.”
Letting those words linger heavily in the silence, I pull in a deep breath as that familiar pang of melancholy twists inside my chest, the lingering ache of dreams lost and careers unfulfilled still holding on with a vise grip after all these years.
“Whether battling out on the field or negotiating deals in a boardroom, I know all sides of this sport, all aspects of this life. Yard lines or bottom lines, kid, I’m the best of the best. I know you want the NFL so badly thatnotgetting in isn’t an option, and I’m going to be there by your side every step of the way.” I smash my middle finger against the desk, showcasing my ring again as a reminder that I’m the only logical choice. “That’s the kind of drive I had when I played, and it’s the kind of drive I have now. I’ll fight just as hard as you, if notharder,because that’s who I am. We’re cut from the same cloth, you and me. We’re winners. We don’t fucking lose.”
With a deep breath, I lean back in my chair, then splay my hands out. “To put it simply, Emerson, Mr. and Mrs. Bratt, I’m just far more qualified than my competition.”
Chapter Three
Sutton
I chew on the inside of my cheek as I consider Max’s pitch, playing his words over in my mind in hopes that I can come up with a suitable response. But, setting his infuriating arrogance aside, the man has a point.
