Luckily, Alyssa is as much of a morning person as I am. She gets to the hotel right around the time I step out of my post-workout shower. I stand shirtless in my trousers, my hair still wet, as she walks in and immediately pulls her laptop from her bag.
“Good news. I’ve got a schedule for your first three months of Gabriel publicity that I think you’ll find tolerable.” She’s wearing a tailored blazer and pleated pants, but loafers instead of her usual heels, which I know means she expects a long day. “How are you holding up, by the way?”
I hesitate, trying to figure out how to answer honestly. “Good, I suppose. All things considered.”
My friend gives me a curious look.
“Coffee?” I ask.
“Always,” she answers.
“I’ll be right back,” I say as I walk away. “And I had sex with Gabriel last night.”
Alyssa is immediately by the coffee machine with me. “Excuse me?”
“He proposed it as a one-time thing.”
Her eyes are wide with surprise. “Look at you,” she says, approving.
I chuckle. “Thank you. I’m still processing, but I think I’m glad it happened?”
“You enjoyed yourself?”
“More than just enjoyed,” I admit as the machine gurgles. “But I also confirmed a few things. For example, I’m hardly cut out for no-strings attached sex. I inadvertently fell asleep in his bed, and when he played me a song on his guitar this morning, I swear, I nearly developed googly eyes.”
Alyssa laughs. “You can hardly be blamed for swooning if a famous musician serenades you in the morning light.” She leans forward. “That sounds a bit more significant than casual sex, though.”
“Trust me. The understanding was clear.”
Her smile quickly collapses. “Was he an ass to you? Because it’s not too early for me to march over there and destroy him.”
“No, nothing like that.” I step into the bedroom and grab a white undershirt, which I pop on. “He was kind, actually,” I say as I turn back to Alyssa. “But he’s been clear that he’s not interested in a relationship. And neither am I,” I add quickly. “So, that’s pretty much the end of the story.”
“Not quite the end of the story. I’ve got some good press coming your way, but it’s time for you and Gabriel to make an appearance together.”
“Of course.” I pour us each a half-cup of coffee. “Thanks for wrangling some good press, by the way.”
“The pleasure is all mine. I love seeing headlines pop up that I inspired.” She pours creamer in her mug. “It probably feels like when you serve an ace.”
“I’ll just be happy when I can get back to my game. There are seven players ranked above me in the world, and I’m sure none of them are distracted by rock stars.” We walk back to the dining table, where’s the laptops are waiting. “What’s the appearance?”
“I’m pushing for a breakfast date to introduce your flavor. Respectable. Sweet. Your agent and Fox both like it.”
I sit with my coffee. “A breakfast date seems relatively painless.”
She messes with her laptop for a minute. “Here’s a schedule,” she says. “I know you’re anxiously waiting to see it. After a few rapid-fire appearances, you should be able to switch to every three weeks or so, easing our way to once a month. You’re both busy professionally, but you’ll see we found a way to jigsaw things together.”
“And you think that will be enough to fix our images?”
“If we stick the landing, yes. Just try not to act excessively adorable with him. We need to keep this train ride under control.”
I laugh. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
She glances up from her laptop. “I don’t mind working with Gabriel’s label, by the way. It’s kind of fun to see more of the music world. Different than sports.” She takes another drink of coffee. “It’s got me thinking about that offer from the agency again.”
A major entertainment PR agency has been trying to poach Alyssa away from the sports-focused agency where she’s made her career and currently serves as a junior partner. But she’s always resisted the competitive offers because she loves working with athletes so much.
“Really? You’d broaden into other industries?” I chuckle. “Rock stars are such a handful.”
