Connor hums next to me.
“What doeshmmmean?”
“Could I see your contract?” he asks.
“Uh, sure. I guess,” I tell him as we reach my condo building and I let us inside.
Flipping on the light switch, I hang my coat up, turn on the gas logs, and grab my laptop from my bedroom, leaving a trail of water the length of the hallway as melting snow drips from my clothes.
“I feel a little weird about this,” I admit, sliding onto one of the small barstools at the counter between the kitchen and living room and logging in.
“Why?” Connor asks, taking the stool next to me.
“I don’t know. Feels like a violation against Grey. I’m not supposed to talk about my contract.”
“Which is kind of a red flag, Vox. I mean, if you don’t talk about it, how are you supposed to know if you’re getting taken advantage of? Especially since you don’t have any other sponsors.”
This makes me jerk my head back, and I start getting defensive.
“Taken advantage of? Grey gave me everything when I hadnothing. He’s not taking advantage of me, for fuck’s sake. He’s trying to protect me.”
“All I know is that when I signed my NDA, it took away my right to share my story. People in positions of power want to control the narrative, and the best way to do that is by silencing others.” Connor’s deep voice could lull me to sleep, and it works to calm my anger as he continues. “When I was boarding, Vertigo encouraged me to talk to anyone who would listen about my contract: attorneys, parents, other boarders, hell, even other sponsors. It keeps the athletes safe, and it ensures a competitive market for the sponsors.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” I agree, turning the laptop to face Connor once the document is pulled up.
Leaning in to see the small screen better, Connor throws an arm around the back of my chair to brace himself. I try to stay completely still, but as my chest expands with my inhale, my back touches his forearm.
He doesn’t move or seem uncomfortable, so I just relax and watch him as he reads.
But as his brows pinch together more and more, I finally speak up.
“I have to admit, the look on your face right now has me a little nervous.”
When he turns to look at me, I’m closer than he’s expecting because I wanted to see which part he was reading, and he jerks in surprise, almost falling off the other side of his stool.
I throw a hand down on his thigh to steady him. A second later, our eyes drift to where I’m touching him, and I swear there’s nothing but hunger in his gaze. With the drama of the evening, I’d forgotten about the pictures he sent from myphone, but in this moment, I’m certain he meant to send them to himself…and I want to hear him tell me why.
Chapter 10
Connor
The shit in Vox’s contract is ancient. The terms suck, and it hasn’t been updated from its original terms when he waseleven.He’s an adult now, but where the original contract had his grandmother as his power of attorney, it’s now Grey himself.That can’t be ethical.
What startles me just as much, however, is how close Vox is to my face when he speaks, and I almost go flying onto the floor. It takes me a second to recover from his proximity and the fact that his hand is now resting on my thigh.
Clearing my throat, I try to find my voice.
“Um, this just seems awfully outdated,” I say. “And your exclusivity terms are honestly the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Vox takes a quick glance at the screen before looking back at me, his eyes dipping to my mouth, distracting me even further.
“Oh, I signed an addendum, just keeping the same terms. It’s easier, so we don’t have to redo the whole contract every few years,” Vox explains as if it’s normal to be solely supported by one sponsor.
“But you’re more talented and capable than you were even just last year. Not to mention, your notoriety has really increased. I think you’re giving away too much of your profits, and you’re missing out on some really great opportunities like product endorsements.”
He shrugs. “I guess, but I just want to board. Letting Patterson take care of it ensures I get paid and keeps all the drama to a minimum,” he says, closing his laptop, clearly done letting me pick apart his precious Grey.
“Just be careful. And ask questions. A lot of questions. I know he means a lot to you, and has done a lot for you, but you’ve done a lot for him as well,” I remind him, feeling a surge of protectiveness that wasn’t there previously.
