Page 19 of Pretty and Loco

He looked at the time.

“You’re late.” He mumbled as I walked past him to shake the hands of the people at the round table.

I didn’t respond because I still had a minute to spare before meeting time. I know that he preferred me to be early, but it’s not the same as being late. That’s why I hate to feel rushed. I understand the value of being on time, especially in this space.

After we shook hands, I took the seat they offered me next to G.

He leaned over.

“You smell like a fucking hotel.” He gritted.

The meeting started with introductions. As they talked about themselves, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket.

I touched the screen and saw three messages from Leah. I slid it out just enough to look at the screen and silence it, then slid it back into my pocket. I listened to their speech about when they were founded, who they helped, and what their goals were as a company—all the while forcing my mind to be off Leah.

I’ve lived long enough not to be blindsided by sex. But I couldn’t help but think about how everything seemed to move at a hundred miles an hour with her. Either she was laughing, pissed off, or she was doing that thing with her tongue that had me groaning. It was never a calm moment.

And somehow, I still wanted to see what it was about.

I tried to focus once they started saying what they required of me. The image that they wanted me to maintain.

“We see a lot of you without seeing too much.”

That statement brought my head back into the room. “You have built quite a reputation for what an athlete should embody. We see discipline and dedication. Your skill is unmatched. We love that.” She praised as she continued to talk.

“We want this partnership to feel authentic. We aren't interested in changing who you are. We want to make sure what our brand represents aligns with what Rocko Sanders represents.”

I nodded as Greg shifted beside me.

Then she went into the numbers, and that got his attention. The money on the line was decent. The scheduled events she started pitching all sounded simple enough until I started hearing their locations and realized I would be spending a lot of time on planes. Way more than my current schedule would allow.

I looked at Greg. He didn’t even look my way. His ass already knew this.

With the way she was calling out cities. Between practice, games, and traveling, I wasn’t going to have time to blink. But it’s whatever. How can I cry about the problems I prayed for?

This was just another reason I had to keep pushing, and another reason I didn’t need to add anything to what I already had going on. Or anybody.

The meeting ran for three hours or more. By the time that it was over, I had verbally committed to the partnership, as long as my attorney could look over the contract.

Greg’s attitude had changed because sealing the deal meant a hefty six-figure payout if everything went well.

I stood up from the table and headed toward the door, with G right behind me. I pulled out my phone to check my messages.

Leah: Made it?

Leah: Rock

Leah: Lord, I hope you didn’t crash trying to get away from me

The last message made me laugh, and I replied.

Me: Nah, I didn’t. I just left.

When I looked up from the phone, G was looking me dead in the face.

“Who’s the girl?” He asked.

“What girl?” I asked, confused.