Chapter 39: Thad

Chapter 39

Thad

Kelley grunts as he moves inside me. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”

He hovers above me, and with me holding my knees up near my head, his cock pushes against my prostate over and over again. Kelley looks so hot like this, glistening with sweat, eyes hooded, and all of his lust and attention focused on me while he fucks me.

“Is that why you felt the need to fuck me again? To make sure it’s real?”

As soon as the longest baseball game in history ended last night, Kelley took me home to his place, and we haven’t left the bedroom since. I haven’t even been given the tour of his new fancy LA home yet, but there’ll be plenty of time for that. This, reconnecting, is more important.

And I can’t think of a better way to reconnect.

Kelley lets out a long moan. “I’m going to do whatever it takes for me to finally believe you moved here to be with me. That you asked your boss for it. For me.”

I let one of my knees go so I can cup Kelley’s face. He leans into it and closes his eyes.

I swallow hard. “I didn’t want to give up on us without giving us a real chance. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone or anything in my life.”

Kelley’s eyes fly open. “Even baseball?”

That might have been a hard question to answer not that long ago, but there’s one massive difference between my love of baseball and my feelings for Kelley. “Even baseball. I didn’t love it enough to fight for it. All I’ve wanted to do since those two weeks in the Catskills is fight for you.”

My unspoken words linger in the air. I didn’t love baseball enough, but I do love him. I love him more than I can even say. More than I’m willing to admit because, technically, we haven’t gone on that first date yet. I’m scared putting it out there will put way too much pressure on us. We don’t need that when we’ve had so much working against us already.

Kelley’s head falls forward, and he grunts again. “I need you to come. I really need it.”

I drop my hand from his face and reach between us, jerking myself to get me there faster. My whole body tightens as I get closer and closer. “I’m gonna come,” I warn him.

“Thank fuck.” He speeds up, pegging my prostate harder.

I spill over, and a second later, he follows.

We barely have time to catch our breaths before my alarm goes off. Kelley’s still inside me, and if it weren’t for me needing to show up to my first day of work, I’d want to keep him there a while longer.

He pulls out of me and flops onto his back.

“Damn it.” I reach for my phone to turn off the incessant sound.

“Perfect timing if you ask me,” Kelley says. He sounds sleepy, and I can’t blame him, considering we spent most of the night making each other come.

I sit up and throw my legs over the side of the bed. “Some cuddle time would’ve been nice.”

Kelley leans up on one elbow and kisses my shoulder. “We’ll have a lot of time to do that tonight.”

I smile, mainly because I doubt that’s true. “Until one or both of us get hard again.”

“It’s not my fault you’re irresistible. ”

“I could say the same about you.” I stand. “I have to shower and head into the office to meet my new bosses.”

“Bosses, plural? You’ll have two Damons to work for?”

“Yep. Camden is managing partner, and his boyfriend, Xavier, is the PR managing partner. I’ve met Camden in passing but haven’t met Xavier before. Though to snag someone as hot as Camden, he’d have to be drop-dead gorgeous.”

An adorable growl comes from Kelley. “I already hate them.”

Aww. “No matter how good-looking they are, I’m not fucking this up.” I wave a finger between him and me. “I didn’t move all this way for them or the job opportunity.”

“So you moved here to find your brother?” he teases.

“Oh, for sure. Only for him.”

He nudges me, and I laugh.

“Mom does want me to find him though. When I told them I’m moving here for a boy, they got way too excited, so I expect them to come see me the first chance either of them can take off work to check you out. Warning you now.”

Kelley falls backward, head hitting the pillow, arms stretched out. “And I thought making the public love me was anxiety-inducing. I wouldn’t even know how to impress parents.”

I put one knee back on the bed and lean over him. “Luckily for you, they rarely get time off, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yet.”

I give him a quick kiss and stand again, grabbing my clothes off the floor. My suitcase is back in my hotel room, where I’m staying until I can find a rental, so the suit I wore to the game last night will have to do. The good thing is it’s my favorite bright blue suit. The bad news is it’s wrinkled. Way to make a great first impression.

But as I leave to shower and glance back over my shoulder at a satisfied and happy Kelley, I know it’ll be worth it. I don’t care if my new bosses think I’m a slob.

Okay, maybe I do care .

Not because Xavier is even hotter than Camden, but because both of them are so put together, and they’re already looking at me with judgment as they take in my appearance. The only saving grace is I was on time. Brady, on the other hand, is late.

Camden and Xavier look at each other and then back at me. We’re in a conference room that has a very similar vibe to the New York office. It’s welcoming but still spacious.

“We probably shouldn’t wait any longer for Brady to get this started. Xav, do you want to bring in Holloway and Fox?” Camden asks.

“At the same time?” Xavier smirks and heads down the hall toward the offices we passed on the way into the conference room.

Camden turns to me. “Xavier and I finished training our associate agents this past month, so now it’s their turn to be mentors. They’re both great guys, and I’ll assign you and Brady to whoever feels like the best fit for you and the firm, but if there’s any issues, come to either me or Xav.”

While he talks, Brady shows up, running into the room, rapidly apologizing for being late.

Camden grins. “You moved here to be with your boyfriends, who you’ve been doing long-distance with, didn’t you?”

“Uh, yes.” Brady cocks his head, as if wondering why Camden’s asking.

“Then I understand why you’re late.”

Brady takes the seat next to mine. “I was actually late because I miscalculated how long it would take me to get from Marina Del Rey to here.” He points to me. “This one moved here to be with his boyfriend, who also happens to be my client, and that’s why he’s wearing a wrinkly suit.”

“Ah, yes. The Kelley Afton viral moment from the game last night. We’re familiar and have been filled in by Damon.”

Suddenly, I’m starting to think they weren’t judging me for my suit but for the kerfuffle they’ve probably been dealing with all morning, seeing as Kelley’s case is moving to LA with Brady.

Xavier returns with the two agents Brady and I are going to be learning from .

Where Camden and Xavier are in their thirties, these two look maybe mid-to-late twenties—not much older than Brady and me at all.

“Brady, good to see you decided to show up,” Xavier says. “Thad, Brady, this is Archer Holloway and Lincoln Fox.” He gestures to the guys as he says their names so we know which is which.

I’m immediately drawn to Archer purely because he’s not wearing a jacket, and his shirtsleeves are rolled up, revealing amazing forearm tattoos. His hair is bleached, his eyes are bright, and on appearances alone, I totally vibe.

Lincoln looks like he’s gritting his teeth and wants to be anywhere but here.

Xavier sits next to Camden again while Archer and Lincoln sit across from us.

“I want to go over each of your profiles before I make my decision on who to place where,” Camden says. “Working together cohesively is important.”

Lincoln scoffs but then covers it with a cough.

Archer laughs, and Lincoln’s scowl deepens.

“Obviously, Brady, you don’t need much of an introduction?—”

Brady interrupts. “I know I’m seen as some kind of nepo baby and I’m the name partner’s nephew, but I’d rather be treated like any other while I’m here.”

Camden smiles. “Good. Because all I was going to say is that you got your undergrad from Franklin U, law degree from NYLS, and you’re bringing over three clients you were working with in New York.”

“Oh. Umm. Yep, that’s me in a nutshell.”

Archer cuts in. “You have your brother Peyton Miller, Kelley Afton, and …?”

“Torey Nelson.”

“Who’s that?” Archer asks, and even though he’s still my preference to be my mentor, there’s a mini red flag waving at me with his dismissive tone.

“He’s a quarterback and was on Chicago’s practice squad for two seasons before being picked up by San Francisco as their backup,” Lincoln says. It’s the first words he’s said, and his voice is surprisingly smooth for someone who’s scowling.

“Good to see one of you have done your homework,” Camden says.

And with the way Archer’s now gritting his teeth, it’s all but confirmed Lincoln and Archer have beef.

“And Thad here has an undergrad from Olmstead.”

Wow, way to make me feel inferior. I’m quick to put my best foot forward because I want to make a good impression. “Becoming an agent was a backup plan of sorts, so I’m not as experienced as Brady, who has been aiming toward this goal his entire schooling.”

“Backup plan?” Lincoln asks. It’s with genuine curiosity, and I soften toward him a little.

“I was an MLB hopeful, but I didn’t make it. I had to let that bitterness go before I could move on, and now here I am, ready to jump in. In New York, I was in talks with Frederik Zaka for him to sign with me once I became a full-fledged agent, but I haven’t had a chance to follow that up yet.”

“I heard about that,” Camden says. “Poor Merek is stressing over what he’s doing wrong to have all these hotshot interns steal his clients.”

“Respect,” Archer says with all the cockiness of a total fuckboy.

I swear Lincoln is trying to hold back an eye roll.

I feel judged. “I didn’t set out to sign Zaka. We met at a social thing and clicked. The plan was for him to stay on Merek’s roster and I’d be assisting with him on his case, but the last-minute move to LA threw a wrench in the works.”

“Fair enough,” Camden says, but I notice Xavier write something down on a notepad and shove it over to Camden. Camden reads it, smiles, and then passes it back. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do. For the moment, I think Brady and Archer will be paired up, and then Thad and Lincoln.”

I swallow the small pang of disappointment. Archer seems less uptight and more like me in terms of style, but I’m sure there’s a business-related answer why I’ve been paired with Lincoln .

Brady and I are instructed to shadow our mentors while they show us around the office. Lincoln is professional, and I think I’ll be comfortable enough to ask him any questions if I get stuck. He might come across as more serious than Archer, but he’s friendly and down-to-earth.

It’s around lunchtime when we sit down in his office. He emails me some contracts to read over to give me an overview of the kind of cases and workload he has, but I don’t get far into the first one when he randomly asks, “Can I ask about Zaka?”

I glance up at him from my laptop. “What did you want to know?”

“I tried to sign him when I was fresh out of college, and he said I was too young. He signed with OnTrack Sports, and then I know he recently transferred over to Merek in New York. So, yeah, I was curious how you met him socially.”

“Ah.” I rub the back of my neck. Zaka is a big fish, and I still ask myself why our one conversation drew him to me, but I’m not complaining. “If you followed any of the big sporting news this morning, you’ll know Kelley Afton and I are together. We’d been friends for a while, and I went to one of his games while visiting my parents near Philly. We went out with the team afterward, and yeah … I guess Zaka and I vibed.”

“What kind of vibed?” So not hard to pick up on the accusation there.

I hold up my hand. “Honestly, I was as shocked as Damon when Zaka asked for me. I didn’t set out to sign him. We had one conversation, and none of it was about work.”

Lincoln rubs his chin. “Maybe that’s why he liked you. Because you didn’t have an agenda.”

“Possibly?”

“So long as you don’t have an agenda to steal clients from me, we’ll get along fine. I do feel for Merek though. First Kelley and now Zaka.”

I wince. “You sound like you’re talking from experience.”

“You could say that. It’s almost like Archer gets a kick out of stealing clients from me. ”

“Ah. So that was the dynamic I was picking up on.”

Lincoln’s face falls. “Sorry, it’s unprofessional to bitch about a colleague.”

“Please do. I was in all the headlines this morning because I kissed my boyfriend last night. Any other drama is welcome.”

“Yeah, well, you did that in front of a stadium full of twenty thousand people and countless sports reporters. What did you expect?” Lincoln snickers.

“Fair point, but give me some gossip that doesn’t involve me.”

He waves me off. “There really is no gossip. I’m just bitter Archer is a sniper and beats me to signing the people I wanted and or brought in to the firm.”

“Okay, note to self: keep him away from Zaka.”

“I really am overexaggerating. Besides, he’s probably not interested in Zaka. He’s probably plotting how he could use Brady to get to the top while also sleeping with his dads.”

“Please tell me that’s more hyperbole.”

“Little bit. Archer is obsessed with being the best. If that means fucking over the people in his way, he won’t hesitate. It’s how he had the highest commission check out of any agent last year—something he won’t let anyone forget. He’s annoyingly arrogant but has the goods to back it up. It sucks.”

Maybe Lincoln’s bitterness comes from awe as well as jealousy.

At least with him knowing I’m not here to steal any of his clients, he’s more relaxed and not as intimidating.

I’m happy with my mentor, even if it wasn’t the one I originally wanted.