Page 200 of The Blame Game

Joe pulled his phone out, did something on it, then flashed the screen at them both. “Don’t even think about grabbing the phone and running. I’ve got copies.”

Shea felt a little sick as he stared at the image of the contract that clearly showed his and Dom’s signatures. The wording on it about “additional services” was vague, of course, but it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that what prices like that included.

How damning it would look to the public.

“And that’s just the beginning of it. I have more.”

Dom nodded tightly. “How’d you figure this out in the first place?”

Joe snorted, tucking his phone back in his pocket. “I had a buddy in LA who tipped me off that you were gay. I was trying to get proof of that. I stumbled across the escort thing by accident.”

Dom narrowed his eyes. “Was this buddy a paparazzo too?”

“Yeah.” Joe looked at him like he was stupid. “I mean, most of us don’t help each other out, but I did him a favor once when he was down on his luck. He was staying in LA and he knew I was doing some other work here, so when you got traded, he reached out and we made a deal that if I got good shots of you, I’d pay him a percentage of whatever I made off them.”

Jesus, Shea thought. These guys really were scum.

“So what’s your price?” Dom asked.

The number he rattled off made Shea choke. Jesus, the guy had brass balls.

“You want that amount in exchange for staying quiet about the fact that I paid Shea for sex?” Dom echoed.

“Yeah, I mean, your career earnings are what? A hundred million without endorsement deals? That’s a drop in the bucket to you.”

“That’s also minus escrow, agent fees, income tax …”

“And doesn’t include performance bonuses. You’ve got the goddamn money, Olson.”

“I do.”

He’s changed his mind. Shea’s stomach soured.

Dom was seriously negotiating with this asshole rather than calling his bluff and letting the chips fall.

They’d discussed both possibilities.

Shea had told Dom that he was fine with whichever choice he made. That he’d support him no matter what.

And Shea would, of course he would, but he had to admit, it had felt good to hear Dom talk about being willing to risk it all. About not being ashamed of what people knew.

It was petty and small of Shea to feel that it had meant something that Dom was willing to come out about it all now.

That he wasn’t doing the same thing he’d done with Christian back in LA.

But that wasn’t fair. This was so much bigger than people knowing Dom was gay.

Lots of people would be impacted by Dom’s choice. The team, the organization, Shea …

If Dom chose to pay it would be to protect them so it wasn’t fair of Shea to be disappointed but a small part of him felt it anyway.

“So why’d you wait until now to blackmail me?” Dom asked Joe.

“It took time to find,” he protested, then scowled. “Besides, JockGossip was dragging their heels on paying. I sold a few smaller things, but they wouldn’t bite on the big proof.”

Hmm, well, that confirmed that the guy was only a photographer and a smaller piece of the JockGossip organization. Not the mastermind.

They’d been hoping Joe was a bigger part of it. If they were lucky, maybe the owner.

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