Page 40 of Stetson

It didn’t work.

“When?” was all I could manage.

“It broke this morning,” Mikey admitted. When I opened my eyes, he’d spun the monitor to its rightful position and was looking at me with sad eyes. “You had no idea?”

I shook my head. Our phones had been off all night. We had an unspoken agreement that when we were together, our phones were the last thing on our minds. It started with me, but slowly Stetson and Barrett followed. We even had a designated phone drawer in each room. With them having early flights, and me not wanting to deal with anything that didn’t involve pulling them both back into bed, it went missed.

“I’m uh…” Kit stuttered from behind me. “I’m sorry, Levi. Sucks to be cheated on. Especially so publicly.”

Oh. Oh, fuck.

“No,” I said, dropping my head into my hands. To be honest, all I could do was laugh. My world was falling apart, and not for the reason people thought. The ESPN headline flashed behind my closed eyes. Everyone thought Barrett wascheating on mewith the enemy. I laughed for so long and my giggle fit grew so violent that now I couldn’t breathe for a whole other reason.

“Levi?” Mikey asked, concern in his voice.

I took another moment to center myself, then wiped tears from my eyes. “Barrett’s not cheating on me.”

His eyes flicked to the computer screen, then back to me. “If he’s not I’d like to know why he’s that close to another man’s mouth. Was he choking?”

I groaned, scrubbing my hand over my face. People in my office knew I was gay. Hell I knew for a fact that Mikey was likely the onlystraightperson there, but they weren’t entitled to all the details of my private life. Polyamory and kink was even more taboo sometimes than anything else. I had to be careful who I told. I was trying to figure out how to form the words in my head when Kit dropped into the seat next to me, fascinated. “They’rebothyours.”

A goofy grin plastered itself across my face, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it. “Yeah. Things are new with Stetson but he’s mine too.”

Mikey let out a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck. I don’t have to take out Georgia’s Little Superstar.” Some of the tension in the room eased. Slightly. “Where are they?”

“Stetson’s in Orlando kicking some Florida ass, and Barrett’s in Minneapolis.”

“I’m assuming they don’t know.”

I checked my phone—not a peep from either of them. “One of them would have called me by now.”

Just then, Miranda and Jay returned, the ice from their coffees rattling around in the cup as they muttered quietly to each other. “Will one of you come here please?” Mikey called.

Between the two assistants, neither was specifically assigned to one of us. They both had their strengths, and their efforts combined kept the place running smoothly. I didn’t turn once I sensed Jay’s presence behind me. I was busy trying to text my guys.

“Can you clear Levi’s schedule for today?” With one look at the frantic way my fingers dashed across the screen, Mikey corrected himself. “Hell, for the week.”

“Sure,” Jay said. “Is there anything in particular I should say?”

“Family emergency,” I muttered. Without a single reply, I rose to my feet, thanking Jay and dashing out of the office. Where I was headed I wasn’t sure, but I knew I needed to get the hell out of there.

21

BARRETT

The locker roomwas quiet that day.

Silence was typical before a game but after the news, tension sizzled in the air. Not only did my entire team think I was cheating on my partner, I’d been caught with the enemy. I didn’t have it in me to tell them the truth, nor did I know if it would matter. We all knew what a publicity nightmare it was. With the World Series within arm's reach, it was horrific timing.

We’d lost both games against the Thrashers, but still had a chance. If we worked hard enough, we would have a straight shot into the Division Series.

There was way too much pressure for me to waver now.

The coaches and team managers had gotten ahead of the drama, and we were under strict instructions not to discuss anything related to that picture until after our game against the Minnesota Bobcats. The last thing we needed was to get in our heads, but it was too late for me. The image was seared into my brain. I’d stared at it for hours, analyzing every detail, pouring over everything from that night.

Vicky and I went back to my rookie days, and I had full confidence that she hadn’t leaked anything to the press. It had to be someone else. I’d been so wrapped up in Stetson that I hadn’t even heard that damn drone. I hadn’t read the article long enough to see the name of the journalist. I hadn’t wanted to. If I had, I was liable to hunt them down and make their life a living hell. I didn’t need my name in the press any more than necessary.

I couldn’t say anythingto anyonewithout talking to the teams publicist first. Hell, without talking toStetson. And God, Levi. What was Levi going to think?

---