Page 14 of Hot Receiver

And that freaks me the fuck out.

The elevator dings on the fourth floor. Even at ten o’clock at night, there are still people buzzing around the office. Social media never sleeps, so I guess neither do PR teams. Marc has a few partners that handle different sporting teams, so I’m sure they’re always busy wrangling testosterone-raged athletes.

Another buzz of my phone reminds me that I have my own drama to manage back home.

I squeeze it tight in my pocket, willing it to stop vibrating.

Zak knocks on Marc’s door and then pushes it open.

Marc stands in front of his desk. His forehead is pinched,eyes narrowed on his iPad screen. He raises an accusatory gaze at Zak.

“What were you thinking by walking into that mess?”

Zak stiffens. “I was thinking that I wanted to get into my damn car and get the hell away from that place. How fucking dare those assholes target me because I was speaking out for myself?”

Marc runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “You’ve lived here for a long time, Zak. I know you’re not happy about taking over the team, but now that you own it, you need to know that you’re always going to be a target in this city. This state is blood fucking red, do you get that? You can’t add fuel to the fire if you want to be successful here.”

“I have been successful here,” he growls. “I’ve made a fucking fortune here, and being gay hasn’t held me back at all.”

“This is different.” Marc sighs. “You need to remember that your team has three gay players. And who knows if there are any more ready to come out?”

I suck in a breath and keep my eyes glued on Marc, hoping like hell he can’t see through me the way Zak can.

“Look, the issue is that the team is going to suffer if we don’t step in and change the narrative. We can’t make things political. We need to keep the focus on the game, on the players, on the camaraderie that we created last season. After a big comeback with Jase Maxwell and Lucas Bentley, we made it to the playoffs. We need to go into this next season stronger than ever, and any bit of bad press will fuck with the players’ heads.”

“So, what the hell do you want me to do about it? Just let the bigots get away with spewing hate? Because that’s not who I am. I won’t tolerate that kind of bullshit. And neither should the players.”

Marc nods. “That’s why I came up with a plan. And Matt is the key.”

I can feel the color drain from my face. “How do you figure?”

“Matt, let’s be honest. You’re not the best player on the team, but you’re by far the most famous. You’ve dated more of Hollywood than Pete fucking Davidson, and you spend more time in the tabloids than you do on ESPN.” He holds up a hand. “Not that I’m knocking you for it, but we’re going to use that.”

I sneak a look at Zak. His deadly glare shifts between me and Marc. “Why are we highlighting Matt’s love life? How the hell is that part of this story you’re concocting?”

“Because I hate to say it, but we need to put focus on the straight players. If what happened tonight goes viral, it could mess with ticket sales, merchandise sales, and endorsements. People will stop supporting the home team if they feel like they aren’t represented, and if the spotlight is turned on the few players whose lifestyles they don’t agree with.”

“That’s ridiculous,” I say. “After the season we had, the fans have to be excited about what’s coming in the future. We rallied with three gay players, the same players who’ll be with us this season.”

“Zak, do you know how fast their perception will change if the fans see you as an antagonist? The conservative media can easily make the fans believe you want to level the playing field by bringing in more gay players, whether or not it’s true. And if that happens, it will crush you and whatever you want to build for this team.”

“So what does that mean, exactly?” Zak’s expression darkens, his voice tight. “What do you expect me to do about it? Apologize? Because fuck no to that.”

“It means that Matt will be the focus for our PR efforts. We need a Travis Kelce - Taylor Swift-like romance that’ll take thefocus off of more sensitive matters and get fans excited to come to games and invested in the team’s success.” Marc looks between us. “And Zak, you’re going to welcome it with open arms, to show that you’re as accepting as you want the fans to be. Everyone loves a good bromance. So, meet your new best friend.”

Chapter 7

Zak

Best friend.

Best fucking friend.

And our first order of business together? A press conference where we tear open old wounds and talk about how awesome it is to reunite after eight years since playing together at Ohio State.

Marc knows which buttons to push, and he hit all of them within an hour of all hell breaking loose online.

He clearly doesn’t know the “reunion” was all bitter and nothing sweet.

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