Page 105 of Hutch
“Good. Now, you’ve looked at my website, seen my lists of clients and reached out. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Why do you have such a small client list?” I ask. “Is it because you’re a woman and most go with the male agents or is it on purpose? Daisy suggested you might keep it small to give more attention to your clients.”
“It’s a bit of both,” she says and I respect her honesty. “Would I love to have a large list? Sure, but I work with what I have. When I decide to expand and take on other agents, I’ll actively recruit more, but for the moment, I’m content with the clients I have. It gives me a chance to get to know them, figure out who they are and that allows me to get them the best deals I can, both in hockey and with sponsorships. Hockey does not pay nearly as much as the NFL, but with sponsorships, I get my guys damn close to those salaries.”
Shit. Some of those NFL players make forty million per contract. I’m new. I don’t expect even a tenth of that.
“Do you two have lawyers and accountants to handle your money?”
We both shake our head.
“I can give you the names of several lawyers, but only one accountant I trust to manage your money and invest it properly. Accountants are…”
“Sleazier than lawyers?” Coach suggests when she struggles to find the right word.
“Not all accountants, but when it comes to managing millions of dollars, there are a few who would take advantage of a high profile client. They’re in charge of your money and you need to be able to trust them.
“She’s not wrong boys. My first accountant embezzled and almost left me penniless before I realized what was happening. My team owner helped me sue him and recover most of it, but it was a long drawn out court battle.”
“I didn’t even think of that,” I admit.
Collin shoves another roll in his mouth, eyes wide with shock.
“That’s why you have a good agent,” Gretchen says firmly. “It’s my job to make sure everything is taken care of, from your contracts to your money.”
“What kind of contract do you think we can expect?” I ask hesitantly. “We are new, as you said.”
This time I see the shark in her smile. She picks up the manilla folders and waves them at us. “Armed with these stats, I’ll get you millions. The Raptors are building a quality team and the owner understands that cost money. I think I gave his manager an ulcer when I negotiated Klause Kitring’s deal.”
My mind stutters at the name. Klause is from Sweden and a damn good player. He’s also been in the NHL for five years, so I understand his ten million dollar deal. I don’t think Collin and I can get that much.
“As I said they’re rebuilding. They traded or paid out contracts on a lot of players who weren’t performing. Your and Collin’s stats are better than most of the players they have outside of their new first line lineup. I promise if you sign with me, I’ll get you what you deserve. I may not look it, but when it comes to business, I’m Hell on wheels.”
Coach laughs. “Gretchen is true to her word. I wouldn’t have recommended her otherwise. I was hoping you two would choose her.”
“Why did you call me? I know you said Daisy convinced you, but what did you see that you didn’t see with the other two agents?”
“I didn’t like the first guy at all. No offense, Coach.”
“None taken.”
“The second name, I was good with, but he recently joined an agency that is…sketchy. He might be a good agent, but I don’t trust his bosses.”
Gretchen nods. “Always look out for your bottom line. It’s your job as much as mine. Am I going to have to worry about bad press and headlines?”
“What do you mean?”
“Drinking, partying, womanizing. Last week, one of my clients landed in the tabloids with scandalizing photos. His team’s PR and I are trying to sort it, but it’s a nightmare. I need to know how much of a handful you two are going to be.”
“We don’t drink during the season. Coach cured me of that. We both party, but we’re both aware of our public appearance as well. We’re not going to do anything to cause our contracts to be pulled or canceled.”
“You’d be surprised at how many times I’ve heard that and then you get your first check and all that goes out the window. People come into real money for the first time in their lives and it can go to their head.”
“Not us.” Collin set his plate down. “It’s because we’ve never really had money that we’re not going to blow it. The most I’ll spend is on an immigration lawyer to bring my family back from Mexico. They were deported when I started playing for MSU.”
“I’m pitching in to help with the lawyer for his parents. C is a brother to me. Mom accepted him into our lives no questions asked and we’ve been his family while his is not here.”
Gretchen smiles. “That’s good to know. Are there any potential problems that you can think of I need to know about?”
