Page 5 of Hung Up
Fuck me.
“Three of your sponsors called me late last night expressing their concerns.” He folds his hands together on the table as heleans forward. “They don’t want their image tainted by, what did they call it, Kate? Some arrogant, bull-riding playboy?”
“Henry—”
“No, no,” he interrupts, holding up a finger. “You let me speak. What the fuck, Jesse? Do you not remember that sixty-five percent of your income comes from these sponsors? Are you really trying to tank everything you’ve been working toward these last few years?”
I cast a sideways glance at the woman, Kate, only to see her fidgeting with her hands in her lap. Turning my attention back to Henry, I tell him, “I didn’t realize my personal preferences were such an issue.”
“Cut the shit, Jesse. You’re just mad you got caught and now have to reap the consequences.”
“Consequences?” My eyebrows furrow as he turns his attention to Kate.
“Damage control,” she says, reaching into the bag beside her and pulling out a notebook. “If you want to save these sponsorships, you’re going to have to make some changes for the rest of the season.”
I lean back in my chair and cross my arms at that. “What kind of changes are we talking about exactly?”
“What do you think, Jesse?” Henry cuts in, not letting Kate continue. Her shoulders sag slightly, a frown forming on her face. “If you want any chance of keeping your sponsors, you need to cut the womanizer bullshit.”
“What kind of changes are we talking about, Kate?”
Her eyes widen in surprise as she looks at me, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink as she nervously glances at Henry. He narrows his eyes at me, and she clears her throat before speaking. “Well, they have an issue with you being seen in compromising positions with so many different women. So,either stick with one woman for the next four months, or no more women at all.”
No women at all? Can I do that? My mind drifts back to the last few months, how I’ve been making out with women in public to keep up the image I’ve created that fans seem to love so much, but going home alone. I mean, I can count on one hand the times I’ve slept with a woman since the new year. Truth be told, something has changed recently. The hookups were no longer satisfying, and it has grown increasingly exhausting having to force these women out of my life the following morning. I no longer find satisfaction in the areas I used to.
So, it’s an easy yes. Besides, I can’t risk losing these sponsorships. Nash, my older brother, needs the money for the ranch, and I’ll be damned if I let my family down. I may not be able to help by working for him, but this? This I can do.
“Okay. No women.”
I have to bite my lip to stop from laughing as I take in Henry’s shocked expression and Kate’s smug one. It’s Henry who speaks first. “Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Yeah, okay,” he mumbles, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Well, if that’s all, I really should get going?—”
“Not so fast, Jesse.” Henry pins me with a glare as I push away from the table and grab my hat. “You’re taking Kate with you.”
My head swings over to her as I put my hat on. She’s staring at her notebook, her hands folded in her lap, and I can see her picking at the skin near her thumbnail through the glass table. Feeling me staring at her, she lifts her gaze to mine, and I see the discomfort in them.
“Does she truly want to, or are you forcing her to?”
“She understands how important it is to make sure that you don’t mess this up,” Henry tells me, not bothering to give Kate any of his attention, which makes my blood boil.
“I don’t need a babysitter, and she doesn’t want to go. I get you’re her boss, but being stuck traveling with me for four months isn’t part of her job description. She won’t be checking in on me, and she won’t be traveling with a bunch of bull riders.”
Henry pushes his chair back and stands, bracing his hands on the table. “You don’t get to tell me how I use my employees.”
“Actually, I think I do.” The corner of my mouth tips up as I fold my arms. “Because if you make her do this, I will make sure I continue to be photographed with multiple women, and when the sponsors ask me why, I’ll tell them you told me to. That you told me a womanizer was exactly what they wanted. How do you think that’ll make you look, Henry? Not only will you personally lose them as sponsors for all your clients, but you’ll lose your clients as well. Now, we don’t want that, do we?”
If steam could come out of someone's ears, they’d be coming out in plumes from Henry’s right now. His neck and cheeks are a deep shade of red, and the vein in his forehead looks like it’s about to pop. He stands up straight, his hands fisting at his sides, but he doesn’t say anything.
I cock a brow as I repeat, “We don’t want that, do we?”
“No,” he grinds out through clenched teeth.
“So, what will Kate be doing?”I’m quite enjoying this.
