Page 46 of Breakpoint
Jaz smiled at that, thinking about the impact Dani had on her life in these last few months. “I know you didn’t stop by to talk about me and Dani since you didn’t even know about us. What’s up? Please don’t tell me you scheduled a sponsorship event today now that I’m no longer playing.”
Kira shook her head. “No, you’re going to wish I did when I show you this. It’s why I came down here, but I got distracted by your heart eyes. We have a problem.”
“Problem?” she repeated, her voice anxious. Kira rarely brought problems to her unless they were big problems she couldn’t solve herself.
“We got a package,” Kira said, her voice low and serious. She slid a manila envelope across the polished surface of the marble countertops.
Jaz’s hands, usually steady, trembled slightly as she reached for it and opened. Inside were glossy prints, stills ripped from a video. She flipped through them, her breath catching in her throat and the color draining from her face. Each image was a crystal-clear snapshot of her and Dani, laughing, leaning into each other, and then a passionate kiss.
The pictures looked to be from their date in DC at the outdoor movie. They thought they had been so careful. No one had approached them that day for autographs or to even to say hi. She just assumed they had escaped under the radar with their hats as disguises. Even on all their other excursions, when they had been training together or date nights, they kept the public displays of affection at a minimum for plausible deniability.
Kira watched her, her expression a mix of professional concern and something akin to pity. “There’s video, too,” she said quietly. “They sent a short clip. Same…content as photos. It’s clearly... intimate.”
A cold dread seeped into Jaz’s bones. This wasn’t just a threat; it was an invasion, a violation that went beyond her own fiercely guarded privacy and clawed at the vulnerability of her relationship with Dani. And with a video, there was no way to deny it and say the photos had been doctored.
“Which outlet?” she whispered softly, the words barely able to leave her mouth.
“It looks to be just some random person. They reached out to me through DM and not through the normal channels that the press would. But they could sell it to the biggest outlet that was interested.”
Her relationship with Dani, a flame she had guarded so fiercely, was now exposed in the harsh, exploitative light of some fucker’s cell phone camera. Jaz’s head started spinning. She paced around the room and struggled to take deep, even breaths.
The crushing weight of expectation on the court, the constant scrutiny of the media—she’d built walls, defenses. But this…this was different.
She could already picture the headlines that would be made about them. The online comments would be predictably vicious, homophobic, and racist. She knew the risks when they started this, the potential for gossip and judgment. The whispers and scrutiny on tour and in the locker rooms would also start. Then there would be evenmorepress and pictures taken of them. Lots and lots of pictures. Even more flash bulbs in her face.
“You need to tell Dani about this,” Kira declared firmly.
Jaz was brought out of her spiral by Kira’s words. Fuck Dani. This was not something that she needed. Her career was just starting to take off, and to be thrown into this scandal with Jaz would ruin everything she had built.
“I know. But let’s also figure out what they want and how we can make it go away as quickly as possible. No matter the cost. Whatever they are asking for, double it to get every picture and file out there.”
Kira nodded. “I’m on it. I’ll also watch your socials and the gossip blogs for breaking news.” She walked across the room and took Jaz in her arms. Jaz could count on one hand the number of times that Kira had hugged her, but in this moment, she somehow knew it was exactly what Jaz needed.
Jaz was still sitting at the kitchen island hours later when Dani slammed the door to the apartment, the force of it rattling the framed stocked photos on the entryway table. She tossed her racket bag onto the floor, the dull thud a counterpoint to the sharp clang of the door. Jaz watched her pull a racket out of the bag and peel back like she was going to smash it. It remained up high, but she must have thought twice about it because she chucked it to the floor. The clatter caused Jaz to jump in shock.
Dani stalked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city of Cincinnati, her back rigid, her fists clenched. Jaz could see this wasn’t the carefree Dani that had just left a few hours ago. Her shoulders were tight, a knot of frustration and anger pulling at her muscles.
“Hey, you.” She moved to the living room area to greet the woman causing all the commotion.
Her thoughts about how to break the news about the photos to Dani faltered at the edges as she took in her girlfriend’s rigid posture and the thundercloud brewing in her eyes. “Rough match?” she ventured, keeping her voice light.
Dani just grunted and crossed the room, collapsing onto the sofa with a heavy sigh. She scrubbed a hand over her face, the gesture full of barely contained fury. “Rough doesn’t even begin to cover it,” she muttered, her voice thick with frustration. “I played like... like a beginner. I lost in the first round to someone who is like one hundred rankings below me.”
This was a first for them as a couple. Losing was a part of the game, something they both knew, but it rarely made its wayinto their private moments. Apparently, Dani took getting her ass kicked as well as Jaz did.
Jaz moved to sit on the armrest of the sofa, a safe distance but close enough to offer comfort. “You had an off day. It happens.”
Dani shook her head at the pity. “Not to you. Not like this. Not a first-round blowout.”
“Well, you know who I am.” Jaz smiled playfully, trying to bring levity to the situation. “Even though you’re not me, you’re still DanielafuckingKappas. One bad day doesn’t change that.”
Dani gave a slight chuckle, but then the frustration quickly returned as she blew out her breath in one long whoosh. “Thankfully, I won Montreal because I didn’t win enough this week to cover Chris, Tom, and my expenses for this trip. I think I actually lost money.”
“Hey, look at me,” she said softly. Dani reluctantly met her gaze, her eyes blazing with a mixture of anger and self-reproach. “You’re one of the most talented players I know. I have no reason to bullshit you because I already got into your pants. But you’ll bounce back. You always do. At least the one good thing about tennis is if you have a shit week, there’s always a tournament next week.”
“Thanks, babe. I really needed to hear that.”
“I’m only speaking the truth.” She opened her mouth to speak, to tell Dani the truth about the photos and video Kira received. But she closed it quickly because announcing it now, while Dani was drowning in this self-imposed misery, would be like throwing gasoline on a fire. Her raw disappointment was a palpable force in the room. This was not the time to send her spiraling even further.
