Page 36 of Serve
“What’s that?”
“You don’t have a foundation, and you barely do any charitable work in public.” She said.
“I make donations to worthy causes all the time, you know that.” He said. Drawing attention to his philanthropic endeavors repulsed him.
“Yes, but nobody else does. If you come out of the closet you’d not only be able to use your good fortune to help others, you’d inspire others to do the same, especially if it’s done in your name. Honestly, I think if there ever was a good time for coming out, this is it.” She said, excitement building in her voice.
“I need to think about it. Shit, I’ve been thinking about it for years. This is always in the back of my head. Usually it’s in the context of me being caught, not me deliberately telling everyone. Seriously, I want to come out, but on my terms. Not because some dickhead is blackmailing me.”
“That dickhead will make your life miserable.”
“Was there a note? Did he ask for money?” He asked. She shook her head no.
“If it’s Scott, I think I know what he wants.”
“Okay, then tell me what you think he wants, but also tell me why he has it in for you in the first place? Because I remember him quitting, not getting fired.” Sania said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I’ve never told anyone this because despite the way he left, I didn’t want him to be hurt. If it’s him doing this, I don’t care any more.” He said, hesitation evident in his voice. Sania motioned for him to continue.
“We were in South America, Chile to be exact. I’d just won a tournament, so we were out celebrating. Both of us had too much to drink, and…”
“Don’t tell me you came on to him?” She interrupted, eyes open wide.
“No, no, I didn’t come on to him. He made a pass at me.” He shook his head at the memory. Sania started to say something, then thought better of it. A moment later, Tyler continued his story.
“I didn’t know what to do, but say no. I’ve never thought of him like that, you know, sexually. Plus he’s my coach, or was my coach. He’d been with me since the beginning. He was like my Dad, and how the hell could I do anything like that with him?”
“Go on. What happened next?”
“We were in my room. He didn’t say anything when I told him no. He just got up and left. The next morning I knocked on the door of his room and he was gone. I asked the front desk, and apparently he left in the middle of the night. The hotel’s driver took me to the airport to see if he was still there, but he was already gone. A week later, he quit. You knew that part, since he told you first, not me.”
Sania was stunned. Scott, the good old boy, made a pass at Tyler, who turned him down. Suddenly, she realized why there was no note attached to the photos. She knew exactly what Scott wanted.
“So he expects you to throw any match his player…” Her voice trailed off as Tyler nodded his head yes.
“I’ve lucked out. I’ve only faced his player Travis once. He was easy to avoid because he wasn’t ranked very high. Thing is, Scott’s been doing his job well, and the guy’s been winning a lot. You had his copy of the NDA to keep him at bay in Houston, but now he’s got the photos, if he’s the one who sent them, of course. Travis is in the main draw at the French Open for the first time in his career. The odds of me facing him are a lot higher.” A glazed look settled on his face.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. The odds of you facing him are…”
“Excellent.” Tyler interrupted. “The odds are excellent. He’s in the top thirty now. If he plays well, and I do too, we could meet in the last sixteen.” He said, then checked his phone, frowning.
He slammed his fist against the table. Sania shook her head, frustration evident on her features. Tyler signaled to the waiter for their check, then spoke.
“I need to get Chip on the next flight to Houston.”
Chapter Eighteen
Chip- Paris
“I’ll be there in twenty-six minutes. We need to talk. It’s important.”
“Okay, I’ll make sure everyone is gone by the time you get back to our room.” Chip hung up, worried about Tyler’s tone of voice. Frightened, not his usually controlled self.
“Aunt Dixie, Tyler is on his way back from his meeting with Sania. He wants to speak to me, alone.” He paced the floor between the living area and the balcony.
“You don’t have to tell me twice. I wanted to head over to Roland-Garros with Tina and catch some of the women’s matches. Snagged us a day pass from a promoter. You call me if you need anything.” She said, then let herself out of the room.
Chip went outside to sit on the balcony, then changed his mind as a chi°ll breeze blew. How tennis players could play in this freezing weather was beyond him. He went back inside and grabbed a soda out of the fridge. He started to open it, then thought of the chardonnay bottle sitting next to the soda. Something in Tyler’s tone of voice told him it was going to be one of those conversations. He poured himself a glass, then grabbed a second glass when he heard Tyler enter the room.
