Page 36 of Kove and Xiah
I shook my head at how blunt Sovoya was. Ol’ girl would probably be in her feelings but she didn’t need to be. When it came to business, you couldn’t take shit from Sovoya personally. Her priority was getting things done which for the most part meant fuck your feelings if they got in the way of her end goal.
When I walked back into the living room and handed over the jacket and pants, ol’ girl was zipping up the other four suits I tried on so she could check the measurements while Sovoya was typing away on her phone.
After mumbling something to Sovoya, she draped the garment bags over her arm and hurried out of the suite.
“What’s Thursday?” I asked Sovoya who didn’t respond right away because she was too busy tapping them damn nails on her phone.
“CSA Shining Stars Gala. It’s on your list and you need a plus one.”
CSA was the agency owned by Jase McCormick, who Sovoya worked for. I hadn’t met him yet but I looked him up before I made the decision to sign with her. He was a seven foot tall ex-NBA player who reminded me of Shaq. He was one of the main reasons I signed the damn contract. His track record was proven by the clients on his roster, and if Sovoya was under his umbrella, she had to be on her shit. She was, but this list of shit she was shoving down my throat made me question whether or not I made the right decision.
“What the fuck is that?”
“Black-tie event for CSA clients to engage investors and impress brand partners.”
“I still have no fucking clue what it is.”
“You get to be in the room with a lot of deep pockets who want to throw money at talented athletes. My goal is to make sure they’re throwing that money at you.”
“You don’t need me there for that. Can’t I skip it?”
“No, you cannot. Your stats, albeit impressive, are only a starting point. Brand means image and image means that pretty face of yours smiling while you listen to them blow smoke up your ass about those stats. You will be there, in a very expensive suit, with a plus one who’s equally attractive. You need someone to soften your image and make you marketable. Van is working on a list…”
Here we go with this shit…
“Get the fuck out of here with that soft shit.”
She locked her phone, crossed the room, and sat on the table across from where I was seated on the sofa.
“On the court, you can be as bad ass as you want to be. In fact, the more bad ass, the better. I can sell that but the people who will be there Thursday night have million dollar companies and need to know you clean up well enough to represent them. You are a brand. There will be two versions of you, the player and the business. Thursday will be about the business. Suit, no braids, and a plus one. Non-negotiable. Van will send over potential…”
“Nah, I’m good. I have somebody I can bring.”
“Who is she?”
“A friend.”
She unlocked her phone, nodding. “Give me her name and I’ll send it to Van so she can run a background check.”
“You’re fucking kidding me, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding you? This is your brand, Kove. The women you meet at strip clubs are not going to hand over their rap sheets.”
I smiled arrogantly. “Why the hell I gotta meet women in strip clubs?”
“Okay, the women you meet at coffee shops aren’t going to hand over their rap sheets. The last thing you need is being attached to a felon, no matter how pretty she is or how amazing she is at sucking your dick.”
“What the fuck…” I laughed, shaking my head.
“I have eight pro athletes on my roster. I’m well versed on what your day to day lives look like. None of you are married, well aside from Omiri, and I’m damn sure glad I got him at the tail end of his hoe phase. Makari being in his life saved me from a lot of stress. So I stand by what I said. We need to know every detail of thisfriend’slife to be sure there’s nothing attached to her that can attach to you and tarnish your brand. Name, please.”
“I fuck with you heavy because you’re making shit happen that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to do on my own but there are some things in my life you’re not going to be involved with. Who I choose to deal with is one of them. I’m not gonna give you shit about the other stuff, but this is off limits. You’re not about to be digging into her personal shit.”
Sovoya glared at me but gave in. “Fine, but please understand that you’re taking full responsibility for thisfriend,even if that means she costs you money.”
“I’m cool with that. Are we done?”
“We’re done.”
