I grimace. “There’s this perception that off-court I’m…I don’t know, cold? And it’s been hurting the negotiations for my deals.”
“Tell me about it.” He leans forward slightly, his face more animated. “This BS about me being a screwup? In my salary alone, I probably lost upward of twenty million in my rookie deal because I fell in the draft. I’m not trying to sound like an asshole and complain about the eighteen million I secured, but that was a brutal hit.”
I try to contain my irritation. I suspect he has zero clue what WNBA players make.
“Rawley.”
“What?”
“Have you heard aboutmyrookie salary?”
“No, why? The same thing happened to you?”
“It’s seventy-seven thousand dollars.” The five digit figure still stings.
“You mean sevenhundredseventy thousand?”
“Nope.”
He looks like he’s about to climb out of the chair. “What the fuck?! Really?”
“It’s in line with our collective bargaining agreement. Although they’re negotiating the next one in the offseason, so hopefully it’ll be better.”
To his credit, he appears genuinely stunned.
“I had no idea. Damn, so I did sound like an asshole. I’m sorry.” His apology is loaded with remorse, and I’m uncomfortable that he sounds so guilty.
“It’s okay, it’s not your fault you didn’t know. But yeah, I’m pretty motivated to figure out how to get the endorsement money lined up. You never know how long you’ll play either, right? Which is why I ended up here, considering this arrangement.”
“That makes sense. Now I want to help you as much as myself. That’s a load of crap.”
“Thank you. So if we gave this a try, how soon would we be seen out? I’ll be back from our road trip in five days.”
He bites his lip again. “They said they’d make the announcement on Sunday. Maybe I could come to your next home game? It’s right after my brother Connor gets here, so he can be my guest.”
“Yes, that would work. I’ll line up courtside tickets.”
He smiles at me. “The press would probably eat up seeing me cheer you on.”
Shoot—the press. For them to believe we’re devoted to each other…
“I just thought of something. This part’s going to suck for me too.” So much for finding my next Jack.
“What is it?”
“We can’t be seen with other people. Or even sleep with someone secretly on the side, in case they let it spill.” My chest twists at the thought of the possible headlines. “I don’t want to be made a fool of.”
His forehead crinkles. “Yeah, I get that. I’m not with anyone right now. Obviously. And I won’t sleep with someone else.”
That seems like a pretty big thing for a guy our age to give up for months, but he sounds confident.
Guess my dry spell doesn’t have an expiration date yet, and my vibrator is going to keep getting a workout.
I nod. “That was my final concern.”
He lies back against the couch, letting his hands fall off the pillow, but doesn’t break eye contact.
“We’re doing this, aren’t we?” he asks softly.
