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"And that doesn't make you give one single damn about what I'm doing, what J.D. is doing, what Tanner is doing, or even what Cody is doing."
"She shows up and threw the PBR on its head," he pointed out. "Or were you so distracted by her cute little ass that you missed that part? The guys upstairs don't know how to deal with this. They can't kick her out, Ty. They don't have a fucking reason to, but if the viewers don't like her here and the tickets aren't selling, they'll find a way."
"And?" I asked.
"And if they can do that to a woman," he said, "then how hard is it to do it to a Black man? A gay one? A Muslim? How easy would it be for them to start hanging Confederate flags along the railings, calling it ‘Southern pride?’"
Yeah, I didn't like the sound of that at all. Now, maybe it was because I was Canadian, so that flag didn't mean shit to me, but I knew it always went hand in hand with some damned white hoods. Even worse, Jake had a point, but I was pretty sure he hadn't seen all the problems with it yet.
"Or picking which one of us wins," I said. "Because if they can give her a score that low for a ride that good?"
"Means all we have to do is keep our asses on the bulls," Jake agreed, "and then play the popularity game. Austin keeps saying that adding a woman to the PBR is going to ruin it, but he's missing the fucking forest for the trees. Kicking a woman out of the PBR is what would ruin it. The real question is what the people in charge think."
"And none of us have a damned clue," I realized.
"Exactly," Jake told me, taking a step back. "Oh, and cold water's in the fridge. I put a bottle of Tylenol on the table. You're going to need both, and I need a shower."
Then he turned and marched into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I heard the lock click and knew I should do as he suggested. Water and pain meds would help, but I was stuck on what he'd said. Not just the part about fucking up the PBR, either. No, my mind jumped right to Cody. Because when I'd mentioned Cody's boyfriend, Jake's first reaction had been to ask which one.
If he was thinking it, then who else would do the same? How long before that rumor started spreading? Could Cody take it? Could the guys? And if the PBR had a problem with a woman, than what the fuck would they do about Tanner and J.D.?
And more importantly, how the fuck did I stop it before it became a problem?
Chapter51
Tanner boughtthe biggest bottle of whiskey they had. That did not mean the best, but none of us cared. Lounging around the hotel room, we drank. I bitched. J.D. bitched. And Tanner? He took care of us.
At some point, things shifted from complaints to fears. After that, it moved to kissing. First Tanner, then J.D. I knew I was too drunk to do anything more, but so were they, and this was exactly what I needed. My last thought before passing out in the middle of the bed was that while my world might be falling apart, I felt like these guys had found a way to hold me together.
The next morning, I woke up in the same place, but with a sexy man on either side and my phone ringing. My head was pounding. My mouth felt like I'd sucked on cotton. My tongue was nasty! When my phone refused to stop, I wanted to throw something, but I had to wake up first.
My eyes opened and the first thing I saw was the bull's skull tattooed right across the middle of J.D.'s chest.
Fuck the phone. In all the weeks we'd been doing this, J.D. had kept his distance, being a gentleman in his own way - until that kiss last night. My eyes shifted a little higher, finding his waiting, looking just as sleep-fogged as I felt. He didn't reach for me, didn't move in. For a moment, he simply looked, and it felt more intense than anything I'd ever experienced with a man before.
Then my phone started ringing again.
"What the fuck?" Tanner grumbled from my other side.
I rolled that way as Tanner stretched to unplug my phone, but didn't have a chance to say anything before the annoyingly loud thing was in my hands. The screen said "Max," so I was swiping as quickly as I could. As I lifted the phone to my face, I let my eyes enjoy guy number two in my bed.
"Yeah?" I said.
"Cody!" Max greeted me.
I groaned.
Immediately, his voice softened. "Sorry," he told me. "Hangover?"
"Like you wouldn't believe," I croaked. "No offense, but what the hell do you want at this time of day, Max?"
"You," he informed me. "Cody, the PBR wants to take your official photos today. That means we need you."
"Where?"
"The arena." He chuckled, but quietly. "I had a feeling you and J.D. would go overboard, so I wanted to give you enough time to take some aspirin, let it kick in, and get dressed. Riding clothes. Chaps and vest too. This is the set of pictures they'll use on promo materials, so present yourself exactly how you want the world to see you."
"Which means I need makeup," I mumbled.
