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I huffed at him. "Fuck you, Jake. Has it ever crossed your mind that I might be able to spend time with people and not fuck them? That maybe I can have friends who have dicks? That since I'm the only woman on this circuit, my options for hanging out with 'the girls' is a bit limited?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"But nothing!" I snapped, my pounding head making it much too easy to be pissed off. "When we got to Cheyenne, Ty bought the room because I'm a broke-ass rookie. Two beds, asshole."
Jake lifted both hands and took a step back. "All I'm saying is that you're playing a dangerous game with these cowboys."
"I'm here to ride the bulls," I told him. "In case you missed it,I'mnot the one playing games."
"Which is why you're so pissed at Ty?" he countered. "That's why J.D. slugged him? And so you know, it's not often that Ty doesn't hit back. He's also not going to whine to the PBR and get J.D. fined for it."
"Oh." Because I honestly didn't know how that worked.
Jake just nodded. "And yet we all saw it. Fuck, we all heard it. Those boys were fighting over you. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."
"And maybe you boys should figure out that I'm not asking you to. I'm not the one causing problems. It's not my fault you think of me as something to fuck before you realize I'm doing the exact same job you are."
"You gonna give that speech to every man in the PBR?" he asked.
"If I have to," I assured him.
"You will." Then he ducked his head and groaned. "Look, I didn't come over to start a fight. I stopped you to let you know what's going on because you hate the drama and bullshit as much as I do. Cody, this is just a heads-up, ok? Just trying to make sure you're not blindsided."
"Which means shit's about to go down," I pointed out.
He blew out a breath. "Yeah. Um. Austin." Which basically said enough, yet he wasn't done. "In case you forgot, the guys are all saying Tanner's gay. Now, he's suddenly the man with the hot little bull rider? Never mind that you and J.D. Adkins are inseparable? Eli said he saw the three of you heading into the same room."
"Shared pair of rooms," I told him.
"And I'm not here to spread rumors for you," he countered. "This is a heads-up, Cody. Just that, nothing more. Austin's crew wants you gone. J.D. has taken you into his crew. Ty's running away from something, and the bullfighters are closing ranks. If you think the guys on this tour won't notice that, then you're not half as smart as I thought."
"What about my scores?" I asked him.
Jake gave me a confused look. "What about them? I mean, besides that they sucked?"
"Are the judges out to get me too?" I pressed.
"Fuck if I know!" he scoffed, tensing a bit. "If you want to know that, the person to ask is Cletus. Goes back to your bullfighters, though. Those three men work like a wolf pack. They share a brain - and a sense of loyalty. You fuck with one, then you fuck with them all, and you are literally fucking with one."
"And he's good with it," I reminded Jake.
"Until he figures out that you've been fucking Ty on the side?"
"Not how it went down," I insisted.
Jake watched me for a very long moment as if trying to see if I'd break. I just watched back, knowing I was safe on this one. Anything he told Tanner would be fine, because I hadn't been cheating. In truth, Tanner had come second.
Finally, Jake nodded, seeming to accept what I'd said. "Have Jorge talk to Cletus. That crazy clown knows the judges. Not that he can do anything about them, but he'll at least be able to tell you if they have a problem with a woman on the Tough Enough series tour." Then he stepped back. "And the only reason I'm telling you all of this is because I think the bro code applies to you too."
"The bro code?" I asked.
He stepped back again. "Yeah. When a crazy bitch comes looking to make drama, we give a guy a heads-up to go out the back. Same shit, but the bitch is a man this time." Then he grinned. "And I've decided that I don't hate you, Cody. I don't think you're the problem."
"Then what is?" I asked as he turned to walk away.
"Dunno. What I do know is that this problem isn't mine. I'm also heading out soon, so I'll see you in Iowa!"
Chapter52
