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The reclining man lifted his pen. "I have one. Cody, how do you feel about Mike's Hard drinks?"
"Pineapple strawberry," I told him. "That's my favorite. I also like that you're selling it in those assorted boxes now."
"Good answer," he told me.
"Anyone else?" Max asked. When no one else spoke up, the man pushed himself to his feet, then offered me his hand. "Then I think Cody deserves to enjoy her last day off before things get exciting tomorrow. You all have my number if you think of any more questions."
And we left to a chorus of, "Thanks, Max," from most of the representatives in the room.
Chapter11
I madeit back to the hotel just as Cody was finishing up her meeting with the sponsors. When I walked in, the doors to the elevator had just closed behind her. Max pulled out his phone and started typing a text before he turned, only to laugh when he saw me standing there.
"J.D.!" he said. "I was just about to let you know I'm free."
"Same," I said. "Can I take you to lunch or something, Max?"
His eyes narrowed. "I can get us a private room, or we can talk in yours," he offered. "But I just had lunch, actually. Now, if you're starving, I won't turn down a beer."
I nodded, debating that. "I'm mostly looking for privacy, and in a way that won't bite me in the ass with someone hearing through a door."
Max headed over to pat my shoulder and gestured to the front doors. "Well, my little car uses a lot less gas than your truck, and I know a nice little pub. I'll drive and you can pay, hm?"
Turning with him, the pair of us headed out to the parking lot. Sure enough, Max was once again in one of those little economy things he always rented. I pulled off my hat and climbed into the passenger side. Before I forgot, I sent off a text to Ty, letting him know what Doc Stephens had said, and that he needed to get his ass over to the arena. His reply was a thumbs up emoji.
Max noticed me texting, but didn't ask. He simply headed right down the road, letting me do my thing. He didn't even bother getting on the highway, because after the first light, it seemed this pub of his was right there.
When we walked in, the place was mostly empty. The pair of us found a booth in the back, waited until the waitress had not only taken our orders, but also brought back two draft beers. Then, and only then, did Max decide to push the issue.
"This looks like one of those big problems," he said, keeping his voice down. "What's going on, J.D.?"
I slowly spun my glass between my hands, watching as the bubbles twisted in the middle. "Well, you've been real good to me for a real long time now, Max."
"Don't say you're firing me," he breathed.
"Hope not," I admitted. "It's just..." But my throat chose that moment to clench up.
Because this shit? Yeah, I hadn't ever come out to no one like this. My mama had kinda figured it out when I was little. My baby sister had outed me by accident, confirming it to her. Lookin' back, I was pretty sure neither one of them had ever really thought I was in the closet, so they hadn't seen it the same way I had. Still, besides Cody catching me, having to explain to Ty, telling Doc, and the guys I'd fucked, there wasn't another soul in the world that knew.
I also didn't know how to say it. Was I supposed to just blurt all of this out? Fuck, how'd I manage to tell Ty? Naw, that didn't count. It had been because of Tanner. Still, my guts were all fucked up, and I felt like my balls were in the back of my throat, but I could do this. I needed Max's help on this, so Ihadto.
"J.D.?" Max asked, sounding worried. "Look, if you're in shit, we'll figure it out."
I lifted both hands to drag them down my nose and mouth. "You know how sponsors have these ideas?" I asked, because that felt like the best way to start. "Welp, I'm not so sure I fit 'em, and, um..."
"And they're still paying you what you ask," Max reminded me.
I nodded as I blew out a breath. "Max, I'm not straight."
There. It was done. I'd thrown that out there, and now I couldn't take it back. My eyes jumped up to Max's face, only to find his brow creased and that childish smile erased from his face. Slowly, he began to nod.
"Ok," he said. "So where's the problem?"
Those words - and his honest confusion - made me feel like a million pounds just slid off me. "The sponsors," I told him. "Shit, you think that's gonna fly? Max, this is the PBR, and it don't matter if a guy's gay, bi, pan, or anything else. If he's not boning the chicks every night, he's not what they're lookin' for, get me?"
"Most of us aren't 'boning the chicks every night,'" Max reminded me. "And your love life has never been a part of your contracts."
"Nope, but my reputation as the PBR's bad boy is," I countered. "C'mon, we both know how this game is played. Once I started gettin' into shit, my vest filled up. The more punches I threw, the more money I made. This? Shit, if it gets out? They'll all drop me for some reason that doesn't have a damned thing to do with who's in my bed."
