Page 1 of Soft
CHAPTER 1
Paxton
“You’ve got to be fucking with me, right?” I growled at the man sitting across the table from me.
Holb Nekman, my agent, could be summed up in one word.Asshole. Granted, I knew this when I signed with him. It was part of his appeal.
But I always believed his ways would be beneficial to me. I thought he’d fight for what I wanted instead of busting my balls.
Guess I was wrong.
“What’s got your britches twisted, boy?” Holb grunted. “I did you a solid. Got you aninwith a hard-to-reach group of people. By the time you go pro, you’ll have any and all the sponsorships you want. Have dinner with them and watch the red carpet roll out.”
“And for what? Selling my goddamn soul?” It took everything in me not to raise my voice. Had we been somewhere private, I would have.
Now it made sense why he wanted to do dinner out instead of meeting at his office. Holb knew I could be a hothead when it came to my career. I couldn’t afford to be a pushover.
While I’d never turn violent, my mouth had gotten me in trouble more than once. It wasn’t in me to keep quiet when I felt passionately about something. It was just in my blood, same as my pops and his father before him.
Holb took a swig of his bourbon and sighed. “How is this selling your soul? Others would kill to be in your position. I don’t see the big deal.”
“You don’t see the big deal?” I leaned forward, getting closer so he could see my rage. “The big deal is that you just put me in leagues with some of the most homophobic people in existence all while knowing I’m gay. You want me to support and connect with people who believe I shouldn’t have any rights. So yeah, Holb, it is a big fucking deal.”
Leaning back, I took a breath as I assessed what needed to come next. Hiring him was meant to be my way into the league. It was supposed to be the jumpstart to a trajectory I’d dreamed of since childhood.
And yet the words“You’re fired”came to mind easily after his screw up. There was no point in keeping someone on my team who didn’t understand basic decency.
He laughed like one of those cartoon villains at my declaration. “You don’t have the option to fire me, boy. I’ve got you until the contract ends in two years.”
Tossing my napkin on my plate, I stood to my full height. Even if Holb had risen too, I’d have still towered over him. At sixfoot four, not many people could meet me eye to eye. And, well, sitting down made him look even more pitiful.
“Actually, you don’t get to keep me, dumbass. My contract had a clause about ethical abuse. I specifically had it put in by my lawyer that if you did anything to compromise my values, then everything would dissolve. So yeah, you’re fired. Get fucked.”
A smattering of applause went up around the restaurant as I left. I smirked knowing a few people probably caught the dispute on camera too. Not that it mattered much. If asked, I’d gladly tell people why I left one of the biggest agents in the area to forge ahead on my own.
The media around me coming out would be huge if linked to this. I had no doubt the company would pull their deal too, once they knew. Not that it mattered since I wouldn’t touch them in a million years.
Cold mountain air whipped across my face as I stepped outside. There was nothing quite like it, and though I’d have loved living here, I knew my time was done. I needed to be where I knew others supported me. I needed to be with people who respected me.
And I already had a place in mind.
Bellport, Louisiana, was the center of the queer athlete network. The midsize city had grown over the last few years to be a safe haven for anyone who was queer or who wanted to be a supportive ally.
The minute I’d started getting word about the happenings there, I put them on my radar to research their baseball team. I was a nosy son of a bitch who wanted to keep my options open.
Funny how things worked out I guess.
Pulling out my phone, I called the one person I knew would have my back. It rang twice before he answered, the sound of a game on in the background.
“Tell me something good,” my pops sang over the line. His customary greeting always brought a grin out of me.
I shook my head. “Fired Holb.”
The background noise disappeared. I knew then I had his full attention. “Repeat that for me, son. I think you just told me you fired that two-bit asshole of an agent after all this time. Please tell me I’m not hallucinating.”
“You’re not,” I replied around a laugh. “He’s really gone. Asshole tried to get me in with those fuckers over at CenterGain.”
Pops sputtered a string of cuss words. “Knew he was stupid, but this is major. Glad you kicked him to the curb. What’s your next move? Where are we headed?”
