Page 47 of Ride With Me

I guess Ollie’s telling him something then . . .

“Yeah, when did he get here?”

Is he talking about me?

“Sorry about that. I didn’t know he’d be here today. He does that when he gets in late or very early. His house is all the way in Calabasas, so that’s why I let him stay over whenever he needs it.”

They’re definitely talking about me.But what is Ollie saying back? And what the hell did Derek mean about “his epilepsy?”

Derek turns and sees me in his doorway before I can figure anything out, so again, I make an effort to appear totally unaffected.

“That’s good, I’ll see you in a few,” Derek says and hangs up. “Hey, I didn’t know you’d be here. How are you?”

“Tired as fuck.” I rub my eyes just to lay it on thick, though I’m not lying. “I need to go home, but I just wanted to check in with you. Congrats on the win Sunday. You made some great plays.”

“Thanks. And everything’s fine. Hawk and I just decided to stay here instead of in Carmel-by-the-Sea this week.”

“He’s gonna have the interview here?” As his agent and close friend, I know everything that’s been going on with the Storm brothers these past few months, and I’ll keep offering them any help I can give.

“They’re still figuring all that out. He did call yesterday to let them know, but it’s probably going to be in an office somewhere downtown if we don’t do it at their house.”

“Got it. Well, just call if you need anything.”

“I will. Appreciate you, man.” He stands and gives me one of his typical bro hugs.

I nod and get out of there like my ass is on fire but I’m ignoring it? It’s a weird thing, but I hope Derek’s distracted enough not to pay too much attention to it. He’s got enough to figure out for Hawk’s interview tomorrow, so I really hope he doesn’t.

I arriveat my home and go directly to my bedroom. I dump all my clothes in the laundry basket where my housekeeper will collect them when she comes by later, then I go into the bathroom.

I really need a shower.

The mortification over my actions from last night hits me full-force again when I realize I probably smelled like plane andhumanitywhen I kissed Ollie. I groan out loud and get in the shower before the water has had time to warm up.

The cold shock helps me focus—and I need to fucking focus all right. I clean up quickly, then put on sweatpants and a light T-shirt. It’s January, otherwise I’d forgo the shirt.

I grab my laptop from my suitcase and go to my home office, the one room in the house that I had redesigned. It’s a basic square but it has a huge desk that can be raised and lowered however much I want. My ergonomic chair greets my tired back like an old friend, as I connect my computer to the monitors and check my emails.

When I left the agency I worked for out of college, I knew I didn’t want to open an agency of my own. I didn’t want to have to manage other agents, just myself. I have a few people who I hire for certain jobs, but mostly, this is a one-man show. The only person who technically works for me is my travel agent.

Trevor is a godsend, and he makes my life way easier than it could potentially be. I only have to send him a date—or a time of the day if I’m in too much of a hurry—and he can get me anywhere. Most of my trips are planned, but some are emergencies—hazard of the job—and when that happens I accept that a business ticket might not be available and bear the flights in tourist class, but Trevor still gets a pretty penny from me.

Sometimes, in extreme cases, there are no tickets available—like when Adam and Mike, two of Derek’s friends who play for New York, were suddenly ready to sign renewal contracts with The Kings—and I charter a plane. Trevor gets a prettier penny for those occasions.

All in all, I manage my schedule. I don’t take phone calls from numbers I don’t recognize, since everyone who I want calling me is either saved as a contact or has my email. I close the deals by myself and I make damn sure I fight with all I’ve got so my clients are getting what they deserve every single time.

Sometimes the fight isn’t enough, but those are rare, and I pride myself on that.

I read through the emails, and everything inside me lights up when I realize I need to call Derek to double-check if he wants to take this partnership offer or not.Maybe he’s with Ollie by now. Maybe I’ll hear his voice.

Am I having the thoughts of a deranged stalker?

Is this what it feels like to be obsessed?

I think it very well could be. Either way, I don’t hesitate and immediately call Derek.

“’Sup?” he answers, and I can tell he’s in the car.

“I just got a query for you.”

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