Page 156 of Off Camera
“The deal he signed is with a company that’s very, uh, conservative, even though he’s not. They’re ‘family oriented’. Whatever that’s supposed to mean,” Avery explains. “Finding out the guy they hired to talk about football for the next decade has an OnlyFans account is probably going to raise some questions.”
“This is going to be a media shitstorm.” I groan and drop my head back. “You’re going to use this as content, aren’t you? You’re going to poke fun at it.”
“I already have half a dozen ideas,” Avery says, and she sounds fucking giddy. “There’s no coincidence in this coming out right before the Super Bowl. Someone wanted to distract him.”
“Wouldn’t put it past the Pistons fans. They’re ruthless. Anything they can do to take down an opposing player, they will,” Maven says, and Dallas’s phone rings.
“It’s Shawn. I better take this.” He slips into the kitchen, and Maven follows behind him.
“Do you want to head out?” Avery asks, and I frown.
“Why would I want to head out?”
“You’ve had a busy week at work, and now this news coming out? You know the comment sections are going to go crazy.”
“I’m not on the clock right now,” I say.
“You’re a salaried employee. Aren’t you always on the clock?”
“That’s not what I mean.” I pull her into my lap, ignoring Maverick’s whistling. “I’m here with you and my friends right now. Is this a crisis? In a sense, yeah, but it’s notmycrisis. So a bunch of people flood the comments of our posts? Big deal. I’m not missing important moments in my life just so I can talk to some clowns on social media about a player’s dick.”
“Important moments?” Avery turns her chin to look at me. “We’re just playing board games.”
“Any moment with you is an important moment, Ave. I’m not risking this—” I gesture between us. “For this,” I say, picking up my phone. “I’ve been there before, and it sucks. Nobody wins. Whatever is going to happen tonight can wait until tomorrow.”
“I think I just fell in love with you all over again.” She smiles and rests her forehead against mine. “You’re a smooth talker, Reid Duncan.”
“Whatever keeps you interested.”
“What if I told you I’m wearing a new pair of lingerie and bought you a comic book today?” she asks. “Would that be classified as an important enough reason for us to head home?”
“We have to go,” I announce, standing and setting Avery on her feet. She laughs next to me and pulls my hoodie over her head. “I have shit to deal with. Fires to put out.”
“Girlfriends to fuck,” she whispers in my ear, and I haul her by the waist to the door. “I’ll see you later this week?” she adds to Emmy.
“I’ll text you when Moneybags over here sets up all the travel stuff,” Emmy says. “Maybe we can go shopping for some new bathing suits before we head out west.”
“We’re leaving too,” Maverick yells, and Emmy rolls her eyes when he tosses her over his shoulder.
“Really, pretty boy? Do you want to make why we’re leaving any more obvious?”
“Oh, like you didn’t hear Avery tell Reid what she bought today,” Maverick says, and Avery buries her face in my shoulder. “Enjoy your work, Plant Daddy. Don’t let it keep you up all night.”
I flip him off, and when we get to the elevator, I close the doors in his face. Avery laughs when we’re alone, finally showing her red cheeks.
“That was so embarrassing,” she says. “I can never see them again.”
“Fuck it. We’ll find new friends. I didn’t like them anyway. Tell me more about what you’re wearing underneath that sweater. Are we going to your place or mine?”
“Your place. It’s red. And that’s a shame, because I really liked your friends.”
“Fine. We’ll be friends with them again. Only because you said so.”
She laughs again. “Reid?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Is that what your nights looked like before we met? When we only talked through our phones?”
