Page 54 of Truth or Tequila (Grand Slam 1)

“First, I’m not hanging out with Seb. He’s hanging out with me—”

“Doesn’t matter. Same outcome. It’s up to the staff to spurn player advances.”

“Well, that’s some bullshit right there. How about we put the blame where it belongs? On the pursuers—”

“You’re not wrong, but it’s still something we make clear to our staff upfront—no personal mingling of any kind with the players. And that includes the men on the staff. We have to discipline guys all the time for trying to hang out with the players at bars and stuff. Strictly not tolerated.”

“Well, I’m not officially staff. I’m a consultant. I’ll be out of here in a few weeks tops.”

He shuts his laptop and looks at me. “That fast? You think you’ve come up with the magic solution to get the media to stop talking about Liza?”

“Working on it,” I say, lowering my voice. “You were the one who pulled her credentials. Do you want to tell me why?”

“Joe told me she was harassing a player—”

“Seb already told me it was him.”

Ken jerks his head around to look at me. “I can’t believe he told you. He barely told me.”

I shrug. “What do you mean by ‘harassing’?”

“Making him feel uncomfortable,” he says. “That’s all I needed to know. My job is to protect the franchise, and that’s Seb.”

“Uncomfortable how?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t offer that information and I didn’t ask.”

“So, why’d you reinstate her? Did Gary tell you to?”

He sinks in his seat and whispers. “Gentry told me to first. I ignored him, but then he must have told his daddy because I got called up to Gary’s office the next day. He told me to give Liza her credentials back.”

“Did you tell him she was harassing Seb?”

“No,” he says, looking away from me. “I told Joe I wouldn’t tell anyone. Frankly, I can’t believe this story still has legs. I have no idea why it’s still around.”

“Sure you do,” I say. “It’s because of the harassment complaints about Gentry. The media senses it’s a culture issue.”

He sits up straighter. “Did Gary tell you about all that? I’m shocked.”

“Nope, but you just did.”

“Very sneaky, Sophia,” he growls as he sinks back down into the seat.

“I’m not going to tell anyone you confirmed it. The media already knows—”

“They suspect. They don’t know. I’ve been doing everything I can to bury it.”

“Hmm,” I say, raising my eyebrows. “I mean, I know that’s your job, but that’s not a great thing to keep buried. The team could get a lot of credit for coming clean about it and showing the world how they’re trying to improve.”

He laughs. “I know you haven’t been here that long, but surely you’ve figured out how Gary works. He’s all about the cover up and spin, especially where his family’s concerned.”

“He might be all about that, but I’m certainly not.”

“Be careful, Sophia. If you talk negatively about Gentry or any of Gary’s family, you’re not only going to be fired, Gary’s going to ruin your reputation and your business.”

I stare at him for a second. “Is that a threat?”

“No,” he says, opening his laptop back up. “It’s just a fact. I’ve seen it happen before. Gary’s an asshole.”

“If he’s such an asshole, why do you prop him up?”

“Because I need this job,” he says, shaking his head. “I’ve got a wife and two kids to support. No one in this organization has the balls to go against Gary.”

I nod as I sink back into my seat. I think it might be time for someone to stand up to Gary, and I’m getting the feeling that I’m the only person willing to do it.

* * *

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