Page 10 of West Bound

“Are you fucking kidding me, Maury? I have to be on a plane in three hours?” I began calculating the time it would take me to pack and get my ass to Laguardia in time for my three-thirty flight.

“Is it in three hours?” he asked, like he wasn’t the one who booked the fucking flight. “Huh. Well, get a bag packed and call your assistant to get your house boxed up for the move. I already booked you the penthouse at the Four Seasons. I told them you’d be there probably until the end of the season so you can focus on playing and not worry about house hunting. I’ll take care of that for you when you’re ready.”

I set the phone down on my bed and began stuffing my duffle with a few necessities I knew I would need for the couple of days it would take for Aric to send the rest of my things to me.

Fuck. Aric. I need to check if he even wants to move to Houston and if not, find a new PA. Replacing him will be a bitch.

“What about my gear?” I asked him.

“Already done. All you need to worry about is getting your ass on that plane. A car will be there in an hour to pick you up. I’ve gotta go so I can pack my bag, too. The car will come get me first and then you.”

“You’re coming with me?” I stop in my tracks, my favorite hoodie hanging halfway on the hanger.

“Of course I am. What kind of agent would I be if I let my favorite client fly off to meet his new team without me?”

I roll my eyes and yank the hoodie off the hanger, shoving it over my head and pulling it into place. “You mean the client who gets you the most money.”

“To-may-toe, to-mah-toe. Anyway, see you soon, kid. This is huge, Nix! You’re gonna get that ring this year. I just know it.”

I click end and take a deep breath. From his mouth to the baseball God’s ears.

“Phoenix!” A tall man with a thick accent greets me when I walk through the doors of Wrangler Stadium.

The state of the art, multi-billion dollar facility was by far one of the best in the country. On the wall behind whom I assume is Mr. Amato, is a large painted mural of the Wranglers mascot in royal blue and scarlet red. A cowboy twirling a lasso above his head sits perched on a bucking bronco. The cowboy is decked out in stars and stripes and is the very definition of Texas.

Patriotic as fuck.

“Mr. Amato, sir. Nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out to him and he grabs it and pulls me into a back slapping hug.

We separate and he takes me by my biceps. I’m tall standing at six four, but this dude is no more than an inch shorter than me. His presence seems larger and he looks like a movie star with his jet black hair and olive skin. His face is dusted with a neatly trimmed beard and he has dark brown eyes. I’m a pretty confident guy, but standing in the shadow of this guy has me feeling like a bumbling kid tripping his way through puberty.

“No Mr. Amato or sir. Luca, please. We’re the new kids on the block, as they say. We have to stick together,” he chuckles.

Just then, I see a woman take a step closer to him and I literally give her a double-take.

“CeCe?” I ask, completely flabbergasted that the girl I partied with back in college is standing in front of me, next to the new owner of my new team.

Fuck, she is sexy as sin. Long brown legs, dark hair and glasses that fulfilled every boy's naughty librarian fantasy. But no matter the fact that she was a walking wet dream, my dream girl was a fiery redhead.

“Hello, Mr. West. Nice to see you again?” she says in the most professional manner and holds out her hand.

“Mr. West?” I repeat when Luca says, “you know my Cecelia?”

Both mine and CeCe’s head jerk to look at him when he says that. I sneak a peek at CeCe and her face is frozen with shock, yet Luca has a huge smile on his face like he’s extremely proud of his statement.

“I will be assisting you and Mr. Amato with press conferences and news releases when announcing the new team ownership and your acquisition, Mr. West,” she recovers after a moment.

“CeCe…c’mon. I think we’re beyond last names. I’m Nix, remember?” I take the hand she proffered and pull her into a slight hug. She tenses but quickly pats my back before pulling away.

She passes me a tight smile and takes a couple of steps back. “Let’s stick with Phoenix, for now.” She turns to Luca and explains, “Phoenix and I knew each other in college. We have mutual friends.”

“Ah. Perfetto. She can be your guide, too. We are both new to the team.” Luca grips my shoulder with his strong hand, but I notice how he touches CeCe’s arm gently. She flinches like she’s been touched by fire and I quirk my brow at their slightly awkward behavior.

“What, exactly, is your role with the team, CeCe?” I wonder out loud.

“I run PR for the team and I’ll work closely with the press regarding the new developments.” She adjusts her glasses then folds her hands in front of her. “In fact, we should probably get you briefed and ready for the press conference. Reporters are already filing in, and they’re chomping at the bit to know what it’s about.”

“Has it not been made public? My signing and the new ownership?”

---