“You’re firing me? For not giving an interview?! I’ll sue the network. How about that!”
“Technically, by dating the players, you broke the behavior clause in your contract. The whole thing is a scandal. Makes the network look bad, unless we get ahead of the story.”
“No, I can’t! I won’t betray them.”
“You’re not betraying them; you’re telling your side of the story. This is all some misunderstanding, right? You can never see the players again, at least not for a while.”
“What? Now you get to dictate my social life too?”
“Do you have any idea what’s at stake here? Sports Ring had put millions into starting up a new network. You’re now the biggest thing connected to it. You think my bosses are just going to let that go? Think again!”
“I won’t betray them. I can’t reveal private things!”
“Suit yourself, but you’d better start looking for another job.”
“Yeah, well that’s not a problem. I have access to three of the best players in the league.”
“You think they don’t have behavior clauses in their contracts? And in this atmosphere of sexual harassment scandals, you’ll be lucky if these guys aren’t thrown out with you!”
“What?! No! They can’t do that. I wasn’t sexually harassed. If anything I was the harasser. It was all my idea. But, that’s not on record of course. Off the record. There was no sexual harassment at all, and definitely not by them.”
“It doesn’t matter. The guys are always the ones to go down for this sort of thing— lose their jobs, their livelihoods. Their football careers and all that money. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens here. So how about it? You want to do that interview or what?”
I slammed the phone down. What an asshole. I never liked that producer anyway. I decided to call Baker. Maybe he would have some insight into this.
“Hey, I was just watching you on the news,” he said. “Tough break or good break, I can’t decide.”
“I just got fired.”
“Tough break then. Sorry, kid.”
“There’s got to be something I can do, right? I mean, they can’t just fire me because I won’t give an interview.”
“You won’t give an interview? Why not?”
“Baker, my private life is private.”
“You’re not a private person, you’re a public person!” he insisted. “If you wanted to be a private person you should’ve stayed down in the mud with us uggos.”
“So just because I’m on TV, my whole life has to get torn apart?!”
“Lexi, you got busted kissing three different football players!” said Baker.
“Good for you, Lexi!” shouted a woman in the background.
“Is that Emma the security guard?”
“Yeah, we hooked up again. Been having crazy sex for days,” admitted Baker. “Me and her sister.”
“You guys are polyamorous too?!”
“Yeah, but I don’t go flaunting everywhere; it’s private.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying about my situation!” I insisted. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“Lexi, you’re dating star athletes from one of the biggest teams in the NFL. I mean, these guys are going to the Super Bowl! This is national news. The general public just isn’t ready for a relationship like that.”
“I didn’t ask for it to be public.”
“Well, then you should’ve hooked up with three janitors rather than three pro athletes. What can I tell ya?”
“No, I can’t believe that. I’m an honest good person and so are the guys. Why should other people judge us?”
“They do, it’s just the way life goes kid. Hey, good luck and take care, huh?”
My phone continued to blow up with text, including some from the guys. I didn’t know what to say. I had to talk to someone. Get my head clear. I hopped in the car and drove to my dad’s.
Our old house had been through a lot of changes over the last five years. One of the major things was wheelchair ramps at the front and back doors, as well as a complete redesign of the house so it was 100 percent wheelchair accessible. Dad was pretty helpless in the beginning when he got disabled, but over the five years I was with him, he eventually learned to do most things for himself.
I found him in the living room watching TV.
“Lexi,” he began sounding very worried. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know how to, dad,” I said, crying. “I’m in love with them. I just wanted to be with them.”
“But three men? You’re dating them all?”
“Dad, I love them. They’re some of the greatest guys you’ll ever meet. I’ve never been so happy!”
Dad looked at me and then looked at the TV. On the screen, a newsreporter was talking while the pictures of us in the foyer were displayed. Dad made an annoyed face and shut off the TV.
“To hell with them, then,” he said. “If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Really dad, you mean that?”
“Of course I do! The TV news game is made up of a bunch of creeps— present company excluded, of course. Half the time, they don’t even report the truth, they just report what people wanna hear. They just want to print salacious details about your relationship. They don’t know you as a person.”
“I lost my job today,” I cried. “They fired me over this.”
“It’s their loss, honey,” Dad assured me. “People need to be able to live their lives. Even public figures. We live in a society where everything gets endlessly picked apart and judge. And who’s doing the judging? Just other people! Stupid, fault-filled people that make mistakes too. Who are they to judge?”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course I do. When I was raising you by myself, people used to look at me weird and say, why doesn’t that guy get someone to take care of that little girl. He’s a man, a little girl needs a mommy. Kids need a mommy. I’d say, I can be the mommy too. People adapt. Who are you to say what my kid should and should not have! You forge your own path, Sweetie. I’ll back you 100 percent.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, finally stopping the crying. “That makes everything better. You know just what to say.”
“Ah, well,” he dismissed. “It’s a shame what they’re going to do to your friends.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they’re treating this like a scandal. The Sea-Eagles are a big organization. They might bench all three of them.”
“What? They’re the star players! They need them to win the Super Bowl.”
“There are always back ups,” said Dad. “Plus, they’ve all been on thin ice for most of the season. Two of them got caught fighting over a girl. This kind of thing is exactly what might put them off and get them benched.”
“Oh, my God! I have to go down there and explain to the coach,” I said. “I can’t let the guys lose their dream over me!”
“Good luck, Sweetie. Whatever happens, know that I’m proud of you. Screw these TV goons!”
I rushed out of the house and got in my car. I was driving at break neck speed to the Sea-Eagles’ practice field. Some of the guys texted, but I wanted to talk to them in person. This was too important for a text. I needed to see them face to face. And this time, it wasn’t because I wanted them to fuck me all at the same time. Or at least, that wasn’t the only reason.
Chapter 13 – Jackson
Practice seemed like it was going too well that day. Carey, Kyle and I were so relaxed and focused, I honestly didn’t see the signs. Someone told me later people were checking the news story out on their phones, looking at us and pointing. It wasn’t until Coach Brennan called us all into the office that I knew something was up.
“Ellis, Fowler, Blake, get in here!” the coach demanded as we approached.
Brennan’s office had a corporate feel to it. It was the biggest office on the floor. The walls were adorned with pictures of his previous victories, every
thing from his college days as a player to our NFC wins. There was a picture of us during my first rookie year. We looked happy in that picture. He was so not happy with me now. It was like being yelled at by my dad.
“What where you guys thinking?! Huh?! What the fuck were you thinking?!” he ranted. “Do you know the owners are coming down here?! They never come down here on a day like today! You guys messed up! Messed up real good!”
Coach was 40 something and in great shape for a guy his age. When he ranted, his voice boomed everywhere. We just kind of stared at him and looked at each other. If he was yelling at us for hooking up with Lexi, none of us had any clue how he would know. Fortunately, he had had his office sound proof for occasions when he had to chew somebody’s ass off. Like now.
“I don’t think we know what you’re talking about coach,” I said honestly.
He grabbed a remote off his desk and turned on the wide screen TV in his office. He flipped to various news channels showing stills of the four of us in the foyer. There we were saying goodbye to Lexi that morning. The headline on the screen was “Sea-Eagles Sex Scandal?”
“Oh, Christ,” I muttered.
“Where the fuck was that guy?” demanded Carey. “I didn’t see him! He couldn’t have been in the foyer!”
“Like that matters, Ellis!” snapped the coach. “You especially were warned about this shit!”
“What shit? This ain’t like what happened with Ringo,” assured Carey. “That was completely different. I didn’t know it was his girlfriend!”
“Do you think that matters?! Do you think that fucking matters?!” snapped coach. “The team doesn’t like this shit. The League doesn’t like this shit! They still think you guys are role models for children!”
“We didn’t do anything wrong,” insisted Kyle. “That was a private moment. We were inside. We didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh, no, Fowler!” said the coach sarcastically. “You just gangbanged some broad on Sports Ring! Please tell me you had the sense not to tape the fucking thing! Is it floating around on Pornhub somewhere?!”
“It’s not like that, coach,” said Carey seriously. “This chick, Lexi, she’s different. She’s not mad at us. Look at her in the picture!”
“Does that matter? Nothing in reality matters, Ellis! Cause it’s about the way it looks!” the coach ranted. “Jesus H. Christ! Do you know what this woman could do to the entire organization?! The lawsuit?! And that’s just the beginning!”
“She’s not going to sue the team,” I insisted.
“Oh, and you know that how, Blake? Y-y-you some kind of mind reader now?”
“We have…a relationship with her.”
“You expect me to believe that? You get drunk and have a four-way and now you’re in a relationship?” said the coach, incredulous. “You think marketing could explain that to the public even if it were true?”
“It is true” insisted Kyle.
“It doesn’t matter what is or isn’t true, Fowler! This chick’s career is over! Dead! You guys got caught! It looks incredibly bad and now I have to bench you! My three best players! Not because of injuries, but because they couldn’t wait two weeks to hold their orgy in the off season!”
“Don’t bench them,” I pleaded. “Just bench me. It’s my fault. I dragged them into this.”
“Nice try, Blake, but I can’t,” said the coach in frustration walking behind his desk and tossing the remote aside. “The owners are on their way down here. Probably to hand me my ass and tell me to look for another job next season.”
“You can’t go down for what we did,” said Kyle.
“I am the captain of this ship, Fowler!” corrected the Coach. “Everything that happens here, good or bad, is my fault. Win a game? My fault. Lose a game? My fault? A player gets injured? My fault. Not enough towels in the locker room? My God damn fucking fault!”
“Look, coach,” pleaded Ellis. “I’m the one that messed up during the Tina situation. I started that shit with Ringo and I handled it bad. Blame me. This is Jackson’s last season, man. Let him go out with a ring!”
“I would like nothing more than that,” said the coach sadly. “But this story is snowballing out of control. It’s national fucking news. Good Morning America talked about it. The women on the View, every celebrity is tweeting an opinion about it. The God damned president is being asked his opinion on it!”
“What did he say?” asked Kyle genuinely interested.
“It doesn’t God damn matter, Fowler!” snapped the coach. “What matters is, they’re talking about the Sea-Eagles and they’re not talking about how we’re going to win the Super Bowl! They’re not talking about yards and penalties and plays. They’re talking about your stupid sex life, you moron! We look like amateurs! Like a bunch of high school amateurs!”
“Coach, if you knew this woman, you’d see that this wasn’t a joke,” I said, trying to explain. “This wasn’t some frat house sex party.”
“I get it, Blake,” said the coach, relenting. “People have different situations. Personally, I don’t care, but it’s not up to me, okay? This organization is worth millions. They’re not going to risk that money trying to explain someone’s non-traditional relationship. You think Pepsi or Coke or Ford or Budweiser wants to get into the details? No! They still think of the NFL as a family sport! There’s no room for complicated and nuance adult talk, okay? There’s just not!”
Suddenly, Lexi burst into the room. For a lot of years, I went out of my way to save people. Here she was coming to save me. She had a determined look in her eye. It was like she emerged her full self for the first time.
“Coach! You have to listen to me!” Lexi begged. “You can’t let the tabloids ruin these men’s careers!”
“Is that her? What is she doing in here?” snapped the coach. “Are you nuts calling her down here? The papers will have a field day!”
“Lexi, you should go,” I advised. “Honestly, coach, we didn’t ask for this.”
“No! I’m not going to let them ruin your career over me!” she insisted. “Coach, you have to listen to me!”
“Lady, please, listen---“
“No! You listen!” Lexi roared. “These three men are some of the kindest, most wonderful people I have ever met. They love me, and I love them. And that love is real. Those pictures don’t do it justice, but it is real. Kyle has a heart of gold! Carey is loyal and loving! And Jackson, well I already know he probably tried to take the blame for everything!”
“Well, she does know you,” the coach admitted.
“You see? We have an honest and open relationship. A real connection. Shouldn’t that be celebrated instead of scandalized? We make each other happy. What’s wrong with that?” Lexi demanded to know.
“There’s nothing you said that I don’t agree with,” said the coach plainly. “These guys are some of the best players on the team. Hell, best players I’ve ever coached. But their goodness or whatever is not the issue. A professional football team has a lot of moving parts and this story is a monkey wrench thrown into that,” the coach tried to explain.
“We could have a press conference and explain,” suggested Lexi. “If the public saw the real people. That real people’s lives are being destroyed, they’d change their minds. I’ve already been fired from Sports Ring, I have nothing to lose.”
“They fired you?” said Kyle sounding worried.
“It’s fine,” assured Lexi.
“Miss, I’m impressed that you came in here to defend these guys. Honestly, that takes guts. Admittedly, I had the wrong impression of you,” conceded the coach. “But that still doesn’t change things. You can’t stand up in front of each of our millions of fans and explain this. It just won’t fly. And the only opinions that really matter are the owners.”
Just then, one of the assistant coaches ran to the door.
“Coach, Ben and Anita are here,” he announced. “They’re getting off the elevator.”
“Jesus,” muttered Brenn
an. “You have to go, Miss.”
“Please, just let me talk to them,” begged Lexi. “I’m already here. At the very least, I can apologize.”
“Yeah, sure,” said the coach pessimistically. “More people to watch me get fired.”
A few seconds later, the owners of the Sea-Eagles, Ben and Anita, walked into the room. Ben was quiet and reserved, a graying billionaire that bought the Sea-Eagles for his wife. Anita wore the pants in the relationship and strived to do what was best for her beloved Sea-Eagles team. Ben wore a modest shirt and tie. He stared into his phone, barely looking up, answering emails and texts. Anita had her hair done up and wore a designer business woman’s suit. She wanted to be noticed and had a fiery energy that was part of everything she did.
“Brennan, what the Hell is going on here?” she demanded entering and seeing Lexi. “And what the Hell is she doing here?”
“Anita, I’m Lexi Aaron---“
“I know who you are, dear, I watch the news,” she said icily. “Although these days it seems much more like a gossip rag.”
“I totally agree with you, ma’am,” conceded Lexi. “I just came down here to explain what happened.”
“I think we all know what happened, dear,” said Anita. “You and some of the boys had quite a wild time. I’m not interesting in the sexual predilections of my players.”
“It’s not like that,” insisted Lexi. “Carey, Kyle and Jackson and I shared something special. Something that’s real. I love these men.”
“Love them?”
“Yes,” Lexi said proudly. “We have a real bond. A real connection. You’ve been married for 30 years, you must know what that’s like.”
“She’s got you there, Anita,” said Ben, still staring at his phone.
“Benjamin, hush,” she chided. “Let me handle this.”
Anita turned toward Brennan.
“Did you know about this?”
“I swear, I did not,” said Brennan. “I saw it on the news, same as you. This happened completely outside of practice and off of Sea-Eagles grounds.”
“This is a disruption,” insisted Anita. “We can’t win Super Bowls with disruptions like this. It takes everyone’s focus off of winning and onto nonsensical nonsense. Need I remind you, Mr. Ellis, of the Tina situation?”
Triple Pass: An MFMM Reverse Harem Romance Page 77
