Chapter Twelve

Tristan

Amy and Bruce were waiting on me when I boarded the plane. Amy handed me a stack of papers I needed to look over for a new contract between one of our clients and his team. I wanted him to sign with the same team, and so did he, but management had been dragging their feet and lowballing him even though he was a key player. I sat back in my seat and started to look over their counter offer. I skimmed the numbers and sighed. We were still a million dollars apart. Maybe if we could get a no trade clause added, then we could settle for a little less money. The client wouldn't like it, but sometimes you take a little less to stay where you are. He had settled here and wanted to stay.

I understood that feeling. Change isn’t always good, and it sure as hell isn’t comfortable.

I typed up an email to the team and sent it, hoping to have an answer for him in a couple days. Then I flipped to the next contract in the stack I’d been handed. This one was set for Ryder Rollins. I looked the contract over and smiled. It was a good deal for everyone involved. I had cut back on the percentages from the fights but left the endorsement percentages the same. The money wouldn’t be made on his fights anyway—it would be made on endorsements. The potential for endorsements for this guy went across the board. The sports drink, clothing, and protein powder companies were at his disposal. And if he won another big fight the way he beat Tate, his name would be cemented into the record books, and the endorsements would pour in. I spent the rest of the flight reading through the background information Amy had put together for me on Ryder. Knowing what made a man tick meant knowing how to approach him. For Ryder, that approach would be to impress his father.

* * * * *

After we had landed, we made our way to the restaurant where we were meeting Ryder and his father. I saw Ryder sitting at a table with a man that looked exactly like an older version of him, only less muscular.

“Mr. Rollins, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said as I approached the table and extended my hand. “I’m Tristan Thorne.” I turned my attention to Ryder second and shook his hand as well. “Ryder. Good to see you again.”

“Tristan,” Ryder said.

“These are my associates, Bruce and Amy. Bruce is here because he will be handling most of your negotiations, so I wanted you both to meet him and get familiar. And Amy is here to make any notes about things that you are concerned with regarding your contract. I do want to make you aware that we changed a couple things in your contract. We dropped the percentage we get paid for fights that are negotiated to 15%. We also made the percentage for endorsements 20%. Both are different than what is in the contract you have, but everything else is the same. I hope the changes will make this offer a little more enticing.”

I pushed the new contract in front of Ryder and handed his father a copy as well, then waited for them to look it over.

“Our attorney will be here in just a few minutes. He got caught up at the office. He can look it over,” Mr. Rollins said before Ryder could.

“Great,” Bruce said. “We always like it when we can speak directly with the attorney handling things for you. Helps speed the process along.”

Our waitress arrived just as we were settling in.

“Can I get you drinks?” she asked, eyeing Ryder as she stood there.

“I'll have water,” I said.

“Me, too,” Amy said.

“Tea,” Ryder responded and smiled at the waitress.

She flushed, and it made me want to laugh. He was charming, and I was already sure I’d likely have to get his play dates under control.

“Water for me as well,” Bruce answered.

“Make that two teas,” Mr. Rollins added. “And there will be one more joining us.”

The waitress nodded, smiled, and headed off.

We chatted about the upcoming fights and discussed some of the companies that had contacted Ryder about working with him. The biggest company was Fight Gear. The kind of contract they were offering would take months to get together, and it was precisely the kind that had killed many an athlete financially.

I brought this up and explained that all the big companies were protecting themselves and a lot of times they unintentionally screwed over the guys who worked for them. I explained what would happen if he signed with me and how we would proceed with any and all contract negotiations. He would have full access to all of my staff, but Bruce would handle the majority of his business. He seemed to understand, and before I could go into the next leg of my pitch, the attorney showed up.

I handed the attorney a copy of the contract, and he took his seat at a table and went over it. He agreed that it was similar to the other one and that it was a good deal. He was a little worried about the length of the contract, and I explained that we signed for two years because of the risks involved. If Ryder were to get hurt, then the endorsements would try to pull out but we would be there to make sure he at least got paid the majority of what he was due. In the event that he was injured to the point he couldn't perform anymore, we would adjust his contract to a retiree contract. The attorney nodded and leaned in to have a private conversation with Ryder and his father.

After a few nods, Ryder looked at me and smiled. “It seems my attorney has recommended I take you up on your offer.”

And as he signed the dotted line, I let out an internal sigh and proceeded to tell him what my plans were—namely, getting the Fight Gear contract moving and scoping out the next fights.

“Some people are calling me out,” Ryder said.

“So we’ve heard,” I said with a smile. “We’ll get in under control and get your schedule set. No more smaller circuits, though.”

He nodded. I couldn’t tell if he’d miss them or not, but my feeling was that this guy had been born ready for the big fights.

I continued, “Also, we want to get you set up with a private trainer to free your father up to help us with some of the negotiations. I’ve already found a gym that will be outfitted with everything you need.” I paused to see if there were any questions. When there weren’t, I continued. “Things will change for you, Ryder, and it will be hard to adjust at first, but we are doing all of this for you. Any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Email, call, text, fax—hell, write me a letter. I’m available to you twenty-four hours a day.”

Ryder nodded again and looked over at his father. On the one hand, it was nice to see him rely on the wisdom of his father, but on the other, he was twenty-eight years old. There was going to come a time he would need to be more in control of his life. That time was going to come sooner than either of them realized.

“I'll let you know if we have any questions,” his father replied. “One issue, though. Ryder trains at the gym of his choice with the trainer he has had for years. It has gotten him where he is. I don't think changing all of that at this point is going to be a good idea.”

“I agree. I like where I train and would like to stay there,” Ryder said.

“Okay, we’ll leave it alone for now, but if it needs to be changed at any point, then you are going to need to be on board.”

“I can agree to that,” his father said.

I wanted Ryder to train in a state of the art gym, but these fighters were loyal, and they liked their hometown gyms. “If you don’t mind,” I said, “I’d like to send my people in to assess the current situation and as long as you are able to train the way you want to as well as the way we need you to, then staying put shouldn’t be an issue.”

“I have no problem with that. So, can we eat now?” Ryder smiled as he picked up his menu.

The remainder of the lunch went well. It was helpful to get to know Ryder a little more and come to realize that he wasn’t just ego like I’d thought that day in the locker room. What he was, however, was the kind of guy who was focused and wouldn’t take shit from anyone. He had no intention of letting anything stand in his way. I had a feeling that meant me, too, if it came down to it.

By the time we shook hands to leave and numbers were exchanged, my mind had shifted gears. The contract was signed, and my focus no longer was on Ryder Rollins. I had a new conquest in my sights. One that I knew wanted to take me down.

* * * * *

Amy pushed me into the wall of the elevator that she had cleverly managed to get me in alone and put her mouth close to my ear.

“Do you have any idea how much it turns me on when you’re so in control like you were back there? It makes me think of how you like to dominate in the bedroom.”

I wanted to take her right there, but the elevator door dinged, signaling that we’d reached our floor. She practically dragged me to our room down the hall. The moment we were behind the closed door, she stripped her clothes off, leaving a trail for me to follow.

Five minutes later, she was pleading with me to make her come.

“Yes, Tristan, god yes. Right there! Harder!” Her words echoed in the room.

I reached around with my hand and grabbed her clit and gave it a small tug. I continued to tease it as I moved faster and faster. She screamed my name and I couldn’t hold back any longer. We slumped to the floor and fell back against each other.

“This will never get old, will it?” she sighed against my chest.

“As long as you are screaming my name and asking me to do dirty things to you, no. I can’t see how it will never get old.” I kissed her neck and smiled to myself.

This unassuming mousy woman was a crazy nympho in the bedroom. I doubted anyone would believe me if I told them, though. Well, unless they had ever seen her drunk. That was a sight to behold.