Authors: Cassandra Cole
CHAPTER TWO
Tyler rolled over the next morning and admired the body of the beautiful woman lying next to him. He ran his fingers softly between her breasts and down her stomach. “That tickles,” she said as she opened her eyes and pulled him close, guiding his hand between her thighs. She moaned softly as it reached its destination. Tyler rolled on top of her and began kissing her firm breasts. She ran her fingers up and down his muscled chest and stomach. After a moment he pressed his body to hers and exhaled with delight as he felt the delight of her firm, toned flesh.
When they were finished, Tyler jumped in the shower and a moment later she joined him. She ran her hands eagerly from his chest to his stomach and then lower while she waited patiently for him to recover what they had just done, and when it was clear that he had, she worked hard to make the shower every bit as enjoyable.
“Will I see you when you get back?” she asked. Tyler wished he could remember her name, but knew that in the end it didn’t really matter.
“I don’t know,” he said. “With the season winding down and the pennant race heating up, I think it might be best if we leave this as just a one night thing.”
“I understand,” she said and Tyler smiled inwardly.
“I think you’re great, he said, but right now I have to focus all of my energy on my team.”
“Relax, I’m not looking for a boyfriend, or a sugar daddy,” she told him. I just wanted a really a good time. You’re better than a couple of your teammates.”
Tyler was tempted to ask which ones, but then thought better of it. He paid for a cab to take her back to her car.
He checked his phone and saw five unread text messages and three voice mails, all from Bruce Malone. None of them said much, just that he had seen the things Tyler had said to the reporters in the locker room and that he wanted Tyler to call him right away. The last voice mail even sounded a little bit angry. Tyler dialed the number to call his agent back, but it wasn’t Bruce Malone that answered the phone.
“Malone Agency, this is Bryn Malone,” said the voice on the other end, and Tyler’s face lit up instantly.
“Bryn, hi,” he said. “I didn’t expect you to answer you father’s phone.”
Tyler?” said Bryn, sounding excited. “It’s great to hear from you. You haven’t called in awhile.”
Tyler wanted to say that he wasn’t calling now, at least not calling her anyway. There was no reason to be rude, though. After all, the Tigers were about to fly to Anaheim, and Bryn lived close by with her father in Los Angeles. This might keep him from having to hit the bars to find someone.
“You know how it is for me this time of the season,” he said. “I’ve been trying to just concentrate on baseball. The team is heading west in a few hours. Maybe we can get together while I’m in town.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
“Are you still working for your dad?” he asked, trying to be polite and make conversation.
“Two years and still no clients of my own,” she confirmed. “Dad says I need to learn to be tougher. I’m hoping that pretty soon he’ll take the training wheels off. I feel like I’m ready now.”
“As far as I’m concerned you can handle my contract,” he told her, thinking there were a few other things he’d like her to handle as well.
“My father keeps certain high profile clients for himself. He will be handling your negotiations personally. Let me see if I can find him.”
“Okay, but maybe some time we could grab a bite to eat?” he asked impulsively. “I’d love a chance to catch up.”
“I was hoping for a little more than that,” she said in a flirty voice. Tyler didn’t mind the challenge of picking up women. He was young and attractive, and when you combined that with the fact that he was a million-dollar athlete, it usually didn’t take much anyway. Why exert yourself when you don’t have to though? Other than sometimes being a bit too clingy, Bryn was just his type. She was big, beautiful, and eager to please.
“Tyler Bennett,” said a familiar voice a few moments later. Bruce Malone still didn’t sound happy. “What were you thinking yesterday when you said all those things to the reporters?”
“What do you mean Mr. Malone? I was asked a few questions and I gave honest answers.”
“When it comes to questions about your contract I wish you would refer the reporters to me, or better yet just say ‘no comment.’ Anything else just complicates things.”
“I don’t see what should be so complicated,” said Tyler. “The Tigers want me back and I don’t want to play anyplace else.”
“That’s all well and good but when you say it out loud like that you make it more difficult for me to get you the best possible deal.”
“Mr. Malone, I’m not interested in squeezing every last nickel I can out of the Tigers. We won the World Series last year and we have a good shot at doing it again this year. Maybe if they save a few million on me they can sign a couple other players and we can keep that going.”
“Tyler my only focus is on getting you the best deal possible. I’ve been doing this for a long time and I’m good at it. I didn’t get so good at it by worrying about everyone else. You hired me for a reason, now I’m asking you to let me do my job.”
“I’m not trying to make that hard for you,” said Tyler.
“Look, the team is flying out here to California in a few hours, right?”
“Right,” said Tyler. “We have a three game series starting tomorrow against the Angels.
“Why don’t you come by my place in LA when you get in and we can discuss this?”
“Okay Mr. Malone, I’ll do that,” said Tyler and hung up the phone. As he drove to the airport to meet the team plane for the flight out west he was remembering the story Cal Stevens told him about Julio Ramirez. He had always just assumed that Ramirez just lost his stuff due to some injury that was never disclosed or some other physical issue. Could it really be possible that just going to play in a big city had affected him that much? Could it also be possible that Bruce Malone caused all that by talking Ramirez out of signing a deal with the Cubs just to make a few extra million?
Even if all that was the case, he wasn’t going to let anything like that happen to him. The reporters and anyone else could joke about it all they wanted, but Bruce Malone worked for him, not the other way around. Once he got to LA he would have a talk with the man and make sure they were on the same page.
CHAPTER THREE
The Tigers and Tyler arrived in Los Angeles about five o’clock. There was no game scheduled that night so after getting checked into the hotel Tyler called a cab to take him to Bruce Malone’s house.
When the cab finally pulled up in front of Bruce Malone’s house it was massive. Tyler had been there a few times, but it always seemed to get a little bigger with each visit. While the security controlled gate and the manicured lawns were impressive, and while Tyler remembered how nice the heated pool and the hot tub out back were, he also knew he could live just fine without any of that. At the same time, he knew he wouldn’t have to. Whoever he signed with, the contract was going to pay him several million dollars a year. He could have all the luxury he could stand even if me made the same exact amount next season, and every season after, as he was making right now. Still, someone was going to give him a raise. Did it really matter if the raise the Tigers offered was a little less than the others if he were happy? He already knew the answer to that; he just needed to convince Bruce Malone.
He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. His face lit up in an ear to ear grin when Bryn answered. “I was hoping to see you tonight,” he said, wondering all the while how he would be able to get her out of there without her father knowing what they were up to.
“Dad is out back,” she said. “He’s expecting you. “I don’t think I’ll be able to get away tonight,” she said. “He has me doing a lot of paperwork for some of his other clients.”
“You have to work this late?” he asked.
“If I keep working hard then maybe at the end of the season when contract negotiations start he’ll let me play a bigger role in some of them.”
“Like I said, I’ll be happy to let you work on my deal.”
“And Like I said, there is no way my father is going to let anyone but him handle your contract negotiations. You’ve won eighty games and you’re not even through your fourth season yet. You led the league in ERA, WHIP, and strikeout to walk ratio the last two seasons. You’re considered the best right hander in the game by half the scouts in the league. Dad won’t give that kind of client to an intern, even if she is his baby girl.”
“I’m impressed,” said Tyler as they resumed their journey. “You seem to know more about my career than I do.”
“I want to be a good agent one day,” she said with a shrug. “That’s just part of it.”
A minute later they were walking through a sliding glass door onto the back deck. Bruce Malone was seated in a deck chair with a cell phone stuck to his ear. The man looked nothing like the athletes he represented. He was short; about five foot six, which made him a good eight inches shorter than Tyler. He had a paunch that made Tyler wonder if had ever done a sit up in his life. Hi hair was the same black as Tyler’s, but Tyler was pretty sure it was a dye job. Not much about the man seemed real, but he was the best at what he did. Tyler had always respected people who were head and shoulders above their competition. He worked hard to be that way when he was on the mound and that was a big part of why he chose Malone as his agent, well that and Bryn of course.
When he saw Tyler and Bryn come out onto the deck Bruce waved them over. The two of them waited patiently while the man finished his phone call. “Tyler thanks for coming,” he said, getting up to shake Tyler’s had. “I see you’ve met my daughter.”
“We’ve met before,” said Tyler, “but it’s nice to see her again. We’ve been chatting while she brought me to find you. This is some place you have here.”
“It’ll do,” said Malone. “Have a seat and let’s talk about what happens after the season. I need you to not sound so eager to return to Detroit next year while I’m getting ready to negotiate you’re next contract. I don’t want Mark Lawton to have any reason to lowball us when he makes his offer.”
“I don’t care what the offer is,” said Tyler. I intend to stay with the Tigers. I have a good thing going there.”
“You don’t pay me to just sit back and take any old offer the team throws at you,” said Malone. I know Detroit is a great city, but you have to at least consider other options. Not only are you the most dominant pitcher in the game right now, but you’re young and attractive. The endorsement opportunities in a town like New York or here in Los Angeles are practically limitless for you.”
“I a pitcher, not a pitch man,” said Tyler. “All I want to do is keep pitching for the only team I’ve ever rooted for. No matter what, I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about running out of money.”
“Plenty of ball players have thought the same thing, only to wind up bankrupt a couple of seasons after they retire,” said Malone. I can promise that I’m not going to let that happen to you.”
“Dad there are things we can do to help Tyler make sure that doesn’t happen no matter what,” said Bryn. “We can negotiate deferred payments into his contract. Some teams like the idea of spreading the hit out over several years. It would be worth exploring with Detroit.”
“Bryn I appreciate your enthusiasm but I wish you would just let me handle this,” said Malone. “Since you’re an intern I told you that you could sit in on this meeting, but only to observe.”
“What are these deferred payments she’s talking about?” asked Tyler.
“Most teams don’t like them because it means deferring a portion of the player’s salary until after he retires. There aren’t a lot of teams out there that want to keep paying someone when they aren’t contributing anymore. That’s why it’s my policy not to even discuss them.”
“Mr. Malone, I want you to promise me that you are going to get my deal done with the Tigers.”
“I promise you that I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make sure you are happy and taken care of,” said Malone. “Just do me a favor and stop making any comments about your new contract until the season is over. Mark Lawton and I are going to sit down and talk then, but for now let’s just stick to ‘no comment,’ or ‘that’s why I have an agent,’ when someone asks those kinds of questions, okay?”
“I’ll try and remember,” said Tyler.
“That’s all I ask. Now feel free to stay and enjoy the house or anything else.”
“I appreciate it, but I think I should get back to the hotel.”
“Well, whatever you choose,” said Malone with a shake of his head that said he really didn’t understand. Tyler headed back into the house and Bryn followed close behind.
“You really don’t seem to be much like dad’s other clients,” she said as she walked him back to the front door.
“I don’t know about that,” said Tyler. I’m just a guy who knows what he wants. Whether it’s millions of dollars or pitching for your hometown team, I think everyone he represents has a pretty good idea of what makes them happy.”