Rinsing all the soap from the tile floor, I sat down. I checked the water, making sure it wasn’t hot. “You want to get washed off?” I patted the bottom of the shower. “Come on down then.”
He jumped down more directly under the shower stream. He opened his wings wide, letting the water come down over them, then jumped up and down. I wasn’t an expert on dragons, but he seemed to enjoy himself. Grinning, I sat there and watched him splash and play, filling my hands and then splashing him with it. I laughed after he jumped up and down some more.
As I sat playing with Charlie, I realized I was genuinely happy, and it wasn’t just satisfaction with doing a job well. I got an adrenaline rush when I closed a deal or signed a client, but it never really made me happy. This little dragon made me happy. He made me feel needed and fulfilled. Charlie would depend on me for survival, and I knew I would rely on him to help me when I felt alone.
I thought about how nice it would be to have Aaron around, too. He was wiggling his way into my emotions, but I wasn’t sure where that would lead. Charlie was now my family. I know people would think I was ridiculous calling him that. Those weren’t people I needed. I knew I got awkward when I wasn’t using my agent persona. It was exhausting having to be ‘on’ for business reasons. Charlie would never care that I was just a quiet guy who didn't want much more than hanging out at home.
“Let’s go. My butt hurts from sitting here so long.” I turned off the shower and stepped out. Charlie shook himself and danced around in a circle. Grabbing a couple of towels, putting one down for him to stand on, then fluffed one up.
“Alright, get up here and dry off.” I patted the towels. He flew up and started rubbing himself on the cloth. I gently covered his head with another towel, hearing him chirp many times. I could see him spinning in circles underneath like he was trying to nest. I knew he had laid down when I saw him flip the towel up, and his head stuck out, watching me while I dried off and dressed.
I put on another pair of pajama bottoms with no underwear and a hockey jersey. I removed the plastic bag and put my feet into sheepskin slippers. I might as well be comfortable. “Let’s go, Charlie.” He climbed out from under the towel and flew up onto my shoulder.
I could hear Aaron talking and assumed he was on the phone. Thinking about it, I should make phone calls myself since I have neglected work the last few days, even though Cecelia would call if needed. I knew this was the first time I had taken any time off in about five years. I arranged my schedule to minimize the time I would be out of town. Visiting sponsors or clients would be crammed into a few days each month. Occasionally, I found someone I wanted to work with, like the professional hockey players who just came outas a couple. For a client like that, I would arrange to see them to discuss their opportunities working with Hot Shots. I was home doing business on the phone the rest of the time.
Since Aaron was busy, I wanted to gather a few things for Aaron’s nephew and sister. Looking through the sports memorabilia shelf, I found a bunch of baseball items. I had hats, shirts, bats, and various other things, grabbing anything that Joshua Turner autographed but also some items signed by people like Raymond Fendi, who was an all-star the last eight years, and Edward Padillo, who has hit five-hundred home runs. Any baseball player would know who these players are. Then I grabbed three hoodies, polo-style shirts, ball caps, key rings, coffee cups, backpacks, and pens, all emblazoned with the Hot Shots logo. Packing a set of branded items into each bag, I smiled. I grabbed one of our leather jackets, folded it neatly, and put it in the backpack I filled for Aaron; I hoped he liked it.
I put all the baseball stuff into Hot Shot gift bags so he could take everything. It made me smile to make little care packages for his family and something special for him.
I headed to the living room with Charlie on my shoulder and my hands full. Aaron turned around while still talking on his phone. His eyes got wide as he saw me carrying my haul.
Chapter fourteen
Aaron
“Thanks for everything. You’re the best.” I said to my sister as I saw River come from the office. “Did you go shopping? Is there a back door I wasn’t aware of? It did seem to take you a while in the shower.”
River shook his head. “No. I just gathered some goodies together, company swag for you, your sister, and your nephew. Shirts, hats, that kind of thing, nothing much really.” He held up the three backpacks. The sizes are different: large for Rodney, I was guessing, medium for your sister, and XL and XXL for you. “I tied a blue ribbon on Rodney’s and a pink one on Sarah’s so you could tell them apart.”
“You didn’t have to do that. Rodney told us all about Hot Shots when he was looking at a possible career in the MLB. I am sure they will wear all of it quite proudly.”
He looked at me and panicked. “How did you know my company?” It was almost like he thought I was spying on him.
“Well,” I said very slowly, as if I was approaching a scared animal. I stepped on a trigger here. Being transparent was going to be the best way to manage this. “There are Hot Shots coffee cups in your kitchen. You have stacks and stacks of Hot Shots merch sitting behind your desk, and lastly, you have a seven-foot sign on the wall behind your desk that says Hot Shots literally in neon.”
“Oh, for fucks sake River.” He chastised himself. “Not every man that shows interest in you has an ulterior motive.” His eyes got hugewhen he looked up and realized he had spoken aloud. I didn’t comment on what he had said.
“Come here, River.” I had not moved from when he first came back from his shower. His head was down as he came over to me. It seemed he was embarrassed about how he responded. “Will you sit next to me for a minute?”
He sat down with me, and I took one hand, then the other; he shifted his hips and was forced to face me. “Can I get you to look at me for a minute?”
He looked up at me from underneath his long lashes. “I want you to understand that I feel very strongly towards you. I want to take you to bed and do dirty things with you. I need you to know that I am not trying to cash in on your success; I’m not trying to get something from you. Okay, I might try to get some more orgasms from you.” He laughed, then gave me a brilliant smile. I felt it down to my toes; I wanted to make him smile like that all the time.
I stroked the back of his hands with my thumbs, “River, I understand your concerns very well. I was hurt by someone being dishonest with me. I am terrified of it happening again, but I’ve been scared long enough. I will put myself out there and see what happens with you.”
I kissed him on his forehead. “Do you want to tell me what is in the other bags?” He stood up and all but dug his toe in the ground. “Yeah, I do. After what I just said, it seems ridiculous, but you know how it is. I can’t always get my head and emotions to work together.”
I nodded. “I’m all too familiar with that particular turmoil,” I remembered how I would’ve taken Stephen back to have his son in my life. If I had known what was going to happen, I would’ve kept throwing money at Stephen so I could raise the boy who had become my son. Those thoughts needed to stop. What was starting betweenRiver and me was new and fragile. My past couldn’t fracture my future.
“I got memorabilia for your nephew. Most of this stuff has been just sitting on the shelves collecting dust.” He then proceeded to show me all the things he intended to give to Rodney.
“You can’t give him all this stuff. I’m not familiar with the memorabilia market, but I know enough that this is worth a lot of money. “
“Aaron, you love him. I like you, and doing something nice for someone makes me happy. Think of it as my love language. From the little you have said, it seems you have helped to make him the person he is now. I know he wouldn’t want to profit from these items because I can tell you aren’t that type of person. I suspect he would return anything he didn’t want.”
“I like to think that he is that type of man. He'll probably get a collectible case and make his mother put it somewhere everyone can see.” I shook my head. “Sarah will fight him on it until I explain what exactly you’ve given him.”
“That is good enough for me. I have so much signed stuff it is embarrassing. I don’t even display it. You saw me wearing an autographed jersey. It’s not my thing, and I only enjoy watching hockey. Passively, I pay attention to sporting events; it’s out in the wild, as I call it, that matters to me. What they wear, who they date, and where they go all have the potential for them to profit. I am good at what I do and wouldn’t trade it. I love negotiations and helping athletes set themselves up for their futures. I love that I can retire at fifty if I want. Then I can buy a vineyard and have a little winery like that Sun Harvest brand.”
