by Sean Michael
Vince put his hand on Austin’s shoulder, squeezed in support as they sat.
“Well, you’ve seen his tape. And I can assure you that Austin’s the real thing. He’s going to be taking medals as soon as we can get him to some meets. The sky’s the limit.”
Mr. Bellam nodded. “Maria here is our expert, and she had some great things to say about the boy. On the other hand, we understand your name’s not exactly pure.” Damn, they were going in for the kill right off the bat. Well, at least he wouldn’t have to sit through the whole meeting, waiting for that to come up.
“No, sir. One of the female divers accused me of abusing my position as coach, after I kicked her off the team. She recanted soon enough, and I assure you it was sour grapes on her part.”
“And how do you feel about that, Austin?”
Those green eyes shone. “Feel about her recanting? I appreciate her trying to make things right. If you’re talking about me being taken advantage of? Lord, I’m a grown man, not a kid.”
Vince nodded, smiling. Austin was, indeed, and the more Vince got to know him, the more he realized that Austin didn’t do things he didn’t want to do. “I’m sure when Austin first steps up to take his place at the meets, it’ll all get dragged up again and be a three-day wonder. But it doesn’t have anything to do with Austin’s ability, and once that proves to be more than a flash in the pan, they’ll let it go.”
He hated to think this might ruin their changes with Avian. If they didn’t want to sponsor Austin, that was one thing, but he didn’t want it to be because of his past.
“I hope you’re right, Mr. Dawson. You understand that we need to protect the image of our label.”
He nodded. “I do understand that, sir. But I don’t see how being the sponsor of a gold-medalist diver could be anything but beneficial to your company.”
Mr. Bellam chuckled. “You’re pretty cocky.”
“No, sir. Confident. My diver is going to be a household name. And so will Avian if you choose to be his main sponsor.”
“What about you, Austin? Do you share your coach’s confidence?”
“You know it.” Austin beamed, appearing sharp and competitive. “I’m not playing to lose.”
Maria, the supposed sports expert, leaned forward. “That’s good to hear. Of course, the truth is you have an amazing talent, and from what I understand, that’s got very little to do with Mr. Dawson here. You might go further with another coach.”
Vince bit the inside of his mouth, willing himself not to react, to stay quiet while Austin dealt with the question.
“Ma’am, I’ve made my decision. My choice of coaches is final.”
She shrugged. “You can’t blame us for trying.”
Vince thought that maybe he could; maybe Austin could too, but as they were here with their hands out—he could put up with a little pushing for that.
Bellam leaned forward, looking right at Austin. “Well, we like your look, Austin. And I, for one, appreciate your loyalty. I think that bodes well for any relationship you might have with Avian Water. Ben, do you want to outline our proposal?”
Ben nodded and handed out folders to all of them. “It’s pretty basic. We’ll pay you a flat fee, and for the next year, you’ll drink Avian, do a few photo shoots, and our logo will be displayed on your warm-up suit, sports bag, things like that. The money will be paid in twelve monthly installments, with an option for us to pick you up for another five years if we’re satisfied at the end of the first twelve-month period.”
“This isn’t exclusive, is it, Ben?” Vince asked. “We’ve signed on several other sponsors already.”
“No, we realize the amount isn’t enough to cover all your expenses. It is a high enough amount that we’d expect top billing, so to speak.”
Vince looked at Austin. “What do you think? You want to take some time to read this stuff over?”
The first hint of insecurity hit Austin’s eyes. “I guess we should, give everything a look over supper and make our decision.”
“I think we can give you a few days to decide,” Mr. Bellam offered. “Do you have any questions?”
“Not yet.” Austin smiled and winked. “Let me read and I bet I will.”
“Good! That’s what I like to hear. I’m hoping we’ll have a long and fruitful relationship for both yourself and Avian, and that’ll only happen if we build on a solid foundation.” Vince managed not to roll his eyes as Bellam started with the corporate babble. “Perhaps we can meet again in a few days. Say, Friday? The same time?”
Vince looked to Austin again. “Can you take the next few days off work?” he asked quietly. There was plenty of stuff they could do in Austin, including check out facilities and see what kind of money they’d be looking at to rent a place.
“I….” Austin’s lips twisted. “Yeah. Yeah. I can.”
He leaned a little closer, half blocked Austin with his shoulder so they had a touch of privacy. “You sure? We can make it next week or something, go home tonight and come back then.”
“I’ll be cool. I can work Saturday night and pull a double on Sunday. It’ll be cool.”
“Okay.”
He sat back in his chair. “Sounds good. We’ll see you Friday. Maybe in the morning so we can get back in good time?”
Mr. Bellam nodded. “Let’s say 11:00 a.m., then.”
Vince nodded. “That works. Thank you for seeing us. We appreciate it.”
He stood and shook hands.
Austin stood and shook hands as well, nodding and smiling and making small talk. Vince hung back a little, watching. The kid was good at this; it was going to make him a sponsor and media darling.
They finally got out of there, nodding at the gal behind the desk before making a beeline for the door, for his truck. He didn’t say anything until they were back on the road. “Well? What did you think?”
“I think they’re all assholes.”
Vince was glad he wasn’t drinking, or he’d have been choking, the laughter bursting out of him. “Does that mean you don’t want their money?”
“Nope. Folks with money tend to be assholes. It’s the way shit is.”
“Good. Because those assholes’ money is going to let you quit your job and focus on the diving. I’m betting this is a good deal they’re offering. I know it might not have seemed like it, but they were salivating over you. They know that once you’re seen, you’re going to be a very hot commodity.” He realized suddenly he was just kind of driving, no real destination in mind. “Where do you want to eat?”
“I don’t care. Somewhere quiet. My head’s killing me.”
“There’s some of those Power Bars in the glove compartment. There’s water around here somewhere too. You got your kit with you? You should check your sugars.” He turned the car at the next corner, headed for the highway. “I know a nice little Mexican place.”
“Mexican works.” Austin leaned back against the seat, looking over the paperwork.
“I’ve got aspirin somewhere. I think that’s in the glove compartment too.” Vince glanced over at Austin, trying to gauge the expression on his face. “How’s it look?”
Austin appeared concerned, a little wigged. He’d hidden it well. “Good, I think. It’s sort of complicated, huh?”
“A little, yeah. They want to make sure they get their money’s worth.” He gave Austin a sympathetic smile. “You’re a commodity to them, baby. It’s the downside.” Reaching out, he slid his hand along Austin’s thigh. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m good. I need to call my boss, get that all worked out.”
“He going to be pissed?”
Austin shrugged, then winked. “I’ll work extra shifts and kiss ass, it’ll be cool.”
“Hey, I’m not sure I want you kissing anyone’s ass but mine,” he teased. He had to admit, he was looking forward to a few days of playing hooky, sleeping with Austin in a hotel room…. He got a real, honest laugh, Austin leaning over, goosing his thigh. “Hey!
Driving here!” Man, he was a goner, loving that look on Austin’s face, wanting to keep it there.
“Excuses, excuses.” Those pretty eyes danced, sparkling for him.
He smiled back, trying to keep his eyes on the road. He was happy when he pulled into the little restaurant parking lot in one piece. After turning off the engine, he undid his seat belt and half turned to Austin. “I’m not driving now.”
“Does that mean I get a kiss for not embarrassing you in front of the money?”
“How about a kiss for charming the hell out of the money? There never was a question of embarrassment, baby.” He leaned in, lips meeting Austin’s, wishing they were already at the hotel so this could be more than a kiss.
Austin smiled, kissed him quick and easy. “Yeah? I tried real hard.”
“They loved you, baby. From the moment you walked into that room, they were eating out of the palm of your hand.” He took another kiss and then nodded at the restaurant. “Come on, let’s get you fed and go over the gory details of that contract.”
“Works for me.” Austin slid out of the truck, humming as they headed for the door.
They were seated, and they ordered beer and guacamole to start with, Vince lounging in his chair and watching his lover.
Austin read over the papers again and again, nerves evident. Vince wished he could light up, but settled for tapping his fingers on the table when the guacamole didn’t come right away. “So? You going to tell me what about this contract has you so nervy?”
“Just that it’s real. That it might really be real.”
“Having your own personal coach and working your ass off the past couple weeks didn’t make it seem real?”
“No. I mean, it’s been good. I’ve learned a ton and I love diving, but I didn’t know.”
Vince thought back onto his own diving days, the first time he realized that there were so many people counting on him doing well. Coaches, other divers, sponsors. His folks. “You don’t have to shoulder the responsibility alone, Austin. I’m right here.”
“I’m good, Vince. I’m good.” He almost smiled at the pride there, the insistence that Austin could stand just fine.
He nodded. “I know.”
Their beer and guacamole arrived, along with some chips, and Vince dug in. “So how does it look? Is it a good deal?”
“I think so? Are you happy with it?”
“I’d have to look at it, especially the small print, but if it matches what they said, I think it’s essentially a good deal. The only thing I’d want to think hard on is that they’re the only ones with the option to pick up sponsoring you after the first year. That means you have no control there. You can’t say ‘no, thank you.’” He took another sip of his beer and ate a few more chips. “I don’t know that it’s a deal breaker or anything, but it’s something you’re going to want to consider.”
“I can always write Avian sucks on my ass.”
He nearly choked on his beer. “Oh, man. Austin.” He shook his head, chuckling away. “Well, I’ll give it a look over tomorrow with a fine-tooth comb, make sure they are strictly exchanging money for advertising—some companies will try to get stuff past you that gives them some decision-making power.”
“’Kay.” Austin leaned back. “So, you’d want to move here?”
“Well, the facilities are far better here. Seeing as we’re going to be here a few days, I can show you around a bit. And we’ll have better access to the airport for travel.” He shrugged. “I like Austin, but Houston and Dallas have good facilities as well. And if you want to go further afield, we can. But there should be a compelling reason for going. I mean, Austin’s not so far from friends and family, like going to, say, LA would be.”
“LA is too far away.” Austin grinned. “I like Austin. It’s… uh… friendly.”
“Not to mention your namesake.” He gave Austin a wink.
The waitress arrived to take their order, and Vince snickered. “I hadn’t really looked yet, but I’ll have the enchiladas verde, please. And another beer.”
“Crispy tacos and a tea.”
Vince sat back and finished his beer, waiting for the waitress to leave before he stretched his leg out, foot sliding over Austin’s calf. “You got anything you want to do while we’re here, baby?”
“No. No, I hadn’t thought about it.”
“We’ll find a motel after supper. And I’ll take you around to see the facilities. But aside from that, we’ve basically got three days to ourselves.” He smiled. “I have a few ideas.”
“Yeah? It’s like a vacation, huh?” Oh, look at those eyes dance.
“Uh-huh.” Vince let his foot slide along Austin’s calf again, let his want show.
Austin’s eyes lit up, legs spreading a little, focus snapping to him. Oh, now that made a man feel like a million dollars. Nothing but special. He let his foot wander up along the inside of Austin’s thigh.
“Tease.” Austin ducked his head. “Be good.”
He let his boot tip press against Austin’s crotch and then slid his foot back down onto the floor. “I am good—at least I didn’t hear any complaints yesterday….”
“Oh.” Austin’s lips parted a little, tongue lapping at the pretty lips.
Vince hummed, eyes caught on Austin’s mouth. “Baby…,” he murmured. Maybe they should have found the hotel first. He licked his own lips, dress pants too damned tight.
“That guacamole good?” Austin was humming. Vibrating.
“I think so.” He grinned, admittedly distracted by the long, tall drink of water sitting across from him. Austin smiled back, cheeks pink and warm, eyes almost glowing. They were still mostly staring at each other when the waitress brought their food, and Vince smiled softly, feeling like a kid with his first crush again.
The food was good, spicy and flavorful, but the company was even better, keeping that smile on his face.
“How’s your tacos?”
“Not bad. Not bad at all.” Austin poured on the salsa. “I like.”
“There’s a great variety of restaurants here. Hey, do you cook?” he suddenly thought to ask. Man couldn’t live on restaurant food alone. Well, he’d tried once or twice.
“Yeah, kinda. I mean, I can’t do gourmet shit, but normal old food? Sure.”
“Cool. You can cook and I’ll do the dishes.” He winked, once again sliding his foot over Austin’s calf.
“I can manage that. I hope you like beef.”
“Oh, I like meat, Austin. I like to get plenty of it.” He managed to say it with a straight face too.
“Good, ’cause I….” Austin’s words trailed off, those eyes going wide. “Vince!”
Oh, he about hurt something laughing at the look on Austin’s face. He finally wound down and shook his head. “Sorry. But that was priceless.”
“You’re a mean, mean man.” Austin’s cheeks flamed, but he was smiling wide.
“No, mean would be teasing you all through our meal and then not following through.” He pushed the toe of his boot against Austin’s lap again and then sat, going for that butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-his-mouth look.
“Oh, that’s cute. Very.” Austin reached over and stole his beer, drank it down.
“Hey!” He swatted Austin’s arm and grabbed the kid’s tea, taking a few mouthfuls before putting it down. It wasn’t the same.
“You want dessert? We could get it to go.”
“Nope. I’m good. That’s not what I want.”
Oh, didn’t his prick jump at that? He was gonna tease some more, but damn, he wanted the same thing himself. He pulled out his wallet and laid some money on the table. “Come on, baby. Let’s get out of here.”
“I’m right behind you.” Austin’s voice dropped. “Looking at your ass.”
His own cheeks flushed a little at that, and he met Austin’s eyes. “You do that.” There was definitely a swagger in his walk as he headed out to the truck.
“Oh….” Austin followed right on his heels. “You. D
amn.”
He glanced around the parking lot as he got to the truck. It was clear as far as he could tell. He turned and grabbed Austin’s shirt collar, slamming Austin up against the truck, pinning him there and kissing him hard. Austin’s eyes went about as wide as saucers, lips parting on a gasp. He didn’t even get kissed back, Austin too shocked to move.
He swept his tongue through Austin’s mouth, took a good, firm rub, and backed off, breathing heavily. “Get in the truck. There’s a motel around the corner.”
“Uh-huh.” Austin stood and stared, his eyes huge.
“Baby,” he growled. “I’d love nothing more than to do you up against my truck, but it’s really not a good idea. Get in the truck.”
“Oh, God.” Austin’s body rippled, visibly shuddered. “Vince.”
Vince had to turn away, groaning as his body screamed at him. He wanted Austin so badly it hurt. He took a breath, and then another. He grabbed Austin’s arm with one hand, opened the passenger side door with the other, and pushed Austin in. He could smell the sex pouring off Austin, rich and male and heady. Fuck.
The motel was a two-minute drive, but there was an alley thirty seconds away.
He jumped in and started up the truck, managing to drive them into that alley without sending the truck into a wall. He got them far enough in that it was dark and shut down the engine, climbed over the stick, and attacked Austin’s mouth. Austin cried out, fingers wrapped tight around Vince’s head, needy little cries filling his mouth.
He ground his hips into Austin’s as he pushed his tongue into Austin’s mouth. He was on fucking fire. Austin was humping against him, hard and needy, wild. God. He got a hand between them, tugging Austin’s jeans open, then his own. Their zippers dug into his cock, but he didn’t care, grinding harder, tonguefucking Austin’s mouth with quick, sharp strokes. Austin whimpered, hips bucking, cock wet-tipped and brand-hot against him.
“Oh, baby.” He growled, biting at Austin’s lips, sliding his fingers under Austin’s shirt to find those little nipples.
“Gonna.” Oh. Sensitive. Smooth. His. Fuck.
“Do it.” He pinched Austin’s nipple, found the other one and pinched it too. And all the while his hips moved, humped his cock against Austin’s, so hot between them.