LOGINELIThe lawyer's office was in a sleek downtown building, all glass and steel and intimidating corporate energy. I arrived fifteen minutes early Sunday afternoon, my stomach in knots, and sat in the waiting area trying to calm my breathing.Mason showed up ten minutes later, looking as stressed as I felt. Dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept much. He saw me and came over immediatel
MASON P.O.VMy meeting with Brad took place at his office downtown. I'd been here hundreds of times over the years, negotiating contracts, discussing endorsement deals, planning my career trajectory.This time felt different. Final.Brad was in his fifties, sharp and savvy, with silver hair and expensive suits. He'd made me a lot of money over the years. Had been more than just an agent. He'd been a mentor, sometimes a friend.Now I had to tell him I was dating a man and being blackmailed for it."Mason," Brad greeted me warmly, shaking my hand. "Good to see you. I'm glad you called. I wanted to follow up on that ESPN offer. They're eager for an answer. What are you thinking?""That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," I said, sitting down in the leather chair across from his desk. "But it's complicated.""Complicated how?" Brad leaned back, his expression shifting to concern. "Is this about the injury? Because I've assured them you're recovering well, that you'll be able t
ELIAfter Mason left to meet with his agent, I sat alone in my apartment, staring at my phone, debating whether to call Dr. Chen.If someone at the clinic was behind the blackmail, she needed to know. But telling her would mean admitting that Mason and I were in a relationship, that we'd been seen together publicly, that this was becoming a problem.And it might make things worse.My phone rang, startling me. Jordan's name flashed on the screen."Hey," I answered."Hey yourself. How'd things go with Mason after your fight? Did you grovel appropriately?""We made up. But Jordan, we have a bigger problem." I filled him in on the blackmail texts, the threats, everything.Jordan was quiet for a long moment. "Shit. That's serious, Eli. Do you think it's someone from the clinic?""I don't know. It could be. Or it could be someone who recognized Mason at the restaurant. Or a random creep who follows celebrity gossip. There's no way to know.""What are you going to do?""Mason's telling his a
MASON P.O.VI stared at the text message, reading it over and over, my heart hammering against my ribs.Saw you at dinner last night with your physical therapist. Interesting. Does your agent know you're dating men? Does ESPN? Might want to think about that before you sign any contracts. -A Friend"Someone was watching us," I said, my voice hollow. "Someone followed us to the restaurant. Or was already there. And they took pictures or... fuck, I don't know."Eli grabbed the phone from my hand and read the message again, his face pale. "This isn't just someone who happened to see us. This is deliberate. The mention of ESPN, your agent, the timing right after you got that offer. Someone's trying to leverage this.""But who? And why?" I stood up and started pacing, my bad leg protesting but I couldn't sit still. "I'm not even playing anymore. I'm not worth anything to anyone. Why would someone care who I'm fucking?""You're still a public figure," Eli said. "Former NFL quarterback, poten
"Then let's figure it out together," I said. "Both of us. With honest communication. If you're feeling insecure, tell me. If I'm struggling with something, I'll tell you. But we have to actually try. We can't just give up at the first sign of difficulty.""Agreed." Eli reached over and took my hand. "So we're doing this? Actually doing this?""We're doing this," I confirmed. "But Eli, I need you to know something.""What?""I'm not ready to come out publicly. Not yet. Maybe not for a while. The thought of dealing with media scrutiny, of having my sexuality become public knowledge, it terrifies me.""I understand," Eli said. "We'll keep things private. For as long as you need.""And the professional stuff? Your boss?""We'll be careful. We won't give anyone ammunition. We keep our relationship separate from the clinic, we maintain appropriate boundaries in public, and we hope that's enough.""Okay." I pulled him closer. "Now come here. We wasted enough time fighting."Eli came willingl
ELI P.O.vAfter Mason left, I sat on my couch with my head in my hands, hating myself.He was right. I was self-sabotaging. Pushing him away before he could hurt me.But the fear was real. The stakes were real.My phone rang. Jordan."Hey," I answered."You sound like shit. What happened?"I filled him in on the fight, on my conversation with Dr. Chen, on all my fears and doubts.Jordan was quiet for a moment. "Eli, I love you, but you're being an idiot.""Excuse me?""You have a connection with this guy. A real connection. And you're sabotaging it because of what-ifs and maybes. Yes, he's new to being with men. Yes, there are professional risks. But none of that matters if you actually care about him.""Of course I care about him—""Then act like it. Stop looking for reasons why it won't work and start focusing on making it work. Or you're going to lose him before you even really have him.""What if he realizes I'm not what he wants?""Then he realizes it and you deal with it. But El
I woke up to sunlight streaming through my window and the unfamiliar weight of an arm draped across my waist.For a moment, I forgot where I was. Then everything from last night came rushing back. Dante. His mouth. His hands. His cock inside me.Oh god. What had I done?I was sore in places I'd nev
I couldn't sleep.It was after midnight, and I'd been staring at my ceiling for hours, hyperaware that Dante was just down the hall. That tomorrow our parents would leave and we'd be alone for two weeks.This was a disaster waiting to happen.I got up, decided to get water. Maybe some fresh air wou
The kitchen smelled like pancakes and coffee. Elena was at the stove, Dad was checking his phone, and there was no sign of Dante."Morning, honey," Elena said brightly. "Pancakes?""Sure, thanks." I tried to sound normal, not like I'd just had my stepbrother's cock inside me an hour ago."Have you
My heart rate picked up, anticipation and a hint of nervousness warring inside me. "What do you want to try?""Answer the question first. Do you trust me?"I thought about it seriously. We'd only known each other for a day, which should have made the answer an automatic no. But something about him,







