Page 45 of Only for Me

“I can do it.” I shot her a look and she grinned and threw her hands up. “Fine, have fun with that. She had cereal today.”

I got Avi changed, handed her off to Makari, and was on my way downtown. The routine I settled into over the past three weeks was a complete one-eighty from what I had been used to. My morning started with bottles and diaper changes when I stayed at Makari’s spot, and when I was at mine, my baby’s pretty face was on my phone while I did a video call.

My nights were no longer bottles of Black Ops and running through women. They were spent getting soaked while giving Avi a bath then chilling with Makari, watching random shit that usually had me crashing while she talked to the TV, yelling at the people on reality TV shows. It felt like we had been doing this for years and I was starting to struggle with what we really were. Even though my dick stayed bricked all the time, it wasn’t just about me wanting sex. Makari was cool people when she wasn’t coming for my head.

The downside to all of this was that I wasn’t sure if I was clinging to whatever the hell we were settling into because it was easier than focusing on what I lost or if I just liked the idea of Makari and Avi being a constant in my life.

When I made it to my agent’s office and walked into the conference room where he was waiting, he glared at me and I chuckled, knowing he hated dealing with me sometimes. But with the amount of money I put in his pockets, he was going to have to roll with it.

“You’re late.”

“I’m here.” I took a seat next to him and leaned back in the chair. “What do you have for me?”

“Energy drink campaign.” He slid a folder in front of me and I scanned the proposal and shook my head.

“Nah, we can pass on this.”

“You didn’t even consider it.”

“I looked at the numbers and it’s not enough to be attached to that brand. They can’t offer me enough to put my name on that shit.”

The brand was known for its association with wild ass parties, build a body women, and questionable decisions. They alluded to a lot of stuff that was promoted with sexually explicit content and visuals.

“Do you want me to negotiate a higher number?”

“No, it’s not a good fit.”

“They’re offering seven figures for a photo shoot and social media post.”

“I already told you I was looking for endorsements that align with where I’m heading, not where I’ve been.”

“And exactly where are you heading because last I checked your brand was the NFL quarterback who never missed a party but still delivered championships. That’s what we’ve been selling for the past two years.”

He was right but I didn’t want my name attached to shit like that now. I had to think about how that would look, and honestly, I didn’t need the money. I also wasn’t about to explain that shit to him, mostly because I didn’t have to, but also because I didn’t want to tell him I had a daughter to consider and my face on print ads with women in thongs wasn’t what I wanted out there in the world.

“The final decision is mine and it’s a no for me.”

Tony’s expression tightened. “So I’m guessing the rumors are true then?”

“What rumors?”

“That you have a kid.”

My jaw locked tight as I glared at Tony. “Where the fuck you hear that?”

“Doesn’t fucking matter. It’s out there and I didn’t hear it from you, Omiri. Your agent should have been the first person you contacted about this.”

“Me having a daughter doesn’t have shit to do with the deals you broker for me; so there was no need to run this by you.”

“You just turned down three point two million because you want to be mindful of your image. You having a kid has everything to do with the deals I broker for you.”

I shrugged, still not giving a damn, and he sighed. “But I can work with this. It will take some convincing, but if we get the three of you out there publicly, I can sell you as a family man and that will bring in different offers. Reformed playboy turned daddy of the year. That’s a good look for long-term money. More stability and a broader reach.”

“Nah, that doesn’t work. I’m not putting my daughter out there for a check.”

“Then what is it you want me to do?” He was getting annoyed and I didn’t give a damn.”

“You’re the agent. Figure that shit out or I can find a new one.”