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Fred laughed wit’ his head thrown back. He had a reputation. When we all figured out who our trainers would be, Lance looked at me and laughed. Told me Fred wasn’t nothin’ to play wit’ and to be prepared. I should have listened.

“I’ll see you in a few days, Ross. Gene’s running cool-downs. I’ll get you right by opening night. You got what it takes to take us all the way.”

“’Preciate it. I’ll see you then.”

Fred walked off, and I chugged down my water. I ain’t been this tired in a long ass time. This nigga must have trained gladiators in his past life.

“Ross, you got somebody waiting on you,” Coach Leroy said from behind me.

I nodded, wiped my face with my towel, and stepped through the doors, walkin’ toward the conference room. Juicy agreed to meet me here for my consultation. Fightin’ through D.C. traffic to make it to her office after trainin’ would have been crazy. All I wanted was to go home.

When I pushed the door open, Juicy’s back was to me, but her laptop was already open. A welcome folder and a water bottle wit’ her company name on it rested beside her. Her hair was black today, fallin’ down her back in loose curls. She had on a black pantsuit, and from where I was standin’, I could see the red bottoms on her heels. When she noticed she wasn’t alone, she turned around, smilin’.

Damn, Juicy.

“Hey, Juvie. Good to see you. Ready to get started?”

She was polished. Walked in this mufucka lookin’ like money. I knew she meant business. I wiped my hand on my towel, and she held her hand out for me to shake.

“My bad. I was in the middle of trainin’,” I said, sittin’ down next to her.

She opened her notepad to a blank page. “No problem at all. I’m used to this. I guess we can start with what you’re looking for in an agent. Your long-term and short-term goals.”

“Short-term, better endorsements, appearances that align wit’ where I wanna go. Smart investments. Right now, I have my hands in some commercial real estate, IRAs, and stuff like that, but for the most part, my money is sittin’.”

“Okay,” she replied, writin’ in her notepad. “That’s an easy fix. Now that you cleared up that stripper incident, endorsements shouldn’t be a problem. In the future, I want systems in place, so that kind of thing never happens again. I’ve done my research. You have a certain image and reputation of a bad boy. Not saying it’s bad, but you can be a little chaotic.”

“Well, damn. You might be right.” I sat back and rubbed my jaw.

“It’s really not bad. You’re not the first, and I can assure you, you won’t be the last. I want your integrity intact. It’s easy to mess up your image, but it’s hard as hell to build it back up after scandals and accusations. Long-term goals?”

“End game is my own sports network. But not like the shit on air right now. Somethin’ where ni—I mean, black people—feel comfortable. We ain’t gotta code switch or be a certain way to be heard. I know it’s gon’ be a lot of work. Ima need experience and everything else that comes wit’ it.”

She nodded. “Ambitious, but not impossible. I would definitely start with getting you some appearances on ASN. Popular and niche-specific podcasts. You’ve been in the league for ten years, right? There’s no way your previous representation hasn’t gotten you better brand collaboration. Money is sitting out there, ready for you to grab. If you sign with me, give me eight weeks, and I can promise you, you’ll get tired of meetings and contracts. You’ll thank me for the checks, though.”

“Checks, huh?” I said, leanin’ back in my seat. “And yeah, my previous representation was only concerned about what my contracts looked like as a player. Nothin’ major, though.”

“Hmmm,” she hummed. “Mercer Sports has more reach and connections. No disrespect to your previous representation, but an athlete of your caliber deserves more. Luxury brands, more charity events, panels. That said, do you want me to focus only on sports and business opportunities, or on your entire public portfolio? What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?”

“Shit, I want my name to live beyond me. I wanna give opportunities to kids I know who don’t have the luck I had. Youth centers named after me that give somethin’ real to the community. If I can save a couple kids and make a real difference, that’s good enough for me.”

Juicy stopped writing, pen hovering, and stared at me like she was trying to figure out what I meant.

“Just good enough? I’m sure you can do more than that, Juvie. You have to believe it. Until you do, we’ll start with Nike. Audemars would love to have you. I’ve already reached out to my contacts there and dropped a bug in their ear, letting them know I might have Juvie Ross on my roster. You’re already a household name, but the deals I have in mind will change your life in the best way. You ready?”

“What’s your price, Juicy? I know you ’bout to hit me over the head.”

She giggled and opened the folder. “Take some time to read it over. Talk with your attorney. I want you to make an informed decision. I need money to make you more money, and I plan to do just that. I’ll send a copy to your attorney if that’s easier, or you can take this copy with you. I’ll give you three business days to decide.”

“You got a percentage you want off the top. Gimme the damage. I don’t need a lawyer to know how much you ’bout to run my pockets,” I said, flippin’ through the pages on the contract.

She leaned closer, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and flipped to page four. “If I were the one to negotiate the contract for your move to the Blackhawks, I’d get four percent of that. You may want to have your attorney review your contract. Luke may not be entitled to that full portion because you dropped him. I’d take fifteen percent of endorsements, appearances, and brand deals I secure.”

I turned my head real slowly and looked at her. “Fifteen percent is wild. You ain’t on drugs or nothin’? The fuck you mean?”

“Listen, you can ask any athlete that I’ve worked with, and they’ll tell you I’m worth every red cent. Just like your name holds weight in baseball, my name holds the same power in sports, period. I’m going to make you wealthier than you already are. But I gotta get paid too. That’s why I’m giving you three days. The choice is yours.”

I shook my head, laughin’. Juicy was still herself. Confident as hell and a lil’ cocky. But if she was pullin’ deals like the ones she was pullin’ for Dice, I would definitely have my lawyer, Zaire, look at the contract.