Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 6

developed this unexpected friendship, it was a little easier to watch the Philadelphia Railers play. Now, whenever Cam pulled off a win with one of his trademark fourth quarter surges, Brad cringed at what it meant for his own team, but he was also inwardly pleased for Cam.
    Everything was going pretty damn well, actually. Their two teams' positions brought out the competitive edge on which Brad thrived. He had fire in his blood every week when he trotted onto the field. He worked his ass off to keep his team at the top, knowing that, if they slipped off the top, he'd be pissed, but his friend's team would be taking their place. That's right– he had a friend, however unlikely, in Cam Hunter.
    His agent pretty much loved the development of this new connection with Cam Hunter, ascribing to the philosophy that "there's no such thing as bad publicity." In that vein, interest in him as a media figure had skyrocketed, and whenever he and Katja were seen at any number of events, they were the focus of the media's loving eye. To be honest, he'd rather lost the spark he'd had with her, and he couldn't quite explain it. He was inclined to break it off, but he wanted to do it face-to-face. Lately, however, the only time they were face-to-face was at public events, and that certainly wasn't the time for a conversation. Even Brad-the-reforming-dick acknowledged that breaking up in front of the cameras– literally– would be a dick move and the height of disrespect.
    Too bad Katja didn't recognize that.
    ****
    Brad was on his couch going through his playbook when his phone rang.
    It was the last week of the regular season, and, true to expectations, the Railers and Diamonds were still duking it out for the number one spot in their division. Their records were so good that both teams would be in the playoffs, but the question now was which one would go in as the division champs and which one would be a wild card team. They were, once again, tied at the top of the standings. This time, however, the Railers had the bad luck to have their bye week in the last week of the season. That meant that, with Brad's game tomorrow, the Diamonds truly were the masters of their own fate. With a win, they'd be the division champs; with a loss, the Railers would be. The situation couldn't have been more ideal for breeding a perfect storm of media furor. The Eastern Division was the only one undetermined at this point, and with the interest still high in his and Cam's friendship, all eyes would be on the game tomorrow between the Diamonds and the Los Angeles Lightning.
    Brad considered not answering the phone– who the hell would call at eleven o'clock the night before a big game?– but then decided at least to see who it was. Grabbing his phone, he frowned at the caller ID. His agent? What the hell?
    Lifting it to his ear, he answered, "Phil, hey, what's up?"
    "Hey, Brad. Look, I know it's shitty and fucked up, but we can get past this. Tomorrow's game is a big one, so don't let it distract you. You can only–"
    "Phil, what the hell are you talking about?" Brad tried not to lose patience, but Phil sometimes just assumed everyone was following his own brain patterns.
    "Oh shit. Uh, well, I guess you haven't been on the Internet today?"
    "No," Brad said slowly, "I've been busy. Why? What's on the Internet today?"
    Phil sighed audibly. "Yeah, well, I'm just gonna tell it to you straight. There's a sex tape. It's–"
    "What?!" Brad exploded. "What the hell? I never–"
    "Not you," Phil hurried to reassure Brad. "Ah, well, maybe it would've been better if it had been you," he added cryptically.
    "Phil, what the hell does that mean?" Brad gritted out. Jesus, if Phil weren't one of the top contract negotiators in the business, there's no way Brad would put up with this kind of bullshit.
    "A sex tape is going viral on the web. With Katja Danzig and two guys from that punk band Jane's Heart. It's pretty raunchy. And it's clearly her."
    Brad rubbed his forehead as he considered Phil's words. Finally, he told the agent, "Shit, I knew something was up. I've just been too busy to figure out what was going on." A little voice in Brad's head couldn't help pointing out that he hadn't been too busy to find time to hang out with Cam Hunter. Shaking his head, Brad turned back to the conversation. "So, you're my agent, what does this mean?"
    Phil was silent for a moment before responding. "Well, shitstorm's on the rise, for sure. Like I said, try not to let it