"Yes, we have some plans." Jude said in his sweetest, most polite voice deliberately taking over the conversation between mother and son "I recently took a managing job at a hotel in the city, then Zero and I decided to help each other out with his lodge and my resume."

Zero shot the publicist a look that said don't fuck with my life.

Jude glanced at him a shimmer of professional excitement swirling in his honey eyes and shrugged in return. Part of his PR plan entailed the athlete put himself out there. A little more anyway.

"What are you doing here mom?"

Esther brushed a superficial strand of Aryan gold hair off her perfectly made-up pinkish cheek. "To remind you about dinner tomorrow with the President of Chisipite College. He'd like to talk to you about that coaching job we discussed and the board of trustees is coming too. So your presence is very important for this town darling."

"You mean important to Phillip don't you?" With a sickly sad grin, Zero asked.

"Any dinner party involving the college is important to your father." she batted her eyelashes in a practiced move to get her son to do her bidding. Jude noticed every move the woman made seemed to rub Zero the wrong way. "It's also important for you dear, with the job offer on the table."

Zero shook his head "I told you already, I'm busy with the lodge and the volunteer work I do at the high school. I don't want the job."

Esther looked at Jude treating him to a pleading glance. "Would you please tell him it's more respectable to take a higher paying job as a coach at a region one college than work for free with juvenile delinquents who don't like to study?"

Jude tensed waiting for Zero's reply which didn't take long to come.

"Those delinquents are kids the system ignores." Zero's voice rose in anger "Sports is their ticket to college and if I can help them know the importance of and prioritize their academics as well then I'll have accomplished something." He said gritting his teeth so hard the muscles in his neck bulged.

Jude still didn't get the tie the athlete had to the kids but at least now he understood his motives, from an altruistic business angle at least.

"Actually from a PR perspective volunteer work is so much better than work for hire especially in this age of social media and fast news. "Jude said to Esther "Zero obviously doesn't need the coaching job to make a living, he's giving back to the community, and it's admirable." His natural defense for the athlete didn't sit well in his stomach so he told himself he admired the player for his goals and nothing more.

"Yes well, you're merely a hotel manager dear. You wouldn't understand the world of academia Gideon is coming from." Esther measured the publicist from behind her full-framed glasses taking her time even to adjust them over her small pointy nose.

Jude suffered the subtle put down in silence. Apparently, his very casual thrasher apparel and Gucci flip flops hadn't passed Esther's unimpressed inspection.

"You have an opportunity to make your father proud Gideon. Take it." Esther pressed, softly.

Zero laughed humorlessly facing Jude "A Super bowl ring wasn't enough for the old man, now he wants my soul."

Jude coiled into himself, the air around them felt cold despite the sunshine. The pup whimpered and hugged itself closer to his leg.

"Let's not revisit old drama, darling." His mother said "You know how I feel about airing dirty laundry in public." she stole a sideways glance at Jude "Just tell me you'll be at dinner?"

"Your mother is right." Jude chimed in seeing a golden opportunity.

Zero crossed his arms over his chest and stared stone-faced at Jude.

Whatever were Zero's reasons for not wanting to attend couldn't be more important than the potential PR for him to attend. College events would bring visitors, visitors who would need a place to stay. Visitors who would recommend the town and lodge to their other friends.

Though Zero didn't realize it yet he needed the college president and board of trustees on his side, referring guests to his lodge.

"Your mother is right, I wouldn't understand academia..." He started to say, neglecting to mention his college summa cum laude degree and MBA from Berkley, an Ivy College that had given him a part scholarship based on grades."...But a dinner party is a nice diversion from this small town with no nightlife." Jude played with his pup's leash.

'No. I don't think..." Zero started to decline.

"Please?"

Zero groaned.

His mother smiled at Jude and jumped in "Be the Gentlemen I raised you to be. Give the young man an excuse to get out of his sweatpants and dress up for a change. Or else he'll leave you, honey. No one likes a boring partner."

"I'm not a bore and you don't know what he would do. We won't be comi.."

Esther cut his decline off. "Look at his face, look at him, someone will scoop him up for sure. If you keep thinking that way darling."

So the mom knew?

"Okay ok" Zero clicked his teeth "We'll be there happy now?"

"Ecstatic."

Jude stifled a laugh.

Jude started a virtual diagram but couldn't concentrate, so he moved on to the press release he needed Zero to make regarding the lodge. Concentrating was hard when the only thing his mind wanted to focus on was the actual words in the line of defense Zero had used to his mother.

It was as if he didn't mind her thinking they were together as more than friends. Like he wasn't repulsed by him not that Jude was repulsive and he knew he wasn't but up until that week, he'd always thought the athlete was straight. And even if he wasn't, would he find him attractive?

His stomach growled interrupting his thoughts but now work which wasn't flowing all too easily.

He forced himself to finish up his day's worth of work and an hour later he put everything on the side. Then went to visit the state of the art untapped kitchen. The publicist rummaged through the cabinets and an hour later he'd had two steaks defrosted, marinated and sizzling on the downdraft cook-top grill.

He'd also come across a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and was flipping through the steaks pleasantly buzzed. When Zero finally returned from the meeting he'd set up for him earlier but was supposed to have returned from hours ago yet he hadn't.

"Jude are you here?" he called out loudly and at the sound of his deep trombone voice, Jude's stomach churned with excitement as he tried to force a nonchalance he didn't feel.

He entered just as the platting was done "Of course I'm here where would I go. You insisted I not bring my car then you take off not to be seen for hours?"

The athlete at least had good manners to look embarrassed

"Sorry I needed..."

"Space?" Jude finished for him

"Right" he shot the publicist a sexy grin "So the food smells divine" he shoved his hands into his pockets peering over the sexy publicist to look at the food on the table and noticed the bottle of wine sitting at the edge of the countertop. "You've been drinking?"

Jude smiled, running a manly yet delicate hand through neat chestnut hair.

Zero moved around the table with a leopard-like grace and poured himself a glass, looked straight into Jude's honey-brown eyes taking a sip of the cabernet sauvignon from his glass.

"Wine gets me horny." He said his husky voice full of deliberate seduction.