Huddle With Me Tonight by Farrah Rochon Read Free Book Online Page A

bit.” She flicked a switch, and the machine started to hum. “Now, look at the black dot. What did you do to get on Paige Turner’s bad side?”
    “I had the audacity to write a book,” he snorted.
    “She can be brutal when she doesn’t like something. I read her weekly column every now and then. I think she’s cute.”
    “I would have thought you had better taste,” Torrian said.
    “Oh, please. Don’t even try it. You know she’s gorgeous. Unfortunately for me, I believe she’s straight.”
    “I don’t care how she looks,” Torrian lied through his teeth. He’d been thinking about how she looked from the moment he first saw her. “The woman trashed my book. And for the past week she’s been attacking me on her blog.”
    “Theo said you attacked first.”
    Torrian popped up. “The hell I did.”
    “Put your chin back in that cradle,” Latoya admonished.
    Torrian settled back into his seat and leaned forward. “I especially need New York readers to be behind the book, since they’re the ones who will support the restaurant,” Torrian continued. “What I don’t need is this negative publicity from Paige Turner.”
    “It’s not necessarily negative publicity. I’ve bought books she’s been heavily critical of just to see if they were really as bad as she thought they were. She’s usually right,” Latoya tacked on.
    “Thanks a lot,” Torrian snorted.
    “I’m sure your book is an exception.” She laughed. The machine let out several beeps. “Okay, we’re done.”
    “How much worse is it?” Torrian sighed.
    “Just a little,” she confirmed. She took a deep breath, and Torrian’s own breath clogged in his throat. “What has me concerned is that we’ve seen deterioration over your last three visits. Although it is extremely slight, the fact that there is a steady decline isn’t the best news.”
    “How much longer until I’m completely blind?” Torrian asked, knowing he wouldn’t get a straight answer. It’s not as if it mattered anyway. He would be kicked out of the league long before he reached the state of legal blindness.
    “You know I can’t answer that question,” Latoya said. “Retinitis pigmentosa develops differently in different people. It’s not as bad as you’re probably thinking, Torrian. At the rate the disease is progressing, you still have many years of very good sight ahead of you.”
    “Won’t matter to the NFL,” he said.
    Latoya patted his shoulder. “I know, honey.”
    Torrian covered the hand she held on his shoulder. It was too bad Latoya was gay. They got along better than he ever had with any of the women he’d dated over the years.
    Theo burst through the door. “You finished?” he asked Torrian.
    “Yeah, we’re done,” Latoya said. “I’ll see you back here in another couple of months. Good luck in the game this weekend.”
    “Thanks, babe.” Torrian kissed her goodbye and followed Theo out of the office.
    “Okay, what’s up?” Torrian asked as they headed up the corridor.
    Theo pressed the button for the elevator. “The Sabers just made a counteroffer.”
    Torrian’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?” The elevator’s door opened and they stepped in.
    “Yep,” Theo said once the doors shut. “One year, seven million.”
    Torrian nearly swallowed his tongue. “Is that even an option? You playing another year?”
    The elevator door opened. “I don’t know, man. That’s a lot of money.” Theo shrugged. “Of course, I’ve already got a lot of money.”
    “It’s a tough decision, Theo. You gotta figure this one out on your own. Good luck.”
    “You, too, Dawg. Hope you can get this thing with Paige Turner squared away.”
    “I’m working on it,” Torrian said.
    Torrian knew there was only one way to put this mess with Paige Turner to rest. He had to talk to her face to face.
    His mind made up, he skimmed through the numbers in his phone’s directory until he found the one he needed. Then he called in another