'Hit the Floor'~Bounce

Breaking the Rules

"What are you doing here?" Jude asked wearily. He'd just parked the Porsche and had made his way to his apartment and upon opening the door, there sat Zero on his couch. He shouldn't have been surprised. In fact, he wasn't. It had been a week since Jude had broken things off with him and the baller had in that time called and texted constantly. Jude had ignored him.

"Well, ya' keep dodging me!" he said, getting up, as Jude closed the door behind him.

"For good reason, I told you. It's over. We are done. Personally. Professionally." He then, as usual, put his briefcase, keys, and jacket in the chair next to the door.

"Come on, you know you don't mean that," Zero said in a low, seductive whisper that Jude had become so familiar with.

Jude swallowed hard. No. He meant it. Even though he didn't want to. Instead, he responded. "I need my keys back."

With a smile playing on his lips, Zero reached into his fitted, black bomber jacket and slowly removed the key fob. Jude noted that the silver cross was absent. He easily removed the two keys: patio and front. He then held them between his perfectly manicured, yet callused hands. That was Zero; simultaneously image conscious and raw.

Jude found himself reluctant to take them. But he had to. He quickly grabbed the keys, his fingers grazing the other man's. It went straight to his cock. 'Damn.'

"Where'd you park?" Jude asked abruptly.

"What?"

"Your Aston Martin, or your Escalade or your Porsche...!" Jude said, gaining some composure.

"Couple of blocks away. Like usual," Zero replied with a nod of his head. Jude could see he was thrown by the sudden question. There was plenty of paid street parking in front of Jude's apartment. There always had been.

"Like usual," repeated Jude. So that no one would spot his car parked out front. "Thanks for the keys...I've got plans tonight."

Both knew that wasn't true. Zero opened his mouth to protest, thought better of it and to both men's surprise, instead, nodded, cocked his head to the side, sauntered to the door and quietly left.
~~~

"I really appreciate you letting me...resign from being your point guy...instead of, ya' know," Jude said to Derek.

The two men were having a discussion in one of the arena meeting rooms located a few doors down from Osc-- Lionel's office.

The baller was the golden child of Devils Nation. The MVP who had brought the Championship home for the L.A. Devils after Captain Terrence Wall had taken them into overtime and suffered a crushing injury.

"Cut the bullshit," replied Derek, his brown eyes flashing.

"Okay, fine. But let's not pretend. It helps both of us. With everything going on with Oscar's indictment...it's good that I get out of this mess. But it's also good for your image and negotiations that we don't make a big deal out of it at the Agency."

In the last few weeks, after he'd been told to sink and fuck off by Derek, and had ended things with Zero, Jude felt like he had no real reason to want to be connected to Devils management. His agency seemed to agree. He was still a full agent but had been downgraded to repping' a junior golfer from Alabama and a soccer player from San Diego. Jude had seriously considered packing it in and going back to Florida. Miami was always buzzing...he still had contacts throughout and as an alum of the University of Florida, it's not like he couldn't make inroads. If nothing else, he could always help out at his mom, Lisa's clothing store he thought futilely.

"It's not that I'm not grateful. You helped Ahsha and me." At the mention of the almond-eyed dancer's name, the baller's voice went soft for a second, "but you put that bleached blond motherfucker first, and that isn't a good thing! He's still trying to take over the team. He can't be trusted. YOU can't be trusted."