'Hit the Floor'~Bounce

Calculation

Jude had been summoned bright and early to Oscar's. When he arrived, unsurprisingly, he'd found that the older man had changed the security codes and the locks. He had to be buzzed in by Security and the housekeeper let him in after three quick knocks on the front door.

He apprehensively walked into the office.

"Sit down," ordered Oscar.

Jude quietly obeyed.

Oscar stood over his desk, stuffing his leather briefcase full of papers. "You've got three months to prove your loyalty, or you're out," he said glowering at Jude.

"You want me to keep working for the Devils? For you?" 'Christ.' Jude didn't get it. He was his gay son, who was fucking one of his star players, and oh, and by the way, he'd left him to sit in prison...what the hell was Oscar up to?

"You're about to get the education of your life. Keep your eyes open. You'll see how real business gets done."

He then picked up his briefcase and walked over to Lionel who had quietly come through the door.
"I'm gonna go order that personnel change. Don't hold dinner." He then planted a light kiss, not quite on, but near her Dior lips. A look of revulsion passed her face as she wiped it away.

Once Oscar was gone, Jude looked at her. "Personnel change?" he ask as he got up from his seat.

"As mad as he is at us, there's someone he's even madder at."

'Sloane Hayes.' "He's mad at me? He has a funny way of showing it. He offered to keep me on with the Devils, work for him."

"You have a choice. That's great. Meanwhile, I'm screwed." She held up her blood red nails that were adorned with a large canary diamond ring. "Literally. Your dad promised me in no uncertain terms that not only will I stay his wife, I'll be his wife in every way."

He frowned in disgust. 'Damnit, ugh.'

"I made this bed. All the things I've done these past months. But there's still something I can do. Something that might just keep me from going straight to hell."

Of course, neither believed in hell or heaven, so Jude pressed, "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to go warn Sloane. As much as I still don't like the woman, she doesn't deserve your father's wrath. I let the fact that I hated her, blind me to how dangerous he was...or I ignored how deadly he could be, because I wanted her to suffer, and I wanted the team."

He couldn't argue with her. She'd let her personal feelings get in the way of business. Now she and everyone else were paying a price. However, he himself had done his fair share of personal interfering with the professional. So, he had to stick by her side.

"I will say, I'm not surprised that Oscar would want you around. Throughout this, you've had your eye on the ball. Strategizing. A little scheming," Lionel said, as she narrowed her blue eyes. "He knows that you'll fight for the Devils before anything else, you're not going to let personal fuck it. The grasp for power and control trumps his homophobia." She then added wryly, "Progress?"
~~~

After leaving Lionel, Jude made his way home. He was staying in Devils management. He was pleased. He had done a lot to get there. Some of it, okay a lot of it, was not great. There was no way he wasn't going to hang on to it, even if he had to stomach more of Oscar.

He went into the bedroom and saw Gideon looking intently at his phone.

"Your investigator got me more info on my sister! She's been living with a family in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. She's in her senior year at BU. She drives a hybrid. He got me her number, I'm gonna call her after the game tonight."