Well, hell. She’d heard her own voice snapping at him and she didn’t like it. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”
He tilted his head her way, his smile genuine. “No offense taken, Victoria.”
She really did need a nap. She was reading things into her conversation with Ben that obviously weren’t there. “I think I’ll head out. If you see Alex, tell him I’ll be back tonight for the party.”
“Will do.”
Several hours later, she had rested, showered, and had even treated herself to a massage at the spa. Now she felt immensely better. And also much worse about being so defensive with Ben earlier. He’d been generous and kind and she’d done nothing but accuse him of age discrimination and running roughshod over Alex.
She owed him an apology.
She put on a sundress, slipped on her sandals and walked down toward the beach. It was dark, so the tiki torches were lit and a bonfire was going strong. The competition area was crowded with people, some she recognized as the surfing competitors, some as the advertisers and promoters, and some she didn’t know at all. There were a lot more people there tonight than had been around the day before.
Once she got past security with her badge, she wended her way through the crowd in search of either Alex or Ben.
She found Ben in the middle of a group of men. He smiled and waved her over, introduced her to several guys all in the business of promoting their own competitors in the contest.
He put his arm around her. “This is Victoria Baldwin.”
One of them, a tall African American man wearing a white-and-red flowered shirt, narrowed his gaze. “Aren’t you a sports agent?”
“I am. And you are . . .”
He held out his hand. “Sorry. Larry Banders.”
The name sounded familiar. Why couldn’t she place it? “Nice to meet you, Larry.”
“You represent Malcolm King, the basketball player from San Antonio.”
“Yes, I do.”
“He’s married to my sister, Cynthia.”
Now she knew why the name had rung a bell. She smiled. “Of course. I love Cynthia. She’s so supportive of Malcolm’s career.”
“Yeah, she loves basketball. Played some herself in high school and college.”
“Yes. We’ve had several conversations about that. I tried to recruit her for the WNBA, but she refused to listen to my grand plans for her career.”
Larry laughed. “Yeah, she wants to concentrate on my two nephews. I told her the same thing. I would have promoted the hell out of her if she’d let me. But she said babies first, career later. And now she wants to be a teacher.”
Tori shrugged. “Not everyone wants the career of an athlete. What are you going to do?”
“Nothing. I love those kids, so if she’s happy, then I’m happy. In the meantime, I put my label on everyone else. Like my kid here. In fact, I see him now, so excuse me. Nice meeting you, Victoria.”
“You too, Larry.”
Ben led her away from the crowd. “Do you always run into people you know?”
“It happens sometimes. Indirectly or directly, I usually find someone in the business.” As they headed through the crowd, she tilted her gaze up to his. The firelight highlighted the stunning features of his face and the utter sexiness of his eyes, something she tried not to notice. She was failing miserably. “Surely you have the same problem, since you’re in the athlete business.”
“True. I used to work with a lot of athletes, though I don’t brand as many as I used to.”
“Why not?”
He shrugged. “For one thing, I’ve made a lot of money over the years.”
“There’s always more money to make, you know.”
“True. But I’m not looking to become richer than I need to be. I just want to live comfortably, and I do. Chasing money requires a lot of work and hustle and time, and I’m just not interested in putting that much time into it anymore. And second, I’m pretty selective about who wears my brand. Plus, I like surfing. It’s still my passion, so limiting the chase for a higher income allows me to follow the waves. At least vicariously.”
She smiled. “It’s good that you still get to do what you love, even in this way.”
“Having enough money has its benefits.”
She wondered if she’d ever get to that point where it would be enough for her. She loved her career, adored her clients and it was still an adrenaline rush for her. “I don’t think I’ve reached the slow-down phase of my career yet.”