Playing Hardball, Part 1 (A Baseball Romance Serial) (Playing Hardball (A Baseball Romance Serial)) Read online

  She hid back in the corner and tried to disappear in her chair. I sat up loud and proud right next to her. She flinched every time someone made a noise, which made me laugh. I knew she was going to get even with me for the night before, I just wasn't sure how or when.

  When they announced that the new owner was there, I knew she was pissed. The woman seriously looked the worst I had seen her look the entire time I'd known her, and I'd seen her look pretty rough on a Saturday morning. It definitely wasn't the way to meet the new boss. She shrunk down even deeper into the chair.

  The new owner was drop-dead gorgeous. He was so damn sexy, I couldn't believe my eyes. Not only was he great to look at, he was a famous ballplayer. That part was cool because that meant he had equally talented friends. He was retired, but that didn't matter. People in the room were all excited about his fame. I knew Carrie loved the game. I didn't give a shit about it. The only thing I liked about it was that ballplayers had to stay in shape. Carrie took loving a game to a whole new level. Something about going to games with her dad when she was younger. I wouldn't know anything about that. My dad never did shit with me.

  When the guy, his name was Scott, asked us to introduce ourselves, I stood and made sure to let him know he wasn't so bad to look at. Shockingly, he didn't even smile. Tough crowd, I thought. I could see my boss staring a hole through me. I was the one they expected to be trouble. Then something happened. My girl surprised me.

  She stood up and snapped out her name and department before rudely sitting back down and dismissing the very nice looking, rich owner of the company. Seriously not a good way to make a good impression. Our boss was just as shocked as I was. Something was very strange about her behavior. She was quiet. I was the obnoxious one. With my new no regret attitude and no filter mouth, I thought I would have been the one to get in trouble. I wasn't always that way. I used to be quiet and sweet. My new life with three rules was very different. Don't get close, don't fall in love, and always have fun. That was for me, not her. Was I rubbing off on her, I wondered? The new guy didn't back down. He made her ass stand back up again. She looked him in the eye but didn't kiss his ass like everyone else. I couldn't believe that she picked the man that would decide the fate of her job to stand up to. That was when I made a mental note never to get her drunk again.

  Chapter 3

  Lucy

  It didn't take long to figure out that there was something going on between Carrie and our new owner. There was an insane amount of tension and heat between them. For a moment I'd wondered if James was his son. She came clean quick with me on that one. She didn't want me mentioning James to Scott. It was none of his business. That was what she said anyway. Once he figured it out, she sang like a bird. Never once did I pressure her, and she thanked me for that many times. I totally understood where she was coming from. I had a past of my own, and I kept it locked tight inside.

  I was so glad she didn't leave the company. We were a great pair in the office. Scott loved our ideas. It wasn't long before everyone started working together to make the company better than it ever was. I thought he was going to be an ass that thought he was better than everyone else. That wasn't how he was at all. What he didn't know about business, his team did.

  When he talked about a few of his friends coming in for commercials and shoots, I was more excited than anyone. Carrie didn't care. She was so damn in love with Scott. Even if she didn't admit it, it wasn't hard to see. She hated when people called him Scottie, so of course I had to do it from time to time. Most of the guys at the company were excited to meet the ballplayers. I didn't give a shit about that. I just wanted them to be sexy as fuck. I knew they wore tight pants and was hoping they would be taking their shirts off. I was all about that shit. She shook her head and laughed when I couldn't contain my excitement. The guys traveled around so much, I knew at least one of them wouldn't mind releasing some tension while I released some of my own. I couldn't wait and bugged the shit out of Scott about it.

  Chapter 4

  Lucy

  The day was finally there. I could barely sleep the night before. Scott refused to tell us who was coming because he knew damn well I'd research their asses. I did look the team up to see who I thought it could be.

  My ass was up and ready early that morning. I had my hair and makeup perfect. There was no way I was meeting any of the Pittsburgh Pirates without my game in place. I had on my favorite pair of jeans that hugged my ass perfectly. Then I pulled the t-shirt I bought just for the occasion over my head. Of course I didn't own a Pirates shirt. I didn't give a shit about baseball. Carrie offered to let me use one of hers, but I bought one instead. It looked amazing. I was not vain. I definitely had my share of flaws. I just tried to do the best I could with what I had and put a smile on my face, even though sometimes I was shaking the entire time. Most of the confidence the world saw was put in place to hide the real me.

  I walked into my office with a huge smile on my face. Carrie walked in and let out the loudest laugh.

  “Please tell me you are not planning to hit on one of the players,” she said.

  “I'm just showing support for the men that are helping our company,” I said innocently. “What do you care anyway? You sure don't mind kicking it with one of them.”

  “That's different,” she snapped.

  “Oh yeah,” I said with a laugh. “I have no interest in falling in love or having a relationship with them. All I want is a little fun. Aren't ballplayers fun? What better place to find it than with a guy who has way more important things to think about than me?”

  “Why are you so against love?” she asked.

  Scott walked into my office at the perfect time. His woman was about to grill me on my thoughts of love. That was not happening.

  “I wanted to let you know that the guys will be here any minute,” he said.

  He was all business. I'd totally forgotten they had a whole secret thing where they didn't want anyone in the office to know about them. Maybe they thought everyone was stupid. I surely wasn't. Even if she hadn't told me, I would have figured it out. I'd promised to get the guys what they needed while they were at our office, so he was letting me know that I needed to be ready. Scott wanted his friends to be comfortable. They were doing most of the stuff as a favor to him. What nice guys, I thought. Just kidding. They didn't have to be nice. When I told him Carrie was going to help me, he didn't seem too thrilled, but there was nothing he could do. It made me laugh inside to see him squirm. I stood up and grabbed my girl by the arm.

  “Come on, woman,” I said. “Help me with these gorgeous men.”

  I heard him growl and turned to smile at him.

  “Settle down,” I said. “I thought these were your friends.”

  “Doesn't mean shit,” he said with narrowed eyes.

  I laughed and pulled her out the door. We walked into the lobby just as the door opened and I squealed. I sure did. In walked three very sexy ballplayers.

  “My name is Lucy Stone,” I said with a smile. “I will be taking care of you fine looking gentlemen.”

  “You a fan?” tall, built, and sexy asked.

  “Nope,” I said with a shrug. “Carrie is the baseball girl. I'm just a girl who likes hot men. Her dad used to take her to see the Tigers. She's been a nut about the game ever since.”

  “Tigers,” he said with a nod. “A Michigan girl. Did you say Carrie?”

  “Sure did,” I said.

  “Oh shit!” he replied.

  “What?” Carrie asked.

  “You're not the one that tore my boy's heart out,” he said.

  “It wasn't like that,” she said.

  “No wonder he's been different since he bought this company,” sexy said.

  “It has nothing to do with me,” she said, as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

  “I bet,” he said, as he looked back at me.

  “I'm not so sure I can talk to you,” he said to me with a glare.

  The fucker really gl
ared at me.

  “You could at least pretend to like the game,” he said.

  “Why would I do that, Hotshot?” I asked. “You think you're so special that I should bow to you?”

  I bowed down in front of him and heard a rumble escape his chest. For a second, a chill ran down my arms, but I quickly brushed it away.

  “That's not what I said,” he mumbled.

  “I bet you put your ass in those pants one leg at a time just like I did mine this morning,” I said.

  For some reason he was pissing me off, and it was definitely ruining my good mood. It helped a little when his two friends laughed from behind him. He sent a glare so deep my way, I thought I was done.

  “Do you know who I am, Firecracker?” he asked.

  “I know you're tall, dark, and sexy, Hotshot,” I said with a smirk. “I'm also thinking you're a ballplayer that gets paid way too much in money and pussy from that attitude.”

  “Where is Scott?” he barked out. “I did not sign up for this shit.”

  “Hold on,” Carrie interrupted. “My friend here has no filter. I, on the other hand, am a huge fan.”

  Carrie shot a dirty look my way before turning back to the guys.

  “This is the star pitcher for the Pirates Lance Smith. You also have Jerry and Josh.”

  “So he can throw a ball,” I said.

  “Listen,” he snapped, as he pointed his finger at me.

  I was just about to reach out and snap the fucker off when I heard Scott.

  “Lance, Jerry, Josh,” he yelled out as he approached.

  They all did some stupid bro hug thing. Then he started rambling on with the guys, and Carrie pulled me to the side.

  “You need to chill out,” she said.

  “Why?” I asked “He is no better than us.”

  “That is true, but he is here to help his friend. He could have charged us a fortune, but he isn't. You know that.”

  “Fine,” I said with a shake of my head.

  I let out a huff as I turned back to face them.

  “Lucy will show you where you need to be. The photographer is already here. The commercial will be shot Friday. She's here to do whatever you need. I really appreciate you guys doing this for me.”

  “Anything we need?” Lance asked.

  Who the fuck did he think he was? The guy comes in looking hot as hell. His dark, short hair was still damp and very sexy. Then he had his earrings placed perfectly. His facial hair was trimmed around his face to give him that sexy ass look. Add to that, the tattoo I could see just out of the top of his t-shirt. The man was gorgeous, but he still wasn't the hottest man alive. He really was starting to piss me off.

  “Don't push it, Ballplayer. I was told I had to be nice. That only goes so far,” I said.

  “Take them down now,” Scott said.

  “Come on,” I said, as I turned and walked away from them.

  The smart ass caught up with me before I even got down the hall.

  “We okay, Firecracker?” he asked.

  “Perfect, Hotshot,” I said with a smirk.

  Chapter 5

  Lance

  When I first saw her with her tight-ass jeans and Pirates t-shirt, I thought she was sexy as fuck. I wouldn't have minded taking her for a ride on my cock. She looked small enough to fit in my pocket, almost innocent too. Her dark hair was hanging just at her shoulders, and don't get me started on those red, plump lips. Then she opened them, and I was shocked. The woman was a damn firecracker. You know what I mean. They're little and don't look like they'd do much. Then you light them and the explosion fills the air around you. She made some shitty comment about me putting my pants on just like her. I'd have liked to have shown her just how I put my pants on, right after I bent her over and gave her ass the fucking she deserved. I was the star pitcher for the Pirates. Women did a lot of things with me, but talking shit to my face was not one of them. I would never put up with a woman talking back to me. For a second I had to wonder if Scott was fucking with me. She made it clear that she wasn't a fan and didn't give two shits about the game. That was it. Someone was fucking with me for sure. The little firecracker was lucky we were at a place of business, or she'd have found herself beneath a very pissed off man.

  If Scott wouldn't have walked up, I would have left. It was bad enough I was doing the shit practically for free. Not that I needed the money. I had more than I would ever need. It was just, if I was going to have to put up with her mouth all day, I was definitely getting paid.

  When she turned and walked away from me, all I could think about was burying my dick balls deep inside of her. A good fucking was all she needed to straighten that shit out. It had been a few days, and I needed to relieve a little stress anyway. She was just as good as any.

  “So, Firecracker,” I said. “How is it working for my boy Scottie?”

  “The jury is still out on that one,” she said. “I haven't decided.”

  The girl had a mouth, and she didn't cover her thoughts for anyone. I kind of had to give it to her on that one.

  “Have you ever been to a game?” I asked.

  “Nope,” she said.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I never really had a reason. I can drink and look at hot asses anywhere. It doesn't have to be a place filled with sweaty people that are straining to see the ball fly across the field. That is Carrie's thing.”

  Lucy walked up to the photographer to say something and then plopped her ass down in a chair. Me and the other two guys followed orders. It wasn't something we hadn't done a million times before. They had all the props for us, balls, bats, and mitts. We did a few poses with our shirts on. I saw her watching me out of the corner of my eye. She could throw that attitude around all she wanted, but her ass wanted my cock. I reached back, grabbed the neck of my jersey, and pulled it over my head. Then I walked over to her and wrapped it around her neck.

  “Hold that for me would you, Firecracker,” I said with a smile and a wink.

  “What do I look like?” she asked in a snotty tone.

  I leaned down next to her ear.

  “You look like someone that wants me to bend them over, spank their ass, and fuck them so hard they'll forget their own name.”

  She reached up, grabbed the back of my hair in her hands, and yanked my head to the side.

  “I'm not sure your cock could make me forget anything, Ballplayer,” she said before shoving her hands against my chest.

  I lost my step, and she got out of her chair, grabbed my hat, and was walking away before I caught myself.

  A few minutes into the second part of the shoot, I watched her sit back down wearing my shirt with my hat backwards on her head.

  There was no fucking way I wasn't going to be deep inside of her before the day was over. I wasn't supposed to go to the schools with Scott and the guys to see the kids, but my plans had changed. If she was going to be there, so was I.

  Chapter 6

  Lucy

  The shoot was over at noon.

  “See you later, Hotshot,” I said with a smile, as I turned to walk away.

  “I need my shirt, Firecracker,” he said.

  “I don't know what you're talking about,” I said. “Your shirt is right there. I've got work to do since you've taken up my entire day.”

  Just as I hit the button for the elevator, I heard him yell from behind me.

  “What the fuck. There is no damn way I'm wearing a chick's shirt.”

  I was so happy when the elevator closed behind me and I was alone inside of it.

  Carrie was sitting at her desk when I walked by.

  “Hey,” she called out.

  “Yes,” I said, as I took a step back and stood in her doorway.

  “Where did you get that jersey?” she asked.

  “That Lance guy gave it to me,” I said with a shrug.

  “Glad to see the two of you are getting along,” she said.

  I tried to get out of going to the schools to give ou
t the equipment, but Carrie wouldn't hear of it. Somehow, Lance had gotten a t-shirt from one of the guys. Like a good little worker, I went and kept my mouth shut. It was actually an amazing experience, and I was happy she hadn't let me out of it. I had never seen such happy kids in my life when they laid eyes on those ballplayers. We made it back to work just before it was time to leave, and I hurried to my office.

  “We're going out with them in a few minutes,” Carrie said, as she popped her head into my office.

  “No way,” I said, as I shook my head. “My ass is going out.”

  “Exactly,” she said with a grin. “You're going with us. I'm not going alone. You have to go.”

  “I'll go as long as the fucker shuts his mouth,” I said.

  “Are you going to shut yours?” she asked, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Only if he does,” I said.

  “Why does it feel like this is going to be an interesting night?” she asked.

  Chapter 7

  Lucy

  I walked into the bar with Carrie and saw the four guys in the back booth. We walked over, and I plastered my normal happy face on. Scott moved in and pulled Carrie down next to him. I was the only work person there, so they didn't have to hide. I sat down next to her. The guys were laughing and joking with Carrie. I made a few comments here and there. Lance was looking at me, I could feel it. I was still wearing the hat backwards and the jersey, but he hadn't said a word about them.

  We were only there for about an hour when a tall, curvy brunette walked over and began flirting with Lance and touching him. She was going on and on about what an amazing pitcher he was, and he was eating that shit up with a spoon. It was fucking ridiculous. When that bitch sat her ass down on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, I was up and out of the booth. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked to the bar and sat down. Shot after shot went down my throat until I felt that warm, relaxed feeling start to set in. I have no idea how much time had gone by when a nice looking guy took the seat next to mine. He seemed okay, I guess. He wasn't cocky or loud like the asshole with the whore on his lap, but he was nice. When he asked me to dance, I figured I had nothing better to do. I couldn't help but watch Lance with that woman. I didn't want to, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from them. After a few songs, I couldn't take it anymore.