by Tara Brent
He stood up and held her close. She allowed herself to simply fall into the moment; she was too vulnerable not to. “You’re strong,” he said. “This first wave is rough, but it’ll begin to simmer down. This is just a loud, obnoxious, ignorant minority. And as for the social justice warriors? They’re morons if they don’t think that you are a step in the right direction. You are a marvel, Emiko. And you know you have my support. Now and always.”
She looked up into his perfect eyes. “Screw it,” she whispered, and just like the other day, leaped into his arms.
Their lips crushed together with fiery passion. Emiko felt like she couldn’t kiss him hard enough, like she had to make the most out of this moment. This moment she had been waiting for so long. Hayden was grasping to unbutton her blouse, his finger fast, yet sensually slow. In seconds, his lips were on her nipple, his tongue swirling around it. Emiko threw her head back in pleasure and let out a moan. He slowly slipped the blouse off her shoulders, moving in between sucking her nipples and kissing her neck and shoulders.
“Oh my god, Hayden!” Emiko gasped. Hayden suddenly stopped and let her down on the floor in front of him. His dark eyes glistened with lust as he looked at her.
“I want you there.” Said Hayden with a hoarse voice and nodded towards the glass barrier facing the baseball field. Emiko felt a rush of excitement. There was no game going on so the stadium was completely empty, but just the thought of being there, naked with Hayden for everyone to see, thrilled her immensely. She backed towards the glass slowly as Hayden kept his eyes fixed on her. He looked like a predator, ready to pounce on an innocent prey. As Emiko reached the glass, he rapidly ripped her skirt and panties down to her ankles in one fell swoop. She was now completely vulnerable to him. Emiko shuddered as she felt the goose bumps spread across her porcelain skin. Hayden kissed her hard before kneeling before her. As his tongue reached her clitoris, she grabbed on to his curly, dark hair. She felt his tongue swirl around like he was spelling out the alphabet between her legs. Her thighs began to shake.
“Oh my god, holy shit, don’t stop!”
Hayden suddenly stood up, leaving Emiko gasping for more.
“Turn around.” He said. Emiko wasn’t entirely used to this Hayden, speaking in short, demanding sentences. But she loved it. She followed his order, and as she did, his hands were immediately on her. Massaging her breasts, kissing her neck. His fingers reached between her legs, and he started rubbing her, reaching up inside of her. Emiko didn’t know what to do with herself. She was swinging her hips slowly back and forth with pleasure, moaning. Hayden laughed hoarsely before he thrust himself into her. Emiko was sure that if there had actually been an audience at the stadium, every single one of them would have turned around at her scream. The thought excited her even more. Her hands were pressed against the glass as Hayden pumped away. For every thrust, Emiko felt her hard nipples brush against the cold glass. His strong hands were tightly gripping her hips while his mouth was nibbling at her earlobe.
“Oh Hayden” she whimpered, while she felt her body start to shake with pleasure again. He gave a final thrust and then he spun her around so that she was facing him. There was a smile playing on his lips and a fire in his eyes.
“Get on your knees.” He demanded. Emiko obliged, even though her legs were weak and shaky from the violent orgasm. She made sure he kept her gaze as she took him in her mouth. When she started using her hand, as well as her mouth and tongue, she was happy to see his eyes roll back. His moans were raspy, almost like he was growling. He grabbed her hair and she responded by grabbing his ass, pulling him deeper until she nearly gagged on him.
“I’m almost there,” he said. Emiko responded by increasing her pace. “Holy shit!” he exclaimed, pulling out of her mouth. To her astonishment, he came all over her face. If anyone other than Hayden had even considered such an act, Emiko was sure she’d have been livid. But with this spectacular god of a man? The mess on her face was a badge of honor.
“Now lay back,” he ordered. “I’m not finished with you yet. And don’t you dare wipe a single drop off your face until I tell you to.”
The moment she leaned back as commanded, he yanked her legs open and sucked on her clit. Emiko nearly came immediately, but then he rearranged himself. His tongue dropped lower, licking her where nobody had ever touched her before. The dirtiness of the scenario combined with his flicking her clit with his thumb while using his other hand to manhandle her tits was more than she could bear. Before she knew it, the combination of his tongue working her anus with his dexterous hands above her vagina was just too much for her. She cried out, even louder than before. As she did, he went back to eating her out directly. This caused her to have multiple orgasms, increasing in their intensity until they were finally fewer and farther between.
Smiling, he fetched her towel and gently wiped her face off. He kissed her and then brought her to the sofa.
They were cuddled up against each other, riding high on cloud nine, Emiko’s face wiped clean of all evidence of what happened save for a beaming smile.
But the sadness began to swing back like a boomerang.
“God, I think I need a shower,” chuckled Hayden. “Care to join?”
“I wish,” said Emiko, “But even though that was probably the single most romantic moment of my life and easily the best sex I’ll ever have, this has to be a one-time-thing that nobody else can know about.”
Hayden sat up abruptly and eyed her. “Excuse me?”
“Listen, I’m just going to be blunt as hell,” she said. “I love you. I absolutely fucking love you. Always have. But this is the worst possible time. Maybe when the dust settles. But in the meantime? We keep having the same conversation over and over again, and eventually, it’s going to blow up in our face.”
“You didn’t seem to mind me blowing up in your face just now,” Hayden teased.
“I know, I know, also shut up, I know, but I mean it, Hayden.” Emiko stood up and made her way toward her clothes. “I adore you, but right now, this can’t happen. You go back to being you. Enjoy meaningless sex with whatever girl throws herself at you. Maybe even pretend it’s me. I’ll try not to be jealous. I know this is my choice. But for now? All I can say is thank you. And goodbye.” She walked out, leaving him naked. She paused at the door. “Wish me luck tonight, yeah? I’ll really have to focus to drown out all of the negativity swirling around me right now. Adieu, sweet prince.” And with that, she was gone.
Hayden stared after her, breathing heavily, beginning to pace in frustration. Letting out a violent roar, he turned and punched the glass as hard as he could. “Shit!” he screamed, clasping his broken hand. The glass, thankfully, was designed to withstand baseballs slamming into it, so it didn’t crack. Hayden pulled out his phone to schedule a doctor’s appointment. As the phone rang, he glowered at the door Emiko just walked out of. She will be mine, he thought to himself. She IS mine!
Chapter 8
In the subsequent weeks, Hayden proved himself to be more or less correct. While Emiko may have briefly flirted with the notion of deleting her Twitter account, much of the opposite happened instead. The counter-clash of offended moderates obliterated the trolls who tried to denounce her. Many of the more offensive Twitter accounts vanished without a trace in under 48 hours. As to the social justice warrior articles, they got their attention before promptly fading and fizzling accordingly.
Aside from the athletes themselves, Emiko Lindberg was suddenly the biggest name in sports.
But the world of sports was not the limit. The first talk show she was invited onto was Real Time with Bill Maher. She was the first guest before the panel came on, and their conversation circled around toxic internet culture and free speech.
“It really hurt at first,” she explained to Bill. “One minute you’re an unknown, and the next you have strangers raining down death threats and sexual harassment upon you.”
“But as we saw, free speech worked,” said Bill.
“Yes,” agreed Emiko. “No organization or branch of government told these pigs to stop; their own words helped them dig their own graves, and they were chased off by other Twitter users with a somewhat more progressive mindset.”
“Now, I’ve talked about how there’s a ‘purity’ problem on the left. Liberals didn’t want to vote for Hillary because she wasn’t perfect. I talked about it again after Amy Schumer’s I Feel Pretty came out. How would you respond to those who think the problem is that you’re somehow not diverse enough?”
“I honestly have no words,” she replied. “I’m the biracial child of immigrants, trying to make it as a woman in an industry dominated completely by men. Shout out to Jenny Cavnar, by the way, for helping make this happen for me. But honestly, it’s ridiculous. Listen, I’m all for transgender three-armed dwarfs becoming the next big play-by-play announcer. Now that would absolutely be awesome. No no, don’t laugh!” she said to the chortling crowd. “Everybody deserves an opportunity like this. I don’t care what color your skin is, how many limbs or digits you have, what’s going on or not going on between your legs, which god you worship—”
“Or don’t worship!” pointed out Bill to approval from his studio audience.
“Exactly! Everyone should get the chance to pursue their dreams and do what they love. I want to say that I was lucky, but the truth is that my getting a job like this shouldn’t be based on luck, but on talent and dedication.”
“Well, you are certainly both talented and dedicated. Emiko Lindberg everybody! And now, the panel.”
When Overtime came around after the televised show wrapped, she came back out to join the other guests. During Overtime, which only premiered online, Bill would read out questions submitted online. Eventually, a question came up for her.
“Here’s one for Emiko, ‘Ms. Lindberg, lots of the criticism being leveled your way has come in the form of ridiculous accusations of you trading sexual favors for your new position. Given this, would you be disinclined to pursue a relationship with somebody within the organization for fear of public outcry?’ Because of course, the most important thing to ask someone breaking boundaries is who she passes out in front of Netflix with.’”
After she chuckled along with the crowd, Emiko replied, “Well, you’re right that this question is a bit frustrating, it’s not like they worry about who Gary Cohen or Keith Hernandez may or may not be dating so there’s definitely an intrinsic misogyny to the question, but they do have a point, because people are going to care about things like that. Honestly,” she hesitated ever so slightly. She was about to say I’ve never considered dating anyone in the organization, but that wouldn't be “honest” at all, so instead, she said, “I haven’t really considered dating any of the players or coaches. I’m a bit too focused on my job right now. But hey, if, I dunno, Yoenis Wright wants to take me out for a drink, then hey, I’m game!”
At this, the crowd went nuts. “Well on that note, let’s call it a night,” said Bill. “I’ll be performing in Vegas next Saturday. Good night everybody!”
With the many talk shows she ended up finding herself on, her little joke about one of the Dodgers’ star players—center fielder and 2-hitter Yoenis Wright—quickly slipped her mind. But then after an afternoon game, she was surprised to be approached by him.
“Mr. Wright! Hi there, good game today!”
“Well, lots of ladies have called me ‘Mr. Right’ in the past, Ms. Lindberg.”
“Oh god, I didn’t even think of that pun,” she said.
“You do a good job,” said Yoenis.
“How do you know?” she asked. “It’s not like you watch your own games.”
He laughed. “True enough. But I like to watch SNY Encore when I get home. I fast forward to my at-bats.”
“Hubris much?”
“Well, a little, but also it’s good to see how it looks from that angle, you know? See how my swing is, see if I was right or wrong to take pitches, you know.”
“Don’t you have footage for that?”
“Sure but it’s not as fun. And like you said, it is fun to watch myself.” They laughed. He continued: “So I caught that clip of you on Bill Maher’s overtime!”
“Oh! Okay, cool.”
“Do you remember what you said on there?”
She paused for a moment, and then her eyes went wide. “Oh my god…”
He smirked. “So how bout it huh? You down for that drink?”
She looked up at him. He was quite handsome, a bit younger than her, fit, and polite. But her mind wandered to Hayden. The only man she really wanted. The one man she decided she could not allow herself to have.
Well, to hell with it. If she couldn’t have Hayden, then why not have some fun in the meantime?
“Okay fine. One drink. Well, two maximum, but after that no more! I’m not getting tipsy with you, Mr. Wrong!”
“Ouch! Stung my soul with that one,” he said, his smile never fading. “You have a preference?”
“How about Bluebird?”
“Oh yeah, I know that place. Where is it again?”
“It’s on Flatbush just north of Lincoln Road, east of Prospect Park.”
“Right right. Okay, see you tonight! Howzabout 10?”
“Make it 10:30. See you there!”
***
She had a good time with him. True to her word, she stuck to only two drinks. She led with a Moscow Mule and then settled into a glass of white zinfandel. Typical guy that he was, he just had a pair of Coronas.
She wasn’t sure if she considered it a date. She decided that she didn’t feel like sticking a label on it. The point was, she had fun, and she wouldn’t mind seeing him again. True, the Dodgers were going to an away game that was being covered by ESPN instead of SNY so she wouldn’t see him again right away, but who cares?
The news the next morning featured a couple items about how she and Yoenis had been out together, but as they hadn’t kissed or been handsy in any way, it seemingly blew over. Sure, there were the loudmouths who felt vindicated and tried to slut-shame her, but they were largely ignored, and anyone else who made a big deal about it only did so because they remembered what she had said on Real Time.
But the real shocker came the next day. Seemingly out of nowhere, Yoenis Wright was traded for a new rookie center fielder and a minor league pitching prospect.
The fanbase was in an uproar. Many cried foul as Wright was one of their star players; others liked the bold move since the rookie could prove to be a future asset, and the minor leaguer could possibly fill a gaping hole on their pitching staff.
None of this, however, concerned Emiko.
She stormed up to Hayden’s office. “Is he here or in his stupid owner’s box?” she demanded of the secretary.
“Uh, he’s inside?” she replied nervously.
Emiko stormed in without another word. She noted the cast on Hayden’s hand but declined to comment on it.
Hayden raised his eyebrows when she entered. “Well isn’t this a surprise,” he said.
“Did you seriously trade away one of our star players just because you can’t handle the fact that he had a drink with me?”
“What do you mean? It was the general manager’s choice, and one I think makes the most sense for the future of this franchise. If you want to build a team of stars, sometimes that means giving up stars.”
“Oh cut the shit. It’s me, Hayden. Tell me the truth!”
He stood up, suddenly imposing. “I tried to take your advice. I have considered screwing my way through my phonebook, if you must know. But no matter how sexy or enthusiastic or kinky they may have been, none of them would have been you. Many of these women loved the idea of being with me or loved what I represent as a former player turned billionaire. But I don’t need to continue sticking my dick in worthless leeches. All,” he stepped toward her, “I want,” he cupped her face, “is you.”
Emiko was in heaven and hell all at once. “I don’t know what to say,” she
whispered.
“Say what you said the other day before you left me,” he said. “I want you. I want to own you. I want no one but you and I don’t want anyone but me to ever touch you again. So say it,” he commanded.
Emiko went weak in his arms. This was inevitable, she realized. I was never going to be able to resist him. Not for long. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Louder,” he ordered.
“I love you,” she said at normal volume.
He squeezed her arms. “LOUDER!” He commanded.
“I LOVE YOU AND I ALWAYS HAVE!” she screamed, and for the second time, they found themselves tangled together in the throes of passion.
Chapter 9
“You can’t tell anybody okay?” said Emiko.
“Oh I’m not saying shit,” said Harper. “It’s not like anyone listens to me anyway!”