by Vera Roberts
Bobbi’s eyes widened and her smile followed. Her new office was just as amazing and perfect as she hoped it would be. Yoga mats. Tumbler mats. Bounce balls with handles. Jump rope. Treadmills. Weight machines.
In other places she’d worked, Bobbi barely even had a chair to sit in. She was rather used to standing for long periods. She quickly became a fan of Sketchers for that very reason.
The therapy room had everything she could ever want and imagined. “This is perfect.” She beamed. “Just absolutely perfect.”
“And over here,” Hector walked her to a corner office. “Is your new office. You have your very own office here.”
Bobbi stepped inside her office and was amazed by the fact she even had one to boast about. It was a small and only had a chair, desk, telephone, and computer. It didn’t have any windows and other than the standard ventilation, Bobbi knew she had to bring a fan.
It was a minor inconvenience to the overall bigger picture: she had her own freaking office! “This is amazing.” She shook her head. When she was in Howard, she dreamed of having her own physical therapy business with a corner office and those fancy business cards with the ecru coloring and raised lettering.
She wasn’t quite there but this was an amazing start. “This is perfect.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Hector glanced down at his phone. “Oh, it’s time for the time meeting. You’ll be introduced to the athletes and then we’ll come back down here to get situated.”
“Great!” Bobbi rubbed her hands. “This is so wonderful.” She already knew she was going to love her new job.
~~~~~
“If it ain’t the man with the one hundred and seventy-five million dollar arm.” Second baseman, Brett James, bumped fists with Quinn. Brett was a tall, muscular Black man who often reminded longtime baseball fans of Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas.
“What’s up?” Quinn smiled. “What you got for me this week?”
“Yo, check it out,” Brett pulled out his phone and opened a music app. “Geto Boys. Get you some.”
“Geto Boys, huh?” Quinn narrowed his eyes. “You really gon’ act like I don’t know anything about Bushwick Bill, FaceMob, and Willie D.?”
“Kid, what don’t you listen to?” Brett shook his head. “Each time I bring you heat, you let me know you already knew about it.”
“80’s dance.” Quinn admitted. “I know absolutely nothing about that.”
“Yo, introduce him to Freestyle!” Another teammate, Doug Pearson, stated. He was a biracial man with a Caesar haircut and goatee. He was nicknamed Jon B. after the singer. “Funky Little Beat, man!”
“Yo, Freestyle it is!” Quinn beamed like a kid in a candy shop. Some people loved movies. Some were hardcore TV fanatics. Quinn’s vice was always music. He couldn’t get enough and loved just about all genres. "That’s my homework for the week.”
“I got a lot of artists you can listen to.” Doug recommended. “It didn’t last long but they made a lot of great music. Only 80’s teens would know. It was hella popular back then.”
“Sweet,” Quinn took his place beside Xavier, who was busy swiping on his phone. “And you were giving me relationship advice?”
“I gave you excellent advice,” Xavier continued to swipe. “Get your dick wet and get the fuck out. Advice every man in his twenties needs to do. You don’t need to be tied down to any woman.”
“It was just a one-night-stand, man.” Quinn admitted, though it pained him to say that much. He couldn’t stop thinking about Bobbi all day. If that was her name. He never met a woman named Bobbi ever.
Maybe it was for the best it was a one-night stand. If she lied to him about her name, maybe she didn’t need to be a part of his life.
“My point exactly. A one-night-stand and you never have to worry about her every again for the rest of your natural born life.” Xavier kept swiping. He couldn’t tell if he was that superficial or if the chicks were more plastic than before. Maybe both.
“I guess so,” Quinn conceded. He wondered if Bobbi had a good time? Was he bad? He knew it’d been a while but he still knew the basics. Sex wasn’t complicated, but it wasn’t anything everyone was good at, neither.
Quinn cringed to think if he was going to show up on some gossip blog about his dick size. Now he had another problem to worry about.
“Hey fellas,” The team owner, Hugh Jordan, walked in with a small entourage behind him. He was a middle-aged man who was in the process of going through a mid-life crisis and seemingly went down a checklist of everything to do.
Expensive convertible? Check. Plastic younger girlfriend with a Botox-filled face and prolapsed anus lips? Check. A sudden penchant for trap music? Check. “I want to start off by saying thank you for coming in today. It’s greatly appreciated. We know all of you have very busy schedules outside of baseball and we appreciate you coming in.
“Last year was a huge year for us – we went to the World Series and won.” A large round of applause filled the locker room. “And now they’re gunning for us. They as in everyone. We need to show them the last couple of years were not a fluke nor a joke. We deserve every bit of those wins.
“As you fellas have known, we have new staff we’re introducing all of you to today. While most of the staff is the still the same, we’re changing up things in the physical therapy department. We need all of you to be fresh and on your game. The Commissioner is cracking down on drug testing every damn athlete so let’s not give him a reason to, all right?
“So, I searched for the best person to help all of you. She comes from Howard University and she did wonders for the athletic program down there. She also had a brief stint with the Atlanta Braves before I stole her to come here.” Hugh chuckled. “Without further adieu, please give a warm Dodger welcome to Bobbi Gibson.”
Bobbi stepped into the conference room to applause and waved to the team. She briefly scanned the team and hoped she would recognize a familiar face or two. She wasn’t much of a baseball fan, but she knew who the major players were.
She was about to start her speech until her eyes landed on Quinn, who simply stared back at her.
Ohhhhhhhhhh…..Bobbi silently began.
Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit….Quinn finished.
“Is there anything you want to say, Bobbi?” Hugh smiled at her.
Bobbi wasn’t planning to speak, but even if she was going to, she didn’t think she would’ve been able to say too much with Quinn staring down at her. She couldn’t tell if he was pissed, disappointed, or just messing with her head.
Considering she left without leaving a Dear John letter, Bobbi naturally assumed it was a combination of all of it. She shook her head no to Hugh and quietly stepped aside as he and the head coach spoke to the team.
Now Bobbi needed to figure out how she was going to work with Quinn, while acting like she had no idea who he is or their connection to each other.
Quinn didn’t mean to stare her down. He knew it was rude and there was nothing – well, almost nothing – Bobbi did to deserve it. He was glad he found out her name was true and legitimate. Now it was a question if she was as well.
His eyes never left her face and Bobbi looked everywhere but in Quinn’s direction. He swallowed his emotions as he studied just how even more gorgeous she looked in the morning hours. She wore very little makeup and her hair gave her such a personality.
It was in a big pouf and Quinn already imagined running his fingers through it. He loved how she laid on top of him and her hair spread out over his chest. He hoped there would be another repeat.
Hoped.
Hoped.
Hoped.
“If that’s all, everyone is free to go. We’ll see you in Arizona in a few days.” Hugh dismissed the team.
Bobbi quickly left and began to head back to the physical therapy station. There was no way she was going to deal with Quinn and whatever mess the previous night was between them. She would have to figure out a way to co-exist with him and be as profession
al as possible.
“Bobbi!”
She froze in her tracks and slowly turned around. She would recognize his voice even in a dark alleyway. “What’s up?”
Quinn pulled her into an empty conference room and closed the door behind them. Bobbi quickly walked a small distance away from him and Quinn didn’t fight it. He knew it was awkward, to say the least.
He studied her features and felt his cock twitch in his jeans. Damn, she was so beautiful. Her hair was in a big pouf on top of her head and she wore a series of studs in her ears. Her makeup was natural and light, giving Bobbi the Girl-Next-Door look.
It was in contrast to how they made love the night before. The vixen came out. She wrapped her full lips around his thick cock and sucked him until he blew his load down her throat. She didn’t stop until he came again. And again. And again.
Quinn had to stand behind a table so he could hide his erection. “Say, Bobbi…about the other night?”
Bobbi stared into Quinn’s eyes and forced the bass in her voice to come out. “You know what? It’s fine!” She interrupted. “I’m a big girl, you’re obviously a big boy, and we can totally be professional about all of this.”
It wasn’t where Quinn was going with what he wanted to say. “Okay, but…”
“And let’s face it, what are the odds that either one of us would’ve run into a one-night stand, you know?” She scoffed. She hoped the crimson she felt on her cheeks wasn’t that evident. “I mean, what are the odds, right?”
Quinn pursed his lips. “Right, but I wanted…”
“And you know what? It’s okay.” She nervously laughed. She needed to get the hell away from him. “We both had a good time. You were okay…”
Just okay? Quinn felt his ego smashed.
“…and we can be completely adults and professional about all of this! You’re young, you’re practically wet behind the ears, and you’re in your third season! You don’t need any distraction and I’m not here to give one to you!” She nervously laughed again. She felt like she was developing Tourette’s. “We can totally be professional and all that jazz and I’m completely fine with it!”
“But…” Quinn began to say. What if I’m not?
“So, you don’t have to worry about me stalking you, harassing you, leaving you skull emojis on your IG,” Bobbi felt if she didn’t keep laughing, she would cry. “It’s fine! I’m fine, you’re fine, we’re fine! Hell, we don’t even have to be friends! We can keep it cute and mute!” She waved. “Thanks for this talk, Quinn! Bye!” She hurriedly left the meeting room.
Quinn was left dumbfounded by what just happened. How was he dumped and he wasn’t in a relationship?
He walked over the window and leaned against it. “Hey Bobbi! I know it’s crazy we ran into each other like this, right? Um, listen. The other night was great. Not just the sex; that was incredible, but I mean the entire night was just mind-blowing. I want to see where this goes. I felt a connection between us and I don’t want to deny it. I just don’t want to leave this room without saying that to you. I was wondering if you were free on Friday so we can go out? You are? Awesome. Let me get your address and phone number. Is seven a good time for you? Great. See you then, beautiful.” Quinn hit the wall. “Damn it!”
Eight
“So, how was your first day?”
Bobbi rolled her eyes and plopped on the living room sofa. Out of all of the men in the world, out of all of the teams in Major League Baseball, out of every major city in the United States…
…Quinn just had to be a Dodger.
“Well, it was great for the exception I saw my one night stand and he’s a closing pitcher for the Dodgers and oh my god, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?” She buried her face in her hands.
Sarah calmly sipped her tea as she paused Love After Lockup. She didn’t have any drama in her life so she got her fix by watching trashy reality shows. She still couldn’t understand any sane person falling in love with a prison pen pal and not think that the prisoner wasn’t going to kill them and wear their skin as a new coat.
But seeing her sister in emotional dire straits was more important. “So, that bad?”
Bobbi sat up and shook her head. “I asked him what he did for a living and he said he was in training. I asked him what type of training it was and he said physical training. He didn’t once mention anything about sports!”
“Well, training does start in a few days so he didn’t lie,” Sarah offered a silver lining and Bobbi turned to face her.
“What’s that on your face?”
“A mask,” Sarah twitched her mouth. “Not quite dry yet. It’s one of those K-beauty masks that promise I’ll look like a member of some K-pop manufactured bullshit with twenty-nine other dudes, but I’ll set myself apart because I’ll be the moody one that always wears sunglasses and answers in one-word sentences. But no one knows that on the weekends, I volunteer at the old people’s home and listen to Charlie talk about the good days because he has no family nearby and he just needs an ear. And no one also knows how I love to take a walk in the forest and just smell the air and hugs trees because I know soon, they’ll become someone’s cute little stationery. So, instead, I’m moody because I can’t express my emotions properly but when that beat comes on, I give it my all until I can see Charlie and hug a tree again.”
“The fact you thought about in the detail you did is rather disturbing,” Bobbi noted. She shook her head and sighed. Bobbi suddenly remembered Sarah’s haunting words. “You know Quinn!” Bobbi gasped.
“He’s come by the house a few times. He’s real close with Jameson, Angel Bradley, and Xavier Morgan, but he’s close with everyone. He and Dean even get together sometimes. Hey, I didn’t think you were going to sleep with him, in my defense.” Sarah calmly replied before she took a sip of hot tea. “I thought you were just going to hit it off, not break each other off.”
“Sarah!” Bobbi felt her head was spinning and she was in a Bizzaro world. “I have a hard and fast rule that I don’t sleep with athletes I treat!”
“Well, technically speaking, you didn’t sleep with an athlete you treated.” She pointed out. “You’ve never treated him.”
Bobbi sighed and covered her mouth with her fingers. “I’m going have to deal with Quinn as long as I work there.”
“So deal with him,” Sarah sat beside her sister. “You’re making it sound like a bigger deal than what it is. You said it yourself you didn’t want to be in a relationship and you just needed some good dick to get Ireland out of your system.”
“Scotland, and you’re right.” Bobbi admitted. “It still sucks, though. This is not how things should’ve gone on my first day. You know he cornered me in a room and I quickly shut that down before he made it all awkward on me?”
“Well, good. You two know where each other stands.” Sarah patted her sister’s head. “You have spring training in just a few days, Bob. You don’t have time to worry if he’s going to call you before your favorite show comes on, or if you two will binge-watch a show that you two were kinda interested in but now you can check out together. Now is not the time for that. You’re about to be super busy this season and everyone is expecting the Dodgers to win another title with healthy athletes.” Sarah patted her face and her mask was finally dry. She got up and headed to the bathroom. “Worry about Jordan almonds and A-line gowns when it comes to it.”
Sarah was right, despite how much Bobbi didn’t want to admit. So, she had an amazing one-night stand and it turns out she’ll be working for him later. Yeah, that just sounded horrible.
Bobbi wasn’t a prude but she knew the difference between great sex and a great connection. She felt that…that thing. It was like they connected on another plane. It wasn’t just so much she had a lot in common with him. There was a definite spark.
Yet, she felt both with Quinn.
If he was a regular schemuglar dude, Bobbi wasn’t so sure if she wouldn’t have dismissed him. Running was something she was very good at. She r
an to Howard, despite being accepted at Berkley.
She ran to Atlanta, despite being offered a solid position in D.C.
Now she was on the verge of running from one of the best and most lucrative jobs she’s ever had because she had to face her one-night-stand on a regular basis.
Life wasn’t fair. Of course, the universe would make it so Bobbi had to transition to L.A., hook up with the hottest guy she’d ever laid eyes upon, have the most amazing sex she’s ever had, and has to work for him. Quinn had the power to fire her if he wanted.
The anger and regret burned in her all day. It flared up during her cycling class and it was at a fever pitch when she hit the free weights. It only tempered when she had ice cream for dessert and she specifically chose that because she needed to cool all the way down.
It was settled. Bobbi was going to avoid Quinn like the plague until she absolutely had to treat him. She wasn’t the only physical trainer on board and Quinn could choose without having to talk to Bobbi ever.
It was for the best.
~~~~~~
“I’m not sure what the problem is,” Xavier sipped his beer, “you said you didn’t want a girlfriend and no one argued you with that.”
Quinn couldn’t believe his day. He knew it wasn’t going to be a great one when Bobbi disappeared like a thief in the night. Seeing her in his face at the Dodgers meeting and she flat-out rejected him before he had a chance to ask her out was just insult to injury.
Quinn could read people. Some called it empathy but Quinn knew better. He could read energy. He could tell if someone was in a good or bad mood, despite their calm demeanor. He could tell if he should try his luck, or if he should stay away.
Bobbi’s eyes told him something different. They were full of embarrassment. They were full of regret. There was a spark of love and the feeling was mutual. They were hopeful, before the clear emotion of worry took over.
She ran. Fast. Hard. Olympic Jamaican sprinter speed. It wasn’t her first time running, he could tell. He hoped it was going to be her last time.