Clutch Hit

by Faith O'Shea

  She was struck with a thought, and her stomach clenched.

  “Did you leave anyone behind?”

  “I would not do that. If there was someone there I cared about, I would have brought her or not come. I have only married once.”

  He looked so serious she believed him. She was beginning to suspect he didn’t have a duplicitous nature. It didn’t matter one way or another; she didn’t need to test it. She wasn’t in this for life. Only until they got his mother here.

  “We should start the process for your mother’s visa.”

  “As quickly as possible, please. I don’t like knowing she’s alone there. This time I can’t return if she needs me.”

  “Monday I’ll call an immigration lawyer I know, and we’ll get it started.”

  “Thank you.”

  She let the silence settle over them and she was surprised that it felt comfortable. He looked relaxed. His head was back; his eyes were closed. She wondered what he’d do to fill his time now that practices had been suspended until after the funeral.

  “Have you made any plans for the next couple of days?”

  He glanced over and said, “No. Seb said he’d call, that maybe we’d catch up tomorrow. Now, I’m not sure.”

  She gave him a wry smile. “He may be too busy crying in his beer to come and get you.”

  “That, and if he knows you’re living here, he might be averse to hanging out.”

  “He doesn’t have to know. I’m going to be gone a lot over the next couple of weeks. I need to check in with the minor leagues, see if there’s someone who we should extend an invitation to spring training to that we haven’t. There are a couple of players we were on the fence about. I need to watch them play one or two more times before deciding which way to go.”

  “Travel is part of your job.”

  “It is. We’ve got a variety of minor league teams. Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Port Royal, South Carolina, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a training center in the Dominican Republic, and one in Puerto Rico. I check in with each as often as I can. I also visit players who the scouts think might be draft worthy. I have between now and June to decide who we’ll pick.”

  “You have a lot of responsibility.”

  “And as you know, I take it a bit too seriously at times.”

  His expression was stony, telling her the joke fell flat.

  “What will I do when you’re gone?”

  “I won’t be leaving until after the funeral and practices will have been reinstated. You’ll have the freedom to do what you want. Within reason.”

  “Can I spend money on clothes? I bought some at the hotel but most of my clothes are to wear in summer.”

  She should have thought about that. He was used to living in warmer climates and she’d been so busy avoiding him she hadn’t done her job.

  “We’re going to have to talk about your finances. Maybe tomorrow. I’ll explain what you have available, how you can use it. We’ve gotten the credit cards we applied for, and you have unlimited access. We’ve set up automatic pay for all of them. You can go anywhere and buy anything. Again, within reason. One car, one laptop, one closet full of clothes.”

  “Why would I need more than one?”

  “You’d be surprised by how many cars some of the players have. They collect them like baseball fans. The more they have, the better they feel. We’ll have to get you a license before you can drive around.”

  “Can you buy one of those?”

  “You’ll have to pass a couple of tests. One written, one behind the wheel. Have you driven before?”

  “I have but our streets are not full of traffic. The only thing you need to avoid is bicycles and people walking.”

  She was thinking about being in the passenger seat while he tried to understand the flow. She’d need to teach him how to parallel park and her stomach clenched. The car she’d picked out for him was an automatic so she wouldn’t have to worry about grinding gears.

  “They’re probably not as narrow or confusing, either. Lots of one-ways and traffic lights here in the city. I’ll have to take you to a less-congested area… I forgot to show you the car. If you like it, we can start your lessons tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Why not? I have to go into the office for a few hours, but I can do that early. If that’s the case, I need to get to bed. It’s getting late.”

  He shot up before she stood, a more gentlemanly gesture than she was used to. Before she retired, she asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I am. Thank you for staying out here with me.”

  He looked so earnest she felt a sliver of guilt.

  “I’ve made myself scarce because…I don’t know how to handle this. It’s temporary and I don’t want it to get sticky. I also don’t want to fail you. I’m going to try and find my balance. Please have patience with me until I do.”

  “I have patience.”

  “I know. I’ve seen you at the plate.”

  “You were there this morning watching me?”

  “I caught the tail end of your time in the batter’s box. I’ve also watched all kinds of videos. You know that, though. You watched me watch them.”

  His movements had put all kinds of images in her head, none of them safe. He was a powerhouse, with the upper body physique that made her mouth water, and his mental discipline was almost as attractive. He swung the bat as naturally as one breathed, and his technique on the field was flawless. The man was over six feet tall, but his range of motion amazed her. Being a lover of baseball, she couldn’t help but be enthralled. It might have been the impetus for the proposal. If she didn’t watch herself, it might also be the impetus for going someplace she had no intention of going. His bed might call to her, but she had discipline of her own and she was going to use it.

  “Good night, Mateo.”

  “Good night, Alicia.”

  The vibration of his voice shimmered through her, but she forced herself away, taking backward steps so she could get her fill of him.

  When she was safely behind her bedroom door, she let her shoulders relax. There was more tension there than she’d thought. Fighting the force of the attraction was going to take a toll on her, especially now that she was getting to know him. There was more substance beneath the surface than she wanted there to be. If he was egotistical like some, or materialistic like others, it would have been easy to withstand the physical attraction. That he was neither was going to make it difficult to resist his charm. She just had to remember the one hundred things that could go wrong…

  She undressed, changed into her pajamas, and before folding her clothes, took her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. After pulling the covers on the bed down, she slid in between the sheets and thumbed her contacts.

  Casey answered on the third ring.

  “Hi. What’s up?”

  “You have time to talk?”

  “Yes. All’s quiet on the home front.”

  “I think I’m in big trouble.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “You know that Cuban guy we signed?”

  “Yeah. He’s been working out at the facility. He was in with Rique dos Santos and Seb for the last two days.”

  Piqued by curiosity, Alicia asked, “Did you watch?”

  Casey used her prim tone. “No. I didn’t.”

  Fixing the pillows behind her head, Allie tried to get more comfortable.

  “Not even a peek?”

  She knew Casey still carried a torch. Had a feeling the flame would never go out.

  “Well, maybe a peek.”

  “What did you feel?”

  “Exasperated with myself because I gave in. It’s hard knowing he’s going to be around.”

  “And now that your father accepted the manager’s job?”

  “I’m fucked. But I don’t think you called to talk to me about Sebastian Layden. You said you were in trouble.”

  “You know we had to do some fast talking to get Alvarez here.�
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  “I was surprised he got here at all. From what I understand, there are a couple of other Cuban players holding out, waiting for that agreement between baseball leagues to kick in. They’ve been unwilling to gamble on defection when there was a chance they could move between the countries freely. I still can’t believe it won’t be honored. It’s almost a good thing Alvarez didn’t wait.”

  Alicia hesitated, but she needed to tell someone. She heard the caution in her voice when she said, “He’s here on a spousal visa.”

  Casey sputtered, “Who the hell did you get to marry him?” There was only a slight pause before Casey gasped. “You. You married the guy? That’s your trouble.”

  Although that would have gotten her ankle deep, she said, “Not exactly.”

  “There’s more? Are you pregnant?”

  Quick to re-assure her, she insisted, “No. It’s not that. I haven’t…yet. That’s the trouble. I want to do some pretty disgusting things with him.”

  “Allie. He’s a ballplayer. Have you forgotten you don’t date them?”

  Her stomach dropped with what felt like dread. It was a creed that had somehow gotten lost in translation. She said caustically, “We didn’t date. We skipped right to the chapel part.”

  Casey’s chuckle should have annoyed the shit out of her, but she had to admit her predicament might be laughable from another perspective.

  “Of all the people to be married to a jock, I never thought it would be you.”

  “That makes two of us. Even worse, Dan wants me to stay with him until he has his feet on the ground. I’m in his guest bedroom as we speak.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  She had no idea. That was the reason for the call. She needed someone to bounce things off, help her get her head on straight.

  “The plan was to get a divorce as soon as we got here. Now he wants me to wait so I can sponsor his mother. I’m not sure I can hold out that long.”

  “For what? The divorce or the…sex?”

  She squeezed her eyes shut. Casey had pretty much laid out her dilemma.

  “I’m thinking maybe we can get the decree and then have sex. That way I don’t have to trust him.”

  “The alternative would be celibacy, right? You can’t expect him to agree to that, can you?”

  “I’m celibate. Where’s my sympathy?”

  “That’s by choice.”

  “I didn’t twist his arm.”

  “No, you just offered him a way to get a contract and play for the big leagues.”

  “Throw that in my face.”

  “Allie, there’s no way you would have done this without feeling something for the guy. Maybe you could—”

  “No way. I learned that lesson and it’s not worth repeating.”

  “They’re not all bad. My dad was faithful.”

  “I know. And for as often as I’ve told myself most of the guys are, I can’t move beyond it.”

  Not that she would have dated any of the players she worked with. That would be a gross conflict of interest.

  Like marrying one of them wasn’t.

  She let her head drop back against the headboard. Hard. She thought maybe it would knock some sense into her.

  Casey whispered, “I’ve gotta go. My dad just got home. He’s been squirreled in his office at the complex making plans, organizing, figuring out who to bring in to coach with him. I want to find out what happened. Are we still on for the morning?”

  They worked out a couple of times a week at the sports center when she was in town. It had a great gym, with all the bells and whistles, and was close enough to Harborside that it would take only ten or fifteen minutes for her to get to work. And it allowed her time with one of her closest friends.

  Casey asked, “Six thirty as usual?”

  “I’ll be there. I’m hoping you can talk me out of doing something even more insane than what I’ve already done.”

  “When have you ever listened to my sage advice?”

  “Since I’ve become older and wiser?”

  “Is that a recent development?”

  “It happened a couple of hours ago when I moved into the bedroom down the hall from my…husband.”

  Casey had the audacity to laugh outright this time, but assured, “I’ll do my best. See you then.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Mateo stirred when he heard noises out in the kitchen. The bed was comfortable and all he wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep. He’d tossed and turned most of the night, wanting to slip down the hall and into Alicia’s room. It had taken all his discipline not to give in. This morning he was groggy and rock hard from the fantasies that had plagued him.

  When the loud whir of a blender buzzed through him, he sat up and leaned on an elbow, glancing at the time on his phone. It wasn’t even six in the morning. Did Alicia always get up this early and turn on ear-splitting machines? Or was this just his lucky day? He crawled out of bed and slipped into his sweatpants before striding out to see what the hell she was doing.

  He rubbed at his tired eyes and asked, “Have they also assigned you as my alarm clock?”

  She jerked her head toward him, a tinge creeping up her cheeks.

  “Sorry. I’m used to living alone.”

  No longer half-asleep, the vision of her in form-fitting spandex too much for his tired brain to process, he gulped hard before the drool pooled out and shook off the stupor. His brain cells finally kicked in, giving his man parts a breather.

  “I thought you had roommates?”

  “I share the house with three other people, but we all have separate quarters, like mini-condos. That was the reason we went in on the rent. We thought we were a little old to share a bathroom or kitchen.”

  She never looked up. She was concentrating on pouring her drink into a glass.

  “And yet here you are sharing space with me.”

  She ignored his comment and sipped from a glass canning jar, her lips white from the smoothie foam.

  He wanted to go over and kiss it off, but he kept his feet from moving by sheer force of will.

  The urge was even stronger when her tongue flicked across said lips and wiped them clean.

  “I’m sorry. This is breakfast when I’m going to work out.” Finally meeting his eyes, she gave him a sad smile. “I guess it does make a lot of noise.”

  Rique had taught him how to make a protein shake when he was in Brazil and he started having them regularly after he exercised, to replenish what he used up in energy and sweat. Since she was going right to the gym, it was probably a good choice. Not too heavy and packed with nutrients. He scanned her body. It gave a whole new meaning to the term dressed to kill.

  “You belong to a gym?”

  “Not exactly. I’m meeting Casey at Calipari’s. I try to get there a couple of times a week. We keep each other motivated.”

  Conscious that he was staring, her body mouth-wateringly good, he dragged his gaze back to her face.

  “Can I come?”

  She tapped her fingernails on the glass while thinking about it.

  “Um, probably not a good idea.”

  “Why? You are developing me, aren’t you? With training suspended, what could be more important than making sure I keep to a routine?”

  He knew she could find an excuse to say no, so he was oddly surprised when she said, “Good point. I’ve got to leave as soon as I gulp this down. I’m already late. If you’re ready before I’m done, I guess you can tag along.”

  Knowing he’d need a shower after the workout, he skipped right to grabbing a tee, socks, and sneakers. He was out back out just as she was rinsing the glass and blender out.

  She glanced back as he shoved his feet into the worn-out shoes he’d brought from Cuba with him.

  “We have to get you some new things. Maybe we can make a day of it. I was going to try to sneak out for a couple of hours to see the featured exhibit at the art gallery, but I can do that some other time.”

&n
bsp; He cocked his head up as he finished tying his laces.

  “I could go with you. I would like to see what kinds of museums are here.”

  She tilted her chin at an angle and asked, “You’re into art?”

  He got up and pushed down his pant legs with the toe of his sneaker.

  “I’m into anything that isn’t Cuban. Everything there is crumbling and in need of repair. The state wasn’t very efficient at keeping things modern.”

  It had always counted on the workers to fulfill the duties, but without food, clothing or spending money they were growing restless and many had refused to work for so little. Even with the changes the government had made, improvements were slow to come.

  “We’ll see how the day plays out. We have a lot to do yet, so we might not have time for entertainment.”

  “Buying clothes shouldn’t take long. I don’t need much.”

  “Do you have a suit to wear to the wake and funeral?”

  He shook his head. He hadn’t even thought of that, but he certainly couldn’t attend in a tee and sweats.

  “It is good you are helping me. I wouldn’t know where to purchase these things.”

  “You’re in luck. I know Boston like the back of my hand and love to shop. Where’s your duffel? You’ll want to take a change of clothes. You can shower there.”

  As he turned to do as instructed, she asked, “You want a breakfast bar or something to take with you?”

  “What is that?”

  She looked at him as if he had three heads, but explained, “It’s all kinds of vitamins and minerals packed into a portable breakfast.”