The Perfect Catch

by Shania Tyler

  Even as I’d stood there talking to her, I had imagined unzipping that skin-tight dress, watching it fall off her curves to pool around her ankles. I could see her stepping out of the pool of material to bend over the desk and spread her legs for me. The way her hips moved and her ass bounced in the air made me groan, and I felt my cock harden in my jeans.

  Goddamnit, get a grip on yourself, Major. I dropped the pile of papers I’d picked up from the office onto the seat by center field.

  “All right, guys, let’s get back to it,” I called as I tried to turn my attention back to business. I had a job to do and there was no way I was going to be able to do it with dirty images of Ruby Bowman floating around my head all day. I closed my eyes for a second and sucked in a deep breath. Releasing it, I tried to force away the images and ideas forming over and over again in my brain. Sometimes I hated being a guy, especially when it came to women at work. I wasn’t that kind of a guy at least. I could pride myself on that. I never mixed business with pleasure. That was how it was going to stay.

  “Can anyone tell me what you and Bill were working on last week?” I asked the guys as they all huddled up in front of me.

  “You’re the coach,” Bronson Wills said instantly, and I struggled not to groan and show my frustration. “Shouldn’t you already have all the answers to things like that?”

  “Yeah, maybe you should give Bill a call and ask him for a hand getting your shit together.” Another one of them laughed, and Wills offered up his hand for a high five.

  “What the hell is wrong with you two?” one of the other men on the team, bearing the name Hobson on his jersey, asked. “Are you in kindergarten?”

  I was relieved to have at least a little support on the team even if I was going to have to put up with shit from a couple of them for a few weeks while they got used to me. I wasn’t surprised. I had been dropped on them like last night’s leftovers without any warning but there was no way I was going to put up with that shit.

  “Wills, Malcolm, give me ten laps around the field,” I told them, and the two men looked at me as though I had grown an extra head.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Wills demanded and the way he crossed his arms and pushed out his chest caused me to want to show him exactly what I was talking about. Oh, how I would love to show him who was boss. I knew he was testing me, testing just how big my balls were. He was trying to see how far he could push me before I snapped. I guess that was what I deserved after everything that happened at the Super Bowl.

  “You heard me, didn’t you?” I turned my attention to Malcolm, who had become quiet now. The guy nodded and began to make his way around the first lap of the field. I turned back to Wills. “Off you go, little boy, or I’ll have you benched for the next game.”

  It was every quarterback’s worst nightmare to be benched when they had been the star of the show for so long, and I could see the fear in Wills’ eyes. Relief washed over me as he finally turned and joined his teammate in the laps of the field.

  “Now, why don’t the rest of you go through everything with me so that we can get off to a strong start?” I suggested to the rest of the team.

  * * *

  The first practice seemed to go well with very few comments from Wills or any of his little followers. It was a relief to know that they had stepped into line so easily. At least, I thought they had until I felt somebody grab me from behind. Stunned, I found myself pressed back against the hallway wall with an arm barred across my chest.

  “You think because you smacked your last quarterback that you are a big man, don’t you?” Wills put his face close to mine so that he was staring me right in the eye. He had picked the wrong guy to mess with.

  “I suggest you get your hands off me right now,” I told him calmly as my jaw tensed with the desire to fight back. There was only so long that I could hold my own anger at bay before I really let it rip on him. “You’ve tested my patience enough today.”

  “What’s wrong? Don’t like being shown who’s boss?” Wills laughed. “Don’t be making me do laps again or I’ll make you regret it.”

  “I’ll make you do whatever it takes to get you ready for the Super Bowl,” I assured him. “Even if that means getting you to run laps to show you who’s really in charge here.”

  With that, I shoved him away from me and he stumbled backward as though he hadn’t been ready for me to fight back.

  “Also, I suggest you keep your hands to yourself unless you want me to go to Ruby and request that you be benched for the rest of the season.” I straightened my t-shirt and glared at him to show him there was no way I was going to be intimidated by a small man like him. Sure, he was just as well built and slightly taller than me, but his attitude was petty, and I was almost sure he was trying to make up for something he must’ve been missing from his childhood. He probably just needed a father figure, but that wasn’t going to be me. “Play the big man all you want to out on the field but when it comes to me and you, I am in charge. You got that?”

  “Is everything all right down here?” A flowery, feminine voice hit my ears, and I didn’t need to look to know that Ruby was walking toward us. Her heels clicked on the hard floor as she swayed her hips deliciously. I forced myself not to look at her, knowing that I would fall into the trap as soon as I did.

  “Everything is fine,” I assured her without taking my eyes off the quarterback. “Isn’t it, Wills?”

  “Whatever you say, boss,” Wills replied, and I knew that he was only saying it for Ruby’s benefit. I could see in his eyes that I was going to have more trouble from him before the season was over, probably before the next practice session was over.

  “Why don’t you go and get showered, Wills? You stink to high hell.” Ruby pinched her nose as though she couldn’t handle the stench of him, and I couldn’t help but smirk at the annoyed look he gave her. Then his face fell into an easy smile and a punch of jealousy hit me right in the gut.

  “Most women swoon at my masculine odor,” Wills joked, straightening his back and winking at her.

  “You sure they aren’t just fainting from the potency of it?” Ruby teased back at him, and I barely managed to stop myself from losing my temper with both of them. Were they actually flirting right in front of me? My fists clenched, the movement more reflex than controlled action.

  “I think we are done here,” I told him. “Do as the lady says.”

  Wills turned and began to head down the hallway in the direction of the changing rooms and the showers beyond.

  “What can I do for you, boss lady?” I asked as soon as Wills was gone.

  “Please stop calling me that.” She shook her head and sighed but the look on her face told me that she liked the new nickname I had given her. “Or I may have to come up with something just as stupid for your nickname.”

  “Oh, we are on nicknames terms now, are we?” I winked at her and her cheeks flushed. There she was again, right where I wanted her, right where I liked every woman to be when they were talking to me. I could see her struggling not to melt under my gaze.

  “Grow up, Major.” She rolled her eyes at me. “I just came to see how your first day went. I hope the guys didn’t give you too much trouble.”

  I could see from the look on her face that she had caught more of my conversation with Wills than she was letting on, but I wasn’t about to make her think that I needed her help to handle it.

  I shrugged. “I can handle them just fine. I’ve handled much worse.”

  Much worse had been one of the reasons I had ended up in the situation I’d been in with my last team. Their quarterback had been ten times worse than Bronson Wills. He was a pussycat compared to Davis, my old QB.

  “So, we are all good then?” she asked and the look on her face told me she was relieved. I suspected that she had been half expecting me to walk out after the first practice.

  “I told you I’d get us a win, and I am going to do that,” I promised her. “I don’t give up t
hat easily.”

  “I’m sorry if Wills has been giving you a lot of shit,” she told me, and I was shocked, not for the first time, at her use of cuss words. She didn’t seem like the type of woman to swear even when she was angry let alone in the midst of a general conversation, but I liked it on her. That felt strange because usually I was disgusted by women who swore but on Ruby’s lips, there was something almost gracefully aggressive about it, something only a beautiful woman like her could accomplish.

  “Like I said, I can handle it,” I assured her. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about me.”

  The way I said pretty caused her to blush all over again, and I felt the familiar tingling sensation throughout my body at her reaction. God help me. This woman is going to be the end of me.

  “Well, don’t forget my office door is always open if you need anything at all,” Ruby assured me.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied with a nod.

  “I’ll be seeing you bright and early tomorrow morning then?” Something about her voice told me she was hopeful.

  “You sure will.”

  * * *

  7

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  CHAPTER SEVEN

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  .

  Ruby

  What I had witnessed in the hallway close to Major’s new office was not reassuring but there wasn’t much I could do about it if neither of them was willing to ask for help. I knew that Wills was just being stubborn, as he always was when he smelled blood in the water but knowing Major’s past made me all the more apprehensive about it all. The last thing I needed was word getting out that there was in-fighting in my team. It was already bad enough that people thought because I was a woman I couldn’t do as good a job but if they knew I couldn’t keep my men under control I was done for and my job would be swiped out from under me. A line of very skilled men waited to take my place as soon as that happened. They could smell the blood in the water, too.

  Things like that were floating through my head as I made the drive back home to my small apartment that I’d set up not long after Scotty and I had split. It wasn’t much but it was home, and I was always relieved when I could close the door and shut off the rest of the world to forget about it until I had to go into work the next day and begin all over again.

  Traffic wasn’t too bad this evening, and it wasn’t long before I was pulling into my usual spot in 4B. The guy in 4C, who always seemed to arrive home at the same time as me, gave me a quick wave from his sedan as he pulled in and I waved back. He always tried to stop me for a chat, so I quickly clambered from my car, grabbed my handbag from the back seat, and locked up before I headed into the building. I was in no mood to talk to anyone after the rough day I’d had of keeping my eye on the new coach and our overly big-headed quarterback. I needed a large glass of wine… and by large, I meant a bottle.

  As usual, the elevator was out of order, so I had to make the trek up four flights of stairs to reach my apartment door. By the time I made it up, I was already panting but it was the box I found on my doormat that caused me to gasp. “What on earth?”

  I bent down to pick up the box and was shocked that it was lighter than it had looked. From the weight, there was no way I could tell what was inside, but from the silver ribbon wrapped around it, I knew it must have been a gift. A gift from who, I had no idea, but a gift nonetheless.

  Holding the box and the straps of my handbag awkwardly in one hand, I used the other to unlock the door to my apartment and pushed it open. Stepping inside, I kicked the door shut with my heel and hung my bag up on the peg before I began to make my way down the hallway to the kitchen.

  I placed the box on the countertop and undid the ribbon carefully. For a moment, I held my breath before I pulled the top of the box off to look inside. Whatever was inside was covered in a layer of tissue paper to hide it and a note written on pink paper laid on top of it in unfamiliar writing:

  Ruby,

  I found this in the back of my wardrobe and thought you’d like it back. Perhaps you could wear it on our next date.

  I hope to see you again soon.

  Scotty

  * * *

  8

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  CHAPTER EIGHT

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  .

  Rudy

  “You have got to be kidding me.” I rolled my eyes and groaned as I realized why I didn’t recognize the writing. He must have had his assistant write and send the package because he was too lazy to do it for himself. Whatever the hell is in this box is not going to make me go on another date with you, Scotty.

  For a moment, I thought of picking up the box without even looking at what was inside and throwing it in the trash. Then I thought better of it. Whatever was inside the box must have been mine once for him to say that he wanted to return it. I was intrigued to see what it was that I had left behind in my hurry to get out of his apartment and find my own place.

  Pulling back the tissue paper, I found myself face to face with my old Houston Buckskins Jersey, the one I had replaced shortly after splitting up with Scotty due to him being the one who had purchased it in the first place. I’d worn it to every game that we’d attended together, even though the truth was I hated wearing it. I might have been a woman who loved sports and worked in the sports sector, but I hated the loose fit and it didn’t flatter my figure in the slightest. Being a woman in my industry, I had to use everything to my advantage and hiding my figure beneath a loose jersey was not going to get me where I needed to be.

  “Thanks, but no thanks, Scotty.” I laughed as I upended the box into the trash can and left it there to rot with last night’s leftovers until I could be bothered to lug the black bag all the way down the four flights of stairs to the large dumpster out back. There was no way he was getting back in her good graces with a jersey.

  Look what he’s doing to you. I headed over to the fridge to grab the bottle of white wine I’d started on the night before. He’s even got you talking to yourself over him.

  I grabbed the bottle and a glass from the cupboard above the fridge and made my way through the apartment to the living room. Some trashy television and a glass of wine were just what I needed to unwind from the chaos of the day.

  I kicked off my heels and threw my feet up onto the arm of the sofa before I began to flick through the channels looking for anything that looked half decent. In the end, I stopped on a Johnny Depp movie. Some Captain Jack was just what I needed to ease the stress. Good old Johnny always knew how to make a girl laugh.

  I was just beginning to giggle at the movie, having drunk half a glass of wine, when I heard my phone ringing from where I’d left it in my handbag on the peg in the hall. With a groan, I pushed myself up from my comfortable position on the sofa where I’d hoped to remain for the rest of the evening and headed into the hall to grab my phone.

  “Whoever you are, I don’t need any more bull shit today,” I said before having answered the phone. I pulled it from the front pocket of my bag and groaned when I saw the name flashing over the screen.

  “What the hell do you want, Scotty?” I demanded as soon as I answered. I was not in the mood to talk to him, especially after what I’d found on the doormat.

  “You tell me,” he said calmly, and I could almost imagine him smiling at my annoyance. “You left me a voicemail.”

  I pressed my thumb and forefinger to the bridge of my nose in an attempt to reduce the headache coming on fast in my forehead, remembering the angry voicemail that I had left him this morning. I groaned to myself at forgetting such a thing.

  “Right, I have got a bone to pick with you,” I growled down the phone at him. “What the hell do you think you are playing at talking to reporters. My team is none of your goddamn business.”

  “Whoa, hey! I don’t have a clue what you are talking about!” Scotty
exclaimed, and I felt my anger hitching up a notch.

  “Don’t lie to me, Scotty. You know exactly what I am talking about,” I wasn’t in the mood for his games. He was a compulsive liar, especially when it came to things like this. “You were the only one who knew that I was meeting with Major and you were there not long after the meeting, so it could only have been you who would leak something like that to the press!”

  “I swear, I didn’t leak it to the press.” Scotty chose his words carefully as though he knew exactly where the leak had come from, and I found myself groaning again. If it wasn’t Scotty, then there was only one other explanation. Whoever he had been banging over the weekend had gotten the rundown on every detail of his week’s adventures.

  “Why can’t you just keep it in your pants?” I snapped. Sure, it was none of my business who he stuck his dick in anymore but when it came to blabbing my business all over the place, I had a right to be angry. “Oh, who am I kidding? You couldn’t keep it in your pants if your life depended on it!”

  “That’s a little harsh, Ru.” Scotty sounded hurt, and I almost felt guilty. If I wasn’t so angry, I might have been but the fact that this was Scotty and he had just called me Ru again made me blow my top all the more.

  “It’s true, Scotty!” I yelled at him. “Keep your nose out of my business from now on and don’t bother sending me any more gifts. Save them for your little tramps because they are wasted on me.”