Worth the Trade (More Than A Game)

by Kristina Mathews

  His emotions were dancing around in all directions, too.

  Finally, she cried out, digging her nails so deep into his flesh she drew blood. He pumped again. Once. Twice. That was all it took. He exploded.

  No way in hell was he going to let this go.

  Hunter loosened her grip on him, sliding her legs down until her feet hit the floor of the shower. Marco dropped to his knees. His legs could no longer hold him up.

  Hunter picked up the shower head and adjusted it to a fine spray. She rinsed his shoulders and Marco winced as the water stung his cuts.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”

  “You don’t have to apologize to me.” Marco clenched his jaw, hoping she wouldn’t notice his pain. “Not for that.”

  She slid down beside him, kissing the wounds she’d caused.

  “I never meant to hurt you.” She sounded like she was crying again. Shit.

  “I’m tough. I can take it.” The water started to run cool.

  “Let’s go to bed.” He got to his feet, took the shower sprayer, replaced it in the bracket, and turned the water off. “It’s been a long day.”

  She nodded and let him wrap her in a big fluffy towel. He dried off quickly and they tumbled together into the nearest bed.

  Chapter 18

  Hunter had been too exhausted to kick Marco out of her bed last night. At least that’s what she told herself to keep from thinking about how she was only delaying the inevitable. It was only a matter of time before everything blew up around her.

  She’d set up a meeting with Marvin Dempsey for later that afternoon. The team was safely in the air and she had several loose ends to wrap up. Cleaning out her office was only part of it. She couldn’t quite bring herself to take down all the photos and team memorabilia. She still had enough superstition in her to think that she needed to keep everything in place throughout the postseason.

  But she’d started cleaning out the old files. Organizing the business records for the sale. She wanted to make sure this was a clean transaction. She also wanted to be able to prove that she had no ties to Clayton Barry’s investments with FITNatural.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Collins, I tried to stop him.” Her secretary tried to block the door, but the up and coming reporter burst through. His cameraman was right behind him.

  “What can I do for you, Rex?” Hunter tried to maintain her dignity. “If you’re here to congratulate the team on their division title, you’ll need to detour to Phoenix. They’re down there for a three game series before coming home for their final home stand.”

  “Congratulations.” The reporter flashed her a smile that was a phony as those black and white striped “prisoner outfits” they sold as Alcatraz souvenirs. “It’s been an interesting road to get there.”

  “Yes, it has been difficult.” She stood, not letting him intimidate her by his height. Although he was several inches shorter than Marco, he thought he was big stuff. “My father would have liked to have been able to celebrate last nights’ victory with us, but…”

  She let her voice trail off, noticing the cameraman shifted uncomfortably but continued to film the conversation.

  “Would he have liked your trade for Marco Santiago?” Rex had a nasty little smirk on his face when he asked this question.

  “Absolutely. He’d tried to get him last year, but couldn’t make the deal.” She gave him an innocent look. Or as innocent a look as she could give after spending last night naked with the player in question. “My father and I always discussed team business. Even when I was younger, he’d always ask my thoughts on a player or direction the team should go. While other kids went to summer camps, I went to spring training camps. My classmates went to Disneyland and rode the Pirates of the Caribbean. I went to the Caribbean League and learned how to scout raw talent. My father raised me on baseball. He trusted me one hundred percent.”

  “A daddy’s girl through and through.” Rex kind of mumbled that last statement. Good. She was making him feel at least a little small for trying to get to the real story he was after.

  “I guess you could say I was a daddy’s girl. But more than that, I’ve always been a Goliaths’ girl.” She smiled sweetly. “This team means the world to me, especially now, when it’s all I have left of my father’s legacy.”

  The tears that formed now were not for the camera. They weren’t to keep Rex Knight from pursuing his scoop. They were genuine tears of real regret. Because once she sold the team to Dempsey, she’d put the house on the market as well. She’d need to get away from San Francisco and all the memories that came with it. And she planned on going somewhere they didn’t even have baseball.

  “You seem to have the admiration of your team.” Rex cleared his throat, as the words sounded a little muffled. “One player in particular.”

  “Oh that.” She tried to fake a smile. To make it sound like it was no big deal. That Marco was simply caught up in the moment when he kissed her during the postgame celebration.

  “Yes. How long have you been having an affair with Marco Santiago?” Rex finally got to the point.

  “An affair? Ooh, you make it sound so sordid.” She laughed, but inside she wanted to shrivel up and lie on the floor crying. “We met for the first time when he flew in after the trade.”

  “So is that the reason you traded for him? So you could get him into your bed?”

  “Now really?” Hunter crossed her arms. “Do you honestly think I’d need to spend millions of dollars and send away my hottest prospect just to get a date?”

  Rex stood there speechless for a moment.

  “I know I’m no supermodel, but I haven’t cracked the lens on your camera, either.” She laughed like it was no big deal to be insulted by this jerk.

  “I didn’t mean…”

  “When I traded for Marco Santiago”—she looked Rex straight in the eye before turning to the camera—“I had every intention of putting together the best team I could get. The factors I considered were the very factors that helped win the division title. Marco Santiago is a player with speed and power, who can hit for average, cover a lot of ground on the outfield, and he’s got an amazing arm. I will not apologize for acquiring a player I knew would give us the best chance of becoming a champion.”

  Rex glanced down at the carpet for a brief instant.

  “So your personal relationship?” He gave her a nasty grin.

  “Is personal.” She kept her head held high even though what she really wanted to do was punch this jerk in his capped teeth.

  “It looked pretty public last night in the clubhouse.”

  “We were caught up in the excitement of the moment.” She wanted to be angry with Marco for outing them like that, but on the other hand, it only made it easier for her to come up with a plan. “I’m sure there were plenty of kisses exchanged all over San Francisco last night. If you’d been there, you might have been kissed, too.”

  “Are you denying your involvement with Marco Santiago?”

  * * * *

  Damn reporters. Marco was almost glad he wasn’t there when that son of a bitch Rex Knight stuck his nose in his and Hunter’s business. Almost. He would have liked to put his fist through the asshole’s teeth.

  But he thought Hunter had handled the interview with class and a little bit of spunk, at least until he asked if she was going to deny their relationship.

  The network had cut to commercial before she answered. Anything for ratings, damn it.

  “Hey man, you coming out for batting practice or what?” Bryce had returned to the clubhouse and Marco had almost forgotten why he was there.

  “Yeah. I’ll be right there. I just need to…” What? Find out if she was going to deny them on national sports TV?

  “Don’t you want to talk about Johnny Scottsdale’s one hit shutout or Bryce Baxter’s run at MVP?” Hunter wasn’t backing down, but she wasn’t answering his question either. “Don’t you have any baseball related questions you can ask? Like why we traded Nat
han Cooper after he returned from his suspension? Surely that would be of much more interest to the real sports fans out there, than who I may or may not be dating.”

  Marco hoped he was the only one who noticed she got a brief look of panic when she brought up Cooper and his ties to PEDs.

  Before he could respond, Hunter continued her speech.

  “See, out here in San Francisco we care more about the game than the private lives of the people playing it. Sure, we want to be accessible to the fans. Most of our players have Facebook and Twitter accounts to encourage interaction. But there is no need to start poking into people’s bedrooms. I would expect more from your network.”

  “Oh man, she told him.” Bryce clapped Marco on the back.

  “Not really.” Marco felt like he’d been punched in the gut. All she had to do was tell the idiot reporter that she wasn’t just sleeping with Marco. They were in love. Or was he alone in that department?

  “Hey, I’m sure she was just covering her bases.” Bryce must have picked up on Marco’s dismay. “Sometimes the worst thing you can do is go public with a relationship. Especially if things don’t end up working out.”

  “You think it’s not going to work out?” Marco lashed out at his teammate, who’d done nothing other than be there at the wrong time.

  “No. That’s not what I’m saying at all.” Bryce looked around the clubhouse, to make sure they were alone. “I mean, sometimes it’s kind of risky to let the world know what you’re doing behind closed doors. Especially when both of you are in the public eye. It’s not like she’s a waitress or a school teacher or an accountant. Then no one cares who you’re sleeping with.”

  Bryce sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Maybe a little too well.

  “Look, I can see that you’re really into her. And I’m sure she’s into you too. But she’s got a lot at stake, here. If people think you two are just hooking up, well, it’s sad to say but the lady’s going to get the raw end of the deal.”

  “You’re right. Man, I am an idiot.” Marco was mad at himself now. “She tried to tell me to keep it quiet. That she had a lot of pressure from the league and the other owners. I’m a selfish bastard.”

  “Look, I know you care about her.” Bryce tried to sound soothing. “You just got carried away. You were riding high after the win and you just wanted to share it with your woman. Who wouldn’t?”

  “I should have been more careful. Man, all that shit they say about love making you do crazy stuff…”

  “You love her.” Bryce simply nodded, like it was the logical conclusion.

  “Yeah. And I’ve put her in a tough spot.”

  “She’s even tougher.” Bryce put his arm around Marco’s shoulder. “You’re a lucky man. Don’t blow it.”

  “I just hope I haven’t already.” Shit. Marco should get out on the field but he couldn’t take his eyes off the TV. While he was proud of the way Hunter handled herself with that gasbag, he couldn’t help but think it was his fault she’d even been put in that position.

  Finally, the station went back to the studio. A New York player had been spotted walking his dog in Central Park. The big news, he hadn’t picked up after the pooch. Now that was important in the big scheme of things.

  Sometimes he wished he was still playing in the schoolyard. When the only one watching him had been his mom and the kids waiting around for their game to start. Things were so much simpler then. But he never would have had a chance with someone like Hunter Collins if he wasn’t a major league ballplayer.

  Marco grabbed his glove to head out to the field when his cell phone rang. He had a bad feeling it wasn’t Hunter calling to ask if he’d seen her interview.

  Sure enough, the caller ID displayed his agent’s name and number.

  “Can’t talk now, gotta go to work.” Marco would have let the call go to voicemail, but he knew he deserved the earful. “I’ll give you a call after the game.”

  “Yeah, sure. I’ll just scratch San Francisco off our list of clubs you’re interested in signing with next year.”

  “No. San Francisco is the only team on the list.” Marco sank back in the padded folding chair in front of his locker. “I’m a Goliath or I don’t play. End. Of. Story.”

  “Now Marco, have you been negotiating on your own?”

  “What’s the matter? Afraid you won’t get your cut of my next contract?”

  “You’ll be lucky if I can get you a contract. What the hell were you thinking sleeping with an owner? An owner.” He’d said the last word like it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I guess I shouldn’t ask what you were thinking, but rather what you were thinking with.”

  “Look, I didn’t plan on this. It happened. We’ll deal with it. But right now I’ve got to get out on the field.”

  “Sure. Go hit for the cycle or something.” His agent let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m on my way down there, so we’ll talk later tonight. You don’t have other plans do you? You’re not hooking up with any lady umpires are you?”

  “Go to hell.” Marco hung up. He threw his phone in his locker and stormed out of the tunnel onto the field where he proceeded to have one of the worst games of his professional career. He committed two errors, struck out and grounded into two inning ending double plays.

  * * * *

  “Thank you for meeting with me.” Hunter waited for Dempsey in the conference room overlooking the empty ballpark. Even with the team on the road, she found her gaze constantly drawn to left field. Marco belonged there. Even more than she belonged up here. “I won’t take up too much of your time.”

  “Not a problem. You know I’m always here for you.” Dempsey settled into one of the plush leather chairs and waited expectantly for Hunter to tell him why she wanted to meet with him.

  She took a deep, fortifying breath. “The thing is, I want to sell my share of the Goliaths. I’ve drawn up a contract. I think it’s very fair, but of course I expect you to look it over carefully before you sign. Just keep it quiet until the season ends. And the postseason.”

  “I’m sorry, I must be getting senile or something. Did you say you want to sell the Goliaths?”

  “Yes. I do.” She had an explanation all worked out in her head, but the lump in her throat made it hard to say more than that.

  “Oh, Hunter, you can’t do that. Not when you’ve worked so hard to get to where we are.”

  “Yes. I have worked hard. And I…I think it’s time for me to move on.”

  “What’s really going on here?” Dempsey scooted his chair closer to her, he took her hand, and waited until she had the courage to look him in the eye. “First Clayton offers to sell, and now you. What are the two of you up to?”

  “Clayton has his own reasons, I’m sure. But I just need to step away from the game. I only have one request before I step down as managing partner and president.”

  When he didn’t ask what that request was, Hunter told him.

  “I want you to offer Marco Santiago a minimum five years.” She slid the proposed agreement across the table. “No contract for Santiago, no deal between us.”

  “I see.” Dempsey leaned back in the chair. He looked her over carefully before breaking into a wide grin. “You love him that much?”

  She flinched, hoping she wouldn’t have to explain her relationship to a man who’d known her when she was missing her two front teeth.

  “I know that the Goliaths need Santiago and he needs the Goliaths.”

  “What about what you need?”

  “I need to know the team is in good hands.” She would carry the memory of Marco’s hands with her forever. Wherever she ended up.

  “And you need to know that the man you love is taken care of.” He reached over and patted her hand. “But what are you planning on doing?”

  “I thought I’d travel for a while. Go someplace that doesn’t have baseball. Paris maybe.”

  “Paris? You want to give up your team and go to Paris?”

  “I hear th
ey have art museums and culture and fine dining.”

  “You’re running away.” He shook his head. “You had one confrontation with a mean-spirited reporter and you’re just going to run away?”

  “It’s more complicated than that.”

  “So explain it to me. I’m an old man, I don’t understand you kids these days.” He narrowed his gaze. “Back in my day when a man and a woman fell in love they found a way to be together. They didn’t go running off to Paris when things got scary. They got married.”

  “Well, things were simpler back then. You didn’t have to worry about how your career affected Helen’s or vice versa. I know the odds were against me in the first place to truly be accepted in the league.” Hunter blinked back the tears she couldn’t afford to let fall. She couldn’t tell him about the bet. Couldn’t tell him how she’d almost ruined everything because of her stupid pride. “And rather than fight that, I’d prefer to walk away on my terms. Knowing that my team is going to thrive without me. I trust you to do the right thing. I trust you to continue the tradition my father started.”

  “But he started it for you.”

  “This is what I need.” Hunter couldn’t back down. “I need you to buy the Goliaths and I need to know that Marco will be in left field for the foreseeable future.”

  “And what does Marco want?”

  “He wants a long-term deal. He wants to stop moving from team to team and finish his career with a sense of accomplishment. He fits in well here. The fans love him. He brings an energy and excitement to the game every time he steps onto the field. I think once he’s settled, his numbers will only go up. You saw what happened when he got comfortable, his at-bats became much more productive.”

  “He started playing better when he started spending time with you.”

  “You knew?”

  “Of course. I saw it at that barbecue. The sparks between the two of you were flying all over the place that day. It was only a matter of time before you two kids ended up together.”

  “Yes. It was inevitable. I just wish I’d had the foresight to sign him to a long term contract before it became a conflict of interest.”