Worth the Trade (More Than A Game)

by Kristina Mathews

  “So you’re going to give up your team so he can sign with the club.”

  “It’s the only way.”

  “So this trip to Paris, will it be a honeymoon?”

  “No. I can’t be with him until his contract is finalized. I’m leaving as soon as the final game is played. That way no one can accuse him of negotiating outside of the structure of organized baseball.”

  “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”

  “Yes. So please, take this contract home, look it over. Show it to Helen and your attorneys and we’ll get it signed and notarized. But I don’t want to announce anything until after the playoffs. I don’t want to cause any more disruption than I already have.”

  “Are you sure there isn’t a way for you to keep the team and keep Marco?”

  “There isn’t any way I can keep either. But I can walk away knowing they’ll both be okay.” She picked up the contract and placed it in his hands. She patted her father’s partner on the shoulder and left the conference room.

  * * * *

  Marco wasn’t surprised to see his agent waiting for him after the game. L.A. was just a short flight from Phoenix. He must have called from the airport.

  “Marco we need to talk.”

  “Yeah. I know.” He’d screwed up. He should have kept his relationship with Hunter private a little longer. Like until the season ended. But he couldn’t help it. After all these years in the big leagues, he finally had something to celebrate and she was the person he wanted to celebrate with.

  “You’ve made my job very difficult, you know that.”

  “I’m sure you can handle the challenge.” Marco wasn’t in the mood to be chewed out by his agent. Not when he hadn’t done anything wrong. He’d fallen in love. It wasn’t the end of the world.

  “It is going to be one hell of a challenge, finding a team willing to sign you.”

  “I already told you, the only team I’m interested in is the Goliaths.” He wasn’t leaving San Francisco. He wasn’t leaving Hunter.

  “Not going to happen.”

  “Look, if you can’t make the deal, then you can find yourself another client.” Marco didn’t know how else to make his position any more clear. “I’m staying in San Francisco.”

  “So you have been negotiating on your own.” He said the word like it was something dirty. “And what exactly did she promise you during these negotiations?”

  “We haven’t discussed my contract. We’ve done nothing that goes against the current bargaining agreement. We haven’t broken any rules.” He’d reread his contract carefully. There was no explicit clause that stated a ballplayer couldn’t have a personal relationship with an owner or anyone in the front office.

  “Maybe not technically. But some would consider your conduct detrimental to the best interest of baseball.”

  “That’s bullshit and you know it.” Marco was furious now. “If baseball wanted to regulate players’ sex lives, they would have gotten rid of groupies a hundred years ago.”

  “Sex with groupies isn’t a problem. Sex with the woman who pays your salary is.”

  “Now there’s something really wrong with that statement.”

  “That may be true, but the fact of the matter is, I can’t negotiate a contract with someone you’re sleeping with.”

  “Then I guess we’re done here.” Marco crossed his arms over his chest. “You can let yourself out.”

  “Look, I can make some phone calls, see if anyone’s willing to bite, but you crossed a line here.” His agent shook his head, like he thought Marco had brought shame upon the entire baseball world. It wasn’t like he’d been involved with a married woman, or an underage girl. He hadn’t hooked up with a drunk stranger who couldn’t be sure about just how consensual the sex was.

  “You don’t get it, do you? I am not going to leave Hunter behind. I can’t.” Marco felt like he might as well be talking to the brick wall out in left field. “I love her. And I’m pretty sure she loves me.”

  Pretty sure. But he wasn’t certain they would be able to work everything out. His agent acted like he’d screwed himself by getting involved with Hunter. Maybe he had, but he’d screwed Hunter even more. He knew it was wrong, but she’d be looked down upon by her fellow owners. Any future trades she’d make would be questioned. Maybe not to her face, but they’d nudge each other behind her back, wondering if she was getting a guy for his playing ability or his sex-appeal.

  He dropped his head against his locker. Let out a string of curses in English and Spanish. This should be the high point of his career. He was on the verge of his first run at the playoffs. They had a team that could go all the way. He wanted nothing more than to be able to celebrate the accomplishment with Hunter.

  Instead he’d fired his agent, and was now wondering if this was going to be his last season as a professional baseball player.

  Well, if it was going to be his last season, he’d better make the most of it.

  Chapter 19

  The Goliaths won four of their last six games. After dropping the first two games to Arizona, they came back to finish the season strong and ready for the playoffs. They won the division series in four games against Atlanta before beating Cincinnati in game six of the Championship Series.

  They were heading for the World Series. The ballpark was rocking from the celebration. Champagne was sprayed everywhere, but the players had figured out to don ski goggles to protect their eyes from the stinging spray. Hopefully they’d have one more celebration, because Marco wasn’t quite satisfied.

  Hunter had stayed away from the clubhouse since the division clinching game. It killed him to think it was his fault she wasn’t here to celebrate. It was as much her victory as any of the players. She watched the games from her usual spot, but as soon as the last pitch was thrown, she’d quietly exit the ballpark, avoiding reporters and fans.

  They still met up after the games, but the closer they got to the big game, the more distant she’d become. They still made love, but she withdrew almost immediately after. He wanted to believe it was because as soon as the series ended, so would his contract. And she refused to talk about it, not wanting to violate any free agency rules.

  A podium had been set up in the infield. League officials were getting ready to announce the series MVP award. It was between Marco and Bryce, but either way, Hunter should have been there to be a part of the ceremony. But as he scanned the crowed, Marco knew she’d already slipped away. The team’s manager conferred with the suits from the commissioner’s office and the crowd settled down in anticipation of the announcement.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” the Fox reporter had stepped up to the podium and spoke to the now hushed ballpark. “Here to announce the winner of this year’s National League Championship MVP, Mr. Allen Cambridge.”

  “I’m proud to present this award to a man who exemplifies what it means to be the most valuable player. Twelve hits, seven RBIs, and three home runs over the course of the series. Not to mention his outstanding glove work in an outfield he’d played in for only two months.”

  The crowd erupted into chants of “Marco! Marco! Marco!”

  “As you’ve guessed, this year’s MVP goes to Marco Santiago.”

  He approached the podium, accepted his award, and addressed the crowd.

  “Thank you. Thank you very much, although I think you could have given this award to any of the other twenty-four guys on this team. Still, I’m honored.” Since he couldn’t be heard above the roar, he ended his speech and shook hands with the presenter, his manager, and after tipping his cap and holding his trophy up for the fans, he made his way back to the clubhouse.

  He was trying to figure out a way to fit the darn thing in his locker when the Fox reporter approached him.

  “You didn’t have a lot to say up there.” She smiled and thrust a microphone in his face. “Is there something you’d like to add?”

  “Look, I appreciated the award, but our work isn’t finished yet. W
e still have a tough opponent in Texas, and I want to turn my focus on winning the next series.”

  “I noticed that Hunter Collins was absent from the celebration.” She smiled not-so-sweetly. “I’ve heard rumors there’s a bit of a shake-up amongst the ownership group. Clayton Barry is out, and I was wondering if you had any inside information.”

  “Nope. This is the first I’ve heard of it.” He wanted to tell her the reason Hunter wasn’t there was because of people like her who couldn’t keep their nose out of her personal business. But he kept his mouth shut.

  “Come on, with your relationship with Miss Collins, surely you must know something.”

  “When I’m on the field, I’m focused on baseball. One hundred percent. Hunter takes her job just as seriously. When we’re together, we don’t discuss business. When I’m with her… Nothing else matters.”

  Marco gave a quick nod to the camera before turning and walking away.

  He didn’t even try to shower at the ballpark with all the champagne spraying still going on, so he grabbed a cab to Hunter’s house. He let himself in with the key she’d given him weeks ago. But she didn’t come rushing to the door like he’d hoped.

  She wasn’t in the family room, or the kitchen. He headed upstairs to the master bedroom, where they’d been sleeping for the past several weeks. Instead, he found her in her childhood room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, with her arms wrapped around a well-loved, one-eyed teddy bear.

  “Hunter.” He pushed through the partially open door and put his arms around her. “Oh baby, what’s the matter?”

  “He should be here for this.” She tried to wipe her tears but there were too many of them.

  “Your father?” Marco held her, rocked her against him until the sobs subsided. “I’m sorry. So sorry he’s not here for you. But he would have been so proud of you. You know that, don’t you?”

  “If he’d been here, maybe I wouldn’t have…” She looked up at him, desperate agony in her eyes. “Maybe I wouldn’t have made things so complicated.”

  “Oh baby, it’s not as bad as it seems.” He stroked her hair, that long gorgeous mane that had enticed him from the beginning. He didn’t think her father would have been able to stop him from loving her. Nothing would have stopped him.

  “I just miss him so much.” She buried her face in Marco’s chest and cried hot, silent tears that he was powerless to soothe. But he tried anyway.

  “Of course you do. But I’m here, baby. I’ll be here for you. Always.”

  She hadn’t had the chance to grieve. She’d been so busy keeping the team going, and doing a hell of a job, that she hadn’t let herself mourn the loss of her father. That was part of the business. The season must go on. Sure the league provided a few days bereavement, but a player still had to make his next start. Take his next at bat. And Hunter had to keep the team moving forward. She had to make roster moves, bringing up players as an injury replacement. Making the trade that brought them together.

  He held her until she was all cried out. Picked her up and carried her to the master bathroom. He ran a bath for her and helped her undress. God she was beautiful. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but he didn’t bother telling her that. She still didn’t believe him.

  Oh, she believed in him on the field. And she’d been right, as his MVP award testified. If only she had as much faith in him off the field, in real life. If only she believed he could be the man to make all her non-baseball dreams come true.

  “What do you need?” he asked as she settled into the tub. “Do you want company or would you rather I give you some privacy?”

  “I don’t know.” She leaned back against the tub.

  “I’ll leave you alone then.” He started to back out the door.

  “No. Wait.” She sat up, a look of panic on her face. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”

  “Is that why you didn’t stick around for the awards? The team trophy?” The MVP. He shouldn’t have to tell her he’d won. She should have been there with him.

  “I couldn’t…” Her eyes were so weary. “I couldn’t help but think it’s all going to fall apart. News of Clayton’s involvement in FITNatural, and the bet…”

  “There is a rumor of his leaving the partnership. But that’s all.” He knelt beside the tub. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on the whole FITNatural story. It’s starting to leak out. Just the part about some of their supplements being less than natural, and yeah, there’s speculation of banned substances.”

  She tensed. She had a hell of a lot more to lose than that bastard Barry.

  “Hey, but don’t worry. I haven’t seen anything tied to your former partner.” He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips and placed a reassuring kiss on her palm. “I don’t think anything is going to come of it until after the series. I don’t think the league wants to do anything to hurt the ratings. Once the offseason starts, I expect the story to blow wide open.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “Look you have nothing to worry about. You didn’t invest in the company. He did. And except for Nathan Cooper, no one else from the Goliaths is involved. And Coop’s not even with the team anymore. You got rid of him as soon as you could.”

  “What if he cracks? What if Clayton tells about the bet we made?”

  “Did you actually exchange money or shares?” When she shook her head, he continued. “If you ask me, it was just a friendly wager, a way of energizing the team. Like when we go on the road. Baxter and I have a standing bet that whoever hits fewer RBIs buys dinner.”

  “I called off the bet, after I won.” She gave him a slight smile. “But what if someone thinks I coerced him into selling his share?”

  “For the good of the team, not because of any bet.” He sat on the edge of the tub, still dressed in his champagne soaked T-shirt. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You have nothing to worry about. Hell, you don’t even need to worry about me, because I only look illegal.”

  * * * *

  “You know, there should be a law against you looking so good.” Hunter cracked. She couldn’t resist his charm, even when she was about ready to go out of her mind with worry. “Especially when you smell so bad.”

  She yanked him into the tub and he splashed down on top of her, but as always, he was careful not to hurt her. He removed the sweat and champagne soaked T-shirt and yanked off the athletic shorts he’d slipped on before coming over.

  Marco was magnificent. Hard muscle and smooth skin. And those electric blue eyes. She was captivated from the moment they met. But like all good things in baseball and in life, this was only temporary. The season would end. And so would their relationship.

  “Promise me you’ll be there for the next celebration.” It took a great deal of athleticism for Marco to fit himself into the enormous tub. He was a big man. A strong man. And an agile man. He maneuvered so that he sat behind her, pulling her onto his lap. “Winning the pennant just wasn’t the same without you. You should’ve been there. For me. And for the team. You’re as much a part of our success as anyone.”

  Hunter leaned against him, relaxing a little. She could feel his erection against her back.

  “Let me think. How can I possibly make it up to you?” She tried to position herself over him.

  “Maybe I should punish you.” He grabbed her around the waist, holding her in place. So close to what she craved, yet just out of reach.

  “Marco, please.” Those words hadn’t failed her yet.

  He loosened his grip and moved his hand down to her hip.

  “You think you can just wiggle your bottom and ask me nicely and I’ll give you what you want?” His words were teasing, but his tone was almost bitter.

  She whimpered as he slid his hand down ever so slightly.

  “You think I’m that easy?” His erection throbbed against her backside. She wasn’t the only one who wanted it. “That because I’m a man, I can’t resist?”

  “Marco. Please.” Her voice
shook with urgency. She wanted—no, needed him to touch her.

  His hands were so large, his fingers were so close to her sweet spot. She squirmed, aching for him.

  He moved his hand up, placing it over her rapidly beating heart.

  “Promise me you’ll come back to the clubhouse.” He spoke softly in her ear. “Before every game, you’ll be there for me. And the rest of the team. Please, Hunter.”

  She turned over to look him in the eye. His desire shone in the brilliant blue depths. But it wasn’t just for sex. He wanted something more.

  “Promise me, or I’ll leave. Right now.” He shifted as if to get out of the tub.

  Hunter pressed her lips against him, desperate to keep him from leaving.

  “I promise.” She kissed him hungrily, sloshing water all over the bathroom floor.

  He kissed her back, slowing the tempo. Grabbing her hips, he steadied her above him. Easing inside her, he moved with slow, deliberate thrusts. So different than in the beginning, when they were two bodies colliding in uncontrolled lust.

  Now it was something more, and Hunter felt like she was drowning. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t swim away from the overwhelming feelings surrounding her. She knew she had four more games. At the most, seven. Then she would have to let Marco go. Let the Goliaths go. She would savor the memories as long as she could.

  * * * *

  Marco was lacing up his cleats when the clubhouse door opened. Hunter stepped inside, looking almost like she wasn’t sure she belonged there. She flashed a tentative smile at a few of the players. Johnny Scottsdale stood, and offered his hand. She gave him a firm shake and that was all it took for her confidence to return.

  She shook hands, high fived, and congratulated the rest of the team. Slowly, she made her way toward Marco’s locker. He was glad she made an appearance but he didn’t like the uncomfortable position of not knowing how to act around her. He didn’t want to hide his feelings, but he understood how their relationship could complicate things for everyone.

  Especially when they were about to take the field for game one of the World Series.