Rookie Mistake: A Sports Romance Novel (The Beasts of Baseball Book 1)

by Ward,Alice

  “You need to cheer up, kid.” Ace slapped me on the back as I stared at my phone, a picture of Whitney going on a date with some dude plastered on some tabloid blog. She looked beautiful, smiling up at the guy, her fingers linked in his.

  Ace snatched my phone from my hand, powering it off. He then picked up the little velvet box from the table next to my favorite chair. I grabbed it from him and took the ring out, looking at it again.

  He snarled. “Get rid of that ring, toss it in the lake, and get a new place. This one is a dump.” He walked around my room, looked out the window to the street below and shook his head. “I can’t believe you haven’t bought a place yet.” He sighed and then gripped the back of my neck and squeezed.

  “Let’s go have a drink.” That was always his answer for everything.

  I needed to get out of that apartment, so he was right about that. Whitney was everywhere I looked. If she was gone for good, then I needed a fresh start, a place of my own. Nothing fancy, nothing wild, just a comfortable place that wouldn’t remind me of Whitney everywhere I turned.

  “Yeah, yeah.” I got up and placed the ring back into its velvet box before pushing it to the back of the drawer. “Let’s go get into some trouble,” I said, trying my best to sound excited.

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” Ace cheered and slapped me on the back.

  He wanted to drive, which was fine with me. That just made it easier for me to drink more, knowing I had to call a cab to get home.

  Our usual table, the usual club and all the same people. “We really need to find a new place to drink.” I laughed as we made ourselves comfortable in our booth.

  “No way, this place is the shit,” Ace argued.

  I knew his reason was simple; they let him do whatever the fuck he wanted in there. Other places would have tossed him out on his ear long ago, and in fact, maybe they had. It was possible that this was the last place he could go. That thought made me chuckle. Big man Ace being banned from an establishment, especially a bar, it was just funny.

  I wasn’t really in the mood to get drunk, but I knew after the first shot that would change. Ace ordered the usual, two beers and four shots of Patrón, two each. “Get the party started,” he toasted with the first one and “never let it end” with the second.

  “I think I’ll get a new place,” I announced.

  Ace lit up, his eyes wild and full of fire. “Good, start living like the rock star you are, my man.” He grabbed a tall brunette as she walked by, a new waitress. “Another round,” he said and then took a long look at her as if he planned to order her from the menu.

  She seemed unimpressed by his advances, which made her that much more appealing to me. “I’ll break her down,” Ace insisted when she walked way.

  Marty and Frank showed up later and joined us as we ordered more shots. It seemed to be becoming a ritual — Ace and I go out early, get smashed, and then the others arrive and try like hell to catch up. They never could.

  “Here.” Ace pushed a business card towards me.

  It contained information for a real estate agent. “She’s the best,” he insisted. His smile turned crooked, and he laughed wicked as he winked at me. Great, so he’s fucked everyone in this town.

  By the end of the night, the only thing Ace had managed to get from the new waitress was his drinks and one smile, and I was pretty certain it was a sarcastic one. She did, however, wink at me.

  “Maybe she’s a lesbian,” Ace said when she shot down his last attempt. “Maybe you should go after her.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “If she’s a lesbian, why would she want me?”

  “Because, lesbians like pussies,” he laughed. Marty and Frank laughed too, a little too hard in my opinion.

  “Maybe she does,” I snarled and slid out from the booth. She was standing at the bar waiting for her drink order so I slid into the seat beside her. “Sorry about my friend,” I said.

  She turned and smiled. “It’s okay. I deal with assholes like him all night long.”

  I’d never picked up a woman before, and I was quite certain I was failing at this attempt. Whitney had been different. It was high school, and all you had to do was make it known that you liked someone. If they liked you back, ta-da, you were a couple. As my thoughts drifted to Whitney, I decided this wasn’t a good idea anyway. I slid off the bar stool and started to walk back to the table.

  “Hey,” she said, gripping my arm. I turned and felt something twitch in my pants as her big brown eyes stared up at me. “You come all the way over here just to apologize for your friend, or were you going to ask me out?” she sassed.

  I liked her style, no holding back, just straight punches.

  “I was planning on asking you out,” I said, being honest in return. “But, then I thought maybe it wasn’t a great idea.”

  Her eyes filled with confusion. “Oh really, why’s that?”

  I blew out a breath and shoved my hands in my pockets. “Long story.”

  “Another woman?” she asked, her eyes going soft in understanding.

  So, she was also clairvoyant. “Yes,” I admitted.

  “She still around?” I shook my head, and she gave me a knowing look. “So, it’s too soon to date, but your buddies want to get you laid so you’ll quit sulking, is that right?”

  Wow.

  I laughed. “Do you have a crystal ball in your pocket?”

  She smirked, and those chocolate eyes twinkled in the lights. She stepped closer. “I get off in twenty minutes. I’ll drive. You’ve drank too much.” Her eyes glided to my crotch, and her smile turned crooked. “But not too much, right?”

  “Oh no, not that much,” I assured her, wondering if I was really about to do this.

  Back at the table, they were ready to hear my let-down-easy story when I told them what she said. Ace was slightly irritated because she had shot him down, but happy that I was finally going to get laid.

  “I was right, she’s a lesbian,” he laughed.

  She brought over more shots and looked me straight in the eye. “This is your last one.”

  I nodded. Yes, ma’am, whatever you say.

  Ace patted me on the back as I slid from the booth and made my way out the back door with the sassy new brunette waitress. I told her I needed a minute and walked to the side of the building and pulled out my phone.

  I called Whitney. I needed to know for certain that we were over before I got into that girl’s car. It rang four times before I got the message telling me the mailbox was full. That was my answer.

  She drove a red Corvette, not the newest model, but still pretty damn nice. I slid into the passenger seat and watched her long, lean legs as they positioned themselves on the floor in front of her and over the gas pedal. Something always turned me on about a hot woman in a hot car. Maybe it was all those Hot Rod magazines I used to sneak and look at in my grandpa’s garage. They made great spank material.

  “So, where do you live?” she asked. When I told her the neighborhood, she looked shocked “Really?”

  I nodded. “Yup,” I didn’t care what she thought about my place, all I wanted was her approval of my cock.

  “I thought you were a hot shot pitcher,” she said.

  “That’s me, hot shot.” I laughed. “I’m buying a new place tomorrow. Well, gonna look anyway.”

  She pulled up in front of my building and didn’t hesitate to get out of the car. She stood on the sidewalk, waiting for me to get out. It took me a minute; I did have plenty to drink, I guess. I opened the front door for her and led her up the three flights of stairs to my door. I was feeling a little nervous as I ushered her inside, not really sure what I was supposed to do first.

  “Do you want a drink?” I asked, figuring that was a good start.

  “Sure,” she said, looking around the place.

  I went into the kitchen and pulled two beers from the fridge. That was about all I had in the place, so no need to give her options. When I walked back into the liv
ing room, she was standing in the middle of the floor, totally nude. Her uniform was tossed over my recliner, and her heels placed neatly by the front door.

  “Holy shit. Let me catch up,” I said and handed her a beer before quickly stripping out of my clothes.

  I noticed her checking out my package. She didn’t look excited, but I wasn’t close to all the way there yet. “I’m a grower not a shower,” I said before I could stop myself. She smirked.

  “Well, let’s see how big he’ll grow,” she said and slid to her knees. She took one more drink of her beer and set it on the table before reaching for me. I twitched from the coldness of her fingers.

  “I guess that doesn’t help, does it?” she asked with a chuckle.

  It felt so awkward, so strange. Is this what people do? They just pick up someone and fuck… no talking, no dinner, just get undressed, and let me put your dick in my mouth?

  Her mouth was warm as her lips surrounded my half hard flesh. I felt little flicks of her tongue along the large vein, then suction as she rolled her cheeks in a way I’d never felt before.

  Holy shit!

  I reached down and gripped her hair, guiding her mouth up and down my cock. Her teeth slightly grazed my skin, sending chills down my spine that I actually quite loved. She worked my balls in her hand, massaging them slowly by rolling them in her palm, then took me deep into her throat. I felt the contractions of her gag reflex working against my flesh, but she didn’t back up, she didn’t stop, and she never gagged.

  “Jesus!” I called out as I gripped her hair tighter, trying to pull her head away. She resisted, sucking me harder as I swelled, then exploded deep into her throat.

  Her big brown eyes stared up at me as she wiped her mouth and licked the edges of her lips as she stood in front of me. “You’re definitely a grower and got pretty fucking hard,” she said. “Can you do it again?”

  Who did she think she was talking to? I could go three, maybe four times a night. “Hell yes, just give me a few minutes.”

  She found plenty of ways for me to keep myself entertained while I worked on restoring blood flow to my dick. Her favorite game was with my tongue and finding new places for it to play. I’d rimmed Whitney’s anus before, but she’d never let me play with it the way I wanted.

  I got to play now.

  She reached into her purse and pulled out a condom, rolling it down my length.

  Good boy, thanks for not letting me down.

  I was eager, but she was very detailed on how and what I was to do. It was weird. In the moment, I was excited to fuck her tits and her ass, then basically hold her upside down to fuck her. But in the end, I was exhausted and had no desire to ever do that again. Once the circus was over, I was relieved that she simply got dressed and left. When she said, “We’ll do it again sometime,” I was that much more eager to move. When did fucking become a three-ring circus?

  At least Ace and the guys got a good laugh out of my night. I felt like my hamstrings were pulled, my shoulder felt tight, and I was worried she would come back.

  I felt odd even being back in the bar. I kept looking over my shoulder and checking for her, but the little blonde was working, thankfully. “If I could have remembered her name, I would ask for the schedule, but kinky chick was the only thing that came to mind,” I told Frank, who was still tearing up from the laughter I sprung on him.

  Ace stood, gave me a head shake of disappointment and then headed to the kitchen. Angelo came out, and they talked in the entry way where I watched them both point and laugh in my direction. Angelo’s head fell back against his shoulders, and his laughter echoed through the entire bar. Ace walked back to the table and slid in the booth.

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  I sank down in my seat. “For what, embarrassing me even further?”

  “She was a temp, he hadn’t put her on the regular schedule yet, and now he won’t,” Ace said proudly.

  “Well, I feel kind of bad for causing her to lose her job,” I admitted, feeling really bad actually.

  Ace rolled his eyes and laughed as he slapped me gently on the back. “You’re a good kid.”

  “Let it go, she’ll be fine,” Frank said. “She’s probably temping somewhere else right now.”

  “Yeah,” Marty added, “The circus is coming to town, I’m sure she’ll be busy then.”

  I roared, feeling better than I had in a while. Even though my night of casual sex hadn’t gone as planned, it felt good to get out of my self-imposed prison. It was clear that Whitney had moved on, and so now I had too.

  My phone rang, and I almost ripped my jeans to get it out of my pocket. No one ever called me except Whitney. My heart raced as I looked at the screen. No picture of Whitney, just the words “unknown” flashing as it rang.

  “Hello?”

  The woman’s voice on the other end of the phone was kind and professional. She was giving me a call back about my search for a new place and was eager to get started. “Can you meet me now?” she asked.

  I sighed a little in disappointment but agreed and headed towards her office. Ace warned me that she was a freak too, so steer clear. I wasn’t sure if he was just fucking with me, or if she was, but either way, I was done with one-night stands or one-night head stands.

  The office was small and sat on the corner of a busy intersection. The woman inside was tall, blonde, and probably in her late fifties if I had to guess, which I knew better than to ever do with a woman’s age. “I’m Leann,” she greeted me with a firm handshake and a warm smile.

  I was trying to picture what freaky thing she was into, and also trying to picture Ace and her together when she pulled out a large white binder. “I have several places I’d like you to look at,” she said.

  I watched as she opened the binder and flipped through listings that she didn’t feel were adequate for my needs. She pulled several sheets from the metal rings and placed them on her desk. “Any of these interest you?”

  The first place was nice, but it was pretty far from the field. I wanted to be close, especially for those mornings when the night before seemed to get in the way of me being on time. The next three were kinda stuffy, more for what I imagined to be a city official or politician.

  “Okay, this could work.” I held out the last sheet.

  “I was banking on you saying that, so I scheduled a showing in twenty minutes,” she said with a smile. Damn, she’s good!

  We took my car, and I have to admit, when she climbed into the passenger seat, and her skirt rose, she had a nice pair of sticks.

  The house was close, just a few miles from the city and only a twenty-minute drive to the field. We pulled onto a long drive that was lined with trees and ended in a circular lot similar to Ace’s. The house was modern, white brick and square. The front door was massive, the entry way floored with marble and the grand staircase just set the place off. “Wow,” I said and then made my way through the rest of the house. She didn’t bother me, tell me where anything was, just let me walk around and check it out for myself.

  The kitchen was huge. I didn’t cook, but for parties it would be nice. A large pool was what sold me, but once I made it upstairs to the master suite, I would have paid double. A large balcony with hot tub right off the room, a large fireplace, huge shower complete with bench and if I had to count, at least one hundred nozzles. “You haven’t seen the best part,” she said.

  I followed her, thinking there was no way anything could be better than what I’d already seen. A staircase that spiraled around the back of the house was accessible from the lower level near the pool and a private area off the master bedroom. We walked up the stairs to the roof where it had been turned into a beautiful oasis. Flowers, plants, a large white sofa and a fireplace were only part of the charm. The view was magnificent. You could almost see the top of the stadium from there and from the other direction the impressive Manhattan skyline.

  “I’ll take it.”

  Ace was ecstatic that I bought the plac
e, but he wasn’t interested in helping me move. I didn’t have much really; at least not anything I wanted to keep. I packed my clothes, a few personal items and stuffed a picture of me and Whitney into my bag. I pulled the ring from my drawer, set it on the bed, and packed everything else before sitting down to have one last moment in the place where her scent still lingered.

  I picked up my phone, dialed her number, and listened as it rang.

  No answer.

  No voicemail.

  Clearly, she hadn’t listened to any of my messages nor cleared them out.

  It was my sign.

  There was no going back.

  I tossed the ring box in the very bottom of my bag and headed out, closing the door behind me and walked toward the new chapter of my life.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  e

  Calvin

  My body shook with excitement, and I thought I would puke as Ace lifted me from the ground and twirled me in circles. Rhett ran onto the field, throwing his arm around my shoulders as soon as Ace set my feet back down on the ground. It was a fantastic game. I’d been in a zone and pitched my first no-hitter!

  Reporters swarmed me and shoved their mics in my face as they screamed questions over the top of one another. It was unheard of, un-thought of, a nobody from Indiana, a rookie in his first season with a team that was brand new pitching a perfect game.

  “I love you, Whitney!” I yelled into one of the cameras and then ducked into the locker room to rejoice in my moment. It was glorious, I had to admit.

  The team cheered and slapped each other on the ass as they pushed past one another to get to me. I felt like I was walking on a cloud, on top of the world, but missing only one thing. My damned heart still ached, no matter how many times I told it to stop.

  I can’t count the times I’d laid in bed with Whitney, talking about my dreams of throwing a game just like I had tonight. I’d wanted this moment so badly, but now that it was here, I didn’t realize how little it would mean without her by my side.

  Ace was throwing another one of his epic parties, and of course, this time, I was the honoree, but I really didn’t feel like partying. “You driving or you want me to pick you up?” Ace hollered as he headed out of the clubhouse.