Bishop's Run

by B. D. Gates

  "Oh, Coach, that sounds great!" I sat up and looked her in the eye.

  Coach Biggs smiled, smacked me on the knee, and stood up. "Thought it might. It starts tonight, so we'll meet in the dugout after the regular practice." She was still smiling as she walked on through the gate and onto the field.

  There were eight girls invited to join in the after-practice practice. Most of them seemed to know each other well, having probably played together or grown up together, gone to school together. One girl in particular, though, caught my eye.

  Penny, who looked to be about twenty-five or so, was compact, athletically built, but not like someone who spent a lot of time in the gym, pretty, her curly brunette hair cut in a short bob, light brown doe-eyes. She wore dark red sweats and a white T, so she was a member of the Tiger squad. Pausing on the top step of the dugout, she scanned the group. I must have had whatever she was looking for, because she came and sat down next to me.

  "Hello, I'm Penny."

  "Hi," I replied. "Bi--Lisa, but you can call me Baxter."

  "What are you in for?" asked Penny.

  "What? Oh, I'm 'in' for general, all around improvement. I haven't played in a while. You?"

  "Fielding. My timing is off."

  "Shouldn't be too hard to fix."

  "I hope."

  "Have you played for Dr. Biggs before?"

  "No, I played for Dr. Snellings' team for the past two years."

  "So how did you end up on Bigg's team?"

  "Dr. Biggs came over to Whitmore and recruited me."

  "Wow." I couldn't imagine being recruited for softball. Apparently, Dr. Biggs thought she was really good, tracking her down and all. Like I said, these girls were serious about their softball.

  Coach walked into the dugout, accompanied by Chessie and Jane, the Tiger squad leader. We all turned our attention to her and got quiet.

  "So, welcome to the first 'after-practice' practice. These practices will only last about an hour. We're going to work on the basics, just like in regular practice, but you should each get more time to work on your problem areas. Tonight, we're all going to work on batting. Kate, Nell, Barbie, and Baxter, you'll take the outfield to start. The rest of you will have your turns batting. I'll pitch, Chess will catch and Jane will cover first base. We will all be observing players for improvement pointers. If you hit the ball, you are to run to first as if in a real game, but that's the only base you'll be required to get to. Fielders are to make the play to first. Any questions?"

  As usual, her clarity left little to question.

  "Okay, then, let's go."

  "Nice talking to you, Penny," I said, as I headed out of the dugout.

  "Yeah, same," she replied, smiling.

  After-practice practice was just what I needed. Penny and I paired up together, giving us time to chat. She learned that I worked for Dr. Biggs, that I had two dogs and a cat, lived in the middle of town with Miz Maggie and Jared, and drove the beat-up red Jeep in the parking lot. On the other hand, I learned that she was single, had a cat named Joey, lived in a trailer out on Lake Treadwell, and spent her time working for a professional photographer in Whitmore, helping set scenes for portraits, making appointments and keeping the business stocked with the usual supplies, like coffee and toilet paper. Oh, and she drove the cute little, also red, classic MGB convertible in the parking lot.

  I liked watching her, she was fast and knew what the play was the second the ball was in her glove. She also had terrific legs, tanned and muscled, ending at a cute round ass that looked great in her gym shorts. I found myself wondering what that cute little ass would feel like under my hands. Following the fifth after-practice practice, on a Friday night, we went out for a late supper.

  I followed Penny out to a diner on 301, a little hole-in-the-wall place that served up everything from hamburgers and fries to full dinners of pot roast, or chicken, or pork chops, with all the fixins' including two sides and a handmade biscuit to sop up the gravy. I chose the cheeseburger and fries, while Penny picked the roast beef and potatoes.

  "So, you're not from around here, are you," stated Penny, opening the conversation while we waited for our food.

  "Um, no, I'm not, I'm from Rockville, Maryland," I replied. Not quite Baltimore, but I hadn't had to recite the 'Lisa Baxter back story' for anyone. I still found the whole thing hard to swallow, even after Tess's come-to-Jesus meeting.

  "I didn't think so, I went to school with all the local people. What made you move to Tenley?"

  "I, ah, I needed a fresh start." I gave her a brief overview of Lisa Baxter's made-up life.

  "So you picked Tenley? Most people move away from here to get a fresh start."

  "Yeah, well, it's okay, for now. How 'bout you? Why are you still here?"

  "My family's here, my friends are here, and, really, it's not so bad. I mean, it has some drawbacks, like, well, can I tell you a secret?"

  "If you tell me a secret, I will keep it, I promise," I said, crossing my heart. After all, who was I if I couldn't keep a secret?

  "Well," started Penny, leaning in close to the table so she wouldn't be overheard, "I date girls."

  "No! Really?" I answered back in a whisper. "Me too!"

  Penny laughed and sat back. "I know you do, I just wanted it 'out there' so there wouldn't be any misunderstanding."

  "What?" I was puzzled.

  "I like you, Baxter, you look like 'fun.' And I just want to be clear in the fact that, well, I like to have 'fun.' And I want to have 'fun' with you."

  To be honest, no one had ever come on to me quite like that, just flat out, and I was blushing, shaking my head. Penny just thought that I was "adorable."

  Yep, that's what she said, “adorable.”

  Now, really, I'm not one to jump into bed on a first date, sometimes not before the third, or the fifth, for that matter. Sometimes I've dated girls and never slept with them. I enjoyed their company, we would go out, have a nice meal, see a movie, go dancing at a club, whatever, but at the end of the night, I'd go home alone. It puzzled a few, but I told them upfront that I enjoyed their company, that I wanted to get to know them before we went any further, and that we were just going out for a good time. Frankly, some of the girls were happy with that because it took the pressure off, especially if it was a first date. And I really did enjoy their company. I just wasn't the 'relationship' type. With the weird hours I kept, it was hard to maintain a relationship, and an occasional evening out was about all I wanted.

  I was rescued by Jacks and Harry, two Pride players, as they pushed their way into our booth.

  "Hey, y'all took off quick," said Jacks, a fairly tall, lanky, masculine African-American woman, as she folded herself into the space she made at the table. Harry, short, somewhat pale and an androgynous short-haired brunette with dark brown eyes, was looking at Penny, who had a surprised expression on her face. "We figured this was where you'd be, right, Harry?"

  Harry just nodded, still looking at Penny.

  Penny looked over at me, then back at Harry, the surprised expression taking on a bit of a scowl. "Well, then, join us, by all means," she offered, slight exasperation noted in her voice.

  I don't know whether Penny was upset because we were being interrupted just as the conversation was warming up, or because they hadn't been invited. Maybe it was both.

  Margie brought two more sets of silverware and waited for the girls to order.

  Penny looked at me, the curve of her lips in a bit of a smirk as the girls placed their orders. She shrugged her shoulders and gave a slight shake of her head as I settled back against the booth back. Harry caught her look and glanced in my direction, then looked down at the table. A frown passed quickly over her face, barely perceptible, but I caught it.

  "So, we play the Whitmore Wheelers to start, do you know who their new pitcher is?" asked Jacks.

  "Yeah," answered Penny. "I know her, she played for Whitmore High last year. She had a good record, threw ten shut-outs. I heard she's dating
Tinker."

  "Nooo," replied Jacks. "Tinks got a girlfriend?"

  "Finally," Penny snarked, starting to smile a bit.

  "See, there's still hope for you, Harry," Jacks declared, looking across at the girl. Harry just kept looking down at the table, not meeting anyone's eyes. I noted her furrowed brow.

  "Leave her alone, Jacks," Penny admonished.

  "I'm jus' sayin'," Jacks replied, shaking her head.

  Margie arrived with Penny's and my meals and we dug in, not waiting for our friends' plates to be served. The cheeseburger was good, and the fries were perfect. I added ketchup to my plate as Jacks continued discussing the Wheelers.

  "You know, their coach is somethin' else," she started. I looked over at her, my mouth full but my eyebrows were raised as I questioned exactly what she meant.

  "Hot, if you like older women," Jacks replied. Penny let a small smile slip as she nodded. I turned my questioning look to her as she met my eyes.

  "She is that," Penny agreed, the smirk back. "Quite a catch for her age."

  Now my eyebrows were up again, looking at her quizzically as she put her loaded fork in her mouth. That was all the information she was going to give me, but I suspected she could tell me a lot more about the woman than she was letting on.

  "Okay, then," I said after swallowing the bite.

  Harry stayed silent, looking out across the near-empty diner.

  Jacks was talkative as hell, no one needed to encourage her, she rambled on through the Wheelers' lineup, offering bits and pieces of information on who could 'turn a play on a dime,' who was dating whom, and who she, personally, would date, straight or not, given half a chance. Penny and I didn't offer any responses to her monologue, but Harry suddenly lightly tapped her knuckles twice on the table and looked over at Jacks, who immediately stopped talking. Margie was halfway to the table with their orders before I realized Harry had signalled Jacks to go quiet.

  Setting the plates down, Margie looked at the four of us. "Anything else?"

  Penny put her hand up as she swallowed. "I'd like a slice of apple pie with extra whip, to go, please, Margie," she ordered.

  Margie nodded. "Okay, anything else." It was more a statement this time. We all shook our heads and Margie retreated to the area at the counter where the cakes and pies were held.

  The table was quiet as Penny and I finished our meals while the latecomers started theirs. I looked across the table at Penny and gave her a shrug. She returned it with a small smile, a bit of a wicked glint in her eye. Margie returned with the carry-out and Penny took the opportunity to get the check.

  I dug for my wallet but she shook me off, pulling a few bills from her own.

  "Well, y'all, we're gonna...just, ah...go, here, so if you'll let us out," she said to Jacks and Harry.

  "What? Y'all leavin'?'" Jacks looked surprised.

  "Yeah, we are," Penny replied, passing a look to Jacks, who then looked over at me.

  "But...oh, okay, say no more," Jacks caught on as I looked at her. "Guess it's just you and me now, Harry, these two have somewhere else to be."

  "No shit." Those were the first words spoken by Harry all night.

  I looked over at her as they both got up and let us out. The look on her face was somewhat scornful, in my opinion.

  "So, we'll see y'all tomorrow," said Penny as she stood at the table and the other two slid back in. I stood off to the side, then smiled and waved as we made our way through the diner. "Meet me outside," she directed, as she reached the cash register.

  I walked out and headed for the Jeep. We were parked side-by-side, in the darkness at the end of the row, so I leaned against the driver's door and watched from there. I could see Jacks and Harry, heads down, Harry looking towards the window at frequent intervals. I couldn't help but feel as if Harry was looking at me while she ate.

  "Now," said Penny, as she walked across the pavement towards me. "As I was saying," she added as she stepped up to me.

  "You were saying?"

  "That you look like fun. Do you like to have fun, Baxter?"

  I nodded, pleased that we were picking up where we'd left off.

  "And is that what you were thinking about when you were watching me play?"

  "You saw that," I admitted, grinning a bit.

  "Yes, but let me just say, I was watching you, too."

  I nodded. I had noticed her 'appreciation' as well.

  I found that I was thinking about nothing but her, imagining the feel of her in my arms, under my hands. "How do you want to do this?" I asked. "I mean, your place or mine?"

  "Mine's about three miles that way," replied Penny, pointing down the highway, "and yours is about four miles that way," she continued, indicating back the way we came.

  "Yours it is," I decided.

  "Great," replied Penny. "Here, let me give you a little something to hold you over til we get there," she said, putting the dessert box down in the seat of her MGB. She pushed me back against the Jeep, pressing close against me, putting her arms around my shoulders. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned down, our mouths meeting and opening, her tongue darting in and tickling mine. I reciprocated and ran my hands down her sides to her high, tight butt, rubbing with firm strokes, then grasping the two halves firmly and gently squeezing. Penny gasped.

  "A little something for you to think about." I grinned a wicked grin.

  "Knew you were fun. Now, follow me, and keep thinking those happy thoughts," Penny instructed, playfully smacking me on the ass as she broke away.

  "On your six," I replied, climbing into the Jeep. As I reversed and shifted gears, I looked back through the window at Harry. I don't think she could see me through the darkness, but the scowl on her face was apparent.

  What was her problem?

  We headed out of the parking lot and down Highway 301. About three miles later, we made a left turn onto a dark two-lane and followed that around a lake made visible by the ambient starlight. Penny turned right onto a gravel road as we passed the lake, and we followed that up to a white single-wide trailer nestled in the trees about fifty feet or so from the shoreline.

  I parked and met Penny at her car door, then we made our way to the screened front porch and into the trailer. Penny turned on the lights and I blinked my eyes into focus, taking in the decor. The walls were covered with framed photos, beautiful natural scenes that I was fairly certain had been taken around the trailer.

  "You take these?"

  "Yeah." Penny replied as she stood next to me, taking off her t-shirt and bra, and giving me a look at her firm, round, completely tanned breasts, before she turned and walked down the hall to the bedroom. "You coming?"

  "Oh, absolutely," I replied.

  "Bring the apple pie, please," called Penny.

  I didn't question her request, I just grabbed the box and headed down the hall. The master bedroom was about three times the normal size of the average single wide trailer master. I looked around appreciatively, from the elevated queen bed with captains drawers to the oversized windows on both sides of the room. Penny emerged from the bathroom carrying an oversized orange tabby.

  "This is Joey."

  "Hello, Joey." I called as she carried him out the door. His tail flicked.

  She came back and closed the door behind her, then joined me next to the bed. "He usually sleeps with me, but not tonight," she said, as she pressed up to me and ran her hands up under my shirt. "My bed's full-up tonight."

  I pulled her tight against me and kissed her, my tongue making its way into her open mouth, noting its heat. Our kisses were long, probing, as we learned each other's 'likes,' our tongues telling our secrets. Penny grasped the hem of my shirt, pulled it up, stopping before she had finished, when my arms were still over my head, holding me there, her lips finding my nipple and giving me a long, hot suck, flicking her tongue lightly across the tip and taking my breath, pursuing me as I groaned and pulled back, unable to escape with her holding me in place.

  Penny's fre
e hand had slipped around my back and down past the waistband of my shorts, her fingertips tickling me as she made trails on my buttocks, then softly rubbing them, slowly sliding her hand between my thighs, feeling my heat and wetness. She finished pulling off my shirt and released my arms, then leaned into me, giving a low, naughty laugh while I wrapped my arms around her, as she looked up at me.

  "So, having fun? Penny asked, smiling.

  "Yes ma'am," I answered, smiling back at her.

  "Want to keep having fun?"

  "Yes ma'am, I do."

  We both slipped off our shorts and slid between the sheets. Penny called "top" and I didn't object. I laid back and Penny straddled me. She leaned down and kissed me, her hot mouth matching the heat of her pussy grinding against me, her warm wetness pressed against me. I cradled her buttocks, rubbing and squeezing the halves as I held her tight against me. Her mouth broke free of mine, her kisses moving down to my neck, light sucking and nibbling giving way to harder sucking and soft nips, her fingers stroking my hardened nipples. I pulled her forward, sliding her up my body until my mouth found hers, as my fingers slipped inside her, my palm against her clit. I kneaded her, pressing and rubbing my fingers against her rough G-spot as she bucked against me, her mouth on mine, her tongue retreating as my tongue pressed against hers, tickling and sucking, bringing her intensity to its peak, her body shuddering and shaking as she came.

  Her orgasm only made her hotter and without stopping, she took me over. She tickled me, her fingers lightly brushing my clit, making it swell with every touch, my hips thrusting upwards, trying to catch her hand as she teased me, making me groan aloud. She sucked my nipple into her hot mouth, her tongue mimicking the motions she was making down below. Every touch was just a bit harder, teasing more heat and wet from me, my clit now exposed between its lips. Breaking away and moving down my body, Penny settled between my legs and took me in her mouth, sucking lightly, the heat making me swell with every suck. Moaning, she took all of me deep, every move of her tongue, every suck making me bigger and hotter, and I groaned, gasped, moved against her hot mouth, as her sucking and licking sent pulses of pleasure rushing through me.