Playing the Field

by C. J. Pinard

  Still, I loved Dalton, he and I had grown up as close as brothers could be. Although Jory was the youngest, Dalton and I had done everything together; tee ball, pee-wee football, church events, and even school. Jory had tried to tag along when we’d play video games and ride bikes and skateboards, and we always let him, but Dalton and I were close. It was just ironic that Jory and I both had “J” names and could sometimes pass for twins. We were both roughly around six-foot-three with the light hair and the matching sea-blue eyes. He had a couple of scars on his face from fights he’d been in, and a tattoo on his upper right shoulder of an angry, bloody skull face, and another on his back. I had none.

  My Marine Corps buddies had chastised me to get a few tats while we’d been overseas. One dude even thought he was a tough guy by getting his tats applied with a needle made of bamboo, and I’d had to help nurse him for days afterward. He had told me a few years later, after getting some tattoos the traditional way with a sterilized metal needle and ink, that the bamboo needle was a really foolish, macho thing, and he wished he’d listened to me when I told him to wait until we could find a reputable shop in Tokyo to get him what he wanted.

  But that’s just how Marines were. Tough, stubborn, macho… and the most loyal of all the branches. I’d met countless squids (Navy), Army dudes, and even a few from the Chair Force – Air Force – and out of them all, the Marines were the toughest and most dedicated. They would die for each other without batting an eye, and I was no different. It was why I’d joined. The minor league baseball thing – it was fun, and got me a lot of attention from the females – but it was more of a hobby. It had sort of been dropped into my lap and I sure as hell wasn’t going to turn it down. When I was old, I was going to have a lot of stories to sit around the campfire and tell. Whether my children and grandchildren believed it – that was another story. It would probably sound like tall tales from an old man trying to relive his glory days. But they would be truths. And I truly was living in my glory days – the here and now – and I had to make the best of them. It was too bad I didn’t have a beautiful, faithful woman by my side to share them with.

  Chapter 4

  The gym wasn’t very busy. Although it was about 7 p.m. and I figured people were probably done working out for the day. However, our practice had run late, and Jared and I, along with two other teammates, the annoying hind catcher and the guy who usually sat in the right outfield staring at the clouds, all agreed to meet here tonight. That guy may stare at the sky while he’s supposed to be on the outfield, but his body was ripped, his face was pretty, and I had no doubt as to why he was chosen for the team.

  “Spot me, Lawless!” I heard Jared’s strained voice croak out while I was about to put another weight on the bar I was lifting.

  I turned around and looked. Setting my bar back down, I rushed over to the pitcher, gently lifting the weight bar that was just inches from crushing his chest. With some effort, I set it back on the rack, glancing quickly at the round weight discs piled on the bar.

  “Dumbass, you can’t bench 300. What were you thinking?” I tried not to laugh.

  Jared sat up while the hind catcher and the outfielder, Brian and Cary, came over to the bench.

  Jared had the decency to look embarrassed. “I don’t know what I was thinking. Thanks for the help.”

  This time I did chuckle. I went to either side of the weight bar and removed fifty pounds of weight from both sides. “There, try that.”

  He lay back down, lifting the bar with effort, but not strain.

  A gorgeous blonde in tight black yoga pants, a pink sports bra that showed off her fine flat stomach, and a confident swagger caught my attention. “Damn.”

  Cary was still standing next to us, watching Jared. He followed my gaze and whistled between his teeth. “Hell yeah, hotness.”

  I laughed as realization dawned. “That’s Miranda, my brother’s friend. She was here a few weeks ago but shot me down.”

  Why I was admitting that to Cary, I didn’t know. I just remember how I had offered to help her with some free weights, but she had just smirked at me with those full, perfect lips and worked out on the lame machines. I still thought she looked like some sort of princess to be revered and worshipped, but when I had referred to her that way, she almost seemed to get mad. Guess I had pushed a button that would set her off. It secretly made me smile. That being said, I don’t know why she didn’t want to talk to me, but this was the second time she had left me in the dust, so to speak, and I had told myself the last time if she rejected me again, I was gonna have to step up my game.

  Cary, who was quite a bit shorter than me but could lob a ball 50 yards when he wanted to, smiled at me with perfectly white teeth against his olive skin and jet black hair. “She’s fine, bro.”

  I grinned. “I have the sudden urge to do some cardio.”

  Cary’s dark eyebrows furrowed together. “But you already did cardio today.”

  I ignored him and headed to the treadmills where Miranda was, watching as a cute brunette soccer mom in her 30s got off the one next to her, and smiled at me shyly. She wiped down the machine and told me it was all mine.

  “Hi,” I murmured to Miranda.

  She looked at me and grinned. “Nice to see you again, Mr. Lawless.”

  Mr. Lawless? Well at least she remembered my name. I chuckled and began pushing buttons on my machine, immediately easing into a fast run. A glance from the corner of my eye told me she didn’t want to talk to me, as she shoved some white ear buds into her ears.

  I ran for about 20 minutes, wiped down my machine, and casually told Miranda I’d be at the free weights if she wanted help working out. I almost called her a princess again, but I remembered how irritated she had seemed the last time I had seen her here, and quickly stopped myself.

  She grunted her thanks, and I went back to the weight pile where my friends still were.

  “Why did you just randomly go do some cardio?” Jared asked, still winded from doing another 200 pound lift.

  I opened my mouth, but Cary cut me off. “He wanted to talk to some chick.” He jutted his chin toward the cardio machines where Miranda was still jogging away on. God did she look hot, her fine ass and breasts bouncing as she ran.

  Jared snorted. “Wow, really?” He followed Cary’s gaze. Then he turned to me. “Why does she look familiar?”

  I took a sip from my water bottle. “She’s my brother’s friend.”

  Jared raised an eyebrow. “Friend, huh? You’re not going after your brother’s girl, are you?”

  “Uh, no, Miranda’s so not his type.” I chuckled. “She’d have to be a tatted and pierced pin-up for him to show any interest.”

  Jared shook his head. “Well she’s hot. I’d go for it.”

  We did some more dead lifts and then I noticed Miranda standing between the free weights and weight machines, almost as if she was making a decision. I saw her chance a glance in our direction, and I threw her a dimpled smirk, as if that would sway her decision, but it didn’t. She sat down at an abs machine, and I didn’t want to seem like a douchebag stalker, so I turned back to my friends. They were talking baseball and doing lifts, and I decided I was gonna leave.

  I collected my keys and wallet from the rental lockers and headed outside. The fresh, cool air felt good compared to the sweaty, stale air of the gym. Dalton had told me Miranda drove a small red Honda, so with more confidence than I actually felt, I went over and stood next to the only one in the lot, hoping Miranda would come out and be forced to talk to me. I wasn’t sure why she wasn’t into me, but I had to know. I don’t know why I needed to know, but it was eating at me. She was so beautiful, I just had to get to know her better. Her thick blonde hair made me want to run my fingers through it, then grab it and pull her head back. Her hourglass figure was just perfect, and I wanted nothing more than to run my hands down her sides.

  I sucked in a breath when she walked out of the gym – holding the hand of a small child. As she got closer, I
could see a small dark-haired girl wearing a pink jacket and jeans. She couldn’t have been older than three, and this confused me momentarily, until my eyes met Miranda’s, as she saw me leaning on her car.

  When she got close enough to meet my eyes, I smiled and looked at the little girl. “The queen has a princess?”

  I trailed my eyes down to the little girl again, and she grabbed Miranda’s leg.

  Miranda nodded. “This is my daughter, Ashlynn. We’re a package deal,” she said almost defensively.

  I bit back a smile and squatted down to get at eye level with Ashlynn. “Hi.”

  “Say hi to Mr. Jace, Ash,” Miranda commanded.

  I wasn’t sure how I felt about dating a single mother, as I never had in the past, but with Miranda, I sort of didn’t care. Yes, I was surprised – even shocked – that she was a mother, but when I looked into her daughter’s big brown eyes full of curiosity, something melted inside of me. She was so innocent and oh so cute, I wanted to get her to know her better, almost as much as I wanted to get to know her mother.

  “Give me your phone, player.” She put her hand out.

  I felt my face flame as first shock then anger flashed through me. I had been called a player more times than I care to remember, and I was both annoyed and over the stereotypical cliché.

  “Don’t call me that,” I ground out with a frown.

  At my reaction, she wore an amused, almost triumphant grin, then immediately flashed me big, innocent doe eyes. “What, you are a baseball player, aren’t you?”

  I grinned at that. She can act like it was an harmless comment, but I knew it wasn’t, and I had a feeling that wouldn’t be the last time I’d hear that word come out of her pretty mouth either.

  ***

  I had convinced Miranda through my dimpled charms to agree to go out on a date with me the following weekend. All week I went back and forth on the first date thing. Traditional restaurant or something ridiculously over the top and fun or fancy? In the end, I decided to play it safe and go to a popular Mexican restaurant. It had been here for years, and I thought surely Miranda would have heard of it.

  On the edge of the water, the establishment not only served awesome, authentic food, it had beautiful scenery as it overlooked the docks with the boats bobbing in the water. I had never heard of anyone who was ever disappointed with this place. Again, I felt this was a safe option, as I wasn’t so set on impressing Miranda with extravagance, as I was getting her to go on a second date with me.

  When I picked her up at her house, I had to tell myself to close my mouth. The tight red dress and high heeled red shoes made my manhood twitch behind my zipper and I took a few deep breaths as I plastered on a cool smile.

  I helped her into the front seat of the car by gently placing my hand on the small of her back. She smelled heavenly and I found myself wishing I could bury my face in her neck.

  On the drive to the restaurant, I chanced a couple glances in her direction. She was staring out the window as the world buzzed by us, and I could tell she was deep in thought. I didn’t think we knew each other well enough for me to ask her what was on her mind, but I still wanted to know.

  “What made you say yes?” I asked boldly.

  She turned her pretty face toward me, a little grin kicking up on her plush mouth. “You charmed me, as if you didn’t know that.”

  Attitude, I like it. Little did she know I could dish it right back. “Really? I was just being myself. I don’t need to charm anyone.”

  She made a scoffing noise and looked back out the window, still looking deep in thought.

  We pulled up to the restaurant, and as I helped her out of the car, I breathed, “You look regal.”

  She smiled. “Thank you, Jace. You look nice yourself.”

  I watched with pleasure as her eyes traveled the length of my body, from the bottom of my loose jeans to the top collar of my black button-down shirt. I was sure to remember to spray on some of Fahrenheit’s finest musky scent before leaving the house.

  After we were seated and ordered, the conversation was generic but pleasant. When we got on the topic of careers, it dawned on me that I really knew nothing about Miranda at all, and it made me frown. She was a gorgeous single mother to a little girl, and Dalton had met her at a baseball game, but had no interest in her. He had told me she had some sort of dangerous job, which had piqued my curiosity, and that was how we got on the subject of jobs and careers.

  “What do you do, Miranda?” I asked after she had grilled me for 10 minutes about my baseball job. She happened to know that I’d dabbled in computers, but didn’t know I was still in the reserves. I suppose that would be a conversation for another time. Three jobs is sort of overwhelming for most people to take in. Me included.

  A tortilla chip piled high with salsa paused at her pretty mouth, she grinned. “I bet you’ll never guess.”

  I measured her with a curious stare. She had a sort of facetious smirk on her mouth and I wanted to wipe it off. With my lips.

  After a long pause, I said, “Well, my brother says it’s badass, so I’m not gonna go with school teacher or nurse.”

  She frowned. “Hey, those are both badass jobs.”

  I bit into my taco and laughed, trying to avoid snorting food up into my nose. “Point taken.”

  She wiped her mouth with a white cloth napkin and set it on her lap. She sort of changed the subject and avoided my question, and inside I grinned, thinking of all the ways I could try to get it out of her eventually.

  After dinner, we opted for a walk around the marina. The night was cool but not cold, with a breeze wafting off the bay water. I grabbed her hand as we walked, and her skin was soft and warm, making me wonder if the rest of her body felt that way too. I never let go of her hand, occasionally rubbing my thumb along the top of it. She would squeeze back every time I did, and this made me smile. The nervous feeling in my stomach was starting to increase, and it was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a very, very long time.

  We talked as we talked, and the dialogue was simple for a few minutes, and then I asked her again. “You gonna tell me what you do for a living? Dalton says it’s dangerous.”

  Miranda shivered a little and I immediately removed my leather jacket and placed it around her shoulders. She thanked me with a smile and replied, “I’m really just a lowly secretary.”

  I frowned. “Really?”

  “In a prison.”

  I’m sure my eyebrows hit my hairline. That, I wasn’t expecting. She went on to explain it was a women’s prison, which made me feel a little better, but something told me she could probably hold her own in a men’s joint too. She told me she had a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, so from the sounds of it, she had always planned to work in law enforcement.

  Once we’d circled the Marina twice, I ushered her into my car and drove her home. Being the perfect gentleman I am, I walked her to her door. When we got to the porch, I said, “Goodnight, your majesty.” I kissed the top of her hand.

  I watched as she rolled her eyes slightly, and then stared at me in amusement. Her eyes were the color of aged whiskey. They seemed both wise and playful at the same time, and there was almost a questioning in her eyes. Like she was sizing me up, or measuring my sincerity.

  Finally, she laughed slightly. “Goodnight, player.”

  I still didn’t care for the nickname. I don’t think she much liked the royalty references either, so I looked forward to the banter we’d have. Here I was already plotting a second, third, tenth, fiftieth date with this beautiful girl. She was still looking up at me, both my hands gripping her. I released the right one and brought my fingers up to her face, tracing an index finger along her jawline as I gently leaned down and pressed my lips to hers. She gave no resistance at all, instead kissing me back and pressing her curvy body into mine. I heard her groan in the back of her throat, and felt my pants tighten at the sound. As her tongue slipped into my mouth a little, I parted my lips as a welcome and returned the ges
ture. Almost involuntarily, my right hand slid down her back and over the curve of her very round ass.

  It was then she broke the kiss and looked up at me with her eyes half closed. “Thank you for dinner, Jace. I mean it. I haven’t had such a good time in as long as I could remember.”

  This amused me slightly, as I was sure she’d been on plenty of dates. I was still wondering how she wasn’t married, and made a mental note to ask her about Ashlynn’s father when I felt the time was right. I could tell by the inflection in her voice that she was bidding me goodnight, but the lusty gaze swimming her eyes didn’t match that. However much I wanted her to invite me in so I could violate her beautiful body ten ways ‘til Sunday, I actually liked this girl, and knew I could wait.

  I reached up and brushed some of her blonde bangs to the side. “I’m so happy I met you.”

  She grinned widely. “Will I see you again?”

  Duh, what kind of question was that? “Oh yes, most definitely.” She didn’t try to pull away, nor did I let go of her. Instead, I just stared at her, and without thinking, I murmured, “You are so beautiful.”

  Her eyes widened and she smiled again. “Goodnight, Jace.”

  This time she did break free, slowly sliding the key into the lock of her front door and smiling at me as I walked backwards to my Mustang, watching her the whole time until the door closed.

  This girl was going to be big, big trouble for me. And I was going to love every single minute of it.

  Chapter 5

  Smoke and screams flooded every one of my senses. I could barely make my way out of the barracks with the thick, black smoke flooding its hallways. My bunkie was screaming something in my ear, but I couldn’t hear him. I continued to plow down the hall, watching as other guys barreled out of rooms toward the exit, the mass of bodies almost as suffocating as the smoke.

  Once we’d reached the doorway, we all plunged out into the night. I collapsed into the sand and heaved in lungfuls of clean desert air. On my hands and knees, I fought to stay conscious, and when I felt the dizzying presence in my brain begin to clear a little, I craned my head around and gazed at the massive building. Flames were licking their way up its walls, the top two floors still yet untouched by the crackling fire. The bottom floor we’d just come through was now fully involved. I flinched and ducked with my hands protecting my head as another loud crash split open the night. The sounds of yelling and screaming were all around, but even they went momentarily silent as the noise got everyone’s attention. I looked back to see the right half of the building collapse in a heap and I prayed to God that all the men and women inside had escaped.