Winning Streak

by Alice Ward

  The kid’s entire face lit up.

  “See that hat there?” I pointed at the stool. “Hand it over, and I’ll sign it for you.”

  No one on planet Earth had ever moved that fast. I scrawled my name on the brim and handed it over, then took his name. “Are you free to come to tonight’s game?”

  I swore tears welled in his eyes. He nodded.

  Typing his name into my phone, I sent an email and got an almost immediate confirmation. “You’ll have two tickets at will-call. See ya then.”

  “Th-thanks so much. This is the raddest thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  I held up my fist, and he bumped it.

  “If it isn’t too much trouble,” Barbie interrupted, her voice droll with upscale sarcasm, “I’d like a refill of lemon water.”

  The kid blushed and apologized, nearly falling over his feet in an effort to get right on it.

  “So, Kane, what exactly is it you do?”

  “First baseman for the New York Beasts, ma’am.” Damn, it felt good to watch her lips tighten when I called her that.

  “Please call me Alize.”

  I grinned at her and gave Eliana a squeeze. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She sighed, and before she could ask me another question, like my net worth, I kissed Eliana’s forehead. “What were you two talking about before I arrived?”

  “Mom dearest wants me to attend the children’s hospital gala next weekend and was setting up appointments for me to get all dolled up beforehand. Hair, nails, the works.”

  “Better not let them change the color of your hair,” I told her, and she grinned so wide, and with so much gratitude in her eyes, it made me feel like a hero. “I think God was thinking about sunshine and happiness when you were born.” I looked over at Barbie. “Where does she get these fabulous looks from? Aside from the eye color, she doesn’t resemble you at all.”

  Barbie’s plastic face turned into cement. “Her father.”

  “Well, good for you for banging such a good-looking guy.” I patted Eliana’s back as she choked. “You okay, baby? So back to that gala. Should I cancel the spa day I had planned for you? And can you still pick up my tux at the cleaners on the way home?”

  Eliana sputtered but quickly recovered. “T-tux? Yes, of course. Thank you for the reminder. It’s been such an unusual day, I’d completely forgotten. Anything else you need?”

  “Home?” Barbie asked, leaning forward. “Are you two living together?”

  Eliana’s eyes went into full-blown panic, so I jumped in. “Not officially, but we might as well be.”

  “And when was I going to be informed of this?”

  “Now,” Eliana said, batting her long lashes. “Part of the surprise.”

  Barbie narrowed her eyes and turned them back to me. “So, you’re planning on attending the gala? I didn’t know baseball players could afford tickets.”

  I laughed. Not very subtle, but I’d go with it. “Well, this is the MLB. Major. League. Baseball.” I said it slow in case she needed to take notes. Then I went for the throat. “But my family’s been attending the gala for years.”

  Her eyebrows would have risen had they been able to move. “Your family? Might I know them?”

  “Probably. They attend most every major event, even though they live on the West Coast.”

  This was actually kind of fun. I’d never hung my family name up like a dangling carrot before today. But I’d do anything to shut this woman up, I realized. And come to the defense of the one beside me. I didn’t know why I felt so strongly about Eliana when I didn’t even know her last name. But I did. I’d felt it from the moment I gazed into her blue eyes in that alleyway.

  I didn’t believe in love at first sight or any of that shit. But I did believe in my instinct, and my instincts told me that I wanted to get to know this woman better. A lot better. And not just physically either.

  “Kane Steele,” Barbie muttered to herself. “The Steeles of Steele Global?”

  I smiled as the waiter came back with her water.

  “I’d like to order a club sandwich and fries,” I told him and turned to Eliana. “How about you? You need more than that rabbit food to keep your fabulous shape. You know how I hate skeletal women. Portobello burger and sweet potato fries sound good?”

  Tears gleamed in her eyes, but only for a moment because she blinked them away and melted closer to me, melding us together.

  I kissed her hair, breathing in the scent of citrus and vanilla. Yes. I wanted to know her better.

  I wanted to know why she fed homeless dogs.

  I wanted to know what was up with her mother.

  I wanted to know what her skin felt like.

  But more than anything, I wanted to take her to a damn gala and show her what it was like to be treated like she deserved.

  “So, about that spa day. Want to stick to your mother’s plans?”

  She beamed at me. “Sure. And no hair color change, I promise.”

  I stared down at her, into those clear blue eyes over that cutely freckled nose. I wanted to kiss her. Needed to kiss her. So I did.

  I’d kissed her when I first sat down, but that was mostly to mask her surprise. This kiss was different, soft and wet, but it created some electrical charge inside of me that zinged through my system, landing in my balls. I grew hard. From one damn kiss, I was hard as a rock in athletic shorts. Thank God, I was also wearing compression shorts beneath them, or I’d have a tent as big as the Empire State Building for all to see.

  Barbie cleared her throat, and I ignored her, turning more fully toward Eliana, changing the angle of how our lips met. She tasted like tomato and vinaigrette, and something uniquely her. Eliana’s hand crept up my arm, her fingers digging into my shoulder. She whimpered, and the vibration of the sound went to my toes.

  Stop.

  I needed to stop this shit now, or I’d fuck her in this booth, no matter how many rounds I’d had with the porn queen last night.

  Shit.

  That thought tossed cold water on my arousal, and I pulled away, ashamed of myself.

  I’d fucked three different women this week, and here I was, molesting the mouth of this innocent girl. Well, she might not be virgin innocent, the hand on my upper thigh was evidence that she wasn’t pure in that sense of the word.

  But she was pure in other ways.

  Even if she was the daughter of Cruella, who was staring daggers at us both.

  I glanced back down to the lush curve of her mouth, remembering her sexy ass and how it filled out those skinny jeans so perfectly. The clear eyes, sweet smile. Generous and giving spirit.

  Baseball.

  I needed to be focused on baseball, and all I could think about was taking Eliana around the bases at lightning speed, scoring a home run as quickly as possible.

  She deserved better than that. Better than me.

  But I’d intruded in her life and was now taking her to the children’s hospital gala. I’d be the perfect gentleman as her escort, protect her from her mother’s machinations and this Winston asshole who might get a punch in the face if I ran into him.

  We could “break up” afterward. She would then go her way, and I’d go mine.

  Yes, that was the plan.

  But even as I thought it, a restless, edgy energy burned through me. The sort of tension I was familiar with. With Eliana, I needed to cage it. She wasn’t that type of girl, of that I was certain.

  I inhaled her scent again and caught the vanilla undertones. Yes, innocence and vanilla. That wasn’t how I enjoyed being with a woman.

  Sweet wasn’t on my menu.

  Sweet girls had expectations.

  I couldn’t — wouldn’t — offer anything more than a night of hard, fast sex. I went to bed with women who knew the score. Women I could make beg, bring a blush of pink to their flesh. Women who would surrender to my every desire because they already knew what those desires were.

  Besides, I needed to fucking focus. I had a damn lo
sing streak to break. An entire city counting on my brains working at first base and my brawn causing a little white ball to fly over a fence.

  Plus, I wasn’t around a lot. I played 162 games a season, didn’t have more than a couple days off from spring through fall and those days were used mainly for travel.

  And I couldn’t fuck this up. I wanted a World Series win under my belt before I tucked tail and went back to California to step into the family business. Which was another problem. I didn’t need to be in any relationship that I couldn’t walk away from.

  Dammit. Why was I protesting so much?

  Eliana’s hand squeezed my thigh. “Are you okay?”

  Was I?

  I felt lost suddenly, like my internal compass was spinning and kept only wanting to point at one destination. Her.

  I was grateful when the waiter came with my club and smiled when Eliana dug into her Portobello, eating the sweet potato fries with great relish under the watchful eyes of her mother. I was even more grateful when it clearly became time to end this mockery of a meal.

  Barbie looked at her phone, which must have been the cue to leave because Eliana reached for her bag.

  “Well, Kane, it was very nice to meet you.” I wanted to snarl as she extended her hand in a limp-wristed shake. She looked at her daughter. “Perhaps we can take care of the other purpose of our tête-à-tête later. The mail, perhaps?”

  Their tête-à-what?

  Eliana stiffened and thrust her hand into her bag, pulling out a matching Prada wallet and turning to the checkbook section, yanking a pen from its holder. People still wrote checks? “No, let’s take care of that now.”

  As I watched, she scribbled out “One thousand dollars.” She noted “September rent” on the bottom and signed her name with a flourish before ripping it off and sliding the small slip of paper across the table, drawing her hand back quickly as Alize reached for it, looking embarrassed.

  Eliana has to pay rent to her mother?

  “Thank you, darling.” She cleared her throat. “So, I shall see you at the gala? Remember your appointments and be sure to pick out your gown with plenty of time for alterations.”

  I was still stunned by what I’d witnessed. “Will Eliana be paying for those things or is all of this a gift from you?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking.

  Barbie blushed and took a sip of her water. “No, no. This is a gift for my darling Eliana. I’ll have Carlos send you an email with instructions on how to prep for the waxing and other treatments.”

  Eliana opened her mouth then snapped it shut, crossing her arms over her chest in a look of pure mutiny.

  I wiggled my eyebrows at her. “Brazilian? Excellent choice.”

  She blushed a bright adorable red, but a smile played at the corners of her mouth, easing the tension.

  I realized I enjoyed making her blush. I enjoyed making her laugh.

  I’d do that through the gala, then… let her go.

  Why did I feel like someone just punched me in the gut?

  “I’ll leave you young people alone,” Barbie said, then waited. Was she waiting for one of us to tell her she was young too? What a vamp.

  “We’ll see you at the gala,” I said and tossed my Am Ex Black on the table. “My treat.”

  Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the card. “Thank you.” She slid from the booth and waved her fingers. “Ta ta.”

  I waved my fingers back and turned to Eliana, ignoring Barbie completely. The tap tap of her heels told me she was finally leaving.

  Eliana just looked up at me until the door closed, then she laughed, a beautiful sound that made me smile. She flung herself at me, her arms wrapping around my waist. “Thank you so much! That was awesome! Incredible!” She laughed again. “Absolutely perfect. Thank you, really.”

  I twirled a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of her tight bun around my finger. “You were a champ, recovering so quickly after I jumped in on you like that. Well played.”

  She preened, batting her long lashes, making me laugh again.

  “Seriously, you were brilliant,” I told her. “And I was serious when I said I’d take you to the gala. It’s an off day for me, and my grandmother has been begging me to go. I won’t have any trouble getting tickets.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really? What you just did was enough. I could tell Alize that we had a fight and broke up. Or I could just pretend I’m sick and dodge the entire bullet.”

  I leaned closer. “Or you could go with me. You could enjoy your spa day and new dress on your mom’s tab. It would be fun. I’ll dote on you all night. We’ll dance and eat expensive food, and if we’re lucky, you’ll get to watch me break that Winston guy’s face.”

  Her eyes clouded, and I felt like a shit for bringing up his name.

  “Sorry that happened to you. It happened to one of my sisters too; it haunts her to this day. And when your mother blew it off like that, it just…” I shook my head, my teeth grinding together. “I couldn’t sit there any longer.”

  She laid her hand on mine and our fingers automatically linked together, as if we’d been holding hands for ages. “Thank you. It really was perfect. I appreciate you being my white knight.”

  I laughed. “I’m no hero, and I have a confession.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”

  “I followed you here. We bumped into each other at that alley, and I…”

  “Followed me. Why?”

  She really doesn’t know how beautiful she is.

  “I don’t know. Why do flowers turn to the sun?”

  Holy fucking shit. Why did I just say that?

  “And your ass in those jeans,” I said quickly to cover my embarrassment. “You have a fine ass, Eliana.” She blushed. “Besides, I was fascinated that you were feeding the homeless and taking care of the dogs. I guess I just wanted to see what you’d do next.”

  Her thumb traced a circle on the back of my hand. “So here you are.”

  “Yeah. Here I am. And I’ll pick you up next Saturday at seven. Type your contact information into my phone.” I unlocked it and handed it over, regretting doing so when she unlinked our fingers to add her info. She handed the phone back, and I sent her a text. Her phone pinged. “There, now you have mine.”

  She slid her finger across her screen and added me as a contact. Tapping on the camera icon, she held her phone out and leaned closer to me. “Smile.”

  I did, and she snapped our selfie. It was cute. We looked good together. She added the picture to my contact. “There, you’re my official fake boyfriend now.”

  Why did the fake part feel wrong?

  Looking back up at me, she licked her lips, and my cock responded to the action. “I better go,” she said in a low voice. “I need to get to work soon.”

  “Where do you work?”

  Her face brightened. “Right now, I’m working for a woman who has a dog grooming business. It’s only part-time, but I love working with animals. My dream is to become a veterinarian, and I was going to start vet school this fall, but…” She swallowed hard and looked down at her fingers.

  “But something happened with your mother?” I guessed.

  She nodded.

  “Is that why you have to pay your mother, who is clearly very rich, rent?”

  She nodded again, still looking down.

  “What happened?” I asked gently, unable to stop myself. I hadn’t even known this girl an hour, but I wanted to know everything about her. The good and the bad.

  “You’re being nosy,” she said with a grin.

  “Hey, I’m your fake boyfriend, I’m allowed to be nosy.”

  She nudged me with her shoulder. “Okay, fake boyfriend. I’ll tell you why. Alize hated the idea of me being in the ‘working class’ as she calls it. She says it’s embarrassing.”

  I laughed. “And doctors of veterinary medicine are considered working class in her world?”

  She finally looked up and smiled. “Yes. In her world, only mo
dels and actors, artists, can work without being disgraced. Everyone else needs to be socialites with family money. That’s what she wanted me to be. A mini-me of her. A little girl she could flaunt to society and preen over. She wanted me to be a model, but I wasn’t pretty enough for that. An actress, but I hate being in the spotlight.” She shrugged and took a long drink of her tea.

  “I think I hate your mother.”

  She choked on her tea, spitting the sweet stuff out on me. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, blushing furiously as she wiped me off. I wished she’d sprayed me on the crotch instead of the thigh. The softness of her hand on my skin was making me hard.

  I covered her hand with mine before I embarrassed myself. “It’s athletic gear. It’ll wash. Don’t worry about it. Finish your story.”

  She breathed in deeply. “Alize — her real name is Helen Jean, by the way — was born on a farm in Tennessee but was ‘discovered’ when she was on a school trip in Nashville. She became a model when she was fifteen or so, and was even in some soap operas and pretty awful movies. She met my dad, who was in his sixties by the way, and got pregnant with me when she was nineteen. He was very rich, and they got married, but he died when I was just a baby.”

  “And that’s how you became wealthy,” I stated, the puzzle coming together.

  “That’s how she got wealthy. My father hadn’t set up a trust for me or anything like that, so all the money is hers. That money, plus all the money she’s gained from marrying rich four more times. She never lets me forget that it is her money that buys — well, used to buy — my apartment, clothes, paid for my education, blah, blah.”

  I whistled, and Eliana nodded. “Yeah. My mother has made a career out of marrying well. I’ll never be like that. I do live in the apartment she bought just because the rent is so crazy around here, but as you can see, I do pay rent. Well, my roommate and I pay the rent.”

  “What happened that you couldn’t start school this year?”

  She blushed, but it wasn’t from embarrassment this time. Anger and disappointment combined to just make her look sad. “Alize was going to pay for school, and I had everything ready. I’ve been accepted, and my class schedule was set. On the last day tuition was due, Alize changed her mind. She said that she, in good conscience, couldn’t support me in tossing my life away.”