The Screw Ball (Indianapolis Lightning Book 3) Read online

  “After today’s event, I don’t see why it can’t happen. Did you see the smiles on all those kids' faces? Hell, even all the guys had smiles plastered on all day.”

  “I did, plus, we got some great video and photographic evidence of it,” I tell him. “Thanks for believing in me. We took an idea and ran with it. I’m just grateful that it turned out as good as it did.”

  I make small talk with Derek for a few more minutes. He fills me in on how his daughters are doing, as well as his wife. He’s got a cute little family, and I’m happy for him that he didn’t lose it all when they had a slight bump in the road last year. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom for people to realize everything they have and how important it is to make changes they need.

  Five

  Lucas

  I load another fifty pounds onto the barbell before assuming the position so the bar can rest across my shoulders. I lift it off of the rack, getting my feet set correctly before I start my set of squats. I’m already halfway through my workout for the morning and feeling pretty good today.

  “Lucas!” I hear my name being barked from the doorway. I almost missed it since I’ve got my earbuds in and music pumping to keep my focus. I finish my set of ten squats before placing the bar back on the stand behind me. I grab the towel I have draped on the bench, wiping at my face as I walk toward the door and the two people standing there waiting on me.

  If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under the ground already, based on the daggers Carmen is shooting at me. I know I messed her little event up yesterday, but I had more important things to deal with, things she doesn’t need to know about. I already talked to coach about it, and he understood my reasoning for missing it. While I know it wasn’t a smart move to not call him beforehand and to go so long before I returned his many calls, he didn’t bench me or send me back down to the AAA team, so I’m taking that as a plus in my book.

  Before either of them can start talking, I decide to control this conversation from the get-go. “Listen, I’m sorry I missed the event yesterday. Coach and I have already talked it out. I know it was an asshole move to miss, but I had something come up that I couldn’t get out of that was more important,” I tell her without giving her any details about what I was doing yesterday. It doesn’t pertain to her or the team; therefore, I don’t feel the need to share my day's details.

  “It was mandatory,” she seethes, and that pretty red shade I love seeing her skin turn makes an appearance. I can’t help but smirk, thinking back to our conversation in her office not long ago when she asked me why I call her Red occasionally.

  “And I’m sorry, Red.” I smirk again when the nickname slips from my lips and the daggers become even more intense. Damn, someone needs to pin this woman against a wall and fuck her until she can’t think straight. “But as I said, I had something personal come up that I couldn’t get out of,” I tell her, staying as calm as can be as I try and hide the fact that her being all pissed at me is turning me the fuck on.

  “Carmen, I can vouch for Lucas. While we can’t guarantee that the same thing won’t happen again, we did come to the agreement that if he’s tied up with this matter again, he’ll reach out to me before he’s supposed to be somewhere and let me know what’s going on.”

  I watch as she digests his words. Her level of disgust with me appears to change as the wheels in her mind start turning as she starts to wonder what it was that Coach is so easy to let me off the hook for.

  “I guess if you’re okay with this behavior, I have no choice but to go with your decision,” Carmen says to Ian.

  I watch as she turns and walks down the hallway. I can’t help but observe the way her hips sashay down the hall in her tight pencil skirt. That tight ass would feel amazing pressed up against my groin as I pound into her from behind. Fuck, there goes my mind again.

  “Are you good for tonight’s game?” Coach asks, pulling my thoughts from stripping Carmen from her clothes.

  “Yeah, I’m good,” I tell him. I run a hand around my neck, squeezing the tight muscles, hoping that they’ll loosen up some before the game.

  “You look tense; maybe go visit one of the therapists to see if they can get that out of you.”

  “Will do, I’ve got a few things to finish up in the weight room, and then I can check with them,” I tell him, pointing my thumb over my shoulder at the door we’re standing outside of.

  “You’re a good player and a good kid. Don’t forget that, now,” he tells me before walking off down the hall toward the team offices.

  I try not to think about the events yesterday, if I focus on them too much, they will affect my play, and none of us need that right now.

  It’s the bottom of the ninth, and we’re down by one run. We’ve got a runner on second when I step up to the plate. I tighten the strap on my glove, tap the end of my bat against home plate and take my stance as I watch the pitcher go through his head shakes as the catcher flashes him ball signals until he lands on one he likes, followed by his throwing routine before the ball leaves his fingertips and is headed my way at over ninety miles per hour. I stay still, not flinching as the catcher has to lean to the side to catch the stray ball. I hear the umpire call the ball before we all reset. This pitcher hasn’t been on the mound long and isn’t having the greatest night so far. He gave up a home run with his first batter, JJ, followed by a fly ball that went deep into the outfield by Matt O’Riley, one of our first basemen.

  I watch as he goes through the same routine, this time changing up what he’s sending my way. Unfortunately for him, he places it perfectly, and the ball loudly cracks against my bat as I send it sailing high into the air as it floats further and further away. I take off like a bat out of hell, quickly rounding first as Matt clears home plate, tying the game for us. My ball continues to fly, eventually going out of the field and into the stands, giving me my first ever MLB home run of my career. I slow my running slightly as I take in the crowd's loud sounds as they are all cheering at the top of their lungs as they stand on their feet. As I approach home plate, I’m met by my entire team as they join me to celebrate our win.

  “What are you doing to celebrate the win tonight?” Matt calls out across the locker room once all the media has been kicked out by Carmen so that we can get on with our evening and get showered and changed.

  “Nothing planned; what did you have in mind?” I ask him.

  “We could hit up a club; I’ve got nothing else going on,” he suggests.

  “Sounds good to me; I’ll grab my shower now,” I tell him, pulling out my bag from my locker. I remove the last of my compression clothes and wrap a towel around my waist before heading for one of the showers.

  I walk out of the locker room, looking fresh and ready to hit the club. While I hadn’t planned to head to one after the game, the clothes I brought with me to change into are appropriate enough to hit up a club in. I’ve got on dark-washed jeans with a polo that pulls tightly across my chest and around my biceps. Not many shirts can hide these guns.

  “Lucas,” Carmen’s sugary sweet yet annoyed voice greets my ears. “Nice way to close out the game tonight,” she says, standing just a foot or so away from me. My eyes quickly drop down her body, taking in her casual yet professional attire. While she’s changed out of the pencil skirt and blouse she was in this morning, she’s now in a team polo shirt and some khaki shorts.

  “Thanks, it was a pretty sweet hit.”

  “Your first home run, I’d say that’s something to celebrate.” She smiles up at me, and I feel like this is the first-ever genuine smile she’s given me.

  “Yep,” I say, popping the p. “Matt and I are headed out to celebrate,” I tell her.

  “For the love of everything holy, please don’t do anything that requires me to clean up a mess,” she says, rolling her eyes.

  I chuckle; she makes it seem like all I do is get into trouble, when in reality, I’ve only had the press on me about things a couple times, and only one was so-called w
rong, with the strip club incident. “Got it. I’ll keep things PG tonight while in the public eye. I can’t say the same once I’m out of the club though.” I run my teeth along my bottom lip and watch as her eyes dilate at the movement. Hmm…maybe I’m not the only one who gets turned on in this little twosome.

  “Can you not keep it in your pants for one night?” she scoffs.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I smirk, and her eyes roll once again.

  “Ready to go, man?” Matt asks, stepping out of the locker room. “Oh, hey, Carmen. How are you tonight?” he asks her, pulling her into a side hug. I have to stop myself from growling at his easiness with her and hers with him. Where the hell did that possessiveness come from?

  “I’m good, ready to get out of here. It’s been a long couple of days,” she tells him as they separate.

  “Don’t let me keep you, then,” he says, slapping a hand on my shoulder. “I’m taking this guy out to celebrate that hit tonight. I think it deserves a drink or two,” he tells her.

  “Have fun, don’t do anything stupid,” she tells him, then shoots daggers at me again.

  “You know I’d never,” he says, acting like he’s some squeaky-clean choir boy who isn’t ready to hit the club, looking for someone to take home for the night.

  “Night, guys,” she says as a final farewell before heading down the hall. I can’t help but watch as she walks away, that ass once again teasing me until I’m hard in my jeans.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Matt warns. “She isn’t the one-night stand kind of girl. Plus, I think she might be a little out of your league,” he cracks.

  “Funny.” I chuckle as we both head for the exit.

  “Meet you at the club?” he calls out, opening his driver's door. He drives a little sporty Audi.

  “Sounds good to me,” I tell him, opening the door to my Lexus SUV.

  I walk up to the club entrance with Matt by my side. Since it is a Friday night, a short line has started to form, but that’s not a problem for us. The bouncer at the door recognizes both of us instantly, offering out his fist for us to bump.

  “Evening, guys, I didn’t know you were coming down tonight,” he says, opening the rope for us to step through. I catch the look from a few of the young women standing at the front of the line as they rake their eyes all over my body. Yeah, they like what they see.

  “We’ve got some celebrating to do,” Matt tells him. “This guy hit his first professional home run, and it was a walk-off winner, at that.”

  “Damn, congratulations, man,” the bouncer says, slapping my shoulder.

  “Thanks,” I tell him as the door to the club opens. The music pours from the open doors as we step through, then immediately head up the stairs to the VIP lounge. While I don’t mind hanging out in the central area, being that it is a Friday night, the VIP lounge is probably a better place for us to be. Plus, they’ll have a better liquor selection and prettier bartenders.

  “Evening, gentlemen, I’m Savannah; what can I get the two of you tonight?” one of the servers asks as we approach a table.

  “Whiskey on the rocks,” Matt tells her, then points to me as if he’s asking what I want to drink. “First round is on me,” he says.

  “In that case, I’ll take a bottle of Dom Perignon,” I tell the server.

  “Right away, gentlemen.” She smiles at both of us and heads straight for the bar to put in our order.

  “Fucker, I see how it is; had to order an entire bottle when it’s my tab.” He chuckles.

  “Damn straight,” I tell him. I look out over the dance floor, eyeing a few groups of girls that I’ll keep a watch on to see if anyone might be interested in some company. I need to get laid. It's been a few weeks since I went home with that stripper, and I need some release.

  “I’ve got your drinks here for you. Did either of you want to order anything from the kitchen?” she offers. Only the VIP lounge at this club provides a small kitchen with some appetizer-style offerings.

  “I’m good for now,” I tell her as Matt also waves her offer off. “Thanks.” I flash her a smile, the one that I know drops women’s panties at my feet. The lights might be dimmed in here, but I can still see the blush her cheeks flush and know that she’ll be putty in my hands before the night is over, if I want.

  “If either of you needs anything else, just flag me down,” she says, stepping away then stopping at the next table to check on them.

  “To your first of many home runs,” Matt says, holding up his tumbler of Whiskey to clink against my flute of champagne. I swallow down the small amount of bubbly goodness, the bubbles tickling my nose slightly. I top my glass off from the bottle our server placed in an ice bucket next to the table and tip it back just as quickly as I did the first.

  “You on the prowl tonight?” I ask Matt once we’ve both enjoyed the majority of our first drinks. We’re both surveying the club and those in attendance tonight.

  “Maybe, just taking in the options for the evening.” He smirks, checking out a girl that just walked into the VIP area. Her dress doesn’t leave much to the imagination and I can tell Matt is interested, for sure. He perks up as his eyes follow her every move across the room until she stops at the bar. “I’ll be right back,” he tells me quickly and I watch as he slides up to the bar next to the knock-out beauty.

  I watch the interaction from our table for a minute or so. It is hard to determine if things are going well since I can only see their backs, but he’s standing next to her, their bodies angled slightly toward one another. He must be laying on the charm based on her body language. A slide of her fingertips along his forearm, followed by his hand sliding along her waist, until it rests just above her ass as he pulls her a little closer.

  “Can I get you another drink?” our server asks, pulling my attention from my teammate and friend.

  “A bottle of water would be great; do you have any?” I ask, knowing I need to slow my alcohol intake. Not only because I need to get myself home, but also because I don’t want to deal with a hangover tomorrow.

  “Of course,” she says, flashing me a cute smile that I am sure is her way of telling me she’s available. She’s cute enough and I was once feeling the need to hook up tonight, but the more I look around, the more that desire isn’t prevalent. Not sure what the hell is up with that, but maybe I’m just tired and need to head home for a good night’s sleep.

  I look around the lounge, spotting Matt still wrapped up in his conversation turned make-out session with the chick at the bar.

  “Thanks for this,” I say, grabbing the bottle of water she delivered to me. The cold liquid quenches my thirst as she stands close by, I’m sure, hoping I’ll ask her out.

  Six

  Carmen

  I roll over in bed, stretching my arms above my head as I do most mornings. I reach for my phone as per my usual ritual. I wasn’t woken up to deal with anything overnight, which is a true blessing. But I still make it a priority to check all my notifications right away each morning to not miss anything important that might have transpired.

  With no pressing issues, I take a few minutes to scroll through my personal account. I stop to look through the album of pictures my sister-in-law posted of my nephew. He’s the cutest damn kid, sporting two new teeth in his otherwise gummy smile. I drop a few hearts on the pictures. It’s moments like this, seeing him growing up through pictures and the occasional FaceTime that I wish we lived closer, but with my brother being in the military, that won’t be a possibility until he’s out of the service and can decide where they’re going to call home for good.

  I finally drag my butt out of bed after scrolling for another twenty or so minutes, thanks to my bladder screaming at me that it is time to get moving. Before leaving the bathroom, I wash my face and brush my teeth. Checking the clock, I see I have just enough time to make it to my favorite yoga studio for one of my favorite Saturday morning classes.

  Feeling slightly refreshed and excited for a much-nee
ded class, I pull on some shorts, a sports bra and a tank top before sliding into some sandals. I fill a bottle with some ice water, grab a banana from the counter, along with my keys and cell, and head out the door. I love my condo building, as it is in a pretty up and coming area that has been revitalized over the last few years. I have so many places I can go within walking distance.

  A short, five-or-so-minute walk later and I’m striding through the doors of the yoga studio. I toss my banana peel in the trash before placing my items in one of the small lockers they have in the lobby for customers. After getting all checked in, I grab a mat and pick a place in the open room. I lay down, starting a few stretches to get me warmed up before the class actually starts.

  An hour later, I’m a puddle of sweat and feeling so much better. There is just something about a good yoga session that centers me and helps me relax. With a constantly go-go-go mentality at work, I sometimes have a hard time shutting my brain off and relaxing, but yoga makes me tune everything out for the hour I’m in the studio, sweating my ass off and finding the calm I so desperately need most days.

  After cleaning my mat off and putting it back in the pile, I gather my phone and keys from the locker, then make my way outside. The sun is bright, making today a gorgeous day. I stop at the coffee shop on the corner, ordering an iced latte and breakfast wrap to go. I eat the wrap on the short walk back home, finishing it quickly since I was starving after my class and only ate a banana on the way.

  I step out of the shower, wrapping my hair up first before toweling off, and then wrapping my fluffy towel around my body. My cell starts to buzz against the counter. I grab it, seeing that Carly is calling.

  “Hello,” I greet, putting her on speaker right away.

  “Hey! What are you up to today?” she asks.

  “I don’t have any plans yet, went to yoga this morning and just getting dressed for the day now. What are you up to?”