Ace grinned, almost as if he were proud of his stunts. I’d heard plenty about his antics, everyone had. “No drinking. No drugs. No women. No...” Her voice trailed off as one of the guys yelled out “no fun,” to finish her sentence.
Her lips pursed tightly together, her bright red hair glowing like fire atop her head. The guys started to grow restless, excited, and their enthusiasm turned into a loud banter of sharing memories of their wild past season.
Most of the chatter surrounded Ace, with a few mentions of Luke thrown in. I watched Katrina straighten her stance, clear her throat, and grip her notebook tightly with her perfectly manicured fingers. I knew that Spaceman was notorious for his wild behavior, larger than life personality, and of course, hot temper. This couldn’t be that intimidating to her, not after growing up next to one of the legends.
“Ready for another season wild man?” Luke yelled, directing the question toward Ace. He was still grinning, but he didn’t respond.
He’d settled down, gotten married and had a baby, not necessarily in that order. The only tabloid shots of him lately were walking into baby stores or pushing a stroller through the park. He was old news, no longer the Beast that couldn’t be tamed. Holly clenched her grip onto him, turned him into a husband, a father; all things that the media found boring and mundane.
This new team, my new team, that was what they were known for — troubled players with bad attitudes. Was that why I was here? Was I the new Ace Newman? The one who would draw the media back in their direction? Surely not.
“I know you boys think your antics are cute, fun, and harmless, but they aren’t. You have to work together as a team, and part of that work will start with how you behave during spring training. If we want to be taken seriously, you have to remain professional at all times, on and off the field.” Lana didn’t flinch as she stared down each of the players. I watched her eyes linger on Luke, Ace’s sidekick, the new guy, the one who’d stirred up quite a bit of controversy in the tabloids during the off-season. I wasn’t surprised. He was good looking, young, cocky, and had talent. That was a combination used to build superstars or to destroy dreams. Which one was delivered was determined by how the player handled himself, the fame, and the media. Luke was leaning toward destroying his dream, something his hero Ace Newman should have taught him to steer clear from.
“You,” Lana’s eyes pierced into me. “I know all about you, so I’ll be watching very closely. No stunts.”
Katrina’s lips curled up into a subtle smile as Lana sunk her teeth into my flesh. “Ouch,” I replied playfully, watching carefully as Katrina’s smile widened.
Her eyes were a bright green, greener than any I’d seen before. When the fluorescent lights overhead caught them just right, they sparkled. I stared, but I couldn’t help it. I was trying to see Spaceman in her, but I couldn’t. Her features were so soft, so delicate, while his were manly and rough. Her nose was small, like a button on her face, and her chin dimpled with the cutest indents. Her frame was petite and perfect. I’d never seen Spaceman’s wife, but I was certain Katrina looked like her mother. She must be a beautiful woman.
Lana continued her speech about how we were to behave. We’d been given a list, one by one of what to do, what not to do, and with each rule, the players grew louder with their rebuttals, their mockeries, and their insubordination. Lana was a tough cookie, not crumbling from their dismissal of her authority, but she was losing them quickly and things were growing out of control. Yeah, this is it. I’m a Beast now.
Rhett slammed his fist down onto the table. The entire room grew silent. Katrina jumped. A soft squeal escaped her lips, which made me smile. I didn’t know why. It was cute. She was cute. Lana didn’t flinch; she simply stepped back and let her lips curl into a satisfied smile. The boys were in trouble; Daddy brought out the belt. I was impressed with the strength he exuberated. The players were all loud mouths, myself included, but the Kat had my tongue for the moment.
“Listen up,” he shouted.
“I know you think this is a joke. But, after our first two seasons, we’ve gotten a reputation for being loose cannons. We are known as the team most likely to fuck up. Is that what you want?” he asked, his voice calming.
“No, sir,” Kane Steele piped in, teacher’s pet of the classroom, no doubt.
“Good,” Rhett continued. He took a step back, shoved his hands into his pockets, and seemed to lean back against the thick air in the room. His demeanor was strangely calm, and as he began to smile, I knew I wasn’t the only one worried about what was to come next.
“That’s why when you head to spring training this season, you won’t be alone.” Lana quickly snapped her neck to look in his direction. It was obvious this was news to her as well. Great, another babysitter. So, did that mean Rhett was coming himself or was he sending his fiery redheaded man handler?
“I will be watching you carefully, but I don’t have the time to babysit you. You do need your hands held,” he said with a quick snap.
Lana inched closer to him. I watched as she whispered in his ear. He shrugged her off, smiling at her and shaking his head as if to answer a question she’d asked. My eyes drifted back to Katrina, who seemed unnerved by the situation unfolding before us all.
I’d heard Rhett Hamilton was unorthodox in his methods of running his team, but split-second decisions on the fly without filling in key players seemed to be more than just untraditional, it felt dangerous somehow.
“We’ll be on our best behavior, Lana.” Luke winked at the redhead. She rolled her eyes and shot him a disgusted smirk. She may have looked to be made of fire, but that woman was all ice. Not even Luke Singleton could melt her.
“Lana will not be your babysitter for this trip.” Rhett pulled his hands from his pockets and used one to wipe his brow. “Katrina will tag along. She will report directly to me.”
Lana’s perfectly painted red lips parted and her eyes narrowed, the news obviously fresh to her. Katrina cleared her throat again, loudly. She was nervous. She did a great job at hiding her anxiousness with a quick smile, a straightened stance, and unfazed expression.
Rhett gripped her by the shoulder, pulling her toward him. She hadn’t been informed of this decision, that much was obvious as her cheeks started to flush with color, and her forehead showed signs of distress with small beads of perspiration.