Lana shuffled through the papers in her hand, trying to look busy. It was evident that she wasn’t pleased. Maybe because she didn’t know what Rhett was going to announce beforehand or maybe from jealousy of not being selected as our personal babysitter.
“Katrina knows her way around a baseball team, on and off the field.” Rhett’s words made some of the guys howl as their minds flocked to the gutter. “Don’t be assholes. You know what I mean. She is going to ensure you keep your head in the game.” Rhett released his grip on her. “Lana will be here trying to create some positive press for you, for us, for the team. You’ve already made her job hard enough as it is, please don’t make it any more difficult.”
She looked up, her demeanor back to full-on professionalism. Her lips tightened as she looked around the room. “I’ll have itineraries for you all when you return,” she said quickly.
“Yes. It’s time we show our fans there is more to the Beasts than the wild side. Let them see we have a humanity side as well. One they can connect with. One they will be drawn to, even when you do fuck up. And I know you will fuck up.” Rhett grinned when he spoke, almost as if he was asking us to fuck up.
“Katrina, why don’t you let the guys know what you’ll expect from them?” Rhett pushed Katrina into the spotlight.
Her long, blonde hair was already falling from the loose bun she’d created, in a hurry no doubt. Those bright green eyes lit up the room when she smiled, and from her nervous demeanor, that was all she seemed to be able to do. She appeared fragile to me, too young, too green for this task. Maybe being Bobby “Spaceman” Delaney’s daughter hadn’t toughened her up enough for this job.
She cleared her throat again. I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she stood there in the center of our locker room. I almost expected her to tear up as she appeared to struggle with her words. So sweet.
“I’ve done my homework on each individual player, so not everyone here is going to present a problem.” Her words were strong and to the point. My dick took notice at her instant authority, causing me to sweat a little from my own anxiousness.
“Some of you will not even know I’m there. Others, well, you know who you are. You will wish I wasn’t. I’ll be monitoring your behavior, only stepping in when needed. If you don’t listen to my advice, if you argue with my authority, I will contact Rhett, and then your future is in his hands. I’m not here to make you uncomfortable, to beat you down, or even babysit you. I’m here to help you look good, to reach your true potential on and off the field, and to present you to the world, to your fans, in a flattering light,” she said without any stress displayed in her voice.
I was impressed.
This little, young cutie had more to her than just a pretty smile. I’d misread her. She could handle this. Hell, she sounded as if she was going to own this, own us. Shit, my dick was swelling.
Rhett beamed with pride as he stared at his new weapon. Lana’s lips parted for a moment before she quickly pursed them back together. Her eyes were filled with surprise by the new girl’s authority and self-control, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say they had any admiration in them. I knew women like Lana, they were a dime a dozen in the baseball industry. Constantly trying to prove themselves amongst the men, take control of the players, and show that having tits didn’t make them any lesser an asset to the team than those with balls. Lana had balls. That was obvious, but what wasn’t so obvious was that little Katrina had them too. Big ones. Possibly bigger than Lana’s.
I shifted my weight, trying to kill the blood flow to my aching cock. She’d surprised me, actually more than that, she'd impressed me. Not many women could do that so quickly, and without undressing. Holy shit, this little cat may be trouble, real trouble.
I couldn’t wait to get on the road, possibly get some one-on-one time with her. After all, I was one of the troubled players she spoke of, so she had to stay close. And if she didn’t, I’d find a reason to make her take notice.
CHAPTER SIX
Katrina
Holy fuck, what just happened? I was going to spend spring training in Florida with the players? Me? Not Lana, but me? Rhett really pushed me on the spot in there, leaving me breathless and unsure of how to handle the situation. I think I did okay. I handled it. I was impressed. Hopefully, he was as well. I cleared my throat so many times it was sore. Shit!
Lana was gracious but still cold as she walked me through the details of my trip. I’d be leaving in one week, with the pitchers and catchers. They were some of the most notorious problem players anyway. I needed to do my homework on Todd Morris. Damn, he was hot.
“Fraternization with the players is extremely prohibited,” Lana said quickly. Shit, had she read my mind? I had no intentions of hooking up with the players, not even Morris. I was there to do a job, and all I wanted was to do it well.
“Of course,” I agreed.
“I’m not sure why Rhett trusts you with this job.” Lana’s eyes were glaring into mine.
“You must have really impressed him during the interview process.”
There was no interview process. He called, I showed up, here I am.
“I usually do all the hiring for the PR and marketing departments,” she said with a professional smile.
It was growing clear to me why she’d been so cold since I arrived. Rhett was the one who'd stepped on her toes, not me, but she couldn't exactly take her frustrations out on her boss. So, I was the punching bag. Hopefully she’d get over it soon. I would have six weeks away from her to give her time to lick her wounds.
“Your apartment will be secured while you’re away. But, upon your return, you’ll need to rush to find something of your own. It’s highly unorthodox for staff members to live in any of the player designated apartments.” Lana jotted down information onto a yellow legal pad as she spoke. Her eyes never lifted from the paper. Just orders and writing.
“Okay,” I agreed.
She really did appear to know what she was doing as she spouted off statistics about the players, the fans' reactions to their antics, and the ticket sales for each game. I wondered myself why I was the one going and not her.
The week flew by as I was prepped for my upcoming task. According to Lana, I was to keep the players in line, but if you asked Rhett, I was just there to keep things under control, while still letting them get into some trouble. My head was reeling as I made my way through airport security.
The six weeks was enough time for me to collect a couple paychecks and save up for my own place. I knew Lana wondered why I was so reluctant to get out of the player apartment, figuring I was a spoiled little rich kid with enough money to stay wherever I wanted. That was all once true, but not anymore. I needed that time to live on the Beasts' dime so I could figure something out. But, I couldn’t tell her that. I couldn’t tell anyone.
Luke and Calvin were in front of me as we were ushered like cattle through the long line. I placed my belongings in a basket, took off my shoes, and listened to them talk.