“I saw the tabloids, but I assure you that wasn’t my motive for hooking you up with my stylist,” he said. “You’re a very beautiful woman, and in my opinion, those yoga pants were exactly what I would prefer to come home to over any Versace gown.”
I couldn’t tell if he was flirting or not, he was just so damn charming. “Thank you.” God, it felt wonderful to be complimented rather than criticized.
“It’s too pretty a day to be stuffed in this box. Shall we take seats outside and enjoy the game?”
Not that I would ever cheat on Calvin, but I was pretty certain I would follow that man anywhere.
Something about the way he locked eyes on you when he spoke was almost trance-inducing. He oozed charm from his pores, and his rugged yet refined good looks were impossible to ignore.
He stood and held out his hand to help me up. His skin was smooth, as if he had never done a hard day’s work in his life. Not like Calvin’s, which were rough and calloused from the hard work that got him where he is today. I admired him for his perseverance and strength. I wondered what exactly this man had done to get where he was today, maybe inherited daddy’s money?
Calvin noticed me right away as we stepped out of the sky box and into the stands. I waved, and he smiled, then wound up his pitch as we took our seat behind home plate.
I was worried about sitting in the stands and having people recognize me as the girl with green yoga pants. The small town Plain Jane who wasn’t good enough for Calvin Malone, star pitcher for the NY Beasts. That’s why I’d gone into the skybox in the first place, but now as people glanced in my direction, I felt admired, envied, and even empowered. I knew it was because of my company, the owner of the new team and world’s most eligible bachelor.
Sitting next to Rhett during the game was eye opening. Since I’d been with Calvin for so long, I knew the rules of the game, but Rhett provided inside information that was interesting. Like why he’d selected the players he did. His goals for the team. His vision for the next twenty years. For the first time, I saw the team through the eyes of an investor, which was fascinating.
And, of course, I cheered my guy on, watching proudly as he struck out batter after batter.
They won!
Rhett hugged me while the Beasts congratulated each other after the game was over. God, he smelled good. I quickly pulled away before I embarrassed myself by sniffing him too loud.
Calvin made his way into the stands as soon as he was able. He shook hands with Rhett and then gave me a wild stare of admiration and possibly a little jealousy.
“I hope you didn’t mind your wife keeping me company during the game,” Rhett said graciously.
“Girlfriend,” I quickly corrected him.
Calvin’s eyes moved to mine, and there was a glimpse of pain within them at my quick correction. I felt bad. I knew if he had been the one to do that, especially in the presence of another woman, I would have been terribly hurt.
Rhett thanked me for keeping him company and then excused himself from our presence. “How’d you end up with him?” Calvin asked.
I lifted a shoulder. “He was in the skybox.”
“So, you two are big pals now, huh?” The jealousy in his tone grew more obvious.
“We were talking about the celebration,” I said, looking him directly in the eye. “You know, the ball that’s coming up next week.”
He blinked.
Yeah, that’s right. You fucked up again, Calvin!
He lifted a hand and squeezed the tight muscles in his neck. “I’ve just been so busy and my mind preoccupied,” he muttered.
I kept my voice sticky sweet. “Hmm, well, Ace went to the trouble of calling Holly and inviting her, even with his extremely busy lifestyle.”
“It’s not like I wasn’t going to tell you,” he insisted, throwing his hands up in the air. “Do you think I was going to ask someone else?” he chuckled as he spoke. The laugh grated on my last frazzled nerve.
It wasn’t funny, nothing was funny!
“Well, it would’ve been nice to be included in your life. Our life. If that’s what it really is,” I snarled and turned to walk away.
I heard the guys hollering from the dugout for Calvin. I expected he would go with them and let me leave, but he didn’t. He gripped my arm and as my body turned it was pressed hard into his. “I love you,” he whispered. “Will you honor me with your presence at the ball next week?”
I tried to stay mad, I really did, but ended up giggling at his corniness and decided to push back my anger. We had fought enough in the last couple weeks to last a lifetime.
I just wanted to be happy.
***
Holly decided to fly in after all, even though Ace seemed to have screwed every woman in New York since she left.
“I should be excited that he wants to see me again,” she boasted but looked embarrassed at the same time. “He’s not exactly the type to spend his time with the same woman.” I wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince me that she was somehow special, or herself.
Rhett had his personal stylist call me as promised and I was given a beautiful Versace gown to wear. It was long, tight, and low-cut, not exactly my style, but it certainly was built to turn heads. My hair was no longer just long and straight, it was highlighted with shades of gold and layered to hang perfectly down my back.
Calvin looked stunning in his black suit with a red dress shirt underneath. His jaw dropped when I finished dressing, and he didn’t need any words to tell me what he was thinking.
I felt so fancy, so sophisticated as the black stretch limo picked us up and delivered us to the tall building where red velvet carpet lined the steps and cameramen snapped shots of everyone as they arrived. This would certainly push me from the minors to majors, so at least Calvin and I would be in the same league.
I hope.
Inside the large two-story ballroom, I scanned the room until I found Holly. I pulled Calvin towards her and Ace. Holly looked absolutely stunning, her blonde hair curled delicately, and her makeup applied to perfection. The gown she wore was similar in color to mine but shorter to show off her lean legs, and surprisingly, not as low-cut in the front as mine. This would have to be the first time in our lives that Holly’s breasts were less exposed than my own.
Ace and Calvin talked about the recent scrimmage and made a few comments about the players they would be up against this season. “Last practice, then it’s show time,” Ace boasted.
Those words were a blessing to me, last practice. I knew the season starting would keep Calvin busy, possibly busier than spring training, but he wouldn’t be able to be out partying once the real games began.