Valentino’s Pub was right across the street from our building on the Chicago River. We nabbed a patio seat a few minutes before five, when the masses would be getting off work. Steve had left early, so we did too.

“So nice out,” Amy remarked as the waitress set down our glasses. A warm gentle breeze rolled off the river and over us.

I picked up my drink, enjoying the sun and relaxing after a long day at work. “Yeah, this weather is finally reminding me of Tennessee.”

“Cheers,” Amy said, raising up her glass. “To being three weeks into your internship!”

We made eye contact, touched glasses, and I took a big gulp. The cold liquid gave me a brain freeze as it went down my throat.

Amy and I chatted for an hour, maybe two. We were so deep in conversation that I lost track of time. The patio got more packed by the minute, and we ended up ordering a few appetizers along with our drinks. I didn’t want to jinx it, but I thought I might be solidifying my first solid friendship bond since moving here for the summer internship in June. I knew we’d taken our connection to the next level when Amy signaled to the bartender for another round of margaritas. We had covered many different areas of our lives, and we couldn’t be more opposite. She was from the city of Chicago; I was from rural Tennessee. I had been a sporty tomboy most of my teens, while Amy had never picked up a ball to play a sport. Still, for some reason, we had a great vibe.

“My parents used to walk around the house naked,” Amy said, stirring her drink with a straw. “I think they wished they grew up in the 1960s.”

I raised an eyebrow, disbelieving. “They would just walk around naked? I don’t believe that.”

“I don’t know what to say. They were super weird. I’m super weird.”

I chuckled. “I mean, you’re not that weird. Your upbringing was just about the polar opposite of mine, though. I was raised very religious, and my mother used to make me feel like it was wrong if I even looked at a boy. Heck, even if a boy looked at me, she’d somehow think it was my fault for dressing too aggressively.”

“You never rebelled against her?”

The question struck a chord with me, and I sat pensively for a few moments. “I guess I appreciate everything that my mother did for me, raising me as a single parent for all those years after my daddy left. I’ve never had a reason to rebel.”

The realization hit me that moving to Chicago for this internship was perhaps one of the only big life decisions I had ever made in spite of the counsel of my mother.

Amy must have sensed my discomfort, because she changed the subject. “Okay, so this is going to test the waters of our friendship.” Her eyes flashed in a way that told me something was about to come out of the vault, that place where people go only after a couple of drinks. “I’ve been meaning to get something off my chest.”

“By all means.” I shrugged as the waitress brought out two more margaritas after our appetizers were half gone. I was feeling a pretty good buzz already, so I had decided this would be my last.

Amy continued. “I’ve been seeing this guy, David, who I knew from college, and this weekend we slept together for the first time.” She leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper. “The penis reveal always makes me a little nervous.”

“Oh, yeah.” I nodded overenthusiastically. In my head, I cycled through the two real penises I had seen in my life. My college boyfriend and the one I had seen Saturday afternoon. “I definitely know what you’re talking about. How was it?”

“It was surprisingly good! Oh, that sounds a little judgmental and weird. David seemed like more of a nice guy—I mean, he used to be my friend in college. I never thought he would be as skilled as he was…” She paused, making a face. “Is this a weird conversation? Oh God, you don’t think I’m weird do you? We’re two of the only girls in the office, and ever since you started, I’ve been dying for some girl talk.”

“Not weird at all. You should listen to some of the conversations my softball friends and I have,” I continued, wanting to keep the conversation about her as much as possible. Anything to not talk about me. “So, you get nervous when you have the first hook-up…”

“Yeah! Exactly.” Amy spoke loudly, earning us a couple curious looks from the table behind her. “You know, there’s all this weird sexual tension, and you’re thinking, are you attracted to the guy, is he attracted to you, are you going to have good sexual chemistry? It’s all so stressful.”

“Mmm-hmm. Oh yeah. Gets me every time,” I said, wondering if Amy would catch the irony in my voice. The two times it’s happened to me.

“Yeah, and then, like I said, the unit reveal. It’s always a little weird, but is it going to be big, small, just right? A ‘Goldilocks’ penis, maybe? And not to mention, is the guy going to be attentive, good at going down on me, and does he think two minutes of fingering constitutes foreplay? God, I’m sorry. I’m rambling. Shoot. I’ll stop.” Amy blushed, which made me smile.

“It’s okay. I like your stream-of-consciousness rants. It gives me a window into your subconscious.”

“Well, let’s talk about you. What about your sex life? You’re a gorgeous twenty-something from Tennessee. With that sweet hint of a drawl, I bet you get all the guys. You’re probably fighting them off with a ten-foot pole. Have you been on dates with any Chicago guys yet?”

It was a little embarrassing, but dating just wasn’t something that had been on my mind. I hadn’t taken the time to put an online dating profile together, and most of the guys I met in real life were either too shy to talk to me or intimidated by me. “No,” I answered, and I didn’t elaborate.

“Oh. So you haven’t had any recent…reveals?”

I swallowed hard and thought about the reveal I had seen.

“Well, if you are just talking pure sexy man.” I leaned toward her. “I saw Jake Napleton’s...you know…Saturday. Mr. Yerac was insistent that I go to the locker room and meet Jake right away. And there he was, just all hanging out.”

Amy had just taken a big gulp of margarita, and she went into a choking fit.

“You okay?” I asked, my fears coming to fruition. Now we were talking about me, my least favorite topic.

She took a minute and cleared her throat, and finally, her coughing ceased. “So you’re telling me that you saw Jake Napleton’s unit?”

“Uh huh,” I said, nodding and recalling the glimpse I had of him. Not that everything below the waist was the only highlight—his abs had been just as spectacular. Now, all I was doing was picturing him naked.

A chill went over my entire body. How could a man make me feel this way when he wasn’t even in the same room? I felt blood rushing between my thighs. The more I tried to suppress the feeling, the more intense it became.

Amy eventually recovered from choking on her margarita, and now there was a devious look in her eyes that told me she was just warming up. “So… I have to ask...does the nickname hold true? Is he really The Big Unit?”

I took a sip of my margarita and stared into the slow-flowing water of the Chicago River. I turned my head back to Amy and nodded slowly. Not like I had a ton of units to reference, but there was no doubt about this one.

“Whatever you’re picturing, it’s probably bigger.”

She put her hand on her heart, shook her head in disbelief, and did an exaggerated swoon. “Dear Lord in heaven, help the woman who actually gets him to settle down.”

I laughed out loud. “Fat chance of that happening. For any girl.”

“Yeah, he’s got unlimited options,” she said, agreeing with me.

“He wanted to take me out to dinner on Saturday.” I slanted her a look. “A business dinner.”

Amy’s jaw dropped. “And…?!”

“It sounded like he wanted more than a business dinner. I’m trying to be a professional, not have a one-night stand with some charming playboy athlete.”

“Christ,” she said, fanning herself. “You’re stronger than me. If Jake asked me on a date… I mean, damn. You have one strong will, Diggers.”

I sunk back in my chair. I had always been the one with a strong will. The one who tried to do the right thing and never compromise on my own set of rules and standards, but now I wondered if I was denying myself new experiences.

“Maybe I should go to dinner with him…” I said tentatively, and glanced over at Amy. “A professional dinner, of course. I’ll make that clear.”

“Of course you will,” Amy returned, almost deadpan. Then she laughed. “And then you can tell me all about it! I’ve always wanted to live vicariously through a girl dating a professional baseball player.”

“It’s not a date!” I exclaimed, but I smiled. “We’re keeping it professional. Remember?”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah. I forgot that already. I was lost picturing Jake’s…you know what? I’m going to stop talking. My advice is to just enjoy it—stop worrying so much about the destination, and enjoy the journey.”

I smiled, nodded, and took a sip of my drink. She was right, but not in the way she thought. I needed to get this right, and not just to avoid getting fired. I wanted a career in sports PR, and Jake could open doors for me if I could turn his image around. Steve was right—I’m tenacious. That’s how I got the internship. I needed to remember that Jake was just a client.

I pulled out my phone from my purse and went through my contact list. From his team dossier, I had his full contact information, and I’d put it all into my phone. Just in case. I fired off an email to Jake, which felt more businesslike than a text or actually talking to him on the phone before I knew what I wanted to say.

I could definitely keep this professional, no problem. Besides, one horrible experience dating a baseball player had been traumatic enough, and an excellent reminder to never go down that road again. No matter how tempted I might be.