Chapter Eight

Grace

Justin’s indecent request was still ringing in my ears when I finally tried to sleep. As I lay there, tossing and turning, my mind bounced back and forth. Did I dare do as he asked? What would he do if I didn’t? He’d made it clear that I was expected to do as he asked and to trust him. And after the amazing sex which surprised me because I’d always heard the first time with anyone sucked, who was I to argue? He’d promised me pleasure and he delivered it by the truckload. Damn, I had no idea what I’d been missing out on all these years. Then again, I just had sex with the hottest ball player in history. I was sure not all men were like him. I wondered if he was the same with every woman who’d jumped into his bed.

I squeezed my eyes shut and blocked out that thought. I didn’t want to think about Justin and a parade of other women, and I especially didn’t want to dwell on the images those thoughts conjured up. I’d have to be living under a rock to miss the fact that Justin was a wanted man. Anytime he walked past a woman, she looked him up and down. Crowds of women were always hanging outside the team locker room, waiting to see if they could catch his attention. They came up to ask for autographs—one even so bold as to have him sign her bra strap. Justin was kind to them, offering smiles in their selfies and signed whatever swag they brought to him. But what would he do if I wasn’t lurking nearby? Would he flirt with them? Offer to take them out for a drink like he had me the first time we met?

A glance at the clock showed it was creeping up on one am. Farrah was likely asleep. She was my navigator in these complicated and choppy waters. My fingertips searched the edge of my nightstand and latched onto my phone. I dragged it into the bed with me and sent a quick text, simply asking if she was awake. To my surprise, her number popped up with a picture of her smiling face.

“Hello?” I answered.

“Is it official?”

“Is what official?” I asked, pushing up to a sitting position. I tugged the sheets up to cover myself and provide a barrier against the chilly blast of the AC.

Farrah heaved a dramatic sigh. “Look, Grace, I’m not an idiot. You texted me like six hours ago and said you were going out to dinner with Justin Calloway and now you’re texting me at one o clock in the fuckin’ morning to see if I’m awake which obviously means you need to talk about something urgent. Two plus two equals you banged him.”

A surprised laugh burst forth. “Wow! That’s quite a leap.”

“Is it? Really?”

I could practically hear her raising an eyebrow.

“No…” I confessed with a wince.

“Ha ha! I knew it!” She let out a little whoop. “Holy crap, you have to tell me everything!”

I hesitated for a few moments but then gave in and told her the whole story, starting from the time we left the stadium to him dropping me off at home. I glossed over a few details, mostly, in regards to the rules he’d listed out, and I definitely didn’t tell her about the way he’d tied my wrists together. I’d keep those more intimate details to myself.

“You’re so fucking lucky, Grace! I mean, damn! The only problem is that it sounds like every guy from here on out is going to be reaching for a pretty high standard!”

My stomach clenched. “What if…nevermind.”

“What?” she asked.

I nibbled on my lower lip. “Well, I was just thinking that maybe there doesn’t have to be anyone else. I mean, it turns out we actually have a lot in common. We love baseball and traveling and he was really sweet and actually…chivalrous all night. He’s totally different than I expected. Besides, if I end up going back to Oklahoma City after graduation—which I probably will—we’d be in the same city. At least for a little while. So maybe we could figure it out.”

Farrah was silent.

I waited but the other side of the line remained quiet. I frowned. “Hello? Farrah, are you still there?”

She sighed. “Listen, Gracie, I don’t want to be a downer, but you’re going to have to drop this fantasy. It’s only going to drive him away.”

“Why?” I asked, my tone taking on a defensive edge.

“Guys like Justin Calloway don’t want a girlfriend.”

“How do you know? I mean, if he just wanted a girl to have sex with, he could have gone to a bar. Hell, he doesn’t even have to do that. There’s a horde of women at the stadium every day who would give their left tit to get his attention.”

Saying it out loud reminded me how insane the whole thing was to begin with. I still hadn’t figured out how I’d ended up in his sights with all the other women around. I’d never so much as smiled at him and yet, he’d decided he wanted me.

“You’re right,” Farrah started. “He could have gone anywhere, snapped his fingers, and had any woman he wanted on her knees, suckin’ his rocks off. But just because he took you to dinner and opened the door for you doesn’t mean anything. Maybe that’s just his style.”

“Or, maybe he wants something more than just a booty call.”

“Maybe,” Farrah said, albeit begrudgingly. “Just be careful, Gracie. I’d hate for you to get hurt over unrealistic expectations. I think it would be way smarter to enjoy the ride but know that it’s only a temporary thing.”

Waves of emotion rolled through me at her final declaration. Maybe she was right. At first, I wanted to tell her about his special request but suddenly, I couldn’t wait to hang up.

***

It took me a while to pick out the right dress the next morning. I wanted something long enough that I wouldn’t be worried every time I bent over. I’d already tried on three and had promptly discarded each of them into a pile on my bed. I sighed into the closet and then dug in one more time. I pulled out a peach-colored sundress and tugged it on over my head, surprised to find it actually fell below the knee. The dress was a gift from my mom and to my knowledge I’d never worn it. I wasn’t the dressy type. I liked jeans, cutoff shorts, tank tops and t-shirts. No muss, no fuss. I rarely wore more than a swipe of mascara and lip gloss, and it had been so long since I’d worn earrings that my holes were starting to close up again.

But if getting a little dolled up would get Justin excited, it was worth it. I wanted to drive him a little crazy and make him sweat—even though I was the one taking on all the risk.

As I wandered around the house, getting ready for work, I was acutely aware of my commando status. It was strangely freeing and also felt naughty. My heart raced, wondering what lay ahead. The only thing hampering my mind from truly running wild was Farrah’s warning that I was seeing things that weren’t really there. I wasn’t sure what I wanted with Justin. Hell, I hadn’t even really meant to let things get as far as they had. Perhaps that was why my idea of us forming some kind of actual, real-life relationship wasn’t so crazy. In light of everything else that had happened over the past week, it actually made sense.

I needed to find a way to ask Justin, but I had a hard time knowing what to say around him unless he was asking me direct questions. I’d always been shy and a little unsure of myself, but it intensified when I was in his presence. It worked well that he took charge the night before. Letting him tell me what to do, when and how to do it was actually freeing. It removed my anxiety and shyness from the situation and let me focus on each moment as it came because I had no idea what would come next.

Had he guessed that about me? Or was he always so in control?

Either way, it worked and I couldn’t wait to see what he had in mind for our next encounter.

***

Since my car had been left at the stadium overnight, Justin arranged for a car to pick me up. The entire ride, I was convinced that the driver somehow knew I was commando. Then it got worse when I arrived at work and sat down in my normal place. Everyone was watching me and I kept checking and re-checking to make sure my dress hadn’t crept up.

Finally, Blake provided some insight. “You look nice, Grace. Are you going somewhere special after work?”

My eyes opened wide as I turned at his question. “What? I mean—thank you. But—uh—why do you ask?”

Blake gave me a confused look. “The dress? You don’t normally dress up like that. At least, not that I can remember and we’ve done this thing a couple of years now.” He offered a good-natured smile at the end, and I wanted to slap myself in the face.

“Right! Duh. Um, yeah, I have a dinner thing. It’s boring but figured I should wear something…nice.”

He nodded and then hurried to turn back to his work.

Smooth, Grace. Really smooth.

Did Justin have any idea how on edge I was? Was that his whole intention? See how far the nerd-girl would go?

No. I shook my head to myself, dismissing the idea.

As if on cue, my phone chirped. A text message from Justin was waiting on the screen.

Did you follow my instructions?

My fingers trembled slightly as I typed back my reply: Yes.

His reply came in seconds. I can’t wait to see you.

It took a few hours for him to get his time on the field. As soon as he stepped onto the grass, every nerve in my body went rigid. He flashed me a wicked grin as he jogged past the stats table to retrieve a pop fly ball and my stomach swooped.

I could feel Blake and the other stats crew members staring at me, but I kept my eyes on Justin.

By the time practice was over for the day, every inch of my body was on fire. I stood from my place at the table and prayed there wouldn’t be a wet spot left behind from hours of thinking about the night that lay ahead.

After practice, he found me as I went on my normal Coke run. “Let me get that for you,” he said, fishing some change from his pocket.

I smiled at him. “You came prepared?”

“Baby, I’m always prepared.”

Thrills shook through me and I watched as he bent to retrieve the Coke from the chute. He opened the lid and pressed the bottle into my hand. “I already punched out.”

“Good,” Justin said, his voice a thick whisper. He stepped in and gently pushed me back until I was flat against the wall beside the machine. I glanced around, hoping no one was looking our way but Justin turned my chin back so I was looking at him. “You have no idea how distracted I’ve been all afternoon, thinking about you sitting over there with nothing on under this damn dress.”

I smiled up at him, loving the way he made me feel so safe under his large frame. “Actually, I do. I record your stats, remember?”

He chuckled but his eyes quickly shifted back to watching my lips. I licked my lips and a gravel-sounding grown came from him. He smelled like grass, sunshine, and sweat. A wisp of his dirty-blonde hair was plastered to his brow, and he swiped it away before lowering his face to steal a kiss. His hand moved over my hip and lifted my dress slightly. When his fingertip gently brushed across my pussy, I gasped into the kiss so hard, I didn’t know if I was breathing my air or his. He lifted his finger to his mouth and sucked it. “Good, you’re already nice and wet.”

He captured my lips and a soft moan bubbled up from the back of my throat. Every inch of my body was on fire, and I knew he was the only one who could provide relief.

He pulled away and brushed my hair back. “I’m gonna hit the showers and then I’m getting you out of here…”