Base Hit by Haven Hadley
Vander
Sweat sliddown my temple as I followed the rest of the team from the dugout into the locker room. Conversation swirled around me, but the same as the last two weeks, none of it was directed at me. Seemed my dig at Callen didn’t win me any points with the guys on the team. Even my abilities hadn’t made a crack in the wall. Not that I would back down. These guys may not want to be my buddy off the field, but with their chance at the playoffs getting better and better with each game we won, they wouldn’t do anything to screw me on the field. This was my shot. My one chance to get a long-term deal with the Emperors, and I’d play my ass off to get it.
Another game. Another home run. Another spectacular defensive game.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “Nice game tonight.” Joe smiled as he walked past me to his office.
The only approval I got from anyone was Joe, and in the end, his was the only one who mattered.
The players weren’t outright hostile. They wouldn’t risk incurring Joe’s wrath, they simply ignored that I was there unless they needed me on the field. I figured out during the first few days that nothing would change without an apology.
Wasn’t. Going. To. Happen.
Two weeks after my first game with the Emperors and I wanted to celebrate another game for the books with some fun of my own. No need to race to job number two as soon as the lights went out in the stadium or stay in to make sure I could afford food the next week. I waited for the Callen ass-kissers to finish their showers before I went back to clean off the sweat and dirt.
By the time I came back out into the locker room, it was empty. The light from Joe’s office gave me the hint that he was still there, probably going over every play we made that night. It wouldn’t be the first time Joe had caught me leaving long after everyone else.
The last time, when I couldn’t use lack of spending money as an excuse anymore, Joe had tried to lecture me about talking to Callen. Instead of pissing him off, I just nodded my head and left the office. Tonight, I didn’t want to deal with the same lecture. I had a feeling it wouldn’t be a lecture anymore but a demand this time. And if I wanted a long-term contract next year, telling Joe to fuck off seemed like a bad idea.
I collected my bag and did everything to avoid walking past the window of his office before slipping out the door. When I walked into the players’ lot, I stopped and stared at the beauty waiting before me. The Ford Mustang GT wasn’t nearly as flashy as some of the other players’ cars, but it was mine. It was the first time in my entire life that I owned a brand-new car. All the others had been junkers on their last leg that I managed to keep running for as long as I could. And those were the times I’d been able to save up enough to buy a POS car and didn’t have to take the bus wherever I went.
The sapphire blue Mustang was the only thing I’d bought since being moved up from the minors.
I hadn’t even bothered with a new place to stay. After my week at the hotel was up, I checked back in under my own reservation. The hotel seemed like the easiest thing to do for the moment. The suite I’d been given had a separate bedroom and a small kitchen. The best part was having a bathroom all to myself. Until the Emperors offered me a long-term contract, if they ever did, there didn’t seem to be a point to looking for more permanent housing. If they traded me off or sent me back to the minors, I’d have to move anyway, and for the amount of time I actually spent in town, it didn’t seem worth the effort.
When I handed my keys to the valet, I handed him a tip. “I’ll be back down in ten.”
He nodded and slipped the money into his pocket. “I’ll have her waiting when you get back, Mr. Devlin.”
I smiled and turned for the door. That was something I definitely needed to get used to. For the last three years, it had been me bowing to the requests and begging for tips from the people who came into the bar or restaurant where I worked. It still didn’t feel normal to be on the other end of that relationship now.
As soon as the elevator opened on my floor, I raced down the hall to my room. I opened the door and didn’t waste any time changing into clothes for the night. I tossed my shirt on the couch and went into the bedroom, searching my suitcase for something to wear to a club. Dark jeans and a black button-down with rolled up sleeves would have to do. My salary in the minors didn’t leave many options in my wardrobe.
But I doubt the guys at Twist and Turn, the gay nightclub near the stadium, would give a shit. We all wanted the same thing, no matter how we were dressed. Going to Twist and Turn meant I wouldn’t have to run into any of my teammates tonight, if I could even really call them that. They may accept gay men on their team, but I’d bet money they weren’t running for the gay bars.
When I stepped through the front door of the hotel, the valet held my keys up. I took them from his hand and reached for the door handle.
“Have a good night, Mr. Devlin.”
“Thanks, I plan on it.” I winked at the guy and pulled out of the drive.
The club I’d found in my internet search wasn’t far from the hotel. I’d driven by a few nights ago to check it out. Didn’t want to end up in some shithole my first night out in years. Luckily, it seemed on the up and up, even with a shitty name. The place was packed. I parked my car and went right for the door, surprised when the bouncer waved me through without even paying the cover charge.
It was hard not to notice the way his eyes ran down the muscles in my arms as I passed. But he was too brawny to be my type. Lean, slender muscle made my dick hard in seconds.
The bass pulsed through me as I walked inside and went straight for the bar. Pink and green spotlights swirled throughout the room, while most of the dance floor was covered in UV lighting, making neon mesh shirts and white jeans glow.
I took a seat at the side of the bar, closest to the dance floor, and ordered a shot of Jack and a Yuengling when the bartender came over. This was the only night we had before a two-week trip on the road and I planned to make the most of it. The drinks were set in front of me and I tipped back the shot, letting the burn of the alcohol relax my muscles. Setting the glass on the counter, I nodded at the bartender to bring another then turned slightly to watch the dance floor.
My dick and my head were on the same page tonight: they both wanted to take someone back to the hotel and fuck them into the mattress. Sweaty bodies moved to the music, grinding against each other. The UV lights didn’t offer much in the way of lighting, but closer to the center of the crowd, someone caught my eye. Dark hair, a little longer on top, and lean muscle, the man swayed to the beat of the music like he didn’t have a care in the world. I couldn’t get a good look at his face. Didn’t need to. It didn’t stop me from wanting to run my hands all over his body.
I lifted the second shot to my lips and watched the man dance as I finished my beer. He never danced with anyone in particular, adjusting his position to dance with someone new during each song. Hopefully, that meant he was single and looking for some fun. I had a feeling we could show each other a great time tonight.
I set the bottle on the bar and made my way to the dance floor. Bodies moving in every direction, I cut through them to get to Mr. Slender and Sexy. No one else even grabbed my attention. Up close, I could see his ass was absolute perfection.
“Goddamn, you’re sexy,” I said as I slid my hands over his hips.
“I know I am.” He barely gave a glance over his shoulder before he backed up, grinding his ass over my already too hard cock.
I groaned and tightened my grip on his hips, our bodies moving in time with each beat of the music.
The scent of his cologne and something unique filled my senses, making my already hard cock even harder. God, it had been so fucking long since I had a warm body beneath me. Tonight, I craved the rough feel of skin versus skin as our bodies slammed together.
He was a few inches shorter than me, so I bent at the knee and pressed my lips to the side of his neck, wanting a brief taste of his skin. A groan fell from his lips when he tilted his head to give me better access.
One song moved into another. Mr. Slender and Sexy hadn’t bothered to break free and find another man to rub that fine ass all over.
I took the cue and moved my lips up his neck to his ear. “Sexy, you wanna dance all night?”
“You got something else in mind?”
I slid my hands forward, rubbing up and down his thighs, letting my thumbs brush against the tight skinny jeans molded to his body.
He thrust forward, pushing his dick toward my hand. I slipped my hand over at the same time I moved my lips back to his neck, sucking his skin into my mouth. Not hard enough to leave a mark but enough to have him thrusting into my palm. Something about the taste of his salty skin was fucking addictive.
I cupped my hand over the bulge in his jeans, running my hand up and down.
“Fuck, that feels good,” he said, barely audible over the music.
We continued moving that way—him thrusting into my hand and me pushing my aching dick against his ass.
Sweat slid down my temple, and I could feel the bass pounding with each beat of my heart as we continued to grind against each other. If we’d been naked, we’d probably have been arrested. The noises leaving the mouth of the man in front of me made me want to find a dark corner and fuck him against the wall. Forget the hotel. It was too far away for how horny I was.
His hand grabbed mine, stopping the movement, and he whirled around panting. “We need—”
“We need?”
Mr. Slender and Sexy didn’t just have a nice ass, he was fucking gorgeous. I hoped like hell he was about to say we should get out of there, but instead, he took a step forward and slammed his lips against mine. I reached up and cupped the back of his head. His lips obliterated any reason or sense I had left about being in the middle of a club. Our tongues had barely touched when he yanked his mouth away and stepped out of my grasp.
He reached into his back pocket and took my hand, setting something in it.
“I’m Evan. Call me sometime.”
Before I could stop him, Evan disappeared into the crowd and was gone.