Double Play (9 page)

“I’ve
been meaning to ask you, Baby,” he said, getting down on one knee.

Rita
gasped.

“J.D.,
no.” Halee began to shake. Rita slid the baby from her arms.

“I
know we agreed to wait, Honey,” said J.D., opening the ring box and carefully
lifting the two carat diamond. Gently, he slid the band onto her slim finger
and kissed her hand. “I know I ain’t good enough for ya.”

Halee
stood speechless. J.D. rose and pulled her into his arms until she stopped
shaking. “Look happy,” he whispered against her ear, lost in the smell of her
hair.

Rita
glared at Sanchez. “Satisfied?”

“Mr.
Sanchez,” said J.D., “there must be a shortage of foster homes out there. Halee
and I will take good care of Ty until the matter is settled.”

“There
is paperwork…”

“Yes,
I’m sure there is. I’ll call you in the morning. You can come by the penthouse
and inspect all you like.”

“Penthouse?”

“North
Michigan Avenue.” J.D. reached into his wallet and handed Sanchez his business
card.

“My
lawyer will be contacting you,” said Rita, showing Sanchez to the door.

Sanchez
glanced one more time at the couple over his shoulder, mumbled something in
Spanish, then retreated down the sidewalk to his car. Rita placed the infant,
now on the verge of peaceful slumber, back on his blanket and slipped out
behind him.

J.D.
held Halee in his arms for what seemed like hours before she finally spoke. “Why
did you do that?”

“The
baby likes you,” said J.D. “I figured I’d help him out.”

“So
the ring is for…”

“The
fiancé.”

Halee
wiped her eyes and chuckled, as if she’d just read the disappointing ending to
a romance novel. For one moment she had hoped beyond hope…foolish, foolish
girl. But this ending wasn’t up to her. The pages had already been written.

“Lies
always come back to haunt you, you know. You’re heading down a slippery slope.”

“Did
I lie?” J.D. nibbled on her ear, fogging her judgment.

“Just
a little bit.”

“Remind
me.”

“The
boyfriend part, for one.”

“I
reckon I could defend that statement.”

“I
reckon not. One night on a boat doth no boyfriend make.”

“Some
night, huh?” said J.D with a grin. “I think we should try and relive that.” He
reached down to kiss her. She pushed away.

“And
what about the proposal?” she said. “I thought Rita was going to have a heart
attack."

His
face grew soft, his eyes thoughtful. He reached up and played with a damp curl
dangling over her eye. “It’s crossed my mind a time or two.”

She
backed up.

He
pulled her back into his arms. “Maybe we can help each other.”

“Uh
uh.” She wiggled out of his embrace. “I told you, I don’t want any part of your
contract scheme.” She slipped the ring from her finger and folded it into his
palm. “I’d like to help you, I just…”

He
took her hand and slid the heavy ring back on. “I don’t think Sanchez is
through with you, Honey. You’ll need to wear this a little longer. Unless
you’re
done lying.”

Halee
sighed and closed her eyes. “What a mess I’m in.”

“I
imagine he’s worth it.”

She
gazed on the sleeping child and smiled. “This is the part where you’re supposed
to tell me I’m crazy to take on a child when I can barely take care of myself.”

“Why
would I do that?”

“Everybody
else does.”

“I
ain’t everybody else. And you take care of yourself just fine.”

 Halee
shook her head. “What do I do now?”

“You
tell me.”

“Sanchez
won’t let me have him unless I get a new place to live.”

“Looks
like you’re moving in.”

“Yeh,
right.”

“I’m
serious.”

She
stood speechless for a moment. “You’d do that?”

“I’m
moving to New York, remember? You’ll have the place all to yourself.”

“I
can’t afford a penthouse, J.D.”

“The
team owns it. I’ll tell them I need a place to stay for the rest of the season.”

“No…
I can’t…”

He
took her small hand and turned the diamond upward to catch the light. “It looks
pretty on you,” he murmured.

Halee
swallowed hard. “I didn’t expect to get a baby so soon,” she confessed. “I
don’t even have a bed for him.”

“Somebody
on the team will have an extra. I’ll call around tomorrow.”

Halee
gazed at her knight with a soft smile. “You can fix anything, can’t you?”

He
grinned. “J.D. Shaw at your service. Now go pack your things and load that baby
in my car. You’re coming home with me.”

 Halee
woke in the guest bedroom of the penthouse, Ty snuggled closely up against her
under the thick comforter. The air conditioner was set to one degree above
freezing, just the way J.D. liked it,  and she and Ty had nestled together
under ten inches of down, deliriously happy to have escaped the heat and
humidity of Halee’s studio apartment. It had been a long time since she’d had
such a restful night. Maybe it was the silence of the penthouse, the only noise
the constant soft hum of the air conditioner fan, or maybe it was the fact that
J.D. was sleeping right down the hall, a brawny sentinel fixed between her new
baby and danger. J.D. always made her feel safe.

She
dozed off again, then woke an hour later to the sound of men’s voices in the
kitchen. Someone was laughing and the smell of bacon and eggs wafted through
the air.

“Cat’s
gonna be real mad at you, my man,” said a male voice. “You gave away the rock. You
ain’t gonna get away with that.”

“Two
chicks at once,” said another man. “That’s what we call a double play!”

“I’ll
get the ring back,” said J.D. “This is just a temporary favor.”

“You
hear that, Wiley? He thinks this is temporary.”

A
third man cackled. “Hand me that wrench. Yeah, that one over there.”

“You’re
thinking with your dick,” said the first man. “This chick is a survivor. She knows
gold when she sees it.”

“You
got it all wrong.”

“You
gonna throw a baby out on the street? I didn’t think so. Help me lift this
thing. There you go. Little Carlos’ crib all ready for Johnny Junior.” The men
laughed again.

“Here’s
a little advice from a guy who’s been around the block,” said one of the men. 
“Rent, don’t buy. Marriage is some kind of slow hell.”

Halee
felt the first rush of adrenaline ignite her pounding chest. Survivor? Is that
what J.D. thought of her? A woman out to get what she could from him, then toss
him to the curb? Poor J.D. He’d underestimated his house guest. Tucking two
pillows up against a slumbering Ty, she pulled a lacy robe from her suitcase and
closed the door behind her.

Stopping
by the guest bathroom, she combed out her hair, washed her face, and unbuttoned
her pink rosebud nightgown to a dangerous level, then sprayed a bit of the
perfume J.D. loved so well. “Beauty is power,” she reminded the face in the
mirror. “Go show ‘em what you’ve got.”

“Good
morning, Gentlemen.” Halee posed against a wall and wrapped her arms around her
middle, forcing her full cleavage even higher. All laughter subsided. “How are
you all doing today?”

A
short dark skinned man in a Cubs hat whistled softly. A skinny blonde dressed
in a muscle shirt that showed off big biceps and a farmer’s tan dropped his
fork and grinned ear to ear. J.D. cleared his throat.

“Good
morning, Halee,” said J.D. His face showed more than a measure of appreciation
and he fumbled with the spatula in his hand. He leaned back absent-mindedly
against the hot stove. “Sonofa…”

“Good
morning,” mumbled the other men.

Halee
sidled up to a counter stool and perched herself on top, crossing her long legs
and allowing her nightgown to ride high along her naked hip. Someone sighed.

“Don’t
let me interrupt your conversation,” she said with a flirty smile. “You were
saying something about J.D. thinking with his… what was it you said? Thinking
with his dick?”

“I
gotta run,” said the dark skinned man. “The wife has a long list waiting for
me.” He waved quickly to his friends and backed down the hall to the penthouse
door. “Pleasure to meet you,” he said, cocking his head around the corner to
get one last glimpse of skin.

The
skinny man didn’t budge. He refilled his plate and then took the chair next to
hers. “Name’s Wiley,” he said, offering a work worn hand.

“Wiley
Coyote,” Halee purred. She held his hand a little too long. “Trickster.”

Wiley
grinned. “You might say that.”

“I
take it you’re a Titan.”

Wiley
nodded. “How’d you know that?”

“You
have the body of an athlete, Wiley,” she said, running her fingers appreciatively
over his biceps.

“Wiley,”
J.D. warned.

Wiley
ignored him. “Your body ain’t too bad, either, Miss.”

J.D.
came around the counter and placed one hand on Wiley’s shoulder. “Got somewhere
you need to be, Partner?”

“No.”
Wiley continued to gaze into Halee’s emerald eyes.

J.D.
squeezed a little tighter. “I think you do.”

Wiley
snapped out of his trance and looked up.

“Practice?”

Something
clicked in Wiley’s thick brain and he rose from his stool. “Pleasure to meet
you, Ma’am,” he said with a wicked grin. He leaned over to kiss her cheek, but
J.D. pulled in the other direction.

“Pleasure’s
all mine,” Halee cooed.

J.D.
groaned and dragged his friend to the door by the arm. She heard some hushed conversation
and the door closing.  J.D. returned alone.

“You
want to explain yourself?” he demanded.

“Meaning?”

J.D.
shook his head. “You might want to button up your nightgown.”

“You
don’t like my breasts?”

He
gathered up the dirty dishes and turned toward the sink. “Sanchez called this
morning. He’ll be here in an hour to inspect the place.”

“No
problem,” said Halee in a sultry voice, still in character. “The place looks
great. We have plenty of time for other things.”

J.D.
turned on the faucet to rinse the dishes.

She
slipped off her stool and came up behind him. “Baby’s still asleep,” she
whispered. She leaned her head against his warm back and ran her hands along
his slim hips. “I’m cold.” She moved her hands lower and slid his zipper down.
“You can warm me up, can’t you, J.D.?”

J.D.
dropped his gaze and watched while her fingers entered forbidden territory. He
groaned. “Halee…”

“You
just keep your mind down here,” she murmured, stroking his hard shaft.

He
let his head fall back. “Halee…”

He
covered her hand with his, guiding her, teaching her. She watched him, felt the
tension rising in her own body, resisting the urge to take him in her mouth and
fulfill her own fantasies. In another minute he’d turned to granite. His
breathing became erratic.

“Ahh,
that’s better,” said Halee, removing her hand and backing away. “All warmed up.
Better hit the shower.”

“Where
are you going?” J.D. gasped.

“Now,
J.D., you wouldn’t want to get too close, would you? If you get used to me, I
might never leave.”

She
headed to the shower wearing a satisfied smile.

***

 “This
is a nice place,” said Sanchez, peering closer to the inscriptions on the line
of trophies gracing J.D.’s walls. “You know Derek Jeter?”

“Met
him once or twice,” said J.D., keeping his eyes on Halee. She was wearing a
sleeveless sundress and a satisfied smirk. He wanted to remove them both.

“How
long you play baseball?”

“Long
as I can remember.”

Halee
winked at J.D. and moved to join Ty on the floor. She leaned over, lingering
long enough to torture her frustrated lover. By the time J.D. had reached Halee
on the way to the shower, Ty had been up and ready for the day, leaving J.D. in
an unsatisfied sexual stupor. The sooner Sanchez left, the better. He’d put Ty
down for a nap and finish what got started.

He
maintained a predator stare on Halee. “You got some paperwork with you, Mr.
Sanchez?”

Sanchez
wrenched himself away from the wall and approached his briefcase, drawing a
thick folder from the middle pocket. “I will need your identification.”

J.D.
reached into his painfully tight jeans and extracted a wallet, handing over his
driver’s license to Sanchez.

“Oklahoma.
First one I seen,” said Sanchez. “You got an Illinois i.d.?”

“Nope.”

Sanchez
hesitated.

“That
a problem?”

“You
need to be resident of this state to adopt here.”

“I’m
a resident,” said Halee. “I’m adopting, not Mr. Shaw.”

“Not
the two of you?”

Halee
connected gazes with J.D. “How about we start the paperwork with my information
and add my fiancé later?”

Sanchez
shrugged. He drew a pen from his briefcase and began to write.

“You
want newborn or older child?”

“I
already answered all those questions at the adoption agency,” said Halee.

“New
house, new paperwork,” said Sanchez.

“I
thought you came for a home inspection so I could adopt Ty.”

“You
are only temporary foster parent for Ty. Until we find the mother.”

“But
I can keep him till then?”

“You
have income?”

Halee
hesitated. She’d quit her job at the Foundation just a few days ago to move to
New York and better her chances at qualifying for adoption. But now she had a
baby and no job. Everything was mixed up.

“I
work for my uncle at his restaurant,” she hedged.

“What
is your salary there?”

“Depends,”
said Halee softly. “Depends how much business we get.”

“Sorry.
Depends don’t qualify you,” said Sanchez. He shoved the stack of paperwork back
into his briefcase and reached for his raincoat. “I’ll send someone by to pick
up the child.”

“I
took a job in New York,” Halee blurted. She glanced warily at J.D.’s shocked expression
and rose from the carpet. “With Federals Charities. Six figures,” she said,
holding her chin higher.

“In
Chicago?”

“In
New York.”

Sanchez
shook his head. “You don’t take baby out of Chicago.”

“But
I have the means to support him. His mother left me a note giving me custody. I
have legal custody.”

“Baby
stays here.”

“Look,”
cried Halee, “I’m tired of your ridiculous red tape. This child loves me, I’m
willing to care for him, and I can do it!”

J.D.
rose from the sofa and stretched his six foot four frame, indicating he’d had
enough. Pulling his cell phone from his front pocket, he moved to the kitchen
and dialed a number while Halee and Sanchez continued to argue. “Dale,” he
said, “I need a favor. Can you stop by?” He nodded and replaced the phone to
his jeans pocket.

Ten
minutes later a trim man dressed in linen slacks and a black silk shirt stood
beside J.D. making phone calls and typing on a laptop. “Judge will have an
order by the end of the day,” he said to Sanchez. “The baby can leave the
state.”

***

Halee
listened while J.D. shut the door behind Sanchez and his lawyer friend. There
had been an uneasy tension in the room since she’d blurted out her intentions
to move to New York. That, coupled with the sexual tension left over from this
morning, had her jumpy and braced for battle.

It
didn’t take J.D. long to engage.

“Just
when did you think you would tell me about your new job?” he demanded.

“Don’t
attack me! New York is a big city, J.D. You don’t own it.”

His
dark eyes narrowed. “When did you know about this?”

“What
do you mean?”

“When
did you and Victoria Pryor dream this one up?”

“Dream
what up? Victoria asked me to take this job the morning after the Literacy
Foundation gala,” said Halee. “If that’s any of your business.”

“Did
she know about us?”

“What
us
? There is no
us
.”

“I’m
wagering Victoria Pryor thinks there is.”

“This
has nothing to do with you, J.D. Victoria wants to open a literacy office under
Federals Charities. She asked me to run it.”

“She’s
up to something.”

Halee
snorted. “What would she be up to?”

“She
and King are in cahoots.”

“You’re
not making sense.”

“They
want us together. They’re setting us up.”

“Are
you saying I got this job as part of some mysterious plot between Victoria Pryor
and Tony King?”

“Why
else would Victoria hire you?”

“Huh!”
Halee squared her shoulders. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“That’s
not what I meant.”

“Yes,
it is. You think I’m some stupid bimbo like every other girl you’re ever dated.
I might have been stupid enough to sleep with you, but I have plenty of
brainpower, thank you very much.”

“I
don’t want you in New York.”

Halee
stepped back as if she’d taken a blow to the chest. “I think we’re done playing
this game,” she said in a low voice, avoiding his eyes. She removed the ring
and placed it tentatively on the glass coffee table between them. “I’ll call a
cab.”

She
pulled Ty into her arms and retreated to the back bedroom. Her throat tightened
as she calmly folded her clothes and laid them on the bottom of her tired old
suitcase. There was no way she would cry in front of him. What he’d wanted to
say, he’d said. She’d understood him perfectly.

She
could hear him at the dishes again. He turned on the radio and cranked it up
loud enough to cause brain damage.

She
shut the door, hoping to keep the noise at bay long enough to finish packing.
Ty began to fidget and fuss, then broke into a full cry. She marched back out
to the kitchen.

“There’s
a baby in this house,” she said, hands on hips. She felt the color rising through
her neck, felt the indignation boiling in her blood. “You can turn this place
back into a bachelor pad soon enough. Until then you’re making him crazy.”

“You
mean making you crazy?”

“Oh,
now you’re calling me crazy?”

“Bat
shit insane is more like it.”

Halee
gasped.

“What
do you think you’re gonna gain by following me to New York, Halee? Do you think
I’m gonna marry you?”

A
mixture of shame and regret burned from her chest into her throat. She pushed
back the swell of emotion threatening to crumble her will to fight and replaced
it with a wicked, consuming rage. Her words came out hot and razor sharp. “Is
that what you’re afraid of?” she sneered. “That I’ll wreck your playboy image
and none of your sleazy fans will want to buy your jerseys anymore? I promise
you, J.D., I wouldn’t dare improve your life like that.”