Rookie Mistake: A Sports Romance Novel (The Beasts of Baseball Book 1) (14 page)

“Sorry, ladies, as fun as that sounds, I’m going home to my girlfriend,” I said without the same remorse I felt turning down Caroline.

They made their little aww sounds and batted their eyes, but then quickly returned to Ace. “Can you handle us on your own?” Candy or Mandy asked.

Ace laughed at their ridiculous question and nodded. “The question is… can you two handle me?”

They giggled and moved along to finish getting their balls signed as some of the other team players had taken seats at the bar. “You’re not seriously going over there are you?” I asked.

He lifted a brow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Well, for one, isn’t Holly staying at your place?” Frank and Marty overheard, and both leaned in to give Ace a questioning look and quick smile.

“She’ll get hers when I get home, if I have any left to give,” Ace boasted. “Who the fuck am I kidding, there’s always plenty of Ace to go around.”

He was so cocky, so confident, so much of an asshole that a part of me still wished I could be like him.
I hated that part of myself.

The brunette waitress showed up with beers and shots for the table. “Well, it’s about time darling,” Ace said with a sarcastic smile.

She smiled and batted her eyes. “You looked pretty busy with your twin toddlers,” she sassed.

“I’m gonna have to spank that sass right out of you,” Ace threatened. She blushed, giggled, and it was evident she would like nothing more than for Ace to bend her over his knee.

She started to walk away when Ace gripped her hand. “Stay there for a minute, darling,” he ordered. He slid the shots to each of us and let out a cheer, “Here’s to never taming the beasts!”

We all repeated his chant and clinked our glasses together before slinging the alcohol down our throats.

“Okay, now to deal with you,” Ace said to the brunette, who waited by the table as instructed. “Are you wearing panties?”

She blushed. “Yes.”

“Take them off,” he ordered.

She started to walk away, obviously to run to the bathroom to do as he instructed. How did he have this sexual power over women? It was God-like, or at the very least, the most impressive skill I had ever seen in a man. “No, no, right here, take ‘em off,” Ace instructed.

I’ll be damned if that brunette didn’t reach under her skirt and slide her panties down right there at our table. I watched with amazement as she worked the black lace over each high heel before handing them to Ace.

He pushed the table out from the booth and motioned with his finger for her to come towards him. He took her hand, pulled her closer and then bent her over his knee so her bare ass was facing me and not the crowded bar. “How many do you want?”

She giggled. “Four.”

Right there before God and everybody, Ace brought his hand down on her ass. Not too hard, but hard enough to make her jump. He spread her ass cheeks and used two fingers to spank her lightly on the pussy a couple times. “Okay, now my boys have to give you at least one spanking each. You made them wait to be served too.”

He looked to me first, motioning towards her bare bottom and taunting me to spank it. She bucked up from his lap, lifting her ass in the air enough to expose her plump pussy lips.

“C’mon, don’t be a pussy,” Ace goaded. He reached for her cheeks again, spreading her wide open. My cock twitched at the sight, and without giving it another thought, I licked my index and middle finger, held them tightly together and slapped against her warm flesh. Frank and Marty took their turns. Frank more eager than Marty, who only gently slapped her ass cheek. When we were done, she raised up from his lap and gave him a look that apparently wanted more of what he dished out. I knew he would end up in the men’s room with her at some point in the night. She’d be an appetizer before his main course of twins, then Holly his dessert, or possibly a midnight snack if he found another toy in between.

The owner of the club walked up to our booth. I was expecting him to say something about our behavior with his waitress. Instead, he informed us that our drinks, as well as a special selection of appetizers would be on the club all evening. “Consider it a bribe to ensure you play well and win your first game,” he joked.

“Sorry about the scene earlier,” Ace apologized.

I was impressed, I believe it was the first time Ace Newman had ever apologized for anything.

The man smiled, shook his head, and twirled the end of his long curly mustache. “As long as what you do stays out of the sight of the other patrons, it’s consensual, and you keep my girls happy, then you cannot offend me,” he said with a thick Italian accent.

My phone was vibrating in my pocket, and I knew it was Whitney wondering when I’d be home. I told her I’d have a couple drinks after practice, and I’d barely had finished this one. I slid my phone from my pocket and saw her face on my screen.

“I’ve got to take this,” I said to Ace, motioning for him to let me out of the booth. It was clear he was irritated, but he slid out anyways. “Hello,” I answered and walked towards the front doors so I could hear.

“Where are you?” she asked, the edge in her voice made me grit my teeth.

“I told you I was going to have a couple drinks with the guys tonight,” I reminded her patiently.

“Well, how much longer are you going to be?”

“I just got here,” I sighed.

“Oh,” her tone was becoming clearer, edgier, and I pressed the heel of my hand into my temple.

“The owner just said he was bringing us some special apps from the kitchen. He’s covering our tab, and it would be rude to leave right now.” I felt like a teenager explaining why I should be allowed to stay at Bobby’s house past curfew to watch a movie.

“I’m sorry, I guess I just miss you,” she said, her tone changing, turning sweet again in world record time. “Have fun, and if you drink too much, take a cab please.”

My mind spun with confusion.
Had she just given me the green light to stay out longer?

“I won’t get drunk, and I’ll leave as soon as I can,” I promised.

“Should I save your dinner, or are you eating there?”

My eyes narrowed, wondering if this was a trick question. “Please save me dinner, I’ll just nibble here.”

I pictured her working hard all day planning a special dinner and probably a romantic evening to celebrate the kick-off to my first season. I felt guilty as I told her I loved her and hung up. One more drink, and I’d try the apps then head home to her.

“Hey, there’s my golden boy!” Rhett called out as he exited a long black Lincoln.

I shoved my phone into my pocket and extended my hand to greet him. He took it, pulled me in and gave me a quick hug with a pat on the back. “I expect some amazing things from you this season,” he said proudly. “Everyone does.”

“No pressure,” I laughed.

He laughed too. “Are you the first one here?”

“No, the others are inside. I had to call Whitney,” I explained before I could stop myself.

“That’s a beautiful woman you’ve got there,” Rhett said. “Hopefully, she understands you’re a man in demand.”

I grinned nervously and shrugged. “I think she’s still trying to come to terms with that,” I admitted.

“Maybe something to occupy her time is all she needs,” he advised.

He pushed his hand high on my back and walked with me into the club. The players at the bar all welcomed him as we walked in, and I noticed a few of the women eyeing him and whispering to one another. I patted him on the back and motioned towards the table to let him know I was headed back.

Ace was eyeing me as I waited for him to either get up to let me back in or scoot over to make room. “Owner’s pet?” he snarled.

“Scoot the fuck over or let me back in,” I snapped back at him.

He slid out of the booth and stood while I slid back into my spot. “Where’s the shots?” I asked.

“Wow, so your ball and chain didn’t make you come home, or did you finally grow a pair and tell her you’re a beast that can’t be tamed?” Frank and Marty both roared and yelled out, “Beast!” at his comment.

“I’m not staying long, because
I want
to go home and celebrate with her,” I insisted, stressing the words.

Ace wasn’t buying it, but I knew it was because he had no idea what it felt like to love someone. He waved his hand in the air and quickly ushered the brunette whose ass he had just spanked back to the table.

“We need another round, sweetheart,” he said and then pulled her panties from his pocket and sniffed them. Her cheeks turned bright red, and she reached out to grab them as he dangled them over the table. He was quick to pull them back and offered up a mischievous smile. “You’ll have to work a lot harder than that to get them back,” he taunted her.

Rhett finished his pep talk with the guys at the bar and made his way to our table. “You guys ready for the big game?” he asked, ignoring the panty tug of war going on beside him.

Frank and Marty both let out a loud, “Hell, yes!” while Ace and I simply nodded.

He pulled up a chair just as Angelo was bringing out two large trays of food. “Compliments of the chef,” he said and then turned his attention to Rhett.

The food was not the normal bar munchies they served but gourmet delicacies with pickled ginger garnishing the plate in the shape of a rose, seared leg of lamb with orange marmalade sauce, and a few things I didn’t even recognize but looked like they belonged on the cover of a magazine.

Rhett shared a shot with us, then left with the twins Ace had scored earlier. “Looks like your main course is gone.”

“Still have my appetizer,” he grinned in the direction of the brunette.

Frank found a curvy blonde that, after four shots of Patrón, said looked like Anna Nicole Smith. We all egged him on to talk to her and watched from the table as he tried to lay out some game. He shocked us when he came back to the table with her hanging on his arm. “I’ll catch you guys later,” he said coolly.

Marty took off too, not interested in picking up any women. “He’s a tart,” Ace said as he left.

“Marty?” I asked. “No way.”

“You never see him with a woman,” Ace pointed out. “And that bad breakup… there was never any proof that was a chick.”

Ace had just enough tequila to turn him into an ass. Most days it took zero alcohol, but on others, four shots was about the right amount.

I was beginning to feel the drinks and knew it was time to head home. “I’m gonna hit the head,” I announced and slid from the booth.

I splashed water on my face to completely sober myself up enough to drive home and then moved to the urinal. The door busted open. Ace held the brunette around the waist and smiled as I shoved my dick back in my pants. His hands slid up her sides, sliding her skirt past her hips.

“Time for a quick snack,” he boasted while bending her over and spreading her cheeks wide for me to envy his freedom. I had to admit I did a little, but one-night stands were never my thing — well, at least I didn’t think so — so he could have at it.

“You really are a sick fuck, Ace,” I laughed and left him to tend to his giggling hussy.

I said goodbye to the team members still left at the bar and headed out the front door. While I waited for the valet to gather my car, I slid my phone from my pocket. It was barely nine o’clock, still early, and no missed calls or messages from Whitney.

“You coming or going?” a familiar female voice sounded in my ear. I turned to see Caroline standing close to my left side. Her hot breath was still tickling my ear as my eyes widened and my mouth fell open without any words. She giggled. Damn, she had a sexy laugh.

“Going,” I quickly answered, pulling myself back to reality and out of the dream where I’m single and get to explore what it’s like to have a woman like her.

“That’s a pity.” She pouted, pushing her bottom lip out and moving a step closer, lifting a hand to my shoulder. “I can’t tempt you to stay for just one more?” Her hand slid down my arm, squeezed and stroked in that same motion from earlier. My cock twitched.

“No, I’m sorry, I’m already late as it is.”

She sighed a long exhale. “Yes, of course, the girlfriend. An exciting celebration together, can’t miss that.” Her tone was almost sarcastic but still sweet. “Enjoy.”

“Your car, sir,” the valet said as he opened the driver’s side door and stepped out. I took his place behind the wheel and watched as Caroline disappeared into the bar. I felt a twinge of jealousy as I worried that Ace would make her his main course.

I was thankful the night air had cooled off, sobering me even further. The image of Ace and Caroline together was irritating the piss out of me. I tried to convince myself that a woman like that wouldn’t fall for Ace’s silly games, and he was far too drunk and full of himself to seduce her properly. I knew he could, but tonight he was already on a roll.

Whitney sat on the couch with her knees bunched up against her chest as I walked in. Her hair was in a ponytail, her face was already washed of any makeup, and she was dressed in one of my t-shirts. She was cute, adorable really. I smiled and dropped my keys on the side table near the door.

She jumped up from the couch and rushed to me, her arms wrapping tightly around my neck as she tiptoed to give me a kiss. The scent of her vanilla perfume was soothing and calmed me from the thoughts I had on the drive home. This is where I wanted to be, who I wanted to be with. Not some random chick who flaunted her pussy to any player who wanted to see, or Caroline Black, who quite honestly, was probably a real high-maintenance bitch. My lips pressed against hers, and it felt like home.

“Are you hungry?” she asked cheerfully, running her fingers through my hair.

I nodded even though I wasn’t exactly hungry after chowing on the appetizers the chef made. I followed her to the kitchen anyway and sat at the table while she pulled a casserole dish from the oven.

“What’s this?” I asked, staring down at a tuna casserole with crushed potato chips crumbled on top.

Her smile fell. “You used to love my tuna casserole.” I could tell by her tone she was hurt.

After having tasted all those delicious flavors at the bar, this just seemed drab and boring.