Rookie Mistake: A Sports Romance Novel (The Beasts of Baseball Book 1) (4 page)

“Is the apartment bad? Are you in the ghetto?” she asked, her voice filled with panic. “If you are, don’t stay there, get a hotel.”

Her panic made me laugh a little. “No, the apartment is really nice and in a wonderful neighborhood.”

“Has Calvin done something?”

My throat clenched and swallowing became more difficult as I fought back my tears.

“Whitney?” she asked softly. “What did he do?”

My heart raced as I gripped the phone tightly in my hand. I wanted to tell her, but then again I didn’t. She was almost like a little sister to Calvin, always making wise cracks about him and saying he wasn’t good enough for me. And she was mad that we’d both moved away.

Did it matter now?

After a deep breath, I told her everything.

“What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice small. She seemed as shocked as me.

“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly.

The thought of going back home saddened me. I didn’t want to leave, not really, but how could I stay? Our life had been all planned out. After college, Calvin would go on to play in the majors, then we would be married, have a family, and live happily ever after. Nowhere in that plan was a blonde slut grinding her skanky twat against Calvin while he ignored my calls.

Who was this man? Only a day with his new team and he was already putting them first. Where did that leave me, us?

“Come home,” Holly murmured.

“No, I’m going to stay,” I stated firmly. “I want to hear his explanation.”

“Then I’m coming there.”

“No, please, there’s no reason for you to come, I can handle this,” I assured her, walking to the window and looking out.

“Whitney, you’re in a strange city, alone, and Calvin is acting like an ass.
Just
how do you plan to
handle
it?” she demanded.

I had no idea. “I’ll talk to Calvin, I’m sure it was just a mistake.” The moment the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them, knowing Holly would think I was excusing Calvin’s bad behavior. I was right. It clearly infuriated Holly by the growl coming from the other end of the phone.

“Fine, talk to Calvin, but I’m still coming,” she said.

Before I had a chance to protest, she’d already hung up. My heart sank at the thought of how
she
would handle things once here. I knew she loved Calvin, even with the digs she constantly tossed in his direction. She was jealous that he had taken me away, but that wasn’t his fault. I wanted to spend all my time with him, I loved him.
I love him.

My throat was dry and my belly grumbling. I hadn’t eaten since I thought Calvin would take me somewhere special when I arrived
. So much for that.

The kitchen floor creaked as I stepped onto the old wood slats and I thought I heard Calvin stirring in the bed. I paused and heard
snoring,
he was still asleep. I opened the fridge, searching for something to snack on. All that was inside was a pizza box with one slice of cheese pizza that was beginning to look more like a science experiment than a meal, two cans of beer, a jar of mustard, and cartons from a Chinese take-out place that I didn’t dare smell.

Wow, he really did need me here. How was he surviving?

It was still fairly early, and I saw a pizza place just a block from his apartment. I grabbed my keys and purse and snuck quietly out the front door. Outside, the air had a strange smell, not like the country. It was thick and muggy, and the humidity clung to my skin like tape on glass.
Oh yes, New York City, what a wonderful place to be!

I clutched my bag as close to my body as possible — like my mother had warned me to do — and walked down the block towards the glowing red neon sign that read
pizza.
Horns honked, people cursed in the street, and the sidewalks seemed to slide like an escalator under my feet as people rushed quickly by in both directions. All the chaos was making me dizzy.

The bright red sign was flickering as I stared up, probably a fuse or bulb going bad I presumed. Inside, an elderly couple sat in a booth towards the back each sipping coffee from Styrofoam cups. S
o much for the planet.

“What can I get ya?” a wide man with a chubby face and short black hair asked. I stammered for a moment, trying to read the menu that was displayed behind him on a chalkboard.

“Just a slice of pepperoni,” I said. “And a Sprite.”

I watched him reach in with his bare hands and grab a slice of cheese pizza that was under the warmer in the front counter. He slapped it on a flimsy paper plate and then used the same grease and sauce covered hand to grip a plastic cup from the stack in front of him. “That’ll be ten bucks,” he said. I almost choked. Ten bucks for a pop and one slice of pizza? I handed him a twenty and noticed the large plastic jar on the counter that was marked
tips
as he gave me my change back — one five and five singles. I always tipped, but he hadn’t use gloves, and the food was highly overpriced compared to back home, but I shoved two bucks into the jar anyway and found a seat near the front window.

The elderly couple’s arms were stretched over the table, hands clasped together as their eyes locked and their smiles widened.
That’s what I wanted for Calvin and me.

Unable to look at their sweet display of affection any longer, I stared out the window, watching people rushing by. The diversity was incredible, from men in business suits to punk rock looking teens to what I think were streetwalkers. The pizza was greasy, so greasy I had to sop up most of it with my napkin before I could even eat it. Once in my mouth, wow, what a burst of flavor. Oregano teased my tongue, the sauce so smooth, and the cheese so gooey and delicious it made me let out a soft moan.

The people on the streets continued on their journeys, all seemingly in a rush to get somewhere, or away from where they had been. My eyes were growing tired, my belly satisfied with the large slice, but I really didn’t want to go back to Calvin’s. I almost said
home,
but that wasn’t my home.

I cleaned up my mess, slid from the booth, and walked back out onto the crowded sidewalk.

“Whitney!”

I turned to find Calvin standing in front of me. No shirt, a pair of jogging pants, and shoes that didn’t match. “What are you doing out here alone?” he asked frantically, still slurring his words, weaving unsteadily on his feet.

“I was hungry.” I was still pissed but softened a little that he had been worried enough to come look for me, especially in the state he was in. “I thought we would have dinner, but you had other plans, remember?” I snapped, still not willing to let him off the hook that easily.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, sounding so sincere, his eyes growing even redder. He reached for my arm, and I didn’t pull away. He leaned heavily on me as we walked towards his apartment building and up the three flights of stairs to his door. “Please forgive me. I promise it wasn’t what it looked like, and I’ll make sure it never happens again.”

He got heavier and heavier, although I could tell he was trying very hard to shake the drunkenness off. His face wore a stress that I had never seen before, and his voice trembled a little when he spoke.

“I can’t believe you aren’t still passed out,” I told him as I slipped the key into the door.

“I was so scared when I woke up, and you were gone,” he said. “I saw your suitcase, so I knew you hadn’t gone home, but this place can be dangerous for a beautiful young woman out there alone.” He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in close to his chest. I could hear his heart pounding, racing rather, and the smell of alcohol oozed from his pores. “Come to bed.” His voice was a whisper. “Tomorrow will be better, I promise.”

Tomorrow. Oh shit, Holly will be here tomorrow.

I stripped down to my panties and snagged one of his t-shirts from his closet, pulling it over my head. He lay on the bed, propped up with two pillows and grinned as he watched me. “Damn, I missed you,” he said.

I had missed him too, terribly. “All I want to do is go to sleep,” I hissed. “We can talk about what happened in the morning.”

Calvin looked disappointed that I wasn’t willing to fall for his charms, but I was the one suffering. It had been weeks since I was in his arms and that was all I could think about. Who knew what he had been doing all that time, or who. Doubtful he had been deprived!

CHAPTER FOUR

e

Calvin

M
emories of the night filled my mind like smoke in a burning building. It was toxic.
What had I done?
The soft dark hair that fell onto my pillow smelled of apples, and all I wanted was to bury my face into the nest of delicately scented tresses and push the mistakes of the night before away.
You fucked up, Calvin. You fucked up real good!

I had to piss like a motherfucker, and my mouth felt like six cats had used it as a litter box, so I slid from the bed and gently closed the bathroom door behind me. Damn, I looked like hell, I realized as I squinted against the glare of the light.

After pissing, I stuck my entire head under the faucet and washed the sleep from my eyes. I brushed my teeth, gargled twice, and swiped some deodorant on my pits. I forced two Tylenol down my throat and drank a full glass of water. That was as good as it was going to get without a full shower.

Taking a last look at myself in the mirror, I was disgusted with what reflected back at me. How the hell did I allow myself to be pulled into that situation last night? Was I so fucking lame that I let hero peer pressure nearly cause me to cheat on my girl? One drink. It was supposed to have been one fucking drink, but I’d been too much of a pussy to walk away, needing their approval like I was some teenager.

Dammit.

I couldn’t do anything about last night, but I could do a shit load about today and the days after today. I would make it up to Whitney, make sure she never regretted moving here.

Starting now.

Turning off the light, I opened the door and headed back to the bed. Whitney hadn’t moved, and her breath was still deep and even. Sliding under the covers beside her, I stroked her hair, my fingers lingering in the smoothness of her locks as she gently tossed in her sleep. Her leg kicked out from under the sheet. It was so smooth, her skin so silky, and as I reached down to stroke her, she squirmed beneath the sheet and more of her delicious body was exposed.

I traced a finger over the outline of her pink panties, taking my time to run the line where her ass cheek met her thigh. She was wearing my t-shirt; it was loose and allowed me to slide it up her back without waking her. The deep curve of her back exposed, my finger slid to tickle her skin until reaching her neck. I leaned in, kissed her softly on the back of the head, my erection beginning to take control, causing me to forget that she may hate me right now. She was beautiful, the most beautiful girl I had ever known. I couldn’t lose her, not over one drunken night at the club.

“Good morning,” I whispered into her ear.

She stirred, turned towards me, and opened those beautiful green eyes. To my surprise, a smile appeared on her lips. My cock took notice of the green light and twitched in my boxers.

“Good morning,” she murmured as she reached her arms over her head and stretched.

I wanted to tell her how sorry I was, to beg for her forgiveness, but the fear of losing this moment kept any mention of the previous night out of the room. I pushed her hair from her face, and my lips quickly found their way to hers, so pink and full. Her body responded, her tongue gliding into my mouth, her back arching, and her leg wrapping around me to pull me closer.

“You brushed your teeth,” she murmured and reached up to run her fingers through my still damp hair.

“Yeah, my mouth felt like a sewer. I’ll probably have to burn that toothbrush.”

I shook my head, and droplets of water rained down on her. She laughed and took my face in her hands.

“Tell me that last night will never happen again.”

I met her eyes and raised her hand until it covered my heart. “Last night shouldn’t have happened, and it will never happen again.”

She licked her lips, and her eyes grew wet with tears. “Did you…?”

“No, I swear it. I was just sitting there when that girl jumped on my lap. I hadn’t even had time to react or push her off when you arrived.”

She blinked up at me. “And you were going to push her off?”

“Yes. It was just a messed up situation, Whit, and I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened.”

She pushed my hair back from my forehead. “No, it shouldn’t have. And if you do it again, I’ll cut your balls off.”

I laughed and felt myself going into full grovel mode when she ground her body into mine.

“Don’t apologize again,” she said sternly,
“show
me how sorry you are.”

I grinned down at her. “My pleasure.”

Sliding my hands down her warm, soft skin, I couldn’t wait to sink into her, but refused to rush the moment. I took her lips again, kissing her until we were both breathless, our tongues sliding together in a rhythm that was both familiar yet exciting.

She arched hard, pulling our lips apart and I quickly took advantage of the space between us, lifting the t-shirt up and over her head. My mouth engulfed her breast, sucked hard on her erect nipple, and teased it with soft flicks of my tongue.

Her hand slid between us, gripping my erection. Her thumb circled the head of my cock and she gently squeezed as she stroked my shaft. I reached for my boxers, pushing them from my body so I could feel flesh on flesh. I was slippery, pre-cum giving her a playfield around the tip as she continued to tease me. I reached between her legs, felt the satin of her panties until I found her clit beneath the material. She moaned as I worked my thumb over her until she began to push against me in a sweet motion.

“So beautiful,” I murmured.

I pulled away slowly, leaving my cock just out of her reach and knelt over her lush body. Her breasts gently lifted and dropped from her chest as her breathing became more rapid. Her ass lifted from the mattress, begging for me to continue my teasing. I’d missed her so much, thought about her body each night as I fell asleep and even jerked off to the dirty pictures she had sent me. I’d promised her I would delete them, but I couldn’t, not without her here.