“So, what’s on the agenda?” Sawyer asks, finishing his drink.
“I’m not going bar-hopping with you, Mills,” Caden says. “Some of us actually need sleep.”
Sawyer looks at his phone. “But it’s not even nine o’clock.”
“Doesn’t it ever get old?” Caden asks.
“Only if you let it, bro,” Sawyer says.
“I’m up for whatever,” I tell them.
Sawyer looks at Caden, his eyes begging him to give in.
“Fine,” Caden says. “But just a few drinks, and I’m not going any further than the hotel bar.”
Sawyer hops off the couch. “Even better. Quick access to our hotel rooms, right, Taylor?” He nudges me and offers a wink on the way by.
Sawyer Mills and I are often grouped into the same category. The man-whore category. But we are completely different. While I tend to like knowing what I’m in for, thus having the same girl in every city, he never touches a girl more than once.
It’s not to say I don’t casually have one-nighters. I do. Especially at home and in Tampa, but I tend to be a creature of habit in all the other places. It simplifies things. No choices to make, no feelings, no emotions, no hassles.
Sawyer, on the other hand, is a bit of an enigma. Clearly he’s gone on dates with women he likes. Women who would be good for him. Soul-mate types. I’ve witnessed it first hand as we double a lot. And I’ve been with him on more than one occasion where he’s had to dump a girl after one date when he was obviously drawn to her and felt bad about cutting bait.
Either he’s going for the record in women bedded like he’s going for the record in stolen bases, or the guy is really fucked up.
Then again, aren’t we all? I glance at Caden – well those of us who don’t lead charmed lives.
Caden heads for the door. “Can we get this dog and pony show started then? I turn into a pumpkin at eleven.”
We go down to the lobby and walk up to the hostess stand. “We’re just going in to sit at the bar, Natasha.”
She waves us by. “Go right ahead boys. And let me know if you need anything.”
Sawyer raises his eyebrows at me when we sit down. “She’s new. You done that yet?”
He knows she’s new because this is the team hotel. Some guys rent a house during spring training camp, but those of us who don’t, usually stay here. It’s nice. It’s convenient to both the beach and the training complex, and it has a great restaurant that tends to hire very attractive hostesses.
“Nah, you go ahead.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “You’ve been here four fucking weeks and you haven’t seen her naked? What is wrong with you?”
I brush off his comment and order a beer. Caden and Sawyer order one too.
“You’re coming to the games, right?” Caden asks.
I nod my head. “Wouldn’t miss ‘em.”
“It’s going to be hard for you.”
“Yeah. I know.”
He pats my shoulder. “You’ll get back there.”
“So everyone keeps telling me.”
“What have you been doing to keep busy?” he asks.
“You mean when Rylee and Matt aren’t busting my balls?” I shrug. “I’ve been to the beach. I run, now that I’m off restriction. I’m all caught up on Game of Thrones. And I’ve seen a lot of the local wildlife.”
He looks at me sideways.
“Don’t ask.”
Caden lifts his drink. “To getting the team back together again.”
Sawyer taps his bottle to each of ours. “Can’t happen soon enough.”
“From your mouth to God’s ears,” I say, before taking a drink.
I see a woman walk through the bar with a scarf over her bald head, reminding me of something. “Hey, I haven’t heard any news lately, how is Bobby’s wife?”
Bobby Goodrich is one of our team’s batting coaches. He’s a good guy who we all call a friend. He used to go out with us often until his wife got sick last year.
Sawyer shakes his head. “It’s not good. They found more cancer in her brain. It’s all over her body now. She’s thirty-three years old and might only have a few more weeks to live.”
I close my eyes knowing Bobby is in for a world of pain. But he has his kids. And he knows it’s coming. He can prepare. “At least they can say goodbye.”
I chug the rest of my beer and ask for another.
Caden looks at me with sympathy. “Don’t,” I say.
“Speaking of doing things in your spare time,” Caden says, wisely changing the subject. “What are you going to do about the job offer from the gym?”
“She told you about that, huh?”
“Of course she did. She’s excited to get back into modeling. I don’t think she’ll give up her day job at the gym, I mean she practically runs the place now, but I’ve always thought she felt something was missing. She never got to prove herself. This is her chance. I’m proud as shit.”
“I don’t know, it just seems …”
“Beneath you?” Sawyer asks, popping some peanuts into his mouth.
Caden scolds him with a biting stare. “Athletes model all the time, you tool.”
“It’s not that,” I say.
“You think if you do it, you’re admitting you might be out of the game,” Sawyer says.
He hit the nail on the fucking head. But I don’t tell him that. I just take another drink.
“You can do both, you know,” Caden says. “Nobody will think you’re giving up just because you do some photo shoots for the gym.”
“You sure are pushing for this, Kessler. Do you really want me to put on scant clothing and touch your fiancée? Because you know sex sells, right?”
He laughs. “Well, why the hell do you think I want you? Better you than some random nobody who thinks he has a shot with her.”
I can see his logic. Murphy has been taken advantage of enough to last a lifetime. And Caden doesn’t know it yet, but he just helped me make my decision.
Four attractive women walk up to the bar and order some drinks. They are clearly here for us. It’s no secret the team is here.
Sawyer immediately starts talking to them and their incessant giggles echo throughout the room.
Natasha comes over. “Is everything okay gentlemen?”
Hotel workers have been told to keep an eye on things and call security if fans are getting out of hand.
“We’re fine here,” I tell her.
She eyes the women skeptically and looks back at me. “If you need anything, I’m right over there, just give me a signal or something.”
“Will do. Thank you.”
Natasha stares at me before walking away. No wonder Rylee thought I had slept with her. She’s looking at me like I’m a mouth-watering piece of candy.
I look over at the table where Rylee and I dined the other night. I can almost see her throwing her head back and laughing like in the picture. Damn that was fun.
“Dude?”
I look at Sawyer who is trying to get my attention.
“Kylie asked you a question.”
“Oh, sorry,” I say, looking over at the women. “Which one of you is Kylie?”
The redhead holds up her hand.
“What were you asking me?”
“I heard you were going to be in town for a while and I was wondering if you needed a tour guide. You know, someone to show you all the best sights.” She runs a finger from her throat down to her well-exposed cleavage.
I glance over at the table again and then look back at Kylie. I shake my head. “Thanks for the offer, I think I’m pretty well covered.”
Sawyer leans over to me. “Is your fucking dick broken, too? What the hell, man?”
Caden looks at me for a second, then he turns to Sawyer. “Cut him some slack, Mills.”
Kylie walks around behind Caden. “What about you?” she asks him. “Do you see anything here you like?”
He smiles politely. “I’m covered, too,” he says. “I’m very happily engaged.”
The girl scoffs and walks back over to take her seat.
I whisper to Caden, “What the hell does that mean, ‘you’re covered, too’? What do you think I meant when I said that?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know. Murphy told me some stuff. I guess I just thought—”
“Well, don’t think,” I interrupt. “Whatever she told you is something out of her overactive imagination. The woman reads too many romance novels.”
“Maybe so,” he says, finishing his beer. “Listen, speaking of Murphy, I think I’m going to head up and give her a call. I’m more tired than I thought.”
He stands up and throws some money on the bar. I follow suit. “I’ll go up with you.”
Sawyer sees our intentions and narrows his eyes at me. “What’s wrong with you?” he asks.
I lean in and pat him on the back as I whisper, “Looks like you’ll have your pick of the litter. Have fun, my friend.”
That perks him up a bit. “You mean I can only pick one?”
Caden and I laugh as we walk out of the restaurant.
He studies me as we ride up the elevator together.
“What?” I bite at him.
He holds up his hands in surrender. “Nothing. Jeez.”
“Quit thinking about me,” I say as we arrive at our floor and the doors open. “Go have dirty phone sex with your fiancée.”
That puts a smile on his face. “I just might do that. But don’t tell Murphy I said that, she’d be mortified.”
“Later,” I say, reaching my door.
I walk into my suite and stare at the wall I had Rylee pressed against Friday night. I start to get hard just thinking about it. Then I stare at the floor where she was straddling me, my dick begging for release as I picture her that way. I unbutton my pants, taking myself into my hand as I walk into the bedroom. Then I see the t-shirt still on my bed.