Page 9 of Saved By the Pitcher

Mike shrugged, trying to act casual. “Sure. You’re going to be famous when you win the Tony Award for best actor. Imagine how jealous my friends will be when they see that I met you.”

James chuckled. “I doubt I’ll win a Tony, and I doubt your friends would be jealous even if I did. I’m sure you’ve hung out with far more famous people than me.”

Mike pulled out his phone anyway. “What’s your cell phone number? That way, when the text with pictures comes through, I’ll know it’s you.”

James shot Mike a skeptical look but recited his phone number. Then Mike instructed James to retrieve his own cell so he could type in Mike’s number. James did so, starting to smile with a bit of giddiness. “I can’t believe you want the photos.”

“I do. I will be very disappointed if you don’t send them to me,” Mike assured him. He looked to the others in the room and he could tell they were each reaching their own conclusions about why Mike was insisting on the photos. He didn’t care. In some ways, he hoped they suspected he was interested in James. The actor was just as beautiful up close as he had been on stage, and Mike would relish the chance to get to know him better.

“Good luck tonight,” Nadia offered.

“Uh, thanks, Nadia,” Mike replied, turning to Billy to shake his hand.

Maria pulled Mike in for a hug and whispered in his ear, “Remember, I’m here to help.”

Mike pulled back, surprised he was surprised at this point. “Uh, okay. Thanks Maria.”

He then turned to James, wondering how someone could be so masculine-looking and yet so pretty. He wished he could lean in to kiss James’ perfect lips. Instead, he clapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled. “I mean it. Send me a text. Congratulations again on your show. You’re incredible.”

“Thanks,” James whispered.

As Mike was ready to exit the doorway, a young woman he recognized from the show was passing the dressing room. She had taken a moment to pause so she could shout to James, “Hey stud, you left your undershirt in my apartment the other night. You’re welcome to come retrieve it whenever you want.” From her smile and lascivious tone, Mike could tell that her encounter with James had been sexual.

Once she was out of eyesight, Mike rushed out the door, silently cursing his foolishness. Billy’s comment about James gratifying himself while looking at his poster must have been a joke, and James was involved with a female cast member. He prayed that none of the people in the dressing room realized how he’d swooned like an infatuated teenager. He imagined they would joke about him once they went to the restaurant. He never thought he’d be in such a hurry to find Jessica so he could leave the premises.

Chapter Four

Although his dinner companions continued discussing the show and James’ performance, James was more focused on his encounter with Mike Cooper. Before seeing him in person, James assumed the athlete still looked good based on the underwear ads that bombarded the senses everywhere one went in the city. But he had also thought the photos were airbrushed and Photoshopped to hide the inevitable aging and imperfections. When Mike Cooper entered the dressing room, though, he blew away those assumptions. James was as floored by the athlete’s real-life attractiveness as he was when he saw the print ads. It was clear that Cooper was still in peak condition, and his face was more handsome than any career-models with whom James was familiar.

“Don’t you think so, James?” Nadia asked.

James stopped the fork-full of salad midway to his mouth. “What?”

Billy laughed. “Where’s your head at, big brother? That’s like the third time during the dinner you’ve asked what we’ve been talking about.”

“Sorry,” James mumbled, completing the motion of forking the food into his mouth.

“I’ll bet he’s thinking about Mike Cooper,” Nadia teased, taking a bite of her own meal.

James flushed, catching Maria and Billy both looking to him trying to gauge his reaction. “What? No. Just zoning out from the performance. It takes a lot out of you.”

“Bro, is he still your fantasy?” Billy asked, ignoring James’ explanation.

James half-laughed. “I’m not a teenager anymore. And I never said he was my fantasy.”

“Come on. You had a poster of him shirtless. And what’s age have to do with it?” Nadia asked. “The guy is hot, and you’ve got eyes. There’s nothing wrong with you noticing it.”

James was sure his face was heating even more. “God, I saw him for two minutes. Who had time to think about that?”

“Billy, pull up the pictures of us with Mike Cooper,” Nadia suggested. “Let’s see how they came out.”

Billy smacked his forehead. “Oh, right! I can’t believe I haven’t checked them yet.” Billy retrieved his phone and started to scroll through the shots. “They came out good.” He turned to Nadia. “And you’re right. The guy is a hunk. Maybe I’d jerk off to shirtless pictures of him.”

James felt flushed. “God, shut up. I never said I did that.”

Nadia giggled at Billy’s comment. “It’s okay, Billy, if you have a tiny crush on a male celebrity. If I weren’t with you, I’d do something with Dua Lipa if she were ever so inclined. Maybe everyone has at least one secret same-sex infatuation.” Nadia then turned to James. “And Mike Cooper seems to have an unfair share of men attracted to him.” She paused before affecting a mischievous expression. “Just because you never told Billy you worked one out when looking at the poster, it didn’t stop Billy from telling Mike Cooper that you did.”

“What?” James exclaimed. He glared at his brother. “Please tell me you didn’t.” There was silence in response, so James looked to Maria. “He didn’t tell him that, did he?”