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Then I decided to take my time, now barely jogging.
“Viper! Viper! Viper!”
I had the joy of seeing the pitcher storming off the field, his head down. As I rounded third, heading for home, the other team members rolled out of the dugout, high fives all around. I stepped on home base seconds later and the board immediately flipped, reflecting our win.
“Way to go, man,” a team member told me, clapping me on the back.
“You broke our losing streak.”
“We need to keep this guy.”
I walked further away, bending over and planting my hands on my knees. The long week had taken a toll.
“Hmmm… And I thought you were in shape,” Mike teased.
“Fuck you.”
“Is that any way to talk to a buddy you haven’t seen in a couple years?”
He held out his arm for a sideways shake and I clasped it, pulling him into a bearhug. “Good to see you, man. Been too long.”
“Yeah, it has been. I’m mighty glad you accepted my offer.”
“Was that what this was? Sounded more like you were begging.” I laughed. The sun was beating down, my jersey soaked in sweat and my legs ached.
“Hey, I offered all the cold beer you could drink. What more can a man ask for?”
Snorting, I jerked my head up, grinning from ear to ear. “Do you want a list?”
“To hell with you. Without your sorry ass we’d have been forced to forfeit and I don’t like to do that under any circumstances.” Mike eyed me warily as if he didn’t know me any longer. Maybe I didn’t know myself.
“The bottomless beers I’ll take you up on.” There was an unusual tension between us, which surprised me. I stood and flexed, my neck cracking in the process.
“I thought you were a no-show.”
“Sorry, man. The flight from New York got in later than expected.”
He nodded several times then scanned the area around us. “So, um, I heard about your new gig.”
“My new gig?”
When he sucked in his breath and rubbed his jaw, I lifted a single eyebrow. “You know.”
“No, I don’t know. Why don’t you just ask?”
Christ. Did I really see a flash of fear in his eyes? “Your thing with the mafia.”
Laughing, I did what I could to pass it off. The last thing I needed was people talking about what went on in the Big Apple. That would ruin the reputation of Powers Security, even though I’d take a bet half our clients had something to do with the local mob or cartel. “Don’t believe everything you hear. I just provide advice on investments.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you do.”
I moved to the cooler, grabbing a bottle of water, twisting the cap and consuming half then pouring the remainder over my head. When I opened my eyes, I was positive an apparition was walking toward me. With the sunlight shimmering behind the girl as she approached, I could swear her copper hair was weaved with gold, burning from the rays of sun. She was tall, her voluptuous body made for a man to hold onto. Jesus. I’d been out in the sun too long.
“Shit,” I said under my breath, my cock immediately stirring.
“Yeah, so I meant to tell you,” Mike said as he flanked my side. “We’re gonna have company while we indulge in that beer.”
“Her? A new girlfriend? Whew, it has been a while. You’re a lucky man.” I felt like a shit pining away for his lady. I wasn’t that kind of man.
