Page 91 of Dibs
“You headed to the family room to meet Jasmine?”
I shook my head. “Nah, she just texted me from the airport. Her flight was delayed, so she didn’t make it back in time for the game. She should be home when I get there.”
Jasmine and I started dating shortly after I signed with the Mets. She’d moved in with me at the end of last season, but we were rarely home at the same time. She was a model whose career took her all around the world, and baseball took up most of my time for seven months of the year.
It wasn’t easy maintaining a relationship under normal circumstances, and with jobs like ours, we had to put in more of an effort to stay connected. We tried to spend as much time together as we could whenever we were both in town, and I couldn’t wait to get home to her.
“Nice. Enjoy your night.” He waggled his eyebrows as he got up and walked to the door that led to the family room.
Anderson had a wife, two kids, and one on the way. Most of my teammates were married or in serious relationships. It was nice playing with guys who weren’t always looking to go out after every game. We hit up the occasional bar when we were on the road, but when we were home, most of us preferred quiet nights to unwind after a game—win or lose. It suited me just fine. Even in college, I hadn’t been one to party a lot. I’d chosen to put all my energy into becoming the best baseball player I could be.
Growing up with a single mom, I witnessed the sacrifices she made to ensure I had everything I needed. When I was in high school, it became clear I had an excellent shot of going to college on a baseball scholarship, and my coaches said they wouldn’t be surprised if I made it to the big leagues one day. That was all it took to light a fire inside me. From that day on, playing for the majors was my end goal and not just because I loved the game, but because it meant I could make sure my mom was always taken care of.
I grabbed my bag and keys from the top shelf of my locker and headed to the players’ parking lot where I slid into my all-black Mercedes. Thirty minutes later, I parked in the garage at my Sky Tower apartment building in Hell’s Kitchen before getting in the elevator that took me up to the sixtieth floor.
As I unlocked the door, the apartment was dark and silent. Jasmine’s luggage was in the entryway, so I knew she was home. I put my bag down on the small bench by the door and walked to our living room. The faint moonlight coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows provided me with just enough light to see her asleep on the couch. The two of us were night-owls, often up late because of work commitments and events, so she must have been exhausted from her flight. I didn’t want to wake her if she was that tired, but I knew she’d be more comfortable in our bed. I slipped one arm behind her shoulders and the other behind her knees and gently lifted her.
“Hi, babe. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” she said as I carried her to our room.
“It’s okay. I left the stadium later than I wanted.”
Once I laid her down in bed, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and slipped in under the covers. I brushed her long blonde hair off her shoulder and kissed her neck as I wrapped my arm around her from behind. “I missed you.”
With how tired she was, I didn’t think she would respond, so I was surprised when she reached behind her and rubbed her hand up and down my cock. “I missed you, too.”
From there, we were a tangle of arms and legs as she showed me just how much she’d missed me.
* * *
Stickingto a routine was vital for both my performance and my sanity during the season, but that normalcy had been thrown out the window the night before. What I had assumed would be a quickie had turned into a marathon fuck-fest, but I wasn’t complaining. I preferred to get a full eight hours of sleep, but six hours would suffice since I wasn’t pitching and only had to stretch and weight train before the game later.
Jasmine wasn’t in bed when I woke up as she usually hit the gym early in the morning. On days that I wasn’t starting, I didn’t have to be at the field until mid-afternoon, so I took advantage of that time to spend it with her.
After a quick shower and getting dressed, I walked into the kitchen, planning on making a bowl of steel-cut oatmeal mixed with flaxseed and a few blueberries for breakfast. While grabbing what I needed from the cabinets, I heard the front door open.
Jasmine entered the apartment. “Oh good, you haven’t eaten yet,” she said as she glanced at the container of oats on the counter. “We’re going out to brunch with some friends.”
“What?” I shook my head. “I need to be at the park by two. I was hoping we could spend some time together, just the two of us, before I left.”
Jasmine had a large social circle, and we spent a lot of time going out, especially in the off-season. While parties and other events were fun, I also enjoyed the quiet times we spent together.
“But Heidi and Kari leave for Paris tomorrow.” She looked up at me with her big, bright eyes.God, I was a sucker for blue eyes. “Besides, we’re going to Friedman’s. It’s only a few blocks away, so you’ll have plenty of time to get to the field.”
“Okay,” I responded. I needed to eat before heading to the field anyway, and I’d still get to spend time with her.
She bounced over and kissed me on my cheek before starting toward our bedroom. “I’m going to shower real quick. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.”
* * *
I heardthe clacking of high heels on the hardwood floors as Jasmine walked over to me. “Babe, aren’t you going to change before we leave?” she asked while I sat on the couch watching SportsCenter.
I looked down at the dark wash jeans and black T-shirt I was wearing. “What’s wrong with what I’ve got on?”
“Nothing’s wrong. There’s just usually a photographer or two in front of the restaurant.”
The paparazzi were something we dealt with regularly. Jasmine’s popularity within the modeling world was expanding, and she was getting noticed by movie and television executives. And even though the Mets weren’t playing great, dating a baseball player only added to the appeal of getting a photo of us out together.
“I’ve laid out some clothes for you on the bed. We’ll go as soon as you’re ready.”
