Going Deep (Mustangs Baseball)

  Going Deep

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental and the product of the authors imagination or have been used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2012 by Roz Lee

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the copyright holder.

  http://www.rozlee.net

  Acknowledgements

  I couldn’t write these stories without the love and encouragement of the people closest to me. What began as a whim, and perhaps a mid-life crisis, has blossomed into a full-time job that I absolutely love. Through it all, my daughters have been wonderfully supportive and surprisingly, are not embarrassed to tell people what I do. However, my greatest support comes from my husband who not only encourages my fantasies (the ones about one day becoming a well-known author), but puts up with all my others!

  Many thanks go to Sharon Buchbinder and her wonderful husband, Dr. Dale Buchbinder. When I wrote myself into a corner, Dr. Dale was there with a scalpel to open a new door while Sharon slapped an oxygen mask on my plot and breathed new life into it. Jason’s story would have been D.O.A. without their skilled emergency response.

  To my LARA buddies, Kathy, Sarah, Christine and Robyn, thanks for your unwavering support.

  Dedication

  For Terrell, whose love keeps me going.

  Chapter One

  The gray concrete-block basement walls matched Jason’s mood and amplified the soft whir of the automatic pitching machine. Fuck. Someone else was using the batting cage. Showing up on the team’s day off was tantamount to admitting your hitting sucked, and he had hoped to find the place empty. He briefly considered turning around and leaving before whoever it was saw him. But hell, who was he kidding? His batting average sucked lemons and everyone on the team knew it. If word got out he was taking extra swings, then at least his teammates would know he was trying to fix the problem.

  Jason rounded the corner to see the Mustangs third baseman swing at a perfect pitch and miss.

  “Morning, Todd,” he said with a wave.

  "Hey, Jason, I'll be through in a few."

  "No hurry." Jason sat on the bench where he could watch.

  Todd took another swing. "Maybe you can help me. Take a look and tell me what you see." He fouled the next ball off. “Man, I’m getting too old for this shit.” Todd tightened his grip on the bat and glared at the pitching machine.

  “You’re only what, thirty-five? You still have a few good years in you.”

  Todd grunted and connected with another pitch. The ball fouled. “Damn it. What the hell am I doing wrong?”

  “You’re dropping your shoulder, getting under the ball too much.”

  “Thanks, man.” He took a few more swings, connecting better on each one. “Now see, that’s what I’m talking about. I’ve been struggling for weeks, and no one said a damned thing. Not even Tuley. What’s a batting coach for if he doesn’t coach?”

  Jason shrugged. “I don’t know. He hasn’t done a damned thing for me either. I’ve never hit this bad in my life.”

  Todd continued to swing at the oncoming balls. “I hear you. Sometimes there’s no explanation. It just is what it is.”

  “What it is, is crap,” Jason said, shaking his head. “I led the league in home runs last year. This year, I can’t get a base hit to save my life.” It seemed everything in his life was out of control these days, and he didn’t have a clue how to change any of it. All he knew was he had to do something—and fast. “I gotta fix whatever’s wrong before I end up on the bench.”

  Todd laughed. His bat connected with the last ball from the automatic pitching machine. “The Mustangs aren’t going to bench you. You’re the best catcher in the league.” He grabbed his towel hanging from the fence and wiped his face. “They might put a Designated Hitter in to bat for you, but take you out of the game? Ain’t gonna happen.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s not a chance I want to take.”

  They switched places, Todd collapsing on the bench with a water bottle and Jason taking his place inside the batting cage.

  “Why don’t you see if you can figure out what I’m doing wrong?”

  “Sure. I’ve got time,” Todd said.

  Jason fouled off the first two pitches and completely missed the next four. “Fuck.” Totally unacceptable.

  “There’s nothing wrong with your swing. You aren’t concentrating. You just gotta focus.”

  Jason hit the stop button, leaned against the far side of the cage, and studied his shoes. Swinging at meatballs any high school kid should be able to hit wasn’t going to fix anything. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I can’t get my head in the game.”

  “Troubles at home?”

  “Not anymore.” Apparently there had been trouble, but he hadn’t seen it, probably because he had his head up his ass.

  Todd raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

  “My girlfriend dumped me.” Jason was careful to keep his face neutral as he inwardly winced. Christ, the wound to his ego was still raw. Stacey wasn’t coming back so he might as well get over it and move on.

  “The cute physical therapist who was working with Jeff?”

  Jason nodded. He’d met her when she took on his twin brother Jeff as one of her clients following surgery on his elbow. She’d bullied his brother through twelve months of physical therapy and he was back in the Mustangs bullpen where he belonged. Jason pushed away from the fence and, after racking his bat and helmet, joined Todd on the bench. “Yeah, that one. She booted me to the curb.”

  “When did this happen? I thought you two were firm.”

  “Me too. It’s been a couple of weeks, I guess.” Two weeks of hell wondering if he was as warped as she’d accused him of being. Two weeks of wondering what he was going to do now.

  “About the time you quit hitting?”

  “Yeah. I know. It’s stupid, but I thought we had something going on, and then…”

  “Then…what?” Todd asked.

  Jason grabbed a water bottle from his duffel. “Surely you have better things to do with your day off than listen to my sad story about the one that got away.”

  Todd sat back, stretched his legs out in front, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Nope. Not until tonight. Spill. Maybe if you tell somebody, you can get your head back in the game.”

  Well, shit. Now he’d gone and done it. He rummaged in his bag for a towel while he tried to figure out a way to get out the hole he’d dug for himself. He wiped his brow and took a long pull on the water bottle. He should have kept his mouth shut, but he hadn’t, and now he was going to have to tell Todd something—unless he could get him to back off on his own. Yeah, that might work.

  “What are you, some kind of shrink?”

  “No, but I do want to win. And the Mustangs need you to start hitting. If I have to listen to your sad tale, then I’ll take it for the team.”

  “Okay, but if you tell another soul I’ll use your head for batting practice and smile while I do it.”

  Todd raised both hands in surrender. “I don’t doubt that for a minute. My lips are sealed, compadre. Now, tell me what happened.”

  Jason glanced around the cavernous basement below the stadium to make sure none of the other team members were around. Assured they were alone, Jason began, “You know that book, the one everyone’s talking about? The one all the women are reading and saying it’s making them horny?”

>   “Yeah. What about it?”

  “Well, Stacey bought a copy. We’d had some awesome morning sex, and I didn’t have to be at the field for a few hours, so we were just chillin’, you know?”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Well, after breakfast, she picked the book up again—man, she couldn’t put it down. I swear, every time I saw her for days she had that book in her hands.”

  Todd nodded, and Jason continued. “I asked her what was so interesting about it, and she started reading me some of the sexy parts. We laughed about a couple of them, and then she read this one where the guy handcuffed the woman and did some kinky stuff to her. It was hot, I’m telling you. Anyway, I said I wouldn’t mind doing some of those things to her.”

  “And?”

  “She looked at me like I’d turned into some kind of monster. She couldn’t believe I’d even think of doing those things to a woman, much less her.”

  “What did you do?”

  “I told her I wasn’t going to do anything she didn’t want to do, and she should have known that.” Jason shook his head. Stacey’s behavior still didn’t make any sense to him. “Anyway, the next thing I know, I get a Dear Jason text. A text. We were in Atlanta and went from there to Cincinnati.”

  “I remember that trip,” Todd said. “I didn’t have a single hit against the Braves.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t much better,” Jason said with a sneer. “By the time I got home, she’d cleared out of our place.”

  “Had you ever asked her to try any of the things in the book, or done any of them without her permission?”

  “No! I’d never force a woman to do anything she didn’t want to do. And honestly, I’ve never had to.”

  “Your charisma aside, was there anything else she said?”

  “Just that I was too demanding. That it’s always my way in bed, never her way. Shit! I asked her all the time to tell me what she liked.” He raked his fingers through his hair. Now that he’d started talking, he couldn’t stop. His frustration poured out faster than fans scurrying from the stadium when the home team was losing by a dozen runs.

  “She said she didn’t like the way I tried to take care of her, as though she couldn’t take care of herself. It sounded like a bunch of women’s lib shit to me. You know. She said she could pump her own gas, and she didn’t want me ordering for her at restaurants. I’d call to check on her when I was out of town, just to make sure she was okay. I thought I was being considerate, but she said I was smothering her. And then the kinky sex thing…she said that scared her.”

  When he finally wound down, it was as though the concrete walls had absorbed all the sound. The silence was deafening. Aware that Todd hadn’t said anything, Jason dared to look at his confessor. He didn’t like the way his friend eyed him.

  “What?” Jason asked.

  “Do you want to do those things to a woman? Really, want to do those things, or was it just some fantasy?”

  Jason nodded. “Yeah, I think I’d like that. You know, calling all the shots, having a woman at my mercy. Willingly. I’d only do it if they wanted it, too. Stacey had to know that.”

  Todd stood. “You have plans tonight?”

  The abrupt change of subject caught him off guard. “No. Just gonna watch some TV, maybe have a few beers. Why?”

  “I want to show you something.” He pulled a team notebook out of the bag he’d crammed underneath the bench. He scribbled something, tore out the page, and folded it in half before handing it to Jason. “Meet me at that address around nine. Dress casual.”

  Damn, he didn’t feel like going out. “Thanks.”

  “Sure.” Todd grabbed his duffel and left.

  He hoped Todd wasn’t going to try to fix him up with some bimbo. The last thing he needed right now was a woman messing with his head—it was plenty messed up already.

  * * *

  The giant standing sentinel in front of the red lacquered door in Dallas’ industrial district didn’t look friendly. Jason checked the address again. Right place. He scanned the brick façade for a sign and found none. What kind of place was this, and where was Todd?

  He’d heard of exclusive bars, the kind requiring an invitation to get inside. Maybe this was one of them, but he couldn’t imagine the place was doing well in this neighborhood whose better days were long behind it.

  “Um….” He had no clue what to say to gain entrance.

  “Are you a member?” the guard asked.

  Member? You have to have a membership to get in this place? Seriously? “No, but I’m supposed to meet someone here.”

  “Name?”

  “Mine or the person I’m meeting?”

  “Yours. I’ll see if you’re on the list and if you are, I’ll notify your party that you’re here.”

  “Oh, okay. Jason Holder.” He relaxed a little when the guy didn’t react. This didn’t look like the kind of place he’d want his name linked to in tomorrow’s gossip column.

  “Wait here, Mr. Holder. I’ll check the list.” The guy disappeared behind the door so fast Jason didn’t get a glimpse inside. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he paced a few steps then returned to his spot in front of the door. He’d completed the circuit several times by the time the guard came back. He held the door open, indicating with the sweep of his arm for Jason to go inside. “Enjoy your evening.”

  Jason turned to thank him only to find the door shut. He stood in a small, dark vestibule, big enough for maybe four people, if they stood close together. Now what? It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dim lighting then he noticed a sign on the door in front of him.

  Non-members must be accompanied by a member beyond this point.

  Okay. He guessed that meant he’d have to wait for Todd to show. But he had no idea whether Todd was already inside, or if he had yet to arrive. Jason checked his watch. Five after nine. He listened for music, anything to indicate what kind of club lay on the other side, but not a sound penetrated his little cocoon. He was just about to leave when the inside door swung open, and loud, pulsing music filled the room. Todd stepped inside, closing the door behind him, sealing them both inside the quiet vestibule.

  Man, that’s some excellent soundproofing. Jason eyed Todd’s outfit and smirked. “Leather?”

  Todd smiled. “Yeah. It’s not my favorite, but my sub likes it, so I wear it to please her.”

  “Your sub?”

  “Brooke,” he confirmed. “I’ll introduce you later. First, I hope you were serious this morning about wanting to do kinky things to a willing woman.”

  “Uh, yeah, I was. I think.” A bad feeling churned in his gut. What the hell had Todd gotten him into?

  “Good, then let me be the first to welcome you to The Dungeon. If you really want to try the things you’ve been thinking about, this is the place you need to be.”

  His gut twisted tighter. “Dungeon?”

  “Yep. You’ve never been to one before?”

  “No. I kind of knew they existed, but this is my first.” And hopefully, my last. He should thank him for the invitation then get the hell out, but as much as the idea of going into the dungeon scared him, it excited him, too. Maybe he’d just look around, see what it was all about. How bad could it be? Todd was here, and he was a normal sort of guy.

  “A dungeon virgin.” Todd smiled. “Nothing to worry about. After our talk, I thought you might be interested. I’ve been a member here for about ten years. Everyone inside is into the BDSM scene to one degree or another. I’ll warn you, there are things in here that will make that book of Stacey’s sound like a kid’s bedtime story. If anything bothers you, you’re free to leave at any time. We just ask you keep what you see here to yourself.”

  Just thinking about the kind of things behind the door made his cock hard. He wasn’t going to leave. He wanted this, wanted to see what he’d only dreamed of. He wished he’d worn trousers instead of jeans, that left no doubt about his state of arousal.

  “People don’t know who you
are?” he asked before his big brain shut down completely.

  “Hell, yes, they know, but we don’t discuss our outside life. In here, I’m Master or Sir. If you join, you have to sign a confidentiality agreement. It probably wouldn’t stand up in court, but most people don’t want the rest of the world to know about this side of their personality, so they won’t talk. You’ll probably see other people you know. Maybe not tonight, but eventually. Just keep it to yourself.”

  “I can do that.” Good Lord, wouldn’t the media be in a frenzy if they found out.

  “Okay. Let’s go, then. It gets loud sometimes, so save your questions. I’ll answer them when we’re done with the tour.”

  Jason followed Todd’s leather-clad ass into the club. The walls of the reception area were deep red and adorned with canvases he figured might have been painted by zoo inhabitants but could have been famous pieces for all he knew about art. A grouping of comfortable looking leather furniture occupied the center of the room, and a raised black granite desk blocked a darkened portal that presumably led to the club. The place was clean and neat and, despite being unconventional, had an unexpected aura of wealth and good taste. Not at all what he’d expected. Hard rock music blasted somewhere in the back of the establishment, but out here was bearable.

  Todd spoke to the Goth girl seated at the desk. “He’s with me, Janette.”

  Janette waved them on with a smile on her pierced black lips. Jason glanced around Todd’s tall frame at the long hallway lined with open doorways. A few were covered with heavy velvet curtains matching the black and red paint scheme on the walls.

  “These rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis,” Todd said. “If the door is open, you’re free to watch what’s going on. No touching, no interfering, no commenting on the scene. If the curtain is closed, respect the privacy of the people inside.”

  They stopped in front of the first un-curtained room. Todd stepped to the side, and Jason peered inside. A woman lay naked, strapped spread-eagle to a medieval looking table in the center of the room. A man dressed in leather and chains held a lighted candle above her, allowing the hot wax to drip and run in streaks over her breasts. She moaned when it touched her skin. Damn. She’s aroused by the pain. His cock stirred.