Page 50 of Bad Call
I rounded my truck to the passenger side and opened the door for Rawlings. “Thanks for the stellar advice, girl. You really know how men tick, don’t you? Here’s your promised treat. Be a good girl until I see you again.” With any luck, I would see her tomorrow night after dinner on my way to Casey’s bedroom. She jumped out of the truck with a bark when her daddy called her name. He gave me a wave before pulling out of the lot.
A real date, with Casey Collins. I wassogetting fucked.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CASEY
Since this was technicallya real date, ourfirstreal date, I felt compelled to make it count and give him my best effort. The same effort I would give to anyone I wanted to date. Except, when was the last time I dated?
If I couldn’t remember, it wasn’t a good sign.
I wore my nicest pants, navy slacks, and a white button-down shirt. I looked better suited to a business meeting than a date. The restaurant I’d chosen was known for their quality steaks and wine. Since I hadn’t offered to pick him up, I was in the awkward position of watching the door like a hawk for any sign of him. My first glimpse of Baylor knocked me on my ass, metaphorically.
He wore black slacks and a long-sleeved burgundy button-down that was so fitted I could see the bulge of his biceps stretching the fabric. Damn, the man was fine. And when he turned, I realized just how fittedthe pants were as well, molding perfectly to his rounded ass. My mouth watered for another taste.
Dinner first, Casey.
He leaned in close to say hello and I realized he smelled even better than he looked. That musky spicy cologne I knew he probably wore for every date with every woman in SoCal back when he was Big City Baylor. Was he trying to seduce me? Done. He didn’t have to try hard. I’d give him anything he wanted.
When I realized he wasn’t just giving me a friendly hug, but trying to steal a kiss, I froze and pulled away. The look on Baylor’s face said he didn’t appreciate being rejected.
“Are you embarrassed?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“No.” He continued to peg me hard with his eyes. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
“No!”
Baylor glared. “Which is it, Collins, yes or no?”
He sounded beyond irritated, not that I could blame him. “Both?” I tugged on his arm, pulling him into a corner of the entrance for a modicum of privacy. “Look, I’m not embarrassed ofyou. My God, you’re…gorgeous.” Baylor smiled smugly. “It’s just that, first of all, you’reyou.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re an umpire, I’m a coach. If we were caught together dating, my entire season could be disqualifiedand you could lose your job.” He realized the truth in my words, his face tightening.
“Damn, you’re right. You said first of all, so what’s second?”
I blew out a breath, letting my shoulders sag. “It’s not that I’m not out… I just don’t make a thing of it.”
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Can you imagine if I ran into a student or, God forbid, one of my team, at the club the night I met you? It’s why I don’t go often. Can you imagine if one of my players realized I was gay, and that I might be down to fuck? What if they developed a crush on me, like Austin did with Marcus? What kind of position would that put me in? Not only would it ruin my career, it would ruin theirs as well. That blind date we met on? I have to resort to sites like that so I don’t run into students or my team on Grindr and more popular sites for gay men.”
Baylor’s brows drew close. “I guess I didn’t realize. That sounds like a disaster. I just thought…that you were….”
“Embarrassed of you? No, not at all.” His expression smoothed out.
“Hey, you want to get out of here? Go somewhere quieter?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “That sounds wonderful. Why don’t you follow me? I’ve got a place in mind.”
I watched Baylor’s headlights in my rearview mirror the entire twenty-minute drive. I was dying to see his reaction when he followed me into the parking lot of thestadium. I didn’t have to wait long. When I got out of my truck, he was laughing as he shut his door.
“You know this place is closed, right?” The parking lot was pitch black, as dark as the stadium.
“I know a guy,” I said with a smirk, dangling my keys in front of his face.