Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

RIPLEY

W e won our opening game last night, and tonight we're going to the Cougars' game. Afterward, we'll go to a bar called Screwballs where the boys like to hang out.

I'm doing my makeup in my bathroom when Arizona walks in. Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. "Wow, you look good. We're just going to a ballgame."

I shrug. "We don't all have hot fake boyfriends. I'm officially on the prowl. I told you, I miss intimacy."

She looks at my oversized T-shirt that I'm only wearing while I put on my makeup, the one I took from an ex-boyfriend in college, Aaron, and smiles. "That shirt always makes me laugh." It reads, I Love to Eat Out , and it has a stick figure woman sitting on the face of a stick figure man.

I do a little curtsy in the well-worn shirt that I wear to bed most nights. "Are you ready to play the doting girlfriend tonight?" I bat my eyelashes.

She turns around in her tight-as-sin Lancaster jersey. The back reads, Layton's Lady . "You know it. Layton's fake lady is always ready. I'm heading next door to Kam and Bailey's for a drink. Come over when you're done."

Just after she leaves, my phone rings. I see that it's my mother and I reluctantly answer. "Hi, Mom. What's wrong?"

"Does something have to be wrong for me to call you?"

"You called me on my first day of college to tell me that you thought you might be pregnant and you had no clue who the father was. Fortunately, that was a false alarm. You called me on the first day of my senior year to tell me you didn't think you could afford the house and were selling it. You called me just after I got to Houston to tell me that I had been an illegal alien in this country for seventeen years. Need I go on?"

"Well, Miss Sassy Pants, I called to see how you're settling in and when I can come for a visit."

Oh hell. She's the last thing I need. "It's really hot here right now. July in Philly is no joke. Come for a visit when it cools off. I think Paul and Pamela are doing the same." Paul and Pamela are Arizona and Quincy's parents.

"Okay. I'll wait. I ran into Pamela last week. She showed me a picture from the tabloids of Arizona and Layton Lancaster. He's a hunk of man meat."

"Mom, no one says man meat . They're friends. Layton is Quincy's best friend."

"How's Quincy? Do you still have a crush on him?"

"That was like fifteen years ago, Mom."

"We both know it was more than that. You wore his jersey to bed every night, and he popped your cherry."

Why did I ever tell her that? I couldn't tell Arizona, and I needed to talk to someone about it. I had the only mother on the planet who reverse slut shamed their child. It drove her nuts that I was a virgin for so long. She wanted me playing the field or, as she used to say, trying on as many shoes as possible before finding the one that fits . She practically had a party when I told her about Quincy when I was eighteen.

"That was also a long time ago. We're just friends now."

"Find someone. Make sure you're coming on the regular. It relaxes you. You're a better pitcher when you're relaxed."

In my most sarcastic tone, I reassure her, "I promise to come at least once or twice a day."

"Don't forget, an orgasm a day keeps home run hitters away."

"Words to live by, Mom."

"They certainly are."

"I'm pretty sure the saying is an apple a day keeps the doctors away, not an orgasm a day keeps home run hitters away."

"It should be an orgasm. They're better than apples."

I sigh. "Can we change the topic of conversation?"

"I need to run anyway. I have a date tonight, and I want to get a Brazilian wax, so my goodies are looking their best."

"Have fun with that."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

I throw on my new Philly Cougars Quincy Abbott jersey and head next door. I hear uncontrollable laughter coming from Kamryn's room.

I walk in and see her straddling a pillow on her new waterbed, humping it. I look at all three of them. "What is happening right now?"

Bailey tosses her long brown hair to the side and giggles. "Kam is showing us how sex worked on her waterbed the other night."

Kam fulfilled her lifetime dream of owning a waterbed when we moved to Philly. She's been anxious to see how sex on the waterbed feels .

Kam nods. "I was riding her face, and I got into a good motion with the flow of the water. It was like riding a bull, but the bull's tongue was inside me, so it was even better. Unfortunately, I got a little carried away, and I came down too hard on her face because of the motion of the water. She was whining. I think I can only ride a man's face on this thing. Maybe I'll find some guy tonight and give it a go. I'm guessing an orgasm could be explosive on the waterbed under the right circumstances."

Arizona shakes her head. "With the amount of sex you have, I'm convinced this thing is going to pop one day."

Kam unashamedly sleeps around, rarely repeating a bedfellow.

I nod in agreement. "This thing is the Titanic waiting to happen."

Kam smiles proudly. "But what a way to go down. I mean that in every sense."

An hour later, we're at the baseball game. Because of Arizona's status as Layton Lancaster's girlfriend, we have front-row seats right behind the Cougars' dugout. The cameras love to find us. We play it up, dancing for them. It's bringing attention to our team and league. Plus, we're having fun all being back together again.

Quincy pitches a gem. He's having the best season of his career. He seems happier on this team than he ever did in Houston. I wonder why.

When it's over, we all head to Screwballs where our roped-off booth is waiting for us. It's technically waiting for the guys, but now that we're with them all the time, it's ours for the taking too.

Cheetah is last to arrive and Quincy smiles at him. "Finally! You're last, sucker. You owe us a fun fact."

Cheetah chuckles and says, "Human beings, especially me, are most creative in the shower. Warm water increases the flow of dopamine, which stimulates creativity." He winks at Kam. "I'm very creative and very stimulated in my showers, what about you?"

Without any shame, she responds, "I'm always up for a little creativity and stimulation in the shower. In fact, I had some last week. With a lion. I believe lions trump cheetahs in the animal kingdom."

Cheetah scowls at her. He's dying to get into her pants. He then turns to Bailey, "Why don't you hookup like your sister does?"

Bailey responds, "Because I don't separate the emotional and physical like she does. I need to feel something before the physical kicks in for me. I'm not an any big dick will do woman, like my beloved little sister. Or any sweet vajayjay , for that matter. No vajayjay for me. I'm a magic wand only kind of girl. One magic wand at a time, and only if I'm genuinely interested. I'd rather be celibate than be with someone I'm not genuinely into."

Kam nods. "She's a serial masturdater."

Cheetah lifts an eyebrow. "You mean, masturbater?"

Kam shakes her head. "No, I meant masturdater. She dates herself. She'll happily go out to a meal alone, see a movie by herself, buy herself flowers, and yes, get off on her own, before being with someone she doesn't share an emotional connection with. She can't ever just give in to physical needs."

Bailey sighs. "Your ability to make up words is unmatched. Just because I don't fall for lines like," In a deep voice, she mocks, " you're so hot my zipper is falling for you , to get me on my back doesn't mean I don't hookup."

I giggle. "That's a good line."

Cheetah leans over toward Kam, staring at her intensely. "How about this line? Your legs are like an Oreo cookie. I want to split them down the middle and eat all the good creamy stuff in the middle."

She playfully looks at Cheetah. "Is that the best you've got, kitten?"

She started calling him kitten the night they met as a takeoff on his nickname, Cheetah.

"You got something better, Kam bam?" And he started calling her that.

She nods as her eyes light up with mischief. "Want to play Barbie? You can be Ken and I'll be the box you come in."

The whole table erupts in laughter. While they're distracted, Quincy gently tugs on my arm. "Come to the bar with me to grab drinks?"

I reluctantly nod. This will be our first time alone together since I've moved here. Actually, it's our first time alone together in nearly two years.

We walk up to the bar. He places our large order before turning his head to me and touching my arm. My heart races at his touch. I thought I was past this. Why does this man affect me so much?

He squeezes me. "I'm truly sorry for how things ended between us in Houston. I handled myself poorly, and I regret it. You deserved better. And then it only got worse with the wedding debacle. I had a lot of anger during that time period. My head was a mess, and my heart was breaking for my sister. I should have spoken to you about everything that happened."

I do my best to play it cool. Like what happened isn't a big deal. Like it didn't take me over a year to even consider letting another man touch me.

I straighten my back. "Our relationship, or whatever it was, ran its course. It was time for us both to let go. I see that now. Please don't feel guilty. The clean break was good for me. As for the wedding time period, we were all hurting for her, me included. She's better off without him, even if she's damaged from how it went down."

He blows out a breath like this has been weighing on him. "Thank you for being so gracious. I don't deserve it."

His fingers run through his hair. He unwittingly does that when he gets nervous. I bite my lip. I miss running my fingers through his hair. It was my favorite thing to do.

He briefly stares at my lips before continuing, "And she's definitely better off without him, but I agree, she hasn't been herself. What do you make of this whole Lancaster PR relationship thing? I'm not a fool. I know he was her teen crush. I remember the posters."

"She's adamant that it's all business. She doesn't want it to be anything more."

I don't think I'll share with him that I think her words are hollow.

He nods. "I'm glad to hear that. I really do love the guy. He immediately took me in when I arrived and made me feel more at home in just a few days than any of my teammates ever made me feel in Houston. He's my best friend, but he's also the biggest womanizer I've ever met. A different woman each night. I don't want her to start catching feelings only to be crushed again."

"Neither do I. I'm hoping this move will heal her."

"Good. We're on the same page. I need you to keep an eye on her. She'd never share anything with me, only you."

"I'll always have her back, Quincy. You know that."

He mumbles, "I do," as he aimlessly tucks a stray curl of mine behind my ear. I quickly glance over at the table to see if anyone is looking at us. They're not.

Realization hits and he quickly pulls his hand back. "Sorry. Habit." He briefly squeezes his eyes shut. "I…I miss you, Shortcake." He gives me his crooked smile. "I miss my wife. "

I shake my head and do my best to hold off from cracking. "Don't call me that." I nervously chew on my bottom lip before admitting, "I miss you too, but we're truly better off this way. Can we return to what we always were, Quincy? Friends. I miss our friendship."

He visibly swallows. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes. I think it's for the best. I can't constantly fall into your bed and expect to find someone who wants the same things as me. I'm twenty-eight. I want to fall in love, get married, for real, and have kids one day. I know you want none of those things." I briefly pause before admitting, "You have this hold over me, Quincy. I've loved you from the shadows my whole life. I need someone who lets me love them in the light. Someone who wants to love me in that same light. Please, if you care about me, let me go."

He pinches his lips together. "I hate the thought of you with other men. Kissing you, touching you, being inside you."

I hold up my hand. "Stop. You know it happens, just as I know that you're with other women. A lot of other women. You haven't been celibate the past two years and neither have I. It took me a while to get there, a long while, but I did. I know sex is purely physical for you, and that's all you want, but I want and need more."

He looks like he wants to say something but then thinks better of it and simply nods.

I rub his arm. "Be my friend and help me get there. My citizenship is secure. We can get our divorce and put this crazy chapter of our lives behind us for good."

His eyes widen. "No rush. We can wait until you meet someone. I'll do my best to support you. You deserve to have what you want." He hangs his head. "We both know I'm not the man to give it to you."

I rub his arm. "Thank you." I give him a small smile. "Now let's talk about the season you're having. I've never seen you throw this hard or with this many spins on your pitches. And the team is good. Really good."

He smiles. It's the type of carefree smile from him that I've missed seeing. "I know. I can't explain it. This team and this organization are incredible. I've never felt stronger or healthier in my career. Maybe it's the fact that we're contenders that has my juices flowing."

"Whatever it is, it's definitely working for you. I love watching you throw. I always have, but you're in a zone right now I've never seen before."

"Thank you. You seem on top of your game too, though you always are."

"The Anacondas' games are the first you've seen me throw since we were kids."

He gives me a guilty smile. "I came to a few games in Houston too."

"I didn't know that." I'm surprised to hear it.

He shrugs. "When I could. I sat in the back with a hat, so I wasn't noticed. I enjoy watching you pitch. Now it's twice as exciting since I'll get to watch both you and Z play."

I smile. "I saw you in my jersey at our game."

His gorgeous blue eyes sparkle. "I saw you in mine."

I giggle. "Old habits die hard. I guess we'll always be friends who cheer for each other." Holding out my hand, I swallow down my feelings and offer, "Friends?"

He nods as he takes it in his. "Friends."