Baseball Ch. 07: Deep Center

"Dad..."

"It's okay, Cassandra, I'm allowed to interrogate him a little. Isn't that right, Johnny?"

"I think I can stand a little grilling," I said. "I'm just happy right now, not having to hide from you anymore."

The meal was mostly pleasant. JJ wasn't entirely happy to know how long we'd been seeing each other, especially since it kind of overlapped with when she was supposedly dating Landon, who was the son of his friend. And even though we didn't say it, I think he correctly inferred that we were sleeping together.

But he and I did see eye to eye on Casey. I assured him I'd never hurt her. And I think he was also interested to hear about Casey meeting Morgan and my mother. "So Casey, Lani, and Morgan all spent the day together?" he asked me.

"Yes, and Morgan was thrilled. She and Casey are fast friends."

"I'm glad to hear it. Casey and Lani are such a dynamic duo," he said with a grin, "I wondered if they'd ever find a third member of their gang."

"We're not a gang, Dad," Casey said.

"They've been friends since middle school," JJ told me, "and I've only seen them fight once. It was a boy, of course, in high school. They both flirted with him, until he finally told them he was gay."

We all laughed. Well, JJ and I laughed, and Casey had a self deprecating chuckle. She said, "He was cute. And he was in the closet, nobody knew. He only told us to get us to leave him alone."

"Well, honey, I don't think you'll have the same problem with this one," JJ said.

"As long as Lani keeps her paws to herself, I think I'll be fine," Casey said with a sweet smile.

--

After lunch, Casey went back to my apartment with me. We kissed, gently at first, then frantically. I think we were both so relieved that we no longer had to be a secret. The pressure was off. Nothing stood between us anymore, and that soon included clothes. We had a quick, passionate session of sex. We had to be quick, as I still had a game to play.

I may have walked into the locker room slightly late. That wasn't a problem. What was a problem is that I was the last one there, and when I walked in, all the conversation stopped. There was silence in a room holding about thirty men.

"What's going on?" I asked, breaking the silence. Some of the guys weren't looking at me - the kind of not looking that was obvious. The ones that were looking, a few had smirks on their faces.

"Just wondering when the princess became fair game," said Dirk. "And maybe when we can get a turn." A couple of Dirk's jerk friends chuckled.

"I assume you're talking about Casey," I said. Looks like we were fully public now. "We are dating. And no, you don't get a turn."

"Aww, don't be greedy," Dirk said with a mocking tone. "I bet she's a hot piece of ass. Let her know I'm available, will you?"

"Yeah, me too," added Jimmy. He moved his fingers in an hourglass figure, and said, "if she's into players, I'd love to show her how talented I am."

A flash of red passed over my eyes, and I started making my way towards him, but I suddenly felt arms around my shoulders. Ken was holding me back from smashing Jimmy's face in. Drake wasn't far behind, and a few more guys moved to stand between us. I tried to size up the room as best I could. Most guys either looked like they would back me, or at least didn't want a fight to break out. Only a few guys were standing with Dirk.

Chuck's voice boomed over the crowd. "ENOUGH!" The guys all dispersed. "Mills, my office, now."

I trudged out of the locker room, and into the manager's office. Chuck sat me down. "I'm sure you've realized that your little secret is out," he said. "It won't be long before Mr. Wentworth hears."

"He knows," I said. "Casey told him earlier this week, and we had lunch today."

"Oh. So what's the problem? Locker room talk?"

I nodded grumpily. "They were asking for their turn. As if Casey was a..." I couldn't finish the thought.

"... Something to be shared," Chuck finished my sentence in a less negative way. "I'm not going to bullshit you. She's attractive, obviously, and several guys know it. I'm not entirely surprised they're interested. And those guys are asshats, so I'm not shocked they'd say what they said. Are you?"

"I guess not," I said.

"I know you're not friends. Fine. But I can't have you fighting each other."

"He shouldn't have said what he did," I asserted, "Even if she wasn't their boss, she still deserves respect."

"I agree with you. And it's a problem. 'Toxic masculinity,' right? But try to tell locker rooms full of guys everywhere not to talk about women. You wouldn't have enough guys to put together a team."

"I disagree."

"You're free to disagree. Maybe this is a lesson for everyone. For you, it's that you still have to work with teammates, even if you don't always get along with them."

"And for them? What does it teach them?"

"Don't fuck with a lady boss," he said, pointing past me. I turned and saw Casey striding confidently thought the hall, Linda the physical trainer right on her tail. I guessed the physical trainer had heard the commotion and went to fetch Casey, who was now dressed in a smart pants-suit. That outfit and her demeanor showed her executive authority as the assistant to the GM.

Casey confidently strode into the locker room, with Linda and Chuck following close behind. I stood in the doorway behind them. Most guys were already dressed. The ones that weren't quickly covered up. It may have been uncouth for a woman to walk into the men's locker room unannounced, but it was a bold power move and everyone knew it.

"I've heard there was some inappropriate talk about me," she announced. "Anyone want to share?" The room was dead fucking quiet. "No? Then let me share this. I'm your boss, not a floozy like the ones you guys find at the bars. HR will be happy to deal with people who forget that. If you forget where their office is, it's upstairs, about twenty feet from mine." A slight pause; the room stayed utterly silent. "Furthermore, my personal life is my personal life. The activities I partake in outside of here, and who I spend my time with, is not one whit of your God damn business. Do I make myself clear?" Again, silence in the room. "I said, am I clear?" The men in the room muttered a quick, overwhelming acknowledgement. Then she turned to Chuck. "Get em out on the field, skipper. We've got a game to win."

"Holy shit," I said to her quietly as she walked out.

"Not now," she told me, still in boss mode, "you better get dressed. You're starting today, Mills."

--

That night, after the game, we met at Casey's apartment. She'd spent the evening watching the game from the owner's box with her father. When I arrived, Casey had now changed from the suit into comfortable sweats. She and Lani were seated at the table, jotting on a notepad.

"We need to lay down some ground rules," Casey explained, pointing at her list. "Lani has been helping me brainstorm."

"Ground rules?" I asked, slightly intimidated. Casey had not yet changed from her suit. "Am I talking to Casey, my girlfriend, or Miss Wentworth, my boss?"

"Both, and that's what the rules are for," she said. "I can't have what happened today ever happen again. It will undermine my authority and my position."

I nodded. It was unfair that Casey had to deal with some of that bullshit as a young woman in a powerful position, but that was just the current world we were in. "Okay. What have you got so far?"

We went over a few things, and I added some of my thoughts to the mix. Basically, the biggest and most obvious rule was no PDA in or around the stadium, or at any team events. I obviously agreed that my relationship with Casey, especially our sex life, was not to be a topic of conversation with anyone else. We both wanted to give the air of professionalism when others were around.

Other rules were good ones. We agreed that we could (finally) have public meals and other dates, as long as we didn't get too handsy. It was more than fine with me. I was never big into that anyway, and we both had apartments for such activities.

The most confusing rule was about the divide between girlfriend and boss. Casey was the boss when we were at work, and promised to try not to be the boss when we weren't. She could ask for favors as my girlfriend, but not order me around. And, as the boyfriend or employee, I was able to freely communicate when she was playing the wrong role for the situation. That was going to be the key: open communication.

Lani acted as mediator for both of us, jotting down our rules. We finally finished around 1 AM, when Lani made us both perform the ceremony of signing the bottom, as if it was a legal document. She even put her name on the bottom as a witness. "I now declare you boyfriend and girlfriend who work together. You may now kiss," she said. When we did, one kiss led to another, and another, and Lani changed her mind. "Not here, go do that in your room," she told us. Casey led me there and shut the door behind us.

"Take off your clothes," she demanded.

"I thought you were trying not to be my boss right now."

"I'm not your boss right now, I'm your girlfriend. And as your girlfriend, I'm telling you to take off your clothes," she said authoritatively, taking off her own top, "so I can ride your dick until one of us passes out."

"Yes ma'am."

--