Big League Dreams Ch. 01

"Looking good, Allison," I remarked, and she shot me a big smile before winding up, and, it appeared, overthrowing, because the ball sailed over Terry's head. Feeling good, I indicated to Terry that he could stay down, and jogged over to retrieve the ball. It amazed me how large a softball felt in my hand after spending my time with the smaller hard ball.

"Thanks, Ray," Terry drawled. "Y'all looked good tonight."

"No thanks to me," I replied, laughing. Checking my watch, I said, "I'm going to grab a quick nap before getting changed."

"Hot date tonight?" Terry bantered, tossing Allison's latest pitch back to her. I could see the sweat stain covering the front of his shirt, and realized what a good dad he must be—it clearly wasn't easy for him to spend so much time in a squat.

"Actually, yeah."

Terry stood up and walked toward me. Speaking low, he asked, "Local girl? Not tryin' to pry, but we've been doing this for a while, and I might be able give you a heads up if she's, let's say, got some issues."

I appreciated what he was saying. I'd heard stories of girls trying to blackmail ballplayers (despite the fact that we make virtually nothing in the minors), or later finding out that you were part of some sort of competition among friends to see who could fuck more guys on the team. "Actually, yeah, Terry. Her name is Jillian Lowery. Know her?"

Terry clapped me on the back and smiled broadly. "Son, we know Jill Lowery real well. She used to babysit for Allie. Nice girl, smart. Good lookin', too, but you already know that. Great family. Three sisters, each smarter and prettier than the next. To be honest, I never did hear her goin' out with ballplayers before. Where'd you meet her?"

"Uh, she kicked my butt in pool at the bar the other night."

Terry burst out laughing. "Oh man, Ray, that girl's a hustler. Her daddy Billy's been teaching her to play since she was just a pup. Lucky you didn't play her for money—son, tell me you didn't play her for money?"

"No, mercifully. But she did get to humiliate me in front of the team." Terry chuckled. "So, where does Jillian fit in with her sisters?"

"Oh, she's the smartest and prettiest of the three."

"Great, Terry. I guess I better keep my wits about me."

"I think so, son. I think so."

By this time, Allison, looking a bit pissed off that Terry had stopped receiving her pitches and was chatting with me, came by.

"Allie," Terry said, and I again noticed that she didn't react like she did to her mother, "Ray here is going out on a date tonight with Jill."

Her eyes narrowed. "Jillian Lowery? Really?"

Terry seemed oblivious to her apparent annoyance. "Yeah," he replied, "you guys used to get along so great."

"So, dad, we're done now?" Allison responded harshly, slapped her glove against her thigh and stormed away.

"Ray, for the life of me, I have no idea what that little tantrum was about. But I have a bad feeling that she's going to take whatever it is out on her poor mother. I better get inside. G'night, Ray, have a good time, and say hi to Jill for me."

I turned toward my door thinking that teenaged girls were completely inscrutable.

*

Cal was right—Alberto's was nice, the food was good, and the prices fair. Of course, everyone knew Jillian, and she knew everyone, but I guess that's what it's like when you are a beautiful, well-off girl in a small town. I think we had a good chat. She was beautiful, and I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She had dressed somewhat more conservatively than at the bar, but it was still incredibly sexy, and I realized that she'd be sexy in a burlap sack.

She had only nice things to say about the Pullmans, and remembered Allison well, as a fun tomboy. I filled her in on her apparent angsty teenage behavior, but also at how good she was as a pitcher.

Jillian actually took my hand as we walked to my loaner car, and after clicking her seatbelt into place, she turned and said, "Back to your place, Ray?"

I tried unsuccessfully to suppress a grin, before responding. "Nah, I think I'm gonna drop you back home and grab a drink with the boys."

Whipping her head around, I could see shock on Jillian's pretty face.

"Hah—I got you. Finally." Luckily, she laughed, nodding her head.

"Ray, you just took a huge risk there, y'know."

"A bigger risk than trying to make it big in a kids' game?"

"Maybe not, but still, I'm gonna make you pay for that, Ray."

We drove the rest of the way to the Pullmans in silence, listening to the country music on the radio.

"The place looks different from the last time I was here," Jillian noted as we entered the apartment and I turned on the light.

"I'd hope so, since a grandma was living here, right?"

"Yeah, she was a sweet old lady, but after Mr. Braden died, she faded away pretty fast. She really loved Allie, though."

"She insists on being called Allison, by the way."

"I get that. I'm Jilly to my family, and I hate it. "

"Duly noted."

She walked close to me and put her hands on my shoulders, looking at me with her brown eyes. "That's right, you better be careful, Ray. You're already on thin ice with that stunt in the car."

"Well, let me make it up to you, then," I replied, moving my arms around her slim waist, and pulling her toward me for a kiss.

We started slowly, getting to know each other, and at least from my standpoint, I liked what I was learning. Her lips were soft, and she kissed, passionately. I could feel her breasts pressing against my chest, and I'm sure she felt my aroused cock pressing against her thigh.

There was a slight flush across Jillian's face as we disengaged. "How about we move to the bedroom, so I can try to make up for my earlier transgressions."

She smiled and took my hand as I led her toward the bedroom. "You know, I'm gonna make you work hard to get into my good graces, Ray," she said, as we entered the room.

"I've never heard it called that before," I responded, smiling.

Jillian laughed. "That's because you spend all of your time with crude baseball players, and not refined ladies like me," which was amusing enough, considering the setting, but as she finished the sentence, she whipped her shirt over her head, revealing a black, lace bra that was anything but refined.

I took that as an invitation to unbutton and remove my shirt, and to approach Jillian for an embrace and another kiss, enjoying the feel of her breasts against my skin, but even more so when I unclasped the bra and she shrugged it off. To say that the sight was arousing would not do it justice. Her breasts were not large, but firm, with a slight upward point, and large, hard nipples surrounded by small, darker areolae. Taking them into my hands, I bent my head down and kissed them, unable to resist kissing first one nipple, then the other, and being rewarded with a happy sounding sigh from Jillian.

"I think you are beginning to get back on my good side," she said, softly.

"So far, I don't see a bad side," I replied, and she laughed, her breasts shaking alluringly. I reached to undo her jeans, and she put her hand over mine.

"Ray, you may be a well-trained professional athlete, but there's no way in hell that you'd be able to peel these jeans off me." With that, she sat on the bed, took off her boots and somehow wriggled out of her tight pants. I was mesmerized.

"Forgetting something, Ray?"

Her comment broke the spell, and I realized that I was standing, staring at her naked body and not removing my own shoes and jeans, which I did, faster than I thought possible.

I crawled into the bed next to her and pulled her close for a kiss.

Using my strength to push her back, I began to explore her soft, warm skin with my lips, starting with her neck, moving to her upper chest, her beautiful breasts, which sagged somewhat to the sides while still retaining their upward turn, and down her soft belly. She was clearly in shape, but there was still some softness over her ab muscles and a light down of invisible hair.

From her reaction, I could tell that she was enjoying my attention. She sighed and moaned happily, and ran her fingers through my short hair. As I got closer, I could smell the scent of her arousal, and in the light from the living room that we had forgotten to turn off, her neatly trimmed pubic hair was visible. I kissed her mound, and continued to wriggle down between her legs before burying my face into her moist pussy. Jillian seemed to enjoy it as I licked her labia, occasionally darting my tongue inside her.

Despite that, I felt her pull my head up, and when I looked toward her face, she smiled and said, "I think you're ready for my 'good graces.' Do you have a condom?"

My heart fell. Like an idiot, I didn't buy any. "Fuck, no."

I must have looked devastated. "Well, Ray, Ray Poole, you are a lucky man, because at least one of us came prepared tonight." She got out of bed, and I followed her magnificent nude form across the room to where she left her purse, which she fumbled in for a few seconds before returning to the bed. She flipped me one foil package and set another one on the night table. "I brought two. Hope I wasn't being optimistic."

Despite my brief deflation, by the time she returned, I was ready to go, and rolled the rubber on my hard cock. Jillian had made herself comfortable on the pillow, and I rolled on top of her, relishing the feel of her warm, curvy body. She reached down, and guided me into her, and when I was fully inside, she wrapped her strong legs around my hips. I ground myself into her, and that seemed to be exactly what she wanted. The small movements gradually increased into more vigorous rubbing, and before long, I was thrusting into Jillian with abandon, and her hips were bucking wildly. I thought I heard her gasp, and felt her legs stiffen just as I filled the condom.

I was panting, and Jillian was, too, her hair wild against the pillow and matted on her forehead, as I rolled off, removed the condom and tied it off, tossing it on the night table. Returning to the bed, I gathered Jillian into my arm so that her head nestled into my chest. I waited for some sort of smart ass remark, and was actually pleased that she just lay there breathing, occasionally running a finger down the front of my body.

Eventually, we did use that second condom, mostly with her on top, riding me while I was mesmerized by the way her breasts bounced, and the next thing I knew, my phone was telling me it was time to wake up. Jillian had not left, I was pleased to see, and she was sleeping, facing away from me, curled into the fetal position under the blanket. Trying not to wake her, I padded into the kitchen and made coffee before taking a quick shower. When I emerged, wrapped in a towel, Jillian was in the kitchen, wearing one of my t-shirts, drinking a glass of OJ.

"Sandy and Terry treat you real nice, don't they?" she asked.

"They sure do, Jillian."

There was a pause, before she laughed, that deep, sexy laugh of hers. "Well, this is awkward."

I nodded. "Yep."

"Well, it shouldn't be. That was fun, Ray. You're a good guy, and I hope we can spend some more time together before your season is over."

Stunned by my apparent good fortune, I replied, "You can count on it."

Jillian smiled. "Great." She looked at the clock. "Do you need to get to the park?"

"Yeah. I'll drop you off on the way—we better get going."

As we left the apartment, I could hear the sound of a basketball being dribbled and shot. We passed Allison, methodically working on her game, in the warm early morning.

"Hey, Allison," Jillian yelled out, waving. The younger girl turned her head, and without responding to Allison, heaved up a shot that blasted off the backboard. She gathered the ball and walked behind the house without a word.

"She is one moody teenager," I offered, as we got into the car.

"Ray, I think she's jealous. Maybe she has a little crush on you."

"Me? All she does is bust my chops and threaten to humiliate me in basketball."

Jillian smiled and shook her head. "You really don't understand women, do you?"

"I may not understand them, but somehow I did sleep with a beautiful one last night."

"OK, so you aren't completely hopeless. But Ray, be careful with Allison. She's a nice girl, and it would be easy to hurt her, even by accident."

"Will do." We drove in silence to Jillian's house, where I got a very nice kiss goodbye, before again watching her maybe a bit longer than appropriate, as she walked toward her front door. She reached behind her back and gave me the finger, which I took as my cue to leave.

*

The regular season ended a couple of days later, and I could sense the guys getting focused for the playoffs. We had to face the team that won the first half in a best of five series, with the first two games at home, and the rest on the road. I was scheduled to pitch game 2. The first game was tight, and we had a pretty big crowd. Ultimately, we won 4-3, when Roscoe hit a 2 run blast in the bottom of the eighth that may still not have come down. The locker room was electric, but the guys mostly gave me a wide berth, not wanting me to get nervous. But, of course, I knew that if I had a good outing, we'd be up 2-0, and would need to only win one game on the road.

As I left the stadium, I was happy to see Jillian waiting for me. We kissed, briefly, and she congratulated me, although she did feel obligated to point out that I didn't actually do anything. While we were chatting, Terry and Allison came by. Terry hugged Jillian, made some small talk, while Allison mostly glared at Jillian and mumbled stuff before pulling her father away.

"I told you, Ray," Jillian said, motioning toward Allison, as she and Terry walked toward their car. "Be careful with that one."

Nodding, I replied, "Will do, coach."

Jillian laughed. "You really are easy to train."

I smiled. "I've always been a marginal talent, so coachability was usually all I had."

She kissed me again, before saying, "OK, Ray. Time for you to go to bed—alone—and get ready for tomorrow."

This was disappointing but probably the right thing to do. After tomorrow's game, though, I'd have days before I would have to pitch again, assuming I got another start. I walked Jillian to her car, kissed her again, and watched her car pull away before heading back to my car for the short drive to the Pullmans.

*

I was sweating on the mound, feeling as if every eye in the stadium was focused on me, and I was probably pretty close to right. It was the fourth inning of the second playoff game, and everything was going to shit. We had been leading 1-0 before I served up a leadoff homer to tie the game. I walked the next guy on a pitch that should've been called a strike, in my unbiased opinion. Then came a double, plating the go ahead run, a single, and another walk on four straight balls to load up the bases, with no one out. Al jogged out of the dugout, reminded me about my arm slot issues, said some platitudes that he clearly didn't believe, and patted me on the butt. He had barely sat back down before I overthought my next pitch, grooving a straight ball down the middle that turned around in a hurry, landing near the flagpole behind the center field fence. I knew it as soon as the ball was hit, and my shoulders slumped in defeat as four more runs scored. My crap pitching had put the team into a hole, and the only redeeming thing was that Teo was on his way to change pitchers so that I couldn't make it any worse.

Exiting to boos from the formerly friendly crowd, I saw Allison and Terry looking disappointed—I wasn't sure where Jillian was sitting, and frankly wasn't in the mood to see the look on her face. When I got to the dugout, Al gave me some encouragement, as did Roscoe and couple of the guys, but it was not a particularly supportive place—I'm sure that it would have been different if I had been in the trenches with these guys all season, but I'm also sure that most of them were thinking how much better things would have been if Cardenas hadn't gotten promoted. And they would probably have been right.

We ended up losing 7-4, and there was a definite pall in the locker room after the game, with most of the team ignoring me, at best, or looking daggers at me, at worst. I hustled out of the locker room to find Jillian waiting for me, looking incredible, in a tight Duke t-shirt and even tighter jeans.

"Let's go," she said, taking my hand before I could say anything, or kiss her.

"Where?"

"Away from here." She led me to her car, and I got in. Jillian started the car, and the radio started up, making it easy for me to say nothing and wallow in self-pity.

We were heading out of town somewhere—of course, I had done no exploring of the area, and had no clue where I was being taken. That I was with a beautiful woman who I trusted made me comfortable with being abducted. We drove in blessed silence for a while before Jillian pulled into the parking lot of a place with a small sign that said "BBQ & Beer." Since I was a fan of both of those things, I figured it would be fine. She turned off the engine and turned to me. "Ray, you were shit out there tonight, but you need to get over it. I wanted to get you away from anyone who might have cared about the game, and this place has great barbecue."

I leaned into kiss her, both as a way of thanking her for being so thoughtful, and because I just wanted to kiss her. We had a brief kiss before she pulled away, saying, "Save it, Ray, right now, I'm hungry for some pulled pork."

She was right—the food was delicious, no one knew who the fuck I was or what had happened, and I was almost able to forget how badly I let down the team. If anyone looked at us, it was at Jillian, not me. Afterwards, she drove me back to the stadium so I could get my car. Before I got out of her car, I thanked her.

"Ray, I could give a shit about baseball. It's boring. But for some reason, I kind of like you, and I figured that getting away from town would help. And I really wanted their pulled pork. Now, go home and get into bed."

It dawned on me that my lousy pitching performance would be followed by the additional frustration of not having sex with Jillian, and my face must have betrayed that, because she smiled and shook her head.

"Jeez, Ray, I'm gonna follow you home. You think you're the only horny one here? Now, go!"

Things were finally looking up (although the pulled pork was really good), so I jumped out of the car, quickly opened mine, got in, and drove home, with Jillian right behind me. After we got into the apartment, she looked at me and laughed. "I've never seen you move so fast, getting out of my car."

I shrugged. "Why not? I had just found out that a really crappy day was going to have a happy ending."

Jillian broke out laughing. "I can't believe you just said that."

I replayed my comment in my head, and realized how it sounded. "Um, you know, uh, now that you mention it..." Mercifully, Jillian interrupted my fumbling apology with a kiss, that lead to another kiss, that led to us naked, in bed, where I was able to express my appreciation for her consideration for my delicate male psyche in numerous different ways.

Afterwards, as we lay in bed, entwined, I had to ask her the question that was running through my head.

"Why me?"

She turned her head to face me, her hair wild from our activities. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, you said you don't like baseball. The first night we met, you made it clear that you were tired of getting hit on by ballplayers, and yet, here we are."

Even in the dim light, I could see her bemused look. "Don't get a big head, Ray. First off, just because I don't like the game, doesn't mean I don't like athletic guys. Second, I have been hit on by ballplayers since I was a kid, and while it can get annoying, you aren't the first one that I've gone home with. Not many, but it has happened. I liked the way you handled me kicking your ass in pool, that you are not just some dumb guy, you have treated me well, and you called me the next day, after I didn't sleep with you that first night. And, you've proven to be a more than adequate lover."