Top Notch (Man on Top Book 1)

by Nicole Richard

  “Fuck!” I yelled as he pulled the door open. “You scared me, motherfucker.”

  “That girl has you all worked up.” Hatch slid in, handing me a beer, setting the rest of the six-pack next to his feet.

  “Thanks,” I mumbled, knowing I owed him one.

  “Saw you leave with Jana.”

  “Nothing to see.”

  He ignored my reply and continued, “Trevor know you leave with his sister?”

  “No reason he needs to know that,” I squashed his inquisition, more so since there was nothing to tell.

  “Just tell me you didn’t fuck her.”

  I turned to face him with a scowl on my face. “If I did, you think I’d be sitting here in this fucking parking lot?” I quipped, shutting down any further inquisition. I knew he meant well, always had my back, but what he needed to do was mind his own damn business.

  “Just making sure you didn’t have a quickie.” He winked, earning him a punch to the bicep.

  He grabbed his arm. “Watch the arm. These are the team’s moneymakers.”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  We both chuckled.

  There was no way I would’ve let off steam by fucking one of my good friend’s sister. No number of women and their fucked-up games would make me do something stupid as that. Deep down, it was all for show. To get a rise out of Rowan.

  “You gonna tell me what happened tonight?” He took a long swallow of his beer.

  “Nope! How’d you find me anyway?”

  “Swung by Jana’s, but when I didn’t see the Rover out front, I figured you’d be here.”

  “I could’ve gone home.”

  “Nah, too early to sit around and stare at the walls.” I cocked a brow and he continued, “You know Trevor would have fucked you up if he caught wind of you and—”

  “I know better than that.”

  “Good. Didn’t want you doing something you’d later regret.”

  “Good looking out.” I held my fist up for a bump.

  We sat there for a while, the radio on, shooting the shit when he reminded me once again that I was in a major fucked up situation.

  “What you gonna do about Coach’s daughter?” He popped the cap off another bottle.

  “Nothing.”

  “What do you mean nothing?”

  “Exactly, that.” He handed me a fresh beer. “Just gonna leave it alone and pray like hell it doesn’t come back to bite me in the ass. There’s no way I’m risking my career because of a girl I fucked.” Or at least I hope I hadn’t.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Rowan

  Last Monday, I walked into the office feeling like it was the worst day ever. After Levi had asked me to dance and then apologized, I honestly thought things were going to take a different route. At that point, hope still lingered in my chest, filling me with an ounce of optimism. Until he found out about the close relationship between Greg and me.

  The way he pulled back and didn’t want anything to do with me was something I couldn’t shake. The vulnerability in his eyes was agonizing and I hated knowing I was responsible.

  The words he carelessly spilled before leaving with someone else’s date had me all kinds of twisted, questioning his character, his morals. If that was the kind of man Levi was, I didn’t want anything to do with him. Look who’s calling the kettle black.

  Well . . . that’s what I kept telling myself over and over, each day when I came into work. The fact that it was Friday and another weekend was right around the corner did nothing to cheer me up.

  Albeit, there was one positive to come out of all of this . . . I had immersed myself in my work. I made good on my promise to set an example by showing up early and diving right into my projects. Though, I didn’t need to keep myself busy. Between clients calling for status updates and the work piling on my desk, I had no choice but to leave after everyone else. And with the added time, I was able to squeeze in a couple hours to spruce up my office, giving it a little Rowan Landry touch.

  But as I sat in front of my computer, computing drainage calculations and trying to avoid a competitor’s incessant emails, Spencer interrupted, giving me a much needed break.

  “You busy?”

  “When am I not?” I smirked. “You don’t pay me to just sit here and look pretty.”

  “Not true.” He laughed. “How’d you think you got the job?” he goaded and then winked.

  “Ha ha,” I sassed with a smile.

  “Wanna grab some lunch?”

  “Is that a trick question?” I asked, already reaching for my purse.

  Spencer and I walked one block over to the little hole-in-the-wall diner that served the best burgers in town along with a few other local delights. We ordered, he paid, and then we snagged a corner booth.

  I sliced my burger in half as Spence stole a couple of my fries and I snuck an onion ring. Something we always did when we ate here together. He went into his usual ritual of drowning his food in ketchup, took a bite, and after he washed it down, he mumbled, “I want to ask you something.”

  “Shoot.” I took another bite of my burger and was all ears.

  “Got any plans for tomorrow?”

  I shrugged. “Just laundry and maybe work on the Bowers project for a couple hours, why?”

  “But tomorrow’s Saturday.”

  “And?”

  “There’s a game tomorrow—”

  “Nope. No way. Nuh uh.” Is he crazy?

  “Why not?” he mused, and I mentally kicked myself. If this were anyone else, I might have gotten away with dancing around the subject, but this was Spencer, and I conveniently let the cat out of the bag.

  “Because . . .” I hid behind my burger while he eyed me suspiciously. That look said I better spill it. I huffed and set my lunch down, took a long sip of my root beer, and swung my foot under the table, careful not to hit him in the shin. But then I did.

  “Ow.”

  “Sorry.”

  “Ro, what’s going on?” he asked frankly.

  I was about to gloss over the details but decided to answer him with a question first. Buy me a little time. Figure out the right way to go about it.

  “How do you and Levi Montgomery know each other?” I took another healthy bite. That way he’d either have to wait for me to answer him first, or he could make things easier and answer my question.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.” Both his brows rose, calling me on my stalling. “Remember my cousin, Natalie?” I nodded. “Well, her fiancé, Cy, and Levi are best friends, they grew up together.”

  “Oh.”

  “Why?”

  “No reason.” He eyed me warily; the knot in my belly tightened.

  “If you don’t want to tell your best friend what’s going on, it’s cool and all . . .”

  I exaggerated a sigh. Actually, it was more of a loud huff and eye roll. I looked around the small restaurant, making sure there weren’t any eavesdroppers in close range. If I was going to spill the beans, I didn’t want anyone but Spencer to hear what I had to say. Then I whispered loudly, and dramatically. “I slept with him.”

  “Who?”

  “Really, Spence?” Exasperated, I rolled my eyes again and leaned into the table. “You’re really going to make me say his name?” He shrugged and fought off his smirk. Jerk. “Levi!” I whisper-shouted. “Atlanta Bucks. Number sixteen. First base!” I drilled, and my shoulders slumped. “Although, it was farther than first base, a home run actually,” I rambled and then waved away my stupidity.

  “I figured.” He took a gulp of his Coke, acting like I didn’t just tell him I slept with one of Atlanta’s hometown major league baseball players—one of my stepfather’s players. Ugh. I love the guy to pieces, but sometimes he drove me crazy.

  “Remind me why we’re friends again?” I sassed, trying to pout over my involuntary smile.

  “Because you love me. Besides, what do you want me to say?” When I didn’t answer, he continued, “You
were acting strange, first at Bucks, and then the wedding. It wasn’t too hard to put two and two together.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I didn’t want to pry, and I knew you’d tell me when you were ready.”

  That was Spencer, ever so patient and not one to push—not too hard, at least.

  After my little confession, we had less than thirty minutes left of our lunch break. Spencer switched topics and asked how my projects were coming along and if I needed any help. I told him I was on schedule thanks to my recent punctuality and he laughed. Then he laid it on thick.

  “So the game.” I shook my head, only for him to ignore me. “I have two tickets, but can’t use them now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Natalie has been bugging me to come home for a visit. It’s been difficult trying to work in some time off when there’s so much to do. Anyway, I’m good on my deadlines, so I figured this would be the weekend to head down there.”

  “You deserve the time off.” He really did. Spencer put in more hours than he got paid for, but that was part of the position that came with the fancy title. “But I don’t get why you want me to go to the game.”

  “The tickets are nonrefundable, and I hate for them to go to waste. You could always take Gabby or maybe Kelsey. Have a girls’ day.” He was pulling out the big guns. He knew I couldn’t resist having a girls’ day.

  “I don’t know—”

  “Just say yes. You need to take some time for yourself as well. I don’t want you to burn out too quick.”

  I was only human, and he had a point. I could already feel the headaches when working on the Bowers project. It wasn’t so much the client, but the government agencies wrenching roadblocks, playing political power trips that made my job harder and more time consuming. Wasn’t it common knowledge that “time is money?”

  I was also hanging on by a thin thread, using work as an excuse for why I didn’t really want to go. Obviously, Levi would be there. And what kind of message would that send him?

  “Ro, relax. He’ll be on the field. He won’t even notice you’re there.”

  One could only hope.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Rowan

  Gabby and I moved to stand on the bar’s veranda, beers in hand and a clear view of our empty seats down below. The first pitch was seconds away from being thrown out, and I was still contemplating if I actually wanted to sit so close.

  On-deck circle close.

  “Nice pitch,” Gabby applauded. She stuck her fingers under her tongue and whistled that loud, piercing whistle and then took a long sip from her bottle.

  My eyes moved from our seats to first base and every emotion imaginable passed through me while watching him standing there: longing being the strongest, admiration a fierce second, which was crazy with our track record.

  From afar, Levi was just as gorgeous as he was up close and in his element, fitting the persona, all masculine and sexy guarding his base. My eyes started to roam from his broad shoulders, traveling the expanse of his body down to his tight ass. There was something to be said about a man in uniform. And a baseball uniform, well, that was at the top of the list.

  Gabby nudged me and jerked her head to the side. “You ready to head down there or you still wanna hang out here?”

  “Hang out here.” I turned and walked the five steps back to our table.

  “He probably won’t even notice you sitting there, you know. Everything and everyone around them disappears when they’re out on the field.” She stressed what I already knew. I mean, we grew up with Greg. None of this was new.

  “Yeah, I know, it’s just . . .”

  “You’re being silly, that’s what.”

  I might have been acting silly as she said, but I had my reasons. Aside from having sex with him, nothing else went in our favor. Things seem to blow up in our faces when we were within ten feet of the other.

  Then a troubling thought pricked my brain and I had to ask. “What do you think Greg will do if he ever finds out?” I held my breath for a few seconds, already having a hunch on what she’d say.

  “Do?” She shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing. Say? He’ll probably give you an earful, but you know it would only be coming from a good place. He’s just protective toward us.”

  She was right. Greg had always been protective toward Gabby and me, even when he and our mother were really “just friends,” when he was still married to Sandi and before they ever decided to take it to a romantic level.

  “Yeah, I just hate to disappoint him.”

  “You’re not sixteen, Ro,” she pointed out and all I could do was nod.

  We sat there, drinking, Gabby watching the game and me dwelling over what she had said. Greg’s intentions had always come from a good place. Having two girls in the home, he did his best to shield us from temptations and distractions, especially in our teenage years. The guys were his family too, which meant he knew them the best. Their ways, the things they did, their indiscretions and vices, and he never wanted us caught up or tangled in any of it. He didn’t want to see anyone on either side of the fence hurt.

  I chastised myself with how asinine I was behaving. I was a grown well-educated and responsible adult. I had a great job and could make decisions for myself. Good or bad, they were mine to make. And at that moment, I realized we had choice seats with a much better view that were currently going to waste.

  My prevailing hang-up: I knew once I was that close and laid eyes on Levi, I wouldn’t be interested in anything but him. So technically, from up here, I was still safe.

  By the time my interests were back in the game, the bottom of the second inning had started and our server stopped by to deposit two brown bottles on our table. “Compliments of the gentlemen,” he said, pointing to two good-looking guys seated at the bar.

  Gabby held her bottle up and smiled at the guys, offering her silent thanks, I followed shortly after, mouthing a quick “thank you” and focused on the field below. The Bucks were up to bat, and I wondered when he would be on deck.

  Sensing my nervous energy, Gabby sighed, “Relax, will you? You’ve been so uptight lately. Just enjoy yourself. It’s not often we get to hang out together.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.”

  We watched the game and drank, and by the third inning, I had enough of hiding out. I had invited my sister to spend the day with me to hang out, catch up, and enjoy a baseball game, not be my therapist or worse, babysitter.

  “Why don’t we head on down?” I smiled as I slid off my seat.

  “’Bout time.” She chuckled.

  On our way, we stopped for another beer, and I followed my sister down the flight of stairs. As we approached the fifth row, my eyes scanned the seat numbers. We were in row two, where he would have an unobstructed view should he by some odd chance notice I was there. By some unforeseeable possibility, he searched the stands. I knew he wouldn’t though. He had no idea I was here.

  “We’re right here.” Gabby pointed and then slid into her seat. Thankfully we were the first two in the row and could make an easy escape if need be.

  “I completely forgot how close these seats are to the field,” I said in awe as I settled into my chair, looking at the diamond of dirt ahead. I could almost taste the sediment on my tongue, feel the energy in my bones. It really had been a long time since Gabby and I sat in the stands at a baseball game. The sights, the smells, the sounds, it was electrifying.

  “I know, right. Spencer scored some really good seats, must have cost him a small fortune.”

  Something about Gabby’s comment made me take a better look at where we were sitting, questioning just where Spencer got the tickets from. The seats weren’t your typical seats in the seating bowl equipped with flat-panel television monitors, nothing short of luxury. Come to think of it, we were treated to complimentary valet parking and entered through an exclusive entrance.

  Did Spencer actually pay for them, or were they gifted to him? Cur
iosity ran amuck through my mind as I forced myself to avoid looking at first base, skeptical as to how we got to be in that exact spot. Eyes on the game, Ro. Not the hot first baseman.

  “Hey, there, ladies.” Gabby and I both looked over our shoulders to see the two good-looking guys from the bar settling into the seats right behind us.

  “Hey,” Gabby and I replied at the same time and I raised my hand in a little polite wave.

  “Thanks for the drinks,” Gabby added.

  “You’re welcome,” the one with the light-brown eyes and cute smile said. He had a Bucks baseball cap on, unlike his friend who lifted his sunglasses to rest at the top of his head. “I’m Jason and this is my buddy, Kenny.” Jason tossed his thumb in his friend’s direction.

  “It’s nice to meet you guys,” Gabby replied, and I just smiled, noticing she didn’t offer our names.

  Turning our attention back to the field, my eyes locked on him, standing poised, focused and ready. His head was in the game, and that’s where I needed it to be. The on-deck batter strutted over to the batter box. He did his thing and what felt like seconds later, the umpire yelled, “out.” The Bucks had one of, if not the best, pitchers in the league.

  The next batter got lucky and hit a ground ball speeding down midfield and toward the shortstop. In one fluid motion, he scooped the ball up and sent it speeding straight into Levi’s glove, gaining the Bucks another out.

  The crowd’s cheers were deafening, allowing my nervousness to take a temporary back seat as excitement filtered through me.

  Gabby leaned into my side and whispered loudly, “No wonder you’re so damn torn up about this guy. Fuck, he’s hot.”

  Tickled by my sister’s approval, I held my attention on the one man I couldn’t get out of my mind. Once and for all, I had to find a way to apologize and maybe move forward. Maybe even forget that anything ever happened between the two of us. The pained look that marred his face that night at the wedding has been a constant, unwelcomed memory.