"No need to explain, Deuce. Guy stuff." Or was it? Maybe she'd do herself a favor to ask about Stacy. Maybe she needed to know in order to protect her heart. She gave him another squeeze and then moved away to the mirror to brush her wet hair out.
"Deuce…"
He was leaving the bathroom, combed but not shaven. "Yeah, sugar?"
"Is…umm…is Stacy going with you?"
He frowned. As she toweled the fog off the mirror, he was reflected clearly. "You don't have anything to be jealous of, Pilar."
It didn't answer her question. Stacy's behavior the day before had certainly indicated that she was more to Deuce than just Eddie's mother. And Pilar still didn’t know if Eddie was Deuce's son or not. She bit her lip, indecisive about asking.
"Eddie looks like you," she hinted.
He turned away to put his towel on a rack. "A little." Walking away, he called back to her. "You can spend the day here, if you want. I'll be home after an early dinner. Probably around 5:30 or 6:00."
"No, that's okay," she told him. "I've got errands to run."
"How about I come pick you up tonight and we'll go dancing?"
Dancing. She loved dancing, but it revealed so much about her. "I'm kinda sore from last night."
"Oh. Okay. Well, we can go to a movie."
"Sitting down…"
"Right. You can come back here and we can watch a movie on the TV while you sit on pillows."
She laughed. "Okay. I'll make popcorn."
"It's a deal."
Within the hour, she left to go back to her apartment. Almost. She drove around the block and parked a little way down the block. She knew it was wrong, so wrong, but she had to know. If Stacy went to the ballgame with Eddie and Deuce, it was a certainty that the relationship hadn't ended. It galled Pilar no end to think that Stacy might still have her claws in Deuce. Sure, maybe that was jealousy, but so what? Deuce had been evasive about the whole subject of Stacy and Eddie.
And Pilar wanted to see how Deuce treated the boy. Was he fatherly, or friendly? She had a right to know, if she was going to move forward in the relationship. She had to find out.
About ten minutes after she'd left, Deuce left, too. She followed at a safe distance, but it wasn't far to Stacy's house.
It was on a quiet cul de sac, kids playing in the street with a soccer ball. Pilar stayed on the perpendicular street, watching from the corner. It wasn't a long distance, and she could easily see Deuce knocking on the front door.
* * *
"Deuce, honey," Stacy purred, stepping back from the open door. "Come in, come in."
Two steps into the small foyer and she grabbed him and squeezed. He put her away from him firmly. "Damn it, Stacy. Cut it out."
She pouted. "You're so mean to me, Deuce."
He frowned at her, getting a good look at her in the light that streamed from the windows on either side of the door. She was wearing tight, short-shorts that showed off her long, tanned legs, and an equally tight white tank top without a bra. Her dark nipples were hard and clearly visible through the thin fabric. The whole idea that she'd go around like that with her little boy present disgusted Deuce, but there was little he could do about it. He had no custody of the child nor any say in his development. He could only be a positive influence on Eddie and hope for the best.
"Geez, Stacy. Why don't you put some clothes on?"
She looked down at her body. "You don't like this outfit?" Reaching for the hem of her top, she said, "I'll take it off."
"No!" He pushed his hair off his forehead and looked around. "Where's Eddie?"
Stacy stayed her hands, but gave him a sultry smile. "He's finding his glove. We have a few minutes."
Deuce turned away from her and walked to the foot of the stairs. "Eddie! Come on, kiddo! We'll be late for the warm-ups."
"Okay! I found it! Here I come!"
As the boy rushed down the stairs, Deuce turned back to his ex. "We'll be back around five o'clock."
"I'd like to come, Deuce," she tried, as her gaze dropped to his crotch. "I want to eat juicy ballpark hot dogs."
He brushed past her, guiding Eddie toward the front door. His voice was low, for Stacy's ears only. "You have no shame, have you? If I'd known you were a slut from the beginning, Stacy, I would have kicked you to the curb with the garbage."
"I love you, too," she purred, completely undaunted, though her eyes glittered with anger. "Hurry home!"
"See ya, Mom!"
Deuce took the little boy by his hand and left Stacy behind. She came out behind them and waved as they got in Deuce's car. Her breasts jiggled and she smiled brightly as though nothing untoward had transpired.
It wasn't a far drive to the ballpark.
* * *
The sight of Stacy waving, braless and smiling, made Pilar's gut churn. She wondered if Deuce found the other woman sexy that way. Maybe Stacy had her talents and charms. Certainly, Deuce had plenty of experience with her and would remember what those talents were.
Pilar hoped her own gifts didn't fall short of the mark. But, she told herself, Deuce was spending his nights with her, not Stacy, so maybe she wasn't lacking in charms herself.
The ballpark was a prominent feature in Houston, and Pilar didn't have to follow Deuce to get there, but she did. She didn't park far away from his car, so she could follow them into the stadium and find out where they were sitting.
Deuce was gentle with the boy, smiling and ruffling Eddie's dark hair, sharing elbow-bumps with him as they sat together in the stands near the first base foul line. Eddie was eager for the game to start, his little glove all ready to catch a stray ball.
Although Pilar's ticket was for a seat some distance away, she stood in the shadows of the seats near the concourse, watching how the pair behaved. At one point, as the clean-up batter got a home run, Eddie jumped up and down, until Deuce gathered him up and sat him in his lap to calm down.
They were so perfect together. They had to be father and son. Had to be.
Pilar's heart did a little spin. She imagined how that patience and gentleness would be if lavished on her own children with Deuce. Reminding herself that she still had secrets that would probably make him walk away from her did no good. Her little fantasy had taken root. And, maybe he wouldn't go the other way. Maybe he was trustworthy. But she still didn't see how his career would withstand it. A niggling voice in her head told her to take a chance and tell him about her career as an exotic dancer—a stripper. Maybe he'd accept it. It was in her past, after all, years ago, when she was struggling to get through college on partial scholarships.
The whole idea of telling him made her quail, though. She didn't want to experience the look on his face, the disappointment and, possibly, the disgust. It wouldn't be the first time she'd experienced the nausea of knowing that you were suddenly repulsive to someone you cared about.
She watched them silently, vacillating over what was right and wrong. After Eddie ate hot dogs, peanuts and a cone of cotton candy, the pair got up and walked up the stairs and into the men's room.
Pilar was distracted by a little girl who'd dropped her ice cream cone, and when she looked up, she saw Deuce exit and do a double-take in her direction.
Uh-oh. Her instinct was to run. Her brain had shut down, however, freezing her flip-flops to the floor. Deuce walked over to her, Eddie walking alongside.
"Hey, Pilar."
"Deuce."
"How surprising to see you here." He glanced down at the little boy meaningfully. Little pitchers have big ears, his eyes said.
"Um…well…I…"
"This is Eddie," Deuce said, giving the boy's hand a little shake to prompt him to say hello.
He was disinterested in her. Not surprising. The boy wanted to get back before the seventh inning stretch was over. "Hi."
"Hi, Eddie. I'm Pilar. Nice to meet you." She bent and offered her hand for a shake.
He stared at her hand.
"Mind your manners," Deuce prompted.
Deuce gazed down at the boy. There was such affection in his eyes. Pilar knew she was right about their relationship. "Okay, kiddo. I have to talk to Pilar for a moment." He fished money out of his pocket and pointed to an ice cream vendor about fifteen feet away. "Go get yourself an ice cream cone."
Eddie took the money and grinned. He was missing a front tooth. "Yes, sir! I'll be right back." He ran a few steps away, then turned back. "Don't leave without me, 'k?"
"Never," Deuce told him.
"Okay!"
Pilar was hot all over, and expected that her face was bright red. Deuce's lips were set in a straight line.
"What are you doing here?"
"I…came to see the Astros?"
He shook his head. "Not much of a try, Pilar."
"No," she said on a sigh. "I followed you."
"Why? I told you where I was going and with whom."
"Yeah, but I wanted to see if Stacy was coming along with you."
"You were jealous?"
Her shoulders stiffened. "No!"
"Admit it."
"No… Anyway, I saw you leave Stacy behind."
"That wasn't enough?"
Miserably, Pilar shook her head. Might as well tell the truth, she had nothing to lose. "I wanted to know if Eddie was your son. I thought that if I could see you together, I could tell."
The tightness around his mouth became more pronounced. "You couldn't just ask me?"
"If you wanted to tell me, you had plenty of chances. I figured you were holding back."
He growled softly, pulling off his ball cap and putting it back on irritably.
Eddie came back, towing another boy along with him. The little redhead appeared to be about seven years old, too, and was followed by his smiling, red-haired mother.
Deuce smiled at Eddie's friend. "Robbie. How are you?" He nodded genially at the mother. "Virginia. Nice to see you."
"Hi, Dr. Journey," Robbie said. He was missing both front teeth and had a pronounced but charming lisp.
"Can I go sit with Robbie for a while, Deuce?" Eddie asked, eagerness making him bob up and down. "He's got a new glove! See?" The little boy shook his friend's baseball-encased hand toward Deuce's face.
Deuce smiled but exchanged a look with Robbie's mother.
"We have an extra seat. It would be fun for the two boys," she said. "Who is your friend?"
"Ah, Virginia, this is Pilar. Pilar is-"
"Hello, Virginia," Pilar said quickly. There was little point in defining their relationship. As much as she would have liked to make things work out, she wasn't getting her hopes up. Once he found out about her dancing, it was going to fly like a lead balloon. Plus, there was this little issue of her following him to deal with.
"Pilar," Virginia repeated, her eyes bouncing from Pilar to Deuce. "It's okay for Eddie to join us for a while." She put an affectionate hand on Eddie's dark hair. "We always love having him around."
Pilar could see the gossip forming in the woman's head. Dr. Journey had a new girlfriend, and Virginia had given them an opportunity to be alone at the game. Isn't that romantic?
Deuce smiled his thanks and squatted down to be face-to-face with Eddie. "You be good now, hear? No roughhousing or acting up."
"Yes, sir." Eddie handed the money back to Deuce, his ice cream becoming unimportant in the scheme of things.
"You keep it, son," Deuce told him. "You might get hungry."
Eddie grinned widely. "Thanks!"
There was an announcement for the next inning, and the two boys practically dragged Virginia away. She gave Deuce and Pilar a knowing smile over her shoulder as she hurried away.
Deuce watched them for a moment. Maybe the episode was over. It was too much to hope for, however.
"You have nothing to be jealous of, Pilar. I told you that Stacy is my ex. That means it's over."
"But, there's Eddie."
"Eddie is a different matter." He took out his phone and tapped the screen before holding it up to his ear. "Hey, Mickey. How's it goin'? Good. Good. Say, I'm here at the ballpark and I was wondering if your company still has that executive suite." Deuce eyed Pilar, his brows forming a small frown. "You do, huh? Is it being used today? Sure, I'll wait." He addressed Pilar as he waited. "There are some private words I'd like to have with you."
A little buzzer went off in her head. She saw trouble forming for her behind. "You can't! Not here!"
He went back to his phone. "Good. I'm wondering if I can use it. I have a friend with me who's never seen a game from a suite, and I thought it might be fun." He paused. "Thanks. I'll get the pass at Will Call. Ten minutes? I owe you one. Talk to you next week, Mickey."
Deuce took Pilar by the hand and led her through the concourse, down and out toward the ticket windows.
"Deuce! Where are you taking me? What did you have in mind?" She tried to pull her hand away, but he gripped it tightly.
"I'm going to give you a different sort of ballgame experience."
"But…"
"Yeah, on your butt." He shot her a glare as they approached the ticket window. Deuce told the Will Call person what to expect, and then stood there and stared at Pilar until the attendant offered the new tickets. Pilar got very uncomfortable. Her palms sweated and a tingle moved over her butt cheeks. He was certain to spank her. That was his answer to her bad behavior.
At least he was consistent, she told herself.
Once he had the tickets in hand, Deuce pulled her along, half-way around the park and up to the executive suites. It was a plush area, each little door marked with a letter and number, and sometimes a company placard. The one Deuce stopped at was labeled "Conetty Pharmaceuticals."
He glanced back at her before he slid the card-key in the door. "I have to tell you, I do not make a habit of trading favors with Pharma people, but in this case, I'll make an exception."
They went inside and Deuce shut the door. It was quiet and dim until he turned on the fluorescent lights. Everything was clean and shiny, with wooden barstools at little round tables and a long set of counters, obviously ready for chafing dishes of food. There was a long glass window at the front of the suite, with a perfect view of the game, and luxuriously padded stadium seating right behind. Pilar was a little overwhelmed, but the sound of Deuce's orders got her full attention.
"Shorts and panties down." He drew a wooden bar stool away from one of the small round tables. "Bend over this."
"Come on, Deuce. I couldn't help it. Stacy is so everything I'm not. I thought…"
"You thought I was a player."
Put that way, Pilar felt pretty stupid. Of course, Deuce wouldn't behave that way. She'd been foolish to think he might. Her dislike of Stacy had led her to all kinds of behavior that some rational thinking could have easily prevented. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise."
He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Shorts and panties down."
She nodded toward the big window. "Can't people see in?"
"No. It's smoked on the outside to reduce the glare on the field."
So much for that excuse. "Oh." Slowly, she unbuttoned her shorts and pulled them down to her knees. Looking up at Deuce, she thought maybe she could get away with… He shook his head. Apparently not. Her fingers went to the narrow sides of her bikini panties and she shimmied them down to meet her shorts.
"Over the barstool." He gestured so that she couldn't mistake what he meant.
"What about Eddie? Aren't you going to tell me if he's your-"
"Don't try to distract me, Pilar."
Sighing, she bent herself over the stool, her naked behind prominently displayed. "I wish you wouldn't do this."
"I wish you wouldn't push me to it." He positioned himself at her side, pressing the small of her back down. Within seconds, he brought his hard right hand down on her innocent behind with a resounding smack.
"Ow!"<
br />
He peppered her seat with several more hard swats. "Your insecurity is unfounded," he told her, spanking her harder. "My relationship with Stacy is over."
"B-b-but…ow! Ow! Ow!"
"If I didn't need to deal with her to reach Eddie, I'd never have another thing to do with that bitch."
Pilar grimaced and cried out as a particularly rough series of spanks lit up her bottom. "I'm sorry!"
"Stacy isn't worth your worries, Pilar, but she is Eddie's mother so I'm stuck with her for the time-being." As his hand traveled down Pilar's thighs with percussive cracks, she tried to ask the question she'd been laboring over for most of the afternoon.
"But…Eddie. Ow!" A little sob escaped her and she tried to focus, to get her mind off the stinging soreness of her butt. "Are you his…" She hiccoughed and sobbed, ruining her question.
"Father?"
Nodding, she hung her head miserably as her fanny got hotter and hotter. His hand was so hard! Tears dripped onto the Mexican-tiled floor.
"No. I didn't even know Stacy when he was born."
A weight rose off of Pilar's chest, even as her butt got thicker and more swollen with pain. "Then…why? Oh, Deuce, please stop! I'm so sorry!" Deuce's hand traveled down her thighs again, and she kicked and squirmed, trying to get away from the throbbing pain.
"Damn it, woman, think about this, will you? I've known Eddie since he was two. I lived with him and Stacy for several years. He thinks of me like his father. Do you think it would be right for me to abandon him because I no longer care for his mother?"
Pilar's sobs got louder as she realized what a fool she'd been. If she'd thought it through, she'd have realized that Deuce was being a nice guy. He genuinely cared about the little boy. It made her heart swell and her embarrassment turn to deep remorse.
After a few more really hard whacks that had her coming up to her tip toes, Deuce relented.
She was bawling her eyes out, but she couldn't make herself stop. She was being stupid and irrational and thoughtless. And yet, Deuce gathered her up in his arms, standing there with her while she cried onto his breast pocket.
"I'm such a fool, Deuce," she said through hiccoughs and sniffles.
He smoothed her hair back from her forehead and tucked a loose strand behind her ear. "I reckoned it was obvious, or I would have made a point of explaining about Stacy and Eddie, sugar."
Deuce's Dancer Page 7
