Stranded at Third (GAME TIME SERIES)

by Blue Stour

  The 24-year old was at a loss. He had no idea how to correct it; he couldn’t concentrate anymore than he had been. It wasn’t from lack of effort, neither. His superstitions no longer worked. He just couldn’t figure it out.

  He left the coach’s office shaking his head. Kade was determined to correct it, somehow, as he stopped by Tresses to get a trim.

  “Hey, Kader,” a stylist greeted him, knowing his name from his previous trips to the salon. “You ok? You look bummed.”

  Her face showed her concern as she motioned him back to a chair.

  “A little; I’ll be ok, thanks,” Kade replied with an unusual frown as he sat in the chair. “Just got some shitty news from Coach.”

  “Oh no,” Dara, responded. “Can I help?”

  “Nah,” he repeated as he stopped and made eye contact for the first time. “Everyone knows I’ve been in a horrible slump. I just can’t seem to get off. I thought I had a chance at Chicago next month, but not the way I’m hitting the ball.”

  “I’m off in fifteen minutes; want to go to the batting cages?” Dara excitedly asked. “Let’s get you cleaned up and I can clock out, and we’ll go; I don’t know much, but I can feed balls into the machine for you and give you some new company for a bit. I used to play softball, a lot.”

  There was a world of difference between playing softball and trying to make it to the big leagues, but he didn’t dare say that aloud. Who was Kade to argue? He seriously doubted she could help. At that point, though, he was willing to try anything; that, clearly, was “anything.”

  “Okay, Kade let me see your swing,” Dara ordered him from inside of the batting cage. “I was a pretty decent softball player a few years ago, all-Conference, twice. That’s nothing compared to you, but . . . have you ever tried a more-closed stance?”

  He felt like a fool, but he was desperate. This was his dream. Therefore, Kade obeyed her orders as if she were his coach. No time in the cages right then would be a complete waste, Dara or not.

  “Just curious, Dara,” he asked after he took one model-like swing, “how do you know anything about baseball?”

  “Really, I don’t,” she honestly explained. “I just loved playing softball. Again, I know it’s different, but just seeing if possibly I could see something. My coach used to do this to us all the time.”

  As awkward and useless as it all seemed, Kade just went with it. He took about a dozen swings in the cage with the pitching machine throwing pitches for him to hit. Kade fouled off a couple, hit a couple line drives, a few weak grounders, and even missed two pitches. As was his game lately, he was all over the place.

  Perhaps in her musings he would uncover something he was doing wrong. So, more for his personal coaching than hers, he continued to do as she instructed.

  “Try pulling your feet in a little bit closer, Kade,” she said as she turned off the pitching machine and walked over to him, scooting his right foot toward his left with both hands. “You seem to be overcompensating for your strength. You are a strong man, Kade; you don’t need some gigantic stride into the ball. I don’t know if it’ll help, but worth a shot.”

  “Thanks, Dara,” Kade began as he shockingly looked down at her while holding that wooden bat across his shoulder. “I know I have the strength, eyes, and form to be a power hitter at the next level. I just can’t explain these troubles. Most pitchers are throwing meat; I should pound every one of them.”

  Standing to her feet, she couldn’t see a trace of his bright smile on his unshaven face. The twinkle she usually saw in his stunning green eyes was gone; she hoped her sense of humor and friendship would bring it back once he returned to form.

  After the subtle switch to his stance, just as she had done in softball, she ordered him to assume his left-handed batting position. Dara stood behind him and placed her right hand on his right shoulder and left hand on his hands holding the bat; she had no idea what she was doing, she just longed to feel his arms and shoulders.

  “Keep your feet together just a little bit more,” she ordered, again, as she had gone back to put balls into the pitching machine. “Okay, Kade. Here comes your first pitch. Just keep your feet closer together, slightly stride straight ahead, and keep your hip tucked.”

  After the first three pitches, Dara suddenly stopped feeding balls into the machine. She stood with a smirk on her face, knowing that she had, somehow, done what his baseball coaches couldn’t. Then, smiling like a proud parent, she congratulated his beginning.

  “Wow Kade,” she loudly proclaimed as she smiled with a fulfilled sense of accomplishment. “Three pitches, three line drives. I can almost hear Chicago calling, now.”

  She immediately went back to feeding balls into the pitching machine. In all, Kade probably hit thirty balls during that particular batting-cage session. Of those, about twenty-five were line drives right back from where they came. The two were both ecstatic.

  “Kade, for real, what slump?” For the first time he saw how beautiful Dara actually was. How had he never noticed before? Not that he had spent much time with her outside of the salon or a few times they ran into each other at the bar. Okay, maybe part of it was the fact she had just brought his swing back from the dead in just a matter of minutes or maybe it was just her.

  What a way to spend an evening, disguising her interest and fascination with his body as nothing more than reverence. Broad shoulders, tapered down a muscular back to his waist. Watching as his strong arms roped with each exertion. Nothing was a chore about this and the fact that Kade seemed satisfied with the outcome only made it better.

  Without even knowing how it happened Kade found himself hugging Dara as thanks for somehow helping him out.

  “Thank you, Dara. Holy shit did I ever need this.”

  He meant every word of it. Yet, his sincerity hadn’t distracted him from the way her small frame practically disappeared in his embrace or the way she smelled of some kind of flowers.

  “I’m just glad I could help,” Dara said with a bright smile. “Who knew the ball player just needed the beautician?”

  Kade liked this side of her personality. It was unlike anything that he had seen before.

  “Who knew?” He mumbled as he looked down into her face. Neither looked away both entranced by the other at that moment.

  “Kade, I don’t date ballplayers,” she said as she stared at his lips as if daring them to do as they pleased. “You do know?”

  He didn’t care, though. Unable to control himself, he kissed her with a mind-altering ferociousness that had her gasping for air, yet, not wanting to break their bond. Kade continually altered the angle and deepened the kiss; hence breaking all thoughts of separating. In no time, his hand was inside of her leggings and sliding down her sex before slipping his finger along her slit.

  “Jesus. You’re dripping already,” Kade mumbled between kisses.

  Determined not to let herself be embarrassed about her wetness or her attraction to the younger man, she simply nodded.

  “Seeing you smash the hell outta a few balls had an unexpected affect on me,” she continued. “Touching your body and seeing that smile return turns me on so much.”

  Kade’s response?

  He pushed her back against the net surrounding the batting cage as he reached for his wallet for that little foil insurance policy. Kade lowered his pants and boxers before pulling her leggings all the way off as she took the lubricated condom and rolled it down his hard shaft.

  Without another word spoken, Kade lifted her, and Dara wrapped her legs around his waist as he surged inside of her. Kade slammed into that hot, wet, velvety soft flesh, harder and harder, again and again.

  Looking at her he saw how lost in the moment she was, as well. Wanting to see more, he took her arms from around his neck and placed them over her head so she could grip the net. The visual of the darkene
d flesh of his shaft disappearing into her pussy was intoxicating. Tightly trimmed auburn curls that matched the hair draping over her shoulders attempted to conceal her most intimate of parts.

  Kade’s hands on her hips paired with the fact her legs were wrapped around him tightly kept them fucking like rapid animals. Dara’s mewling noises only brought him closer to detonation. Pounding her hard and fast he watched as her tits that bounced with each thrust.

  Yet, she didn’t say a word. She just allowed herself to feel. Feel the strength of his body as he reamed hers. Feel the numbness washing down her fingers from clenching the net so tightly. Feeling sultry and sexy by the way Kade eyed her body.

  She arched her hips, allowing Kade even deeper. That small change was all she needed as her body exploded from the inside out.

  He felt every glorious second of her orgasm. It made his ego swell. Throwing his head back, his abs, his groin, hell, even his calf muscles tightened. He roared as his release shot and tried its damnedest to break through the latex.

  Thankful for Dara’s assistance; thankful for the empty batting cages; thankful for the release; Kade felt confident he was on his way back.

  With the minor adjustment, he regained his form; his numbers proved it over the next six games. Coach Owens’ pep-talk a couple of hours before Dara and his cage session had fueled his fire. Immediately, Dara became his latest superstition.

  Unfortunately, though, on the eve of his call-up, his devastating injury shut down his story-book career.

  Chapter 8

  As planned, Kade and Dara rushed into a marriage as soon as the season ended, October 11th. However, the marriage began under false assumption; she felt as if she was landing an up-and-coming superstar who was guaranteed to make the big leagues. He felt as if he’d be back into the game in no time, and he had found his ultimate-superstitious piece, his career-saving soul mate. If only he would have listened to his two groomsmen, things would have been better.

  “Are you shore, man?” Julio asked Kade as they stood in the pastor’s office. “Is not too late to back out; you know this. We can leave. Look at us. Why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free, man.”

  “That’s, ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free,’ Julio,” Lefty added as he and Kade laughed hysterically at the best man’s failed attempt at humor and English. “You really don’t want to do this shit, Kade; don’t let her brand you.”

  They all looked really good. Kade had on his white tuxedo with tails and a turquoise bow tie and cumber-bun. His best man and groomsman also had on the wedding colors but with a black, tail-length coat and pants. The trio brought meaning to a certain ZZ Top classic hit.

  Unfortunately, the marriage lasted just a few months; the marital bliss only lasted about two weeks. As it played out, they were in a Kentucky courthouse getting their nuptials annulled three months later. According to both of the newlyweds, it wasn’t a day too soon.

  They had everything about baseball in common, he thought. Therefore, he knew it was meant to be. She was trying to be the loving, baseball wife. However, since his injury, he had to learn there was more to life than the sport.

  She loved rock music; he just listened to Texas Country. She loved only sports or romance movies while Kade loved a mixture of everything. Dara would only eat out at the finest of restaurants and detested fast food; he was a fast-food junkie. Outside of baseball and sex, they really had nothing to even discuss; quickly, those two topics weren’t even cutting it.

  As their relationship was failing, he was trying to regain his old self. For a while, he was forced to walk with a cane before he was able to walk independently. Then, he began to slowly jog on a treadmill; that way he could hang on to the handrails. Kade rehabbed his knee like a madman.

  Living mostly off of his signing bonus from just over two years earlier, he was financially sound. His only j-o-b consisted of lifting light leg weights and minimal treadmill work. Though he did slowly improve to light jogging on the treadmill, his full-speed running days were in the past.

  Following the injury, however, it was unlikely that Kade could ever live up to all of the hype. Though he was trying, Kade was making little progress with his bad wheel.

  The harder that Kade worked to regain some pain-free leg strength, it was becoming evident that his knee wouldn’t ever be at full strength again. He could hit the ball, he could field, he could throw, still. No team wanted a hobbled ball player on its roster. Subsequently, he and Dara were falling off of the cliff less than a month after their wedding.

  The woman who swore she wouldn’t leave his side suddenly had more important things to do than to “coach” her husband back to health. There was a brief time Dara could barely stand being separated from her husband, but now? Those feelings were long gone. Even when she did go to the gym or workout area with him, she proved she wasn’t there for support.

  “C’mon, Kade; you can do this,” she instructed from his side in early November. “How bad do you want to be in Chicago?”

  Those types of pep talks seemed to be sincere and heart-felt; however, they lasted only about ten minutes. Shortly after cheering on his leg exercises, she was scoping out the room.

  “I’m going to try and walk for ten minutes or so on the treadmill; want to walk with me?” He asked after his leg-weight session on several days.

  “Nah,” she would usually report. “I think I’ll just watch you.”

  Watch she did.

  However, it wasn’t Kade who she watched. Basically, she watched every guy except Kade. The hobbled slugger had pulled her out of her employment at Tresses Hair Salon and was living to regret it.

  By Christmas of that same year, barely two months after saying “I do!” Kade had enough. Sitting down with her, he told her, “I can’t.”

  No big scene, no showdown like the Alamo just accession from his wife. Subsequently, they agreed to seek an annulment.

  “I can’t do it anymore, Mom,” Kade said through the phone. “Yeah, it’s only been four months, but I was deceived. She lured me in with how much she cared about my career. I just can’t do it; I won’t do it, Mom.”

  “But four months, honey?” his mother tried to reason. “Your father and I went through our share of adversity, and look how we’re doing. You can’t just give up when things get tough, son.”

  Knowing his mother was partially right didn’t help. His folks came from another generation and different circumstances, though. Dara was just as ready to walk away as he was, hell, maybe even more.

  Kade had heard all of the lectures before. He knew she meant well, but not everyone was like either of his parents. Not everyone could turn a teen-pregnancy into just over twenty years of marriage. He envied the two of them.

  “Mom! It’s not the same,” Kade tried to explain more. “I was just so emotional because she got me out of that slump and I was being called up by the Cubs. You know how superstitious I am, Mom.”

  “You can’t keep abandoning these women, honey,” his mom elaborated in her mommy-knows-best voice. “Did you know that Michelle has a son, now? That’s what Mrs. Teque was telling us at church on Sunday. You just need to settle down with one and be happy. . . . I don’t know; I’d say she’s married by now.”

  His mom obviously didn’t understand the determination in his soul. She didn’t know all of the work and too many things he walked away from for his dream. Someday he planned to get back into baseball and resume his career where he left off. Despite what people were saying, he wasn’t about to give up.

  As far as Michelle was concerned, hearing she had a baby was like an arrow through his heart. Being Kade Toney, though, no one could know how much it hurt. He knew how in love they were, and he wasn’t about to ever cloud her future by showing up on her doorstep. He had decided after their last meeting that she was better off without him. If only th
e same thing could be said for him, about her.

  Following the annulment, he wanted to call Michelle and tell her the news. After all, Dara was a mistake that he never should have made; if only he had talked to Michelle beforehand.

  After Dara, he was left wondering if he had future with a woman. His first shot was Michelle; he blew it. Then he reached for a second, and it was an epic failure. Deep-down, he wanted to return to first, but he refused to bring her into his uncertain future. Three, four, five, however many it took, he would find one, he knew.

  Just as he avoided his feelings for Michelle in college by drinking and fucking as if he were being paid to do both, Kade resumed his moral-less behavior following the Dara episode. He was in no hurry to find a third. Instead, he continued running from his true “home plate.”

  Chapter 9

  Once the Dara saga was over, Kade tried to resume a new life, a life without the sport that had turned him into a man. For the first time in his life, he didn’t have a woman at his disposal; he didn’t have a “best friend” to get through; it was just him.

  Kade lived in a world of pity for nearly two years following his injury. Living off of his signing bonus, he stayed home quite often and didn’t do very much of anything, except drink. His world of isolation was a foreign land to him.

  Finally, his mother convinced him to find a job doing something else with his life, not baseball-related. He was wasting his life away by living in the past.

  Kade made some phone calls after caving and landed a job as a used car salesman; a job he performed until his thirtieth birthday. Able to sling B.S. like no one else, he was a great salesman, too. In fact, he was usually one of the top sellers every quarter.

  “I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” Kade unexpectedly told his manager one afternoon. “I turned thirty a month ago, and I know this isn’t what I want to do with my life.”

  “What is it you’re wanting, Kade?” Jim asked, fearing he was going to lose one of his top earners. “How can I make your job better?”