about that.” He looked at Brooke. “We need to find
him someone and keep it private.”
“I know someone
I think he might hit it off with. We just need to figure out a way for them to
meet and keep Jason’s identity a secret,” she said.
“Even if we
could pull this off, I still don’t know what I’d do with her.”
“You’ll learn.
The protocol is pretty simple, and from what I saw tonight, you’ll pick it up
quickly. We’ll see if we can figure out a way for you to meet this friend of
hers. If it works out, I’ll teach you all you need to know,” Todd said. He
turned to Brooke “Are we talking about who I think we’re talking about?”
She nodded.
Todd turned
back. “Don’t sweat it, rookie. Everything’s going to work out fine. Give us a
few days to set things up. We’ll think of something so you two can meet. If you
both want to give it a go, we’ll make sure you get off on the right foot.”
* * *
Jason tossed his
keys on the table by the door. He was exhausted but exhilarated at the same
time—like after winning a big game. He toed off his shoes and made his way to
the kitchen. For the first time in his life, he was alone—truly alone—and it
was something he didn’t think he’d ever get used to. Up until a few weeks ago,
he’d never lived on his own. He and Jeff had been inseparable until his brother
had married Megan, and where once they’d been a threesome, he had become an
uneasy third wheel. So he’d moved out of the home they had built when they
first signed with the Texas Mustangs. He’d bought his current house with the
intention of sharing it with a Stacey. Now, its large floor plan and empty
rooms echoed his failure with every footstep.
Water bottle in
hand, he sank into his favorite chair and listened to the deafening silence.
Scenes from the Dungeon and his conversation with Todd and Brooke afterwards
played over in his mind. His cock stirred. Damn. If anyone had told him a year,
even a month ago he would be turned on by what he’d seen and done at the
Dungeon, he would have called him a liar. What did it say about him that he
wanted to do it all again?
His dark desires
had scared Stacey, and she didn’t know a fraction of the things running through
his brain, driving him crazy with need. Her words and the fear behind them
haunted him to the point he’d thought he was some kind of monster. But if he
was such a monster, why was that damned book such a hit? The hero had done
things to the female character he had never dreamed of doing to a woman, and it
had turned Stacey on. She just didn’t want him doing anything close to
that to her . Go figure.
But there were
other people like him out there, and thanks to Todd, he knew where to find
them. He owed Todd, big time. Not just for taking him to the Dungeon, but for allowing
him to unleash his desires on someone who found them exciting, who actually
welcomed them. Brooke had been wonderful. Todd was a lucky man.
He couldn’t help
but wonder about the woman they had in mind for him. The idea of being with someone
whose desires and needs mirrored his own, well, if that wasn’t enough to get
his adrenaline running, nothing was.
* * *
Sweat trickled
down his spine as he completed his batter’s box ritual. He was zero for three
today. Fuck, even the crowd was booing him these days. He needed to get his
shit together and start hitting. He dug the toe of his left shoe into the dirt
and hitched up his pant legs, balancing his weight on his bent knees. He swung
the bat to his shoulder in a casual motion that in no way mirrored the anxiety
in his gut. The previous year, he led the league in homeruns, and now he couldn’t
get a fuckin’ base hit to save himself. Much more of this, and he’d lose his
clean-up spot in the batting order.
The first pitch sailed
in, low and outside. He checked his swing in time. Ball one. He swung at the
next pitch, fouling into the net behind home plate. Strike one. The third