Playing the Field (Hot-Lanta Series)

Playing the Field

Book two
of the Hot-Lanta Series

A Meghan Quinn Novel

Dedication

To my two biggest supporters, you mean everything to me and I would not be where I am without you. You give me confidence, calm me down when I am losing my mind and bring out the best in me. Three wives!

Chapter 1

Jane stood in the entrance way of the dugout shaking uncontrollably and scared shitless. Why did Brady convince her that this was a good idea? She was not a spouse, she was just a girlfrien
d. There were other wives of players on the team that could be in her position but oh no, they already were asked to do this in previous years, so it was Jane’s turn.

She felt so silly in Brady’s jersey which she had to wear over her cute skinny jeans, heels and long sleeve fit red tee. Why did she wear heels? Brady chastised her when she got to the stadium
and saw her choice of footwear. She just said she wasn’t thinking, which was true she wasn’t. That was why she was wearing Brady’s jersey and not the one Brady gave her which fit her perfectly. She was so nervous about today that she completely forgot to dress appropriately.

She was pushed to the side by another spouse of a player, a pitcher
’s wife she thought.

“Oh excuse me
” said a very busty and very attractive red head with a southern accent. “Oh darlin’ you are that little tart everyone has been talkin’ about. Well aren’t you just the darndest little thing. Goodness me, that jersey is enormous on you.” The redhead exclaimed while fanning herself from the humid Atlanta air.

Jane blushed. She was unaware she was known as the “tart” of the clubhouse, she hoped that was a good thing and not bad. All the other spouses looked amazing in their tight fit jerseys, hair immaculate and
appropriate footwear. Feeling like an idiot, she tried to keep to herself so not too many wives noticed her inadequacies.

“I was nervous about today and forgot to wear the proper attire, I was just dress
ing to impress. Clearly I wasn’t thinking about the task at hand.” Jane said while shrugging off her comment, trying to act nonchalant even though inside embarrassment flooded her veins.

The redhead gave a hearty laugh. “Oh darlin’ you crack me up.  There is not a darn thing to be nervous about. You just have to go throw a silly ball when they tell us to. They don’t expect much from us you know. We just need to look good and give our prettiest little smiles.”

Well she made it sound easy enough but what Jane was worried about was actually throwing the ball. She did not want to make a fool of herself. She spent hours out in Brady’s backyard with him practicing. When they first started tossing the ball around Brady kept laughing at her which was not helpful. He then took advantage of her lack of ability to throw a ball and wrapped his arms around her trying to teach her the basic techniques which led to him feeling her up and teaching her some other techniques that would not be shown on the infield of Turner field.

“Hopefully I can throw the ball to the plate without it bouncing. I practiced forever just trying to make it.”

“Please tell me that man of yours did not make you practice from the pitcher’s mound distance. If he did he should be branded.”

Jane was confused. “He did, why?”

The redhead laughed once again and then grabbed another one of the spouses. Jane didn’t know who she was, Jane just knew the woman was tall, African American and incredibly gorgeous.

“Sasha, this little tart over here has been practicing her throwing from the pitcher’s mound.”

Both the ladies laughed hysterically. Getting irritated Jane interrupted them. “Excuse me, I don’t see what’s so funny.”

“I apologize, it
’s just that, we don’t throw from the pitcher’s mound, we throw from a couple feet back from home plate. They don’t expect us to be able to throw the whole distance. Oooeeee girl you better talk to that man of yours because he down right tricked you.”

Both of the ladies laughed again. Jane was
going to kill Brady! Her arm had been sore for days with all the practicing she had been doing. She could barely move her poor limb and there he was still making her practice from regulation distance. Next time she was down near his manhood she was going to give him a good pinch.

“How rude of me.” The redhead interrupted. “I forgot to introduce myself. My name
is Daisy Mae and I’m married to Phil Montgomery, the closer. And no need to introduce yourself you are Jane Bradley. We have heard all about you.”

Jane could not h
elp but wonder who the hell they were receiving their information from? Was Brady talking to the wives about her? Or was Brady talking to his teammates and then they were talking to their wives? That seemed very extreme and not like the men to do. Most likely their informative sources were the gossip magazines that Jane despised.

“Nice to meet you, but h
ow do you know all about me. I’m just curious.” Jane could not help but ask.

“Michael Banks is big with the spouses of the players, he is always trying to get us to dump our husbands and go out with him. He is j
ust one big flirt, that man. I’m surprised he is still single.”

That made sense, she thought.

Jane didn’t want to go into detail about how he just got divorced. The divorce papers were signed just a couple of months ago. Luckily Michael had an amazing lawyer and did not have to give Kelly practically anything thanks to the incriminating evidence Michael had of her riding the cheating train called Dayshon. She wasn’t surprised Michael made his way around to the spouses. He was a shameless flirt and was trying to have the ladies hook him up with some of their single friends. Michael was a very smart man in that aspect. Wives loved helping single men find love and Michael was the perfect prospect for them.

“Oh that Michael, he is always making the rounds.”

Jane was just about to ask Daisy Mae about how she liked being a wife to a baseball player when a nerdy little guy wearing a headset came up to the ladies.

“Ok ladies. We are almost ready for you. When the announcer announces you out to the field, stay in the order you are already in and follow the lady who is wearing the red shirt out there, she will put you into place. The announcer will give you a count down and then you just throw away, simple. Your men will come up give you a kiss on the cheek and hand you back the ball. After that you walk back into the dugout and then you will be escorted back to your seats. Any questions?”

No one raised their hands so the little guy turned around to address someone else with matters that did not deal with them.

Jane’s stomach was doing knots. Brady came up to her a couple of weeks ago and asked her if she wanted to be a part of spouse recognition day. She didn’t think much of it so she agreed. She wasn’t technically a spouse which she pointed out to Brady but he said all the other ladies have done it so many times that they wanted a fresh face.

When Jane agreed she didn’t realize she was going to be one of the ladies who threw out the first pitch of the game. That was when she decided to start practicing, a couple weeks later, some terrible throws and many ice bags on her arm she was waiting in the Braves dugout waiting to be called out and throw a ball in front of thousands of fans.

It was no secret who she was either, she knew all eyes were going to be on her. When Brady and her first started dating the media had a field day with their relationship. It was hell at first trying to go out and have a
nice meal or even trying to drive around town without cameras following around. Magazines made up stories, questioned their relationship and their loyalty. There were some rough nights but they worked through them and soon enough their popularity started to fade and they were able to lead a somewhat normal life.

She had been living with Brady for two years now and was quite happy. She was known around Atlanta pretty well, not because of her successful business unfortunately but for her relationship to Atlanta’s star first baseman. It didn’t bother her too much but she did miss the days when she could go into the drug store and buy a box of tampons without wondering eyes or seeing her picture on a gossip magazine with the headline: “No Brady Booming Babies Yet.”

The little man came back and handed them each a ball. It was already roughed up and seemed like it had seen its fair share of plays on the field. Brady told her once that the balls they used in the game were rubbed down with a special mud so they were not completely fresh. They were easier to grip for the pitchers apparently. She didn’t seem to care but knowing the little factoid made the dirty ball in her hand make more sense.

She looked out on the field and caught a glimpse of Brady stretching next to Marc and having what seemed like a very entertaining conversation. God was s
he in love with that man. It had been two years and he still looked at her as if it was the first time he ever set eyes on her. He still treated her with just as much love as when they were first going out and supported her more than she could ever ask for.

He turned around, looked down at her and gave her a wink. She couldn’t help but feel week at the knees. She was one lucky girl.

The little man announced that it was time. Jane saw the respective spouse’s players take their place around home plate all standing in a line facing the pitcher’s mound.  She would be throwing to Brady which was reassuring; at least she wasn’t throwing to stranger.

The announcer announced that it was spouse appreciation day and most likely read off a statement
about how important the ladies were to the men in Braves uniforms and how the organization appreciated their support and dedicated time to non-profit organizations.

Once Jane moved in with Brady she really started helping Brady with all his events he volunteered at with Special Olympics. With Patty’s help, her fantastic assistant, she was able to make mo
re time for herself and spend her time helping Brady with various Special Olympic events and just flat out spending time with Brady.

She drifted off into space because all of a sudden some random people were pushing her out onto the field. She could not believe the amount of people who were in attendance. How Brady played in front of some many people
almost every night was beyond her. She could not imagine the pressure almost every night. She just had to throw one ball from a couple of feet away and she thought she was going to puke right there on the field.

The ladies lined up across from their baseball player and got in the ready position. Jane took a deep breath and got in her throwing position Brady taught her. When she focused on him he was grinning like a fool and she realized the distance really wasn’t that far. The announcer counted down from three.

Three…Two…One.

Here went
nothing.

                                          ***

Brady could not help but grin at Jane. She looked so damn cute in his jersey that was entirely too big on her.  She also looked ridiculous trying to make her away across the infield in her heels and oversized shirt but it only made him love her even more. If anything the grounds crew could thank her for the free irrigation from the heels she was wearing. Brady’s heart reached out to her because she looked so nervous. When she looked up at him, he just gave her a smile and wink, hopefully to settle her nerves.

When she asked him to practice with her
before the “big throw” his heart melted for her. She was so concerned about her “performance” as she put it but what she didn’t know was that all the wives were awful at tossing the ball that the staff decided to move the wives closer to the players so there was no chance they would make fools out of themselves.

Brady felt a little nervous tonight not for Jane but for
an entirely different reason. The announcer started counting down and Jane wound her arm back getting ready to throw. On the count of one, she lifted her leg and threw her arm toward him. She threw him a perfect strike. The look of shock on her face was hilarious. She started jumping up and down in celebration. Brady laughed and jogged up to her.

He gave her a kiss on her mouth and s
aid, “Babe that was amazing. I’m so proud of you, you showed up all the other wives.”

Jane gave him a hug and another kiss. “Thanks for the help
, handsome.”

“Alright love bugs” s
aid Daisy Mae. “It’s time for a photo op.”

Brady turned himself and Jane toward the cameras that were on the field. Each man stood behind their wives with the
ir arms wrapped around their waists and took pictures for all the press.