Ginny and Evelyn are supposed to be having a girls' night, although Evelyn is feeling a bit cheated if she's being honest (which she always is). She crosses her arms and shifts her weight from one Jimmy Choo to the other. "Can we go out already? I do not want to stand around in your apartment all night."
Ginny doesn't even glance away from Sports Center. "Nobody said you have to stand. Sit down."
Evi frowns. "Not the point."
"What's wrong with my apartment?" Ginny shrugs. "I like it."
Evi rolls her eyes. "Nothing. Your apartment is great, but when I said we should go out, I actually meant cute dresses and cocktails - not ESPN and sweatpants. That might be fun for you and your girlfriend Mike Lawson, but you are with Evelyn Sanders tonight, Gin. Time to class things up."
Ginny groans but flips off the television and stands, stretching lazily like a cat. "Fine. I'll get ready." Before she walks into the bedroom, she glances over her shoulder. "Mike and I are not girlfriends, though."
Evilyn rolls her eyes with a grin. "Whatever you say."
Ginny emerges from her bedroom twenty minutes later, wearing a red dress that shows off just enough cleavage and toned thigh to meet Evelyn's approval. She holds out her arms and spins slowly, allowing the swirl of silky fabric to swing out around her thighs. "So, how's this for girls' night?"
Evelyn whistles appreciatively. "Everyone's going to love this dress. It's amazing."
Ginny frowns. "Are you sure? It was one Amelia picked out but I haven't had a chance to wear it yet." She shakes her head. "I should change."
"No second thoughts now," Evilyn laughs. "Let's go."
Ginny had assumed they were going dancing and is surprised when the Uber pulls up in front of Boardner's. The whole group comes here a lot. Always has - even before that awkward night during her first season when Mike almost got traded. She thinks of that night every time she comes here. She thinks maybe Mike does too, although they never speak of it.
So because it's Boardner's and because it's a Friday and she knows Mike's schedule better than anybody; she isn't surprised when they walk into the cool dimness and see Mike and Blip and a handful of their teammates laughing at a corner table. Ginny glares at Evi. "Girls' night, huh?"
"Just go with it, Ginny."
Ginny tries to look anywhere but at Mike, but she can't help herself. He looks really good - well, he always looks good, but tonight? Damn. He's wearing a charcoal gray button-down with the sleeves rolled up over thick forearms. She swallows hard, watching as he lifts a beer bottle to his lips, taking a sip and then smiling at something Blip had said. He glances their way and his smile falters when he sees her. From the way he looks her up and down, she's pretty sure he likes the dress. Her stomach flutters in response - but she pushes those thoughts away. She's become a pro at this - the pushing away of inconvenient thoughts about Mike Lawson.
He says something to Blip without taking his eyes off Ginny. Blip looks over and motions them over to their table. Evi promptly sits on her husband's lap. "Hey, Baby."
Ginny shifts awkwardly until Omar nods to the only empty seat at the table. She sits down, trying not to watch Mike who is now directly across the table from where she's sitting, sandwitched between Omar and Sonny.
Mike grins at her, "We saved that seat just for you, Rookie."
"Sure you did. Where are all the girls?"
"What girls?"
Ginny rolls her eyes. "The Mike Lawson fan club. Where are they?"
Blip chuckles. "Just missed em. There were four of five hotties over here bugging him about that charity beard thing. It was ridiculous, really. They were almost drooling."
Ginny takes a beer from the waitress who has appeared with her usual. She smiles absently at the girl before turning to the guys. "Wait. Charity beard thing? What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing." Mike begins to pick at his beer bottle label, something Ginny knows him to do only when he's nervous or flustered.
"Cleary that's a lie. Spill. Are you shaving for charity?" Ginny smirks but on the inside she feels a sinking sensation. Mike without the beard? Just no.
Blip barks out a laugh. "No way. This is way better than shaving and based on tonight's response, he's going to make a boatload of money for that children's hospital."
"Tonight's response? I'm lost." Ginny shakes her head.
Evi takes pity on her friend. "Don't you listen to Scott & BR in the mornings? They were talking about some British shopping mall that let shoppers pay to stroke guys' beards over the holidays last year. It was supposed to reduce anxiety or something. Then they started talking about local athletes with beards and..."
Ginny looks from Evi back to Mike, who glances her way but then quickly back down to his bottle. "And Mike is going to…"
Blip is grinning like a fool. "He's going to auction off a chance for some lucky person to stroke his beard."
Ginny feels a familiar stirring but tries to ignore it even as her imagination begins to show her what it would feel like to run her fingers through that beard.
Mike is clearly uncomfortable. "Salvi's doing it too."
Ginny's brow arches high. "Salvi's wife is okay with some strange woman mauling her husband's face?"
"Don't be sexist," Livan warns from where he's perched in the corner. "Could be a dude mauling him."
"Uh." Mike tilts his head to the side. "There won't be mauling. This will be a family friendly event. Salvi's wife doesn't care because it's not a big deal."
"She doesn't care?" Ginny shrugs. "Yeah, okay. Whatever."
Mike watches her while he takes another drink. "You'd care? If, I mean, you were Salvi's wife?"
"I'm not Salvi's wife."
"Good to know." Mike smirks. "Still. You seem to think this beard stroking thing is going to be sexual somehow? Like there will be a temptation of some kind?"
"You are very handsome," Omar teases.
"Shut up, Omar. Don't be a dipshit," Mike turns back to Ginny. "Why do you think this will be a big deal?"
"Never said that." Ginny won't meet his eyes as she takes a long pull from her drink.
"But you're thinking it."
"Nope."
"Prove it." Mike's voice is lower suddenly. His gaze bores into hers.
"Prove what?" Ginny asks, her bottle stopped midair.
Blip glances up from his own drink and looks back and forth between Mike and Ginny before meeting his wife's eyes. "Did we miss something?"
Evilyn grins at her husband. "Pretty sure Lawson just dared Ginny to touch his beard."
Livan nods, "Yeah baby. This is gonna be hot."
Ginny shakes her head. "No. No. It won't be hot. There is no bet. That's not what happened."
"Are you sure?" Mike strokes his beard teasingly. His eyes glitter with heat and challenge. "You know you want to touch it."
The guys hoot with laughter.
Ginny shakes her head with a little jerk, her pulse suddenly pounding. "Never said I want to touch it. I just said it's weird that Salvi's wife doesn't care that women will be all over her husband, stroking his face."
"Or men," Livan reminds her, smirking.
Ginny shoots him daggers.
Mike ignores the guys, focused solely on Ginny. "So, you are saying it's going to be sexual. And I say it's not sexual. So prove me wrong." He holds her gaze. The air is thick with challenge.
Blip slams his empty bottle down and waves for the bartender. "Gonna need a round."
"Of what?" the girl asks.
"Beers for sure. Also, tequila, I think?"
Sonny and Omar both nod. "Definitely tequilla."
Blip continues with the order, "Okay, yeah. Shots of Jose Cuervo for the table should do the trick."
"And more beers!" one of the guys call out.
"And more beers," Blip agrees.
Ginny ignores the men and turns to Evi. "Should we just go? We could try that new club down the street. You promised me dancing, after all." She smiles, trying to hide just how jittery she suddenly feels.
Evi crosses her arms across her chest. "Oh, no you don't. You have to show Mike you're right."
Ginny shakes her head.
"It's okay," Mike says. "Can't blame her for chickening out. She knows she's wrong."
Ginny's blood boils. "I'm not wrong."
Mike smirks as he lifts his right hand and makes an unmistakable 'come at me' motion with his fingers.
Everyone watching this exchange leans in closer, waiting for Baker's response.
The waitress appears with shots and beers. Ginny downs the contents of one of the shot glasses. Mike snickers. "Liquid courage?"
"Liquid courage, my ass." She doesn't even think about it. Her competitive nature demands that she prove she's right. Ginny stands and walks around the table to Mike's side. "You want to see how sexual I think this beard fondling will be? Fine. I'll show you." She hesitates. "Ground rules?"
He shakes his head slowly, maintaining eye contact with her. "You get to touch my beard. Other than that, there are no rules, Rook. Knock yourself out." He leans back casually, waiting for her to make a move.
"Ready?"
He tosses back his own shot and nods. "Yeah, Rookie. I'm ready."
"Well, all right then." She steps closer, stopping only when her knees bump against his. She can smell the cologne he wears. She watches as his chest rises and falls. Is he breathing faster? She's not sure. Tentatively she reaches out and strokes one finger along his jawline. His beard is softer than she'd imagined. Smoother.
"Mmmm," she says, barely a whisper.
"What cha doin, Gin?" Mike's voice sounds rough. "Thought you were going to prove that -" He breaks off when, without warning, Ginny lifts one shapely leg and settles onto his lap, straddling his thighs. The soft red fabric of her skirt falls around their legs. Her chest is mere inches from his. Mike's eyes are wide with surprise. "Gin?" he croaks.
"You said no ground rules."
Blip nods. "That's true. How you doin, Mike?"
He doesn't answer. He's far too busy watching the beautiful woman on his lap. Ginny's gaze is soft and her body is warm and when she slides the fingers of both hands into his beard, she also shifts her hips, settling in closer. He groans, feeling her heated core through the fabric layers which separate their bodies.
Ginny hums softly as she runs her fingers through Mike's beard. Her fingers search and massage his face, gently probing. She leans in close enough to kiss him, but does not. She lets her hands do all the work as she watches his expression change.
He doesn't look bored anymore. He looks hungry. Hungry for her.
Sonny lets out a long low whistle of appreciation as Ginny buries the fingers of her right hand in Mike's beard. Omar and Livan high five. Ginny tries to ignore them all but when she catches a glimpse of Evi out of the corner of her eye, her resolve starts to crumble.
No. Ginny Baker is no quitter. She just needs to focus. This is no different than being on the mound. She tunes them all out the same way she does the screaming crowd at Petco. She chooses one thing to focus on. When she's pitching, it's the mound and the pitch and getting the win.
Tonight the thing she chooses to think about is her catcher. Everything else fades away as Ginny closes her eyes, immersing herself in the way his beard feels against her palms and under her fingers. She lets her mind wander, imagining how this would feel if they were naked.
Yeah, that works. She lets the fantasy grow in her mind, imagining they are alone and naked and finally letting their true desire show itself. She shudders, letting the fantasy take over…
Hardened nipples brushing across his pecs. The taste of his lips on hers, searching, greedy. The feel of his whiskers rubbing against the soft flesh of her cheeks and chin. The way his cock pulses under her drenched pussy. The way she slides along his length, not yet taking him in….
"Gin?" Mike's voice breaks through but just barely. "Ginny?" he asks again louder this time. He sounds confused.
"Hm?" she says without opening her eyes. Her fingers are still buried in his beard. She rocks against him, feeling the bulge in his jeans jerk to attention. He gasps and she smiles slowly as her imagination once again takes over.
Skin on skin. Sweaty. Panting. Her long legs circling his waist, both shuddering as his bulk writhes between her thighs. His cock is big. Thick. Very hard. She lifts just enough to let him line up and then she slowly - ever so slowly - lowers….
Ginny moans.
"Jesus Christ, Ginny. Open your eyes." His voice cracks with tension. With her fingers, she can feel the way his face moves as he forms words. The soft hair of his beard is silky to the touch. She ghosts a fingertip over his lips, feeling his hot breath on her skin. She opens her eyes but only for a moment and just enough to see his pupils are blown. His nostrils are flared. His skin is tinged with red. His breathing is ragged.
Ginny feels a surge of power and grins teasingly before closing her eyes again. In response, his hands slide under her dress and grasp her ass cheeks firmly. His fingers dig into the fleshy globes with punishing force and she can feel his body humming under hers as he tugs her closer. This brings her fantasy back into focus...
Their bodies are slick with sweat. The room echoes with the sounds of skin on skin and the fragrance of sex hangs heavy in the air. Ginny loves having his cock inside. Loves the way he makes her feel fuller than should be possible. She rides him at a pace which is excruciatingly slow. He doesn't mind. His groans fill her head as she concentrates on the feel of his dick buried deep within. A tension begins to build and she moves faster…
Mike's hands now pull her down, hard against his denim clad erection. She takes his lead, grinding her heat against his own, but just barely because even in her state of arousal, she's aware of all eyes on them. Something about it - that they aren't alone or maybe the unexpectedness of it all or maybe the sheer exhilaration she feels in finally touching him - really touching him - is bringing her close.
He's close too. She can tell.
"Baker," he warns. This is the voice he uses when she's shook off too many of his calls. It's the voice he used when he screamed at that Mets shortstop for almost running her down. This is his in charge voice and hearing it makes Ginny quiver.
She's so close. He strokes calloused fingers across her back and cups her ass. He flicks her clit and leans in to suck a pert nipple between his teeth. Ginny scrapes welts into the tightly muscled planes of his back. He growls against her mouth and she feels his cock shudder and pulse as he comes - emptying spurts of hot release deep inside her core. Her pussy clenches and grips as she comes around him, milking his cock until he's a spent mess. Until they both are….
"Ginny!" he demands. He sounds desperate. Pleading. "Open your goddamned eyes. He gives her ass a smack and the sound of flesh on flesh brings her fully into the present.
She looks at him from under hooded lids. He looks wrecked. Gone is the cocky assurance from earlier. Gone is every semblance of normalcy. He looks like an animal ready to pounce. His eyes are black with need. His breaths are coming in gasps.
Ginny slides her fingers out of his beard, trailing them down his neck and stopping only when her hands rest gently on his chest. His heartbeat thunders under her fingers. She moves her hands slowly in an effort to explore -
"God damnit, Ginny!" He pushes her off his lap abruptly. Blip catches her when she half falls between their chairs. Mike won't look at her. "Sorry, " he mumbles. His face is bright red and he starts to stand but then quickly rethinks and sits back down. Everyone is watching him with mostly astonished expressions. "You okay, Mike?" Blip asks.
Mike shakes his head, seemingly stunned. Unable to speak.
Ginny has mostly recovered and is now sitting on the other side of Evi. She picks up her beer and gulps half of it before taking a deep settling breath. Not that it settles much. Her body is on fire. She watches Mike. He's clearly as worked up as she.
Everyone at the table is looking back and forth between the two. The silence is awkward, but nobody knows what to say.
Evi fans herself with a bar napkin. "Damn girl. Now THAT is how you win a bet."
"It wasn't a bet," Ginny and Mike answer in unison. Their gazes lock and hold. Clearly more needs to be said, but not here. Not with an audience.
Mike motions for the waitress to bring the check. He clearly wants to bail.
Ginny looks away, taking another drink. She wonders if they'll ever speak of this night, or if it will be like the other time - when they almost kissed and then pretended it didn't happen. She wonders if he's thinking about finishing what they started. She wonders if he'll stop by her place later. Nervously, she glances his way.
Mike Lawson's eyes are still black and they are still on her. His jaw is set and his body radiates tension. He frowns before opening his mouth to say something. He closes it again, looking away. "Fuck," he mutters.
"What was that, Mike?" Evi's voice has a teasing sing-song quality to it.
Mike ignores her. He straightens his shoulders and looks straight at Ginny once more. "Want to share an Uber?"
"Damn," someone mutters. "This is happening?"
Ginny puts her beer bottle down very carefully. A million thoughts zing around in her brain but only one of them matters. She nods. "Yeah. I do."
They don't even say goodbye. Evi sighs happily as they walk out of the bar. "Bout time."
"Yeah, I guess so." Blip sounds unsure.
"Don't be like that," Sonny scolds. "Life is short. Gotta find happiness wherever you can."
Livan nods. "Seems like they're probably going to find a lot of happiness tonight."
Everyone seems to agree, but they sit in silence, drinking. Thinking.
Finally Blip breaks the moment. "So who's doing it?"
"Doing what, Babe?" Evelyn asks.
"Calling Salvi's wife. Ginny was right. Someone needs to warn her that this charity beard thing is a very bad idea."