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  She was also the only person he knew who could recite “So Many Tears” as if she'd personally wrote it.

  If anything, Bobbi was Quinn’s musical soul mate; someone he could talk to until the wee hours of morning about why Talking Book is a classic everyone needs to have in their collection.

  She was also his love soul mate, but that was different. Love meant dealing with emotions and feelings that are far from some catchy, syrupy pop song by an equally syrupy singer.

  Still, Quinn could remember how she felt beneath him. How her lips pursed together and her back arched off the sofa. How her sex tightly wrapped around him upon first entry and how she pulsated with the final climax.

  Then how she raked her hands up and down his back as he finished, easing him into his explosive climax. Her lips comforted him while her body healed his soul. She was what he needed; even if her denial of it all tore them apart.

  He briefly wondered if there was a song about being a helpless and hopeless sap; Quinn would love to listen to it.

  “Um, yeah. They're one of my favorite bands.” She admitted.

  “What’s your favorite song by them?” He asked.

  “Gimme All Your Love.” Bobbi thought about the lyrics full of raw emotion and anguish. Coincidentally, they were perfect for what she was feeling.

  She briefly wondered why Quinn asked that question but she knew the answer: it's their new normal. Ideally, two people who wanted to be together would flirt and be coy about it all like a Hollywood rom-com.

  He would chase her; she would deny it yet still humor him. Eventually, she would realize he was everything she’d ever needed and they would live Happily Ever After.

  That was a movie; Bobbi and Quinn were in real life and dealing with real life emotions.

  Bobbi sighed and hoped it wasn't obvious. Quinn asked a simple question and she acted like he was trying too hard when in reality, he was trying enough.

  They were officially at the just enough stage of their relationship. Saying hi to each other was just enough. Making small talk was just enough. Being in the same room was just enough.

  Bobbi couldn't even be mad; she set the rules and Quinn played by them. What was she going to tell him? Stop being nice and make conversation with her?

  Every time she was near Quinn, it was like Cupid and his damn arrow shot a lightening bolt to her heart. Just enough was officially not good enough.

  Bobbi mixed a potion of jojoba and lavender oil in her hands and rubbed them together. She then began to gently squeeze around Quinn’s neck. “Before I work on your arm, I need to work on everything connected to it.”

  Quinn closed his eyes and melted into Bobbi’s touch. She had the fingers of an angel. They kneaded his tender flesh and he immediately felt like he was floating. “Do whatever you want.”

  “I’m getting there.” Bobbi continued to massage Quinn’s neck. She moved down to his shoulders and kneaded her fingers into the grooves. She finally moved to his throwing arm and focused on it.

  He was right; there was a lot of tension in his arm. Between his shoulders were full of knots and his tense arm, Bobbi wondered how long had Quinn been walking around like that. Furthermore, how was he able to get a good night’s rest with all of that?

  “Normally, I would tell you to get on a bouncing ball and we’ll do some workouts with that or put you on a treadmill. But I’ll just give you a massage to loosen you up.” Her voice was soothing and quiet. “If you fall asleep, that’s okay. The massage tends to be relaxing.”

  Bobbi continued to work on Quinn’s shoulders before she moved to his arms. She massaged the entire arm down to his fingers and back up to his neck. Any emotions she had about Quinn disappeared as professionalism took over.

  It was her job to make him feel better. They would have another uncomfortable ‘aw, shucks’ type of conversation about what was going on between them. She needed to have him ready for spring training soon and not a minute too late.

  After a short while, Bobbi finished massaging Quinn. “I’m all done,” she began to gather her material and put them away. “Let me know how it feels later and definitely tomorrow morning. I need to see if I was too hard on you or not hard enough. I’ll try another technique.” Bobbi turned around. “Quinn?”

  Quinn quietly slept on the massage table. Bobbi grinned and grabbed a blanket to cover him. He looked like an angel and she just hoped he would have an amazing spring training. “I see it worked.”

  Eleven

  Quinn woke up from some of the best damn sleep he’s ever had.

  The last thing he remembered he fell asleep in Bobbi’s room on her massage table. He was still there. He felt something heavy on him and it was a blanket. She cared that much to cover him with one.

  He sat up and took a stock of his surroundings. Bobbi wasn’t anywhere in her room. She might have stepped out or hell, he didn’t know what she was doing. All Quinn knew was Bobbi had the hands of an angel and she officially became his new physical trainer.

  If he wanted to keep it one hundred, she was always his favorite, anyway. Now he had another reason.

  He got up and searched for his items. He narrowed his eyes when found everything tucked away in a corner. His shirt was folded and his socks were stacked on top of his shoes. And was that a mint on top of his shirt?

  He heard the door click open and Bobbi walked through it, drinking what appeared to be a smoothie. “Oh, good, you’re awake.” She smiled at him. “How do you feel?”

  Her smile was infectious. “Much better. Best massage I’ve ever had and I’m not just saying that because it’s you.”

  “Thank you.” Bobbi set down her drink. “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t need to work on you all of the time, but I’ll help you relax.”

  Quinn resisted ruining the moment. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” Bobbi met eyes with him and felt her heart sigh. “So, what are you up to for the rest of the day?”

  “Um, just relaxing by the pool and maybe hit the gym later.” He paused as he put on his shirt. “You?”

  “Um, probably gonna Netflix it tonight and watch something. I don’t know what yet. I like to surprise myself sometimes.”

  “Sounds good.” Quinn put on his socks and shoes. Now was a good time to finally clear the air and bring up the issue of dating. He also realized he didn’t want to ruin what was a great, platonic session between them.

  Become her friend. Xavier’s words echoed in Quinn’s memory. “If you’re not too busy choosing a movie, I would love to join you.”

  Did he just ask her to Netflix and chill without saying it? “Excuse me?”

  “No, I’m not asking that. If you want your alone time, that’s cool. I just thought I don’t have anything to do tonight and I can join you if you like?” He shrugged. “But no pressure. It’s all good.”

  Bobbi hardly knew anyone on the team other than the president and her supervisors. Quinn truly was her only friend and she was a long way from L.A. It wouldn’t hurt to hang out a little with a guy she still had feelings for but denied him like a maxed out credit card.

  “What did you have in mind? Besides, a movie?” She asked.

  “We can take a walk around Glendale. The other teams would be arriving today and tomorrow so it’ll give us a chance to just have some quiet time before it becomes crazy.” He offered. “We don’t have to go to each other’s rooms.”

  Bobbi resisted giving Quinn another invitation to her room. She wasn’t sure she would stay platonic. “That works.” She agreed. “You wanna meet downstairs at seven?”

  “Sure, seven, it is.” Quinn walked up to Bobbi and stared into her eyes. Her eyes were warm. Her lips slightly parted open with a small grin forming on the corners. She was happy and he wanted her to stay that way.

  “I’ll be on my best behavior tonight. I promise.” He caressed her cheek.

  Bobbi bit back a moan that threatened to come out. Her body loved the way Quinn touched her, no matter how innocen
t it was. “You were on your best behavior the other night and you still got me underneath you.”

  “Maybe I can be two for two?” His eyes twinkled.

  Bobbi sighed. Just being in Quinn’s presence had her mesmerized. He demanded her attention and wouldn’t stop until he had her again. When he was off the field, Quinn was all fun and games. When he was on it, he put the fear of God into every opponent.

  When it was time for getting what he wanted from a woman – specifically, her – there was no need to play around.

  Bobbi could admit if they weren’t colleagues and she was a run of the mill groupie, she would acquiesced to Quinn. His willing tongue. His long, and thick cock. His strong, big hands. His long and skilled fingers. The way he sounded as he first entered her and how his body shuddered when he climaxed.

  They made love several times that night, with each experience hotter and animalistic than the last. They fed each other. They loved one another. He gave her life. She gave him hope and need.

  Now Bobbi has to act like none of that ever happened. Quinn’s attitude screamed arrogance, yet Bobbi found herself to be even more attracted to him. “I have a hard and fast rule I don’t sleep with athletes I treat. I just treated you so there goes that.”

  “Hard and fast, huh?” He stepped closer to her. “If I remember correctly, that’s how you fucked me, wasn’t it? You got on top and you rode me as if your life depended on it.”

  Bobbi swallowed and blew out a sharp, soft breath. Her head spun. Her breathing became more sporadic. No man ever made her feel that way and she didn’t want it to stop, no matter how much trouble they both would be in. “Quinn…” Her voice came out as a whimper.

  Quinn put his hands on her waist. He leaned down and tickled her earlobe with his mouth. His voice was deep and rich with lust. “I’ll be good tonight. I won’t disrespect you in any way and anytime you want to go home after I finish beating the breaks off you at karaoke, we can do it.” Quinn stepped away and winked at Bobbi before he left her room.

  Bobbi leaned against a wall and grabbed her chest. Every time she was near Quinn, she became dizzy and little goose bumps formed on her arms. Her hands were a bit clammy and her mouth felt like she ate cotton balls for all three square meals.

  She still smelled his cologne in the room and on her. The citrusy fragrance suddenly became a new favorite of hers. Bobbi didn’t even agree to the outing – it most certainly wasn’t a date – because Quinn knew she would. He left her a speechless, bumbling fool.

  It wasn’t until five minutes later when Bobbi understood the depth of what Quinn stated. “KARAOKE?”

  ~~~~~

  “Karaoke?” Sarah replied as she blew on her toenails. “Ooh, that’s some white people stuff I didn’t know you were into.”

  “I’m. Not.” Bobbi pulled out numerous outfits to see which one that didn’t scream desperate and goober. “He invited me out to karaoke instead of staying inside and Netflixing.”

  “Maybe that was for the best.” Sarah wondered if she should’ve gone with vixen red instead of the puke yellow she sported. Jameson had a thing for sucking on her toes and well, she wanted him to suck on pretty ones. “He doesn’t have to worry about breaking any rules and you don’t have to worry about doing another Walk of Shame from his room to yours.”

  “It’s not so much he asked me, ‘Rah.” Bobbi put up a yellow blouse against distressed jeans on her and studied the outfit through the mirror. It was a winner. “It’s how he asked. His lips were touching my earlobe and he held me by my waist. Friends don’t do that.”

  “You still think that fool wants to be your friend, girl?” Bobbi shook her head. “Girl, whatever you put on him, you turned him all the way out. Stop playing.”

  “My rule, ‘Rah.” Bobbi collapsed on the bed. “I have a firm rule about patronizing with athletes. When that line is crossed, you can’t go back. We’ll both be at risk for ruining a great relationship and my job will also be at risk once everything turns sour. Quinn isn’t the first athlete to ask me out.”

  “No, but Quinn is the first athlete you put a hex on through your vagina.” Sarah added.

  “Oh God, you are so damn crude!” Bobbi gasped. “We agreed to be friends.”

  “No, you told him you were going to be friends. He never agreed to that.” Sarah wondered why she was explaining men to her little sister. Come to think of it, Sarah still had to train her husband into shape. “You think he asked you the way he did because he wants to be your friend?”

  “What am I supposed to do, Sarah? He’s my client. I’m not his boss, but he has the power to fire me. Do you honestly think the Dodgers are going to get rid of their star pitcher before they get rid of a new, wet-behind-the-ears trainer?”

  “Nah, they probably won’t get rid of him considering he’s worth about three hundred million.” Sarah casually replied.

  “And I just don’t want those kind of problems.” Bobbi paused for a moment. “Three hundred million?”

  “Girl, he just signed a huge contract. He got seventy-five million up front and he’ll earn the rest of it throughout his contract. He’s the most sought-after pitcher in the league. He’ll retire a Dodgers player, more than likely.” Sarah shrugged. “And he wants you. How about that?”

  Bobbi let out a small breath and shook her head. Quinn was perfect in every way except he was essentially her boss. His status in the league and on the team also meant he had a say on any trainers the team used. If he had any issue with Bobbi, she could be let go at any time.

  “Hard and firm rule, ‘Rah.” Bobbi stated. “Plus, I don’t care about his money. He can keep his money; I got my own.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself, Beyoncé.”

  “I gotta go.” Bobbi glanced at the wall clock. She only had an hour before she had to meet Quinn downstairs. Standing him up only meant he would be in her room and Bobbi didn’t trust herself. “I need to meet that man and do karaoke. I can’t even sing.”

  “I’m pretty sure he knows you don’t sound like Mariah.” Sarah replied. “Let me know how it goes in the morning.”

  “Morning?” Bobbi shook her head. “He’s not spending the night, ‘Rah.”

  “Yeah, sure. Anyway, in case he does, I did pack something in your bag you should wear tonight. Good night.” She hung up.

  Bobbi tossed her phone aside. She was completely capable of going out with Quinn and having a good, platonic time with a man she could still envision how delicious his lips tasted against hers.

  Quinn stirred something within Bobbi and she couldn’t turn it off. Not that she wanted. He touched her mind, her soul, and her body. He was serious when it was appropriate, but he was silly and charming most of the time.

  He was also one of the world’s most eligible bachelors.

  She shook her head. She just scored the position of a lifetime, in a city she’d always wanted to live in, and she busted her tail to get to where she was. No man was going to run her out of the city.

  Again.

  Bobbi dug through the suitcase and found a box of condoms. Of course, Sarah. She found the other part of Sarah’s surprise: the lacy pink thong and matching bra. Pink wasn’t her color and she wasn’t even a lace girl. She quickly showered and changed into the set.

  She was expecting to feel itchy and scratchy. Instead, she felt sexy and desirable. She felt more confident and dare she thought, bold.

  As Bobbi admired herself in the mirror, she would have to emphasize to Quinn they were just friends and that was it. No touchy-feely. No kissing. No hand holding. And definitely no sex.

  If Bobbi kept saying that to herself, eventually she’d believe it.

  Twelve

  “How’s spring training coming along?” Lisa Riordan asked as she chopped vegetables in her Fontana kitchen. She was a statuesque woman with brunette hair, a skin color she deemed as tanned but not burnt, and an air of common decency with no bullshit allowed.

  She was Quinn’s favorite person in the world. She introduc
ed him to baseball when he was a baby, and was at every single game of his during his youth and college years. She also made it a point to record his games to watch later.

  She unwillingly became America’s Favorite Mother when the cameras captured a sweet moment of Quinn hugging his mother after his first World Series wins. The same cameras also caught her giving her son a champagne bath and laughing as champagne was poured on her.

  Lisa wasn’t a fan of social media and loved her privacy too much to entertain any of it. If she wanted to know what Quinn was doing, she simply called him. There was no need to tweet, hashtag, follow, like, or whatever else the young kids were doing now.

  “It’s coming,” Quinn answered as he studied his outfit through the mirror. Wearing a simple attire of jeans and a t-shirt, Quinn hoped it spelled relaxed and good time, not douchebag ready to get laid.

  He shook his head at his own stupidity. Why would he care what he looked like? Bobbi had already seen him naked. Yet, he still felt the need to impress her. “I just arrived and I got a massage from the new physical therapist. So, I’m feeling great. My arm feels the best it has in a long while.”

  “Good.” Lisa paused for a moment as she stirred her marinara sauce. “Met any girls lately?”

  Yes, I have and she doesn’t want me. Quinn quieted the angry thoughts. “I don’t know yet.”

  “You don’t know yet?” Lisa paused. “You don’t know if she’s a boy or a girl? I mean, that’s a thing now, you know? You should always ask but be respectful about it. Don’t say, ‘Hey, can I see your dick?’ but something like, ‘What do you identify as?’ I thought I saw that on Ellen the other day. What do you identify as? Be gentle with it.”

  “Mother, I’m not dating a transgendered person.” Quinn knew her mother was a proud liberal but sometimes he felt she was so left, she was almost right. “I’m not dating anyone.”

  “But there is someone,” she pressed, “is she famous? Oh God, I hope it’s not one of those godforsaken YouTubers!”

  “No, and no.” Quinn decided on a blue shirt to go with his jeans. “She works for the Dodgers. Technically speaking, we can’t date each other.”