The Curve Ball Read online

  The Curve Ball

  A Bad Boy Sports Romance

  Emilia Beaumont

  Contents

  1. Luke

  2. Cara

  3. Luke

  4. Cara

  5. Luke

  6. Cara

  7. Luke

  8. Cara

  9. Luke

  10. Cara

  11. Luke

  12. Cara

  13. Luke

  14. Cara

  15. Luke

  16. Cara

  17. Luke

  18. Cara

  19. Luke

  20. Cara

  21. Luke

  22. Cara

  23. Luke

  24. Cara

  25. Luke

  26. Cara

  27. Luke

  28. Cara

  29. Luke

  30. Cara

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Also by Emilia Beaumont

  Copyright © 2017 by Emilia Beaumont

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Please note this title was previously published under a different pen name.

  This is a standalone story set in the same world as The Playbook. It does not have to be read in order, but you may find it more enjoyable if you do.

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  1

  Luke

  Fridays were the best night to pick up single women. It was a fact I’d proven time and time again.

  After a long hard week was done I’d find them all dressed up and wanting to cut loose. And Fridays were ripe for the picking. Saturdays could be hit or miss, and don’t even try on Sundays. By that point they’re all thinking about the week ahead, getting back to normalcy.

  Friction, my local bar, was packed to the gills with men and women alike and I was lucky to get a seat, but I was too much of a regular to ever be turned away.

  Though not as glitzy on the outside as many of the other bars in town, the drinks were cold, the price right (free on event nights), and beside, this was the place to guarantee a night in the sack. The event itself—“The Hot Seat”—that the bar ran each week was a bit corny, too, but when the hot seats started up, which was what I was there for, I would find my mark and have her out of there before I could even learn her name.

  I think my record was five minutes after the singles’ speed dating challenge started. My worst, well, I don’t think I’d ever not gone home with someone in all the months that I’d been going there. I tell you, Fridays and Friction were the perfect solution for bachelors like me.

  No I wasn’t looking for that one true soulmate, the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I was looking for a quick—and preferably hot-lay. Call me an asshole of the worst sort, but really, there weren’t many there who thought they were going to find their one and only.

  “Ah, surprise, surprise, you’re here. Thought you were a no-show this week,” Ginny, the owner of the bar, said as she handed me my customary free drink. It was a watered-down Jack and Coke that only made people believe they were getting drunk, but I didn’t care, I wasn’t there to get hammered anyway.

  “Why? Would you miss me?” I said, watching Ginny over the rim of my glass as I took a sip.

  “I’d miss the drama for sure,” she replied with a quirky smile. “You know, Lucas, I’ve already had two broken-hearted women in here this week asking if I could remember a certain construction worker with dazzling eyes.”

  “What, they didn’t even have the courtesy of remembering my name?” I quipped back with a grin. “How rude. So what did you tell them?”

  Ginny shook her head, but she was smiling. “Nothing of course.”

  “Good girl,” I said with a wink.

  “Just remember, Lucas, I ain’t your personal secretary…I have a business to run here.”

  “And you do it so well, speaking of which, time for me to get down to business.”

  “Try not to break any hearts tonight okay? I don’t need the bar getting a bad rep. I started the speed-dating thing to bring money in, not drive customers away.”

  I motioned a cross over my heart with a finger and nodded. “I’ll try my best… my aim is to please both myself and the ladies.”

  “Yeah, yeah.”

  I left Ginny tending bar and walked over to the tables that were set up, wanting to be ready for the night’s speed-dating event, surveying the crowd slowly, like a hunter getting the lay of the land. I was ready to choose my mark.

  There were the customary regulars of course, who had either figured out the game like I had, and there were some who were purely there for the free drinks. Then there were the newbies, who were easily identified by the nervous smiles as if they weren’t quite sure what they were getting themselves into. And of course, not forgetting your best chance at getting laid—though not always the ones a guy would go for first, of course, they were normally saved if all else failed—there were the desperate ones, hoping that night that their lives would turn around. That they would meet their matches and live happily ever after. But really, who needed that kind of disappointment? Best to settle for a wild night, than a lifelong commitment.

  I admit it, I was an ass, shallow and horny, and really only there to find the hottest babe amongst the dregs. There was always one diamond that stood out from the rest of the crowd—it was the law of averages—and I, like a missile, would seek her out and claim her for the night. I’d rock her world, and her bed, and by morning I’d be gone. That was the other thing; don’t let them get attached. I never stayed to cuddle or give them any wrong ideas. A good fuck and I was gone like the wind, sometimes giving a false name so they wouldn’t form an attachment or start picking out wedding shit. I wasn’t looking for anything past a one-night stand.

  “So who’s the lucky woman tonight?”

  I turned to see my roommate, Darren, also taking in the crowd with a beer in his hand. We both met on a construction job more than a year ago and because I needed a place to stay at the time, he gladly let me rent out his second bedroom. Construction was hard, back-breaking work, but I enjoyed working with my hands and it saved on gym fees. “I haven’t picked her out yet. What about you? Who’s the next Mrs. Darren Tiller?”

  Darren chuckled. “You laugh but I’m tired of having these one-night stands. I mean, I’m almost thirty. It’s time to settle down.”

  “Speak for yourself, there’s not a clock or a deadline that says we have to be chained down by thirty,” I said, downing my drink with a shudder. The last thing I wanted was to be permanently tied and shackled to someone. I answered only to myself and preferred to keep it that way. Sod family or anyone else for that matter, that shit only got you into even more shit.

  “But don’t you get bored of the same old routine? It feels so… pointless.”

  I let his words wash over me, not wanting the small morsel of truth to penetrate and spoil the evening. “Nah, man. This is the life! ‘We’re young, dumb, and full of cum!’”

  Darren kneaded his brow and shook his head. “Whatever floats your boat.”

  “Well some of us are young. You’re looking a little tired around the eyes. Maybe you should sit this one out? More for me!” I encouraged him with a playful nudge.

  “Fuck off, I got needs, too.”

  “Ah so you admit it? You’re just as bad as me.”

  “I admit to nothing. At least I stay �
��til the morning instead of slinking off like a rat. I’m here to find something real.”

  “Real? Pfft. Who cares about real? They know and I know exactly why I go home with them. It’s not like I lure them somewhere under false pretenses… they want me. Anyway, when did you get so deep and meaningful? Wanting to find something real?” I said, my words mocking.

  Darren rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I dunno, I just want more than… sex, I guess.”

  “You better keep your voice down. You don’t want them hearing that. Before you know it you’ll be tied down with a ring on your finger.”

  Darren shrugged again as if this wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Hell, I needed to find a new wingman if he was going to be off playing happy families soon.

  “All right you lucky men and women! It’s time to take your seats. Find your number and get ready for the bell! You know the drill, and if you don’t, well you’ll soon get the hang of it!” Ginny announced, microphone in hand, from the small wooden corner stage of the bar’s karaoke section.

  Discarding my glass I claimed my assigned starting seat and sat down in front of a woman who was at least twenty years older than me and twice as heavy.

  “Why hello, doll,” she drawled, her caked-on makeup almost cracking as she smiled at me. “I’m Vera.”

  I faked my grin and shook her hand, knowing that this cougar had no chance with me. “Luke.”

  “Ooo, I like your grip, Luke,” Vera replied, winking at me. “A man that knows how to handle things… and by things I mean me.” I squirmed in my seat, hoping that this was the fastest five minutes of my life. Thank god we didn’t have to sleep with the first person we sat down in front of each night.

  “Who’s ready to make a perfect match tonight?” Ginny called out once most everyone was settled. Her question was met with some resounding cheers, mainly from the new hopeful few that I’d never seen at the event before.

  “The rules are simple. Five minutes with each person participating in the round, but remember you can’t claim your match until after you have visited all the seats. So don’t cut or I will throw you out…” Under her breath she added while catching my eye, “That goes for all of you.” I smiled and raised my eyebrows, like she would even dare chuck me out. “When the first bell rings your five minutes start and on the second ring you have to move regardless of who is sitting in front of you. Have fun and happy matching!”

  The bell sounded and I gave Vera a grin. “Well Vera, what do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to talk about how much fun I could have with such a hottie like you. I think I could get lost in your eyes.”

  Jeeze she was laying it on thick. I laughed, because honestly I didn’t know what else to do. “I’m sure you were a wild one in your day.”

  “In my day?” She frowned and leaned forward, her wrinkled cleavage on full view. “Honey, who says I haven’t lost my mojo? I bet I could teach you a thing or two. Manners for one.”

  Her leering gaze made me uncomfortable, as if I was a plate of man-meat that she was about to devour. I looked away, catching the eye of a gorgeous blonde sitting a few tables away. Now that was more like it.

  She blushed and looked back at her partner across the table, giving me her side profile. Her hair was pulled away from her long neck, draping across her other shoulder, exposing her tanned, sun-kissed skin. She was wearing a simple but beautiful casual dress that left one shoulder bare, and from my vantage point, I could tell she had a rockin’ body.

  I had found her, my fuck-buddy for the night, though I wondered why she was here to begin with. A woman like that would not have a problem with dates. Now all I had to do was get to her… but that would be the easy bit.

  Turning back to Vera, I gave her an apologetic smile. “You threw me off balance with your dirty mouth, Vera.”

  She chuckled. “Doll, that blonde over there threw you off, not me.”

  I grinned. “You are a smart woman.”

  Vera threw up her hands. “I have been trying to tell people that for years. Thank you.”

  The bell sounded and I moved on to the next waiting table, Vera sighing disappointedly as I left. I turned back and winked at her, not wanting to seem like a total prick. “It was a pleasure, Vera. Hope you find what you’re looking for.”

  “You too, sweetheart,” she beamed.

  My eyes strayed back to the blonde again. At this rate I wasn’t going to make it to her until the end of the night, and I didn’t want to wait anymore. My body hummed at the thought of having her, anywhere.

  “Um, hi?”

  I looked at the woman in front of me, pegging her for a bored housewife who was looking for some extracurricular, extramarital fun. She was decent-looking and if the blonde wasn’t now on my mind, I would have been interested. Turning back to the blonde, I narrowed my eyes. Hell. She was sitting with Darren now, who was looking at her like she was a tall, ice-cold beer on a scorching-hot, back-breaking day. I couldn’t let him get my woman for the night!

  “Excuse me.”

  I turned back to the woman before me, anxious to leave. “Yeah?”

  She fidgeted with her drink before her, nervous. “I, I know this is my first time and all but I think we are supposed to be talking.”

  I leaned over and gave her a grin, seeing the surprise cross her face. “Honey, I’m only here to plant my flag.”

  She frowned and looked confused.

  “You know? Glaze the donut, stuff the muffin…” Her mouth dropped open and she averted her gaze, her cheeks flushing a perfect pink. I grinned again. Yeah, it was shame the blonde was here, I would’ve taken pleasure in stripping that innocent look from her face. She’d probably only ever done it missionary style. The things I could’ve done to her, I thought wickedly. But this one I could tell, regardless of what I could do, she would always want more. “That’s all I’m here for. A good fuck. I don’t care about anything beyond that and I doubt that’s what you are looking for, right?”

  I was momentarily taken aback by the tears that formed in her eyes. Shit. I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. “My husband died a few years ago,” she said softly, wiping her eyes with her hand. “This is the first time I’ve attempted to date and I didn’t think it was going to be this hard.”

  Great. Now I felt like an asshole. No, I was an asshole. It must have taken balls to come out after going through something like that and I just had to spoil it, and give her the worst experience and impression of men ever.

  “Hey,” I said, reaching across the table to touch her hand. She jerked it back into her lap and nervously cleared her throat. “I-I’m sorry, I’m not used to being touched.”

  I gave her a real honest-to-god smile. “You see that dark-haired guy over there?” I asked, pointing at Darren. She gave me a jerky nod and I tried to keep my cool. “His name is Darren and he’s what you are looking for honey. Not me. I promise you that. I am definitely not what you need right now.”

  She looked at me then, the tears momentarily gone. “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because even though I’m an ass,” I replied with a shrug, “you will just regret whatever we did in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I would give you a night you would never forget, but you don’t want me. I’m bad news.”

  She sat silently and blinked, then nodded just as the next bell sounded. With a kind smile, I moved on again.

  I sat my ass down and groaned as a new woman in front of me gave off a nervous laugh. She wasn’t my type either. At that rate I would never going to reach my blonde. She was my conquest and I could not have cared less about who was in front of me right then. The woman across from me started talking and I held up my hand, stopping her instantly, not caring what she had to say. Maybe it would be another sob story or some come-on line, either way, my patience had worn thin for the night. I had a moment of weakness with the widow, almost deciding to say to hell with the blonde and be the good guy for a change, but I was over it. Thank god.


  “Stop. Whatever you’re about to say, I’m not interested.”

  “W-what?” she said, surprised as I pushed out of the chair. “Where are you going? Our time isn’t up yet.”

  I ignored her and headed for the table where the blonde sat. It was time to get what I came for.

  2

  Cara

  “And I’m an accountant. I don’t have my own house yet but I will soon. Mother tells me I need to get out on my own.”

  I gave a polite smile and shifted in my seat, thinking it was the longest five minutes of my life. I was bored to tears. Not one of the last—three was it?—interested me. I couldn’t even remember their names. They’d all blurred into one dull, sorry excuse for a man, each one with copious amounts of faults that wouldn’t come out in the wash. And this was supposed to be a kick-ass place, or so I’d heard.

  What was I doing here anyway? Lucia, my best friend and partner in my psychiatry practice, would have a field day if she knew that I had gone to a speed-dating event, but I had been back in Jupiter for nearly a year and it was time for me to branch out a little bit. It wasn’t as if I could date my clients, or get away with it like someone. Lucia had all the luck. So I resorted to getting dates the old-fashioned way.

  One could argue that I would have better luck online, but I was too aware of the lies people spewed all over their online dating profiles. They wanted to show only the good sides of themselves and none of the bad… it was just too dishonest for my liking. At least when I’m sat in front of someone I can get a sense of who he is right away without having to fight through a layer of online misdirection.

  It probably would’ve been fun to come together had we both been single, but Lucia was all wrapped up in her new life; what with her sinful-as-hell, hot, football husband and gorgeous little baby, Nora, who I spoiled unmercilessly. Not to mention all the new pro sports team clients she kept reeling in. I didn’t know how she did it. She was Wonder Woman and there I was feeling like a Marvel reject. So no, it wasn’t like I could drag her along with me.