contract?”
He grinned greedily. “Perhaps.”
“You would have saved a lot of money if you signed him in May, when he was slumping.”
“Our financial situation was different in May. How may I help you, Miss Betts?”
“I received your contract offer,” I said.
He steepled his bone-like fingers. “Are the terms unsatisfactory? Three years is quite standard for a coaching position. You are a valuable member of the team, and share a significant portion of the credit for their success. Theo would greatly like to have you back as the head pitching coach. As would I.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the contract,” I replied. “It’s very generous. But there is one condition I would like to add.”
“Name it.”
“Allow Theo to re-sign Joel Rogers.”
“Absolutely not.”
“It would be a steal,” I insisted. “Like when the Yankees traded Chapman to the Cubs for prospects, then re-signed him in the off-season. And Joel makes our team better. He’s great for marketing. It’s a huge win all around.”
“Joel is incompatible with the values of this team.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Mister Delorian. Come on. I know he said some hurtful things in the clubhouse this summer, but a man like yourself doesn’t become the owner of a sports franchise by letting his emotions cloud his judgment. Signing Joel is the smart business move. So what if you don’t like him? I would argue that the best way to get revenge is to profit off him. Pull him back under your influence and control. Make money off him.”
Delorian’s sunken eyes were a mystery as he listened to me. “I shall consider this.”
“I hope you will,” I said as I opened the door. “Because that’s the only way I’ll accept the coaching position.”
We were sharing beers around the pool later that night when Joel got the phone call. He got up and went inside, but we could hear sounds of excitement and jubilation.
“Four years, twelve million per year!” he told us when he returned.
“You going to entertain other offers?” Rafael said. “Kimbrel got sixteen mil per year…”
“Man, I made the league-minimum this year,” Joel said. “A forty-eight million dollar contract feels like infinite money. I told my agent to accept!”
I jumped up and hugged him tightly. “Now we have two reasons to celebrate tonight—both you and Darryl signed contracts today!”
“Looks like we’re going to be together for a while,” Rafael said.
We opened another bottle of champagne and I raised a toast. “To the Texas Rangers, who are keeping us all together.”
“And who brought us together in the first place,” Joel said.
I laid back down in my pool chair. Winter hadn’t struck Texas yet, and it was a pleasant night. “We’ve come a long way since spring training.”
Rafael nodded. “I signed an extension in July, and all three of you have received new offers in the past day.”
“I meant us,” I clarified. “The four of us together have come a long way. Do you remember that first night in spring training?”
Rafael grinned. “I remember going back to your hotel room and really getting to know you.”
I giggled. “You were an asshole to me at first. You scoffed when I claimed you were tipping your pitches.”
“I underestimated you.”
“You’re not the first one.”
“Yeah, she’s tough,” Darryl said. His smile turned lustful. “She can take a lot more than I expected.”
Rafael suddenly sat up. “We still haven’t done that thing we talked about.”
“What thing?”
“After winning the ALCS,” Rafael replied. “You suggested trying something extra special. I wasn’t in the mood at the time, and we said we would save it for after the World Series.”
Joel’s eyes lit up. “What was it?”
“Who says you’re involved?” Darryl said.
“I don’t want to be left out.”
“All of you are involved,” I said with a smile. I spread my legs slightly on the chair. “It’s simple math. There are three of you, and I have three holes…”
I bit my lip as they considered what I meant.
Rafael climbed over to my chair and kissed me. I spread my legs more for him so he could sink into my body, pressing his weight against my jeans shorts. I was wet within seconds, both from the feel of his tongue in my mouth and the thought of what they were going to do to me.
While Rafael slid down between my legs and unbuttoned my shorts, Joel removed my top and bra. The air felt cool on my breasts until he took them in his hands. He kissed me on the lips for just an instant before bending to my chest to lick my nipples, first