Light Up My Life Read online

  After that first double, I faced Kat twice more at the plate. I hit a base hit both times, and both times with runners in scoring position. We won the game five to two. It was a fun time. I could never get enough athletic competition in my life.

  “Oh, is that right?” she asked.

  “It is,” I said. “believe it.”

  She sauntered slowly towards me. “That’s cute. You are one of two people who actually got a hit off me today. I’d say those are pretty good stats.”

  I shrugged. “Are you saying I’m that good, or the rest of my team is that bad?”

  She chuckled quickly and tried to catch herself. “Wow, a bit full of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “Seriously, though. Where did you play before? College?” I asked.

  “I was playing in college,” she said. “But I had to drop out. It’s a long story.”

  “I’m not busy at the moment,” I said.

  “Well, maybe some other time,” she said.

  “Some other time? Like over dinner?”

  She smiled. “Are you asking me out? Is that why you are showering me with so much flattery?”

  I shook my head. “No. I’m not asking you out.”

  Kat seemed confused. “What do you mean? You just asked me to dinner, unless my hearing is going in my old age.”

  “Let me see your phone.”

  “What?”

  “Let me see your phone. I’m giving you my number. That way, when you decide that you would like to ask me out, you can just give me a ring.”

  She stared at me for perhaps ten seconds as if trying to decide how crazy I was. This was definitely a first for her, I could tell.

  Kat took her phone out of her pocket, unlocked it, and handed it to me.

  I typed in my info and gave it back to her. She looked at it and hummed a second. “Lance Dows.”

  I nodded. “That’s me. And you are…?”

  I held out my hand. She paused a moment and then took it. “Kat Sellers.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said.

  “Likewise,” she replied.

  I turned and walked away without giving even a slight glance back. I could tell she was a bit intrigued by me, possibly even watching me leave, but I would not give her the satisfaction of thinking that I actually cared. I was on her radar now, and I believed I’d made just enough of an impression.

  Now, I was not delusional enough to think that she would ever actually call me, but I had her name and she had my number. Hopefully, by one way or another, our paths would cross again sometime.

  When I got home, I took a nice, long shower. I found myself thinking about Kat and I was getting so hard that I could hardly stand it. I lathered up my hand and went to work beating myself off furiously in the shower. The entire time I kept imagining Kat’s hot, wet mouth wrapped around my cock, drawing me in and sucking me hard.

  Oh… I wanted so badly to slip my cock between her lips and watch her beautiful face as I slid deep down her pretty, soft throat. I bet it was tight and hot... wet… I wanted her teeth to scrape the skin of my long, thick dick. I bet she’d love the taste of my hard cock as she sucked it harder and harder, her lips tightly gripping the base as my balls pounded into her chin almost painfully until that moment when I finally blew my load inside of her mouth.

  “Fuck!” I yelled as I came hard in my own hand. My cum sprayed against the walls of the shower before the water rinsed it clean down the drain.

  I stood there a moment feeling week and wobbly in the legs. Wow, that was intense. I couldn’t wait to try out the real thing with Kat.

  Would she call? I doubted it, but I had faith that somehow, we would meet each other again. It had happened once, and I wasn’t sure I really believed in happy accidents like that anymore.

  I stepped out of the shower, put on my boxers, and then sat down on my couch with an ice-cold beer. It was nice being alone at night like this. There were times when I was lonely and I wished I had some company, and there were several numbers I could call of great women I’d dated previously. Hell, they would probably be over in a split second, but I wasn’t interested. I could only think about Kat.

  She was really something. Watching her play out on that field spoke to me. I admired her grit and competitive nature. I’ve always thought you could tell a lot about a person just by the way they play a game of skill. It was more than just how they used their skills, but how they adapted to challenges, and how they chose to overcome a loss. I could see all that in a game, an activity, or even in the way someone walked across the room. That was a skill I’d perfected when I was a kid. Observation and patience, things that made my dad think that I might be great in business one day.

  Hell, he might have been right.

  Chapter Four

  Kat

  “That’s Lance Dows,” Susie said when I joined up with her at her car. She was changing out of her cleats into some sneakers. I took the opportunity to do the same.

  “Yeah, that name sounds familiar,” I said. “I don’t know who he is, but he is interesting.”

  “I’ll say,” Susie replied. “His family is worth millions. His father is Roger Dows. He is loaded.”

  “Wait… the Roger Dows? Wow…” I said.

  “And Lance likes you! That’s awesome. But I do have to warn you that he has a bit of a reputation.”

  “What reputation?” I asked. Then I caught myself. “You know what…I don’t even care.”

  Susie laughed. “Bullshit. I just caught you. I can tell when you are into a guy. You like him, don’t you? Why not? He is gorgeous.”

  “It takes a lot more than a guy being gorgeous to pique my interest,” I said. “Besides, I’m not looking for anyone serious right now. You know this. I was just curious about this weirdo who gave me his number. I don’t know if I’ve ever called a guy before to ask them out. I would feel weird. Do other women do that? Because he acted like this was some sort of regular thing.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “I’ve done that several times. Guys like it.”

  I grimaced a bit. “I’m not sure if that’s for me. Besides, if a guy really wants to ask me out, then he has to have the balls to actually do it.”

  “Oh, and what he did wasn’t ballsy? I think it’s cool. It’s got style. Besides, from what I’ve heard, Lance has great big balls…”Susie teased.

  I punched her playfully in the arm. “You always have your head in the gutter, don’t you?”

  “Damn straight,” she said. “But seriously, you should call him. Let him take you to dinner. It’s not like you have to go out with him long term and get married. It’s just food. And hopefully, good conversation.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll think about it. I gotta run.”

  “Ok. Hey, thanks for filling in.”

  “Sure. It was a blast.”

  I drove home feeling a bit more optimistic about things in general. It had felt great being active and getting out there on the softball field again. I’d actually found a way to forget about my problems for a bit and just have some fun.

  As I drove, I found my thoughts drifting to Lance. That was definitely a name I was going to do some research on. Susie knew everybody. She was just one of those people. I felt strange for not knowing who this man was, but after the way he spoke with me I was very intrigued.

  And I loved to watch him playing ball as well. He was so strong and athletic. The way he moved across the field was like watching a Greek God in uniform, I bet he was chiseled. I knew I was attracted to him right away. He was sexy, and there was a certain level of charm to him that was impossible to resist.

  That might have been the reason why I was so leery to open up in front of him. And on top of that, I just didn’t want to have a relationship to maintenance in my life at the moment. I had some work to do on myself first. I really just wanted to take the time and get the rest of my life sorted out.

  I arrived home, took a shower, and then curled up in bed with a movie.

  T
he next morning, I woke up early and I knew immediately what I wanted to do. Last night had lit a fire under my ass and it all became clear what I needed to start doing to get my life back in order. I’d let go of far too many things that used to be important to me. It seemed that when my parents died, a big part of me died right along with them. And now it was time to reawaken some things within myself.

  I stopped at Kai’s Kickboxing Academy where I used to train. It was something I had started doing when I was just fifteen. I’d had a bit of trouble fitting into a new school when my parents decided to move to a different house in a new school district. And for whatever reason, some of the less pleasant members of the student body decided that I was to blame for whatever crap they were going through in their lives. From day one, I was a punching bag three to four days a week.

  Soon after I started showing bruises on a regular basis, my mom enrolled me in kickboxing. Within a few months I’d gotten good enough that I was able to defend myself in school. After I won a few scuffles, my bullies left me for easier prey.

  I loved kickboxing. It allowed me to center myself through the movement making me feel better emotionally and physically. Through it, I grew strong and developed self-confidence.

  When my parents died, I just let it go. I didn’t have the energy. But now, it was time to start reclaiming a good bit of who I used to be.

  When I walked through the doors, it felt like I’d never left. It still smelled the same. The walls were lined with heavy bags. I could feel the energy, the sweat, and the growth happening all around me even though it was almost empty this time of day.

  I couldn’t help smiling. My heart soared and I had the most intense feelings of happiness and excitement coursing through my veins. Why did I ever stop this?

  Then the tears began to come. I quickly wiped my eyes and tried to gain control of myself. I had cried a lot in this gym, working through pain, sweat, bloody bruises and scabs, ultimately the pain of growth and salvation. I knew that this was something that had saved me once and it had to save me again.

  “I don’t believe it!”

  I recognized the voice immediately. It was Jodie, my old friend and mentor. She ran up to me and gave me a big hug. It felt good to be in her embrace once again. It had been a long time. I just wanted to stay there forever and never go back to the real world, to the life that I felt like running away from most of the time. But standing there, I was reminded that running away was not the answer. No… in fact running away was the exact wrong thing. I had to face my problems once and for all.

  “Jodie, how are you?” I asked her after we ended the embrace.

  “I’m fine. We’ve all missed you,” she said.

  Jodie was about five years older than me. She’d taken me under her wing and been kind of a big sister to me when I first started there. She’d been through a lot of the same bullying issues that I was dealing with, and I felt that I could really relate to her.

  And now, standing there I felt that again.

  “Thanks. I’ve missed being here,” I said. “I’m not sure why it took me so long to come back.”

  “Well, you’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

  There was a long pause and I knew what she was about to say was heavy. “Hey, I was so sorry to hear about your folks. I tried to reach out to you.”

  “Yeah, for a long time I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I felt like it was my fault. I fell in this dark hole that just kept getting darker. But I’m ready to put all that behind me and get back to work.”

  “You want to hit the bags? See if you still remember some of the old moves?” she asked me.

  “Yep,” I said. “I can’t wait.”

  She ran me through a workout on the heavy bag, practicing my speed, accuracy, and coordination. Surprisingly, it was all coming back to me as if it was a sleeping giant that was quickly being woke up again. And there I was, ready for whatever was to come next. I felt so strong. It had been a while since I’d had that kind of strength inside of me. I felt like I could handle anything when we were done.

  “Wow,” she said. “You still got it. Hell, it’s almost like you never left.”

  “This feels so good,” I said. “I just want to keep doing it and never stop again.”

  “Good. I’m glad you are back. Are you coming to class tonight? I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you.”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’d be happy to. I feel weird coming back after all this time off.”

  “Well, your skills are still as sharp as ever and everyone misses you, so there is nothing to feel weird about.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “But I have to say… I don’t have any money to pay. I’m pretty short on funds.”

  Jodie smiled. “Well, I’m sure we can work something out. Have you ever thought about teaching? One of our instructors moved to Ohio and we have a spot open. It’s yours if you want it. Maybe in exchange for training?”

  “You mean that? Just like that? I can have the job?”

  “If you want it. We need you Tuesdays and Thursdays at six p.m.”

  “Absolutely, Im in.” I replied. I headed back to the locker room, took a quick shower and grabbed my bag before heading to work, like it was still my second home.

  I left the kickboxing center feeling like I was on top of the world. I was actually going to be teaching. I’d always thought about getting to that level, but never thought I’d be good enough. For Jodie to think that I was good enough now really meant the world to me. Especially after being out for so long. I guess muscle memory really was a thing.

  I arrived at the hair salon feeling on top of the world. I was practically humming as I went through the motions of getting my station ready for the day. I couldn’t wait to get through the next eight hours so that I could head to the dojo and teach.

  Jenna was a bit annoyed at my demeanor. “What are you so happy about?”

  “Oh, nothing in particular,” I replied.

  She gave me a fake smile. “Well, don’t allow it to interfere with your job. You can’t afford to mess up today.”

  I smiled and ignored her desperate attempt at bringing me down. I wasn’t having any of it. Nothing she could say or do was going to get to me today. I was determined to overcome this bullshit, soon my future was going to be full of bigger and better things. I had no idea what exactly, but I was certain that it was right around the corner.

  Cassie even noticed I was less affected by customers being rude to me today. I had an extra bounce in my step and I even briefly flirted back with a few of the guys who came into the salon and chose to give me their business, one of them even asked me out. Of course, I turned him down with the “I have a boyfriend” line. When he usually came in (he was so prissy and specific about every little thing) he would just kind of act like he thought I might bite his head off or something.

  “Wow,” Cassie said. “You are on fire. How many tips have you got today?”

  “I think, something like fifty bucks,” I said. “Every little bit helps, even if Jenna does take half of them.”

  “What’s gotten into you today?”

  “I don’t know. I’m just having a good day. Why?”

  “Well, it’s something you should keep doing. I have a feeling it will make for a much better life, not to mention, more money.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, I’m learning that. I think I’m just tired of being tired. Tired of my old excuses. So, I’m going to start making some positive changes in my life.”

  Cassie gasped. “You met a man!”

  I looked at her with widening eyes. “Are you mental? No, I did not meet a man.”

  She looked confused.

  “Well, actually I did… but I’m not going out with him. I’m not going to let anything happen with him.”

  She stared at me, and I knew she didn’t believe a word I said.

  “Ugh, ok! I played softball yesterday and this guy was there. We kind of hit it off a bit. He’s a great player. And my friend Susie sai
d he is from some rich family. His name is Lance Dows.”

  “Shut the front door!” Cassie said. “Lance Dows?!? Everyone knows who that is! Why are you not trying to get with him? He is so loaded it isn’t even funny.”

  “Well, I don’t care about things like that. I can pay my own way.”

  “Ok, but you have to admit, it’s just as easy to fall in love with someone who has money as it is with someone who doesn’t.”

  I smirked at her. “I guess, it’s kind of true, but I’m not looking for love with anybody. I’m just happy being by myself. I don’t need that kind of stress in my life right now. Im literally just getting my motivation back to get my life back on track, no distractions needed.”

  “Ok,” Cassie replied. “Well, did he even ask you out?”

  “He kind of did,” I said. “He gave me his number. Told me to reach out when I wanted company. Weird, huh?.”

  Cassie started laughing hysterically. “That’s awesome.”

  “Why is that awesome? What am I supposed to do with that?”

  Cassie pretended to think. Then she nodded at me. “Why don’t you call him?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not calling that guy.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because he might think I’m easy or something,” I said.

  “Do you like the guy?”

  “I guess I do,” I said.

  “Then go for it. What’s the hold up?”

  I sighed. A customer was coming through the door. “Because I’m not interested. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?”

  Cassie shrugged.

  I finished up the client and then I went to lunch. I was starving. As I ate though, I started to wonder if Cassie and Susie were right. Was I just hiding away in denial instead of seriously considering what might be there with Lance? I didn’t know the guy very well, but I had to admit that there was something there between us. It was hot and it was simmering just below the surface. Did I owe it to myself to at least check it out and see what it was?