Caught Looking (Hot-Lanta Series)

  He had the worst start to his season he had ever had. He had not hit one ball and had committed a handful of errors that normally he never would have made. He started to get booed at the stadium and lose all credibility. They had to head out to play the Phillies and Brady didn’t know how he would be able to manage, especially since he would be so far away from Jane.

  Life turned into a robotic routine for him. He woke up, worked out and headed to the stadium. He avoided all press because thanks to Laney his face was plastered on all the gossip magazines as well as Laney and Jane’s beat up face when she stood in Brady’s driveway. He could not get the images out of his head and the media did not help.

  The sports channels started to nail him in the highlights for letting his personal life affect him, which was true but in every report they never failed to show a picture of Jane in the corner of the screen. He could give two shits about the press ragging on him about his game but why plaster Jane’s face everywhere? That was most likely another reason why Jane wouldn’t talk to him.

  Michael was a decent guy and kept Brady updated on Jane’s recovery. It physically made him ill, that he was not there, holding her, taking care of her and making sure she was ok. He had to rely on everyone else to make sure she received the best care she needed. Michael said she had not started back at work yet but Patty held down the fort like a pro and put out all fires that might have started while Jane was away.

  The team was supposed to leave tonight to go to Philadelphia. Brady had to pack but could not muster the energy. His phone started to ring and his heart dropped, he prayed Jane might be calling him. Fat chance. It was his manager, Deek Jones.

  “Hey Deek.” Brady answered.

  “Matthews, I need you in my office in an hour.”

  “Is everything ok?” Brady started to get nervous. He knew his contract protected him from being traded so that was not a concern he needed to worry about but he still felt nervous whenever his manger called him into his office.

  “Just get here in an hour.” Then Deek hung the phone up.

  Crap! That was not good. Most likely Deek’s phone call was about Brady’s performance. He was so not in the mood to be yelled at by his manager. Deek Jones could be one terrifying guy if he wanted to be. Deek had a bit of a pot belly and one serious mustache. He played many years ago and was decent as a ball player but was by far a better manager. He was well respected and everyone listened to the man and didn’t question his actions.

  Brady groaned, got up and started to pack for Philly. He might as well pack now because he most likely would not have a chance to get back to his house before the team left.

  ***

  Michael walked up the steps to Jane’s apartment. He had flowers with him and chocolate per her request. Jane was not faring well. Physically she was improving every day but emotionally she was a wreck. She was still madly in love with Brady, no matter how much she denied it, she wasn’t fooling anyone.

  Michael let himself in with the key she gave him a couple of days ago. It was easier for him to have a key than for her to have to get up and crutch her way to the door to let him in.

  He walked in her apartment enjoying the smell of Jane. Helping her out these last couple of days had really brought up some old feelings he harbored for her but he had to make sure to keep them under control. He knew his feelings could not formulate into anything between them, he had no chance with Jane. He closed that chapter of his life a couple of weeks ago when Brady helped him through the complications of his marriage.

  Michael walked over to Jane, gave her a kiss on the cheek and delivered her chocolates. He loved the way she ate them. She poked every single one and depending on what came out, she made her decision if it was worthy enough for her delicious lips. Okay, enough Michael. Feelings about Jane are in the past.

  Jane moaned as she put a chocolate in her mouth and Michael nearly keeled over. He searched Jane’s kitchen for a vase to put the flowers in while she destroyed the box of chocolates he brought her.

  “These are hitting the spot, thank you Michael.” Jane said with a mouth full of chocolate. “Although, I should probably not be eating these since I have no way to work them off. I’m going to become a big old fatso thanks to this bum leg of mine.”

  Michael placed the flowers in a vase and disagreed with her. “Jane you have had the same rocking body since I’ve known you in college. Believe me and don’t forget I watched you go through your ice cream sandwich for dinner every night phase, I’m pretty sure you are going to be ok with a couple of chocolates.”

  Jane laughed and patted the seat next to her for Michael to sit down. He sat down and tried to keep a distance, he still didn’t trust himself completely even though he knew he tried to shut that part of his brain off.

  “When do you leave for Philly?” Jane asked putting another chocolate in her mouth. It looked like an orange cream filled one, one of his favorites.

  “In a couple of hours, I wanted to stop by your place and make sure you were all set for the night. Molly is coming over later, right?”

  “Yea she has Jane duty later. I feel like such an idiot being waited on. I really can get around on my own, you know.”

  Michael knew, and he also knew how stubborn Jane was. She would break her other leg just to prove she could do things by herself but Michael and Molly both agreed that they and Albert would take shifts in watching Jane because they were nervous about her break up with Brady. She cried straight through the day the first couple of days but today she actually started to look human again.

  Michael knew Brady felt the same way as Jane, if not worse. Michael wished Jane would just let Brady speak to her. He knew Brady had played terribly because he was completely at loss when it came to love and Brady could not function since he hurt Jane so badly.

  Jane interrupted his thoughts when she placed her hand on his thigh and her head on his shoulder. “Thank you so much for being there for me Michael. You have always been there for me, no matter what even when I was a complete bitch during my George years.”

  “Well, you do still owe me from dealing with your alter ego.” Michael joked as he tried to get the thoughts out of his head of Jane’s touch that radiated heat through his body.

  She started to rub his leg up and down and sighed. “What am I going to do Michael?”

  Michael didn’t know how to answer her question so he just let it hang in the air. Her touch was starting to affect him a little so before he embarrassed himself he got up and asked if she wanted anything to drink.

  “You don’t have to get me anything but since you are up, I will take a ginger ale if there are any left. Albert was sucking them down the other night with gin mixed in. Apparently me crying hysterically was too much for him to handle.”

  Michael laughed, “Well you have been a handful lately but we are here because we love you.”

  “You mean that, you love me?”

  Michael shut the refrigerator door placed the drinks on the counter and leaned over the bar as he looked Jane in the eyes. “Jane I have always loved you, you know that. I have loved you as a friend and I have loved you as more. I always have and always will.”

  What was he doing? He should just shut up. What happened to closing that chapter of his life? He brought the drinks back to the couch and handed Jane hers. She set it on the table without taking a sip and turned toward him.

  She stroked his jaw lightly with her delicate hand and said, “Oh Michael, I’m so sorry I put you through such hell.”

  Michael could not help but get lost in Jane’s eyes. They were full of sorrow and sadness. He knew the sadness was not for him though, it was for the loss of Brady in her life but he could not help but imagine what it would be like to have the love of Jane that he always wanted. Jane pulled Michael in for a hug. Her breasts pressed against his chest and he started to get hard. He needed to pull himself away from this situation before he let his feelings take over his actions.

  “Jane, don’t think twice
of it, that’s what friends are for.”

  Michael was about to get up when Jane grabbed his face with both her hands, her face mere inches from his. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be more than just friends?”

  Michael’s heart stopped beating and his breathing was non-existent. Was she for real right now?

  “I think about it every day Janey Bear.” Michael was honest with her. He knew he could never have Jane’s heart like Brady did but he knew that if he never said anything he would regret it.

  “Jane, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met and I know I will never meet anyone who comes close to you but if being your friend is what gets me close to you, then I will forever be your friend and nothing more.”

  Jane’s eyes were watery and then she did something he never thought she would do. She put one hand on his chest and the other behind his head and pulled herself on his lap. She slowly lowered her hand on his chest as she stroked his muscles up and down.

  Michael did not dare breathe, any slight movement might scare her away. She began to cry which Michael thought was strange but she had been crying a lot recently. She lowered her mouth toward his and he licked his lips right before her plump lips met his. She slowly kissed him on his mouth, nothing evasive just sweet kisses. There was no passion behind them; just the touch of human on human like their relationship had always been like.

  Michael could not help but think that the passion she had for him will never be at the same level as the passion he had for her. He separated himself from her and set her on her side of the couch. Breathing heavily Michael ran his hand over his face.

  “What is wrong Michael? Did you not enjoy that?”

  “Jesus, of course I did. I’m so hard for you right now it is ridiculous.” Michael watched Jane blush. “But the fact is Jane, you were not enjoying it. I know what it feels like to be kissed by someone who is madly attracted to you and someone who is kissing you out of pity. I’m not mad at you, but you were not kissing me with passion. I don’t need your pity Jane. I have always been fine with being friends with you. I don’t want to be your toy to play with to get back at Brady. I don’t deserve to be treated like that”

  Michael knew he was being harsh but he needed to be honest. His heart was not hers to play around with. Maybe Brady’s but not his. Jane looked furious, she did not move for a second and then out of nowhere her hand slapped the side of his face. What the hell!

  “How dare you accuse me of using you?”

  Michael was astonished at first but once he got his wits about him he realized what was happening. Jane wanted to turn this around on him. Oh no, he was the one being fucked around with. He shot off the couch and paced the living room.

  Finally he shouted, “If you are not using me, then what the hell are you doing Jane? You can’t sit there and tell me you are not in love with Brady still. I know you are. It is all over your face. What I don’t get is why you won’t see him and end everyone’s misery.”

  Jane grabbed her crutches and started to get up. “Well I apologize for making your lives so miserable. I did not ask for you guys to babysit me twenty-four-fucking-seven. I can do things on my own so you can take the pity party you have been throwing me and take it somewhere else.”

  Michael was furious with her. She was being so un-grateful. She started to the door to clearly let him out but he stopped her in the hallway.

  “Really Jane? Playing the woe is me card a little early, aren’t you?”

  “Fuck you Michael! Get the hell out of here.”

  Michael did not move a muscle he wouldn’t leave her like this no matter how mad he was. He turned, grabbed her, knocked her crutches down and threw her over his shoulder. He carried her to her bedroom while she kicked and screamed the whole time, he threw her on her bed and went back to the kitchen to grab her some food and the ginger ale she never touched. He came back and she was curled on the bed crying. Michael sighed and sat on the bed next to her. He touched her shoulder and she pulled away.

  “Jane, listen I’m sorry I accused you of using me…”

  Jane interrupted Michael, “Michael stop. You were right. I was using you and that was so beyond fucked up of me. I’m so sorry.”

  Jane cried in her hands as she rocked back and forth. Shit, he was right. She was using him. He could not help but be furious. He tried to calm himself before he spoke because he didn’t want to say anything he would regret later.

  “Jane I’m going to leave, I don’t want to deal with this right now. I’m done being in the middle of your relationship with Brady. If you are still in love with Brady then grow up and deal with your problems. If you don’t want anything to do with him then put the guy out of his misery and tell him. Either away stop being a child and face your problems head on. It is about time you stop hiding behind everything and using excuses for your problems. I’ll let Molly know I left early from your apartment. I will talk to you later.”

  Michael grabbed his keys and left Jane to think about what he said. He decided to just drive to the stadium and hopefully Brady was there because it was about time Michael paid him a little visit.

  ***

  Jane just laid there on her bed for a while and thought about how her life had gone from perfectly in love to crying in her bed with a broken leg and her friend yelling at her. She knew she was wrong in using Michael. She felt like a complete shit because she kissed him and when she kissed him she knew she felt nothing, nothing at all.

  Jane thought about what Michael said. She was not entirely sure what she wanted in her life. She knew her career was right where she wanted it. Her love life on the other hand was a pile of trash. She still hurt from seeing Brady with Laney and hearing about how she had been contacting him for a while. Why did he not tell her? Duh Jane, because he didn’t want her to know he was cheating on her. She felt so much worse than when she found George humping Rebecca’s brains out.

  She actually trusted Brady and believed him when he told her he would never hurt her. He told her he wanted to be with her forever and make her his wife. Was he fucking Laney when he was telling her that? Or was that just a recent development? Either way she could not stop loving him. She wanted to so badly but it was not like a switch she could just turn on and off.

  She realized she had to go to the bathroom but her crutches were all the way in the hallway near the front door. Annoyed, she crawled off the bed and headed for the bathroom. She was too tired to make it to the bathroom so instead she just laid down on the floor for a while and cried as she felt the coldness of the tiles touch her face. Man she had hit rock bottom if her bathroom floor was the one soothing thing in her life.

  ***

  Brady got to the stadium and went directly to the clubhouse. He dreaded this meeting with his manager but he had to just get it over with. He knocked on his manager’s door and Deek answered in a gruff voice to come in. Brady entered the office and was instantly smacked in the face with the musky cologne of Deek Jones. He wore a brand that all the guys in the clubhouse called Deek’s stink. They were not sure where the man got it, but it must have been fifty years old and out of production. The guys were almost positive when the company who made the cologne shut down Deek bought out all of their remaining inventory.

  Brady tried to ignore the stench filling his nose and sat down. Deek stood up and paced behind his desk, he looked extremely irritated. He rummaged under some papers on his desk and threw a magazine in Brady’s direction. It had Brady and Jane’s face plastered all over the front with the title, “Naked Dispute: Brady’s Brunette Exchanged for Blonde Bombshell.” Fuck!

  “Please tell me this is not the fucking reason you have not had one hit in the last three games and the piss poor excuse for your fielding skills.” Deek yelled.

  Double Fuck. Anyone who knew what Brady was going through right now knew that the reason his performance on the field was so terrible was because of the situation with Jane. Brady could barely function in everyday life let alone on a field
with thousands of people watching him. Brady did not know how to answer the question, all he could focus on was the picture of Jane on the magazine cover with the look of horror and heartbreak on her face. Brady just lowered his face and shook his head.

  “Jesus Christ, Matthews. Are you shitting me? You’re seriously letting a girl affect your performance? You are supposed to be a leader on this team and there you are pussy footing around because your heart is broken. Well get used to it, it happens to all of us. It’s the people who separate their personal lives from the ball field who are the greats. Are you going to be someone who is taken down by their personal life?”

  Brady was so furious by now he was about to lose it. He wanted to reach across his manager’s desk and punch him several times in the face. Deek had no clue about the hell Brady had been through in the past couple of days. Brady just shook his head in agreement and did not look at the bastard.

  Deek continued, “Seriously Matthews, no hits and five errors in three games is beyond pathetic. When did you become such a damn softy? Do I need to coddle you and rock you back and forth, stroking your forehead, while telling you everything is going to be ok? Do you need me to warm you some milk and put your fluffy slippers on your feet and talk about your feelings? Shall I call your mummy and tell her that her little Brady boy needs his mummy? Should I tell the camera’s to not focus on you in the dugout so you can suck your thumb in between innings like an infant? I should bench your ass for such poor performance, if it wasn’t for your…”

  Brady could not take it any longer he jumped out of his chair and threw it across the room.