Page 1 of Sacrifice Bunt

Chapter 1

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Zara

Some days, she absolutely loved her job.

Who was she kidding? It was most days, especially when she got to stare at hot guys in tight white pants.

Baseball pants were a gift from God. A god who definitely liked men because only a person who liked men understood that those white pants on a firm ass were one hundred percent sexy.

As a sports agent, she saw men and women dressed in every type of uniform imaginable. Tennis skirts or tight shorts, baggy basketball or soccer shorts, football pants, and anything and everything else in between. The baseball pants were the only thing that ever got her engine running.

Not for lack of trying to shut it down.

As a woman in her field, dating a player of any kind was off-limits. Technically, it wasn’t off-limits unless she was their agent. Her own code though, one she’d given herself many years ago, made it off-limits.

No dating, or, in her case, sleeping with athletes.

Which was fine by her. She talked about sports all day, every day. She'd rather talk about anything else when she went home at night or out on a date. The weather would be preferable to sports.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t admire their asses in those white fucking pants.

She’d just gotten to the stadium in Arizona, where she stood on the side and watched both Arizona and Los Angeles take batting practice. She represented several guys on both teams, which was why she’d flown out to watch the game in person. It also helped that one of her best friends lived in Arizona and was married to a client.

She hadn’t seen Celia in person in months and was really looking forward to spending some time with her face-to-face. Calls and video chats were great, but nothing was better than in-person conversations. Celia had married Kyle Dulaney at the start of spring training, and she and her daughter Jasmine had left Valley Falls to be with Kyle in Arizona. Zara was happy for her friend, but she missed her dearly. She’d taken Kyle on as a client before he and Celia had gotten together, but now it was even better because she could see her friend whenever she met with Kyle.

Killing two birds and all that.

“Zara!” She heard her name being called, and when she looked around, found Heath Bailey coming toward her. Heath was not only her client but her friend. He also happened to be her best friend Hannah’s brother. She and Heath had been close since they met all those years ago while she’d been in college, and now they were even closer.

Not in a romantic way.

Yuck.

They were friends. Only friends.

“Bailey, aren’t you supposed to be warming up on the field?” Heath was a pitcher for the LA Emperors and was slated to be the starting pitcher for the game.

“Nature called.” He strolled up next to her, nudging her shoulder with his own. “When did you get here?”

“Just a little while ago.” She pushed her sunglasses up and perched them on her head. “Is Hannah here yet?” Hannah was coming to see clients, the same as her, but she was flying in from Tennessee after taking the trip with the Valley Falls Strikers and meeting some clients there.

And, watching her husband play.

Yes, Hannah was also married and to a soccer player, no less. Edwin Boyle had been Hannah’s client since she’d become a sports agent right out of college. Unbeknownst to Hannah, he’d been in love with her almost as long. She’d also been in love with him, but hadn’t realized it. Luckily, they figured it out. Now they’re happily married and living the dream.

Was it a dream to be happily married?

Zara wasn’t so sure. She loved her single life. Sometimes it got old, say, when she hadn’t had good sex in way too long, but most times, it was perfect. At least for her.

“Didn’t she call you?” Heath said. “Something came up with a client, and she isn’t going to make it.”

Zara deflated. They might live in the same town and work at the same agency, but she and Hannah had both been so busy the last couple of weeks that they hadn’t seen each other. Zara had been looking forward to girl time with Hannah and Celia. “Well, damn.”

“I better get back out there.” Heath jogged back out to the field, leaving her alone to be annoyed that Hannah wasn’t coming. She reached for her phone, planning to give her friend hell, but it rang as soon as she touched it.

Hannah was calling.

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