Page 23 of The Battery
Outside, only a single string of Edison bulbs looping below the gutters of the back porch provided muted, dim amber light. None of the pool lights were on and I had to think he wanted to provide me with as much modesty as he could. A sweet thought. The hot tub was square-shaped, raised from the ground so water could spill from a fall into the pool. I glanced around me for what had to be the tenth time to make sure his backyard was truly private, then stripped naked and climbed in. No chlorine, thank the water gods. Instead, it was saline.
My body was nowhere near as defined as his, but I wasn’t lacking in the tone department. Years as a professional athlete had given me strong legs, muscled arms, and a flat belly. I tried to relax as best I could as I sat there with my bare ass against the curved tile of a seat.
Leo appeared a few minutes later from the screen door of the porch. He let it close carefully, then walked the pathway to thehot tub where he deposited a stack of towels and offered me an unopened aluminum bottle of lite beer.
“Absolutely,” I said as I grabbed it from him. His eyes traced my body, flashed below the surface. The lighting was poor enough that nothing of definition would stand out. He circled around to the opposite side, unceremoniously stripped bare, and then stepped in. I couldn’t pull my eyes from him, his unaroused manhood gently swinging before dipping below the surface.
He let out a long sigh as he extended both arms to the side, then kicked up his feet to rest on an open spot to my left.
“You probably hear this a lot,” I said as I twisted the top of the beer, “but your tattoos are so damn cool.”
Leo picked his head up from where it had dropped back. “Thanks.” He snatched his own beer and popped it open, then leaned forward. “Cheers.”
We clicked the bottoms and then sipped.
“Thank you,” I said. “For today. And for all the stuff. You really didn’t have to do any of that.”
He tipped his head in recognition. Said, “I like helping out the rookies. And Hill, you needed help.”
At that I laughed. “I will continue to need help, too.” I pulled a long sip of the beer. “Your uncle all good?”
He had been staring beyond me when he nodded but declined to say anything more. There was a barrier there I wouldn’t get past.
Leo adjusted his feet to cross the ankles. His toes knocked into my thigh. On instinct, I reached out and pulled his left foot onto my lap and began to rub. He let out an overdramatic moan of elation and dropped his head back. I chuckled in response.
“Yeah?”
“I am putty,” Leo said.
I would give him anything he wanted for however long he would let me stay. After eight hours of gift giving and pricelessadvice, I had a debt to fill. Strange how he didn’t expect anything from me in return. True, he suggested some skinny dipping, but nothing about his posture led me to believe he would be making demands. Was he… waiting for me to show that I was willing?
While rubbing his foot with my right hand, I extended my left along his other leg. It was a delicate touch, just a few fingers drifting along his skin so that he got the idea.
In the dim light, I could see the clarity find his eyes. Yep. He got the idea.
“Think you’ll tattoo the other leg?” I asked.
He shrugged in an awkward way, given how his arms were extended along the back of the tub. “Maybe.”
The man didn’t offer up too many personal details. I think I understood why. Like his uncle, I wouldn’t press to know more. He seemed open when we discussed the game. Anything veering away from that sat behind a gate that didn’t open.
Advice. Sex. That would be what this was.
The realization hit me and I didn’t mind it in the least. Best of both worlds.
“Why’re you smiling?” he asked with a funny tone.
“Oh. Nothing. It’s been a good day.”
He leveled that gaze at me. “Wanna make it better?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Leo
Cody got hisshot at redemption during game sixty-four against the Ottawa Diamonds. Once again, the coaches put him in during the fourth inning.
The day before, we had prepped with the comp notebook I filled up for him. We loaded my SUV with all the swag I let him take and I drove him home. Told him to get a good rest and not tinker too much with the fun new toys. Today’s game would be one of the more important ones of his career. It was during this game where we would get a shot at showing people that Cody could sustain the attitude he had in the minors.
