Sacrifice Bunt (Ground Rule Book 2)

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.

It was like she sensed Zara’s annoyance.

She swiped the screen before placing the phone by her ear. “This client emergency better not be you and Edwin locked in a hotel room.”

“While that sounds like a really great reason to stand you up, you and I both know I would never do that.”

Zara did know that. Hannah may love Edwin more than anything, but she’d never jeopardize her career. Hell, that was one of the reasons she and Edwin almost hadn’t made it.

“I know. What’s going on?” Zara slid her sunglasses back on her face and stepped back so she could talk privately without being overheard.

“Just some bullshit with a few sponsors who like to make my life hell.”

Been there. “Can I help?”

“Not with this, but I do need a huge favor from you.”

Zara’s stomach turned. She had no idea what the favor was, but something inside her told her she was not going to like it. “Why do I feel like you’re about to ask me for a kidney?”

Hannah laughed, but it was strained. “Because you know me so well.” There was a short pause. “I need you to go with Noah Ashe to a meeting with a sponsor.”

“No, anything but that.” She was right to think Hannah’s favor would be impossible.

“Zara, please. I can’t be there, and this is really important. You know I wouldn’t ask unless it was an emergency.”

“Fuck,” Zara swore. “I’d rather give you a kidney.”

“I know. Really I do, but I need you for this. There’s no one else there from Sports World, and even if there were, you’re the only one I trust to get it done how I’d do it.”

Zara sighed. “I hate you, you know that, right?”

“I do, and I’ll owe you forever for this.”

“Don’t think I won’t collect.”

“I’ll send you everything in an email, and I’ll tell Noah to be on his best behavior.”

“Like that’ll help,” she said under her breath. The man was her arch nemesis, and she wasn’t even sure he knew it. It was almost as if he didn”t remember her at all.

Which made it that much more frustrating when she thought about the night they met more than she should.

Not for any reason she could figure out, other than it was the most embarrassing moment of her life.

After hanging up with Hannah, she tried to put thoughts of Noah and that night out of her head. It was years ago, and if he didn’t remember it, she should let it go.

Easier said than done.

That night was cemented in her brain forever.

She’d had plans with a guy she’d gone out with the night before. Aiden. Only, when she’d shown up at his place, he wasn’t home. He texted that he was running late and to just use the key under the mat. Zara decided what better way to greet him than to be naked and ready when he walked in.

Only it wasn’t Aiden who walked through the door.

It was Noah.

At the time, she didn’t know or care who he was. She just wanted him to stop looking at her naked body.

His eyes raked over her skin, and to this day, she could still feel the heat of them as they perused her body. She was bold, asking him if he liked what he saw, but his answer of yes, and wicked fucking smile, only embarrassed her.

She did not get embarrassed about sex. She was open with what she liked and did, and never cared what others thought of her.

Something about Noah and the way he looked at her made her shy. Before she could grab anything to cover up her naked body, the fire alarm went off.

The fucking fire alarm.

This is where the story went from bad to worse. She wasn’t overly concerned, but the look on Noah’s face was one of complete panic and fear. He was screaming at her to leave and when she didn’t move fast enough, he threw her over his shoulder and ran out of the apartment and eventually out of the building.

With her still completely naked.

Her bare ass was on display for the whole world to see.

Okay, maybe not the whole world, but everyone who’d run out of the building and all the people outside watching.

When she finally got her first good look at the building, she was thankful he’d made her leave as quickly as he had because the whole thing seemed to be on fire. It was hard to be mad at someone who’d saved your life. After she calmed down, he sat her on her feet and gave her his shirt to cover up with. When she turned around to thank him, he was gone.

Poof, just like that. Almost as if he was never there in the first place.

For a while, she wondered if she’d imagined the whole thing. Then one night, after she’d graduated and gotten her job at Sports World, she was shuffling through files of potential clients, and there he was.

Noah Ashe, outfielder for the LA Emperors.

Because, of course, he was an athlete.

Somehow she was able to avoid him for years, even though he played for the same team as Heath and a few of her other clients. It wasn’t until he walked into her office almost six months ago that she’d come face to face with him again.

Where he acted as if they’d never met.

Was she so forgettable? Not that she wanted him to remember her, but still, it would be nice if her naked image was one he thought of often.

Wait, no, she did not want Noah Ashe thinking of her naked. She didn’t want him thinking of her at all. She wanted nothing to do with him, which was why she’d turned him down when he’d asked her to be his agent.

Then Hannah, her traitor of a best friend, went and took him on.

Seriously, wasn’t there some sort of girl code about that? Never take a client who has seen your best friend naked and watched a building burn down together.

If there wasn’t, there should be.

She’d look into adding it to the girl code book. In her spare time, when she had virtually none.

She paced the sideline of the field, clutching her phone in her hand waiting ever so patiently for the email from Hannah to arrive. What in the world could be so crucial that Hannah needed her to step in and help Noah? Especially when Hannah was aware of how much Zara did not want to be in the same room as the man.

Her phone buzzed, alerting her that the email had landed in her inbox. Zara opened it and began reading, stopping almost immediately.

Shit.

Of course, Hannah needed someone at the dinner meeting with Noah. It was with Power Punch, the world’s leader in sports drinks, and a sponsorship that every athlete and agent wanted. Zara had pitched several clients to them over the last few months, but they hadn’t liked any, and never even took a meeting. The fact that they were meeting with Noah was a pretty big deal.

She was shocked that Hannah wasn’t dropping everything to make this meeting.

Zara:

What could possibly be so important that you miss out on a meeting with Power Punch?

Hannah:

It’s not something I can talk about yet, but when I can, you’ll be the first to know.

Zara:

Fine, but you do realize I’m going to charm their asses off and you might lose them to me?

Hannah:

It’s a chance I’m willing to take.

She slid her phone into her pocket, continuing to wonder what could be so essential to make Hannah skip this meeting. She would never skip something this big. It had to be a scandal. Only a scandal would warrant missing this meeting.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t notice the shadow that fell over her. When she looked up, there stood Noah Ashe, looking smug as ever.

“It seems you’re my date this evening.” His smooth voice grated her nerves.

“It’s a dinner meeting.” Her words were clipped and showed no emotion.

He tipped his head, and even though he was wearing sunglasses, she could feel his eyes on her. “A dinner meeting with one of the biggest companies in the world when it comes to sports.”

He wasn’t wrong and that had her wondering why Power Punch had chosen him. How had Hannah sold them on Noah? Granted, she knew virtually nothing about him. Well, nothing major. Just that he was a great ball player, never in the news for a scandal, and was always smiling. She never looked him up or read anything about him on purpose. It was for her own sanity.

Once she started thinking of him, she’d never stop. And she did not want to think about Noah Ashe.

Not even a little bit.

He was the bane of her existence, and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Unfortunately, thanks to Hannah, that was all about to change.