Ann: A Love Story Ch. 03

"Careful, lover, or we're going to have to go again. Why don't we sleep for a while? We've got four games tomorrow," Dawn said quietly as I played with her nipple. We'd just finished another wonderful lovemaking session, and yet I couldn't seem to get enough of her.

She was right. We did have a long day ahead the next day. Some of it might even involve the softball tournament. I drifted off, dreaming of about her and I, making spectacular double plays, on the field, and in the bedroom.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The candles had gone out during the night, and yet it was light in Dawn's bedroom. I suppose I could make some tired joke about 'waking up at the crack of Dawn', but she was still resting her head on my shoulder. I'd like to say it was a tender moment, but it actually hurt. Hours of her head resting on the same spot had to take a toll. I was glad it wasn't my throwing shoulder.

Softball. Softball was the first real thought that entered my mind as I moved. Dawn felt me, and quickly jumped. I must have scared her.

"It's okay lover. It's just me," I said, trying to calm her. I was sure it had been a while since she'd woken up in bed with someone. Not as long as me, but it had to startle her.

"Are we late?" she asked.

"I don't know. What time are we playing?"

"10:00!"

I looked at the clock on her nightstand.

"No...it's only seven-thirty. We have time."

"No! We were supposed to have breakfast as a team this morning!"

"I'd rather eat you instead," I said, being mischievous.

"I promise we'll get to that later, babe. We won't make breakfast with them, but we need to eat something a little more nourishing than each other. I can't live on just swallowing your cum."

We got out of bed, and took another shower together. It was totally non-erotic, but our eyes and our minds betrayed us a little. Stealing little glimpses of the other; washing each other's backs, rubbing innocently against each other in the tiny space. For being non-erotic, it was amazing how it had the opposite effect.

As we stepped out of the shower, we toweled ourselves off. This time it wasn't because we were in the midst of the delicate throes of foreplay. It was out of necessity. If I had touched Dawn, we would have never left the house. I could see the fire in those steely eyes of hers, and that told me she felt the same way.

We walked out of the bathroom and went to get dressed. We noticed our clothes, folded neatly and stacked just outside the bedroom door. We never saw them as we passed the first time. Dawn laughed as she picked up the note on top. It was from Jill.

"Mark and Jill went to the breakfast. They figured we'd be running late. Jill's note says she hopes we don't skip the rest of the tournament. She says she'll understand, but Mark won't. She also says she thought that the clothes on the lawn were just a joke, until they saw the puddle on the porch. Mark confirmed it was what he thought it was."

I laughed out loud and picked up my stuff. Instead of getting dressed right away, I went into the kitchen and made us breakfast, still naked. Sure, it's not something the health department would approve of. But Dawn did. She stayed naked with me until we finished eating.

"Let me get this straight; a handsome guy with a huge cock who willingly eats out a woman like it's the most important thing in the world to him; and makes her cum like the Amazon is running between her thighs; and he's also an amazing athlete and he can cook too! I must have died and gone to heaven."

I smiled as I cleaned up the kitchen.

We got dressed and packed everything we'd need for a long day at the fields. I really didn't know what to expect, other than more softball. That only made it more exciting. As long as I was with Dawn, I knew I was going to have fun.

The drive to the fields was uneventful. Dawn had her game face on, and she was ready to play. I could see she had a competitive drive as big as mine, and I decided to join her. If we had to play instead of fuck each other senseless, then we were going to go out to win the damn thing.

We walked from the parking lot with our sports bags on our outside shoulders. Between us, we held hands. Mark and Jill saw us approach, and Jill put her hand over her mouth. Mark gave me a 'way to go, big guy' smirk, but didn't say anything. I think he knew where both Dawn and I were in our lives, and with each other. It was what it was, and he seemed happy for us.

Putting that aside, he seemed a little agitated, or perhaps nervous. I wasn't sure why. As we got to the dugout, Dawn froze in her tracks.

"Fuck!" she said quietly, but loud enough for me to hear.

My first reaction was she must have seen her old boyfriend. Depending on the point of view, it might have been worse.

Standing to the side was an older gentleman warming up. He wore the same uniform we were wearing; the white jersey version for the days games. Mark was avoiding looking at him, and that had to have something to do with his demeanor.

"Are you okay?" I asked Dawn.

"That's Earl's dad," she said, pointing at our new silver haired 'teammate'.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Earl was the bozo of a softball player that Dawn basically forced off the team. His dad was Harry, who was the 'S' in S-T Incorporated, the company Mark worked for. Harry was a VP, and Mark's boss. I swallowed hard, more for Mark than for myself. This was going to be very interesting.

I stayed near Dawn, if for no other reason than she was visibly nervous, and I cared about her. We warmed up together, whipping the ball back and forth, trying to out throw each other. Just the physical nature of it got her juices flowing, and that brought a smile to my face.

As we neared game time, the teams that were already playing on the field had to finish up. It meant we had to wait on the sidelines for a moment. Jill came up to us and smiled.

"I hear you two are having a good time."

"What makes you say that?" Dawn asked, being coy.

"We heard you two having a good time!"

Dawn didn't blush this time. She was proud.

"We'll try to keep it down tonight."

Dawn's comeback surprised me, just a little. Jill's surprised me a lot.

"Please don't. Mark really fucked the shit out of me last night. He got so horny from hearing you two we did it twice in an hour. That's a new record!"

I smiled and said, "We're happy to help. Maybe we can inspire you to set a new one tonight."

The fact that Dawn and I were so open about what we were going to do later was a huge step for me. I had never really been like that. I suppose being out of town helped me be more bold, but I liked the feeling it gave me. I actually felt sexy being with Dawn, and that was a big boost to my confidence.

The mood broke when Jill saw Harry walk over toward Mark.

"What's he doing here?" Dawn asked.

"Well, it IS his company, and this is an industry tournament. All the top guys from all the local companies play part of one game. I think it's some kind of macho thing. Harry is going to pitch the first game today. So we'll have an extra player for the first game. Someone's going to have to sit it out."

I figured that would be me, since I was the guest player and it had to be a guy that sat out because of the tournament rule of an equal number of guys and girls playing the field. I'd still get to bat, but I was already bummed about not playing up the middle with Dawn.

Jill must have sensed what I was thinking.

"Don't worry Neil. Mark said he was going to sit out the first game."

"Nah...I understand. I'm the new guy," I said, trying to hide my disappointment.

"No. Really, he knows you're a better shortstop. And we need you."

Mark took the time to introduce me to Harry before we started. I had not had the chance to meet him the day before. He stuck out the big slab of meat he called a hand, and slapped it into mine. He was one of those old school guys that tried to intimidate with a crushing handshake. It didn't work. I had a father just like him. Same business, same title in the company I worked for. I beat him to the punch and out squeezed him. When we broke the shake, he rubbed his palm like it was sore.

Harry seemed pleased I didn't back down from him, and that got me through the beginning of the game. But the tension during the game between Mark and Harry, and Harry and Dawn, ran thick during the first couple of innings.

True to his word, Mark sat on the bench and let Harry pitch. And Dawn and I shined up the middle all game long. Harry was not the greatest pitcher I've seen in softball, but he was ridiculously predictable. He pitched inside on every batter he faced, and they all pulled him. After the first inning, Dawn and I sat on the bench and talked. We were holding hands; she massaged mine after I took a hard shot bare-handing a ball on a bad hop and throwing it to her for a force at second.

"They've all pulled the ball," she said, almost like she was talking to herself.

"He's pitching inside. Every time," confirming what we had seen.

Dawn nodded. "If he does that on the next batter, we just need to play the pull, and we'll cover each other up the middle in case they swing a little late."

I'd never played with a guy that got the game that well. We were up by 12 going into the top of the fourth. The tournament was set up to get through games quickly. Batters started with a 1-1 count, and second fouls on third strikes counted as an out. And for the mercy rule, it went into effect if you were up 12 after four innings, or up 10 after five.

We went onto the field to start the fourth knowing we needed to hold them to win early. In a tournament, ending games early was huge so you don't waste energy you'll need in a later game.

Dawn made a great play up the middle on the first batter, and after Harry walked the next, she and I turned a cool double play to end the game. I dove to make a stop, flipped the ball to her from my knees; and she caught it barehanded as she crossed the bag and threw side-armed to nip the runner at first. She had kept running toward me after she threw.

She knelt next to me, and leaned down. We kissed right there, just to the third base side of second. Then she got up and helped me up, and we walked off the field holding our arms around each other's waists.

The first person to meet us as we walked off the field was Mark, who high fived us both. The second was Harry. He was ecstatic.

"I've never pitched a shutout before!" he said loudly.

We were surprised by his enthusiasm. He had almost shouted it. He looked at us and winked.

"Sorry. I used to work for the guy who owns that company. That's the first time I've beaten him, thanks to you two."

We nodded, but I could sense Dawn's nervousness again. I let go of her ribs and took her hand, letting her know I was right there for her. I suppose it was my way of protecting her, as small as it seemed at the time. But it seemed to affect her positively.

Harry saw what we had done, and he smiled.

"Dawn, you've never looked happier."

He gestured back and forth between the two of us, smiling.

"I don't know what this is between you, but it suits you, both of you. You deserve it Dawn. And Neil; thanks for playing with us. You were amazing. And thanks for all you and your company are doing to help us. Mark has nothing but great things to say about you and your customer service. We appreciate it."

Harry turned to Mark. I was concerned, but I felt Dawn squeeze my hand, and I could tell from her touch that she knew something.

"Mark. You've got guts. It took a big man to make the decision you did, taking a stand with Earl like you did. But it was the right decision. Neil proved that. You went with the best player, and didn't let who Earl was related to change your mind. If Earl was half the player he thinks he is, or half the man for that matter, he might amount to something. You also showed me something by taking yourself off the field. That's leadership, my boy. It takes a lot to swallow your pride and let a washed up old jock like me take your spotlight."

Harry stuck out the ham steak attached to his wrist. Mark shook it, stunned.

"Come see me in my office on Monday, Mark. I think it's time I listened to your proposal for growing your department." Harry walked away, and I could hear him whistling the Michigan fight song, "Hail to the Victors" as he went.

Mark had a look on his face that was questioning what just happened. Jill hugged him, jumping up and down. It appeared that Mark had just won more than a ballgame. He had won Harry's respect.

I looked at Dawn, and she had a sheepish smile on her face. I knew there was an answer coming to a question that I was going through my mind. I didn't have to ask.

"Neil, I should have told you. Earl was 'the boyfriend'."

I knew it the moment Harry said she'd never looked happier.

I gave her an understanding smile.

"It's okay Dawn. But I have to tell you, you shouldn't have dumped him for being a lousy fuck...you should have dumped him for being a lousy ball player!"

Dawn punched me in the arm, and then she pulled me along.

"Come on. We've got a couple of hours before our next game. Let's go for a walk to cool down."

~*~*~*~*~*~

It ended up as more of a walk to heat up. Dawn and I walked together to the east end of the complex, far away from the parking lot. There was a path that takes you across a footbridge that crosses the Huron River, which meanders through Ann Arbor, and sort of winds around the fields like a horseshoe. Near that footbridge, there was another bridge, for the Railroad track that runs through the center of the city.

We went off that beaten path, and went down the bank towards the water. Walking along the edge of the river, we passed underneath the Railroad Bridge, into a grassy clearing on the other side. Dawn stood there looking over the river as it flowed past us. It was a beautiful setting. We could not have been more alone, in the middle of a city of 100,000 people.

"This is my secret place," Dawn said, turning back to face me.

"At least I like to think it's just mine. I found this when one day when I got upset with how I played a game. I stormed off, pissed at Earl, and pissed at the world. He had gotten me so upset it effected how I played, and that made me mad. I just had to get away, and I started walking, wanting to get away from everything. I don't even know how I got here. I stayed for hours, just looking. I was trying to find me again. It's so beautiful here, isn't it?"

"Yes. It's really breathtaking."

We were silent for a little bit, listening to the water rush by and the leaves rustle through the trees.

Finally, Dawn must have grown restless.

"Aren't you going to ask me?"

"Ask you what?" I asked.

"Why I was pissed at Earl."

"I just assumed he booted a play at short."

"No...really. Don't you want to know?"

"If you want me to know, sure."

"It was because he was selfish in bed."

I was sad for her, and I really didn't know what to say.

"We had fucked that morning, and for like the eighth time in a row, he came in about 5 minutes, and I got nothing. He was up and gone, and that was it. I was so pent up sexually I couldn't even play ball. The more I thought about needing an orgasm, the more I obsessed about that, and I couldn't focus on anything."

I started to go down the path of comparing what I went through, and how her plight wasn't that bad. The old 'bad sex is better than no sex' argument. But I had a quick splash of common sense hit me, and realized that was stupid to even think that way. It wasn't a contest. She was sharing her pain. I just need to listen.

"Why did she do it?" Dawn asked.

"Who?"

Dawn looked at me. Her eyes met mine, and drew me in. She wanted to share my pain. Any other time, with any other person, I would have crawled into my shell like the turtle we saw sunning on a rock on the far bank. But I realized she wasn't being nosy. She wanted us both to heal, and this was what we both needed. It had to be more than just sex to make that happen.

"It was because she was selfish in life," I answered, staring at the water.

Dawn smiled at my phrasing. But I knew I had to be more forthcoming than that. I sat down on the on the soft grass by the riverbank, staring at the reflection the sun made off the surface. Dawn sat next to me and curled her arm around mine, resting her head on my shoulder.

"They say that it takes two to make a marriage, and it takes two to break it up. And for a long time I believed that; I took ownership for a lot of things that I never should have. I have a friend, Matt, who kind of smacked me around this summer and made me realize that."

Matt was a good friend. Actually, he was a kid, at 20 years old. He worked summers at the plant, and he basically pulled me out of my self-imposed hibernation. He got me active again, and keeping busy kept me sane. We had had a great summer to that point, and I was amazed at how someone so much younger could be so mature when it came to the crap I was dealing with.

"So, to answer your question, she WAS selfish. That's the only explanation for someone that cheats in a relationship, when the other person really was innocent. She's not a nympho, and she certainly wasn't sex starved those first few years. She craved the attention of guys, and she apparently doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'No'."

Dawn listened. She felt the angst in my voice, and she rubbed my arm gently to let me know she was there for me.

"She confessed the first time. I knew something wasn't right, but I wasn't smart enough to figure it out. I forgave her, and thought we had worked things out. She made up some shit that she wanted me to fix, turning it more into me than her. Seven months later, when we had slipped back into some familiar patterns in bed, I knew. Between the two, I liked the confession better. Catching them was not the movie moment I thought it was going to be."

"Same guy?" Dawn asked.

"No. Different. I felt bad, because I had another guy she worked with pegged as the prick. It turned out to be a different one of her co-workers, but he was a guy I thought was a friend. The fucker even invited me to play basketball with him and some of his buddies a week before I found out. I wondered for a long time if they all knew he was banging my wife."

Dawn put her arm around me, and hugged me at my waist. I felt safer. It was weird, but baring your soul exposes you, and that little gesture made me feel secure. I hadn't felt that way for a long time.

"Earl never really got me; never understood who I am. And he never tried," Dawn said, relieving me of having to continue.

"He just thought I was hot, and he thought that made him look good. But his ego was such a problem. The fact is he could never handle the fact that I'm a better ball player than he is. And it's not even close."

I nodded, because she was right.

"I made the mistake one night of telling him that I needed to cum because it relaxed me and made me play better. I can't prove it, because he never was a stud, but I think he was fucking me just enough to get me worked up, and then he'd cum and leave me suffering. I think he did it to make me play crappy, which made him look better. Why can't a girl be a better ball player than her boyfriend? Where the fuck is that rule written?"

Dawn went silent, and I guess that was her way of saying it was my turn. When I didn't say anything right away, she asked another question.

"What did you do when you found them?"

I laughed a little.

"I kicked his ass. Well, actually, I kicked his tiny little prick and nuts: several times. I'm not so sure that didn't hurt me more, though. If you're going to fuck around, wouldn't you think you'd at least upgrade?"

Dawn snorted.