Playing the Field (Hot-Lanta Series) (11 page)

             
“Can’t afford your own Frisbee Sully? Have to take the free one from the bank?”

             
Marc shrugged his shoulders. “Why would I buy one when I can get one for free?”

             
Patty laughed, “Maybe because you make millions of dollars a season.”

             
“Irreverent.” He clapped his hands. “Let’s see it big shot. Show me what you got.”

             
Patty really wasn’t good at Frisbee she was all talk in her e-mail and Marc found that out very quickly after the third time he chased her toss down. He walked over to her as she kicked some grass with her toe.

             
“It seems to me we have a liar amongst us and I know it’s not me. What happened to the Queen of Frisbee?”

             
“I might have exaggerated a little.” Patty said shyly while holding up her fingers to show how little experience she had in tossing Frisbees.

             
“A little?” Marc exclaimed. “That is an understatement, here let me show you and don’t swat me away. I’m not trying to be fresh.”

             
Marc took her and pulled her into him. Her back was to his chest and he put the Frisbee in her hand. He brought her arm back and forth showing her the motion and taught her how to use the flick of the wrist to propel the Frisbee forward. She practiced a couple of dry throws with him and then he jogged back out to his spot.             

             
“Alright, just remember what I showed you.” He said while holding out his hands.

             
She cocked her arm back and flicked her wrist toward him. The Frisbee flew out of her hand and in a perfect motion took off and landed miraculously in his hands without him having to move an inch.

             
“You did it!” He said. 

             
She did! She jumped up and down in excitement and did what she called her touch down dance. She broke out into the moon walk but wasn’t watching where she was going because she tripped over a rock and fell flat on her ass. Her face turned red in embarrassment and Marc came rushing over to her.

             
“Are you ok?”

             
No! She was mortified. “Yea, I’m fine.” She said trying to get up.

             
Marc lent her his hand and pulled her up laughing. “Well we just need to work on your dancing skills and then we will be all set.”

             
Patty punched his arm. “Shut up, I’m sure you’re not much better.”

             
“I’m pretty sure I would have seen the massive rock I was playing near and recognized that it was not the optimal area to conduct the moon walk.”

             
“Well you are just perfect aren’t you?’

             
“I like to think so…come on MJ, let’s go get one of those infamous cupcakes you were talking about. My treat and don’t sass me about it. It is the least I can do after you gave me such a great memory to laugh at for years to come.”

             
“I’m so glad I was able to entertain you.” Patty said still embarrassed.

             
“Don’t sweat it Patty Cakes only a couple of dozen people saw you fall. I think they were more impressed with your flawless transition of throwing your lawn mower dance move into reverse which led straight to the moon walk. That was quite impressive."

             
Patty just shook her head and walked over to the café with Marc after putting the Frisbee in his car. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders while they waited in line and she placed her head on his chest. She didn’t care about the “no touching” rule right now, she just wanted to be comforted for a second.

                                          ***

              Marc knew his plan to win Patty over was starting to work. She didn’t protest his full on embrace earlier and was now leaning against him in the bakery.

Like hell he wanted to be just friends with Patty. Oh no if anything after these past couple of weeks of being friends with her he wanted to be with her more than anything. He loved her spirit and her company. She was easy to talk to, joke around with and spend time with. Nothing with her was ever awkward. Everything seemed so natural when it came to them. He only wished that she saw it as well.

              Marc was hoping that he would be able to be with her soon in a more than friends type way. He wanted to date her, badly. He wanted to make her his and take her off the dating market. He didn’t like that fact that any guy could take her away and sweep her off her feet. He would not allow that.

No
, he was going to win her over slowly but surely. The current moment was a brief glimpse of what he hoped would be their future, holding each other, treating each other out to a sweet and just spending quality time with each other. He knew they were meant to be.

             
They were next in line so he released his arm from her shoulder even though he didn’t want to and he asked her, “What shall I get?”

             
“A cupcake of course.” She said with a smile.

             
“Duh, but what kind? There are so many flavors I don’t know what to choose.”

             
“They are all good, it’s up to you.”

             
The worker over the counter asked what they wanted and before Patty could put in her order Marc said, “We will have one of each and two diet cokes.”

             
Patty looked up at him in shock. “You know there are about a dozen different flavors.”

             
“I know but this way I can try each of them and make an executive decision as to which one is best.”

             
“And you plan on playing a game tonight?”

             
“Yea noting like a massive sugar rush to get you ready. Come on, I saw a tree in the park that we can sit under and have a taste test.”

             
Marc paid at the register grabbed their goodies and led Patty out to the tree stopping at his car first to grab a blanket. He spread the blanket on the ground and helped Patty down. He sat next to her and opened the box of goodies. She was looking at him with a perplexed look.

             
“What?” He asked.

             
She shook her head and went to grab a napkin.

             
“Patty, talk to me.”

             
She looked up at him. Her eyes were the palest blue he had ever seen. He wished he could just spend a day in bed wrapped up in her arms just staring into her eyes. She startled his thoughts when she said, “It just seems to me like this is more of a date than a friendly outing.”

             
Damn, she was too smart for her own good. He knew putting his arm around her and offering to pay for the cupcakes might be too much but he couldn’t help it. He hated watching her pay for things when they hung out. He felt like such a dick especially since he clearly made so much more money than she did.

             
“Patty, I’m sorry if you…”

             
He didn’t get to finish, she put her hand on his thigh and said, “Its ok Marc. I don’t seem to mind it. Just don’t get any ideas.” Then she grabbed the carrot cake cupcake and took a gigantic bite of the sugary confection.

             
He smiled as she chomped down. She didn’t mind? Well, well, well, his plan was working. He grabbed the cupcake in her hand before she ate the whole thing.

             
“Hey, I was eating that!” She said in protest.

             
“I know and if I didn’t stop you, you would have eaten the whole thing before I could even start to unwrap one.”

He
shoved the rest of the carrot cake in his mouth and then proceeded to lick his icing-coated fingers. The look of shock on her face was hilarious.

             
“I cannot believe you just did that!” She said with her hands on her hips. “Marc Sullivan, you are in deep trouble.”

             
“Oh yea? What are you going to do about it?” Marc said with a mouthful of the most delicious and moist cupcake he had ever eaten.

             
Before he knew it Patty pinned him to the ground straddling his waist with his arms at his side. He quickly swallowed what was left in his mouth before he choked.

She lowered her head down to his. My god was she going to kiss him? She was mere inches from his face when she bent down even fart
her. He sucked his breath in. His entire body tingled with anticipation. She ran her hands up his chest and was about to kiss him when he felt a pinch on his right nipple. He flew his arms up to stop her little pinching fingers before they made permanent damage.

             
“Jesus Christ woman!”

             
She just sat on him laughing hysterically. “Glad you learned your lesson. Don’t take a girls sugar away from her.” She got off of him and reached for her drink. He sat up rubbing his nipple.

             
“Damn I don’t think the poor sucker is ever going to recover from such an attack. The left nipple is going to make fun of him.”

             
“Sully, you have problems.”

             
Marc sat there trying to recover from the almost hard on Patty could have felt if she was sitting just a few inches south of where she was.

             
“Ha, if you only knew.” He said while reaching for another cupcake.

                                          ***

              Austin was putting some heating balm on his shoulder in the locker room when Marc came up and patted him on the shoulder.

             
“You recover from the other night man? Thanks to you, we all didn’t get any sleep.”

             
Austin laughed. Molly was really loud the other night in San Diego. He was nervous the guys were going to hear her and rag on him but they never did the next day. He wasn’t surprised Marc was giving him a hard time now.

             
“Took you long enough to say something.” Austin teased.

             
Brady came up to both of them and said, “If we said something to you the next day we might have hurt you. Seriously man can’t you keep your women in check?”

             
“Hey, I can’t help how much pleasure I bring them.”

             
Marc took up a chair next to Austin and said, “Sounded more like she was faking it to me.

             
“You would know, Marc.” Brady said smiling.

             
“I wouldn’t know anything right now that’s for damn sure. I haven’t gotten any in quite some time. I’m almost positive last time I checked my sac, I found blue balls.”

             
“Damn what happened to Mr-new-girl-every-night?” Austin asked.

             
“He has a new prospect he’s working on.” Brady added. “How is it going with Patty? Making any progress?”

             
Austin watched Marc run his hand through his hair and down his face.