Playing the Field: Batter Up

By J.M. Snyder

When the Wildwood Waves come to the Richmond Diamond, Rob Ritchie sneaks into the ballpark to watch them practice. He's spotted by the team's short stop, Mike Hennessey, a sexy man who takes a liking to Rob. Baseball banter turns into a date, and that evening Rob takes Mike to his favorite gay bar in the hopes of scoring a home run later in Mike's hotel room.

Somehow, amid the flirting and the sex, Rob conveniently forgets to mention he plays for the home team.

It isn't until Mike spies Rob on the baseball field facing off against the Waves that he realizes he slept with the enemy. Rob knows Mike's upset, but can he talk his way back into the short stop's bed after the game?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Jul 24, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611523720

J.M. Snyder

An author of gay erotic romance, J.M. Snyder began self-publishing gay erotic fiction in 2002. Since then, Snyder has worked with several e-publishers, most notably Amber Allure Press and eXcessica Publishing.Snyder’s short fiction has appeared online at Ruthie’s Club, Tit-Elation, Eros Monthly, and Amazon Shorts, as well as in anthologies released by Alyson Books, Cleis Press, and others.For more book excerpts, free fiction, and purchasing information, please visit http://jmsnyder.net.

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Playing the Field: Batter Up

By J.M. Snyder

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2012 J.M. Snyder

ISBN 9781611523720

For more titles by J.M. Snyder at Smashwords visit https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/jmsnyder

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Cover Credits: Photographerlondon

Used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Playing the Field: Batter Up

By J.M. Snyder

The minor league baseball stadium in downtown Richmond known only as the Diamond seats 9,000 fans during a game, but on this cloudless July Sunday, Rob Ritchie is the only person in the stands. He sits on the lower level immediately behind home plate, where he can watch each player take a turn at the bat. This isn’t game day—it’s practice, and the team on the field is one he isn’t familiar with, the Wildwood Waves. Visiting from New Jersey, the Waves take on Richmond’s own Rebels in a week-long series beginning Tuesday.

Rob wears a Rebels polo shirt, the team’s signature R logo embroidered on a pocket above his left breast. Paired with his khaki shorts, the shirt makes him look like just another stadium employee, which is the impression he wants to give. So far no one from the visiting team has looked at him twice.

Good.

Sunglasses hide his eyes, so no one sees how closely he follows every swing of the bat. He holds a battered baseball glove idly in one hand, as if hoping for a foul ball to come his way. In his other hand is a cone-shaped cup full of shelled peanuts. Every time the player at bat swings and misses, Rob tips the cup into his mouth for a snack.

Most of the team has batted already. Rob’s made a mental note of each player’s number and what their swing is like. Number 12, left-handed, likes to bunt. Number 55 swings both ways, but tends to foul. Number 23, right-handed, chokes up on the bat.

The only players who haven’t been up yet are the pitcher, the umpire, and a man in a windbreaker