Playing the Field Series

Christian "Magic" Magdziuk is a minor league hockey player with dreams of heading to the NHL someday, and he'll do whatever it takes to make that dream come true. So he only plays with the Richmond Rebels for one short season before he asks to be traded to the Bedford Blizzard, a farm team for the American Hockey League where he might get a little more notice from scouts. His attitude on the ice left him few friends among the Rebels ... that is, until teammate Ronnie took a liking to him. One thing led to another and the two men became lovers during the time Christian played with the team. But when he transferred to the Blizzard, he left the Rebels -- and Ronnie -- behind. Now it's the first game of a new season, and he's facing off against his former teammates in the season opener. But does something still smolder between Christian and Ronnie after all this time?

A junior at Patten University, Sean Mason plays a left winger position on the men's intramural soccer team. In the three years he's been playing the pitch, he's never been interested in any of his fellow teammates ... until Cordero Jefferies joins the team. This is Cordero's rookie year with the team, but he catches Sean's eye the first day of practice. Sean wastes no time letting this fly brother know just how sprung he is. The feeling's mutual, and when the two hook up after practice, there's no denying the spark between them. Soccer is the only thing the two guys have in common. They share no classes, no mutual friends, and don't see each other outside of practice. Unfortunately, Sean is easily distracted by Cordero out on the field. Can he get his mind back on the game before the coach throws him off the team?

Greg Chennault has been a golf fanatic since he was a kid. When he was twelve, he managed to sneak onto a local golf course in search of a job -- there he met Trevor Johns, who taught him the sport. Greg caddied for Mr. Johns all throughout his high school years, and still recalls his time with his former employer fondly. His memories of Mr. Johns' young son Junior, four years younger than Greg, aren't quite as rosy. The boy annoyed Greg, and once he stopped caddying for the father, he promptly forgot about the son. Ten years later, Greg works at the Hermitage Country Club, which hosts an annual Mid-Atlantic Gold Tournament each Memorial Day weekend. When Greg notices Mr. Johns' name on the roster of registered guests, he thinks it'd be nice to see the old man again. But the young golfer who takes the JOHNS nametag is hot, sexy, and not at all who Greg expects. Trey Johns was once "Junior," and is now all grown up. His first crush was on Greg, his father's caddy, and when they meet again, he's quick to inform Greg that he's still as smitten as he was before. But Greg has reservations -- he finds it difficult to resolve the memory of a gawky teenage Junior with the confident man Trey has become. Greg's conflicting emotions almost blow the first chance he has with Trey. Will he get another?

At 33, Josh Helton isn't exactly on top of his game. Overweight and out of shape, he's content with his lazy lifestyle until he starts having chest pains. That wakes him up. After a hard look at his life, he realizes he isn't where he wants to be. His body needs work, and his love life does, too. Ditching his abusive boyfriend is just the beginning. Josh takes up running to get fit, and promises himself he'll run the annual Richmond 10K. It's on an early morning jog that he meets Chad, a sexy bicyclist who's everything Josh has always wanted in a guy. But Josh isn't confident in himself any more ... so it's up to Chad to make the first move.

Colby Johnson and his cousin Megan have been practicing all summer for Wildwood's annual Beach Volleyball Tournament. The evening before, Colby drops by the bar where Megan works for a quick drink before heading home and meets sexy Vander "Van" Byron. The instant attraction is mutual, but they only share a few brief hours before Colby has to call it a night. The next day, Colby and Megan are on a winning streak, advancing through the tournament ranks with ease. When Colby runs into Van and his twin sister Vallery at the tournament, he isn't surprised -- more than half of Wildwood's population, tourist and local alike, are crowded on the beach for the event. But he is shocked to see the numbered vest Van wears, marking him as a competitor. A quick look at the schedule shows that if both teams continue their winning streaks, the day will end with Colby and Van facing off through the volleyball net. To up the ante, Van proposes a little wager. Whoever wins their game advances in the tournament, of course, and continues on for a chance to win one of the grand prizes the next day. But whoever loses gets whatever he wants from the winner.

Jo Gaithers is a bright, energetic college student with a bad case of senioritis who can't wait for basketball season to begin. As the star player on the men's team, he hopes to go all the way to the NCAA final in March. But before practice starts up, he takes advantage of the downtime and goes to a party off-campus, where he hooks up with a sexy guy he knows only as Kevin. Kevin is a graduate student at State, and a welcome distraction from Jo's studies. There's just something about Kevin that makes Jo want to know more about him. Things heat up between them at the party, creating a first impression neither will soon forget. By the time they call it a night, Jo has Kevin's number and the promise of seeing him again soon. The next day a chance encounter at the gym makes Jo realize he and Kevin have more in common than he first thought -- and that isn't necessarily a good thing. The men's basketball team has hired a new assistant coach, someone Jo now knows a little too intimately. Is their budding relationship over before it even begins? Or is Kevin willing to go out of bounds to be with Jo off the court?

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?

Rory Holt is the best swimmer on the team at State U. and he knows it. Swimming is his life, and if Rory hopes to attain his dreams of Olympic gold one day, he can’t let anything distract him. Every morning finds him practicing at the campus fitness center, and every afternoon he blows his teammates away with his speed and finesse in the water. The new semester brings with it new tryouts, including the bright, up-and-coming Chase Cohen. Chase is sexy and sure of himself, both in and out of the pool, and seems determined to catch Rory’s eye. Rory doesn’t want to share the podium with anyone else, and he doesn’t like hearing his coach say Chase might even be better than he is when he already knows he’s the best. Chase’s attentions are annoying at first, but the more he persists, the harder Rory finds it to ignore him. Soon Rory can’t deny the growing attraction he feels towards his new teammate. But when that attraction costs him his top spot on the leaderboard, Rory is pissed. Is Chase after Rory’s position on the team, or Rory himself?