The Ballerina & The Fighter (Book 1)

by Ursula Sinclair

  Dante knew all about the birthday and death day texts I got from Maze, too. Dante never left my side on those days. He helped me make it through the darker moments, Dante and dance.

  “Hey,” I said a little nervous as I stepped back to let him in. “Let me just grab my coat.”

  Maze’s gaze slid past me and went right to Dante in the kitchen where it seemed glued. I turned around and got my coat that I’d left over the couch. I did not want to stay in the same room for long with these two. I didn’t trust Dante not to say something smartass, and damned if I had any idea how Maze would respond. So I made the introductions quick like. I held my hand toward Maze then waved it toward Dante. “Maze this is my roommate, Dante. Dante, Maze.”

  Dante raised his coffee mug in Maze’s direction. “Whasup.”

  Maze just looked at him then at me then back at Dante and nodded in the way that guys do when they first met each other and sized the other up. “Dancer right?” Maze asked.

  “Yeah.”

  Maze nodded again, narrowing his eyes a little. “That’s cool man, saw you dance last night.”

  Dante raised one eyebrow. “Yeah. You were there?”

  “Yep.” Maze glanced at me again. “I wanted to see Ivy dance.”

  “Hey, babe.” Christy walked out of Dante’s room wearing one of his t-shirts, her nipples tented the shirt. She stopped when she saw Maze. Her eyes traveled from his head to his boot clad feet then slowly back up again.

  Oh hell no! I stepped in to her line of vision blocking Maze from her view. Christy could be such a skank. “That’s Christy, she’s one of the core dancers in the company. Christy, Maze, and we’ve got to go.” I grabbed Maze’s hand and practically dragged him outta the place. I began to shut the door when I heard Dante call out, “Don’t forget we have a rehearsal this afternoon.”

  “No we don’t,” I called back and slammed the door.

  Maze and I walked side by side to the elevator and got on. It didn’t evade my notice that he didn’t hold my hand like he did last night. I lived on the forty-fifth floor so the elevator ride took a minute, and the first few seconds were filled with silence and me staring at the numbers as they counted down then stopped on the thirtieth floor. The elevator door opened but no one got on. “Crap. At least it will go straight from here and only stop in the lobby,” I offered.

  “So, Dante’s not gay.”

  I turned to look at him. “Ah no. He’s bi.”

  “Oh.”

  “He says he’s an equal opportunity dater.”

  “So he likes females.” He folded his arms over his chest.

  I glanced over at him. His gaze remained lifted as though he watched the numbers count down on the floors like I had been. “Yep.”

  “Did you two ever date?”

  “No.” The elevator opened just then and we stepped out. He walked beside me and took my hand. When we got out to the sidewalk he raised his free hand and stopped a cab. He released my hand to open the door for me and I got in and he got in behind me. Taking my hand again he gave the cab an address in the lower east side of Manhattan. I recognized the name of the place. I’d never been there but heard good things about it.

  “Are you seeing anyone?” I asked. Stupid, stupid. Why did I even ask? I didn’t want to know. But damn it he was holding my hand. He came to watch me dance.

  Maze turned to look at me and smiled. “You. I’m seeing you.”

  “Oh.” Well damn, I grinned. What was I supposed to say to that?

  “I hope you’re hungry.”

  I squeezed his hand. “Yeah, I try to eat breakfast most days because when I’m rehearsing it’s usually the only real meal I get.

  Breakfast was everything I thought it would be, the food beat oatmeal and fruit any day. And Maze put the carbs away, not sure where it went cause when he took his jacket off, his dark grey Henley shirt plastered to his body outlining his physique. Which seemed just as fine as when I’d last seen him. Cause from what I could see there was not an ounce of fat on that body. As good as the food was the company was even better. Everything I’d felt for Maze that summer came back tenfold. We talked, but most of the time we just sat there and stared at each other or he’d caress the back of my hand with his thumb. Finally, neither of us could eat another bite and he paid the check. We left the restaurant and like last night, just walked aimlessly on the sidewalk. And yeah he held my hand.

  “So you really don’t have a rehearsal later?”

  “No. Dante was just trying to give me an out if I needed it.”

  He turned his head to look at me. “And do you need an out?”

  I smiled. “What do you think?”

  “Then spend the day with me.”

  “All right.”

  He stopped and then looked up and down the street before walking toward the curb, stopping a cab. We climbed in and he gave the cab the address for the Staten Island Ferry. I smiled. He sat back, his shoulder leaning against mine then took my hand again and placed it on his thigh. My gaze was drawn to his hand over mine his fingers threaded through mine. I felt like I was resting against a rock. None of the male ballet dancers had anything on Maze’s thighs. I raised my gaze to his, he was watching me, waiting I think for me to look at him before he leaned toward me and captured my mouth. The man didn’t ask permission, he came, he saw, he conquered.

  That’s all that I could think. He took control of my air. I couldn’t breathe but for him. His hand pressed against mine so I pressed in to his thigh even more, not that there was much give. My senses were drowning in Maze. He moved his lips from mine and began to kiss my neck; I laid my head back against the leather seat and let him have his way. My eyes must have drifted shut because when I opened them and they came into focus, I stared at the rear view mirror and the driver’s eyes seemed riveted on us. We were putting on a show. I stiffened. I wasn’t one for public displays of affection. Maze must have picked up on something being wrong. He raised his head and looked at me then glanced toward the front, frowning at the driver. He released my hand and placed his arm around my shoulder pulling me closer, but he smiled at me and winked but he stopped kissing me. While I appreciated his consideration I enjoyed his kisses. We were quiet during the rest of the drive, but it was a companionable silence. He kept one hand around my shoulder, and the other he kept rubbing up and down my leather-clad arm. Like he couldn’t stop touching me. I wasn’t complaining.

  The cab pulled up to the curb and stopped. When I looked past Maze, I saw the ferry stop. He paid the driver and we got out. Hand in hand we went to the ticket booth and got tickets for the next ferry. We took a seat and waited. The sky was clear but the day was chilly. It was the last gasp of winter but spring fought to take a foot hold. My jacket and the sweater underneath kept me warm, and Maze had me tucked into his side, his body heat providing even more warmth. I began to appreciate the merits of taking a boat ride in cold weather.

  Chapter Eleven

  Maze

  What the fuck?

  When I entered the apartment and first saw the dude with no shirt on and sweats hanging low on his hips, it was the first thing to come to mind. Then I relaxed because he was a ballerina, right, so had to be gay. Little did I know. Imagine my surprise when I saw some chick with only a t-shirt on walk out a door and go over to him. Bi. Fucker was bi. Still didn’t sit well with me that he and Ivy were roommates. Dude was not sizing me up as a fuck buddy but as competition. Even though Ivy insisted they’re just friends, maybe to her, but damn if that dick didn’t want more. I know I sure as hell would. I sure as shit did.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts from the earlier scene. So far like last night, we were having a good time hanging out together. Like we hadn’t been apart all those years. Falling back into sync. I held her hand and walked onto the ferry deck. We made our way up the stairs until we stood against the rail of the top level. God I missed this girl. Woman. The girl she’d been was still there but matured. I tucked some of her wind-blown hair behi
nd her ears. Maybe it was a little too windy up here. “You cold?” I asked Ivy.

  She looked at me with those big brown eyes and smiled. “A little.”

  I would do anything to keep that sparkle in her eyes. I moved over behind her, and wrapped my arms around her stomach, blocking most of the wind off her and giving her my warmth while taking hers into me. “Better?” I asked, as I nuzzled her ear.

  “Much.” She tilted into my caress and placed her hands in my coat pockets, enclosing us in a little cocoon. We stood like that as the boat moved across the Hudson River, until we passed the Statue of Liberty. I’d never seen it before. I’d been to New York years ago before I met Ivy to spend two weeks working with a master swordsmen, but didn’t have much time for sightseeing then. I was glad the first time I’d seen the famous landmark was with Ivy.

  The ride only took a half an hour to get to Staten Island, but we didn’t get off. We stayed on and made the returning trip back. This time we moved from the outside of the boat to the inside café for cups of hot chocolate, then found seats on the top inside deck. The wind had kicked up a little and the sky wasn’t quite as clear as when we’d made the trip out. Still it was pretty cool. Ivy and I sat huddled together and we talked, kissed and talked some more. I wanted this girl bad.

  It was after noon by the time we got off the ferry and caught a cab. I didn’t want to take her home and told her so.

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to go back home. I thought we were spending the day together.”

  I smiled, glad she wanted to be with me as much as I wanted to be with her. “Yeah, yeah we are. Where would you like to go next?”

  “Mmm…even though I’ve lived here for the last four years do you know I’ve never been to the Empire State Building?”

  I laughed. “Me either so it works. The Empire State Building it is.”

  We spent the day doing all the things tourists would do, really that’s what we were. I don’t think I’d had a more stress free day in the last few years. We paid our respects at Ground Zero. Ivy was easy to be with; she made everything interesting and fun. For a while she made me forget my reality and the things that waited for me the day after tomorrow. That’s when I began to train again. Today though was for her, us. It might be all we had and I aimed to make the most of it.

  “I’m getting hungry, let’s go to Chinatown. We can eat there or get takeout and go back to my condo.”

  Her request had me stiffening. We’d been all over the city, but Chinatown had been the one place I tried to avoid. The risk was too high I’d run into someone who recognized me there. I already knew I had a watcher. Although I was pretty sure none had been able to follow me today. I’d spotted the one parked on the street in front of the house where Joe and I stayed in Brooklyn. It was easy to hit the alley and evade them. But going into Chinatown was risky.

  “How about little Italy, and we can get something to go?” I figured Italian would be a good compromise and I liked the thought of going back to her place. I’d take her home with me but Joe would be there along with whoever was watching me. Plus I wanted that roommate of hers to see me with her. If I was very, very lucky walking out of her room in the morning.

  The cab couldn’t pull down one of the side streets to take us into Little Italy the streets were blocked off; some kind of block party or something seemed to be going on. People walked in the middle of the street and there was a lot of music playing and the scent of Italian spices permeated the air. We got out of the car and Ivy took my hand.

  “Come on,” she said and tugging me behind her while she laughed as she led us farther into the crowd.

  I laughed and followed behind her making sure not to let go of her hand as we made our way to the center of the action, navigating through people as we moved. A carnival atmosphere surrounded us; the restaurants seemed to have booths set up on the sidewalks and in a central plaza selling their wares. A giant block party. We made our way over to a live band, the source of the music. Ivy spun into my arms and wrapped her arms around my waist, I grabbed on to her hips and pulled her close and we swayed to the music. I lowered my head until I touched her forehead with mine.

  “Thank you for today. I don’t remember the last time I had so much fun,” I said to her and I meant every word.

  She pulled away a little to look up at me. “I loved spending the day with you, too. Thank you.”

  I lowered my head and captured her lips. Her hands moved from my waist to around my neck, and I opened my mouth to inhale her and she licked my lips. I moaned just as her tongue entered my mouth and she took control of the kiss. I pulled her closer until the only space between us was the material that covered our bodies. Someone behind me bumped in to me forcing me to push against her and breaking our kiss.

  “Come on,” she said, “Let’s get some food.”

  I grinned, took her hand and tried to wind our way toward a booth selling pizza we’d passed earlier. I glanced around to get my bearings to find it; instead I saw something else that had my heart hammering against my rib cage in a bid for freedom. Damn. I knew I shouldn’t have come to this side of town. This place tonight was nothing but an open party, the kind that would draw a crowd of all kinds. I recognized two of the guys from the gym where I’d been training in New York, they were Triad members and I couldn’t let them see me. Luckily I didn’t think they spotted us, I saw the booth we sought and quickly grabbed a pizza to go. I tried to keep an eye on the two men but it was hard to in the crowd. I’d lost them and hoped that meant they wouldn’t see me either with Ivy. I kept a hold of her hand and had her hold the pizza and walk in front of me while I touched her waist to guide her down the busy street. I also kept her in front so I could keep looking around. I saw no sign of the dudes I recognized behind us so I turned around just in time to see someone I did know. Fuck, like cockroaches, these bastards were everywhere. I got up beside Ivy to take the lead then, we couldn’t go back. I didn’t know where the other two were. I took us around a cluster of people on the sidewalk and slipped away down an alley. Anything to get away from there.

  We’d only walked about a yard into the alley when Ivy tugged on my hand. “Why are we going through the alley?”

  She didn’t stop, neither did I. I just kept walking taking her with me, but I looked over my shoulder at her and said, “Shortcut.”

  She didn’t say anything else, just kept walking. The alley split off, to the right was just a dead end but to the left was the street. There were a couple of Asian guys I didn’t recognize on the sidewalk at the alley entrance; one had his ear to a phone. I didn’t want to chance it so turned to go back toward the crowd, we made it to the T in the alley so were out of sight of the men on the side street but it was too late.

  I hardened my features. No fear. These bastards could smell it. I’d been found.

  I remembered his name, Jai, an errant boy for the Chinatown Triad, and two of his side kicks stood in the middle of the alley blocking the way. Jai had been the one who’d been following me the other night with Ivy and when I was at the club. I moved us toward the alley wall, I wanted Ivy behind me. I squeezed her hand before releasing it. I would need both hands free to do whatever I had to do.

  “Were you running off? We got business, Maze.” Jai smirked, then leaned sideways a little to look behind me. He stared at Ivy and smiled. Ivy moved up closer beside me, but reminded a little at my back. She’d grabbed my arm.

  “Who’s your friend?” Jai asked.

  “None of your business. And we don’t have any business until the day after tomorrow.”

  “Well see that’s not quite true. It won’t take long, shall we take this across Canal Street into Chinatown?”

  I didn’t blink. “Let me put my friend in a cab first.”

  “Nah. She comes with you.”

  “I don’t think so.” Under no circumstances did I want Ivy anywhere near these fuckers. I wanted her to have no part of this. Too late I realized how wrong I was to seek her out, how wr
ong I was to be with her. She did not belong in my world and I no longer belonged in hers. I had no more time for regret.

  I couldn’t turn around and look at Ivy. I knew she must have been scared, but I would let nothing happen to her. I felt her at my back and that was enough.

  “We can do this easy or hard.” He opened up his jacket and flashed his gun at me. I heard Ivy gasp behind me.

  “You and I both know Jai, you’re not going to use that gun on me. I’m too valuable.” I said it because I knew it to be true and also to try and alleviate some of Ivy’s fear.

  “Bullshit. You’re just another white fighter. But you’re right. No guns. We don’t need them to fuck you over.” Instead he and the other two with him pulled out knives. I bent down, pulled up my jean legs and drew out my own pair. I never left home without them.

  I heard Ivy’s exclamation behind me. “What the fuck?” And then I heard her on the phone, “Hello, yes…help. We’re being mugged.”

  After that, I couldn’t focus on what she said I’d stepped forward to meet the immediate threat in front of us. I automatically went to my zone. The calm within the storm, that place where everything seemed to happen around me in slow motion, time stood still within my bubble, while the rest of the world moved on by outside it.

  From the way the one on the right had the weight pressed forward on his foot I knew he’d come at me first, so the minute he raised his arm, poised to strike, I met his blade with my own. I turned my wrist and flicked the knife out of his hand, punching him in the chest with my foot. I placed the booted foot down and raised the other one, kicking out in a side kick to catch the other bastard at the side of his head. Both men went down leaving only the real threat, Jai.