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  I opened my mouth to speak but only dutifully followed. I often did what everyone expected of me.

  “HEY.” ACE TAPPED MY ARM. “I found some footage of that show they want us to do—you know, Le Parc.”

  I looked over at his phone to watch a YouTube video of the dance and then I knew I was going to have a problem. The dancers were all over each other. I sure as fuck didn’t want any of them near Zoey. When had ballet become so sexy?

  The real question was: when had Scarlet Ricci turned sexy? Her long beautiful body looked good in her leotard, and damn, was she flexible. I’d gotten through most of everything that happened without getting hard, but then she pressed her sweet body up against me, all with that weird teacher watching and critiquing us. Now that was too much. I didn’t even wait to chat with Zoey when he was done with his little show, didn’t stop until I was out of the building and in the van to ride uptown with the rest of the team. I couldn’t stop myself from replaying Scarlet pressing those perky little tits into me.

  Wait—Scarlet and sex? I shook my head. She was my sister’s friend, and that made her off-limits…well, except for the friends I did have sex with. Those I’d regretted and hadn’t thought about at the time. It was all fun, until they got serious, but that wasn’t on me. I was always upfront about where we were going together: nowhere.

  But damn was Scarlet Ricci tempting. She stood out, though she always seemed to try to hide. Her dark hair in those cute little buns on the top of her head, those big beautiful hazel eyes that took up most of her face, the defined cheekbones, the small pointy chin—if all that wasn’t enough, she had the most perfectly shaped lips that she left slightly parted, like a doll.

  At one time, when we were younger, I would’ve done anything to get close to her—acting goofy around her, making silly faces, doing a crazy dance move—all to see her smile and laugh. I had even been willing to suffer through her mom yelling, and a beat-down from her steroid-injected brothers. I got both treatments once at a party for helping her out after the Bronson twins bullied her. I beat them up and carried her back inside, where she hugged me. I gave her a kiss on the cheek, and no matter what I tried to say after her mother walked in on us, she yelled at me, and her brothers used my stomach as a punching bag.

  It should have ended there, but my younger self wasn’t one to take the high road. I got pissed off about it, so pissed that I made up the nickname that popped into my head when I saw her: Princess Precious. I hadn’t meant for it to stick, and had tried to get the other kids to give her a chance, but with her mother guarding her the way she did, the name stuck.

  I didn’t know why I’d felt the need to tease her and call her out in the ballet studio. I had immediately felt bad. That was my problem—going further than I intended to. It was the one thing that kept me back, as Coach Frost often said. I had the skill, but nowadays, a polished presentation was what got the endorsements and fame. Unlike the rest of the team, I had volunteered to participate in the ballet, hoping it would put me on the right track. It was getting international coverage and gave us a chance to help a lot of people.

  My phone buzzed with an incoming text message.

  Eve: Hey, I’m free. You can come over tonight. Let me know.

  I put the phone back down without responding. Eve knew me well enough to know it wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to ghost or disappear after she and I had sex. The way I saw it, it kept everything in balance. We weren’t going to be in a relationship.

  I hadn’t seen the point of a relationship when I was in high school and college. There were plenty of women willing to do whatever I wanted just because I was a wealthy athlete and that worked well for me for years, until I realized most of the women wanted what I had more than they wanted me. I started feeling like they were putting on a persona. Not one of them was real with me and for a while, that was enough. When sex wasn’t enough and my reputation was what people talked about more than my game, I decided to stop the one-night stand shit. Eve was sick of the scene too. She was one of the few women would could be straight with me, and she appreciated the game I wanted to play. The simple solution was to become friends with benefits, so that was what we did.

  The first few months were good, although lately the sex felt boring. Repetitive. Empty. It was like we could do each other or not—it didn’t matter either way. It had filled a need so far, but now I needed passion, fire…more.

  God, I was starting to sound like a chick. Same thing had happened to my friend Knox. He’d started staying home, and now he was married like some old man. Hell, even two-chicks-in-a-night Dylan had settled down and was talking about Brooke having a baby. Frightening shit. Why not at least date or move in together for a few years? Marriage and babies were so far off into my future—I was only twenty-three, not fifty.

  “Hey, what’s your sister’s name again?” Javier asked, leaning his faux hawk over the seat and brushing my shoulder.

  “Zoey,” Ace replied on my behalf.

  I glared over at him, but he had his head turned toward the window. His big shoulders were shaking like he was holding in his laughter. I tugged on his blond braids and he laughed outright.

  “Her name is I’ll kick all of your asses if you get anywhere near her.”

  “They were all sexy,” Erik said. “Especially that little pixie princess who was showing us how to move.”

  “Oh, she was mighty flexible. I’ll show her a few new moves,” Javier said, guffawing.

  I rolled my neck. “She’s off-limits too.”

  “You can’t claim all of them,” Javier protested. “Is she in the show?”

  “None of you can mess around with any of the dancers at the ballet,” Coach Frost said. “You’ll all be on your best behavior, or you’ll be answering to me.” It was his second year with us, and he didn’t want to make any waves, especially after his involvement in the selling of Knox, one of our best players.

  “Fine. After the performance, then. I’ll be taking some of them home,” Javier said, like they’d be lining up for him. He was so full of shit.

  “Yeah, all bets off,” Erik added like some stupid little kid. “His sister and that flexible pixie who did the demo.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Any of you assholes try Zoey or Scarlet and you’ll be answering to my fist.”

  “Stop baiting him,” Lance said. “You’d all be upset if it was your sister. Leave it. We’ve got a game to practice for and just like Coach Frost said, none of you are fucking around with any of them.”

  I scrunched up my face. Practice after that workout? Shit, that was crazy. I’d forgotten how hard ballet had been during the tortuous year my mom had tried to get me to do it.

  We got out at Yankee Stadium for practice, and none of us were moving fast. Those moves that hadn’t seemed like much earlier had done a number on my legs. Coach Frost had enough of our lack of hustle and ended practice early, telling us to go rest up. I followed him off to his office and waited for him to invite me in with a wave.

  “I’ve got a meeting soon, but if you’re asking about the after-the-game discussion with the press again, Javier or Lance will handle it.”

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my frustration in. “All right. Thank you.”

  “Don’t you think you’re in the news enough?” he called out to my back.

  Coach Frost wasn’t looking for an answer and I didn’t bother giving him one, instead going straight to the shower to cool my head. The news I made wasn’t of my choosing or any good, and the good things I did never made it to print. Still, it bothered me that every game, Javier or Lance were chosen to represent the club in the press. Granted, I’d been an ass when I started out, but I had improved over the last year. My record was the best on the team and it was one of the best in Major League Soccer, yet Coach Frost still wouldn’t allow me to do anything more than play. Even when I did play, he wanted Javier to exclusively take the penalty shots for goal, even though I was the top scorer. Without a doubt, playing soccer
was everything, but I wanted to do more than just play. I wanted to do the marketing and advertisements, and maybe one day sponsor my own minor division. All that, of course, was way in the future, but I needed to get a start somewhere.

  Once I was dressed, I turned my phone on and noticed Zoey had called. She answered on the first ring.

  “Hey, do you still need me for the career day at the Boys & Girls Club tonight?” she asked.

  “Yes, of course I do. The kids have been looking forward to it.” I’d do anything for them and my mentor Marcus, who worked there. “Want me to pick you up?”

  “No…but I do want you to do me a favor,” she said, using her sweet voice.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m going to ask Scarlet to come,” she said.

  “She’s not coming,” I told her. She hardly ever came to anything. “Didn’t you see her mom, still controlling her every move?”

  “Not anymore. She finally moved to Manhattan. She lives here now,” she said. “I’m going to invite her to come along. Her mom will have to go home sometime and if she says yes, don’t tease her and try not to flirt.”

  “I won’t,” I said, and I could feel the corner of my mouth turn up. It was good I was on the phone so I wouldn’t have to deal with Zoey’s reaction. Wait, what was I smiling about? It wasn’t like I was spending any time with Scarlet. Still, to have her somewhat alone had my curiosity piqued. “Yeah, bring her.”

  I was about to hang up when she asked, “What was the name of that hot guy with the faux hawk?”

  My eyes narrowed. She meant Javier. “All you need to know is that the two of you won’t happen. He’s only after sex. He doesn’t want a girlfriend.”

  “Sounds like you,” Zoey shot back. Her insult didn’t bother me one bit.

  “Enough said,” I replied. “See you and Princess Precious tonight.”

  She giggled. “Get that out of your mind before you call her that again.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t.” I went back to thinking of the way Scarlet had felt in my arms. She might have a little minx in her, but she was Zoey’s best friend, and I wasn’t good for her either. That was what I told myself, though I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face thinking about her the rest of my way home.

  “I’M NOT REALLY HERE.” MY mom rushed up with a smile, ignoring the frown on my face, as she always did. Her arms were outstretched for a hug. She and my brothers had been giving me rides to and from home for years, but now that I lived in the city, they no longer needed to drive me everywhere.

  “That’s right, you’re not supposed to be here,” I reminded her as I hugged her back. No matter—like most things I said, it wasn’t taken seriously.

  “I know, I know, but I was running errands and decided to pick up a few things in the city. I got that ointment for your feet from Asana Boutique that you like,” she said, placing her arm around my shoulder. “I was giving you space, but really you should be resting. Priscilla was supposed to help you stay on your schedule. I’ll have a talk with her, but this proves you were better off at home. This move into the city isn’t working.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s only been two weeks. How could it not be working?”

  I had finally gotten my way to move into the city, closer to work. Ma said staying with my mentors was for my own good because I hadn’t been “exposed to the dangers of the city” enough to be on my own. Growing up, I had special schedules that accommodated my dance instruction and little time to get to know my classmates, let alone participate in social events. My weekends were filled with tutors to keep up with my education and family time. With my life experiences, I didn’t have a good reason to not accept the transition. However, being out and on my own, I wanted to take more risks, and since Ma wanted to know more, I told her.

  “I came in because…I wanted to see the new program and hear about the ballet.” It wasn’t a complete lie. It was mostly true, I just left out that I also came to gawk at Tyler. “I’ve got to go change. Be right back,” I said before she tried to come in to help me.

  The changing room was buzzing with dancers talking about how gorgeous the players were and how much fun the program was going to be. I slumped down on the bench and let out a small cry of frustration.

  I hadn’t danced that horribly in…well, ever, and I’d done it in front of Christophe and Tyler. His presence pulled me. His touch was electric. I shuddered. Just recalling being in his powerful embrace caused an aftershock. Being asked to pretend to be his lover shattered my equilibrium. I lost all composure and floundered.

  “Hey, you all right?” Zoey gave me a consoling squeeze on my shoulder and took the space next to me to sew her shoes. “Saw your mom come in.”

  Good. The last thing I wanted to do was tell her what had happened or that I was another person crazy over her brother. Instead I said, “Bless her, but she’s killing me.”

  What I meant was that no one else still had a dance mom or dad pushing their career at twenty-one. I was committed and didn’t need her help to keep going.

  “Sorry,” Zoey empathized.

  “I just thought now that I’m here, she’d spend more time doing her own thing,” I said as I changed out of my clothes.

  “It’s just going to take some time,” Zoey said. “It took my mom a while—”

  “She stopped showing up when you were nine,” I pointed out.

  “She’d already given up on my being a star like Tyler by then,” Zoey said softly.

  I shook my head. “Stop that shit. You’re amazing. She’s just busy.” Her mom did have all those high society organizations she headed that took up a lot of her time. “Well, I better get going so I can get her moving back to Staten Island.”

  “Well, if you do shake her before dinner,” Zoey teased, “you can do the career day at the Boys & Girls Club with me and Tyler.”

  I dipped my head to hide my smile. Zoey’s invitation to hang with her and Tyler took me by surprise. Since we were kids, she’d hardly ever mixed our time together. Growing up in our neighborhood, he’d been known as a notorious flirt. Then I remembered the way he’d run away from me like I was on fire after touching me. Surely he hadn’t agreed to have me come along. “I don’t think that would be a great idea.”

  “Oh, come on. It’ll be a belated welcome-to-New-York night out,” Zoey pleaded.

  Then again, I’d promised that now that I lived in New York City, I’d be more social and go out more. I hadn’t done much in the two weeks I’d been there.

  “Sure,” I said then blew out my breath. “Why not.”

  “We’ll go out once you really settle in and are comfortable living here.” She got up and grabbed her water bottle. “I’ve got practice. See you later.”

  I finished up quickly and met up with my mother down in the lobby.

  “You okay now, Princess?” she asked once we were on the street.

  I cringed. “Please stop calling me that.”

  Princess Precious.

  My nickname had come at the height of the popularity of the Lord of the Rings movie. My mom was a bit over the top at times with keeping me from doing anything she deemed might damage my ability, such as fun things like running and playing. Though beautiful, she was Gollum, and my classmates called me “The Precious,” or for those who knew my family name, like Tyler, “Princess Precious.”

  “All right, Scarlet,” she said loudly over the passing traffic. It was strange that she honored this request. She even made up for it once we were in her SUV by steering our conversation to other ideas about how I should spend my time.

  “I spoke to Phillip,” she said. “He offered to drive you home Sunday night, and you can sleep in your bed, and we could spend the day together.”

  “Ma, two weeks,” I grumbled as I turned on the A/C. Just the quick walk to the car had me wiping the sweat from my forehead. “I thought Vince mentioned something about taking you to Florida for a romantic getaway next weekend?”

  “We have plenty of
time to go on vacation,” she said as she stopped at a light.

  “But that’s what you’ve been saying forever,” I said then looked out the window. “You don’t have to alter your life around me. Please go on the vacation. You both deserve it.”

  “It’s too hot down there,” she said. Obviously, she had forgotten we’d all gone there as a family before, and she’d stayed on the beach for hours.

  “Honestly, if you are doing this because of me, I’ll be busy with practice,” I said. “Zoey’s doing the ballet with the soccer team. Did you see Tyler?”

  “Oh, yes, the big soccer star,” she said, shaking her head. “I know it’s for a good cause, but those men around you young ladies—that’s how it all starts.”

  It meaning sex. I sighed. “We’re grown women.”

  “Men will ruin your focus, your chance. You’re way too close to success to blow it. You have the talent, just like I did.”

  I knew the story well, how she was in the corps de ballet and fell for my father, Leo. She ended up pregnant with my brother Phillip, and being from a strict religious upbringing, they married. She then had Antony, and me soon after. She never went back to ballet, and things didn’t get better either—my father died in the line of duty. Vince, his partner and best friend, came along, and they’d been together since.

  “You make principal,” she said, like it’s an easy feat. “You dance for seven years, and then you fall in love, marry, and have many babies.”

  “Yeah, right, the plan,” I muttered.

  Following the path she laid out was always the plan, though the plan had changed over the years.

  You can date when you finish school.

  You can date when you join a company.

  You can date after you become a soloist.

  Now it was: you can date when you become a principal. Honestly, I hadn’t thought I had the time to date anyway. With our twelve-hour days of rehearsal and performances, I didn’t have much left to give. Still, I wanted a man to hold and touch me, make love to me.