by M. L. Ray
Now, of course, he knew that concern was misplaced. She wasn’t going to be run out of her company by him or anyone. He liked that. She had fight in her. Of course, it wouldn’t stop him from breaking her—and he would break her.
He went back to his hotel room and showered, downing a couple of strong black espressos to make up for the lack of sleep. He grabbed a quick bite in the hotel bar then left to go to the ballet company.
It was quiet in the building. As he walked through it, he noticed a few dancers practicing on their own or in pairs in the studios. At the final one, he saw Fausta, the principal, going through a complicated routine of steps. Looking at her with a critical eye, he could see she was an exemplary dancer, but there was something missing about her performance, about her attitude.
He pushed open the door and watched her silently for a few moments, before clearing his throat. Fausta started, and blinked around at him. “Oh.”
“Oh, indeed.” He went to the piano. There was an mp3 playing music through a Bluetooth speaker which he switched off and sat down at the piano. “Rubies. First position.”
Fausta didn’t move. “I’m not dancing Rubies. That’s Juno’s piece.”
“Is it?” He met her gaze. “You’re Principal, Fausta. I guess that means you can dance whatever you like.”
Fausta stared at him then nodded shortly. “Fine.” She assumed first position and waited for him.
He began to play, and she stopped almost immediately. “That’s not the right music.”
Tudor grinned. “Oh, I know. I want to see you improvise.”
Fausta’s eyes narrowed but he could see she didn’t want to lose face. “Fine.”
He played a little-known Pergolesi and admired the way Fausta managed to weave and curve her body to the music even within the constraints of the choreography. There was no doubt she was a skilled performer, but there was a fire lacking in her work, a deeper connection to it that Juno had.
He stopped playing abruptly and Fausta stumbled. He went to help her up, pinching her face between his forefinger and thumb. He studied her face for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was as soft and sensual as a lover’s.
“You know, don’t you, that Juno Martello should be principal, that her talent far outweighs yours?”
Fausta’s face flushed, and she pulled away from him. “Obviously, you’re the only one who thinks so, or she’d be principal.”
“Don’t be testy. You know that as well as I do. That’s why you hate her.”
“I don’t hate her.”
“Don’t lie, Fausta, it’s not a good color on you. I see you watching her.”
Fausta lifted her head defiantly. “You’re one to talk about watching her. I’ve seen you, when you think no-one’s looking. You knew her in New York, right? Did you fuck her?”
Tudor grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know? Doesn’t it piss you off that Arturo Corri chose her, instead of you? It must.”
“Fuck you.”
Fausta made to leave the studio but Tudor was too quick for her. “Tell me, Fausta, what would you do to regain your position here? Would you screw over another dancer? Or would you work on your craft and do whatever it takes to become the best dancer this city has ever seen?”
Fausta met his gaze and he could see the raw ambition in them. She didn’t need to answer. “Good,” he said, “now you’re thinking like a winner. I can help you, Fausta, I can help you become who you want to be.”
There was a long silence. “And who exactly is that?”
“Whoever you want to be.”
Another pause then a small nod. “Fine. What would I have to do?”
And Tudor Welch began to smile.
Chapter Sixteen
“I’m going to suggest something and if it makes you at all uncomfortable, you just say no, okay?”
Juno nodded, relaxing her body out of the pose she’d been holding. She shook out her limbs. She and Arturo were at the old concert hall they had commandeered for the shoot, and so far, they had gotten a lot of great shots. Juno’s body was aching now, not just from holding poses, but from the effects of the lovemaking last night and this morning. She smiled to herself now as she remembered Levi inside her, his hands on her, his lips on hers.
Arturo was changing lenses, and she perched on an old block of stone as she watched him. “What is it?”
He looked up and smiled at her. “How would you feel about being topless for some of the photos? You can say no.”
She wanted to say no right off the bat but she steeled herself. She was an adult, and this was an art project, not pornography. “What’s your thinking?”
“I have this vision of you, black and white, a lot of shadow. Hinting at nakedness rather than being explicit. Your breasts would be in shade…” Arturo was in full artist mode now, she could tell, seeing his vision even as she sat in front of him fully dressed. He described various poses he would like her to maintain while he clicked away. Finally, he smiled at her. “Something to think about. Like I said, if you’re not comfortable with it, we’ll forget it.”
“I will think about it. The way you describe it… that’s something I could maybe do.”
Arturo grinned at her. “I think we’re done for today, though.” He put his camera back in its bag and looked at her. “You’re different.”
“I am?”
He nodded. “There’s something in your eyes… a joy.”
Juno flushed scarlet and tried not to smile and Arturo grinned. “Something’s happened. Is it Levi?”
Juno felt her face burn redder. “Arturo…”
“It’s okay, piccolo. I’m not blind.” He touched her cheek with a finger. “Levi adores you.”
Juno nodded but chewed her bottom lip. “Arturo… I know we… I never wanted to hurt you.”
“And you haven’t. I know when I’m beaten. It is what it is and now we can concentrate on our working partnership, yes?”
She nodded gratefully. “And our friendship.”
“Of course.” Arturo checked his watch. “Listen, I need to be somewhere else. Can I walk you home?”
“I’m good, thank you.”
At the door, he kissed her cheek. “Listen, you and Levi will have dinner with me soon, okay?”
“We would like that.”
Juno walked slowly back to the vaporetto and once she was aboard, she sat down amongst the tourists and locals and watched the water stream past the boat. Sooner or later, she would have to return to the ballet company and to see Tudor. Luckily, he had been too preoccupied with Fausta earlier to see her arrive to meet Arturo, but she had seen how he was treating Fausta and her heart clenched for her colleague. Even if Fausta was the biggest bitch, she didn’t deserve Tudor’s special brand of abuse. She saw how cowed Fausta was and wondered what the bastard had said to her. Juno made up her mind to be a little more friendly to her nemesis from now on. The enemy of my enemy and all of that.
She went home, showered and packed a small hold all. Levi had asked if she would like to stay with him for a few days and she had readily agreed. As she dressed, she felt the soreness in her thighs from begin wrapped around his big body, the pull of her abdominal muscles, the pleasant ache in her vagina from the pounding of his long, thick cock.
She let a soft moan escape her lips. The thought of Levi inside her was making her whole body shiver with anticipation. She shoved the rest of her clothes and toiletries in the bag and switched off the lights.
As she went to leave, she saw an envelope had been slipped under the door. She picked it up and shoved it in her pocket, forgetting it almost immediately.
It was already getting dark outside, and she slipped quickly between the tourists and locals getting ready to eat out and enjoy the evening.
She didn’t know at what point she knew she was being watched. It was a creeping feeling at the base of her skull and Juno swept her eyes around looking for anyone who might be follo
wing her. No, that was bullshit, she was looking for him. Tudor. Despite her certainty that his threats were just that, something about the night made it seem possible that he meant her real harm.
It would be easy, in this crowd, to get to her. Something sharp, quiet, in her back or her belly and she could bleed out before anyone even knew she was hurt.
No, stop. Tudor Welch wasn’t going to go down for murder. He was just an egotistical rapist who like to torture people psychologically. She pushed away all other thought and instead, headed to the safety and warmth of her lover’s apartment.
Levi checked the clock. Juno would be here soon, but he still wished he had offered to go collect her from her home. He hated the thought of her being out alone at night but he knew better than to offend her feminist sensibilities by insisting on being her bodyguard.
While he waited for Juno, he called Knox. His brother sounded laid back, as always, and in the background, he could hear Tabitha playing. “How’s the kiddo?”
“She’s good. Nook and Martha have gone out to buy stuff for the baby. Nook was worried it might upset Martha but so far, she is the more enthusiastic one. Weirdly, I think the pregnancy is helping her deal with losing her own kids.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
Levi sighed. “No, nothing. Just… I’m always wary of stuff with you two. Call me jaded. And that poor girl didn’t just lose her kids, they were murdered. You’re keeping an eye on any mental health stuff, right?”
“Of course, man.” Knox sounded a little irritated. “You know I’ve grown up some, right? Since what happened to Nook and everything?”
Lei smiled to himself. “Sure. Sorry, dude. I’m so used to playing the dad role with everyone, I can be a little controlling. Sorry.”
“How about you? What’s happening in Venezia?” Knox’s irritation was already gone—his twin had never been one to hold a grudge.
“Well…”
“You sound different. Did you and that girl…?”
“Maybe.”
Knox whopped. “At long last. How long has it been going on? Is she the one? Can we meet her?”
Levi chuckled. “Dude, give me a chance. One night, is all. Let’s see where we go from here, but yeah, I’m pretty crazy about her.” He hesitated. “Dude, you ever hear of a dancer called Tudor Welch?”
“Fuck, yes.” Knox’s tone changed almost immediately. “Absolute a-hole. He tried to come onto Nook at an art exhibition at MOMA last year. The ego of him.”
Levi was almost more amused by the disgruntlement in his brother’s tone than he was outraged by Welch’s behavior. “He’s not a good guy. He’s in Venice, directed a new show at Juno’s ballet company.”
“Ugh.”
“Quite.” Levi decided not to tell him about Tudor’s rape of Juno. She hadn’t given him permission to tell anyone else, in any case. He’d just wanted to know if Knox had heard of him. His brother was his conduit to the arts world and knew almost everyone.
“Nook told him to get lost,” Knox added, a certain satisfaction in his voice, “except it was a lot less polite than that. I married a warrior.”
“No argument with that. Listen… I would love for you to meet Juno, but I suppose flying here is out of the question?”
“Are you kidding? Nook’s chomping at the bit to travel and seeing as it’s only her first trimester, it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Juno’s performing in a couple of weeks, Balanchine’s Jewels.” Levi felt slightly smug saying it, only to have it ruined when Knox answered him.
“One of my favorites.”
Levi was crestfallen. “Really?”
“No, dude. I’ve never heard of it but I’m sure we’ll love it.” Knox was chuckling now.
“Jerk.”
“Right back at you.”
There was a knock at the door and Levi hurriedly said goodbye to his brother, promising to call him soon with travel plans for them.
He went to the door, a huge smile on his face and opened it, only for the smile to freeze on his face when he saw Juno in front of him.
His Juno, his beloved Juno, covered head to toe in her own blood.
Chapter Seventeen
Nook rolled over onto her back, panting and laughing to herself.
“What’s so funny?”
Knox propped himself up on his elbow and grinned down at his wife, admiring the dewy sheen of her naked body. Nook smiled at him.
“Nothing, it’s just, I didn’t think I could get hornier for you, Zapata, and yet, these pregnancy hormones...”
“I am very thankful for them,” he kissed her mouth, running his palm down her body. “I don’t remember you being this frisky when you were pregnant with Tab.”
“Ah…” She stroked his cheek. “Well, you know… scar tissue and all that.”
“Gotcha.”
It still stung every time she mentioned the horrific wounds and their aftermath her ex-husband had inflicted on her, but Knox knew that she would rather be open about them, not treat what happened as a dirty, little secret.
Still, if he could change the subject… “I meant to say. When you were out with Martha, Levi called. Sounds like he and Juno Martello have finally gotten together. He wants us to meet her.”
Nook looked at him with shining eyes. “Road trip?”
Knox grinned. “More like an air trip, babe, but yes. I was thinking… we could make it a baby moon.”
“Go on our own, you mean?”
He nodded. “We could. Flynn and Martha could take care of Tab between them.”
Nook was quiet for a long moment and Knox tried to figure out what she was thinking. “Doubts?”
Nook shook her head. “No. Just thinking logistics.” She looked at him. “I wouldn’t want to be away from Tab for too long.”
“A week?”
Nook looked uncertain and Knox grinned. “Momma bear. Okay what about Monday through Saturday? Five nights.”
She nodded, her shoulders relaxing. “Sounds good.”
Knox kissed her, wrapping arms around her. “Sexy baby moon.”
She giggled. “Pervert. All you ever want from me is sex, sex, sex…”
“You’re right, and I want some more, right now…”
Later, Knox had fallen asleep, his arm across her waist, over the tiny bump there. Anouk couldn’t sleep. The pains that had caused her to collapse previously hadn’t lessened with her pregnancy and now she felt them cramp her insides. She had refused painkillers for the most part but she knew she would never get to sleep without them tonight. She also had a big meeting at the gallery in the morning and she didn’t think it would be a good idea to show up looking like Madame Death.
She eased herself out from under Knox’s arm and got up, wrapping her robe around her. She padded quietly to the bathroom and washed down a couple of Tylenol, with a handful of water. Feeling restless, and not wanting to wake Knox, she went to check on her sleeping daughter. Tab slept on her side, like her mother, and looking down at her, Nook tried to imagine her life before her, smiling to herself. It didn’t seem possible that Tab had only been in their lives for three years. “I’ve known you for all my life, sweet pea.” She bent and kissed her daughter’s chubby little cheek.
Downstairs, Finlay the dog banged his tail happily when he saw her come down the stairs. She fussed him, then went to the long table. A stack of unopened mail sat at the end, and she sorted through the mailers, the junk, several fan letters for Knox until she found a letter addressed to her. She slit open the envelope with her finger and pulled out a single sheaf of paper. She unfolded it and sighed. Another one.
This one read: She will kill you and take your child.
Nook shook her head angrily. The letters had been arriving for weeks now, regularly and every one had been a vile, hateful threat against Martha. She hadn’t told Martha about them, nor Knox, not wanting to worry either of them, but she had gone to the police.<
br />
They told her they could do little about the letters. “Just some kook wanting to insert themselves into some drama. You got a ton of these after your stabbing, right?”
Nook, wincing, had nodded, but it hadn’t set her mind at rest. The police had advised her to get rid of the letters but she hadn’t, keeping them in an empty shoe box in her closet, underneath a stack of sweaters. Evidence, she thought fiercely. If anyone came after Martha, they’d have to get through Nook first.
She went back to her bedroom and put the newest letter in the box.
“Hey, woman, where you at?”
Knox’s muffled voice made her jump, but she chuckled to herself. She disrobed and slipped into bed beside him. “I’m here, just getting a drink. Go back to sleep, baby.”
Knox enveloped her in his arms and before long, Nook gave into the sweet oblivion of sleep.
***
“Repeat after me. I am a klutz.”
“I am a klutz.”
“And a doofus.”
“And a doofus.”
“And you’re sorry for scaring the crap out of me.”
Juno looked at him sheepishly. “And I’m sorry for scaring the crap out of you.” She winced as the alcohol hit the open cut on her forehead. Luckily the gash, although wide, was at her hairline. And finally, though it had bled profusely, the bleeding had now stopped. Levi was pressing a wad of cotton soaked in alcohol against it. “You might need stitches.”
“Oh, no, I can’t be bothered to go the emergency room. It’ll be okay.” She took over holding the cotton swab as he found some plaster to stick it down with.
“You’re going to have one hell of a bruise.” Levi’s eyes, although more relaxed than when he’d first seen her, were still concerned.
