For Keeps

By Basia Rose

Ruby Atkins’ life is at a crossroads. In constant pain after a lifetime as a ballet dancer, she is facing an uncertain future. Though she has found love with not one, but two men in her adopted country, Australia, she is far from home and forced to face the very real possibility of leaving her life – and lovers – behind.
Her decision to leave is met with opposition on many sides. Neither Jeremy Macfarlane nor Andrew Scarsi wants to let her leave the theatre and take off home to the United States. Their relationship might be unconventional, but too bad. They both know you can’t run from something this important.
However, there may be bigger issues for Ruby to deal with yet. Her departure from the Harbour Theatre means changes for many. Dance partners, rivals – even overzealous fans – there’re many lives altered the instant her resignation becomes official...
...And at least one person is unhappy enough to take their anger out on her. Can her men help her before a minor threat escalates into grave danger?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Basia Rose
• Release date: Jan 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301285686

Basia Rose

Writing the romantic and the erotic. Lover of pretty things. I am excellent at wasting time, so usually pop up all over the place. On Facebook, on Pinterest, on Twitter, Tumblr... the list goes on. I live in South-Eastern Australia, which means I’m usually sound asleep while everyone else is having fun!

Book preview

One

Ruby Atkins felt light-headed as she stepped out of the stage door. The afternoon sun caused her to squint as she moved onto the footpath, and she nearly collided with a passing jogger. He was gone before she could even recover – let alone mumble her apology – keeping his pace down the road to the beach.

Quickly pulling her sunglasses from her bag, she stood there, dumbly, trying to figure out her next move. She clasped her cell phone tightly in her hand; there were two people she should call immediately to tell her news…

Then she could start panicking about her future.

Another jogger passed by, catching her off-guard, and she squeaked in surprise.

Wow, Ruby, feeling jumpy or something?

Inhale, exhale, fight back those tears that’d been threatening since she saw surprise on Ballet Melbourne’s director’s face at her announcement. This wasn’t something to cry about honestly. Just a new direction.

And… if she kept telling herself that, she might eventually believe it.

Hovering on her spot on the path, still undecided what a woman was supposed to do the day she officially quit her career, it occurred to her she was in the middle of one of the hotspots of Australia. Beachside St Kilda was a suburb of Melbourne where the hip, the feral and the famous all converged. If she was in the mood – and she definitely was – there were streets of cafes and bars where she could drown her sorrows.

Tempting…

Instead, she turned towards the beach.

It was no tropical paradise, she thought with a wry smile as she dodged a couple of skaters and found a spot to sit on the edge of the boardwalk. Like the rest of the city, the beach was scruffy and populated with people from all walks of life. Only backpackers from nearby hostels were insane enough to try sunbathing, and surfing was out of the question; the water had fewer waves than a lake on a still summer day.

A twinge of pain shot through her leg as she sprang down to rest her feet in the sand. That wasn’t good, she thought as she rubbed the pain away. She had a solo to dance in twenty-four hours; she couldn’t fall apart yet.

Come on body, she whispered to herself, feeling like an idiot. You only have to hold up on me a couple more weeks.

She sat for a while, just watching, one hand clasped tightly around her cell. What would they say, she wondered. How would they react when she told them what she’d done?

Her parents were thousands of miles away in the States, but they had an inkling she was giving up on her career; they were flying to Aus in only a few days so they could see her dance for what would be the final time. Oh, and also to experience their first summer Christmas. Ruby may not see eye to eye with her mom on much anymore, but she was still the person she counted on for her venting and crying.

Her men, on the other hand…

She worked with Jeremy Macfarlane and Andrew Scarsi six days a week, and spent most Sundays cuddled up to at least one of them. Both, on the best days. They knew she wasn’t entirely happy with her life, and they knew she was often in pain from ballet injuries old and new.

But… had she screwed up the relationship by resigning from her position as a soloist in Ballet Melbourne? Nothing in her life would be secure now, especially not the future she sometimes fantasised about; the one that included both of them. What country would she – could she – even live in now she had no cushy company contract to impress Australian Immigration?

Kicking off her flip flops, she lifted her right foot and started peeling off the layers of sports tape. What had been a mild annoyance in the past had escalated into regular, strong pain most of the past year. There were operations she could have to extend her ballet career by a few more years, but that wasn’t what she wanted anymore.

Ow, shit, she said under her breath as the tape came free from a sore spot, leaving behind a patch of red-raw skin. The fresh air brought an immediate sting to the wound. She scowled at it, overreacting thanks to the general misery that’d hovered over her all day.

Hey there.

She nearly jumped a mile in the air as a pair of feet appeared beside her. Turning to the voice, she squinted up into the afternoon sun.

Great.

Hi Lee.

Leanly muscled, and handsome in a boyish way that made him look younger than his thirty-six years, her regular dancing partner took a seat beside her and stretched out his long legs. She and he weren’t friends, really, but they got on okay.

Moving her sunglasses from the top of her head and back into place, Ruby balled up the tape in her hands and waited for him to speak. Only, he didn’t.

So… she said eventually. What’re you still doing around here at this time of day? They’d been given a rare half-day off, and few dancers were stupid enough to waste it hanging around the theatre.

Gym work.

Oh. Um, that sounds. Well, dedicated.

Yeah.

This, she thought, was why they weren’t friends. They always brought a whole new level to the concept of awkward conversation. More seconds went by in silence as she fiddled with the tape in her hands. A group of skaters passed by, and then a few more. By that point Ruby figured enough time had passed to make a tactful exit.

I was just heading home.

Yeah? Lee laughed and gestured at her, sitting there, feet in the sand. I can see that.

It made her laugh too, despite herself. Okay, that was a pretty dumb thing to say. I meant I was heading home now, after this quick trip to the beach to procrastinate.

Have a fight with your boyfriend or something?

Andrew. He meant Andrew, because her relationship with Jeremy was secret – for all of their sakes and reputations.

No. Just thinking… What the hell. I had a meeting with Pauline.

Pauline Jenkins, the ballet company’s director. She took a deep breath and continued.

"I’m not renewing my contract for next year. I’m stopping dancing all together once the Nutcracker season is over."

Shock crossed Lee’s face, and he took a long time to conceal it.

No way.

Yes, way. My ankle… it’s not holding up so good anymore. And I never thought I’d say this, but I’m burned out. I need to stop now before I forget why I ever wanted to dance in the first place.

Why am I telling him my news first? Ruby wondered as she waited for Lee to process. But she knew the answer: she needed a test subject, because this was going to be so much harder with the people she loved.

Lee wore such a shell-shocked expression it seemed like a good time to escape. Immediately. Swiping at her feet to get rid of the sand, she slipped her shoes back on and slung her ballet bag and her purse over one shoulder.

Sorry to hit and run, but I need to get home and put some ice on this foot.

He watched her through narrowed eyes while she straightened her clothes, still saying nothing.

Um, Lee? Are you okay?

He smiled then. It was a dazzle of bleached teeth, but it didn’t reach the rest of his face.

Of course I am. Just feeling sad for you.

Yeah? Well don’t. I’m fine. She took a step back. So… I’ll see you tomorrow.

You bet.

Weird, she thought as she made her way to the tram stop on Fitzroy Street. Really, really weird.

Two

No way.

Andrew came to a stop at the door to Ruby’s building, shook his head, and then realised there was nothing to do but chuckle. Looked like it was going to be a threesome. Again.

Great minds and all that, hey? he said as he stepped forward to clap his rival on the shoulder.

Jeremy went back to his position leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his attention fixed somewhere down the street, and a slight smirk on his face.

I was hoping that if I had to see your ugly mug today, you might have at least brought her home with you.

Jeremy. Always the life of the party.

She should be here soon. I was off a couple of hours earlier today, and she didn’t want me to wait. He checked his watch. Of course, if neither of us bothered to tell her we’d be dropping by, she wouldn’t have a need to rush.

Andrew mimicked the other man’s pose, propping a foot up and feeling the strain in his quadriceps as he did. A principal dancer with Ballet Melbourne, he was so ready for the year to be over. The company might only get a couple of weeks off over summer, but he was looking forward to the rest even more than he was looking forward to eating a crapload of bad food at Christmas.

You pissed off I’m here too? he asked eventually.

No. Should I be? Jeremy switched his attention to Andrew. "Are you? About me being here?"

"No. At some point we’re going to have to stop acting like she’s two different people. If she’s ours, then she should be ours. Together." He lowered his voice as a woman passed by with a couple of little kids in tow. They had nothing to be ashamed of, but that didn’t mean the whole world had to know their business.

We should talk about this more seriously – with her. You know, before her parents come out here on that visit.

Bring it out into the open?

Andrew felt that familiar jolt of worry at the idea. Even in the weird and wonderful theatre world, threesomes were unusual enough to cause major problems. Him? He could deal with it, sure. Wouldn’t be easy, but he’d deal. But for Ruby…

Jeremy pushed off from the wall for a second time, startling Andrew from his thoughts. His eyes found the pretty blonde walking up the street.

And there she is.

Andrew frowned as he watched Ruby approach; something was off. When she caught sight of them she came to a stop, and then started walking again, much more slowly. Apprehensive. And it looked like she was limping slightly.

That foot of hers… there wasn’t anything he could do to help her with the pain.

Hi guys, she said when she reached them, a big smile spreading across her face and lighting up her blue, blue eyes. Reaching for Andrew first, she hugged them each in turn, and then stepped back and studied them.

You both here to borrow a pint of milk or something?

We don’t sell milk by the pint here, and you know it.

She grinned at him. We don’t back home either.

Home. He wondered if she could ever see Australia as home too. He touched a hand to her hair as she typed in the code for the door, and they followed her up to her little place on the first floor, kicking off their shoes out of habit. A dancer thing rather than a cleanliness thing – ballet feet always needed resting.

Shit, Roo what’d you do to your foot? Jeremy asked, and Andrew turned to look too, wincing at how much all that raw skin had to sting.

Ah, nothing new, just the sports tape. It’s evil stuff. She waved away the concern with one hand, and then looked shy suddenly, fiddling with her collar. So this isn’t a pint of milk or cup of sugar kind of visit…