The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved (17 page)

“Was it really?” Wilhelm said. Emotion flickered in his eyes, but quickly replaced it with a smile. “Congratulations, Anna. What did you do to celebrate?”

I looked at him, twisting my hands together. “Nothing really. Jack took me to the Manor. I had a nice quiet evening to myself. It was nice.”

Wilhelm frowned.
“Jack didn’t do anything special for you?”

I shook my head.
“I haven’t celebrated my birthday in a few years.” Since I turned sixteen, I added silently to myself. I turned away and blinked back tears, remembering how Jack turned from my loving guardian into a monster.

I could feel Wilhelm looking at me, and when I felt in control of my emotions, I glanced at him. He studied me silently for a few minutes. It felt like he was trying to read my mind through my eyes. I had a feeling I shouldn
’t look away.

“It is truly heartbreaking to hear that, Anna.” He gave me a sympathetic smile. “I propose that we consider tonight your birthday celebration. How does that sound?”

“Thank you, Wilhelm, but that’s not necessary. It’s not really a big deal.”

“I would consider the day of your birth to be worth celebrating.” Wilhelm smiled at me with affection. “I am sure Kurt agrees with me.”

Kurt nodded in agreement.

Why? They hardly know me. Why all this fuss over me? I’m just a sex slave.
But Devin wanted me here with them and I needed to stay in their good graces. “Thank you, Wilhelm. That’s very kind of you.”

I leaned my head back on Kurt
’s shoulder and looked back out the window. Kurt intertwined his fingers with mine and kissed them.

After a while, I began to catch glimpses of water and shortly thereafter, the limo stopped in front of a dark gray building.

Kurt held my hand as we walked inside. I stood just inside the dimly-lit restaurant for a moment, looking around and absorbing the ambiance. Elegant figures dined at tables covered in white tablecloths and my nose was seduced by delicious smells.

Wilhelm had walked forward to greet Alex, who waited near the hostess
’ podium. Alex greeted Kurt as we approached, then turned to me.

Our eyes met and my breath caught in my throat. He was also dressed in a tuxedo, his tall frame enveloped in black woolen sophistication.

Somehow, in the last few hours, I’d forgotten how handsome he was. His blue eyes sparkled as he looked at me. I could sense...something from him.
Adoration? Affection
? I couldn’t put a name to it but it was intense, though I didn’t understand why. My knees threatened to wobble and I shifted on my feet to prevent myself from falling.

Alex leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. His lips were hot against my skin. I wouldn
’t have been surprised if he’d left a burn mark where he touched me. “You look stunning, Anna,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear.

I felt myself melting into a puddle of goo.

A female voice called his name and he pulled away from me so quickly I felt the cold air rush back in between us. He cleared his throat and turned.

A tall, thin, red
-haired woman stood behind him, eyes narrowed as she glanced between us. She looked like a model in her pale-blue satin gown. She arched her brow at me then back at Alex with her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. “I couldn’t see you when I came out of the restroom. I thought you’d left.”

Alex walked over to her and kissed her on the lips.
“I wouldn’t do that to you, Kirsty.” She smiled up at him and took his hand, then looked back at and me with an arrogant smile.

I felt like I
’d been punched in the stomach. I blinked a couple of times and stared at the ground. Kurt tucked his arm around my waist and I leaned against him.

Why should I be surprised or disappointed that a handsome man like Alex was with a woman? Just because I dreamed about him didn
’t make me anything special to him. He didn’t know me. He didn’t know that I’d dreamed about him when I felt especially afraid. Or that the memory of his eyes comforted me when.... I shook my head.
Enough, Anna. Get a grip.

“Anna, this is my girlfriend, Kirsty Hawthorne.” He was smiling, but it didn’t seem completely sincere. He appeared...uncomfortable
?
Why would he be uncomfortable with his girlfriend? “Kirsty, this is Anna, Kurt’s date.”

I forced a smile on my face.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kirsty.”

“It’s nice to meet you as well, Anna,” she replied. She wrapped her arm around Alex’s waist and leaned her head on his chest, smirking slightly at me, and then turned to give Kurt a seductive smile. “Nice to see you again, Kurt.”

“Hello, Kirsty,” Kurt said without emotion. He squeezed me closer to him. “Are you alright, Anna?” he asked softly.

I nodded. I am here for Kurt
’s pleasure.

I stood on my tiptoes as if to say something into his ear. I didn
’t say anything but I breathed into his ear and ever-so-slightly licked his earlobe. He jumped and let out a little moan.

He turned me towards him and embraced me, lowering his head to mine. He whispered in my ear in a low seductive voice,
“Be careful, or I will drag you into the bathroom and make love to you on the floor.” He nipped my earlobe and I jumped. His hand slid down to my hip and pressed me towards him. I could feel his hard cock against my stomach. My nipples tingled under my dress and I sighed.

The hostess called Alex
’s name and Kurt pulled away, but only slightly. I glanced up at Alex and saw that his jaw was clenched as he looked at us. Kurt nibbled my neck for a second and then guided me through the restaurant behind Alex and Kirsty. Wilhelm walked behind us.

We sat around a large round table. I sat in between Kurt and Wilhelm and Kirsty sat between Kurt and Alex.

The hostess handed me a menu and I stared at it for a moment. I hadn’t eaten in a restaurant since before my parents died. I opened it and sighed, feeling out of place. It was full of things I’d never heard of.

“What’s wrong,
Engel
?” Kurt asked quietly.

I didn
’t want to be a bother, but I didn’t want to embarrass him, either, by ordering something I shouldn’t. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t remember the last time I was in a restaurant.”

“Do
not be ashamed, Anna. I will help you out with ordering.” He explained the different sections of the menu and then helped me make a decision. “Do you want me to order for you?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, it is actually very courteous for a man to order for his date.” He grinned at me. “It would be my pleasure.”

I smiled.
“Thank you, Kurt. I would appreciate it.”

The waiter came and took our order. He returned a few minutes later with a bottle of wine. After letting Wilhelm sample it, the waiter began pouring the wine into everyone
’s wine glasses.

He began mine and I quickly stopped him.
“No, thank you.” The entire table looked at me and I felt my cheeks burn. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I’m only twenty.”

Everyone smiled except Kirsty.

“I am sorry, Anna,” Wilhelm said. “I had forgotten. In Germany the drinking age is sixteen.” He smiled warmly at me. “What would you like to drink?”

I glanced at Kurt, not sure what to do. He asked what I usually drank.
“Water. I had some iced tea yesterday. It was good.”

Kurt smiled and squeezed my knee.
“She’ll have iced tea.”

Kirsty raised her eyebrow, looking at me strangely.

The others conversed easily around me as we waited for dinner. Kurt kept his arm around me, kissing me frequently. I learned that Kirsty was indeed a model and traveled a great deal. She was leaving tonight to go to Australia for two weeks.

Dinner arrived and everyone concentrated on eating. I
’d decided on the salmon. It practically melted in my mouth and I sighed after my first bite.

“Like it?” Kurt asked. “You look post
-orgasmic.”

“This is heavenly.” I took another bite. “I’ve never had such good food.”

“Don’t get out much, Anna?” Kirsty asked in a sarcastic tone.

“No.” I suddenly felt stupid.
I was surrounded by sophisticated people.
I am not sophisticated.
Kirsty shook her head and gave me a look filled with contempt.

Kurt leaned over and nibbled on my ear.
“Do not worry about her,
Engel
. She is a
Miststück
...a bitch. I do not see what Alex sees in her...except in bed. And even there I am not convinced.”

I looked at him, confused.
“You’re not convinced?” I repeated.

He grinned.
“
Ja.
We have shared her.”

“Shared her? Did she want that?”

He grinned at me with that mischievous look I was becoming familiar with. “You have not been shared before?”

“Yes.” I kept my face impassive.
I’d been shared by many men. It was not pleasant. “Do you dislike her that much?” It was obvious that Kurt disliked Kirsty, but enough to hurt her? Would he hurt me later?

“What?”

“Why would she want that?” Was she tricked into it?

“I can show you sometime if you
would like.” He gave me a seductive smile.

I swallowed and blinked several times. He wanted to hurt
me? “I....”
I am here to please Kurt.
I took a deep breath. “If that would please you,” I said softly, clasping my hands in my lap and looking down at them.

“I
imagine you would like it.” He trailed his finger down my neck.

I shivered, not entirely with pleasure.

Just then, a piece of cake with a single candle in it was placed in front of me. I looked around the table in surprise. No one else had one. “What is this?” I looked at Kurt.

He grinned and kissed me.
“Happy Birthday, Anna.”

Wilhelm leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
“Happy Birthday,
Liebling
.”

Why...?

I looked at Wilhelm and then Kurt. Nothing in their eyes indicated anything but sincerity of affection for me. Even Alex smiled warmly at me. I took a deep breath to calm myself. Maybe they were a different type of men?

I looked back at the elegant chocolate dessert with the white candle burning brightly in the center.
I remember how this goes.
I smiled slightly and blew out the candle.

They applauded and I blushed. I offered to share my dessert, but they declined. Well, Kurt took a few sensual bites off my fork.

When I’d finished my dessert, we left the restaurant and rode in the limo to the Opera House. Alex and Kirsty followed in what I supposed was Alex’s silver sports car.

As the limo pulled up to the enormous arched
- and columned-opera house, butterflies filled my stomach. I sighed and looked out the window at the brightly-lit building. Long buried memories of dancing floated to the surface.

The last time I
’d been was here was my last ballet performance. It had been the ballet school’s spring performance, just after I turned twelve. I had danced the first act of
Giselle
with one of the graduating students and then Jack dragged me away immediately after I finished performing. He never let me go to another performance.

Kurt helped me from the limo and we walked up the steps to one of the five arched doorways and inside to my favorite place to be as a child.

I released a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as we entered the vast lobby. It was just as I remembered it. The tall Corinthian columns still towered over me, making me feel just as small as they had when I was eleven. The carved golden flowers in the arched ceiling still made me smile.

I smiled as I remembered Jenna and
I, as young children, snaking our way through the crowd, pretending we were in the jungle eluding capture from some giant monster. Other times, we would weave our way through the people, seeing how far across we could make it without touching anyone. Jack would chide us to behave, but never told on us to our parents. Sometimes he had even played the role of the safe tower we were running to.

I blinked back tears. Once upon a time, I had considered Jack my champion.
My hero. I bent my head and closed my eyes as pain stabbed my heart.

After I regained my composure, I looked around at all the sights of the lobby as I stood next to Kurt. A bronze statue between two of the columns caught my eye. My hand slipped out of Kurt
’s and I slowly walked towards it, half-afraid. I recognized that pose. Those faces.

I walked closer to see the bronze, life
-sized sculpture of my parents: my mother in
arabesque,
my father posed behind her, hand on her waist.