The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (9 page)

BOOK: The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared
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Devin introduced her to several men, some who
looked familiar. He even sent her off with a few of them to find a
dark corner where they could push her up against the wall and fuck
her ruthlessly. One even went in her ass and she dug her
fingernails into her palms to keep from crying out. When he was
finished, she walked slowly back to Devin and told him the man had
been satisfied.

“Good girl,” he said with a smile.

She’d noticed a few of the dancers giving her
strange looks when she was walking with the various men and saw
them looking at her as she stood next to Devin. She flushed and
stared at the floor as Devin put his hand on her hip and kiss the
side of her head.

Why did it bother her what other people
thought? She was Devin’s slave and that was that. But at the same
time, she had to pretend she was respectable and she felt ashamed
that she wasn’t. She had felt respectable when she’d been married
to Alex, but those days were long gone.

“Ah, there you are Peter,” Devin said and
Anna’s head snapped up. “Anna, you remember Peter, right?”

Peter smiled at her and moved his eyes over
her entire body.

“Yes, Devin, I remember,” she said
softly.

“We were reacquainted this morning, Devin,”
Peter explained. “Anna’s been playing hard to get,” he added with a
smile.

Anna looked between Peter and Devin. “You
knew he was here?” Anna asked Devin.

“I invited him to come,” Devin grinned.
“Anna, I’ve come to realize that you are much more...pleasant to be
around if you are in some sort of relationship. Therefore,” he
motioned to Peter. “I am providing you with a relationship. Peter
knows me, knows what I want from you, and has agreed to ‘date’ you
and provide you with companionship that I approve of.”

“Devin, you can’t—”

“I am perfectly serious, Anna,” Devin
growled. “You will give the appearance that the two of you like
each other and all that is involved when two people meet. He will
become your boyfriend and eventually you will move in with him. He
won’t interfere with any of my needs for you, but will give you
some stability and, as I said, companionship.”

Tears of frustration filled her eyes. “Devin,
I don’t want a boyfriend,” she pleaded quietly. “Especially not
him.”

“It’s not for you to choose, Anna. You are
lonely, even though you won't admit it. You need someone to be
with.” He motioned to Peter. “I have provided you with someone I
trust.”

Anna’s shoulders slumped. Arguing would just
anger him. “Yes, Devin,” she said softly.

“Now, why don’t you two run along and let
people think someone has broken through your icy exterior.” He took
hold of her arm and pinched it. “You will treat him with respect,
Anna.”

Anna winced and nodded quickly, rubbing her
arm when he released it.

Peter smiled and reached for her hand. It
took every ounce of willpower to not run away, but this is what
Devin wanted. He would punish her if she didn’t do as he wanted her
to.

Peter led her to a bench near the wall and
they sat and talked. If she didn’t despise him so much, she would
have admitted that he was very handsome. She guessed him to be
about twenty-five years old. His thick dark-brown hair hung over
his forehead and he had eyes the color of cognac. He was well built
and tall and looked incredibly sexy in his dark suit and tie...if
she would let herself admit it, which she wouldn’t. She listened
politely and was as respectful as she could manage. He explained
how he had arrived yesterday from St. Petersburg after receiving a
call Monday morning from Devin.

“So, you left the Kirov because Devin asked
you to?” Anna asked, coming to fully understand why he was here.
There would be no other reason to leave such an amazing dance
company.

“I did. My grandfather respects Devin
immensely and your ballet company is very good. Plus, an
opportunity to date the famous Mistress Anna.... Well, I couldn’t
resist.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it.

A shiver ran through her body, and it wasn’t
a good one. She liked his grandfather even less now that she knew
he respected Devin.

“You can join me when I look for an apartment
if you’d like, since you’ll be living there soon.”

“Don’t you want to really date someone? I
mean, don’t you need to get married soon?”

“Ah, I don’t need to get married until my
uncle becomes
Starshiy
.”

“Your uncle?”


Da
, Vlad is my
dyadya.
My
uncle. He had five daughters. My father is next oldest and I am his
oldest son. Therefore, I am next in line for leadership after
Vlad.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, I have a girlfriend at home. When
it is time, I will marry her.”

“She doesn’t mind you coming over here
and...becoming my boyfriend?”

He shrugged. “She doesn’t really have a
choice. She will make a good wife. We’ve been friends since
childhood. She knows there are things that I must do in life. This
is certainly one of the more pleasant ones, I must say.” He gave
her that megawatt smile again.

Anna looked away. “Well, I guess that it’s
good that neither of us are looking to have a real
relationship.”

When the party was winding down, Peter
offered to take her home.

“You have a car, but not an apartment
yet?”

“It’s a rental. I’ll get my own soon.”

Anna sighed, resolving herself to the
inevitable. “I suppose I should let you take me home?”

Peter smiled. “I would like to, if that is
all right with you.”

She shrugged. “All right.”

They went through the backstage so she could
get her things and then to the garage to his car.

“A Mustang?”

“I’ve always wanted one, and I couldn’t
resist. They’re so...American. Though I don’t know if I would buy
one. I think I like some other cars better.” He opened her door to
let her in and then closed it before walking around to his side and
settling into the driver’s seat.

Anna gave him her address and he plugged it
into his GPS system. “You live very close.”

Anna nodded. “Devin didn’t want to pay for a
car for me.”

“Ah.”

He made his way out of the parking garage and
headed towards Anna’s apartment.

“So, what do you do for fun around here?”

Anna sighed. “Devin told you I was doped up
for two years, didn’t he?”

“Well, yes. So, what did you do before you
got ‘doped up’?”

Anna clenched her fists. “I spent time with
my husband.”

“Ah. Yes. Of course.” He glanced at her.
“What did you do with him?”

“Nothing that I want to do with you,” she
snapped. Maybe being disciplined would be better than having to
spend time with him.

Peter didn’t respond, but tapped his thumbs
on the steering wheel as he drove through the narrow streets.

Anna looked out the window and leaned her
head on the headrest. She knew better than to ask Devin to change
his mind. She was stuck with Peter.

He pulled in front of her building a few
minutes later and stopped the car. Anna swallowed nervously. She
had to invite him up. She hoped he’d say no. “Did you want to come
up?”

Peter grinned. “Do you want me to come
up?”

No, I don’t want you anywhere near
me.
“If you’d like to,” she answered softly.

Peter chuckled. “You’re a good liar, Anna.
No. I’ll let you sleep tonight. Nothing’s worse than being tired
for a performance. Maybe Sunday night.”

“Okay.” She opened the car door.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

“Yeah.” She turned and went inside her
building without looking back.

*****

He wasn’t looking out the window this
time. He was sitting in the chair reading. Oh, how often she saw
him like that when he was alive. No wonder she dreamed about
it.

She shifted on her feet and he looked
up.

“Anna.”

He said it with such love that it brought
tears to her eyes. He walked over to her and knelt in front of her.
His eyes were so blue. So kind and full of love. His hair was still
long and he still had his beard.

“I don’t want to dream about you,” she
whimpered.

“Oh, Schatzi, I know,” he said gently.
“But it’s not a dream. I’m real.”

She shook her head. “You’re dead.” She
reached for his ring around her neck, but it wasn’t there. Where
was it? What happened to it? “I lost your ring,” she
whispered.

His eyes filled with tears. “We’ll get a
new one when we’re together again.”

“Devin took my other rings. All I have is
this.” She held up her right hand where her gold ring was.

He smiled and held up his right hand,
showing her his ring. “I still have mine. You’re still my wife,
Anna. Nothing will ever change that.”

Tears started running down her cheeks.
“The baby...it wasn’t Ben’s. Devin...he....”

“I know, Schatzi. I know. I’m so sorry I
wasn’t there for you.” Tears fell from his eyes and caught in his
beard. He reached out to her but stopped short of touching her. “I
miss you,” he whispered.

“I miss you, too,” she admitted. She
hesitantly reached her hand out to touch his cheek, but when she
touched him, the room faded to darkness and she found herself
reaching out into the dark in her apartment.

*****

She had been so upset about Peter she’d
forgotten to turn the TV on and Alex had invaded her dreams again.
She stared up at the ceiling. The mini blinds made weird line
patterns on her ceiling.

Why did her mind insist on giving her false
hope about Alex? He was dead. Her mind needed to accept that. But,
the dreams did give her hope, and she hated it. She didn’t want to
hope that maybe it had all been a misunderstanding and that Alex
was still alive somewhere. That he stared out the window in the
direction of San Francisco and thought about her. That he trimmed
his beard in case she showed up in his room in her dreams.

NO!
It was just a dream. Alex was
dead and that’s all there was to it.

She pushed the button on the remote to turn
on the TV. She flipped onto her side and fell asleep crying.

Chapter Eleven

 

Anna tried to avoid Peter all weekend, but
inevitably he would find her. When he wasn’t with her, Anna saw
other girls shamelessly flirting with him. Even some of the guys
tried, but Peter made it very clear he wasn’t interested in
them.

“He likes you, Anna,” Aaron said as they were
standing backstage Sunday night, waiting for the overture to
finish.

Anna looked up at his face, made up to look
like a clown puppet. “No, he doesn’t.”

“He watches you constantly. He’s always
trying to talk to you. Of course he does.”

“Devin brought him here to ‘date’ me. He’s
acting that way because he’s supposed to.”

“Why would Devin do that?”

“He thinks I need a boyfriend.”

Aaron frowned. “Well, hell, Anna. I’d gladly
take the job.” He looked at her with all the love he had for her
years ago. “And I wouldn’t be faking it,” he added softly.

She shook her head emphatically. “No, Aaron.
I couldn’t do that to you. Don't you remember what happened to Ben?
He sent Nate away. He sent Kurt away. Even Alex died.” She gave him
a pleading look. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to
you.” She bit her lip and reached out for his hand with both of
hers. “I need you too much, Aaron,” she whispered.

She saw tears in his eyes but he nodded.
“Okay, Anna.” He sighed. “Then please stop pushing me away. And
Jenna. And Travis. We care about you Anna and want—” He stopped and
looked behind Anna.

Anna turned around to see Peter looking at
Aaron suspiciously. “What are you two talking about?” Peter said in
a low voice. He had a threatening aura about him, which made Anna
worry about Aaron.

“I was telling Aaron that I was glad he was
my friend.”

Peter narrowed his eyes as he looked at the
two of them. “He doesn’t look at you as just a friend,” he said
slowly.

Would Peter tell Devin? “Please, Peter,” she
whispered, stepping to him and looking up into his eyes. “He’s just
a friend.” Anna looked around at the other dancers who were
watching them now and blushed.

Peter looked back at Aaron and then at Anna.
He nodded and then walked away.

Aaron stepped closer. “Is he also a spy for
Devin?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Anna said softly,
watching Peter walk in the direction of the dressing rooms. She
looked back at Aaron. “That’s why I stay away from you.”

Aaron clenched his jaw and sighed. “I don’t
like that, Anna.”

“I’m sorry, Aaron. I wish...I wish things
were different.” She turned and walked away, praying he wouldn’t
follow.

*****

“May I drive you home?”

Anna jumped at the sound of Peter’s voice as
she walked out of the dressing room. She looked at him and was
about to say no when he gave her a look that indicated she better
say yes.

“Yes, thank you,” she said, her cheeks
reddening with shame, knowing she was being watched. She just
wanted to be left alone and Devin was forcing her into a
relationship. Peter would probably tell Devin everything she did,
too.

Peter took her hand and they walked outside
and across the street to the parking garage. They got to his black
rental car and suddenly he stopped and pulled her towards him. He
put his hand on the side of her face and kissed her. She kissed him
back without thinking about it, sliding her hands up his chest and
over his shoulders.

His kiss was confident. He knew she wouldn’t
pull away. Not like other first kisses she’d had, where the guy had
been hesitant and gentle. Peter probed her lips with his tongue and
demanded entry. He held her tight against his chest, as if to
prevent her from escaping.

BOOK: The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared
9.63Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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