The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged (4 page)

“You two have danced together before,
correct?” Vincent asked.

Aaron nodded. “Not as much as I’d have liked,
but yes.”

“You work well together. Probably because you
trained at the same school.” Vincent looked at them again and then
walked away to work with another couple.

Anna didn’t know if it was good or bad, but
Aaron assured her that it was okay.

“Where are you going on Sunday?” she
asked.

“The Netherlands. The whole company is going,
including you and Justin. We go on tour every few months.”

Anna shook her head. “I can’t go. I can’t
leave Manhattan.”

Aaron chewed his lip. “I forgot about that.”
He glanced at Vincent. “I’ll let him know after we’re done.”

Vincent wasn’t happy about Anna not being
able to travel, but he understood. “We’ll be gone all week. I can
talk to the school if you want to dance there.”

Anna shook her head. “It’s okay, Vincent. I
can practice on my own. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Vincent glanced at Aaron. “How long will the
restriction be in place?”

Aaron shrugged. “I don't know.”

Vincent pressed his lips together and nodded
curtly. “All right.” He turned and walked away and Anna looked at
Aaron.

“He’s upset.” Anna sighed.

“You’ve only been here a couple of days and
you’re gonna miss a tour. It’s okay. He knows why and would rather
you be here and not tour, than not be here at all.”

At the end of rehearsal, Vincent called Anna
aside. He stood with one of the male dancers she hadn’t been
introduced to yet. The tall dancer’s black hair was cut very short
and his mahogany skin looked so smooth Anna wanted to run her hand
over his clean-shaven cheeks. A dimple appeared when he smiled at
her and his eyes were a surprisingly light brown that reminded her
of a topaz.

“Katrina, this is Hugo Sintzenich. Hugo, this
is Katrina Engel.”

Anna shook hands with Hugo and said
hello.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Katrina,” Hugo
said with a slight accent. His name sounded German. “I’ve enjoyed
watching you today.”

“Hugo was not going on tour with us because
of a family issue, and he has agreed to work with you while we’re
gone,” Vincent explained.

“Oh!” Anna exclaimed. “Thank you, Vincent.
I’m sorry to be a bother.”

Vincent smiled. “You’re not a bother. I
understand why things are the way they are. I had forgotten Hugo
wasn’t going until halfway through rehearsal. It works out well
since he also choreographed one of the ballets we’re performing for
the upcoming program.”

Anna looked back at Hugo, who smiled
modestly. “I’m honored you’re willing to work with me,” she said
softly.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he smiled, his
white teeth standing out in contrast to his beautiful dark
skin.

Most of the men she had contact with were
“white guys,” with the exception of the president. Anna thought
Hugo was very handsome.

“We can work out a schedule tomorrow if you’d
like,” Hugo said as Vincent walked away. “Unless you’d like to
tonight, over dinner,” he added with a boyish grin.

“Oh...I...um....” She glanced over at Aaron,
who was talking with Justin and another girl. She looked back at
Hugo, who smiled at her hesitation. Was he asking her out on a date
or was he just being friendly? She reminded herself that she was a
free woman now and could do as she pleased.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,
Katrina.” Hugo chuckled. “It’s just eating. You do eat, right?”

Anna smiled and nodded. “More than I should
apparently,” she added softly.

Hugo arched one eyebrow. “Why do you say
that?” He looked her up and down and smiled, but not in a way that
made her uncomfortable.

Anna blushed, which seemed to amuse Hugo.
“Dinner would be nice,” she said decisively. She could try this
freedom out. She didn’t have to ask Aaron if she could go out with
someone...did she?

“Great.” He smiled broadly. “I....” He
trailed off as Aaron approached. “Hey, Aaron.”

“Hey, Hugo.” Aaron touched Anna’s arm. “You
ready?”

Anna glanced at Hugo, who looked between the
two of them with thoughtful eyes. “Aaron’s my roommate,” she
explained.

A hint of relief showed in Hugo’s face as he
nodded. “What time is good for you?”

“Um....” She glanced at her watch. “An
hour?”

“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay, I live at—”

Hugo shook his head. “I know where Aaron
lives. I’ll see you in an hour,” he said with a smile and walked
away.

“You’re going out with him?” Aaron asked
incredulously as Anna went to pick up her bag.

“Is that okay?” she asked nervously. “Vincent
is having him work with me next week while you all are gone. Hugo
said we could work out the schedule over dinner. Is he an okay
guy?”

“Hugo? Yeah, he’s a great guy.” Aaron
grimaced. “I guess I need to be quicker about asking you out and
not assume you’re going to be home.”

“Oh, Aaron, did you want to do something
tonight? I’m sorry.” She felt bad for not checking with him
first.

“I was thinking about doing something, but I
didn’t ask and you have no reason to feel bad. How about tomorrow
night though?” They made their way out the back door of the theater
and headed towards their apartment building.

“Sounds wonderful,” Anna said, grinning.

Anna stood in front of the mirror an hour
later, smoothing her new blue dress over her hips. A knock sounded
at the door and Anna went to answer it, but Aaron got there first.
But it wasn’t Hugo; it was Nate.

“Wow, Anna. You look great.” Nate walked over
and kissed her on the cheek, lingering next to her a second longer
than necessary but long enough to heat her blood.

She looked up at him, wide eyed and startled.
“Thanks,” she said softly.

“Here,” Aaron said, handing Nate a beer.
“Anna’s got a date already.”

Nate raised his eyebrows. “Really? Who?”

“Hugo,” she answered.

Nate smiled. “Good guy. I approve.”

There was another knock at the door and Anna
went to answer it. Hugo stood in the doorway wearing a black
button-down dress shirt and khaki dress pants. He smiled broadly
when he saw her.

“Hi, Hugo,” she said, stepping aside to allow
him room to enter.

“Hello, Katrina,” he said with an
appreciative grin. “You look fabulous.”

“Thanks.” She smiled shyly.

Hugo greeted Aaron and Nate. The three men
chatted for a few minutes and then Hugo looked at Anna. “You
ready?”

Anna nodded with a shy smile. She went
quickly to her room to retrieve her purse and then returned to the
living room.

Hugo opened the door and the two said goodbye
to Aaron and Nate. “Do you like Italian?” Hugo asked as they made
their way to the elevator.

“Yes,” Anna answered with butterflies in her
stomach. How long had it been since she’d been on a date? A real
date? It had to have been Ben, but this time she didn’t have to
worry about what Devin thought about it.

Hugo and Anna settled into a cozy table for
two in a small Italian restaurant across town. Or at least that’s
where Anna thought they were. This city was so different from her
own.

“So how come you’re not going on tour?” Hugo
asked after they had ordered their dinners.

“I....” Anna hesitated. “I can’t travel right
now.”

“Oh? Why not?”

Anna’s eyes widened. How did she answer that?
“I...just can’t.”

“Are you sick?”

Anna shook her head.

“Are you a criminal?” He grinned.

Anna smiled and shook her head.

“Are you....” He thought for a moment. “A
secret spy undercover as a dancer who has duties here in New
York?”

Anna laughed. “No.”

“Are you going to tell me or should I give up
now?”

Anna laughed. “I could tell you, but then I’d
have to kill you.” She gave him a sly look.

Hugo leaned his head back and laughed. “All
right, all right. I give up.”

“So, why aren’t you going?”

“My mother broke her leg a few weeks ago and
I need to keep an eye on her.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry! How did she break it?”

Hugo chuckled. “Skiing.” He rolled his eyes.
“I warned her that a seventy year old woman shouldn’t be going
skiing, but she didn’t listen. She’s a bit stubborn.”

Anna laughed again. “Are you disappointed you
can’t go?”

“I love traveling, but it’ll give some of the
younger principals a chance to dance in roles not normally
available.” He shrugged. “Do you like to travel?”

Anna paused. “I suppose it depends on the
activities involved and who I’m with.”

“Interesting answer. You’ve traveled with
unpleasant people?”

Anna shrugged. “You could say that.”

“Where have you gone?”

Anna thought aloud.
“Frankfurt...St. Petersburg...Washington,
DC....”
Alex had never gotten to take her on a honeymoon
that he’d wanted to. Her hand went unconsciously to her wedding
band.

“Katrina?”

Anna shook her head. “I’m sorry. I...got lost
in a thought.”

He grinned. “It’s all right. You’re German,
correct?”

“Why would you...oh, um...yeah.” Her
name.

“Were you born here or in
Deutschland
?”

“In California. Your name sounds German as
well.”

“I was born outside of Dusseldorf, but came
here as a teenager.”

“To dance?”

Hugo nodded and then smiled. “Your name suits
you.
Engel
.” He nodded. “Unusual last name, though.”

“Is it?” Was it obvious it was made up?

Hugo smiled. “Like I said, it suits you.”

Their food arrived and the conversation
turned to more basic topics, such as movies and books; Hugo didn’t
believe her when she said that she couldn’t remember the last movie
she’d seen. They talked about their favorite ballets: Hugo’s was
Swan Lake; Anna’s was Giselle.

Dessert was served before they started
discussing a schedule for the following week. After a few minutes,
they just decided to meet at the studio mid-morning each day and go
from there.

They took a cab back to Anna’s apartment and
Hugo walked her up to her apartment. She fidgeted with her keys as
she looked up at him. “Did you want to come in?”

He grinned. “Not tonight, Katrina.” He leaned
down and kissed her cheek.

Anna felt her cheeks warm at the simple kiss.
“I had a really nice time,” she said sincerely. “Thank you.”

“Me too. I’m looking forward to working with
you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Hugo waited until Anna had unlocked her door
and opened it before turning back to the elevators. She waved and
then went inside.

Aaron was sitting on the couch. “So, how was
it?” he asked.

“Nice,” she smiled. “He seems like a great
guy.”

Aaron grinned. “Yeah, he is. There’s talk of
him taking Vincent’s place when he retires.”

“Really? Wow.”

“He’s an incredibly talented choreographer.
It’s good you can work with him while we’re gone.”

Anna fidgeted. “Is he safe?”

Aaron gave her an affectionate smile. “Yeah,
hon. He’s safe.”

Anna sighed in relief.

“Hon, I think you know if someone’s safe or
not. You just need to be brave enough to say no if they’re not
safe.”

It was true; she knew men. “Thanks, Aaron.
I’m gonna go to bed.”

“G’night Anna.”

Anna smiled at his use of her real name.
“Good night, Aaron.”

The next few days flew by. Friday was another
exhausting, frustrating day of dancing. Anna hoped that Hugo would
be able to help her next week. The style was so different and it
frustrated her to no end.

Friday night, Aaron took her out to dinner
and they had a wonderful time. It was so nice being with him again.
They cuddled up on the couch when they got home and watched a
movie.

Saturday night Anna lay in her bed fidgeting.
She’d spent the day with Aaron as he packed. They didn’t have class
and it was wonderful to spend time with him, especially since he
was going to be gone for an entire week.

She tossed and turned but couldn’t find a
comfortable position. It had been several days since she’d had sex
and she was feeling it. She needed to be touched; more than just a
hug. She sighed and got up out of bed.

She crept into Aaron’s bedroom. He was
illuminated by the outside lights, his sheets tangled around his
hips. One arm was slung over his head and the other rested on his
stomach. His chest moved slowly up and down as he snored
softly.

She smiled, remembering how he slept like
this when they’d been together. Her heart squeezed at the memory.
How she had missed him!

Anna pulled her pajamas off and crawled onto
the bed at his feet. She slowly made her way up until she could
kiss his chest. He groaned softly as she kissed her way up to his
neck and straddled his hips. The hand that had been on his stomach
moved to her hip and caressed her lightly.

She kissed his mouth and his eyes snapped
open. “Anna,” he whispered hoarsely. “What are you doing?”

She leaned to the side and nipped at his
earlobe. “I can’t sleep,” she whispered.

His arm above his head moved to pet her hair
gently as he gazed into her eyes. “You need touch?” he asked
gently.

Anna nodded and he rolled her to her back and
moved the sheets so his body was against hers. His cock was hard
against her hip as he leaned down to kiss her, gentle at first, but
with an increasing hunger as the minutes passed. His hands roamed
her body and they both felt their desperation for each other. She
stroked his cock and he circled her clit with his finger.

“Please, Aaron,” she rasped, wiggling beneath
him. She opened her legs and he groaned in appreciation.