Firebird was primarily the first two weeks. Arches was second, third and fourth weeks with the premier the first week. Midsummer was every night of the sixth week plus matinees. She had little to do the fifth week but would more than make up for it the following week.
*****
The next afternoon, Anna had her first official rehearsal for Arches with Hugo. He had already taught her quite a bit of the piece. They worked on the pas de deux for most of the afternoon. She adored dancing with him.
He held her in the final pose longer than Anna expected and she caught his eye in the mirror, smiling. “Is it really held for this long?”
He chuckled. “No. It was just nice.” He set her back up in arabesque and turned her to face him. “Have dinner with me tonight,” he said softly, holding her around her waist.
Her heart fluttered as she nodded. “Okay.”
His eyes sparkled as he grinned. “Pick you up at eight?” Anna nodded again, making Hugo laugh. “Did I make you speechless?”
“It’s not that hard to do,” she admitted softly.
“I’m learning this. You don’t talk nearly as much as most women.” He chuckled. “Maybe that’s why I like you.”
Anna’s cheeks turned pink as she gave him a last shy look and went to get her things together. “Eight?” She paused by the door and turned back to look at him.
He gave her a bright smile. “Eight.”
*****
“I had a really nice time tonight,” Anna said softly as she and Hugo stood by her apartment door. She smiled. “I guess I always have a nice time with you.”
He grinned and leaned against the door post, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all.” She chewed her lip as she saw him watching her. “What?”
His eyes turned soft as he gazed at her. “I was thinking about how much I enjoyed kissing you the other night.”
Anna’s body tingled and her heartbeat quickened. “I liked it too.”
“Aaron said you just got out of a bad relationship. I don’t want to scare you away by moving things along too fast.”
Anna’s eyebrows furrowed. “He did?”
Hugo’s eyes narrowed. “Is it not true?”
Anna hesitated. “It’s really complicated, but yeah, I suppose that’s the easiest way to explain it,” she said slowly. How else could she explain Devin?
He rubbed the back of his neck. “It wasn’t with Aaron, was it?”
“What? Oh, no. No, of course not. He’s...a really good friend.” She looked up. “Are you upset?”
“No. You’re just reluctant to talk about your past and it makes it hard to get to know you.”
She looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry. It’s not easy to talk about.”
“Was he abusive?”
“Aaron?” she exclaimed, looking up.
Hugo smiled. “No. I know him better than that.” He shook his head. “I meant your past relationship.”
“Oh. I....” She sighed sadly. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Hugo’s eyes became sad and he pushed himself away from the door post. He stepped close and cradled her cheek. “I wish you would trust me, but I understand. If you ever want to talk, I’m a good listener.”
“Thanks,” she said softly, putting her hand on his.
He took a small step closer and Anna’s breath hitched in her throat. “Is it okay if I kiss you again?” he asked quietly.
Her whole body tingled as she nodded. He smiled tenderly as he bent down and gently caressed her lips with his. His hand moved from her cheek to the back of her head where it tangled in her hair. She stepped forward and put her hands on his upper arms for support. He slanted his mouth against hers with slightly more pressure, teasing her lips with his tongue and put his other hand on her lower back. Anna held back a soft moan as his tongue explored her mouth, drawing her own tongue to him and caressing it, sending delicious shivers through her body.
Their bodies touched as he held her close and she could feel his heat radiating into her. He had held her to himself many times today and Anna realized the intimacy he created with her while they danced. But this was more intimate than dancing together. She slid her hands up his arms, over his shoulders and around his neck as he deepened his kiss.
Her phone rang in her purse and they ended the kiss reluctantly. Anna gave him an apologetic look as she went to ignore the call. “It’s Aaron,” she said, frowning. Aaron knew she was out with Hugo. Why would he call her? She silenced the call and looked up at Hugo. “He wouldn’t call unless it were important.”
“Is he home?” he asked.
“I don’t know.” She pushed the screen on her phone. “Aaron? What’s wrong?”
“Where are you?” Aaron asked. He sounded upset.
“Outside the door of the apartment.”
He didn’t say anything but a moment later the door opened and he looked between her and Hugo. “Something...happened.”
Anna didn’t like the look on his face. “What happened?”
Aaron looked hesitantly at Hugo and back at her. “Tom’s here.” He looked back at Hugo. “I’m sorry, Hugo. But I really need to talk to Kat alone.”
Hugo looked a little bewildered as he nodded.
Anna bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Hugo.”
Hugo recovered enough to offer a weak smile. “It’s okay.” He leaned forward and kissed Anna on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He and Aaron shook hands and then Hugo turned and walked to the elevator.
Aaron grabbed her hand and pulled her into the apartment, closing the door behind her. Tom was sitting on the couch with a very unhappy look on his face. He looked up as Anna walked into the room.
“Did you tell her?” he asked.
Aaron shook his head and then turned to Anna. “Hon...it’s Jenna. She’s....” He swallowed and looked up at the ceiling. “Devin took her a few days ago and said if you didn’t come home that he’d kill her.”
Anna’s heart fell into her stomach. “A few days ago? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because you would have gone home or gotten in touch with him,” Tom said, standing and walking over to her. “We can’t let Devin have you back.”
“Is she okay?” she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.
Tom shook his head. “No. He killed her.”
Anna struggled for breath as she stared at him. “You let him kill her?” She glowered at Aaron. “I could have stopped him and you didn’t tell me!”
“If I’d have told you, you would have made contact with him,” Aaron said quickly, coming close and putting his hand on her shoulders. “Anna, he would have found you.”
“So what!” she yelled, backing away and slapping his hands away. “She would still be alive. You should have let me make the choice. It’s my life!” she shouted.
“No, Anna, it’s not just about protecting you,” Tom said calmly. “It’s much bigger than you. He’s using you to take over the country. He’s eroding our democracy. He’s got control of the president, for God’s sake. Even you should realize that’s not good.”
Anna turned to walk away but Tom grabbed her by her shoulders. “He wants control of the country, Anna. If you return to him, there is nothing we can do to stop him. He will continue to grow more and more powerful and then he will control everything. Freedom, what you’re just beginning to taste, will be gone. Do you want everyone in this country to be Devin’s slave?”
Anna paused, chest heaving. “That’s what he wants?”
“Yes, Anna.”
No. Being Devin’s slave...she wouldn’t wish that on anyone. She took in a shaky breath and turned back around to look up at him. “Why didn’t you stop him earlier?” she asked softly.
“We didn’t realize what he was doing. I never took his claims that seriously. We thought...we just thought he knew better. He’s a smart guy and our politicians are pretty dumb. But when he came back from Vitaly’s fune
ral, his plans escalated and we saw he was trying to become Immortal. Yes, we should have done something earlier. We know that now…should have listened to the Germans.”
“Can you still stop him?”
“If you stay out of his reach, yes.”
“Okay.” She walked slowly to her room and closed the door.
Poor Jenna...poor Matt! Matt had lost two loved ones by Devin’s hand now.
Anna closed her eyes and wept.
*****
Anna stared out the window as she lay in her bed in the dark room. She was angry. Angry at Devin. Angry at Tom and Aaron for letting this happen. No, it wasn’t really their fault, but...why did so many people have to die because of her?
She sat up, grief consuming her. She was half-tempted to call Hugo and ask him to come back, but she didn’t think that would be appropriate. Instead, she got out of bed and headed into Aaron’s room. The lights were out; it was after midnight. But his head turned when she walked in.
“Hey,” she said softly, walking across the room and stopping by his bed.
He looked up at her and sighed. “I can’t believe she’s gone.” He pulled aside the blankets and she cuddled in next to him.
“I can’t believe it either,” she said, tears running down her cheeks.
“I called Justin. We’re going to fly out tomorrow for the funeral.”
Anna nodded. “I can’t go, can I?”
“No.”
Anna took in a shaky breath. She hoped that Devin killed Jenna quickly, like he had with Ben. She was afraid to ask. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know.
Chapter Seven
Hugo rushed over to Anna when she walked into the studio the next morning. She was calm and trying not to think about things too deeply. It had been a quiet morning in the apartment. Aaron stayed home to pack and she fought the anger at not being able to go with him.
“Is everything okay?” Hugo asked as she dropped her bag on the ground.
Anna looked up into his concerned eyes. “My best friend was killed.”
His eyes widened. “Oh my God, Katrina. I’m so sorry.” He looked around. “Why are you here? You should go home and...I don’t know...pack to go back to the funeral?”
Anna shook her head. “I can’t go.”
Hugo stared at her and then he exhaled. “Does it have something to do with that relationship you don’t want to talk about?”
Anna nodded. She squeezed her eyes shut and grasped the barre tightly, trying to maintain control of her emotions. Her heart hurt and she didn’t know what to do.
“C’mon,” Hugo said, putting his arm around her and leading her out of the studio. He paused by the door to tell Vincent what happened, and then led Anna into his office. He sat her down on a leather couch along the side wall and put his arms around her.
His caring warmed her heart and she leaned her head against his chest as he stroked her arm. “You could have called me last night,” he said softly, leaning his cheek against her head. “I would have come back over.”
“I didn’t want to bother you. You looked kinda upset when Aaron said he needed to talk to me.”
“He had interrupted a really nice kiss. I was a little irritated with him.”
Anna couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “It was a nice kiss,” she agreed.
“I feel bad now, though. Did he know her?”
Anna nodded. “She was like a sister to him.” She leaned her head against his chest. “Have you ever lost anyone?” she asked softly.
“Yes. My father died when I was fifteen. That’s when my mother and I moved here.”
“How did you...get over it?”
He chuckled. “I don't know if I ever ‘got over it.’ I still miss him. I loved my father dearly. He was a good man.”
“How did he die?”
“Cancer. Mercifully, it went quickly, but it still was very difficult, watching him die.”
“You got to say goodbye, though, right?”
“Yes. My mother and I were there when he died.”
“I’ve never gotten to say goodbye to anyone,” Anna said softly.
“You say that as if you have lost many people, Katrina.”
She had lost quite a few people in her life. Her parents, Ben, Alex and his men, hers and Wilhelm’s baby, and now Jenna. “A few.”
“Are your parents alive?”
“No. They died when I was twelve.” Devin killed them. She had almost forgotten that he had admitted to it.
“How did they die?”
“A car accident.”
“I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine the grief you must have felt to lose both of them at once.”
“I don’t really remember it.” Devin and Jack had started touching her afterwards, dulling the pain. Had she actually ever mourned for anyone? Mourned like normal people? Probably not. She wasn’t exactly normal. She used sex to distract herself from the pain. She looked up at Hugo with wet eyes. “How do you mourn?”
He stroked her hair and gave her a sad smile. “It’s different for everyone, Anna. How did you deal with your husband dying?”
She flushed. “I was doped up for two years.”
“Oh.” He gave her a gentle smile. “I wouldn’t recommend that.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Good,” he smiled. “I’d hate to see you on drugs. You wouldn’t be able to dance and I wouldn’t have you for my premier.”
She gave him a half smile. “I wouldn’t want to let you down.”
“I can’t imagine you doing such a thing.”
They sat quietly together for several long minutes. His presence was comforting and she slowly relaxed into his arms.
“Do you want to go home?” he asked softly. “Vincent would understand.”
Anna shook her head. “Dancing...dancing helps. Helps me feel better.”
He nodded. “I could see that about you.” He stood and helped her to her feet and then hugged her tight. “I’m here for you if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Hugo,” she said softly.
They went back to the studio. Class had just started a few minutes prior and Anna slipped her shoes on and joined in. Hugo spoke with Vincent for a few minutes then slipped onto the barre behind her. She knew that people had watched her and Hugo walk back in together and hoped they didn’t think badly of him.
*****
Aaron was gone when she got home that evening. He and Justin had flown out earlier that afternoon. She was sad that they couldn’t tell Jenna’s dad that she was sorry for what happened. Neither of them could let on that they knew where she was. Anna understood but the knowledge didn’t make it any easier.
Hugo promised to keep her company while Aaron was out of town. He took Anna out to dinner Friday night and then they went back to Anna’s apartment and watched TV. He’d suggested going out to the club with the other dancers, or even a movie, but she wasn’t in the mood to be around a bunch of people.
Anna liked being in Hugo’s embrace on the couch and snuggled closer to rest her arm on his solid stomach and her head on his chest. He played with her hair, brushing her neck every once in a while. She wasn’t sure he was doing it on purpose, but found herself lifting her chin so he had better access to her neck.
She heard his heartbeat increase in tempo as he glided his fingers down her neck from behind her ear to her collarbone and back up. Anna fisted his t-shirt and swallowed nervously as he repeated the motion. She wanted him. Wanted him to touch her, more than just on her neck, but would he think poorly of her if they did have sex? She was pretty sure he thought of her as a sweet, innocent girl by the things he said, and how he treated her. But that’s how she was supposed to appear; she even felt that way sometimes.
He had no idea she could give him the best blowjob of his life and she wanted to badly. She wanted to taste him, to have him in her mouth first and then in her body.
But she liked that he thought of her as innocent. She supposed she could justify it by
thinking about the fact that ‘Katrina’ hadn’t slept with many people.
His fingers caressed just above her collarbone at her neck and she sighed and lifted her chin even more.
“Katrina,” he whispered. She slowly opened her eyes and saw him gazing down intently at her. He wanted her. She could feel it.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, sliding her hand up his chest and around his neck. His hand came up to cup her neck and he deepened the kiss, delving his tongue into her mouth urgently. He turned his body towards her and deepened his kiss while caressing the side of her neck.
When he pulled away a few minutes later, they were both breathing heavily. Anna watched him nervously with wide eyes as he stroked her cheek, wondering what he was thinking. She was hesitant to read him. Katrina didn’t read men like Anna did.
“I should go,” he said in a husky voice.
No! Her lower jaw trembled. “Did I do something to upset you?”
He frowned. “Why would you think that?”
“You don’t want to stay.”
Hugo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Kittycat, there is nothing more I would like to do than stay, but....” He cleared his throat and looked at her sheepishly. “I don’t want to do something you’ll regret.”
“Regret?”
He studied her. “Katrina, I am very, very attracted to you, in case you didn’t know.” He grinned. “But pushing too fast....” He sighed. “I like you. A lot. But, I don’t want you to resent me for...moving too fast.”
“Why would I resent you? I’m attracted to you, too.” She leaned forward to kiss him again, but he moved back. Tears burned at her eyes and she looked down at her hands.
He lifted her chin. “I like you, Kittycat,” he said softly and then shook his head gently. “I’m going to be a gentleman and leave before things go too far.” He kissed her chastely on the lips and then stood. She could see his erection straining against his jeans and she licked her lips.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 6