The rose triggered the memory of the wonderful night she’d had with Mr. J. She wondered what he was doing. What had brought him to New York? Why did he want to remain anonymous? His kindness stood out in her mind after Kurt’s...tantrum.
She smelled the second rose before she saw it at the landing between floors. It didn’t look as if it had been dropped: it was propped up against the wall. Anna frowned at it and looked around. She saw another one at the top of the next set of stairs.
What was this? She went to where the third rose stood propped up against the marble wall. Curiosity got the better of her when she saw another rose at the end of a table and instead of going on up to the third floor, she walked to the end of the table. She looked around, half expecting to see another rose and saw it down the way at the end of a bookshelf. Was this some sort of romantic trail left for someone to follow? And if so, what was she doing following it?
The roses are the same as the one given by Mr. J.
But it was just a coincidence, right?
Of course it was. But she walked to the next rose. When she looked at the plaque identifying the genre for that bookcase, she nearly choked. Mysteries.
She spotted another rose about halfway down the aisle and she walked slowly to it. It was lying on top of a book that had a note card sticking out of the top. She looked around cautiously before pulling out the book. She would replace the rose and hopefully no one would know she’d been there.
Her heart pounded when she looked at the book. It was about a ballet instructor who solves murders. Her hands shook as she pulled out the card. It was written in beautiful calligraphy on very expensive card stock.
Friday night was magical. – Mr. J.
Anna nearly dropped the book and the rose. The trail was for her! A smile crept across her face and she put the rose to her nose and inhaled deeply. After her terrible morning, she needed this. A romantic gesture from a strange man. Her...lover, maybe? She could trust him to be discreet since he wanted to keep things quiet. Kurt hadn’t heard about it, so obviously Simon hadn’t called him. And whoever was following her for Kurt hadn’t figured out what she was doing.
Maybe a little bit of romance and mystery would help her cope with the horrible person that Kurt had become. Take her mind off of him. It was already lifting her spirits.
She hugged the book to her chest with a grin on her face and picked up the other roses that were in the room. She brought the flowers to her nose, inhaling their scent as she wandered around, picking out other interesting-looking mysteries. She finished picking out her selections and went back out to the staircase and picked up the rose at the top of the stairs and saw another rose at the bottom of the next staircase. She giggled and quickly picked it up, following a new trail of roses up to the fourth floor.
She grinned when she saw the next rose, and followed the trail to the biography section. The rose led to a book about Anna Pavlova, which made her smile. There was no card in this one, but it didn’t matter. She knew the trail was for her and he was talking to her through the books. Her heart swelled to be understood like this. And by a stranger no less.
A third trail of roses led to a book of the history of New York City with lots of beautiful pictures. She looked around but didn’t see any more roses. And was rather relieved. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get these home as it was. Her hands were full of roses and books. She might have to take a taxi. This is not a bad problem to have.
She practically skipped down stairs to the checkout counter and beamed as she scanned her books with the self-checkout machine. She was humming happily to herself as she tried to decide what to do to get home when she looked up and saw Simon smiling at her.
“Simon!” she exclaimed in surprise.
“I see you found the books Mr. J. wanted you to find.”
“Oh, Simon! It was....” She sighed, happiness filling her heart. “It was just what I needed today. Please tell Mr. J. I said thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
“Bad day?” he asked, taking the books from her.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Mr. J. will be very pleased to know he made you smile.”
“This was...wonderful.”
“Can I offer you a ride home?”
Anna was about to accept when she remembered Kurt’s anger from the morning. “I...I can’t. I’m sorry.”
“Katrina, I’m just going to take you home.”
Anna shook her head. “My fiancé wouldn’t like it.” She took her books back from Simon. “I’ll just take a taxi.”
Simon frowned but didn’t protest. He started walking with her to the doors when she stopped and looked at him. “Please just let me go by myself,” she pleaded. “I don't want to anger him further.”
“He was angry with you? For what?”
“Very angry. I’ve never seen him like that.” She blinked away tears. “I was...indiscreet last night and he flew all the way from Germany last night to yell at me and make sure I don’t do it again.” She didn’t want to admit to Simon that she’d slept with someone else and that Kurt had practically dragged her out of Levi’s bed.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I assure you I didn’t call him.”
Anna gave him a timid smile. “I know. I’ve learned my lesson. Freedom gone,” she sighed.
“I was going to ask if you wanted to see Mr. J. again, but I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
Anna swallowed. “I want to. Terribly. But I’m afraid of getting caught.”
“Did your fiancé know about Friday night?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Do you trust me to keep things as discreet as they were before?”
Anna looked up at him. “Yes,” she whispered.
Simon smiled. “Good. I will be in touch and let you know where and when.” He gave a little bow and walked away.
Anna watched him for a moment and then turned to go outside and catch a taxi home.
*****
Aaron was home when she got there. “Where’d ya get the roses? They’re pretty.”
“Oh...somewhere.” She said vaguely and went to her room to put her books down. Did she want to risk telling Aaron? Would he tell Kurt?
After finding a vase in the kitchen, she filled it with water and arranged the roses and put them on her dresser in her room.
“What’s wrong, Anna?” Aaron said sitting down on her bed. She hadn’t realized he’d followed her.
She told Aaron about going out with Levi and Kurt showing up the next morning.
“He flew all the way from Germany to pull you out of some guy’s bed?”
Anna nodded.
“I never thought he was that much of a control freak.”
“I didn’t know a lot of things about him.”
“It’s so unlike him.” Aaron shook his head. “What the hell happened to him? Have you tried talking to Wilhelm?”
“He doesn’t care. He’s...busy.” She laced her fingers together. “Sometimes I wish I’d just stayed with Devin. At least I knew to expect cruelty.”
“Oh, Anna. Don’t say that.”
“Well, there is one bright thing that happened while you were gone.” She told him about the mystery man and the trip to the library that afternoon.
“Wow,” he said when she finished her story. “Do you know who he is?”
Anna shook her head. “Simon told me to call him Mr. J.”
“It’s kinda romantic,” he grinned.
Anna nodded and smiled shyly. “It’s nice.”
*****
Monday morning, the female dancers, and some of the guys, were all abuzz with the gossip of the Mystery Man who moved in while they were out of town. Anna listened with amazement at the amount of information they had gathered in the short day they had been home.
“He went out to a club, but stayed unseen.”
“I wonder if he’s terribly ugly. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t want to be seen.”
“I h
eard he’s Russian.”
“No, I heard he’s British.”
“Russia isn’t part of Europe, silly.”
“A friend of mine saw him at the club. Well his silhouette. He’s really tall.”
Anna smiled, listening to them. She knew a little bit more, but not much. She knew he tasted of wine when he kissed her. That his touch was gentle. That his cock was huge! Anna grinned to herself.
“I overheard Vincent talking about him in the office.” Anna looked up to see Jasmine wide-eyed with excitement as she spoke. Anna immensely disliked the woman, but was still curious enough to listen to her. “He’s apparently given the Ballet a huge donation. So much so that he can pretty much come and watch us whenever he wants to.” She sighed. “I’d love to dance for him.”
Anna growled at the thought of Jasmine taking another one of her men...not that Mr. J. was hers, per se. She got up and walked out of the room to calm down, and then laughed at herself, dispelling her anger. She was beginning to get a temper like Alex had.
*****
Rehearsals were intense that week and Anna left the studio each night feeling as if the day would never end. She loved what she was doing, but there was so much to do it was hard to get her head wrapped around it. They were not only rehearsing for fall, but she was also trying to learn some Nutcracker pieces as well. Learning so many different dances was difficult, but Vincent wanted her to learn everything she could so he could use her wherever he wanted.
She loved crawling in bed after showering and reading until she fell asleep. By Thursday night, she was on her last book and was about ready for a new round.
That evening, as she was getting ready to curl up with a good book in bed, a knock sounded at the apartment door. Aaron called that he would get it but called her name a minute later. She trudged out on tired feet, but was energized when she saw the pink rose with a note card tied to it in the hand of the doorman.
“A gentleman asked me to deliver this to you, Miss Engel.”
“Thanks, Sam.” She grinned and took it.
Aaron closed the door. “What does it say?”
Anna unfolded the note card to find the same calligraphy from the note in her mystery book. “Dinner at eight-thirty with trusted friends. Drinks and dancing after. Romance at one.”
Her pussy clenched at the last sentence and she blew out a long breath.
“Wow. At least he’s a nice control freak.”
Anna laughed. “What does he mean by trusted friends?”
As if in answer to that question, her phone rang. “Hello?”
“Hello, Katrina. It’s Simon.”
Anna grinned. “Hi, Simon.” She glanced at Aaron who grinned back at her. “How did you get my number?”
“I have my ways. Sometimes it’s better not to ask.”
She giggled. “Okay.”
“I wanted to call and give you my number. Mr. J. wants you to enjoy yourself with your friends on Saturday. I just need to know how many to make the reservations for.”
“Oh, um...”
“You can think about it and give me a call tomorrow. Or text if you’re more comfortable. I’ve called from my mobile so you have my number, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Do the plans sound pleasing to you? You can bring as many friends as you’d like.”
“Absolutely. He’s very kind.”
“An astute observation. Have a good evening Katrina. I will anticipate your numbers tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Simon.”
Anna told Aaron what Simon had said. “Please, can I come?”
She laughed. “Of course. And Cameron. And Stef. I need to think about the rest. Do you think Hugo would want to come?”
“I don’t see why not.”
*****
She called Simon the next day to let him know that there would be eight friends. “Is that too many?”
“Absolutely not, Katrina. You could invite more if you wanted.”
“No, these people are good.”
“Excellent. The limo will pick you all up at your place at eight. Does that work for you?”
“Yes. Thanks.”
She’d told her friends that Kurt had arranged all this. How else would she explain it? And the look on Jasmine’s face was priceless when she overheard. Anna briefly wondered if she had Kurt’s number and would call him, but the wonder hurt too much and she pushed it aside. She didn’t really want to know.
She suppressed an urge to text Kurt and tell him that she hated him. Maybe if she got drunk enough on Saturday...but she didn’t want to get drunk. Not with meeting Mr. J. afterwards. She wanted to feel everything with him. Mr. J. was becoming a life vest in the sea of hurt. Anna knew it was dangerous, but she didn’t want to give it up. Not yet.
Chapter Nineteen
“Damn, Katrina,” Hugo whispered in Anna’s ear Saturday night. “That’s not fair.”
“What?”
“What you’re wearing.” He slid his arms around her waist and kissed her cheek. “Not nice to tease the ex-boyfriend.”
Anna giggled and pushed him playfully away. The feelings that came up when he touched her were still strong sometimes. She’d had to give Hugo up for Kurt. The thought made her so angry.
“I thought that was what ex’s were supposed to do to each other,” she teased, both of them knowing full well that they’d been forced apart by outside influences and would be back together in a flash if those influences were gone.
Hugo was the first to arrive for their night on the town. Well, except Cameron, but he didn’t count. He was always at their apartment.
“You should have seen her last week!” Cameron teased. “Even I was tempted.”
“Hey!” Aaron exclaimed, hitting Cameron’s arm playfully. Then he grinned. “Eh, well. Yeah. I could imagine.”
“What were you wearing?” Hugo asked with a smile.
Cameron rattled off the designers and the fabrics, but Hugo raised his eyebrows at the words “sheer” and “micro-mini.”
“Damn summer tour,” he muttered, and then laughed. “Maybe it was good that I wasn’t here.” He shrugged. “Or maybe we’ll have to go to a less classy place next time so I can see it.”
Anna rolled her eyes playfully. “Don’t you know it’s unbecoming to wear the same club-wear twice?”
Hugo’s eyes glinted. “Then maybe we should have a private club here.” His voice turned husky and made Anna shiver.
“You shouldn’t tempt me like that, Hugo,” she whispered, eyes wide.
They stared at each other for a long time, the electricity between them undeniable, until Hugo shook his head and looked away. “I’m sorry, Katrina. I shouldn’t have said that.” He cleared his throat. “You do look really nice though.”
Anna looked down at the spaghetti-strapped black dress she’d bought the other day. Its low V-neck was covered in sheer lace, so it wasn’t incredibly modest but not outright whoreish either. The back had the same sheer lace to the waist and the skirt hit her slightly above mid-thigh. Her favorite thing about the dress was that it was made from incredibly soft silk and it tickled her skin every time she moved.
Hugo’s words and gaze had made her nipples harden against the soft material and she was glad the dress was black so they were mostly hidden.
Stef, Jamie, Rachel, and Tanner arrived a few minutes later and the apartment became noisy with the girls’ chattering. Cameron joined in, but Hugo, Aaron and Tanner stood on the other side of the room shaking their heads and laughing at the girls’ excitement.
A few minutes later, the doorman called to inform them that their transportation had arrived and they all crowded into the elevator.
They ooh-ed and ah-ed about the elegant limo that waited for them and scrambled in, excited to begin the evening. Dinner took place at an exclusive French restaurant with melt-in-your-mouth everything in a private dining area.
They were taken to the same club that Anna and Cameron had gone to the previous week. As
they walked inside, Anna wondered if Mr. J. would be there like before. She glanced slyly over at the private area he’d been in before and her heart leapt when the curtains were closed, allowing only a glimmer of a silhouette behind. Was he here?
Cameron nudged her and motioned to the side of the curtained opening where Simon stood hands clasped together in front of his hips. He was watching her and smiled when she saw him. He bowed his head slightly and then disappeared into the curtains.
“He’s here,” she squeaked to Cameron, butterflies floating in her stomach.
Anna didn’t know if she should behave herself or give him something to watch, but realized when they sat down at their table that he would have a perfect view of her and her friends as they enjoyed themselves.
Drinks were ordered and delivered. Anna glanced in the direction of the curtained room and smiled before she took a sip of her martini. She could almost feel his eyes on her and it gave her shivers that ended right in her clit.
Hugo pulled her onto the dance floor a while later and slid his hands down her hips. “This is the one place I’m expected to molest you,” he grinned as he ran his thumbs over her hipbones.
Anna smiled and put her arms around his neck as he swayed with her to the music. “Then maybe we should come here more often,” she teased.
“Tempting,” he grinned, showing off his even white teeth. He pulled her close and his hands went lower on her ass and her heart pounded.
Was it wrong that she wanted his hands on her? It wasn’t like Mr. J. was expecting anything other than sex. Maybe he was the watching type. Why else would he send her to a dance club where he watched her dance with men the previous week?
She pressed her hips to Hugo’s and she faintly heard him groan as she leaned backwards, leaning her head back so she could smile at Mr. J. Hugo’s fingers trailed down her neck as she was leaning back and ran against the edge of her dress. She brought herself upright when he skimmed the very edge of her areola and looked at him with wide eyes.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 17