“So what did you do when you went out with your friends? According to my sisters, getting dressed is half the event of the evening.”
I shook my head. “I never went out with friends. Jack would never have allowed me to do such things.” I paused. “Jack had friends over a lot, for parties and stuff, but they were his friends and they weren’t much fun.”
“Why did he keep you so isolated?”
“Jack thought I had more important things to do than waste time with friends. He had ‘lessons’ for me.”
“Lessons?”
“To learn how to please a man.” Should I have said that? It’s not like they don’t know what I am.
Kurt muttered something in German. “Anna, how old are you?”
“I just turned twenty on Monday.”
Kurt stared at me in disbelief and I bit my lip nervously. Did he think I was younger? Jack always said men like younger women and that twenty was the beginning of the end. “Did I do something to displease you, my lord?” I asked softly.
“Nein, Anna. What you said just...surprised me.” Kurt smiled at me. “We must celebrate your birthday tonight. Did Devin and Jack do something special for your birthday?”
I shook my head. “No, but I didn’t mind. It was one of the best days I’d had in a very long time,” I added quickly. I didn’t want him to think poorly of Devin. “I had the whole afternoon and evening and night to myself, and I read an entire book without being interrupted. It was wonderful.”
Kurt looked sad. “I am so sorry Anna. That is a horrible way to grow up. It is so...wrong. No one should be treated like that.”
“How else was I supposed to learn what I needed to learn? Jack said my purpose in life was to please men.” I gave him a tentative smile. “I think I do a pretty good job.”
“I would agree with that, Anna.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “But, you...you should not be...you are not a Dirne. You should not be locked up in a house waiting for men to come use you.”
“What’s a Deernuh?”
Kurt smiled. “A Dirne. A sex slave.”
“Oh.” I frowned at him. “Well, of course I am, Kurt. Why else would I be here with you? Why else would I be at the Manor?”
“I thought you were Devin’s mistress.”
I bit my lip. Maybe I shouldn’t have said...crap. I said too much again. Devin said that in public I was to be known as his Mistress.
I took a step away from Kurt and twisted my fingers together. “Of course I’m Devin’s mistress,” I said softly, staring at his chest.
“Anna....” Kurt reached out for me and pulled me back to him. “Anna, you are not a Dirne. You are not marked as a slave. I certainly do not think of you as a slave. I think your guardian is wrong.”
I looked up at him in confusion. Jack was never wrong.
“I think you are a very pretty young woman that I want to spend time with....” He kissed me gently, “...and get to know much better.” He gave me a tender look and kissed me again, this time nibbling on my lip.
“Kurt,” Wilhelm said in a low voice. “Please do not act that way on the street.”
Kurt winked at me and straightened. “I cannot help it, Vati.”
Wilhelm frowned at him then looked at me, smiling. “Ilsa is arranging for someone to come to Alex’s house and help you get ready. They will arrive in an hour so we need to go.”
“Alex’s house?” I asked as we got into the limo.
“We stay with Alex when Mutti doesn’t come,” Kurt said with a grin. “It is more fun than a hotel.”
The limo pulled away from the curb and headed north out of downtown. I sat next to Kurt and proceeded to forget about anything that wasn’t him. He pressed his lips to mine and caressed my breasts. I slid my fingers into his hair and kissed him back eagerly.
I moaned as his fingers slid under my panties, gliding his hands over the swollen folds.
“You are all wet,” Kurt said nuzzling my neck with his lips. “I want to taste you.” He slid his fingers under my panties and into my pussy. I gasped and closed my eyes as he thrust them in and out slowly several times.
“Oh, Kurt,” I whispered, grasping his hair with my fingers.
He removed his fingers and brought them to his mouth, sucking on them as he watched me. I bit my lip and he smiled. “Delicious. I think I need another taste.” He looked up out the window and wrinkled his nose. “But later. We are here.”
I looked out the window as we pulled up to an elegant, three-story white-brick house. I glanced back at Wilhelm as we exited, wondering what he’d thought of my make-out session with his son, and he gave me an amused smile.
The front door opened as we approached and an older woman wearing a black dress and white apron stood there with a smile on her face.
Wilhelm greeted her in German as we entered the house. He motioned to me. “Frau Gersten, this is Anna. She will be staying with Kurt tonight.”
Frau Gersten gave me a polite smile and nodded in greeting. “Guten Abend, Herr Kurt. Guten Abend, Fräulein.”
We walked further into the house and my mouth gaped opened as I looked around. A huge wooden staircase dominated the large mahogany-paneled foyer. Beyond the hall in one direction was a dining room paneled in dark wood with a glass-topped table. On the opposite side of the foyer was a large, brightly lit living room with three large windows facing the street.
The driver had brought up my shopping bags and given them to Frau Gersten. Wilhelm instructed her to put them in Kurt’s room. Kurt grinned and squeezed my hand. “Kommen Sie, let me take you to my room.” He pulled my hand and started leading me up the stairs.
“Kurt, the Kosmetikerin will be here in a half hour. I would recommend staying out of be,” Wilhelm said, looking up at us with the same amused expression he gave me when we exited the limo. “If you see your brother, tell him I would like to speak with him.”
“Ja, Vati,” Kurt muttered as we walked up the maroon- and gold-carpeted stairs. “Alex is probably in the media room. We’ll find him and then....” He smiled at me with that mischievous look in his eyes.
Chapter 11
The ceiling above the stairs was painted like the sky and there was a huge stained glass picture window ahead of me. The walls looked like they were upholstered in…is that white silk? We walked up another curved staircase to the third floor and walked into a room from which emerged sounds of shouting and a crash. Three men were sitting around the large room watching something on an enormous flat panel TV. They were very large men: fit, muscular, and scary-looking.
The man sitting in the leather recliner closest to the door looked like Kurt, though more powerfully built. Is this his brother? I stared, unable to look away.
I guessed him to be in his late-twenties. He wore dark blue jeans and his long legs were crossed at his ankles. His feet were bare and hung off the edge of the footrest. A white t-shirt stretched across muscular shoulders and chest while one arm rested behind his head, his flexed bicep distorting the fabric of the sleeve. His hair was thick and blond like Kurt’s, though it was shorter and looked a little unkempt, as if he ran his fingers through it frequently. He was clean-shaven, but I could see golden stubble under his high cheekbones and on his cleft chin. His skin was flawless save for a thin scar on the left side of his forehead near his hairline. Under thick brows, his deep-set eyes were hidden behind long blond lashes. I wondered what color they were.
He is the handsomest man I’ve ever seen.
The thought drew ice around my heart. I’d had that thought before: my Dream Man. Is he...? No, it’s not possible. Dream Man wasn’t a real person. He was just something my mind made up for some semblance of comfort. I tore my eyes away from him and shook my head to clear it.
“See what you missed out on by staying home last night?” Kurt said in a loud voice, putting his arm around my waist.
I heard a sharp intake of breath from the big blond man and looked back at him. Cobalt-blue eyes met mine and my breath caught in
my throat. Those eyes. I coughed and backed away into Kurt. It is him! The man from my dreams. His eyes widened and his sculpted lips parted slightly, revealing even, white teeth.
“Do not let my big brother scare you.” Kurt chuckled, putting his hands on my upper arms and kissing my cheek. “He will not hurt you.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me against him, my back to his front. “Alex, this is Anna. Anna, this is my big brother Alex.”
Alex and I hadn’t broken eye contact since he’d looked up. I hadn’t even blinked. He stared at me for a moment more, then blinked and looked away.
He stood up. He was a giant of a man, just like in my dreams. He looked exactly as he had in my dream from the other night. I looked up at him as he turned to me and gave me a warm smile. “Hello, Anna. It’s wonderful to meet you.” His voice was low like his father’s, but his accent was much less pronounced. It washed over me like honey.
I blinked and moved my mouth, but no sound came out. I gave him a timid smile.
Alex glanced at his brother. “Where did you two meet?”
“At the Schloss. Devin introduced us.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “The Manor? She was at the Manor?”
“Ja, Alex. Of course. Why? Do you know her?”
Alex looked back at me, his eyes inscrutable. He frowned. “Nein.” The way he said it was dismissive and he turned away.
Pain stabbed my heart. Anna, they were dreams. Of course he doesn’t know you. I dreamed of real people occasionally, but that didn’t mean that they knew me. I stared at the ground and rubbed my hands together. The nerves were tingling terribly.
“She is coming with us tonight,” Kurt said, leaning down and kissing my cheek.
Alex wheeled around and said something in German. Kurt answered in kind and they continued talking in German.
“Hello, Anna. I’m Seth.” The other two men walked over to where I stood, watching Kurt and Alex talk. Alex looked upset. Seth took my hand to pull me away from Kurt and Alex. I looked back at the brothers. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be a while.”
Seth, who sounded surprisingly American, smiled at me when I looked back at him. His chocolate-brown puppy-dog eyes and boyish aura, especially his smile, made him look kind, despite being as tall as Kurt. His medium brown hair was cut very short.
I smiled timidly “Hello, Seth,” I said in a soft voice.
“And this is Tony.” Tony was not as tall as the other two, but much broader. His closely-shaved black hair and dark eyes made him look Italian. The mischievous glint in his eyes reminded me of Kurt.
“Hi, Tony,” I said, nodding in greeting.
Tony sat on the edge of the couch and gave me a seductive smile. “I didn’t think Devin let his girls out of the Manor. Has he changed his policies? It’d make it a helluva lot easier on us if he did,” he added with a laugh. He sounded American like Seth. “Wouldn’t have to face the bastard every time we wanted some company.”
I looked at the two men and took in a shuddering breath. I was in a houseful of men with sexual appetites. Very large sexual appetites, if I read them correctly. I trembled under their gaze.
“She’s not a Dirne.”
I spun around to see Alex frowning at me. He stood with his arms across his broad chest, his chin held high and his eyes cool. He and his father were very similar; his mere presence demanded respect.
“You should go get ready for tonight,” he said in a sharp voice and I swallowed back unwanted tears. He gave a look to the men standing behind me as I quickly exited the room with Kurt.
*****
I followed Kurt down the hall to a bedroom. A king-sized bed with a navy blue duvet dominated the room. Tall windows allowed in the golden light from the setting sun. A dark wooden wardrobe stood partially open next to the fireplace where I could see Frau Gersten had hung my clothes.
Kurt kissed the back of my neck as he closed the bedroom door behind him with his foot. “I am going to make love to you in that bed tonight.” He brought his hands around to my stomach and up to cup my breasts and caress them. “It was a very big, empty bed last night. I am glad it will not be so tonight.”
I leaned my head back on his shoulder and sighed as he played with my breasts, pushing out any distressing thoughts of his brother. He nipped the side of my neck and I inhaled sharply. I pressed my hips back against his and could feel his erection against my ass. I turned and kissed him, sliding my hands down his chest to his cock. I stroked him over his shorts and he groaned something in German.
“May I please you, my lord?” I whispered, pressing my hand hard against him.
“Mein Gott, Anna. You are a very tempting woman.” He kissed me and pushed me backwards, edging me towards the bed. The backs of my knees hit the mattress and I fell backwards with Kurt on top of me.
I smiled and kissed his neck, running my hands through his hair. I sucked on his collarbone and stroked his cock again. “I want to taste you, Kurt.”
He groaned against my neck. “I wish we had time, Engel, but the woman to help you get ready will be here in a little bit.” He nuzzled my neck. “And I need to take a shower.” He lifted himself off me and sat up, grinning at me. “I am so glad you are here with me, Anna. I have had a very good time with you today.” He stroked my cheek and looked at me tenderly. “I wish....” He shook his head. “I am going to go shower. The remote is on the nightstand if you want to watch something.” He kissed me again and went through a door in the corner of the room, which I could see led to a bathroom.
I stood and walked over to the window. The buildings of downtown San Francisco were not that far away. What a beautiful view. Jack lived only a few miles away. Although I knew this view well, it seemed different today. Not so...out of reach. After all, I was going downtown tonight to see a ballet performance! I clapped my hands with glee.
Not only had Jack forbidden me from performing after my parents died, I couldn’t attend any performances either. I heard about them from my childhood best friend, Jenna, when we were able to have hushed conversations in the bathroom at the studio, but that was as close as I got. She was in the corps of the San Francisco Ballet Company. Maybe I’d see her dance tonight. Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful to see her dance!
Jenna Tompkins had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. My mother had gone to school with her dad, Luke, and Jack. We took the same dance classes and went to school together. My parents would drop me off at her house on school mornings and her parents would take us to school and to the dance studio after.
My parents had been principals with the San Francisco Ballet Company before they died. When they had performances, Jack and Luke would take Jenna and I to the opera house to watch. Jenna and I would sneak backstage sometimes before the performances to see the “big dancers.” Normally students weren’t allowed back there, but we could get away with it because of my parents.
After my parents died, Jack wouldn’t let me see Jenna, or any of my friends anymore, so Jenna and I had to sneak conversations in the studio bathroom when I was there. Not seeing her made my parents’ death even harder on me; I lost them both from that car accident. I saw Luke on a regular basis, though, when he came to Jack’s house during my training. I hope Luke never told Jenna what I did.
Maybe if I’m allowed to go out, and take more classes, maybe Jenna and I can be real friends again. Maybe she could help me learn to be a normal person again. I could ask Devin if she could help me with “social refinement.” She always knew how to behave in social situations.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. The water was still running in the bathroom so I answered the door. Wilhelm smiled at me and introduced me to a short, thin woman with fashionably styled red hair.
“Anna, this is Tiffany McCombs,” Wilhelm said. “Ilsa spoke to her and made all the arrangements.” He turned to Tiffany. “Will this room suffice? There are other rooms in the house that are available.”
Tiffany looked around and smiled chee
rfully. “This will be wonderful, Duke von Hesse. There is good light in here. That’s what I need to work well.” She gave him a megawatt smile then looked at me. “It looks like I have a good canvas to work with, too. That’s half the battle.” She stepped into the room. “I will return her to you looking like a princess.”
He looked at me, warmth in his eyes. “She already does.” He nodded and left.
“I’ll let Kurt know you’re here,” I said as Tiffany walked into the room. I walked into the bathroom where Kurt was turning the water off. The shower door was clear glass and I could see him in all his masculine glory. Oh, my....
He grinned as I stared at him. “I would ask you to join me....”
I smiled. “I wanted to let you know that the lady who’s helping me get ready, Tiffany, she’s here.”
He nodded. “Danke. I will make sure I am covered before I go out there.”
I looked at him one last time then walked back into the bedroom.
“Boyfriend?” Tiffany asked as she was pulling things out of her bag.
“Huh? Oh...um...something like that,” I mumbled.
She looked at me with an amused expression. “Well, now. Let me take a look at you.” She had me turn around several times and I showed her my dress. “Oh, what a wonderful color for you. You have excellent taste.”
“Oh, I didn’t really pick it out…. Wilhelm and Kurt know more about this sort of thing than I do.”
Kurt walked out of the bathroom at that moment with a navy blue towel wrapped low around his hips. “Guten Abend…Tiffany, correct?” Kurt said with a smile.
Tiffany nodded, wide eyed, and then shook her head as if clearing it. “Tiffany McCombs.” She regained her professional demeanor and extended her hand. “You must be Kurt?”
He nodded and shook her hand. “Ja. I will get my clothes and dress downstairs to give you ladies space.”
Tiffany and I both watched as he walked over to the wardrobe, removed a dark suit, and left the room. Our eyes met as she turned around and we both giggled.
“Damn! You’re a lucky girl,” she said with a grin. “You two will make quite the couple tonight.”
The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved Page 11