“I'm aware of their abilities. What I don't know is how you knew and why you thought it was okay to take advantage of it.”
“Alex,” Kirsty said, exasperated, and gave him a knowing look as she tried to lighten the mood. “That's what they're for, silly. You know that.” She gave him a seductive smile and moved her legs to reveal her glistening pink pussy. “You should take advantage of it, too.”
Alex frowned and closed his eyes again to keep his pulse down. The rage surging through his body disorientated him. He had half a mind to have Seth remove Anna from the room so he could deal with Kirsty properly, but doing so might make Anna feel worse. And he really didn't want to make a scene at his friend's party. He'd just have to keep himself under control. A good exercise, he supposed.
“Her owner will never find out. And I doubt he'd care if he knew.” Kirsty looked down at Anna bowing on the floor then back at Alex suspiciously. “Wait a minute. Why did she bow to you?” she asked slowly, eyes narrowed.
“It's a defense mechanism.” Alex said, temper and voice softening, as he fully realized what Anna was doing. He closed his eyes as he continued. “When a slave senses her owner is angry, they put themselves in the most submissive position they can.”
Alex knelt in front of Anna and pulled her arms to have her sit up.
She trembled and stared at the floor. “I'm sorry, Master,” she whispered.
Alex glanced up at Seth and Tony and saw the concern in their faces. He cupped her cheek and lifted her face. He smiled softly, his heart aching for the trembling girl in front of him. “Schatzi, the only thing you did wrong was doing something you didn't want to do,” he said softly.
“Master?” Kirsty exclaimed. “What the fuck, Alex?”
Alex's jaw clenched. He couldn’t deal with Kirsty’s shit anymore. He might as well tell Kirsty some of the truth. She wouldn’t tell anyone. Of that he was certain. “Show her your bracelet, Anna.”
Anna stood and held out her bracelet for Kirsty to see. Kirsty stared at it for a moment, then grabbed Anna's wrist, none to gently, pulling her onto the bed. Kirsty touched one of the silver discs. “This has your family crest on it, Alex,” she said slowly.
“Yes, she is a slave. And she belongs to my family.” He hated saying those words aloud, but they were the truth.
“Shouldn't she be in Germany?” Kirsty asked sarcastically, letting go of Anna.
Alex pulled Anna back onto her feet. “Kirsty, it is a long story which you have no need to hear,” he said impatiently. “This is why she is around so much. She is mine.” He put his hands on Anna's shoulders and Kirsty frowned. “You had no right to use her as you did.”
“What do you need a sex slave for, Alex? Aren't I enough?” Kirsty pouted.
“As I said, it is a very long story,” Alex sighed. “I didn't seek out a slave, Kirsty. But she is here to stay. If you have a problem with that, you are free to go.”
Kirsty’s jaw dropped and she stared at Alex with wide eyes. “You would choose her over me?” she accused.
“I have obligations to Anna that were in place long before I met you,” Alex said solemnly.
He felt Anna tense under his hands.
She narrowed her eyes at Alex. “I can't believe this, you son of a bitch. You'd pick a fucking slave over your girlfriend?” She scooted to the edge of the bed and reached for her swimsuit bottom, tying it with jerked motions. “Fine. Have her. There are plenty of men that would be thrilled to have me.” She finished the knots and stood to put it on.
Alex snorted. “You going to Rio?” he asked sarcastically. “Or Paris? Or how about Düsseldorf?”
Her eyes widened. “You know about—”
“Of course I do, Kirsty. I'm not an idiot.”
“Alex. I—”
“I don’t give a rat's ass,” he said irritably. “Really, I don't. Go find some other poor sucker to latch onto.” He sighed, realizing he was being harsh. He didn't want to end things like this. As much as they weren't getting along lately, there had been a reason they'd gotten together in the first place. “I'll take you home,” he said, his voice softer. “Go get your things. I'll meet you downstairs.”
Kirsty stood and glared at Anna, then left, slamming the door behind her.
Tony and Seth glanced at each other and then looked at him with amused expressions. They, too, had wondered why he was still with her.
Alex sat on the bed and ran his fingers through his hair, stopping halfway and resting his head in his hands.
“Seth, go make sure she keeps quiet about what happened,” he mumbled in German. “Tony, get the car. I need to speak to Aaron before we leave.”
Seth and Tony both responded with a “Yes, sir,” and left the room.
“Anna, why didn't you tell her no?” Alex asked in English, still staring at the floor.
Anna sat down on her knees in front of him. “She knows what I am. She ordered me.”
“You're not obligated to follow orders from someone that's not your Master, are you?” He gave her a bemused look.
“It's not like obeying you and Devin, but....” She looked up at him. “Jack punished me if I ever said no to someone. I'm not allowed to say no. Even Devin warned that his girls aren't allowed to say no.” She twisted her hands together. “If I said no to someone and they told Devin or Jack, I would be in so much trouble.”
Alex felt so hopeless to help her. The whole situation was so fucked up. What had he gotten himself into? “Oh, Schatzi.... I don’t want you to be punished. Ever.” He sighed. “Well, Kirsty won't bother you anymore.” He pressed his lips together. He would make sure of that tonight.
“Alex, I don't want to cause problems with—”
He shook his head. “Anna, the relationship has been dying for a while. I just didn't see the point in ending it just yet.” That wasn't the whole truth, but he couldn't tell Anna he was in love with her. Not yet. As he gazed into her eyes, he was tempted to kiss her and take her home with him. But he wanted her to come to him in freedom, not out of obligation. He looked away and stood. “Come. Let's go back downstairs. I'm going to take Kirsty home and deal with her.”
Alex turned and opened the door. “You need to call Devin. I told him I would have you call him when I found you.” He gave her a firm look. “If he punishes you, or threatens to punish you, tell me immediately. I don’t care if it’s three o'clock in the morning.”
“Yes, Alex.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Anna went to the downstairs bathroom to wash her face, then outside to locate her phone. It was sitting on top of her bag. Nervously, she picked it up to call Devin. Her heart pounded as she waited for him to answer.
“Hello, Anna,” Devin answered coolly. “What took you so long to return my call?”
“I'm sorry, Devin,” she said in a shaky voice. “Alex's girlfriend found out...what I was and used me.”
Devin laughed. “Really? Did you enjoy eating pussy?”
Anna cringed at his condescending tone. “It wasn't bad, but I don't really like it.”
“Well, then, fortunately for you, it doesn't happen very often. But it will happen, Anna.”
“Yes, Devin, I understand,” Anna said softly.
*****
Alex watched Anna from the kitchen doorway as she picked up her phone. She had that sad, hopeless look in her face again that stabbed his heart. Damn Kirsty! He’d almost gotten his temper back under control.
Anna had been having a good time at the party before the phone call. He could admit to himself that he was a little jealous, watching all the men flirt with her. But it was good for her, he’d told himself. She needed to see what it was like to be normal.
He'd also seen Aaron watching her. Oh, his friend had it bad. He'd suspected it when they'd hung out earlier in the week, but watching him watch her it became obvious. Good.
He looked around for his best friend and saw him standing at the end of the deck, looking out at the yard. Alex walked up and stood next to hi
m as he looked out at Anna. Her face had softened and much of the fear seemed gone. Devin must be behaving himself.
“You really like her, don't you?”
Aaron jumped and glanced at his friend. “Not as much as you do.” He gave Alex a knowing look.
“It wouldn't work right now, Aaron. I told you that.” He inhaled deeply. “I think you should ask her out.”
Aaron turned to look at him, surprise evident on his face. “Me? Why?”
“Because it's obvious how much you like her and I trust you to treat her the way she should be treated.”
“Why are you so concerned about her, Alex? I don't recall you ever being so protective over someone. Especially someone you hardly know.”
“I know her better than you think,” he said without thinking about it, and Aaron rewarded him with a startled look.
Alex sighed, realizing he'd said too much. He trusted Aaron implicitly. Aaron knew things about him that only his father knew and even things his father didn't know.
Aaron also knew about the Manor, at least as much as anyone not in the Brotherhood could know. He should warn him about Anna's piercings. If they were going to date, they'd have sex eventually and he'd see them. The last thing Anna needed was Aaron getting the wrong idea about her.
Alex looked around to see if anyone was listening. They were the only people on this side of the deck. “Aaron, Anna is my slave. She belongs to me and my family.”
“She...what?” Aaron exclaimed loudly, then clapped his hand over his mouth. He gave Alex the dirtiest look he'd ever seen Aaron give anyone. “How the fuck is that possible?”
“It was the only way to save her....” He briefly explained how Anna came to be his slave. Aaron's eyes got wider and wider as Alex spoke. He also told him a little bit about her abusive past and explained about the ritual, telling Aaron what would have happened if he hadn't interfered.
“And you're not with her...why?” Aaron looked at Alex doubtfully. “You're obviously crazy about her.”
Alex sighed. “She needs freedom. I don't want her with me because she belongs to me. I want her to come to me willingly.”
Aaron frowned, but nodded. “I guess I could understand that.”
“Aaron, being with her could be hard, but she's worth it.” Alex sighed. “She has...obligations to Devin. I think she's attending something with him on Wednesday. You can't get upset with her when she has to do those things.”
Aaron grimaced. “He's gonna fuck her, isn't he?”
Alex nodded solemnly. “I would be incredibly surprised if he didn't. But you can show her what real lovemaking is and she will blossom.”
Aaron stared out at the yard where Anna was now talking with Jenna, and Alex followed his gaze. She seemed so sad. So different than when she'd been in the pool just a while before.
“What happened tonight?” Aaron asked.
Alex told him what Kirsty had done to Anna.
Aaron's reaction was similar to, though less volcanic than, Alex's. “Please tell me you’re ending it with that bitch.”
Alex nodded. “I am. That's why you need to ask Anna out tonight.”
“What if I've changed my mind?”
“She's still the same person, Aaron,” Alex snapped. “The only difference is if you hurt her, I will hurt you.” He glared at his friend.
“Jeez, Alex. I was just kidding.” Aaron laughed. “You really are protective of her, aren't you?”
Alex frowned and looked out at the yard. “Someone needs to be.”
*****
“Where'd you disappear to, Anna?” Jenna asked, walking up to Anna.
Anna had just finished a relatively pleasant conversation with Devin. He had told her that she was going to stay with him at his home Wednesday after the banquet. That had surprised Anna. Why would he want her at his house? Wouldn't his wife be upset?
But, it was her job to obey, not question, him.
“Oh...I...had to go to the bathroom...,” Anna answered lamely. She didn't want to relive her experience with Kirsty.
Jenna gave her a look. “Okay,” she said with a doubtful expression on her face. “So, let's get back in the pool. Garrett's been asking where you were.”
Anna looked over at the pool. Garrett seemed like a nice guy, aside from not letting her go get her phone. How could he have known how important it was for her to answer the call? There were several nice guys. Alex wanted her to flirt and have fun. Okay, she could do that.
She nodded to Jenna and they started walking towards the pool when Alex came up to them.
“Is everything okay, Anna?” he asked, glancing down at the phone in her hands.
Anna nodded. “Yes....” She glanced at Jenna. “Everything's fine.”
“Gut,” Alex said. “Well, if you're okay, I'm going to take off and take Kirsty home. Do you...want me to come back later?”
Jenna's brow raised at his words.
Anna shook her head. “No, that's okay, Alex,” she said quickly. “I'm all right. Really.” She smiled. “Jenna's here.”
Alex seemed reluctant to leave. “Okay....” He glanced behind him, then back at the two girls. “Call me if you need anything, Schatzi,” he said softly. He hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something else. “I'll see you later.”
“Okay,” Anna said softly, watching him carefully.
“Bye, Alex,” Jenna said cheerfully, with a glint in her eyes.
Alex made a face at her, then turned and walked away.
Jenna laughed and watched Alex as Anna stared at the ground. “He's totally into you. Lucky girl.”
Anna's head snapped up. “Hardly,” she said. She was not lucky. Not by any stretch of the imagination. She still didn't understand Alex.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Anna sat on the side of the pool while Jenna jumped back into the water. Her feet dangled in the water and she watched the ripples created by the movements of her legs. She was tired and wanted to go home. What a strange concept: the ability to go home and be alone. Too bad Seth had left with Alex. A warm body would have been nice tonight.
“Hey, Anna, having a good time?” Aaron asked, sitting down next to her.
Anna looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want to be rude. “It's...a lot of people. I'm not used to being around crowds like this.”
Aaron nodded. “That's understandable.” He smiled suddenly. “C'mon. I have somewhere quiet we can go.”
Anna gave him a startled look.
Aaron grinned mischievously. “Not my bedroom...well, maybe later.”
Anna smiled and allowed Aaron to pull her to her feet. He led her around to the side of the house to a small garden with lots of vines and flowers.
“My parents bought this place after I graduated high school. When they decided to move to LA about three years ago, they sold it to me for a good price. This was my mom's garden.”
Anna looked around in the dim light. It smelled delicious. Roses and jasmine and other flowers she didn’t know. Anna felt herself relaxing in the peace and quiet.
“It's lovely,” she said, walking around.
Aaron took her hand. “I want to dance with you,” he said softly pulling her close.
“Aaron...,” she protested, but didn't pull away. “There's no music.”
Aaron smiled and started humming the music from the pas de deux from the second act of Giselle.
Anna shook her head. “No, Aaron. I haven't danced that since we—”
“So what?” he interrupted in a low voice. “I know you can still do it. Anna, your dancing is from your heart. I knew that eight years ago. I want to see it again.” He turned her around to face her away from him. “Please,” he whispered in her ear. “Close your eyes and dance with me.”
He stepped away and began humming again. It brought back powerful memories long pushed away and she was helpless to resist.
She closed her eyes and Aaron's humming faded in her ears, replaced by the orchestra's strings callin
g her to dance. Her arms and legs began to move, almost of their own accord, to the music in her mind. Aaron joined her at the appointed moment and they moved as one, limbs moving in sync to the unheard music. Aaron lifted her as if she was a feather, all grace and beauty.
They danced only for themselves. The harshness of Anna's life released its hold on her heart for just a moment and she and Aaron were of one mind and body. A cocoon of intimacy wrapped in music bound them together in that moment, and didn't release its grip until the last strings faded in their minds.
Anna opened her eyes slowly and blinked several times. Aaron was kneeling in front of her, her upper body resting against his back in the final pose of the dance. They were both breathing deeply and she fought the invasion of anything in her mind that wasn't the present moment. She relaxed and Aaron stood and turned around, taking both of her hands in his.
He pulled her close, placing her hands around his neck and wrapping his arms around her waist. They gazed into each other's eyes and felt the connection that had been planted in her heart years before. Aaron slowly leaned down and caressed Anna's lips with his own. Her eyes closed and she leaned into his embrace.
Their kiss was a continuation of their dance. Gentle, graceful, and beautiful. Aaron's tongue was as graceful as the rest of him, stroking, coaxing, cajoling Anna to open herself up to him. She moaned softly and allowed Aaron in, both into her mouth and her heart.
No one had kissed her like this before, not even Kurt or Wilhelm, though she was fond of both of them. The only one who came close was Alex, but he didn't care for her in any way more than just as a good Master.
Aaron pulled away slightly and she opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes met hers and, before the fear could set in, his warm gaze settled her heart. He brought his hand up to her cheek and stroked her skin gently.
“Anna...,” he whispered. Her heart leapt to hear her name on his tongue.
The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined Page 12