“Your dad seems…like a really nice guy.” So much nicer than Devin. “I liked him when I met him in DC.”
“He is.”
Anna snuggled close and he wrapped his arm around her. She yawned.
“Tired?”
“Yeah. I hardly slept the last week.”
Travis pulled her closer. “I can imagine,” he said softly. “Go to sleep. You need your rest.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
As Anna locked her apartment door Friday morning, Greg came out of his apartment. It was after Christmas and they were supposed to leave for Germany on Sunday, and Anna had been avoiding him like the plague.
“Are you packed?” he asked her, leaning casually against the doorframe.
“I think you know the answer to that,” she said in an even voice without looking at him.
“So you’ve been a good girl and bought everything you needed and are packed and ready to go?” he asked in a mocking voice.
“No,” Jenna interjected. “She wouldn’t let me take her shopping.”
Jenna had tried to get Anna to go shopping with her on their Mondays off, but Anna refused. She still planned to refuse the trip to Germany. Travis reluctantly agreed to let her stay with him so that Greg couldn’t find her. He worried about betraying Alex, but he also understood that Anna felt hurt by Alex. Whenever he’d tried to encourage her to give Alex a chance, she grew hostile.
Anna glared at Jenna then looked coolly at Greg. “I told you. I’m not going.”
“Why are you being so difficult, Anna?”
Anna jumped at the unexpected voice and looked towards Greg’s apartment. Seth stood in the doorway, smiling at her with his hands on his hips.
“Seth!” Anna exclaimed and started to go to him, then stopped herself. He worked for Alex, too. Going to him would be conceding to Alex’s wishes. She stood, looking at him and fighting with herself. She wanted to go to him, but didn’t at the same time.
“Ouch,” Seth said softly, his brown eyes sad, his tone wistful. “What happened to you, Anna?”
“Life,” she answered bitterly.
Seth pushed past Greg and pulled Anna into his arms. “C’mon, sweetie. What have I ever done to deserve your anger?”
She allowed him to hold her and she slowly relaxed into his embrace. She knew and trusted Seth. And she adored him.
“Why don’t you want to go to Germany?” Seth asked softly, petting her hair.
Anna shrugged. Seth’s warm embrace made her doubt her resolution to stay away from Alex. Would Seth work for someone who was as awful as she had been thinking Alex was? It was possible, but unlikely. But with how she had been treating Alex…. Oh, he would be so angry with her. Would he punish her?
“Alex will be so angry with me,” she mumbled into Seth’s shirt. “I’ve been so disrespectful to him.”
“No, Anna,” Seth said in a soothing voice. “He will be thrilled to have you with him.”
She looked up at him. “But I’ve been so rude. And disobedient. I haven’t gotten anything that I was told to get for the trip.” She swallowed nervously. “He got angry with me at Christmas.”
Alex had called her on Christmas Eve, but she wouldn’t answer the phone. He ended up calling Aaron and had him give her the phone. She had given him a spectacular ice-queen treatment, and he had told her to grow up and behave. She’d hung up on him, and then in retrospective terror at her audacity, she’d cowered in a corner for an hour afterwards, afraid he would somehow reach across the ocean to punish her.
Seth stroked her cheek. “And he was furious with himself the rest of the day. As was Wilhelm,” he added with a chuckle. “Anna, he’s been running himself ragged to get everything perfect for your arrival. He was exhausted and, frankly, hurt at your hostility.”
“Hurt?”
She had a hard time imagining Alex being hurt by anything; especially by a little girl like herself. But Alex was human, she supposed. He’d been nervous the first time he asked her to dinner. And he’d been so kind to her before...before he abandoned her. She buried her face in Seth’s shirt.
But why hadn’t he called her when all the horrible things happened? Why had he been so cold when he came out for the student performance? If he cared about her, as he claimed, why hadn’t he come back? Why had he left her alone with Devin? Why didn’t he call when Ben was killed?
Did any of her questions really matter? Anna bit her lip.
The bottom line was that she was Alex’s slave. Even Wilhelm had pointed out that she needed to obey him. She was being disobedient and deserved to be punished. Maybe he would do it quickly and then leave her in the Manor. At least she’d be away from Devin.
“I’m not packed,” she said, resigning herself to leaving. “I don’t have any warm clothes to take.”
Seth cupped her chin. “Tell you what. If you promise not to make poor Greg here drag you kicking and screaming onto the plane, I will find someone to get you what you need.”
“Really?” Her eyes glimmered with hope and shame.
“Yes,” he smiled, tapping her nose affectionately. “Now go before Jenna has a heart attack.”
Anna looked over to see Jenna watching her anxiously and tapping her foot. “Sorry, Jenna.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Anna no longer felt angry about going to Germany. Despite everyone’s assurances, she was petrified that he would punish her for her disobedience on Christmas Eve. Her stomach churned at the thought of his anger. It never failed to strike unreasoning terror into her heart.
Anna went home between shows the next afternoon. Her body ached and she wanted to sleep and cry at the same time. She didn’t really have an especially good reason for wanting to cry. Aside from the normal stuff going on in her life, she’d even been able to sleep better this last week.
Seth was in her apartment with a petite blonde woman when Anna arrived home. The woman was putting clothing into Anna’s suitcase.
“Anna, this is Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn, this is Anna. Kaitlyn’s been shopping non-stop since I called her yesterday.”
“Hello,” Anna said softly.
Kaitlyn greeted her with a cheerful smile. “Hello, Anna. How are you doing?”
Anna shrugged. “Okay.”
“Anna, are you getting stubborn again?” Seth teased.
She bit her lip, not wanting Seth to tell Alex she’d been stubborn. “No, I’m just so tired. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think I was getting sick. Jenna got the flu just before Nutcracker started and I feel like she said she felt.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “It’s not unheard of to get sick. Especially this time of year.”
“I’ve never been sick.”
“Never?” Kaitlyn looked at her in amazement.
“Never. I don’t think I can get sick.”
Seth looked at her curiously. “Maybe you’re more human than you thought.”
“Maybe. I don’t know anything about…that kind of stuff, though.” She glanced at a portable rack that Kaitlyn had apparently brought in. Hanging on the end was a beautiful pale green chiffon dress with appliqué roses on the full skirt and hips.
“Oh, how beautiful…,” Anna said softly, walking over to it. “This is for me?”
“For New Year’s Eve,” Seth said.
Anna reached out to touch the soft fabric. “It’s one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen.”
“I was lucky they had one in your size,” Kaitlyn said. “I saw it and thought it would be perfect. Do you want to try it on?”
Anna nodded, grinning suddenly.
“Go ahead. It’s your dress.”
Anna giggled as she took it into the bathroom. She pulled her clothes off quickly and stepped into the dress. She reached behind but couldn’t zip it up. “Kaitlyn?”
Kaitlyn smiled when she saw her. “Beautiful. I had them check the measurements so we’d know if they would need to make adjustments once you got to Germany, but it was perfect for you.” She took the zipp
er and began zipping it, and then frowned. Anna felt it too. It was tight. Too tight. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Kaitlyn said softly. “I saw them measure it. This is from a very reputable store.”
Anna looked at herself in the mirror. Had she gained weight? The top of her costume had felt a little tight yesterday and this morning, but she hadn’t thought much about it.
“Can you suck in your stomach?”
Anna inhaled and sucked in as far as she could and Kaitlyn got the zipper up over her waist, but it was tight again at her breasts.
“I don’t understand,” Kaitlyn frowned. “Anna, I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened.”
“What’s wrong?” Seth poked his head into the bathroom.
“It’s too tight,” Anna said, looking up at him with frightened eyes. “I must have gained some weight.” Would Alex be angry at her for getting fat?
Kaitlyn unzipped the dress. “There is material here to let it out a bit. Or I can take it back and see if they have a bigger size. They must have measured wrong. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Anna gasped for breath. “I can’t wear it like that. It hurts.” She put her clothes back on and went to sit on the bed. She was gaining weight. But how? Whenever she thought about eating, she started to feel sick. She’d hardly been eating.
“Let me call the store,” Kaitlyn said, pulling out her phone and walking into the other room.
“Am I getting fat?” Anna asked Seth.
Seth laughed. “I don’t think that’s possible Anna.” He looked at her. “If anything, you look thinner than before I left. Have you been eating?”
Anna shook her head. “Nothing sounds good.”
He frowned. “You need to eat. Especially dancing as you are.”
“I’ll try. I’ve been so nervous and angry, my appetite is just messed up.”
Kaitlyn returned a few minutes later. “They have one in a size larger. Do you want me to get it?”
Anna looked at the dress wistfully. “It’s so pretty.”
“Anna, women’s clothing is not consistent and things happen. Maybe they accidentally grabbed the wrong dress to wrap or something.” She patted Anna’s knee. “Don’t worry about it. Our bodies are weird sometimes, too. I can’t fit into half of my clothes when I’m PMS-ing.”
Anna smiled at the encouragement, though she’d never had PMS. She began to feel sick again and lay down on her bed as Kaitlyn showed her the clothes she had bought. All warm stuff. Fur lined. Wool. Stuff Anna never worried about in San Francisco.
*****
When Anna went back to the theater that evening, she was exhausted. She got some dinner on the way, but couldn't bring herself to eat it.
“Travis, am I getting fat?” she asked after he dragged her into his dressing room.
He undid her top. “No way. Why?” He sucked a nipple into his mouth and Anna moaned.
“I tried on a dress that should have fit today but didn’t.”
Travis stepped back and studied her. “I dunno. You look kinda…different, but definitely not fat.” He grinned. “Your breasts seem bigger though.” He stepped forward and caressed them. “I like it.”
“They’re really bigger?”
He picked her up and sat on the couch with her on his lap. He took a nipple into his mouth and sucked on it.
“Yes,” he murmured. “And I like it. Very, very much. I’m going to miss you when you leave.”
Anna leaned forward and hugged him. “I’m going to miss you, too.”
*****
Anna went home anticipating sleeping alone for the first time in a long time. She was crawling into bed when the door unlocked and opened. Thinking it was Jenna, she poked her head out. But it wasn’t Jenna. It was Devin.
“Devin?” she asked, surprised.
“It’s your last night home, Baby. I wanted to come see you.”
She smiled nervously at him. “O-okay.” She had lost her anger at Devin for killing Ben. It had been replaced with fear. Fear of what he would do to someone else she cared about, what he threatened to do whenever she started to get angry.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Anna’s body ached the morning after Devin’s visit. Cruel lovemaking was the only way to describe it. He didn’t hurt her in any specific way that she could remember, she just knew that it hurt.
She took a long hot shower and felt a little better. Maybe she really was getting sick. She certainly felt strange. Pain usually came from sex, not from within her own body.
Anna tried not to think about her departure as she went about her day. Her nerves were raw and she snapped a few times at Travis. Thankfully, he was understanding and distracted her as best he could. He was very talented at distracting her.
When they took their final bows, Anna felt herself close to tears. She was leaving the country for the first time in her life. Alex would certainly be angry at her. Why wouldn’t he be? She had been so rude and disrespectful.
Seth was waiting for her in her dressing room. He had joked about wanting to make sure that she didn’t chicken out on him, but with the way she was feeling, if he hadn’t been there, she might have run away.
“I’ve brought you your things so you can shower,” Seth said, pointing to a bag.
“Shower? I thought I was going to clean up once we were on the plane.”
“There was a delay with the jet being finished so we’re flying commercial. Didn’t Greg tell you?”
Anna shook her head.
Seth laughed. “Well, maybe he did and you just weren’t listening.”
She made a face at him and began to get ready. Kaitlyn had bought her a travel skirt suit, which was a little tight, but manageable. She had to be gaining weight; Kaitlyn couldn’t have bought this in the wrong size too. Even her bras were tight. She was overfilling the cups.
It was another thing that Alex would probably be angry about when he saw her.
She walked out of the bathroom and looked nervously at Seth, who was lounging on the couch and playing with his phone.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded, unable to trust that her voice wouldn’t betray her fear. Maybe if she behaved herself, Seth would tell Alex she’d been good and it might diffuse his anger a little.
They made their way through the back of the theater and out to where the limo waited for them. “Two whole weeks?” she asked as they stepped inside.
“Two whole weeks,” Seth confirmed. “I think you’ll enjoy yourself more than you think you will.”
“Is Alex going to put me in the Manor?”
Seth laughed. “Why would he do that?”
Anna shrugged and turned back to look out the window.
“We’ll be at the airport in about twenty minutes,” Greg told her. He’d been waiting in the limo.
Anna’s head drooped, and by the time they pulled up to the main terminal, she was almost asleep. The airport was busy, even though it was after ten o‘clock. They walked up to the first class counter and Greg handed the lady a handful of documents.
“Lufthansa flies straight through to Frankfurt so you’ll be able to get a good night’s sleep on the flight,” Seth said. “We’ll be there Monday night.”
“Monday?”
Seth smiled. “It’s an eleven hour flight and there’s a nine hour time difference. But we’ll gain the day back when we come home.”
“You’re bringing me home, too?”
Seth didn’t say anything for a minute. He looked hesitant. “Yes,” he said after a moment.
Anna frowned in confusion as Seth turned to Greg and spoke in German. Greg shook his head and responded in German, then shrugged.
The lady behind the counter smiled broadly at the two handsome men as she handed the documents back to Greg. “Have a wonderful trip.”
“Here.” Greg handed Anna a small blue book with an eagle on the front.
“What’s this?” Anna asked, looking at the book.
“Your passport. You
’ll need it when we go through security.”
“Passport? I don’t have a passport.” Anna opened the book and sure enough, there was her picture along with the necessary personal information.
“You do now,” Seth grinned. “Alex took care of it.”
Anna looked back at the book. She thought it was hard to get a passport.
“Let’s go,” Seth said.
Greg spoke quietly with a man in a security uniform and then accompanied the three travelers to the security line. The man led them right to the front of the first class security line that she’d gone through with Devin. The man murmured something about diplomatic service to the TSA agent standing there.
“Anna, take your shoes off and your jacket and put them in the bin with your carry-on,” Seth instructed as he did the same thing. When he took his suit jacket off, Anna saw he had a holster with a gun.
“You carry a gun?” she whispered. She glanced at Greg, who was showing the TSA agent some sort of badge and removing his holster from his shoulders.
“Always, Anna,” Seth said.
Anna could hear people talking behind her about them. Her cheeks burned as she took off her jacket and shoes and put them in a bin as Seth had told her. “I thought you couldn’t carry weapons on planes.”
“Most people can’t. We can.” Seth grinned.
“Why?”
“Alex is considered a diplomat. We work for him. We can do lots of things that other people can’t.”
“But I’m not a diplomat.”
Seth smiled at her, but didn’t say anything.
The TSA agent finished examining Greg’s document and Greg walked through the metal detector and it beeped. Another agent used a wand on him. He said something to the agent and lifted his pant leg slightly.
“Miss?”
Anna looked back to the first agent who was motioning for her to step forward.
“Identification?”
She nervously handed him her passport. He looked at it and gave her a friendly smile. “Thank you,” he said, handing it back to her. “Go on through.”
The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced Page 11