Page 111 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

The thought of Seth’s tongue on her pussy made her shiver. She turned in his arms to smile up at him, her hand resting on his muscular shoulder. “Is that a promise?”

He gave her a seductive half-smile. “You bet.”

Anna giggled and almost missed the strange look on Aaron’s face as he watched her.

“Hey, anyone up for some volleyball?” Aaron held up the white ball she’d seen earlier.

Those in the pool divided up into groups. Anna and Jenna were on a team with Aaron, Garrett, Bryce, and a few others. Alex and Kirsty were on the other team, which included Seth and Tony. Anna stood in the back between Aaron and Garrett, neither of which had left her side since she’d gotten in the water. She made sure to smile at them regularly.

Anna gave Aaron an apologetic look. “I’m not very good at this.” She’d played in middle school PE a few times, but never did very well.

“It’s alright.” Aaron shrugged, a warm smile on his face. “It’s just about having fun. Just try not to hit it into the neighbor’s yard.”

The game started. The ball flew in Anna’s direction several times and she was proud of herself for hitting it... most of the time. At one point, the ball came in high and Garrett picked her up out of the water so she could reach it. She hit it hard at an odd angle and it soared out of the water onto the other side of the yard.

She winced. “Sorry,” she called to the other team.

Alex laughed as he pulled himself out of the water and went to look for it in the dark corner of the yard.

Garrett held Anna around the waist after he lowered her back into the water. “Are you having fun?”

Her breath caught in her throat as she nodded. She turned around to face him, but a phone ringing caught her attention. It took her a good ten seconds to realize it was her phone, and that it was Devin’s ring.

She gasped and pulled away. Garrett held on tight and she pushed harder. “Garrett, that’s my phone. I have to go answer it.”

He held her tighter and grinned. “It’s just a phone, sweetie. They’ll leave a message.”

She pushed even harder, tears pooling in her eyes. “Please. You don’t understand... I have to answer that.” She looked directly into his eyes. “I promise I’ll come right back.” Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she could barely breathe.

Someone yelled from the deck that there was a phone ringing. Garrett still wouldn’t let her go. He leaned in and nuzzled her ear. “Let it go to voice mail,” he said in a husky voice.

“Garrett, please...” She gave him one last push and he let her go, frowning. She pushed her way through the resistant water to the side of the pool and lunged for her phone... just as it went silent.

She sank to her knees, staring at the “One Missed Call” notification on the screen through tear-filled eyes. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand to mask a sob and sucked in a shuddering breath. Devin is going to be so angry! I’m going to be punished! She squeezed her eyes shut, sucked in another breath, and lifted her face to the sky as horrifying images of Devin’s punishment filled her mind. The longer it takes to return his call, the worse the punishment. She opened her eyes and stared at the phone for another moment before reaching out a shaking arm to pick up the phone.

Alex appeared at her side and put his hand on hers. His warmth spread through her body and she looked up at him with wet eyes. His own eyes widened. “Anna, what’s wrong?”

She turned the phone to show him the missed call message. “It was Devin,” she whispered. “I tried to get to it, but Garrett?—‍”

“Is that why you were struggling against him?”

She dropped the phone into her lap, wishing she didn’t have to call him back, and nodded, blinking back tears. “Devin’s going to punish me,” she whispered, hanging her head.

“Punish you? For missing a call?”

Anna looked up at him. “He said—‍” She swallowed hard, trying to gain control of her voice. “He said if I didn’t answer his call at any time, he’d consider it disobedience.”

“Anna, that’s ridicu—‍” Alex stopped and stared at her. “You’re serious?”

She nodded.

He clenched his jaw, his eyes hard. Then he yanked her phone out of her hands and stood.

Anna leaped to her feet, reaching for her phone, which he held high out of reach. “What are you doing?” Her voice cracked on the last word.

He stabbed at the screen. “Calling Devin to keep him from punishing you for something that wasn’t your fault.”

Anna froze, staring at him. Surely he couldn’t...

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