Page 114 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Anna gracefully stood and held out her bracelet. Kirsty stared at it for a moment, then grabbed Anna’s wrist, none-too-gently, and yanked 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.” The words were bitter in his mouth, but they were the truth. For now.

Kirsty narrowed her eyes. “Shouldn’t she be in Germany?” Kirsty sneered and pushed Anna away.

Alex pulled Anna back onto her feet. “Kirsty, it’s a long story which you don’t need to hear. But, yes, this is why she’s 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.”

Kirsty stuck out her lip and tilted her head. “What do you need a sex slave for? Aren’t I enough?”

“As I said, it’s a very long story.” Alex shook his head. “I didn’t seek out a slave, Kirsty, but she is here to stay. If you have a problem with that, you’re free to go.”

Kirsty’s mouth dropped open and she stared at Alex with wide eyes. “You’d choose her over me?”

“I have obligations to Anna that were in place long before I met you.”

Anna tensed under his hands.

Kirsty 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 reached for her swimsuit bottom and tied it back together on 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? Or Paris? Or how about Düsseldorf?”

Her eyes widened. “You know about?—‍”

“Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”

“Alex. I?—‍”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass. 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. He softened his voice. “I’ll take you home. Go get your things and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Kirsty glared at Anna, then stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Tony and Seth glanced at each other and then looked at him, both of them looking rather amused.

Alex shook his head and sat down hard on the bed. “I know,” he muttered in German. He leaned forward and laced his fingers through his hair, staring at the floor. He continued speaking in German. “Seth, go make sure she keeps quiet about what happened. Tony, get the car. I need to speak to Aaron before we leave.”

Seth and Tony both responded with a “Yes, sir,” and disappeared out into the hallway.

“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 and clasped her hands in her lap. “She knew what I am. She ordered me.”

“You’re not obligated to follow orders from someone that’s not your Master, are you?” He glanced up and saw her staring at her hands.

“It’s not like obeying you and Devin, but...” She looked up at him. “Jack punished me if I ever said no to someone. Even Devin warned me that his girls aren’t allowed to say no.” She twisted her fingers together. “If I said no to someone and they told Devin or Jack, I would be in so much trouble.”

Alex blew out a breath and closed his eyes. 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 grimaced. “Well, Kirsty won’t bother you anymore.” He pressed his lips together. He would make sure of that tonight.

“I don’t want to cause problems with?—‍”

He shook his head. “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 get you back to the party. I’m going to take Kirsty home and deal with the situation.”

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 even threatens to punish you—tell me immediately. I don’t care if it’s three o’clock in the morning.”

“Yes, Alex.”

Chapter 46

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