Page 285 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

“An Immortal. Devin said he was... doing something to me, but I don’t know what. He never told me what he did to me.”

“He had an Immortal have sex with you? Why?”

Anna shook her head. “I don’t know. He did it at the Gathering too. When I was out of town. I’d forgotten about him doing that.”

“Devin’s such a bastard. He was probably just messing with your head.”

“Maybe. But he seemed to be... I don’t know. Expectant of something? Kaveh said, ‘It is done.’ But what was done?”

“I think, with Devin, sometimes it’s better just not to ask.”

“Have you interacted with him much?”

He shook his head. “No. But my dad has, obviously. He says it’s best if Devin doesn’t know who you are.”

“Does he know who you are?”

“Yeah, but to him, I’m just ‘Brandon’s bastard son,’ which is fine by me.”

“Well, you might have progressed to ‘Anna’s dance partner.’”

“Great.” He rolled his eyes and then smiled at her. “I suppose there are worse things to be.” He glanced at his watch and stood. “We need to get ready. The overture will be starting soon.”

“Travis?”

“Yeah?”

“This afternoon . . . did it make you uncomfortable?”

“Dancing with you while you seduced me and the entire audience?” He grinned.

Anna winced and nodded. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever experienced. ‘Course, if you do it again, I can’t guarantee I won’t drag you back in here and take you against the wall.”

His honesty made her smile. And the thought spread heat through her body. Sex had made her feel better before. Surely it would again.

After Travis left, Anna slowly got ready for the performance. She applied her stage makeup, ensuring every detail was perfect, and carefully styled her hair. Finally, she slipped into her gold and green costume, ready to leave reality and transform into her character on stage.

After she pinned the golden circlet in her hair, she went to warm up backstage. The backstage was busy between acts and noisy. Aaron and Lucy warmed up along the back wall. Travis was in the corner talking with a couple of the corps dancers in their snowflake costumes. Travis flashed a seductive smile to one of the girls and she blushed. Being raised in the Manor gave him a certain advantage over other men when it came to flirting. He knew exactly how women ticked and how to get them to do pretty much anything he wanted.

Travis grinned when he made eye contact with Anna. He said something to the girls and then walked over to greet her. “Damn, you look sexy. Thank God for dance belts.”

Anna smiled. Dance belts kept guys in place while dancing and prevented injury when they jumped halfway across the stage. She noticed his costume was a bit higher on his hips than it had been the last time they’d performed. Anna raised her eyebrows.

“Preparing for arousal,” he whispered with a grin. “Don’t want to be popping out to say hi in the middle of the show. I don’t think Isaak would appreciate it if the show turned R-rated.”

Anna giggled and then shook her head. “Oh, I shouldn’t be laughing,” she said and sighed.

Chapter 134

The orchestra began to play the music for the second act, and the backstage quieted. Anna and Travis did some pirouettes and lifts to get ready and then moved into position as the music for the Spanish dance came to its conclusion.

“Make me want you, Anna,” Travis whispered in a seductive voice as the dancers on stage took their bows. “Make me want you, and I will make you feel incredible when we’re done.”

Anna’s eyes widened and she looked back at him. She shivered at the dark, seductive look in his eyes and a thrill ran through her body, dulling the pain in her heart. Their music began and she stepped on stage into the bright lights.

She moved with grace and sensuality, flirting, seducing, as Travis chased after her for the first part of the dance. Twirling and teasing until he caught her up in the air above his head. He lowered her to the floor, her body sliding down against his, lips brushing against each other’s as her toe touched the stage. She bent backward as his fingers trailed down to her hips and he walked around her, turning her as she stood en pointe. She straightened, his hand on the back of her head, eyes locked until she spun around again to escape into an arabesque. But he held her hand firmly in his grasp and pulled her back to him. She submitted to his desire and they danced, spinning, lifting, seducing, until she lay back on his bent knee, surrendered and submitted to his will.

---