Page 299 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“It doesn’t feel right, going out with another man’s wife.”

“But I don’t have to be... that... if I don’t want to be.” She looked up and caressed his cheek.

“You said you . . . loved me?”

Anna inhaled sharply. Had she really said it out loud? “I do,” she whispered.

He gazed down at her for a long moment before bending his head and gently kissing her. “I love you, too.”

Chapter 148

Vincent introduced Alex to several of the principal dancers, and then Alex went to sit in the audience. He and Aaron weren’t going to hide that they knew each other but were trying to keep it low key. The less the other dancers knew about his relationship with Anna, the better she would take his presence... he hoped.

Shortly after Vincent had introduced Alex to the company, Anna had disappeared. Was she upset that he’d come? Well... that was just too bad. He’d made the donation so he could have access to the company, and he was going to take advantage of the situation. Especially sitting with her at the gala on Thursday night. Big donation equaled a seat at Table One with Tom and the mayor.

The women treated him as they normally treated him, and he tried to keep his annoyance at bay. He used to savor the attention. He no longer did. He just wanted one woman... the one woman he couldn’t see right now. Hugo was gone too. Shit. He didn’t like the idea of her wandering off with her ex, but... what could he do? Commanding her to be with him would be going back on his resolution. He’d just have to convince her that she wanted to be with him. Somehow.

The two missing dancers showed up on stage a few minutes later. Alex growled when he saw Anna’s lips were swollen. What the hell was she doing, kissing that man when she was supposed to be warming up?

As Anna began to dance, though, his anger dissipated. Alex found himself mesmerized by her movements. Being this close allowed him to see her individual muscles flex and relax as she moved her body. Her skin was so smooth and he wanted to rush up on stage and kiss her, but he kept in control of himself... mostly.

The spell was broken when Vincent announced lunch and Alex stood, shaking his head to clear it. He wondered if it would be imprudent to go out to lunch with some of the dancers. Was it inappropriate for a donor to do that? A long time ago, he’d heard someone say that if it weren’t for dancers who slept with rich men, there would be no money for productions.

Aaron walked up a few minutes later, grinning at him. “You wanna come to lunch with us?”

“Is that okay?”

“You’re my friend. We did it when we were in San Francisco.”

“But this isn’t San Francisco.”

“True.” He laughed. “Do you know how hard it is to understand you? Your accent is all messed up.”

“Speaking Russian will do that.” Alex rolled his eyes. “I’ve hardly spoken any English in the last four and a half years. I’m working on it.”

“So you gonna come? Anna always comes along.”

“Oh.” Alex smiled. “Alright then.”

“Hey, Katrina. You coming?” Aaron stood at the edge of the stage as Anna untied her pointe shoes.

Anna glanced over at Hugo and smiled. “You want to come to lunch?”

He smiled back and her heart fluttered. “Love to.” He held out his hand and helped her to her feet, not taking his eyes off hers.

“Katrina?” Aaron frowned.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re coming.” She dropped her shoes in her bag and slipped on her sandals. “Ready?”

They walked to the edge of the stage where Aaron stood, talking with... Alex? She froze and Hugo ran into her.

Alex smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corner, reminding her of how much time had passed. “Hello, Katrina.”

Anna pressed her lips together. Hugo stiffened, then moved around her and jumped down to the audience level. He extended his hand to Alex. “Hello, I’m Hugo Sintzenich. You’re Alex, right?”

Alex’s brows twitched as he studied Hugo’s face, then gave a stiff smile and shook his hand. “Yes, Alex Kunzberg.” He glanced up at Anna, who still stood on the stage. “I’ve enjoyed watching you work these last few weeks. You are truly a gifted choreographer.”

“Danke.” Hugo then said something in German that she couldn’t understand.

---