Page 141 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

Devin frowned. “Of course not, you idiot. The child.”

Trent sighed in relief. “You scared me for a minute. You’ve put so much work into her.”

“And I need her. No. You’ve seen how happy she is. By just... being nice to her, she’s willing to do anything for me. I suppose there is something to be said about a happy slave. And I only have to do it...” He sighed and looked up at the sky in thought. “... until the bonding ceremony. God, can I last that long?”

“Is it really that difficult to keep her happy? She glowed when you told her she was a good girl for letting me fuck her on my desk.”

“No, I suppose not. But I don’t know if I could control my temper if she turns into a bitch.”

“She’s not that type, Devin, and you know it. She wants to please you. It’s written all over her face.”

Devin sighed again. “I can always apologize if I use her too hard like I did today. I just bent her over my table and fucked her like there was no tomorrow. She was terrified that she’d done something to upset me. I just needed release.”

“See? It’s not that hard.” Trent grinned as he opened the restaurant’s door. “Being nice to her won’t ruin your reputation. It might actually help it.”

Devin walked inside and looked back at his friend. “It needs helping?”

Trent shrugged. “You can do whatever you want. But you might find you actually like the girl.”

Devin frowned. Anna was a slave and nothing more. A conduit for his powers. But she wasn’t unpleasant to have around. “Maybe.”

Chapter 78

At break, Anna listened to the message Devin left on her phone. “Trent and Maki are coming to our house tonight, so be ready for them when I get home. I’ll be bringing Trent from the office. Be downstairs in the living room in something sexy. See you then.”

Our house? Anna’s stomach filled with butterflies. Mixed emotions flooded her as she thought about Devin using that term. But it made her smile, albeit nervously. Despite her uncertainty about his new demeanor, she couldn’t deny that she liked it.

She returned to the studio for the next part of rehearsals.

Justin tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. “Something’s made you happy.”

“Oh . . . just . . . a message.”

“Your new boyfriend?” Justin had been trying to figure out her relationship status in a roundabout way, though it didn’t seem that he wanted to date her. He was just... curious.

She shook her head. “Not a boyfriend.”

“Why are you so secretive about this guy?”

Anna looked away. Why was she secretive about Devin? It’s not like Justin wouldn’t figure it out sooner or later, especially when opening night came around. Devin was well known in the city.

Was she ashamed of Devin? No, that wasn’t right. It seemed okay to have a boyfriend. But to be a mistress? It seemed... antiquated. Wouldn’t he be just a lover? She was his lover, but he wasn’t necessarily her lover, though she was—Oh, it was so confusing!

She was his slave, but she couldn’t say that. Slavery wasn’t a real thing in today’s world, even though it was. The girls at the Manor were slaves. They had no identification. To the outside world, they didn’t even exist. Anna was a slave because Devin took her. There was no escaping, no changing her life. There had been a chance with Alex...

She glanced down at her wedding ring. Alex.

Justin touched her hand. “Hey, I’m not judging or anything. I’m just trying to get to know you.”

Anna looked up at him. His gray eyes were sincere and looked sad for her. She gave a small smile. “Do you know who Devin Andersen is?” She didn’t know if he’d been here long enough to know who he was.

“Who doesn’t?”

“He’s... the one I... spend time with.” Somehow, just coming out and saying she was his mistress didn’t seem right.

“Ah.” He tilted his head. “Isn’t he old?”

Anna shrugged. “I think he’s in his mid-forties.”

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