Page 244 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“Yes.” He smiled, showing perfectly even white teeth. He glanced around and then returned his gaze to Anna. He didn’t look down her shirt or at her legs, which Anna thought was very odd for someone in a club. “I will get straight to the point, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure . . .” Strange way to approach a woman.

“To put it succinctly, my employer is new in town and when you walked into the building, you caught his attention.” A smile played at his lips. “Your friend here mentioned that you were—how shall we put it delicately—looking for companionship for the evening?”

She frowned at Cameron and punched him in the arm. “Cameron!”

“Ouch!” He winced and pouted. “I was just trying to help.”

“Is it true?”

Anna bit her lip. After dancing with all those men, she wanted a man. Badly. She was almost to the point she would fuck the next guy who walked up to her, if only to get some semblance of release. “Y-yes, I suppose it’s true.” She winced, anticipating his reaction, but he merely nodded, as if checking something off his mental list.

“My employer is also desiring companionship tonight, although because of circumstances beyond his control, his need for anonymity overrides his ability to approach you himself.”

Anna frowned. Anonymity? “He wants me to have sex with him without knowing who he is?” She felt like she should be indignant, but she couldn’t muster the energy. “How is that possible?”

“You would be blindfolded and he would remain silent.” Simon looked straight into her eyes. “I assure you, complete discretion is assured. Your reputation would be unharmed, unlike if you were to openly leave with a man you met here.”

“Why do you think I would worry about my reputation?”

Simon looked down at her hand. “That is an exquisite ring. Not something purchased at the local jewelry store.”

She bit her lip again. An anonymous encounter. Her body filled with heat at the idea. “How do I know I’d be safe?”

The man smiled as if she asked the right question. “Although his name remains hidden, he is quickly becoming well known in the city. He is the ‘mystery European’ the gossip papers have been writing about all week.”

“Ooh, Katrina!” Cameron bounced up and down in his seat. “You should go! And that whole privacy thing will be taken care of too.”

“Privacy thing?” Simon arched a brow.

“My fiancé told me he didn’t care what I did, as long as I kept it private.” She looked at her hands and blinked. Crying would make her look foolish and ruin her makeup. Besides, Kurt didn’t deserve her tears.

But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt to think about.

Simon smiled. “Then perhaps this is the perfect situation for both you and my employer. If you two... get along well, there may be more opportunities in the future. Physical needs can be demanding, yes?”

Anna laughed, almost in relief. “You have no idea.”

“Then you will meet with him?”

She glanced at Cameron who was nodding so hard Anna worried he’d get dizzy and fall off his chair. She looked back at Simon. “Okay.”

Cameron clapped his hands with glee as Simon continued. “There will be a limousine outside in fifteen minutes. It will take you to a hotel and I will await your arrival in the lobby. I will give you further instructions at that time.” He stood and took her hand. “I will see you soon.” He kissed the back of her hand and strolled away in that confident manner of his.

Anna glanced back at Cameron, eyes wide. “What did I just get myself into?”

Cameron giggled. “Hopefully a night of great sex.”

Chapter 125

Anna spent the next fifteen minutes staring at her drink and wondering if she’d made the right choice. She’d half-talked herself out of going by the end of the wait and if Cameron hadn’t been there, she would have chickened out. But Simon had promised discretion—something she needed to protect herself.

If something happened to her... Well, she’d been through worse. If she wound up dead... again, she’d been through worse. If it was terrible sex, she had her vibrator at home. She couldn’t possibly be any worse off than she was right now. And she could smile at the fact that the “mystery European” had chosen her, without her even trying to seduce him.

When the time came to leave, Cameron practically shoved her out of her seat, his face beaming with the widest smile she’d ever seen. “Aaron will be so pleased!” He clapped his hands. “Enjoy yourself, darling.”

She gave him the dirtiest look she could muster before making her way through the club and outside, her ears ringing in the quiet evening. She paused at the top of the stairs and a man in a black suit and tie approached her. “Miss Katrina?”

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