Page 263 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

“You don’t have to use one of those, you know.”

He tapped her nose and lay down on the bed, taking her hands in his and putting them above her head.

She was wet and ready for him when he slowly slid inside her. It stung a little, as it had the week before, but the discomfort quickly turned to pleasure as he gently moved inside her.

“Oh, God!” she cried, pressing her head back against the pillow and feeling the stirrings of an orgasm deep inside.

His hard chest pressed against hers as he kissed her and increased his movements. She rocked her hips against his and panted as the fire built inside, exploding moments later. She screamed against his mouth until he pulled his mouth away to breathe heavily as he came silently, squeezing her wrists. His hips jerked against hers as she returned to earth, squeezing against his girth inside of her. God, he felt incredible!

He kissed her and then fell heavily onto the bed next to her, breathing hard.

She wondered again why he kept himself hidden, but couldn’t think of a way to ask so he could answer with a yes or no.

“You like the ballet?”

She felt him move a little closer and he stroked her cheek.

“Will you come to a performance this season?”

Cheek stroke.

Anna hesitated. “So you’ll be in public?”

Cheek stroke.

“Will I get to see you?”

Cheek stroke.

“Will all this end? I mean, our meetings and stuff, once you... present yourself to the public.”

Pause. Cheek stroke.

“Oh.” She forced a smile, hiding the disappointment. “Then I’ll just have to make sure I enjoy it while I have you to myself.” She paused. “Do you want to see me again?”

He cupped the back of her head and kissed her deeply. If she’d been standing, he would’ve had to catch her. When he pulled away, he stroked her cheek one last time and then got up. Fabric rustled and the mattress moved. He kissed her gently on the lips and placed what she assumed was the stem of a rose in her hand.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Moments later, the door opened and closed. She sat up and took off the blindfold. In her hand was a pink rose. On the nightstand was a single red rose that looked a little crushed next to a plate of strawberry stems.

Anna yawned and looked at the clock. She’d arrived almost two hours ago. She turned out the lights and went to sleep with a smile on her face.

Anna woke late the next morning. She stretched and smiled, remembering her time with Mr. J, though the knowledge that it would end soon saddened her. But at least she knew it would end and could prepare for it.

She showered, dressed, and ate lunch before getting in the car to go to the library. The entire time, her mind was full of thoughts of Mr. J.

She spotted Max at the information desk and hurried over to say hi.

He smiled warmly when he saw her. “Did you enjoy the roses last week?”

“You knew?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t let just anyone throw flowers around my library.”

Anna laughed. “I suppose that’s a good thing, because it would be very difficult to walk around here if there were roses all over the place.”

“Yes, but it would smell good.”

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