Page 158 of The Life of Anna, Tenth Anniversary Edition, Act 2

Thursday evening, Alex smiled politely at the blonde and redhead walking past him, Greg, Tony, and Seth. Their eyes traveled over each man, seductive smiles on their faces. They gave knowing looks and then walked slowly away, swinging their hips seductively.

Tonight was the Gala for the City Ballet, and everyone who was anyone was in attendance. He was doing a lot of polite smiling. He’d forgotten how vulture-like women could be in these types of social situations.

Intermission had arrived at last and Alex was eager for it to be over so he could see Anna dance. Hugo’s new ballet was the entire second half of the program.

“You know, you can pick up women,” Alex said to his men with a chuckle. “As long as one of you is available, I don’t care.”

Greg rolled his eyes. “I’ve been out of the game for so long, I don’t even know where to start.”

Alex laughed, though Greg’s comment made him a little sad. It was his fault his men had been locked up. “I think smiling and saying hello is all you need to do.” He grinned. “Or do we need to go out to a bar?”

Seth grinned back. “Might be nice to go out, not hiding behind a curtain.”

“Or Anna and I could stay in this weekend and give all of you a few days off to carouse and conquer.”

Tony laughed. “Might be easier to pick up women without you around.”

The idea of staying in all weekend with Anna was very appealing. Last night he’d been reminded of how magnificent her mouth was and his cock twitched just thinking about it. Down boy. She certainly had helped his confidence these last couple of days, letting him know exactly where he fit in her life: in her heart and in between those amazingly sexy legs of hers.

Simon approached with a lovely blonde on his arm; his wife, Emma. “Suffering through the attention, Alex?” he asked in German. They were sitting with Alex and his men in the theater, but had arrived just before the performance began and hadn’t had a chance to speak.

Alex rolled his eyes. “You could have kept it quiet about who I was.”

“It’s easier to just put it out there. In the end, you will garner less attention. I did mention you were married.”

“I don’t think that part has been spread around as much as it should,” Alex muttered, politely smiling at another woman vying for his attention.

Seth laughed. “There was a time when Alex reveled in this attention.”

“That was a very long time ago.”

Simon smiled at Alex. “Things are going well, I presume?”

A goofy grin spread across Alex’s face before he could answer, and Simon laughed. “I can’t wait to see her dance tonight.” He raised his eyebrows. “I think I like this connection to you. I’ve never been able to attend the Gala before.”

“It’s the least I could do in repayment for all you’ve put up with these last few months.”

Emma laughed. “He’s enjoyed it more than he will admit. I think he may have developed a crush on your pretty wife.”

“She’s a sweet girl.” Simon shrugged. “But not tempting enough to lure me away from you.” He kissed Emma on the cheek and she beamed.

The lights flickered and Alex’s heart pounded. “It’s time.”

They made their way to their seats in the first balcony, known as the first ring. Alex had hidden up here when he’d first come to watch Anna dance. He settled in as best he could. There were disadvantages to being six-and-a-half-feet tall and broad shouldered, especially when the men next to him were of similar stature. Though he wasn’t as broad as he’d been before he left. Working out just hadn’t appealed to him after being imprisoned for so long. Not until the hope of escape had come after Vitaly’s death.

Anna didn’t seem to mind, though. He loved catching her watching him as he did something without his shirt on. He’d barely worn his shirt at home the last few days, just so he could know she was watching him. Then again, he found himself surreptitiously watching her in the shower, finding some excuse to be in the bathroom. It had been so long since he’d seen a live, naked woman, he couldn’t help himself.

With the exception of Irina, he hadn’t been with a woman since the second year of his imprisonment, save as Mr. J with Anna. When he was first captured, he’d shunned Vitaly’s offers of Dirne . But despair hit him hard after the first year. There was no escape. The long, painful deaths of Michael, Jesse, and Jason still haunted his dreams.

Anna didn’t come, and after a year, he was desperate for anything to help him feel better. Sex with a Dirne only gave an empty sense of satisfaction. And then there had been the catastrophe with Yelena...

The memory hit Alex in the stomach and he nearly doubled over. He shuddered. Why, after all these years, did this memory of his mistakes keep coming back?

“You okay?” Seth asked quietly as the lights began to fade.

“Yeah.” He rubbed his face. He’d confessed what had happened to Vati, and they decided Anna didn’t need to know about it. At least not right now. There was too much for her to absorb at the moment. Maybe he would tell her about it later. He wasn’t trying to hide it. He was just trying to be mindful of Anna’s ability to cope with the sudden changes.

Alex needed to get control of his emotions before he saw Anna at the Gala dinner. She was sensing his emotions again, and the last thing she needed right now was to find out about Yelena.

The music began and Alex became lost in the ballet. Watching Anna was beauty in motion. Her dancing had become even more beautiful, if that were possible. She was captivating.

The story was a simple boy meets girl story, set to music by a Russian composer Alex had not heard of. It was captivating from beginning to end. Anna and Hugo had a true synergy when they danced together, making Alex wonder briefly if Hugo had some Immortal in him. When he’d seen her dance with Peter, he’d wondered the same thing.

He tried to push aside the jealousy that stabbed at his heart, but the expression on her face as they danced together was so beautiful it broke his heart. She loved Hugo. It was written all over her face. And he loved her in return. He held her like the precious gem she was, gazing adoringly into her eyes.

Alex shifted in his seat. Had he made a mistake coming back? Trying to renew their relationship? Was it fair to Anna? After all, she’d moved on. Hugo was the only man she’d taken her ring off for.

But Hugo couldn’t protect her the way Alex could. No, Anna was where she needed to be. With Alex.

But was he being cruel, taking her away from her lover?

Alex hated the doubts swirling around in his mind. He wasn’t used to doubting his place, doubting his decisions. Since he’d escaped, he found himself second-guessing almost everything he did. It was an incredibly uncomfortable experience. He didn’t like it one bit.