The Life of Anna, Part 3: Embraced (7 page)

“I know, son. Good night.”

Wilhelm put his phone in his pocket and
headed back to Matt’s apartment. He hoped that Alex’s plan would
work. The poor girl couldn’t take much more before she completely
lost her mental faculties.

Anna sat on the floor in the corner listening
to Ben’s family talk about him and make funeral plans. Tears were
intermixed with occasional laughter. His sisters, Marcia and Ruth,
huddled next to their parents, Dave and Katherine. Matt and Jenna
sat together on a chair near the window.

Wilhelm sat in a chair near Anna. He had
tried to get Anna to sit on a chair, but she refused. If she had to
be here, she wanted to hide in the corner.

The family had decided on Friday morning for
the funeral. Anna knew she had a matinee early Friday afternoon,
but would ask Isaak if he would let her miss class that
morning.

Would it be inappropriate to continue
dancing? She couldn’t imagine not dancing, though. Even now,
especially now, she felt a need to go somewhere alone and dance.
Dancing kept her sane. It was the only thing that had done so
through all the years of abuse.

Anna felt the ring box in her pocket. She
should give his family the ring, but they would be suspicious if
they knew she had it. How could she explain how she got it? She
wasn’t supposed to have seen him. She glanced at Matt and then
Wilhelm. What should she do with it?

“It doesn’t make any sense, Mom,” Marcia said
in a broken voice. “How could he have disappeared on Friday and
not…been found until this morning?”

“You know how your brother is, Marcia,” Dave
said gently. “Maybe he just needed some time alone.”

Anna flushed in embarrassment. Did they know
about her? Had Ben told them? She was thankful that she was hidden
in the corner and that no one could see her. She didn’t belong
here. She should leave. Leave his family to grieve without her
tainted presence.

She stood quickly, and the room spun. Wilhelm
grabbed her before she could fall. “Anna, are you all right? Have
you eaten today?”

Anna shook her head. She wasn’t interested in
food right now.

“I think I will take her back to her
apartment and have her rest,” Wilhelm said. “
Kommen Sie,
Liebling
.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “I will make
sure she is all right. Let me know if there is anything you
need.”

“Thank you, Wilhelm,” Dave said. “I
appreciate your concern.”

“Anna means a great deal to myself and my
family. Anything that concerns her concerns me.”

Anna glanced at Matt. “Matt, can I talk to
you for a minute?” she asked.

He nodded and followed her to the door.

“Here,” she said, handing him the ring box.
“I…I don’t know what to do with it.”

“Anna, you should keep it. He’d want you to
have it.”

Anna shook her head. “How would I explain why
I had it?” she asked, tears forming in her eyes again. “I’m not
supposed to have seen him.” Her voice squeaked as she spoke.

Matt nodded. “I’ll put it with his things.
I’m sure his mom will give it to you when she finds it.”

“I don’t deserve it.”

Matt put his hands on her shoulders. “Anna,
Ben didn’t care about what you’d been forced to do. He loved you
and wanted to marry you. He was gonna ask you at the party. That’s
why his family was down here already.”

Anna closed her eyes. Ben had said he loved
her before he died.

“I will take care of her, Matt,” Wilhelm
said. “I think she needs some sleep. She did not sleep well all
weekend.”

Matt looked at him strangely but didn’t say
anything and nodded. “I’ll keep you updated.”

“
Danke
.”

*****

Anna let Wilhelm help her back to her
apartment. Her legs shook as she walked. Wilhelm ordered her some
dinner and watched her carefully as she ate.

“Do you want to dance tomorrow, Anna?” he
asked, sitting next to her on the couch after she’d finished. “Or
shall I call Isaak and let him know that you need some time
off?”

“Dancing is the only time I’m free,” she said
quietly. “A few minutes of solace.”

Wilhelm touched her cheek as he looked at her
closely. Then he nodded. “I understand. Then you need to make sure
you sleep well tonight. You look exhausted.”

Anna leaned against Wilhelm. “I hit Devin,”
she said without emotion.

Wilhelm stiffened. “You what?”

“I told him that I hated him and I got a
couple of hits in before Ian pulled me off him.”

Wilhelm chuckled. “I bet he was
surprised.”

Anna shrugged. “He didn’t seem to care. I hit
Ian, too.”

Wilhelm petted her hair and kissed the top of
her head. “You are full of surprises,
Liebling
.” He
paused. “Anna, with all that has happened…I do not know if it is
wise for you to live by yourself.”

“Why?”

“Because if something were to happen…I worry
about you. Would you consider having Jenna stay with you? At least
until the end of the year?”

Anna thought about it. Jenna probably
wouldn’t mind. She’d be closer to Matt, even though she stayed with
him most nights anyways. It would be nice to have someone to come
home with. The apartment felt so big right now. Big and empty.

She nodded. “Yes. That would be okay.”

Wilhelm smiled and kissed her temple.
“
Gut
. Go get ready for bed and I will go talk to her.”

“Okay.” Wilhelm left and Anna went into her
bedroom. She heard a faint ringing and looked around until she
found her phone in the bottom of her bag.

She saw it was Aaron calling.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Anna, how are you doing?” he asked in a
gentle voice.

“I’ve been better. You…heard what
happened?”

“Yeah. Jenna called me. I’m so sorry, Anna. I
know you really cared about him.”

“It wasn’t an accident, Aaron. Devin killed
him.”

The line was silent for a minute. “How do you
know?”

“Because I was there. He did it in front of
me.”

“Oh, God, Anna! Oh, God. I’m so sorry. Please
tell me you’re not alone.”

“Wilhelm is here. Well, I mean he just went
to talk to Jenna, but he’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Good. Anna, hon, if you need anything,
please call me.” His voice was so tender it brought tears to her
eyes. Maybe if she hadn’t dated Ben and been dating Aaron….

No, if she’d been dating Aaron, he would be
dead instead of Ben. Devin didn’t care who it was, he just didn’t
want her loyalties divided. He wouldn’t have hesitated to kill
Aaron any more than he’d hesitated to kill Ben. Either way, her
affections would have gotten someone killed. She needed to keep her
emotions under control from now on. Devin would surely get rid of
anyone she cared about too much,

“Thanks, Aaron. I appreciate it.” She sighed.
“I need to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re coming tomorrow? Anna, Isaak would
understand. You should stay home.”

“No. I need…sanity. Dancing gives me
that.”

He was quiet for a minute. “I guess that
makes sense.”

“Does Travis know?”

“Yeah. I called him and told him. I’ll let
him know you’ll be there tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Aaron.”

“Try and get some rest.”

“Thanks. Bye.”

“Bye, Anna.”

Anna tossed her phone onto the bed and went
into the bathroom to shower. When she finished, she went back into
her bedroom and found Wilhelm was sitting on her bed.

He looked up and smiled at her. “Jenna said
she would happily move in here.”

Anna smiled as she sat down next to Wilhelm.
“I thought she might.”

Wilhelm smiled and pulled her close. “I
think, if circumstances were different, she would have been
bouncing off the walls.”

She laughed softly. “I think you’re right.”
She buried her face in his neck and inhaled. He smelled good.

Wilhelm hugged Anna tightly to him. She was
so small and vulnerable and it pained him to know she was hurting
so badly. He wished there was something he could do to take away
her pain, but only time would do that. He rubbed her back and
kissed her cheek.

He’d come into town hoping to be with Anna at
least a few times, but when she told them about Ben, he realized he
couldn’t do that to her. He had a right to her. He was technically
her Master, and he desired her, absolutely. But he also cared about
her as a person. She needed a friend and father, not a lover. And
certainly not now.

He had been tempted to go to the Manor and
use one of the girls there, but didn’t want Devin thinking Anna
wasn’t doing her “duties” by attending to him sexually. He was
almost fifty years old. He could control himself for a few
days.

But when Anna buried her face in his neck and
then pressed her hips against him, his body responded. He heard her
breath quicken and felt her press against him more. He knew she was
becoming aroused. She moved in that certain way and he swore he
could smell her arousal.

He mustered all his strength and pushed her
gently away. “Anna, no. We cannot do this. You are grieving. I will
not take advantage of you.”

She looked at him with her sad green eyes.
“Please, Wilhelm,” she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. “It’s
all I know. It’s the only thing that will take away the pain.” She
swallowed and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Devin made me this
way.”

Wilhelm sighed and wiped her tear away with
his thumb. He knew that the first thing Devin had done to her after
her parents were buried was arouse her and bring her to orgasm.
Wilhelm was sure that it had been a relief. Sex was everything to
her; Devin and Jack had ensured that. Sex brought physical pain and
pleasure. Emotional pain and relief. How she felt cared for and how
she felt used. It was her emotional language.

Wilhelm searched her eyes. She was hurting;
more than she had in a long time. Devin had been truly evil in what
he had done to her and Ben. He couldn’t understand how Devin could
do such a thing to such a sweet girl.

She really did want to please those around
her. Devin was breaking her. But why? She wasn’t a rebellious
person. At least not until this happened.

If someone had told him a week ago that Anna
had hit someone, especially Devin, he would have laughed and told
them they were insane. But Anna had freely admitted to attacking
Devin. Surely Devin realized what he was doing to her.

It didn’t make any sense. Devin was treading
on dangerous ground. An Elder-Mistress out of control was a
dangerous thing. Especially to her Master. She could turn on him
and destroy him.

Wilhelm had to admit that last thought was
rather appealing. But she would likely take it out on Alex as well,
and Alex meant only good for her. Her fury towards Alex and her
rebellion against his wishes was not a good sign, but Alex would
have to deal with that when she got to Germany. Relieving her
current pain would help, as long as Devin didn’t do anything else
to upset her.

Wilhelm looked back at Anna and cupped her
cheek. Maybe his love would help soften her again. He leaned
forward and kissed her gently. His cock throbbed at the light touch
and he slid his hand around the back of her head to deepen the
kiss. He probed at her lips with his tongue and she opened her
mouth to him. He groaned as he explored her mouth with his tongue.
His tongue danced around hers, tasting and teasing her. It was
everything he’d imagined it would be and more.

Her hands moved into his hair as she kissed
him back with desperation. He tugged at her robe and it came loose,
falling slowly to the floor. He ran his hands gently all over her
soft skin as he kissed her mouth. Her nipples were hard as he
caressed her firm, youthful breasts. He moved to kiss her neck and
she sighed as he bit her neck gently.

He slid his hands down to her backside and
kneaded her firm ass cheeks, moving his fingers lower and tracing
the cleft of her ass down until he found the hot, wet slit of her
pussy. She moaned and arched her back as he dipped his fingers
inside her. So tight. So wet.

“Oh, Wilhelm,” she whispered as he slowly
thrust his fingers in and out of her.

His pants felt tight and very uncomfortable.
When she caressed him over the fabric he groaned in pain and
pleasure. He rarely went this long without sex and was eager to
bury himself deep inside her. But he would be patient and not hurry
her. He would give her what comfort he could.

*****

Anna moaned against Wilhelm’s neck as he
pushed his fingers deep inside her. God, it felt so good. This is
what she needed. This is what would take the pain away. Sex had
made her feel better when her parents died; it would help this
time, too. It had to. She didn’t know how else she would be able to
cope.

He spread her outer lips apart and flicked
her clit with his fingers, and the pain in her heart settled into a
dull ache. She reached for his shirt, quickly unbuttoned it and
pushed it off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. She
kissed his shoulder then neck as she undid his belt and pants. He
was so hard his cock practically exploded out of his pants and
throbbed against her hand.

He gritted his teeth and breathed heavily as
she stroked his length. It was a beautiful cock. So long and thick.
She could feel herself almost dripping at the thought of him inside
her. She refused to acknowledge that he reminded her of Alex.

He picked her up and laid her on the bed. He
kicked his pants off, then lay next to her on the bed, caressing
her body and making her moan. His cock brushed against her hip.

“Please, Wilhelm. I need you.”

“Anna, I don’t want to rush you.”

“I need you, Wilhelm,” she begged. “I need
you inside me.”

He looked at her tenderly as he positioned
himself on top of her. She opened her legs for him and felt him
rubbing against her slit. He pressed forward slowly and she closed
her eyes, feeling him fill her so completely. His piercings rubbed
against the top of her channel and made her shiver with pleasure.
More and more he filled her until he hit her cervix and made her
hiss in pain.