The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged (18 page)

“I...well, a few times back home.”

“And what did you wear?”

“I dunno. A skirt and sweater or
something.”

“God, girl, how did you get laid?”

“I had a boyfriend.”

Cameron rolled his eyes. “You have the body
most women would die for and men will want to touch. You should
show it off.”

“But...I’m not good with men. I mean,” she
added seeing Cameron’s doubtful face. “...I don’t know how to say
no to them.”

“Just say ‘no’ and back away. The place we’re
going to has good security and if they see you in trouble, they’ll
rescue you.”

She pleaded with Cameron with her eyes. “I
don’t think I can do this.”

“Yes, you can. Stop worrying so much and
relax. Or I’ll get you so drunk you won't remember the evening and
wake up with a hunk in your bed.”

Anna rolled her eyes. One thing nice about
being who she was, she didn’t have to worry about getting “knocked
up” or getting any sort of STD. The Elders had immunizations for
all those things. Too bad they didn’t share them with the rest of
the world.

“Omigod, did you hear about the condo that
was just sold down the street?” Cameron asked as they walked into
Anna’s apartment.

Anna didn’t pay much attention to the gossip
of the city. The women of the company talked endlessly about the
celebrities and rich men from the gala, but Anna was never really
interested in gossip. She supposed she just didn’t know enough
about the normal world to understand it. “No.”

“Well, it was
the
most expensive
condo in the city and he, yes it’s a
he
, paid cash for it.
Was okay’d by the building’s approval board and everything, even
though he’s a foreigner.” Cameron wiggled his eyebrows. “He’s
supposed to be incredibly hot. Don't you read the paper?”

“Cameron, I’ve been sick for three
weeks.”

“He just moved in Sunday. It was the front
page of the gossip rags.” He put his hand up in the air,
emphasizing each word. “Handsome, rich, unmarried European buys
billion dollar condo!” Then he giggled.

Anna rolled her eyes. “New fodder for the
other dancers.”

“Maybe he’ll be out tonight. Maybe he’ll see
you and sweep you off your feet.”

“If he’s European, my father-in-law will
probably know him and if word gets back to him, I will be in so
much trouble. Cam, please remember that I’m supposed to keep my
private stuff private.”

“What happens in a New York club, stays in a
New York club.” He grinned.

Several hours later, Anna had passed
Cameron’s dress screening and they were in a taxi on their way to
the club. Cameron apparently knew the bouncers and when they exited
the taxi they bypassed the line and went right in.

“I’ll make sure you get a good guy, Katrina,”
Cameron shouted over the music as he took her hand. They sat down
at a table near the dance floor. “What do you want to drink?”

“I don’t know,” she shouted with a grin.
“Surprise me.”

Cameron winked and sauntered away towards the
bar.

She looked around nervously. It was a classy
place, decorated in dark woods with lighter accents. The music was
loud and people ground themselves against each other on the dance
floor, but it wasn’t like the clubs she’d been to in California.
The men were dressed nicely, although the women wore clothing that
made Anna feel overdressed, even with her breasts practically
exposed.

A man approached her and asked her to dance.
She hadn’t had a drink and wasn’t ready to move yet. She shook her
head and offered him an apologetic smile. He asked a second time,
but she shook her head again and he walked away.

Cameron returned a few minutes later with
shots and martinis. He handed her one of the shot glasses. “For
bravery,” he shouted

Anna laughed. They clinked their glasses and
she poured the alcohol down her throat. “Oh, God that burns!” she
said, wiping her mouth and coughing, but within a few minutes she
could feel herself relaxing. She sipped her martini as she watched
people dance.

“Oh! I almost forgot to tell you!” Cameron
said excitedly. “He’s here!”

“Who’s here?”

“The mystery man. The one who bought the
condo!”

Anna found herself looking around for a
handsome European. “Where?”

Cameron motioned over to a curtained archway.
“There. He’s watching!” His eyes sparkled as he said it, making
Anna laugh.

“Can he not dance?” she asked, gazing at the
sheer red fabric that only allowed a slight glimpse of several
silhouettes.

Cameron shrugged. “Maybe he’s just getting
the lay of the town.”

Another man approached her a while later. He
looked Italian, with thick black wavy hair and dark eyes. Anna
glanced at Cameron who grinned and nodded and Anna took the
Italian’s hand, letting him escort her the few steps it took to get
to the dance floor.

He pulled her close, putting his hands on her
lower back and swayed with the music. “I’m Rob,” he shouted close
to her ear. She felt his warm breath on her ear and she shivered.
She hadn’t been held this close to a man in a really long time.
Ballet rehearsals didn’t count.

“Katrina,” she shouted back.

He gave her a boyish smile. “Very glad to
meet you.”

“Likewise.” She grinned back.

The floor was crowded and even if she’d
wanted to, there was no room to back away. He pushed his thigh
between her legs and she gasped softly. God, she hadn’t been
touched in ages and was feeling it. She looked at him, trying to
decide if he would be worth fucking and gave him a seductive smile
as she put her arms around his neck. Yes, he would do nicely. But
when his hand slipped down and his fingers started caressing the
skin at the top of her thighs, she pulled away.

She shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I can’t.”
She turned to walk away and the man tried to pull her back. She
felt her heart pound with anger as she turned and gave him a
warning look and he released her, wide-eyed, and hurried away.

She sank back into her seat next to
Cameron.

“What happened?” he asked, holding out her
martini to her.

She took it and took a big gulp, then coughed
as it burned her throat. “I just...can’t, I don’t know. It felt
wrong.”

“That’s okay, darling. There are plenty of
fish in the sea.”

Anna danced with several other men, all of
whom seemed nice enough and definitely handsome enough to pique her
interest, but the moment they started making moves on her, she
escaped. Maybe she was nervous about being caught. Maybe she just
felt guilty. Whatever the reason, she was beginning to accept that
she wouldn’t be getting any tonight.

Cameron, on the other hand, was having a
fabulous time, flirting and talking with old friends. There was an
eclectic mix of people in this place, which made it very
interesting for people-watching, though if Anna sat for too long,
Cameron went and found someone for her to dance with.

She had just sat down after turning another
guy down when a man in a suit walked along the side of the room in
her direction. He looked like he had just stepped out of
GQ
. His perfectly cut and styled light brown hair
perfectly matched the obviously expensive suit that perfectly fit
his broad shoulders. Anna stared at him as he confidently
approached their table and stopped in front of Anna. Even Cameron
stopped and stared.

“Hello, my name is Simon,” he said with a
slight accent that she couldn’t quite pinpoint. “May I sit?” he
asked politely. He didn’t appear to be coming on to her. In fact,
he looked like he was coming to discuss business with her.

Anna nodded and scooted over to give him room
to sit down, curious about his presence. She smiled and extended
her hand. “I’m—”

“Katrina. Yes, I know.” He shook her hand and
then released it. All business.
Okay....

Anna blinked nervously. “H-how can I help
you...Simon, is it?”

“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
very odd for someone in a club. “I will get straight to the point,
if you don’t mind.”

“Okay....” 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 reached his eyes as he paused. “...to say
the least. Your friend here mentioned that you were, how shall we
put it delicately, looking for companionship for the evening?”

“Cameron!” she exclaimed, hitting his
arm.

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

“Is it true?”

Anna bit her lip. After dancing with all
those men, her libido was very active. 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 a
very beautiful ring. Not something purchased at the local jewelry
store.”

She bit her lip again. An anonymous
encounter. She felt her body responding at the thought. “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’ that the
gossip papers have been writing about.”

“Ooh, Katrina!” Cameron exclaimed. “You
should go! And that whole privacy thing will be taken care of
too.”

“Privacy thing?” Simon asked.

“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
rapidly. Crying would make her look foolish and ruin her makeup.
Besides, she had come to the conclusion that 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, then 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 are willing to meet with him?”

She glanced at Cameron who was nodding
emphatically.

“Okay,” she said timidly.

“Good.” Cameron smiled broadly as Simon
continued. “There will be a limousine outside waiting for you in
fifteen minutes. It will take you to the hotel and I will be
waiting for you 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.”

The next fifteen minutes were filled with
such conflicting thoughts, Anna had half talked herself out of
going by the end of the wait. If Cameron hadn’t been there, she
would have chickened out. But the man promised discretion. That’s
what she needed to protect herself. If something happened to
her...well, she’d been through worse things. If she wound up
dead.... Well, again, she’d been through worse things. If it was
terrible sex...she had her vibrator at home. She wouldn’t be any
worse off than now. And she could smile at the fact that the
“mystery European” had chosen her, without her even trying to
seduce him.

When it was time to go, Cameron practically
shoved her out the door with a huge grin on his face. “Aaron will
be so pleased!” he said, clapping his hands. “Enjoy yourself,
darling.”

She gave him the dirtiest look she could
muster before walking out the door. As she stood at the top of the
stairs, a man in a black suit and tie approached her. “Miss
Katrina?” he asked politely.

Anna nodded.

The man smiled and motioned to a limousine
behind him. “If you are ready....”

She nodded again and slipped into the back of
the long vehicle, nerves churning at a million miles an hour. The
limo started a few minutes later and Anna pushed the button to
lower the partition between sections of the car. “Where are you
taking me?” she asked, trying to sound braver than she felt.

“
The Library Hotel
, Miss.”

“There’s a Library Hotel?” she exclaimed.
“Really?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Is it...part of the library?”

“No, Miss. It’s a block away from the
library. The theme of the hotel is the library. The floors and
rooms are decorated based on the Dewey Decimal System.”

“Wow.” She thought for a moment. “Do you know
why he picked this particular place?”

“No, Miss.”

Anna stared out the window. A psychopath
wouldn’t choose a library-themed hotel, would he? He had to be
cultured to even consider a place like that...right? Anna couldn’t
imagine a more romantic rendezvous, even if he hadn’t planned it
that way. She resolved to just enjoy herself. The old Kurt might
have done something like this, but not anymore. She still hadn’t
heard from him and that stung.