Chapter 40

After the Gathering, life progressed for Anna peacefully. Or at least, as peacefully as her life could ever be. Her days were filled with classes, rehearsals, and time with Peter. On Fridays, she went to the Manor. Occasionally, Peter attended the Friday Gatherings—he said it was to keep an eye on her—though she spent the night in Devin’s room. She spent Monday nights at Devin’s house, and Tuesdays were particularly long days.

In mid-April, Anna had her debut as a principal dancer in Don Quixote . Travis was Anna’s partner for the performance, while Peter and Aaron were paired with more seasoned principal dancers. Anna loved dancing with Travis, although more than once they got in trouble for not taking things serious during rehearsals. Sometimes Peter would cast an admonishing glance her way, but when he thought she wasn’t looking, Anna would catch a smile and a twinkle in his eyes in the studio mirror. It was clear he wasn’t really upset.

In fact, she thought Peter and Travis were becoming friends. Once when she walked up, she heard them talking in hushed tones about Russia, and the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet, and Travis—an oddly hopeful look in his eyes as he glanced at her—suggested that perhaps Peter take Anna to see it sometime. Though her heart leaped at the thought, she didn’t think even Peter could get permission from Devin to let him take her.

Anna’s performance was met with enthusiastic acclaim, much to her delight and Isaak’s satisfaction. She danced exceptionally and her friends assured her that she was on her way to becoming the star of the company once more. Isaak even announced that she would be dancing the lead in the upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet , with Peter and Aaron taking turns as Romeo.

In June, both Tommy and Tyler got married. Devin took Anna as his guest to both weddings. She didn’t mind attending Tyler’s wedding, but Tommy’s wedding was tough. Tommy’s new wife, Kim, was very sweet and pretty. Anna was happy for him, but felt a tinge of sadness. The way Tommy looked at her didn’t make it easy for her to distance her heart from him. Anna suspected Kim knew about her, although she was very kind to Anna. Kim seemed to feel sorry for her, especially when Devin was harsh.

Anna helped with both Tyler and Tommy’s pre-wedding rituals, though they were very different. Tyler’s was a night of debauchery with as many women as he could get his cock into. Tommy’s was a night of discipline. Anna stayed with him and teased him all night, but he wasn’t allowed any release. Alex hadn’t told Anna what his night had been like, and she wondered which one was more like his. Neither was pleasant to think about.

Anna didn’t dream of Alex. She hadn’t since before the previous Spring Gathering.