 Her Cavaliers

Chapter one
Meeting him

Sitting in the back of an old station wagon, Annika looked at her hands, her feet, anywhere but at
the girl who had talked her into the adventure she was about to participate in. She had told herself
over and over that she had not come to America, to Boston, to spend her free time with rock stars
snorting lines of coke. Tamar had argued that it was free time, she should have fun with it. But
Annika’s idea of fun was not meeting Tamar’s boyfriend and his bandmates.

The two girls, escorted by a pair of gruff-looking body guards, headed down the hall of the hotel.
Strewn with roadies and groupies who were all in different stages of nudity and drunkenness, the
little Russian Annika could barely hide her terror. “I am a dancer, Tam, not a band-banging slut,”
she muttered, her accent making her voice nearly intelligible to the two guards surrounding them.

Tamar had to laugh. “I am not a slut, and you know it. Tour girlfriends are not sluts. Jimmy may not
love me completely, but he loves me enough to take me on tour with him.” Tamara was about two
inches taller than Annika’s 5’2” and not as slim. And when she slipped into Jimmy’s hotel room, she
plopped into his lap and kissed him eagerly. He greeted her with a bite on her ear, paying no
attention to the girl hanging back in the doorway. His languid guitarist’s fingers snaked through
her cinnamon brown hair, and with one kiss from his mouth, she completely forgot Annika as well.
Wrapped up completely in Jimmy made the entire world disappear.

Noticing she had been forgotten, Robert approached Annika and offered her his hand. She slipped
her delicate hand into his and followed him to a love seat. His blue eyes looked her over as she
moved. Behind a curtain of midnight black hair was the face of a beautiful Russian doll. She had
emerald green eyes, clear, bright skin that was even paler than his English pallor, and bee-stung,
pink lips that really caught his eyes. He released his hand and slid his arm around her tiny waist,
pulling her close to him as he sat on the love seat. His other hand reached for the beer he had rested
on the coffee table beside him. But his eyes never left the girl he had pulled beside him.

She had yet to utter a word around them. Jimmy and Robert had learned about her from Tamar’s
description, but Robert ached to know more. And once he saw her, a perfect echo of his vision of
her, he just knew. The vacant hole left when he was away from his wife and on tour had been filled
by a tiny little Russian ballerina. All he had to do was convince her.

“Your name is Annika, is that right, darling?” he asked, taking a drag of his freshly-lit cigarette. She
just nodded shyly. He had to smile. “What do you want to drink, Anni?” A question she had to
answer aloud.

“It’s Annika,” she told him curtly. “And I’m fine, thank you.”

Tamar turned away from Jimmy’s kisses. “Nika, be nice. Robert, don’t call her Anni. It irritates her.’
Annika looked at Robert apologetically, her vibrant green eyes glittering with life. “I have never had
beer before,” she told him demurely.

“Then let me be the first to give you a beer,” the singer mused, getting up and going to the
minifridge in the corner of the room.

Annika watched the activities in the room, trying to figure out her place. Tamar seemed to think she
had one, but she couldn’t see it. She was an outsider, brought in by the girl that Jimmy had allowed
into the band’s exclusive inner circle. Tam had the luxury of coming and going with the band as she
pleased. It seemed like she also wanted Annika to have that gift. But Annika was wholly devoted to
her place in her dance company. No man, no band, could take that dream from her. She sighed,
realizing no one had the power to control her destiny. If she wanted to leave, she could. But
something was holding her there.

Robert sat beside her again, energetically handing her a beer. The 25-year-old singer was grinning
ear to ear as he watched her take her very first sip of beer. His arm slung back around her narrow
shoulders, he noted that the girl was extremely tiny. Not just short but very slender. She was even
smaller than Tam. But she did not look 16 the way Tam did. Jimmy liked his girlfriends to be young,
but Robert wanted something more. Annika spoke to him without words. Her silence told him more
than any words could. A tiny little woman, and she carried the weight of the world on her
shoulders. The strain of being what she was, the pressure that came with being lead dancer,
showed in the light of her eyes. He weaved his fingers with hers as she sipped at her beer. She even
cast a smile in his direction.

“So Nika, you were born in Russia?” Robert asked, so close to her that his lips brushed the flesh of
her ear.

She nodded, quivering when his warm breath hit her. “I was, Tam and I met on the plane ride from
St. Petersburg when we were both 14. She’s always been my understudy.”

Robert didn’t even have to pretend to be interested. For some reason, he hung on her every word.
No matter that Tamar had already told him about her, he wanted to hear it from her lips. “Are you
dancing in anything now?”

She tilted her head to one side, wondering why a major rock star would ever give a damn about
ballet. “Well, kind of. Practicing daily for the December production of Nutcracker. We’ve got a bit of
time before we open.”

He nodded, resisting the urge to pull her dainty fingers to his lips. “Maybe I could come see you and
Tam rehearse sometime.”

Jimmy lowered his eyes at Robert, not giving a damn about his girl’s dancing and certainly not
wanting to go watch either of the girls practice. Robert could do whatever he wanted in order to get
Annika into bed; he didn’t want to be party to watching ballet. He already had Tam, he didn’t need
to pretend to be interested in ballet for her.

Robert noticed his mate’s glowering and laughed to himself. He smiled at the frail, pretty girl beside
him. She’d gone quiet, but he hoped that a few charming words would coax more from her lips. He
found her thick Russian accent more than a bit enticing. But Jimmy’s suite was not the place for
quiet conversation, and Annika was terribly shy. So with her hand still enveloped in his, he stood
up, taking her with him. She trotted after him, wondering why he was leading her away from
Tamar.

Once they closed the door, she understood. The antics in the hallway from earlier had been taken
elsewhere, and it was a quiet sanctuary. He hadn’t released her hand, leading her somewhere. But
she really didn’t want to leave his side. The walk was short, though. His room was only a few doors
down the hall. He opened the door and waited for her, but she just looked at him timidly.

Chapter two
Curiosity

“Don’t you want to come in?” he asked.

She cleared her throat. “I’m not a groupie,” she murmured.

He chuckled. “I honestly did not ask you here for sex. You looked uncomfortable in Jimmy’s room.
Come inside, we can talk, maybe have another beer.”

She followed him into his room and strode to the couch as he went for two more cans of beer. As
he sat beside her, she crossed her legs at her ankles and accepted his offering. “Why did you ask me
here if not for sex, Mr. Plant?” she asked politely but with an edge to her voice.

“Relax, Nika. You seem like a sweetheart. Are you hungry? I could order a late supper for us.”

“Well, I am hungry. Just…no funny business, okay?”

He nodded, his hand theatrically on his heart. “You have my word, sweetheart. But I really am
interested in seeing you dance.”

She looked at him in disbelief then let her eyes wander the room. “If you really want to see, I can do
something for you now,” she offered.

He nodded enthusiastically before sitting down to watch the tiny brunette. She did a few stretches
then smiled. The playful expression on her face made him more alert, and she knew it. She met his
eyes and stretched her leg completely straight and over her head. His jaw nearly hit the floor as her
toes nearly hit the ceiling. She carefully lowered her leg before completing a perfect split, her legs
resting parallel to the floor. He stared at her even as she rose from her split and moved to the couch
to sit at his side again.

“Nika, you have a talent, darling,” he told her, clearly not meaning her talent at ballet.

She flushed a pretty shade of crimson, even her lips turned red. “I don’t wish to offend you, but
what do you know about ballet?” she laughed.
He had to laugh. “Maybe I wasn’t talking about your ability to dance, which I don’t doubt is great.”

She looked away shyly, thinking he might have been lying about not messing with her. Then again,
when she really thought about it, why else had she done those blatantly sexual moves? She kept on
thinking about why she had gone into his suite with him. Sipping at her beer, she kept thinking
about the man beside her. What on Earth could they offer each other? A married rock god and a
teenaged ballerina. They would make for as odd a couple as Jimmy and Tamar. But her companion
was married. With that in mind, she shook off all the other thoughts that floated in her mind.

Robert caught the glint of thought in her vibrant eyes, and he pulled her face up a bit. “What are you
thinking about?” he asked quietly.

“I was just overanalyzing why I came into your room,” she admitted, casting her eyes downward.

“I know you are worrying,” he whispered, placing the softest of kisses on her lips. “But I have no
intention of making you uncomfortable. I will not do anything you don’t want to do. Have I put your
mind at ease?”

She felt warm from his lips. That incredibly soft touch sent fire coursing through her veins. He had
in no way put her mind at ease. She felt a desire in her soul that she had never felt before. What was
this man, this apparent rock god, doing to her? And why was he even bothering with her when
there were groupies in the hotel lobby who would do just about anything to get in bed with the
singer? She looked into his blue eyes, but she could not find the answers she sought. All she could
see was a blaze in his eyes, a look she had never seen before. And it was directed towards her.

His fingers tightened around hers, the silence making him worry about her. She seemed as delicate
in spirit as she was in form. “I could never hurt such a pretty doll,” he murmured.

“Just because I am a dancer doesn’t mean I abhor all things popular,” she began in a sweet voice. “I
listen to rock and roll. And I know the stories surrounding the band. That is why I think Tamar is
crazy. I don’t want to be-“

“Annika, the stories are just stories. The roadie crew and our road manager enjoy most of the
antics. The band, for the most part, keeps quiet with a few drinks and our chosen girlfriends. You
have nothing to worry about, little doll.”

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “You are asking me?”

He smiled, her sweet accent hitting all the right notes in his heart. “Tamar recommended you
highly,” he teased.

Tamar, her very best friend in the world, had sent her into a den of lions by suggesting to the singer
that she would make a good tour girlfriend. As beautiful as Robert was, and she would never deny
that he had unmatched leonine good looks, she couldn’t escape the stories he claimed were false. A
slight nod then a soft kiss. The deal was sealed, even if she was beyond hesitant about it. While she
could not ignore her reservations, she could also not ignore the attraction she had for the
seemingly dangerous man.
But as he buried her nose in her hair affectionately, she wondered how dangerous he really could
be. He was actually respecting her, which she never would have expected. “I will give you a chance,”
she told him, a promise in her voice.

He smiled. “And I will be good to you. That is my promise to you. You deserve that. How long can
you stay tonight?”

She looked at him in silence for a moment, wondering what would happen if she stayed very long.
“I have practice in the morning, so I will have to leave. But I can return tomorrow. We typically
don’t practice for more than a couple of hours on Saturdays.”

“Do you have to leave soon, though?” he asked, oddly not wanting his little Russian doll to leave his
side that night.

“Tamar usually gets a ride to practice in the morning. I suppose I will join her. We won’t leave until
after breakfast. You have me to yourself tonight,” she laughed. She had a chiming, musical laugh. He
wanted to record it and put it in a song.

He draped his arm around her shoulders. “I think I like the sound of that, doll. Can I get you another
beer, or are you still working on your first one?”

She made a disapproving face. “I don’t think I like the taste of it.”

“It is an acquired taste, love. You can get used to it at your own pace.” He took a drink of his own,
draining the can before silently asking to finish hers. She handed her almost-full can to him. “Shame
to waste it.”

Annika had to laugh. “Isn’t it, though? Just don’t go getting yourself hammered, dear.”

“I will just finish this, then. What would you like to do after that?”

Her face drained of color, so scared that they would end up in the bed before she was ready. “Could
we just talk, please?” she asked, her voice quivering under the weight of her emotions.

“Of course, my little doll. My curiosity is getting the better of me anyway, I want to know more
about you.”

She shifted on the couch beside him. No one had ever seemed so interested in her. And even though
she suspected it all had to do with a yearning south of his low-rising belt buckle, she was
nevertheless flattered by it. She pulled her long black hair into a bun and secured it with a piece of
pretty leather from around her wrist. He noticed the way her neck sloped ever so gently into her
narrow shoulders, and he placed a kiss on that beautiful spot of skin. His lips warmed her
completely, an unfamiliar fire that prickled her entire body.

Every little thing about her was graceful, even the way she shivered when he touched her with his
cold hand; the one that had been holding the chilled can of beer. Though he wanted to ask her so
much, he was also content to sit and not talk. Words became unnecessary with her. She was so shy,
anyway, that he didn’t think he could get much from her until she became more comfortable
around him.
“I owe you a late supper, darling,” he remarked. “Would you still be interested?”

“I’m still hungry,” she laughed.

He handed her the room service menu, already knowing he wanted the cheese steak sandwich. She
looked over the menu with a bit of horror. She still wasn’t completely used to Western food though
she had eaten it on a few occasions. He noticed her expression and laughed.

“When did you leave Russia?” he asked.

“I was 14, it will be two years in May that I have been here. Is it so obvious that I am confused?”

He nodded and smiled affectionately. “I find it to be adorable, little doll. Would you prefer if I just
ordered for you?”

“Would you, please? I don’t trust myself to order.”

He took the menu from her and glanced at it, wondering what she might like. Once he settled on
fried chicken for the girl, he picked up the phone to place the order. Once he had finished, he
returned to sitting beside her. His pale blue eyes glistened with curiosity, questions about her life
bubbling on his lips. He was almost vibrating with excitement.

Chapter Three
A Strong Foundation

“Why did you take up dancing?” was his first question.

“I come from a family of dancers in Russia, it was expected that I start taking lessons at age three.
But I had more of an aptitude for it than anyone in my class, so I was pushed. They taught me
English as well, in hopes that I could be good enough to dance in America.”

“You must be,” he whispered.

She laughed. “I got lucky,” she told him, meeting his eyes. “Very lucky.”

He raised a blond eyebrow when he caught her meaning, but he didn’t pursue that conversation.
“Tell me about how you came to America.”

“I was 14 and dancing in a production of Giselle. I got lucky to have the lead in that; the usual lead
dancer was away in Moscow dancing. I didn’t know that there was a talent scout from the Boston
Ballet in the audience one night. Next thing I know, I am being whisked away to America. The scout
was the lead choreographer for the company, an American-born from a Russian family. Mikhail, he
is sort of my mentor right now.”

He leaned closer to Annika. “Is he interested in you?” he asked protectively.

“No!” she gasped. “He is extremely married, and he’s also 45. You have nothing to worry about.”

Robert had to laugh. “Maybe I have a slightly jealous nature at times,” he mumbled. “Anyway, doll,
continue. What happened next?”

She went on about her first year in America, her debut on an American stage as the lead in a ballet
based on Sleeping Beauty. He hung on her every word until there was a knock at the door. Supper
had arrived. Robert opened the door, and the cart was set beside them. Annika looked at her plate
with ravenous eyes, and Robert laughed as she dove into her fried chicken leg.

“You are hungry, little doll. When did you eat last?”

“I had a bagel for breakfast, but I have been at practice the rest of the day. I was supposed to go
straight home, but Tamar kidnapped me,” she laughed.

“Your parents came over from Russia with you?” he asked.

“No, that would have been unheard of. We live with one of our company’s choreographers, Natalia.
She cares for four of us girls, the two of us from Russia, a French girl, and a German girl.

“I miss my parents, but I know I’d have given up an amazing opportunity if I had stayed behind.
There are so many amazing dancers in Russia. But if one is brought over here, she can write her
own ticket.”

He listened to her intently while he ate, asking for her earliest memories of Russia, of dancing.
Sometimes her accent was so thick that he couldn’t understand her actual words, but she spoke
with so much emotion that he never lost her meanings. He could almost see her home in Russia,
and he completely understood how she felt when she described standing in front of an audience
and hearing their thunderous applause. They bonded over their mutual love of being on stage,
despite the differences in their performances. They discovered a common love of Lord of the Rings
as well, not something Robert expected. She bragged energetically about her old copies of all three
books and promised to bring them to him.

“How was your fried chicken?” he asked her when she set the last of the bones back onto her plate.

“Interesting. I will have to eat it again. Now I want to talk about you, though. You know lots about
me, it’s your turn to talk.”

“Oh, no, baby. I want to know about who you are,” he chuckled. “I know about your past, and I want
to hear about what makes you who you are.”

She looked away. “No. I am usurping the conversation. You talk for a while.”

He pulled her close to hold her. “I cannot, Nika, I just cannot. It is better if you know as little about
me as possible.”

“You are married, I know. Tamar told me. I know I am just your tour girlfriend, this isn’t really
serious. What else could you possibly need to hide from me?”
He sighed heavily, and since she was still in his arms, she could feel it. “Baby, you don’t seem like
the type to want to hear about the drugs. And while I don’t partake as much as the roadies or even
Jimmy, I have been known to indulge in the occasional line of cocaine.”

She looked down and shrugged. “It has no bearing on me. You can do what you want. I would never
dream of stopping you.” While her words spoke of indifference, her voice was so cold that it would
have frozen a sea of lava.

“How about this, Nika. I will not do anything around you that makes you uncomfortable,” he
offered, trying to calm the wrath of the tiny ballerina.

She met his eyes and nodded. “You would do that for me?”

His expression softened. “I would be happy to, my sweet little Nika.” He ran his hands along her
back, feeling her spine beneath his fingers. It amazed him that she was so tiny but could have so
much power within her.

They sat together in silence for a few minutes. She listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart; it
lulled her into feeling comfortable in his arms. With that silence came a strong foundation,
something that speaking could not have created. Their relationship, what it was at that point,
meant more because she calmed the chaos of his life on tour. No other girl had made it so easy for
him to close his eyes. It was something he so desperately needed.

Longing to feel his fingers wrap around her hair, he untied the leather twine and let her
shimmering black hair spill down her back and over his hands. It had a slight wave to it, nothing
like his profusely curly blond hair. And completely at peace with the world, he carried his tiny doll
to bed. Sleep overwhelmed them both as they became entwined in each other’s arms.

Chapter Four
The First Dance
Morning greeted the couple when bright sunlight spilled past the curtains and onto their faces.
Robert groaned as he stretched, realizing he had not woken alone. The little doll was curled up
beside him still sleeping. Her hair looked like gleaming midnight spun into gossamer thread as it
spread across the pillow. He brushed a lock of it from her face and kissed her lips awake.

“Good morning, angel,” he whispered with a smile.

“Hello there,” she murmured in her thick, pretty accent, not even bothering to hide her grogginess.
“What time is it?”

He looked at the clock on the bedside table. “7:30, love. Can I get you some breakfast?”

She sat up, rubbing sleep from her shocking green eyes. “I slept late. Normally I would have been
up two hours ago. Natalia is going to kill me.”
“I am so sorry if I’ve gotten you in trouble, baby.”

She shook her head ferverently. “It was completely worth it,” she told him, stretching her arms over
her head. “Besides, Tamar is in as much trouble as I am, she would never leave without me.”

He kissed her forehead. “I will ring Jimmy’s room, see if she is there. Then I will call for breakfast.
You just relax and stay in bed, my little doll.”

She smiled at him and did as he asked, watching him call his bandmate’s suite down the hall. From
what she could understand, Robert was talking to someone else; Jimmy and Tamar were still
sleeping off what must have been a wild night. Annika took the phone once Robert was finished;
she needed to check in with Natalia before either of them got in trouble.

“Apparently I am free from rehearsals today,” she told him, resting the phone back on its receiver.

A coy smile turned up the corner of his lips. “So you are mine today? Can I convince you to come see
tonight’s show?”

“All yours, and I’d love to. I’ve never been to a rock and roll concert before. That kind of thing is
frowned upon, too uncivilized. But I want to see.”

He chuckled. “You are so darling. I will make sure you are taken care of at the show tonight. Now,
back to the matter at hand. What would you like for breakfast?”

She cocked her head to one side. “Normally I just eat a bagel for breakfast.”

“Well, that won’t do. That won’t do at all. I am ordering French toast for us both. If you are going to
expand my horizons, I will reciprocate as best I can. Just stay there, I will order.”

Sitting against the headboard, she stretched out her legs and placed her hands on her lap while
she waited. She could still taste his kiss on her lips, the one that stirred her into greeting that day.
She thought about what Natalia had said on the phone, how she hadn’t gotten mad that she and
Tamar had stayed out then not come home. It was so unlike her caretaker to be that laid back when
it came to the safety of her dancers, especially where Annika was concerned. The star was heavily
looked after.

It occurred to her that maybe Robert might have been in a similar situation. The entire hotel was
filled with meaty men acting as protectors for the band. She didn’t know what they were being
protected from, but she figured it had to do with the hoards of groupies that seemingly stood in the
hotel lobby and in hallways day and night hoping for a glimpse of the band and maybe more. It
seemed like Robert might have seen that same sheltered quality in Annika. They had that in
common in a way.

When he returned, he had a Cheshire cat grin on his face and making his blue eyes absolutely
dance with excitement. She sat up, wondering why he looked so excited. He reached for her hands
and pulled her out of bed, dancing around the room with her.

“Robert, what’s gotten into you?” she asked, laughing as he spun in circles with her.

“Nothing, doll, I just felt like dancing with you. Am I good?”

 She had to smile. “Yes! I’d let you be my cavalier in a heartbeat!” He just looked at her, not sure
what she meant. “A cavalier is the male dancing partner for the lead female.”

He grinned. “I would take that position if it meant I got to dance with you.”

Rather than bring her dancing world into his world, she changed the subject completely. “Did
you order breakfast?”

He noticed the abrupt change but didn’t push it. If she wanted to tell him something, he figured
that she would do so in her own time. He walked closer to her, put his hand under her chin, and ran
his thumb over her lips. “I did, my sweet doll. It should be here shortly.”

She put her hands on his slim hips and smiled up at him. Her lips, so perfectly pouty, absolutely
needed to be kissed. And who better to give her what she needed. When he kissed her, more
intense than the previous kisses, nothing but them existed. The rest of the world fell away, and
there was nothing but the kiss that held them together.

They didn’t part until they heard the sound of knocking at the door, and even then it was a strain
for them to separate. Robert went to have the food brought in, noticing that the hallway was still
relatively calm. The band’s manager, Peter, nodded as he passed the open door. Peter knew Robert
was getting introduced to a girl the night before so he played it safe by not entering the suite, lest
he upset a naked woman. But Annika had remained completely clothed the entire night.

Once breakfast had been set up on the small dining table, Robert and Annika sat down to eat. It
was the most proper meal he had had in a few weeks. Usually he ate on the run before a show or in
a hotel room drinking beer while surrounded by groupies who had usually had too much to drink.
But sitting at a proper table beside a lovely and completely sober girl was a breath of fresh air. She
had started opening up to him, and she seemed at ease as they chatted over French toast and
coffee.

“What would you like to do today, little doll?” he asked her.

She shrugged then dabbed some maple syrup from her lips with a napkin. “What are my
options?”

“Anything you can possibly dream of before we have to head to the concert. The world is your
oyster, darling.”

She covered her mouth to hide her giggles. “I don’t want you to go out and get recognized or
anything.”

“You are very considerate, baby. I think I have an idea.”

She leaned forward, wanting to hear his idea. But he just smiled and chewed another bite of his
breakfast. He really had a way about him, he was a real tease. It made her smile even beyond her
slight twinge of frustration.
 Just when she thought the suspense would drive her mad, he stood up and offered his hand.
They walked back down the hall towards Jimmy’s room; all the while, Annika wondered what he
was planning.

Chapter 5
Tension

They entered Jimmy’s suite. He and Tamar were sipping orange juice and reading the newspaper
together. It was unlike the guitarist to do something as normal as that, but it made Robert smile
nevertheless. He sat down on the couch and pulled Annika beside him. She still wanted to know
what he wanted to do.

“Tam, I called Natalia. We don’t have to practice today,” Annika remarked, breaking the awkward
silence.

Tamar’s hazel eyes lit up. “Thank God, I drank a bit too much last night. I didn’t want Natalia to
see me like that. So Nika, how was your night?”

Annika looked at Robert and smiled a bit. “We had a nice night. He ordered dinner for us, and I
had friend chicken. Then we had French toast for breakfast.”

“Is that all you two did?” she asked, smirking.

Annika looked away just in time to have a cloud of smoke blown at her as Jimmy exhaled from
his cigarette. She coughed, relieved that she had at least a moment to gather her thoughts. But the
inhalation of the guitarist’s second hand smoke was taking its toll; she strained to regain her
breath. Robert cast a look at Jimmy, glaring at him for the smoke in Nika’s face.

She cleared her throat once more before speaking. “Nothing happened, Tam. I said no.”

“Uh, Nika, you realize that’s what you came up here for,” Tam laughed.

Robert shifted awkwardly. Tamar was giving his little doll an inaccurate picture of what actually
went on. “No, Nika, don’t listen to her. You’re not here to satisfy my lust,” he whispered gently. “We
didn’t talk about this last night, but we will later. But now, I want to see you and Tam dance.”

Nika and Tamar looked at him, not realizing he meant ballet. Tamar shot him a look; he looked a
bit confused. “Robert, no. Annika and I are not like that.”

“What? No, I wanted to see you two dance. Nika showed me a few of her moves last night, and I
want to see more. I mean ballet, of course,” he told Tamar defensively.
 “Come on, Tam, let’s show him what we did in rehearsals on Wednesday,” Nika chirped, pulling
Tamar from Jimmy’s lap.

They both kicked off their shoes and rolled up their skirts so that the hems hit the middle of
their dancer’s thighs. Robert saw the delicate muscles in Annika’s legs and could not tear his eyes
away from her shape. She had the most amazing moves, even he had to appreciate the way her
body became almost fluid as she danced. Before he could tear his attention away from her, she had
flopped down beside him again.

His eyes snapped to hers, hearing her breathing a bit louder than normal. “Nika, that was…I
cannot even describe it. You are amazing.”

She cast her eyes down shyly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Tamar looked at Jimmy in anticipation. “What the fuck do I know about dance?” he asked, patting
her ass. “All I know is that you’re damn good in bed.”

She smirked. “See, you do have an appreciation of dance,” she teased.

Jimmy turned his attention to Robert and Annika. “Percy, you should really take your little
dancer for a spin. If this one can blow my mind,” he chided, biting Tamar’s ear, “imagine what yours
can do.”

Annika looked at Robert, her bright green eyes pleading with him. “Jimmy, let it go. You’ve made
the poor doll massively uncomfortable. Just because you are over the top about displaying your,
um, relationship, doesn’t mean she and I are going to do that,” he scolded the guitarist while gently
squeezing Annika’s hand.

Just as the mood in the room grew awkward, a big man with long, dark hair bounded into the
room, a near-empty bottle of vodka in one hand. “BONZO!” Robert and Jimmy yelled in unison.

Bonzo plopped down beside Annika and thrust the vodka into her hands. She looked at him, a
confused expression shining in her eyes. “Hey there, chick. Name’s Bonzo,” he told the girl eagerly.

Annika smiled meekly at him. “I’m Annika.”

Robert looked at Bonzo proudly. “She is my girl, mate.”

“Cute,” the drummer laughed, looking between Annika and the vodka in her hand. “Drink up,
darling,” he urged the girl.

She looked at him. “It’s not even 9 AM,” she murmured.

Jimmy laughed heartily. “If he’s not sleeping or drumming, he’s drinking. Join in, little Nika.”

The girl sighed and looked at Robert before handing the vodka back to Bonzo. “Thank you, but I
really don’t drink. Especially not this early.”

Bonzo shot Robert a dark look. A groupie that didn’t drink? That seemed unheard of. He had to
question the singer’s judgment in his choice of tour girlfriends. Then again, he hadn’t seen the girls
dance. That might have changed his perception of the girl leaning her head against Robert’s
shoulder. He just couldn’t find the appeal in a tiny, raven-haired princess that didn’t drink. But he
was judging her based on what he knew of Tamar, imagining the two dancers to be more alike than
they were different.

Annika looked up at Robert; somehow she knew the big man beside her didn’t approve of her.
But Robert only smiled at her, assuring her that she needed no one’s approval to be at his side, not
even the approval of his best mate. His sweetness soothed her. She had never expected him to be
such a good man. Her happy surprise shined in her eyes, making him smile all the wider.

“You are so pretty, Nika,” he told her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek.

“What are we going to do today, Robert?” she asked, nearly vibrating with excitement from her
surprise day off and the prospect of a concert that night.

“I told you, whatever you want to do.” He scooped her up into his arms and spun around while
holding her close to his chest.

An effervescent squeal escaped her lips as he slipped her onto his back to carry her piggyback.
He ran down the hall back to his room, passing both Peter Grant and Richard Cole on the way. The
two men shrugged and continued towards Jimmy’s suite, not bothering to mention what they had
just seen. The singer, they figured, was probably still drunk.

Back in Robert’s room, he playfully tossed her onto the couch. She looked up at him, her head
tilted to the right in confusion. “Don’t worry, little doll, I’m just playing. Now, I want to know what
you think we should do today.”

She couldn’t hide her sigh of relief that he hadn’t thrown her down with the intention to ravage
her. “Well, I have never been to the zoo here before.”

Chapter six
Time Off

After slipping into some jeans and a t-shirt, Robert pulled the little doll off the couch and into his
arms. “The limo is waiting, baby. This will be fun.”

She placed her hands on his chest and smiled up at him. Since he was a full twelve inches taller
than her, it was a bit of a strain. But the view, seeing him with an eager smile on his face, made the
strain worth it to her. “I may or may not have forgotten how it feels to have fun,” she mused.

“And I intend to change that for you, angel.”

 Walking into the lobby of the hotel on Robert’s arm and surrounded by three of the meaty
guards, tiny Annika was the envy of every peroxide-soaked groupie queen that waited to be spied
by the band. They wondered what the little girl had that they didn’t. They had spent hours on their
hair and makeup, picked every dress and every painful pair of five-inch heels, and staked out hotel
lobbies all with the intention of catching the eye of a band member. And seeing the singer with a
girl that simply rolled out of bed and into his arms made them seethe with jealousy. Yet Annika was
completely oblivious, she had no idea they were shooting daggers at her.

The limo driver looked at Robert with a shocked expression when the blond singer asked to be
driven to the zoo with a ballerina in tow. He would never understand the things a rock and roll
band did on the road. But he didn’t utter a word, fearing the answer if he was to ask a question.

The unlikely couple lounged in the back of the black car, not paying attention to the road. Robert
hadn’t even thought about the concert that night except to remind Nika that they had to be back in
time for them to board the plane. She looked wide-eyed at him, asking where the concert was that
they needed to take a plane to get there. He explained that the band had based themselves in
Boston for the time they were touring in New England. The show that night was in Providence,
Rhode Island, less than an hour ride in their private jet.

They slipped out of the limo at the zoo, and he offered her his arm as they entered. One of the
three guards trailed them, another walked ahead of them. Annika looked up at Robert, her eyes
questioning why they were being guarded. While she did know of the band, she didn’t realize just
how famous they were. It was lost on her, no matter how exhilarated she felt about the concert that
night.

He had to laugh, she was more sheltered from popular culture than he imagined. “My little Nika,”
he laughed. “Better safe than sorry.” He pulled her up a bit and stole a quick kiss before they made
their way towards the lion exhibit.

She looked between him and the big, male lion. Taking a lock of his curly, blond hair in her hand,
she laughed. “I see a resemblance,” she teased.

“If I am the lion, what are you?” he chuckled.

She pursed her lips in thought. “I am certainly not the lioness. Maybe I’m a gazelle. You know,
prey,” she giggled, winking at him.

He slipped his hands around her stomach and began to tickle her. “Yes, that’s it. You are my prey.
Does this mean I have to chase you?”

She turned around in his arms to face him. “I don’t think you could, I’m much faster.”

Slipping out of his arms, she flitted away from him with the speed and grace of the animal she
compared herself to. He bounded after her, and the two guards followed him. All this commotion
over one little brunette. She had gotten a massive head start on the singer, leaving him and the
guards to guess where she had run. He glared at them both.

“You were supposed to watch her,” he growled, sounding even more like a lion than he looked
like one.
 The one to his left, Jack, gave the singer a dark look. “So it’s our fault you let her run away?”

The singer’s temper flared. “Fuck that, just help me find her.”

Jack stayed with Robert, leaving Alec to go off on his own. He didn’t know the little girl well
enough to guess at where she might have turned up. Asking around had been no help; no one else
had seen the flighty little girl. He got worried, she might have run off on purpose, or she might have
been hopelessly lost in the labyrinth of the animal exhibits. Either way, he worried for her safety.
She had counted on him to catch her, but she was too fast to be caught.

“I am going back to the lion cage just in case she returns,” he told the guards, storming off before
they could object or ask questions. He didn’t care what they would have said, anyway, he just
wanted her to be found.

He sat for a while then stood once he got restless. That little girl could get hurt running around a
zoo alone, and she had been gone for close to an hour. It was an hour too long, as far as he was
concerned. One of the guards should have returned her safely to his side by then. As he walked
back to the lion exhibit, he felt arms slide around his waist. He growled again, not in the mood for
shenanigans from a groupie. When the arms didn’t release, he pulled the culprit in front of him,
shocked when he saw Nika. He pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her hair in relief.

“I thought I lost you,” he whispered, seeing her safe had doused his anger.

She looked down. “I’m sorry. I ran off, took a wrong turn, and got lost. Luckily someone gave me
directions back. Don’t be mad, please.”

His expression had completely softened, even his eyes relaxed. Her sweet voice begged
forgiveness, and her pleading could not be denied. “At you, never. It was just a bit of fun that went
awry. I’m not mad. But it might do us well to go find Jack and Alec.”

He snaked his arm around her waist, keeping her anchored at his side as they hunted the
grounds for his guards. She knew it was wrong of her to have let her little game get out of hand. But
she was safe, and he was not mad, so she tried to put it out of her mind as they searched. Jack found
them near the giraffe display. Annika paused to marvel at the long-necked beasts she had never
seen before. He chuckled at her child-like wonder but pulled her away. They had already wasted a
lot of their time off. And with the concert that night, they had to be wary of how much time they
wasted.

Chapter Seven
Concert
With the zoo shenanigans at bay and the concert looming, they headed back to the hotel. The
band was sitting in Jimmy’s room waiting for the couple to return. Jimmy, Bonzo, and John Paul
were already dressed for the concert, sitting around the suite with beers, bongs, and a few groupies
and roadies. Tamar sat beside Jimmy as he played his acoustic guitar.
 Robert wasn’t about to let his little Nika into Jimmy’s suite alone, not with there being so much
activity going on. So he led her back to his suite while he changed into his concert finery. Seeing
him in skintight jeans and an open, flowing shirt was a shock. The necklaces, bracelets, and rings
that completed the look added to the overall unexpectedness of his on-stage persona. She was also
not immune to the appeal of his bare chest, tight jeans, and flat stomach. He noticed her gaze
lingering on him as he buzzed about the room getting ready, and it made him smile. She was not as
innocent as she had been acting, or she was simply relaxing enough to show more of her
personality. He chose to believe the latter.

The band and its entourage took a short limo ride to the airport before boarding their private jet.
Annika and Tamar, while on the arms of Robert and Jimmy, looked around the interior of the
Starship as they wandered to the seating area. Neither of them had ever seen anything like that
luxurious private jet. Robert saw how his girl marveled at the surroundings. Setting her on his lap,
and also close to his bare chest, he pointed out the faux fireplace and the organ where John Paul
had stationed himself to play on the flight. He was fully aware of what he was doing as he held her
against his body, enticing her into as much contact as possible in hopes of igniting some desire
within her.

Annika wrapped her arms around him tightly as the Starship ascended into flight. Once the jet
had leveled at a few thousand feet, she slipped out of her boyfriend’s tight embrace to peer out at
the clouds. Tamar had moved to her side while Jimmy talked business with Peter. She had more
interest in looking out the window then she did at hearing the figures based on the band’s income.
She did see that Robert had his hand placed at the small of Nika’s back, making sure she stayed on
the couch if the plane was to hit unexpected turbulence. It made her smile proudly to know that he
had taken to the girl she recommended for him.

He snuggled with her on his lap as the plane descended from the sky to the airport in
Providence. She didn’t even notice they were no longer flying until Richard ushered the band off
the plane and into yet another limo. During the ride to the arena, Robert could feel Nika’s little
heart flutter. He knew she was excited, or perhaps nervous, about going to her first rock and roll
concert. And she and Tamar would have the best seats in the house. He wanted her on stage right
by John Paul, and Tamar would be on stage left closer to Jimmy. A roadie could look after her while
the band performed. He’d make sure her first concert was unforgettable.

He slipped behind to give his little dancer a kiss before the band went on. She purred as he slid
one hand down her back, making it nearly impossible for him to tear himself away from her
amazing kiss and go on stage. But the roar of an eager audience was as much of a siren call to him
as his girlfriend. So he broke the kiss and headed to the stage, leaving her with a promise to think of
her while he sang.

She stood beside a roadie during the concert, in awe of his overly sexual stage act. He thrust his
hips, moaned, and shook, all while wailing with that voice. It sounded so much better live, and she
already loved the sound of it on the few Led Zeppelin albums she owned. She could not for a second
tear her eyes away from the golden god.

He slinked off the stage as the rest of the band launched into Moby Dick, finding his doll right
where he expected her to be. “Are you enjoying the show, baby?” he asked.
 She nodded enthusiastically. “You are phenomenal, love. I’m in awe,” she raved.

He pulled her into his arms. “Bonzo’s solo might be about twenty minutes long. Care to show me
just how in awe you are?” he teased.

She hid a gasp then nodded. “I take it you want a bit of stimulation?” she asked, her voice playful
and lilting.

“Exactly, baby. If you are okay providing it.”

She paused to think, wondering if she was at ease with what he asked of her. But simply because
he had asked, she found herself more than willing to provide for his needs. Rather than answer
him, she took control, pushing him back to a dark, quiet area backstage. She placed her small hand
over the bulge in his jeans. And it was quite a sizeable bulge. She began to get worried as she teased
the zipper of his jeans down and released his beast. She gasped at the size of him fully erect, but she
did not go back on her word.

With a playful smile, she slipped him into her mouth, flicking her tongue along his full length to
please him. He growled from pleasure, gripping her hair in his hands. She squeezed the base of his
cock to hold off his orgasm until she was ready to take it. She was far better at oral stimulation than
he expected, and he would have wondered where she had gotten the experience if his mind wasn’t
completely focused on the lips that wrapped around him.

When he had finished, she swallowed everything he gave her. She tucked him back into his jeans
and zipped him up carefully, smiling like a cat with a canary. With every moan that escaped his
mouth, she knew she had done well. She dusted off her legs, gave him a deep kiss, and sent him
back on stage to finish out the performance.

She regained her perch at the side of the stage and waved when she caught Tamar’s eye,
wondering if her closest friend could tell that she had given oral stimulation to her singer
boyfriend. She still had that grin on her face as she watched the last few songs of the show. Robert
seemed that much more exhilarated after their encounter, and his singing had an extra bit of
energy. She looked proudly at her man, appreciating the rest of the concert in a revered silence.

After the concert had ended, Robert practically leapt off stage to find his alluring girlfriend. She
had barely moved since he left, and he pulled her into her arms to spin her around. “That little treat
did wonders for my voice, baby. I think I must have more of those. You really knew what you were
doing, too.”

She laughed. “I can oblige, love. Shall we go?”

He nodded and led her back to the limo. They got there at the same time as Jimmy and Tamar.
The ride to the Starship was conducted in a warm, sleepy silence as the band recovered from the
on-stage and off-stage activities. The aura of the drive was carried onto the plane, as well. Robert
slipped back to the bedroom on the Starship with Annika, leaving the rest of the band and the
management to their lounging.

First thing, he went to the bar to get something for them to drink. She sat on the edge of the bad,
kicking her feet nervously as they dangled and wondering why he asked her back to the bedroom.
Just as he sat down and handed her a glass of champagne, Richard Cole, the band’s tour manager,
burst through the door and interrupted their quiet time.

“Do you and your girl fancy a threesome?” he asked, slurring just enough for Robert to know that
he was serious about wanting to bed them both.

Before Annika even had the chance to gasp at Cole, Robert spoke. “You are drunk. Why don’t you
go ask Pagey? He might be more perceptive to your suggestion.” He handed Nika his glass, got off
the bed, and pushed Cole out the door, locking it before he returned to his little girl.

“I am sorry about that, Nika. Cole tends to get sauced more often than not. I don’t want him to
alarm you.”

She looked up at him. “I don’t think you’re at fault for that. But why did you want to hide back
here?” she asked as the plane took off.

He scooted back to lean against one of the lush pillows at the head. “Around this time, the rest of
the band starts to enjoy the perks of being on the road. I just don’t want you to be around that.
They can really get rowdy.”

She laughed a bit. “Thank you, Robert. I appreciate that.” She leaned back on the pillow beside
him. “If you behave on the flight, I might have something for you once we return to your room.”

He grinned at her. “Then I think I had best behave. Am I allowed to kiss you?” he asked, his voice
playful and excited.

She teased him by pretending to think it over. “Well, one kiss couldn’t hurt,” she laughed.

His eyes closed, and his lips found hers before he bothered to argue. Figuring that if he didn’t
stop kissing her, it would still technically be just one kiss, he did not take his lips from hers. His
hands found her hips, feeling the waistband of her skirt beneath his fingertips. She opened her
mouth and invited his tongue to seek hers. They became so entranced with each other that they
didn’t even notice when the Starship had landed. Peter had to pound on the door while yelling to
get the couple to emerge.

He chuckled when he saw the tangled mess that Robert’s hair had become. “You must really like
this girl,” he whispered to the singer.

Robert nodded. “Not going to deny it. Something about her is extremely bewitching. I can see
why Jimmy’s girl tried to fix us up.”

Annika had all but disappeared at Robert’s side. Peter forgot she was even there. “Be careful
fucking her, Percy, you might break her.” Hearing that, she peered out from beside him and met his
eyes, giving him a menacing stare. “Oh, sorry, love. Didn’t even know you were there,” he
apologized, feeling sheepish.

She nodded and returned to her spot at Robert’s side. He looked down at her, shock written all
over his face. No one had ever frightened Peter Grant in such a way, and she did it with just a look.
He didn’t see her when she looked at him, and he couldn’t see anything on her face that would even
scare a small child. She was just too dainty to be intimidating. It puzzled him completely.

Curled up on his lap with her eyes closed, Annika looked like a sleeping angel. How she could
scare the band’s manager into regretting his words about her completely eluded him. Peter noticed
the singer’s confusion and tapped his shoulder.

“Percy, that girl might look like a fairy princess, but I think she’s a tough little bird,” he
whispered so only Robert could hear. “You might want to watch out around her.”

All Robert could do was laugh. “She’s like a hummingbird, I don’t think she could hurt a fly, Peter.
Just leave her be, please.” He struck Peter with the last word, the way he was insisting that this girl
be left in peace by the bear of a man he called his manager. Peter just shrugged, not actually
promising to keep his distance from her. If she was already changing Robert so much, he thought
she might have needed to be watched.

The band slipped into the hotel through a back door and was sequestered away in a private
elevator, not wanting any contact with groupies on the way to their rooms, especially with their
tour girlfriends in tow.

Robert swept her off her feet as the exited the elevator and carried her to his suite. He stepped
over a few roadies and groupies that slept in the hallway before giving her his key to open the door.
She wiggled out of his arms once they had entered his room, bounding over to the mini fridge for a
soda or any soft drink she could find. She pulled out a carton of orange juice, poured herself a glass,
and settled on the bed beside her man.

“When do you leave tomorrow morning?”

She sighed. “Probably before you are awake. But don’t think about it. I will be back here
tomorrow evening. And I will be yours completely until Monday, my love.”

“Tomorrow evening cannot come soon enough. You know that you scared Peter earlier today
with that look you gave him,” he laughed.

“I did?” she giggled. “I didn’t think that was possible just by looking at him.”

“I don’t think you are scary, I think you are adorable.”

“Oh, you do? And why do you think that, you golden god?”

He grinned at her calling him a golden god. “So many reasons, my sweet. “

A yawn escaped her mouth, making him laugh as she hid her face in embarrassment. He pushed
her gently back onto the bed and threw the covers over her. “Sleep. Now,” he told her, his voice
gentle but firm.

Before she could respond, she had fallen asleep.

 Chapter Eight
Problem

When he woke up after midday, she was long gone and with Tamar practicing their dancing. He
stayed in his room, favoring some cigarettes and a bad movie on the hotel television over any
drunken company that might have been lurking. The hours trickled by slower than pouring honey.
Patience was not his greatest strength.

Annika and Tamar arrived at the hotel exactly when they had said they would, but Grant and
Cole stood in front of the elevator, blocking them from getting on. Cole shot the girls a dark look,
sending Tamar into a terrified frenzy. She grabbed Annika’s arm and tried to pull them away. But
Nika had a determined glint in her eyes.

“Is there a problem, boys?” she asked, staring them both down.

“You two are no longer needed here,” Grant answered. “Pagey and Percy can survive perfectly
well without you.”

“Oh really? I’d like to hear Robert himself tell me this. MOVE!!,” she demanded. “Get out of my
way right now.”

“Or you will do what, exactly, little girl?”

She shot daggers at both men. “You don’t want to find out how hard I can kick,” she whispered
menacingly, eyeing their groins. She raised her leg slightly. “Don’t tempt me. Get out of my way.
Neither of you are strong enough to keep me away from Robert.”

Seeing the pure malice in the eyes of the tiny girl, both men were cowering in fear, but they held
their ground. They didn’t want their boys taking these little dancers on the road with them. But one
of them, the smallest girl either of them had seen, was showing way more spine than anyone
expected. And she refused to back down, scowling at them and almost starting to growl.

Finally, after a struggle that went on far too long, both men stepped aside, and the girls stepped
onto the elevator. “Do not cross me again, boys,” Annika murmured as the doors closed.

Annika told Tamar to tell Jimmy about the incident, word for word since he called the shots in
the band and for the management. She would deal with Robert as best she could. She slipped into
his room and found him on the floor, sober but smoking a cigarette. He looked up and saw her
lurking in the doorway, and he waved her in.

“Robert, we need to talk,” she told him darkly, walking over to him but not sitting down.

His excitement faded instantly. “Nika, my love, you look like an oncoming storm,” he told her,
rising to his feet. “Have you been hurt?”
 “Your managers met Tam and me in the hotel lobby. They forbade us from coming up to see you
and Jimmy. I want to know why they did that.”

He could hear the anguish that coated her voice like molasses. She was more than angry; she was
hurt and scared. He pulled her into his arms. “My Nika, I could never do that to you. Even if I did
want to end this, which is the last thing in the world I want to do, I would never in a million years
end it like this. That is cowardly and despicable. They were not acting under orders from anyone in
the band.”

She went completely limp in his arms and jut sobbed. “I am sorry I came in here with my temper
flaring. I just couldn’t face this ending so quickly.”

He kissed away the tears that spilled from her eyes. “My little angel. Don’t cry, please. I am not
going to send you away. Jimmy and I will talk to Grand and Cole. This will all be smoothed over. I
promise.”

“Can we have dinner? I haven’t eaten all day.”

He smiled at her casual response. She had not stayed upset for long. “You must be famished. We
will eat.”

“I could eat my own weight in food.”

“That would barely amount to a few kilos,” he teased, gently poking her flat stomach.

“Be nice, Mister,” she laughed. “I am a healthy weight for my size.”

“Stay there, hummingbird. I need to get Jimmy before Cole and Grant do. I don’t want them to
smear you before you get the chance to talk to him yourself.”

She plopped down onto the couch and watched him walk out. Though, as tiny as she was, she
hardly plopped at all. It was more like her body floating downward to the couch. He tore himself
away from his girl and went to go find the guitarist.

Upon entering Jimmy’s suite, Robert found him looking at Tamar and glowering more
dramatically than usual. “Before you do anything rash, please come and talk to Annika. You need to
hear her side of this first. Please.”

Jimmy rose, grabbed Tamar by the hand, and followed Robert back to his suite. Annika sat on the
couch waiting for them; she smiled when Robert returned. “Go ahead, Nika, tell him.”

Annika cleared her throat as Jimmy, Tamar, and Robert settled in around her. She told them all
exactly what happened, Tamar nodding to Jimmy, confirming the truth in Annika’s story. Robert
had trouble holding back his anger as the girl described how Grant and Cole spoke to them, how
they presumed to know what the band wanted.

“I will talk to them. You two need not worry your pretty little heads anymore. They cannot
dictate with whom we spend our time. Neither of you are in any danger.”
 Robert traced spirals on the back of Annika’s hand with his fingertip. “I think we should talk to
them together, Pagey. I need to be there for Nika, she was the one that spoke to them.”

“Not now, let them cool off. Don’t let them in until we talk to them, though. I assume they will
hold it against your girl if you let them in,” Jimmy instructed, plucking Tamar off the couch.

Once Jimmy and Tamar had left, Robert pulled Annika onto his lap. “You’ve either made them
terribly afraid of you, or you’ve created two enemies. Either way, Jimmy and I will fix this. You and
Tam should be here with us and not have to fret.”

She slipped her arms around his waist. “As long as I am with you, Robert, I don’t seem to worry
about anything else. How is it that you can calm my mind so completely?”

He smiled. “I ask myself the same thing about you, Nika. Now I do believe I have to take care of
your empty stomach. What would you like for dinner?”

“What did you have last night? It smelled very good. Can I have that?” she asked, the innocence in
her voice bleeding through again.

“I had a cheese steak sandwich. I will get that for you, baby.”

She beamed at him as he went to order their dinner. He looked back at the tiny girl, even more
curious about her than he had been the night before. She seemed to be such a shy girl, and then she
goes and scares the pants off of Grant and Cole in a manner than no one had ever been able to do
before. She was remarkable.

He settled back in beside her, embracing her tightly. “I promise you that Jimmy and I will smooth
everything over. You two will be able to come and go as you please. Although if it were up to me,
you would never actually leave,” he told her, carefully thinking of how to word that promise.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “If only,” she sighed. “For the first time in my life, I wish I wasn’t so
devoted to dance. I don’t know why, but I want to be around you.”

“Aw, you sweet thing. I think I understand how you feel. By the way, when do I get to see you
dance?”

Chapter Nine
Practice
At her next rehearsal, she let Robert come to watch. He smiled at her moves but did not like
seeing her being barked at, even if it was by her dance instructor. Mikhail was quite possibly the
most effeminate man he had ever seen. And then there was Annika’s dance partner, Dmitri, whom
he hated on sight. That might have been because he had his hands all over his girl while they
danced. Or it was the aura that he exuded; he was arrogant and possibly dangerous. It was certainly
a bad idea to let him be alone with Annika.
 Annika sat beside him during a short break, reading his jealousy as boredom. “I’m sorry, baby. I
know this isn’t your idea of a good time. I will make it up to you after dinner tonight, I promise.”

He shook his head ferverently. But before he could deny his boredom, Dmitri came over.

“You are going to sleep with this screaming monkey, Nik? Have you lost your mind, little girl?” he
laughed, his voice nasty and condescending towards the female.

The nerve she had shown towards Grant and Cole had all but vanished in the wake of Dmitri’s
snide remark. “I…I don’t know. Why does it matter?” she whispered.

Robert shot a look at Dmitri. “What gives you the right, “ he growled, “to be so grossly
disrespectful to the girl?”

Dmitri scowled at the singer who had taken a protective stance over Annika. “Do you think I give
a damn what you say? She is a dancer; she belongs here. Not on the road servicing the likes of you.”

The tension in the room escalated rapidly. Nika slipped out of Robert’s protective embrace and
approached Dmitri, to the dismay of both men. “Please don’t make this personal, Dmitri. You are
my cavalier, but that doesn’t-“

“And yet you spread your legs for this asshole.” He practically spat the words at Annika.

Her face flooded crimson. “Please stop,” she whispered, her voice pleading.

Seeing her crumble in front of her vile cavalier sent Robert into an irate fit. He pulled her back
into his arms. “You are nothing more than a scared, spoiled little boy, angry because he isn’t getting
his way. I have news for you. If you are seeking to bed Annika, you are sorely ill-informed about
her.”

Dmitri guffawed. “How could I be? She is willing to sleep with you.” His sense of superiority over
the singer oozed from his lips like poison. “If she would sleep with you, uncultured street rat, she
must have lower standards then-“

Robert’s eyes flashed. “You are demeaning her honor and my integrity. Her time outside of this
studio is not on trial here. But you think you have a claim on her. You don’t. Just being the man she
dances with doesn’t mean anything once the music stops.”

The cavalier scowled at Robert, his cocoa brown eyes seemed to go completely black, making
Annika step protectively between them. Robert tried to push her behind him, but she would have
none of that. She would keep the two from fighting even if it meant she had to get hurt in the
process.

Robert towered six inches above the cavalier, but he was fairly thin. Dmitri was all muscle. It
would hardly be a fair fight if it came to that. Though, when it came to Annika, Robert hardly
intended to fight fairly. But he wouldn’t raise a hand, not with the girl standing between them. He
wanted to wring Dmitri’s neck, but he would risk no harm to little Annika. Dmitri, on the other
hand, was seething and ready to see what the singer was truly made of, never mind that there was
a girl standing between them. She kept her hand on Robert’s chest, not really worried about the
singer snapping and trying to attack Dmitri. She knew him well enough to know that he would hold
back if she asked.

Mikhail strode in at that moment, when the tension in the room was at its peak. He saw the little
girl standing between the two men, the situation needing no further explanation. They were in a
primal battle, fighting over a woman, the one who stood between them. Dmitri caught his eye, and
her stared him down, wordlessly demanding that the instructor not insert himself where he didn’t
belong. So they were left to their silent battle. Mikhail didn’t even dare to pull Annika away from
them, knowing she was the only reason it remained nonviolent.

“Let it go, little boy,” Robert snarled at Dmitri.

The dancer released his menacing gaze. “You won this round, you good for nothing blackguard.
But next time, it is you who will taste a bitter defeat. Talentless monkey”

Traumatized by the exchange, Annika pulled Robert out of the studio and into a waiting limo,
leaving him stunned by her swift exit. He looked at her, waiting for her to say something. But she
just buried her face in her hands and tried to hide her despair. She had never seen her cavalier act
so untoward about anything; he had never lost his temper so completely. And to think that he
would have thrown a punch with her standing in front of the intended victim. She had no idea why
her cavalier had such a violent reaction towards her choice of men.

“Annika,” he breathed to break the frosty silence she had wrapped around them.

Chapter Ten
Aftermath
She peered out at him from behind her slender fingers, her emerald eyes drowning in emotion.
“Robert?” she mumbled in a timid voice.

“Is Dmitri in love with you?” he asked her, trying to keep his voice calm and level.

She gasped. “Robert! I hate him with the blazing intensity of a thousand suns!”

He shook his head, peeling her hands from her face to see her horrified expression. “No, darling.
I asked if he was in love with you, not if you were in love with him.”

“He treats me like I exist to dance with him, to be a foil for his brilliant moves. I cannot imagine
he could love anyone aside from himself.”

He took a deep breath, thinking of how he could ever explain to the young dancer the strange
ways of men. She was naïve but not stupid. “Annika, not all men show affection when they are fond
of someone. Sometimes they show, well, what amounts to the opposite of affection. I think Dmitri
might be taking that approach.”
 She rolled her pretty green eyes. “If he thinks I am going to be seduced by his treating my like a
piece of property, he is a fool on top of everything.”

“He will still try. But if I may be honest, love, I don’t think you can trust him. There is a malice in
his eyes, he will hurt you if he is in the mood.”

“I know, I saw how he looked at you. He was out for blood. Had I not held him back, I don’t know
what could have happened.”

He shook his head. “He would have hit, I am certain. Please, never be alone with him. Promise
me,” he whispered, kissing the soft pads of her fingers.

“I promise,” she whispered.

She crawled into his lap as they drove, not even realizing they had passed his hotel already. He
kissed the top of her head, trying to forget the entire afternoon. She wrapped her arms around him
then nuzzled his chest, trying to give her own mind an escape from the near-fight. He embraced
her as tightly as he could, pushing her earlier insinuations of sex away with the rest of the
afternoon. After what Dmitri had said, he’d never imagine she would follow through with it, not
with how badly he had upset her. Rather than dwell on it, he just ran his hands along her back. She
had calmed, but her heart still fluttered like the wings of a hummingbird.

“Where are we going?” she asked as they continued to drive longer than she thought it should
have taken, finally aware that they did not return to the hotel.

“I am getting so very bored with room service sandwiches. Tonight I would like to have dinner
out with you, little doll, if this is all right with you.”

A sweet smile curled up the corners of her full lips. “That would be nice. Can we stop by my
house so I can get my purse?”

He shook his head. “You don’t need it, baby, I am buying dinner. No arguing with that, either.”

She laughed her sweet, chiming laugh. “After seeing your fierce side today, I have no intention
of arguing with you,” she purred.

“Did you like that, baby?” he asked playfully, knowing why had made her purr.

“I really liked it, actually, I thought it was sexy.”

“Oh, really?” He perked up a bit.

She ran her finger down the middle of his chest. “I will show you after dinner. Right now, I am
way too hungry to handle that thing,” she teased, putting her fingertip on the bulge in his jeans,
which weren’t near as tight or low-rising as the jeans he wore on stage.

“Don’t worry, baby, I would not try to seduce you in the back of a limo. We might fool around,
but this is something else.”
 She shifted awkwardly on his lap, squirming over his groin to tease him. He growled playfully in
her ear. “I’ll take good care of you, stud,” she murmured seductively.

“I know you will.”

They slipped out of the limo together and walked into a fairly dark restaurant. The singer
slipped the host a bill, asking for a private table where the couple would no be bothered by noise
or seen by anyone. Escorted to a dark, quiet corner by the host, Robert slipped his arm around
Annika’s slender hips. He pulled out her chair for her and helped her to sit before sitting across
from her. She spent more time admiring her date then she did looking over the menu.

He looked intently at her face as it was bathed in the soft light of one single candle in the middle
of their table. Her eyes mirrored the dancing of the tiny flame, making him smile at her. She smiled
back, the tension caused by the encounter at practice melting away. Chewing absently at pieces of
sourdough from the basket of bread, neither really bothered to speak as there was very little that
needed to be said. She hadn’t even considered overanalyzing Robert’s words and actions directed
at Dmitri. At least, not yet.

Robert reached across the table for her hand, running her thumb along her dainty knuckles. His
mind drifted towards the promise of that night, though he didn’t want to think about it just yet.
She had effectively teased him to the point that he could think of nothing else no matter how he
tried. He wondered about her virginity, or possible lack thereof, but the thought of her supple
dancer’s thighs overrode the worry of maybe being her first. At that moment, she ran her tongue
along her lower lip, enticing him, almost as if she knew he was thinking about the night ahead. But
she was just moistening her dry lips.

As he watched her, it seemed that everything she was doing became a tease. From the way she
blew on her warm bite of chicken to the way she slurped at a mouthful of pasta, he found her
delicate sexuality in it all. She probably didn’t even realize she was being a tease and turning him
on. He had just started to see past her frail, innocent exterior and into the ingénue he knew lurked
within her. It would just take him, the golden god, a sex god, to bring that out of her.

The meal seemed intolerably long for him. She ate slowly, not realizing that lust coursed his
veins like fire, igniting every cell in his body for what was to come.

She looked up when she had eaten her fill of the rich meal, meeting his eyes and finally seeing
the desire that had been forefront on his mind for the last hour. At that moment, she remembered
the promise she made in the limo and wondered what she had gotten herself into. But since the
first concert, she had given him a couple more blowjobs without any problems. In fact, he had
praised her ability to stimulate him. Thinking of that calmed her nerves enough to climb into his
lap on the limo ride back to the hotel.

“Should I tease you a bit or wait until we get to your room?” she whispered in his ear, her
fingers playing with his belt buckle.

Rather than answer her with words, he used his mouth in another way. He crushed his lips to
hers in a feverish, impassioned kiss. His tongue stormed into her mouth, warming her all over as
he explored the sweetness behind her lips. She slipped her hand between his thighs, her fingers
examining the bulge that lurked just beneath a layer of denim.

The drive to the hotel was agonizing pleasure. Her fingers teased him but never slipped past his
jeans no matter how much his bold kisses begged her. Finally, after whisking her through the hotel
lobby, into the elevator, and down the corridor to his suite, the moment had arrived.

Chapter Eleven
The Next Level

He set her down, running one hand down her back then slipped beside her to tease her neck
with his mouth. “Do you want a shower first?” he whispered to her, his tongue flicking her ear as
he spoke. She moaned slightly, which he took as a yes. “I think I might even join you,” he told her,
planning how best to seduce the girl.

“Stop, please,” she gasped as he tugged her into the massive hotel bathroom. He gave her a
puzzled glance. “I have never had sex before,” she whispered bluntly.

“But you’ve given me blowjobs, very good ones,” he argued, incredibly confused.

She sat on the sink as he leaned against the shower door. Her blouse was unbuttoned and in
disarray. He was shirtless and obviously very eager to be with her. She didn’t meet his eyes for a
moment, worrying about how to respond. “I have fooled around, but I have never slept with
anyone,” she finally replied, making her voice sound as relaxed and even as possible.

He couldn’t help but smile. “Then let me be your first. I want to hear your pretty voice scream
my name.”
His words sent shivers all over her body. “Start the water, then, and make it hot,” she urged him
seductively.

She watched his arm disappear into the shower and set the water to running and warming. He
came back over to her and started to kiss her again, peeling off her blouse and discarding it in a
nearby hamper of clothes. Her fingers found their way to his belt buckle, and she tossed the belt
on top of her blouse before taking to the zipper of his jeans. She eased it down slowly, torturing
him as the steam of the shower surrounded them. Once he was naked, he could no longer stand to
see her wearing her skirt. His warm hands slid it down past her hips, and she shimmied out of it,
kicking it over with the rest of their clothes.

She moaned from beneath his lips, guiding them both into the hot shower. The warm water
flowed from the showerhead, drenching them completely. She ran her fingers through the locks of
his long, wet hair as he grabbed a bar of soap to wash her. He slid his soapy hands over the buds of
her small breasts, down to her stomach, and over her narrow hips. She purred louder and louder
for him, begging that he take her sooner rather than later.

He spun her around to wash her back and her pretty hair. The water had made her hair even
more beautiful. Once both had been washed, his mouth found hers again. His hand pulled one of
her legs up, wrapping it around his hip. Her fingertips played with his growing erection, relaxing
more as he became harder.

Unable to keep taking it slow, he raised her other leg to wrap it around his hip and slammed her
against the shower wall. His overwhelming need for her pulsated as he slammed himself inside
her, the rhythm of his throbbing matching the hammering of his beating heart.

“Oh, Robert, please,” she begged as he began to slip past her untouched petals.

He needed no further persuasion, forcing his erection deep within her. She looked deep into his
eyes, every thrust from him sending her into a frenzy of screams and moans. Pain mixed with a
pleasure she had never experienced before. He had not bothered to be gentle with his now ex-
virgin, wanting to make her first as wonderful and memorable as possible. With every push deep
inside her, she belonged more and more to him.

“Fuck baby!” he growled as her perfectly manicured nails dug into the flesh on his back, making
little indents in his warm skin.

She indicated her enjoyment loudly, moaning as she threw back her head to expose her neck. He
gently bit her neck and shoulders, leaving little pink welts in her skin, a few which would be
visible against her milky skin for a few days.

With every throbbing push, he brought them both closer to the very edge of their ecstasies. He
knew just how to keep his own satisfaction at bay until she had had hers. And as he felt her
wetness coating him, he knew she was almost ready to release.

She quivered and moaned against him with her release, and as she came, so did he. He pounded
her body against the wall of the shower as his released bubbled to the surface. They hadn’t noticed
that the water had long since become tepid; they produced enough steam without the aid of a hot
shower. He ended the encounter with a vibrant kiss against her mouth.

Chapter Twelve
Complications

When both had had their sublime releases, he scooped up her wet and quivering body and left
the shower to wrap her in a towel. They walked to the bed hand in hand. Still wrapped in the
towel, she sat on the bed and shivered as Robert threw back the covers.
 “Are you cold, angel?” he asked, running his hands through the locks of her wet hair.

She nodded, feeling his hand on the cold flesh of her shoulder. “Well, I am wet,” she laughed
then blushed. “I mean…from the shower.” She was absolutely flustered, and he found it adorable.

“I know what you mean, baby girl. Maybe I could warm you up,” he whispered, pulling her into
bed with him and discarding her towel.

He snaked his lean body around hers as she shivered into his warmth. She tangled her hands
into his blond curls as he wrapped the covers around them both. As her shivering lessened, they
both grew tired from their intimate encounter in the shower. Her now-warm lips kissed a trail
from his chest up his neck and to his lips, ending it in a kiss that was more love than lust. And they
fell asleep a mere moment after breaking the kiss.

The next morning, they woke up well after the sun did. Midday had past before they had even
stirred. While they were sleeping, Jimmy was busy finally talking to Grant and Cole over the
incident in front of the elevator. The conversation was held in the utmost privacy, away from
anyone else while lurking in the corner of the hotel restaurant.

“You two do not dictate the personal lives of the band,” Jimmy reminded them both.

“Actually,” Peter argued, leaning forward jut a bit, “the band is my business. If it affects you, I
have a say in it. And I don’t like those two little girls so close to the band.”

“Dammit, Peter. I actually like this girl. And you are making this personal. Both girls are
harmless, you just pushed them too far when you told them they couldn’t be here. And you did
that without even telling Percy or me.”

Richard smirked, a vile idea forming in his mind. “We will let them stay,” he began, “if each of
them spends a night with us.”

“Those girls are not pieces of ass, Dick!” Jimmy snarled, raising his usually quiet voice. “Can you
even imagine Percy sharing? Can you expect me to share? Why should we when you can get any
groupie you want?”

“Why should you be so intent on them when you can have any groupie you want?” Peter
countered.

“They ARE the groupies we want. And if you want to talk about bedding our girlfriends,
shouldn’t we get Percy down here to have some kind of a vote in this?”

Richard and Peter both shrugged, knowing full well that the singer was still upstairs, sleeping
off whatever he and his girl had done the night before. “We still want the night with those girls,”
Richard scowled before he and Peter stood up to leave.

Jimmy was left sitting alone in the restaurant, seething with rage at Cole’s horrid proposition.
He didn’t normally care about his groupies outside the bedroom, but he did not want the two men
to bleed the girls of what innocence they had. Finding a girl on the road that had interests outside
fucking the band members had been growing more and more rare in the years they had been a
band. The whole conversation, which was meant to bring closure to a bad situation for the tour
girlfriends, had led to more complications and left Jimmy feeling beyond irritated.

He would have to tell Robert that the band manager and the tour manager wanted to bed their
girls for a night. It was not a conversation he wanted to have with the jealous and occasionally
volatile singer. He knocked on the door and prepared himself for what was probably going to be
an unpleasant discussion. After a moment with no answer, he pounded, demanding the door be
opened right away. It didn’t take long for Robert to show up at the door, not a stitch of clothing on
his lean body. It didn’t faze Jimmy a bit as he tried to push his way into the room.

“Annika is sleeping and very much nude at the moment, Pagey. Can this wait?’ he whispered.

Jimmy shot him an annoyed look. “We can talk in the kitchen. It cannot wait.”

Robert threw on a robe from the closet and met the guitarist in the kitchen, still rubbing the
sleep from his blue eyes. Just to annoy the man who woke him from a very pleasant dream, he took
his time looking through the refrigerator for something to eat, smirking the whole time.

“Percy, now is not really the time to play games,” Jimmy growled. “I spoke with Grant and Cole
today.”

Robert shrugged, half a piece of bread hanging from his lips. “So?

“They want to sleep with the girls. It is the only way they will allow them to see us.”

The bread fell to the floor as his mouth hung open. “Out of the question,” he snarled. “No one
touches my girl but me.”

“I see that jealous streak of yours is still wider than Loch Ness. Focus, Percy. Grant and Cole
want to bed our girls. And clearly that idea does not sit well with you,” he spoke, referring to the
angered look on Robert’s face. “We should probably figure out a way to dissuade them from
wanting the girls.”

“Annika would never agree to it,” he told Jimmy coldly.

“Do you think they care about that?”

Robert sighed, his mind reeling. “Pagey, please. You don’t know Nika. She isn’t like all the girls
that lurk in the lobby, hoping for a chance to come upstairs and bed the first man she sees. And I
am certain Tam is just the same.”

“I take it that you have finally slept with Annika, then?”

Robert nodded slightly. “Yes. And after last night, I cannot share her. We should talk to Grant
and Cole together. They need to know what they requested is out of the question.”

Jimmy peered out of the kitchen to see Annika stir in her sleep. She had thrown the flimsy duvet
off her body, revealing her entire naked body as she slept. Out of respect for his singer, he should
have looked away, but he couldn’t bring himself to it. She had a waifish feminine form that was
incredibly distracting. He looked her over, feeling a punch on his arm as his eyes lingered at her
breasts.

“Dammit, Jimmy!” Robert growled, going to cover his sleeping girlfriend

The guitarist rolled his eyes. “Calm down, Percy. I have no intention of touching her. But do you
expect me not to look? I’m not a fucking priest.”

“All right, all right. What do we do about the girls, though, mate?”

They sat on the couch nearby. “Of course we cannot let Grant and Cole fuck them. But that
seems obvious. They both know you can get jealous.”

Robert drew in a loud breath. “Pagey, I got really jealous the other day at her practice.” He told
Jimmy about the incident with Dmitri, how the male dancer had reduced Annika to a begging child
right before his eyes.

“I could take care of that for you,” Jimmy whispered mysteriously.

“No, Jimmy, no. The last thing in the world I want to do is alienate Nika by involving your
bizarre hobby. Just let me handle that, please.”

“She would never have to know, Percy. “

Robert’s eyes darkened. “I could never be party to that. Especially not where Nika is concerned.
Somehow it could come back to her. That is the last thing I want.”

Whatever Jimmy had on his mind, Robert wanted to protect Annika from it. Jimmy’s crazy
notions did have a place, but the idea of putting his girlfriend in the line of fire was intolerable.
They’d have to find another way to deal with Grant, Cole, and Dmitri.

Groaning, Annika sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to wake up. Robert rose from the
couch and went to kiss her good morning like nothing was out of place. His hands trailed along her
bare shoulders, reminding her of everything they had done the night before with a single,
passionate kiss.

“Good morning, handsome,” she giggled. “How long have you been awake?”

He smiled at her, trying to hide his worry over the conversation with Jimmy. “Not terribly long,
angel. Oh, and Jimmy was just leaving.”

Jimmy snorted. “I get it, Percy. But we’ll deal with Grant and Cole sometime today,” he told
Robert in a voice that raised alarm in Annika.

Before she could ask either of them, Jimmy had made his swift escape. Robert sat on the edge of
the bed beside her. He wanted to tell her about the conversation he had with the guitarist, but he
worried about scaring her away. His arm slipped around her waist, pulling her close to him in a
protective embrace. She didn’t pull away; she buried her nose in his long, curly hair.

“Did something happen, love?” she asked him, noticing his strange behavior.
 He kissed her forehead. “It’s nothing, baby doll. I don’t want you to worry. Jimmy and I have
everything under control. So how did you sleep?”

She purred as she stretched. “Incredibly well, actually. How about you?”

“Perfectly. But do you feel all right? I didn’t hurt you last night, did I?”

“It was worth it,” she replied simply.

Chapter Thirteen
Overprotective
He nibbled on her skin again, deepening the welts he had put on her the night before. She began
to purr almost instantly. His fingers found their way between her legs and began to tease her with
them. Her back arched, her legs tensed, and she tilted her hips forward to welcome his lean
fingers. He coaxed her budding sex forward with two fingers and then finally three, her wetness
coating them completely. She slipped her hand under his robe to pay him in kind for the pleasure
he gave her. A moan bubbled from his chest as her small hand gripped the base of his cock, urging
it to complete hardness.

“Now, daddy, now,” she begged.

He growled and carried her to the bed. Once he had laid her comfortably on top of the duvet, he
shed his robe before climbing onto her. Forcefully, he pushed himself inside her again, knowing
she had enjoyed it rough the night before. But he could not bring himself to fully ravage the tiny
girl beneath him; she was too delicate-looking for that. She gasped and moaned as she moved
against him, as he filled her completely. She could barely accommodate his burning passion for
her, but he didn’t seem to mind.

They moved together in unison, almost as if they were dancing between the sheets. And if they
were dancing, that made him her cavalier. The thought brought a smile to his face as he slammed
himself against her in a rhythmic motion, over and over. His hands moved to her shoulders,
pinning her down as he continued to work his magic inside her. She never stopped purring for
him, a sound he loved more and more as he grew closer to orgasm.

She absolutely ached for her own climax, but he teased her, kept her just far enough away from
the edge that it became a game to him. How long could he keep her going without having an
orgasm? Even though it seemed like he was in control, every move he made within her was for
her. Her pleasure was forefront in his mind, and he wanted to extend it as long as he could.

“Are you ready to cum for me?” he murmured against her lips.

“Oh god yes!” she moaned. “Please let me.”

 He thrust harder, smashing himself against her, inside her, bringing her orgasm to the surface.
His was quick to follow a few seconds later. Their afternoon encounter had calmed the lust within
him that had flared up when he saw her sleeping naked.

Propped up on his elbow beside her and not bothering to pull the duvet around his body, his
eyes roamed her soft curves, finally taking the time to appreciate her remarkable figure. She ran
her hand along his prominent hipbone then back up to his abdomen, smiling at the bond they had
shared.

But she sighed. “Robert, please tell me why Jimmy was here. You two looked really upset about
something.”

He shook his head, prepared to tell her not to worry about it. The look in her eyes, the silent
pleading that he should tell her why he was upset, had won out. She did deserve to know. “We
have encountered a problem with Grant and Cole, sweetheart. Jimmy talked to them this morning
about leaving you and Tam alone. But in exchange for letting you up here with me, they want to
sleep with you,” he told her, his face contorting in anger and disgust.

“I would never! They probably think I am some groupie. I can’t speak for Tam, but she brought
me here for you, no one else. There is no way either of them will get me into bed,” she whispered,
her face crimson from shame.

He ran his fingertips along her spine. “I know, angel. This is just how they are, they know how to
get what they want from us. This is all about manipulation for them. But you don’t have to worry;
Jimmy and I know how to play along. Things will level out soon, I promise.”

She shivered from his touch and not because his hand was cold. “I can honestly say I trust you,
Robert. You seem to want me around for some strange reason.” She looked at him, both of them
still naked, and laughed. “Maybe not such a strange reason. Either way, somehow you have made
me feel protected. And I know this time will be no different.”

“Anyone trying to hurt you, or fuck you, or whatever you has to get past me first, baby. Even
Grant would have a hard time of it. I know how to make him mad, just as he knows how to do the
same to me. His buttons are just more difficult to find.”

She had to laugh. “I think I can find yours, though,” she teased.

“You already have, baby. Twice.”

His lips urgently searched for hers, needing one of her kisses that ached with need and passion.
The conversation had ended for the time being. Whatever had been accomplished, and it was
precious little, had taken a back seat to further physical contact. His hands went directly to her
small, muscular thighs, feeling her buttery soft skin. She ran her hands into his curls, tugging ever
so slightly on a lock of his glorious mane.

An unwelcome pounding on the door caused them to break the kiss. Robert pulled his robe back
on and went to the door. Tamar stood with Jimmy, the girl dwarfed by the guitarist, even if both
were thin. Robert allowed them both in once Annika had skittered into the bathroom to dress.
 “Tamar thinks I should take care of the other man, Robert,” Jimmy whispered cryptically, his
voice barely louder than the sound of his shallow breathing.

“I said no,” he replied firmly, gazing at both with a severe look darkening his eyes.

“Listen to me, please,” Tamar murmured. “Dmitri is ruthless. How else could he have gotten to
be Nika’s cavalier? If he is this mad at you for dating her, he’s not above taking it out on her
somehow.”

“I don’t want to use any of Jimmy’s methods just to take care of a rival that she doesn’t want
anyway. It could come back on her somehow. If he actually hurt her, that would be another story.
But to my knowledge, he has not.”

Tamar shot him a glare. “Don’t you get it? He isn’t above that, he would do anything to get what
he wants, even if that means hurting her to get her away from you.”

Jimmy had to smile. “If I could get him Grant, and Cole in one room, then Percy and Annika
could conduct their affair in peace.”

“Forget it, Pagey! You can deal with your own problems that way, let me handle mine. I trust her
not to let Dmitri have the chance to hurt her. She is stronger than she looks.”

The guitarist smirked at his girl. “I am certain she is, Percy. By the way, where is your girl?”

Robert pointed at the closed bathroom door. “Getting dressed. Something I wish you had given
me the chance to do. For the record, I do not want you mentioning this to Annika. Is that clear?’

“Fine,” Jimmy scowled, lighting the cigarette that hung between his lips “A bit overprotective,
are we?” He held the pack out, offering one to the singer.

Robert sighed heavily and accepted the cigarette. “You just told me that Grant and Cole want to
fuck my girlfriend and that you would try cursing someone who wants her. How should I be
reacting? Enlighten me here, Pagey.”

Before he could reply, Annika came out of the bathroom in her skirt and one of Robert’s t-shirts.
She slid onto his lap, puzzled by the level of tension in the room. Everyone but her seemed to be on
edge. What had happened while she dressed? She shot an inquisitive look towards Robert, but he
just shrugged, unwilling to bring her into Jimmy’s darker hobby. He breathed heavily, exhaling the
smoke from his cigarette.

No one dared speak for a moment, increasing the tension in the room. “Will someone please
talk?” Annika mumbled shyly.

Robert had to laugh. “You are cute.”

“Percy, come on. We have a show to get ready for.”

Robert stood up, keeping Annika in his arms. “I don’t want to see Grant or Cole.”
 “I can’t exactly promise you that, you know. Maybe you should just focus on keeping her away
from them. It would be best if both girls just stayed at the hotel tonight. We can keep one or two of
the guards behind to keep them safe. That way, there is no risk of them running into Grant or
Cole.”

Robert looked from Jimmy to the girl in his arms then back again. He didn’t want to leave her
behind, but letting her go to the show would have risked her safety in the worst way. “Fine. But if
something should happen while we are gone, you and the guards will all be held responsible.”

“You realize that I’m leaving Tam here, too, right? Just relax; both girls will be fine if we leave
them here. And you can get your midshow blowjob from someone else.”

He glowered at the guitarist. “Fine, have it your way,” he sighed, gripping his girlfriend all the
tighter.

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She didn’t want to be left behind that night, but she
could see where Jimmy had a point. With the band’s management out for blood, so to speak, it was
better for her and Tamar if they just stayed away when Grant and Cole were around. “I think we
should if you two are worried they might use the concert to their advantage. Relax, baby. We can
have sex when you get back.”

He sighed in an overly dramatic fashion as the quartet entered Jimmy’s suite. “I know it’s all to
keep you safe, little girl. And I will certainly need sex when I get back if I’m not going to get my
midshow blowjob,” he chuckled, laying her beside him on the couch.

Bonzo raced energetically into the room, vodka in hand, and Jonesy trailed in quietly after him.
Annika didn’t even look up, but Tamar waved to the drummer and the bass player. Jimmy had
been on the phone since he sat down; he barely looked up to acknowledge the other two band
members.

“What is Pagey doing?” Bonzo asked Robert quietly.

Robert leaned forward so the drummer could hear his whispers. “Grant and Cole what to fuck
Annika and Tamar. We are taking precautions to keep the girls safe and away from them.”

Jimmy slammed the phone back onto the receiver. “It’s fine, Percy. Jack and Alec will stay with
the girls tonight. Jack said he was really fond of Nika, even after the zoo incident. I don’t want to
know, just be glad that he wants her safe. We have to go downstairs once they get here.”

Robert kissed Annika’s temple. “We won’t be gone long, baby, jut a few hours.”

Chapter Fourteen
Second Thoughts
 Sitting in Jimmy’s suite, Annika, Tamar, Jack, and Alec had been completely silent for the entire
two hours the band had been gone. The show would have been starting right about that time. Both
girls wanted to be there supporting their boyfriends. While Annika completely understood why
they had to stay behind, Tamar couldn’t figure out why Jimmy and Robert were going to such
extremes.

Bored with the silence, Annika got off the couch and walked out to the balcony. Jack followed
her, finding her sitting on the railing with her legs dangling down on the other side. “What is it,
Nika?” he asked quietly so as not to startle her.

“Do you think it’s worth it, Jack? I mean he’s already married, and his managers would only let
me stick around if I sleep with them. Should I even be here?”

He took her by the waist and pulled her back over the railing. “You asked me, so I am telling you.
If he didn’t care, he’d let Grant and Cole fuck you. He wouldn’t be making two of his bodyguards
stay behind to keep you safe. Come on, he would move heaven and earth for you. Are you really
having second thoughts about being his girlfriend?”

She looked at Jack, her innocence reflecting in every feature of her face. “Oh, Jack, I don’t know. I
am so confused. I really want to love him, but how could he ever love me back?”

“You don’t believe a person can be in love with two people at once?”

“I have never even loved one person before.”

“That’s it, Annika, you’re scared to let him in. He wants to love you, just let him.”

“He won’t ever really be mine, I’m going to get my heart broken in the end,” she whispered, her
voice cracking under the weight of the tears in her eyes.

“Some things are worth getting your heart broken for. If he loves you, even if you’re only here
for a few days, that is a few days you would know love. Some people never have that.”

She looked away. “You seem convinced that he is in love with me. What if you’re wrong? What if
I am just some nameless fuck?”

“How could you be? He is worried about you. Do you think he does that for just any girl? He
made Alec and me stay behind so we could protect you. Honey, like it or not, he loves you, even if
he hasn’t said it.”

Hearing Jack’s words, she had to sit. “My head is spinning. I never expected this. He loves me?
My god, he loves me. Do I love him?”

Jack kneeled in front of her. “I am willing to bet that you do. You would have risked being near
Grant and Cole to watch him on stage. I think he’d like it if you told him.”

As she opened her mouth to speak, Tamar came out. “Nika, you have a phone call.”

Jack reached for her hand, and they walked back inside together. She took the phone from
Tamar’s hand. “Hello?”
 “Hello, my Nika. Are you well?” Robert’s voice chimed on the other end of the phone.

Her whole face lit up. “Robert! How is the show going, darling? I miss you so much.”

“I miss you, too, angel. I came back stage and wanted to see you, but you weren’t there.”

She laughed into the phone. “You just want your blowjob,” she teased.”

“That isn’t why I called you, baby. I miss your voice. I wanted to come back stage and kiss you. I
promise I will when I get back. Have Jack take you to our room in a couple hours so you will be there
when I get back,” he told her.

“Okay!” she chirped. “I can’t wait. Do you want some dinner waiting?”

“No, my love, just you. I will see you in a couple of hours; I have to get back on stage, baby. Stay out
of trouble for me, little girl.”

She smiled and handed the phone back to Tamar. Jack looked at her curiously. “Maybe he does
love me,” she told him simply. “He wants you to take me back to his room in a couple of hours so
I’m there when he gets back.”

Waiting for Robert in his suite a couple of hours later, Annika was playfully showing Jack some
of her dance moves, making the big man laugh. Jack had medium brown hair clipped short. He fit
the part of security guard as if he’d been sent over from central casting. But there was a light in his
eyes when he smiled; he was more than just a tough guy. He had charmed the little girl with his
warmth and sweetness when he told her that Robert loved her.

She was in the middle of showing him an elaborate twirl when the door opened. Robert had
returned from the show. He saw her dancing and opened his arms, encouraging her to leap.
Figuring he could take her weight and then some, she jumped into his arms and wrapper her legs
around his waist.

“My cavalier,” she whispered to him.

He spun around, still holding her. “I would take Dmitri’s place in a heartbeat, my love.”

Jack laughed as he rose off the couch. “You two are adorable. Good night, Mr. Plant. You be good
to this little lady tonight.”

Robert set her carefully on the couch once Jack had left. “What was that about?” he wondered.

She smiled at him playfully. “He kept me company while you were at your show. How was it, by
the way?”

He looked stern for a moment. “Don’t change the subject, baby.”

She tilted her head. “I don’t know what you mean, love. He was protecting me, just like you
asked him to. We talked, and he asked if I’d dance. Don’t be mad, please.”
 He sat beside her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m not mad at you, angel. This thing with Grant
and Cole has me on edge.” He stretched her limber body on the couch, laying her head in his lap. “I
am worried that they might try to find new ways of getting at you when I’m not around.”

She ran her fingertips over his belt. “You don’t have to worry, Robert. I hate to see you so upset.
You are so sweet.”

He smiled, stroking her hair. “I don’t want you to get hurt. By anyone.” As he spoke, she fidgeted
with his belt buckle, trying to take it off. He pulled her hand up to his lips. “I don’t actually want a
blowjob tonight, baby.”

She looked up at him. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, darling girl, not at all. I just don’t want you to think that the only thing I want is sex. I want
you, all of you.”

Her eyes flashed up to his. “I know,” she whispered.

“Annika, I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Chapter Fifteen
What now?
He smiled. “You are beautiful.” He raised her head from his lap, pulling her close to him so he
could kiss her. She closed her eyes and purred for him as they kissed. His hand snaked through her
long, black hair, locking her into the kiss. His tongue explored the recesses of her mouth as he
scooped her into his arms to carry her to the bed.

“I thought you didn’t want sex tonight,” she teased.

“What? A man can’t carry his girl to bed?” he laughed as he laid her down. “I meant that, by the
way. I don’t need it tonight. Believe it or not.”

“I believe you, babe. Are you tired at all?”

He nuzzled her neck. “Perhaps I could be persuaded to sleep.”

She pulled away and laughed. “I’m tired. Good night, love.”

“Good night, baby, I love you.”

She curled up into him and rested her head on his chest. The slow, steady beating of his heart
lulled her into a peaceful sleep. He couldn’t even close his eyes. At the concert, he and Jimmy had
come to blows with Grant and Cole over the girls yet again. He raged at them for trying to get them
into bed. It had gotten to the point that he had to be pulled away from the men to avoid a violent
breakout. Bonzo, his very best friend on the world, had accused him of getting too attached to a
groupie. But Bonzo just couldn’t begin to understand. He rarely took groupies, preferring to spend
his time drinking with roadies. This girl was special, he argued. She meant something to him.

The conversation played over and over in his memory as he waited for sleep. His mind was too
active, though, filled with thoughts of what Grant and Cole were capable of. And because the two
men were ruthless and cunning when it came to the band, it scared him that much more. The last
thing he wanted to do was to be putting Annika at risk every time they were together. But he also
couldn’t bring himself to send her away. He idly wondered how he could win the power struggle
with Grant and Cole and still leave his relationship with Annika in tact. The last thing on his mind
before falling asleep was just to fire them both, but he knew that would not go over well.

He woke after a fitful sleep, the sun glaring at him. The spot where his little angel slept was cold,
the sheets smoothed over. Had she left? He bolted out of bed and went looking for any sign that
she was still in the room somewhere. He peered into the bathroom and saw nothing. She hadn’t
been in the kitchen to make coffee as far as he could tell. He flopped onto the couch and grabbed
the phone to call Jimmy. Maybe she had gone to talk to Tamar.

“Annika is missing,” he told the guitarist, the panic bleeding through his voice.

Jimmy sighed; it was almost a snarl. “You woke me up for that?”

“Is she in your room or maybe with Tamar?”

“No, Percy. Tamar woke up at the crack of dawn to leave for practice. I bet Annika is with her.
Now let me go the fuck back to sleep!”

Before Robert could argue, Jimmy had hung up on him. He stretched his legs out on the table in
front of him and considered going back to the studio to pick up Annika. Before he could decide yes,
Grant entered his room with Cole trailing behind. The two men sat on either side of Robert, and he
glared at them for it.

“What do you want?” he sneered.

“Chill out, Percy,” Grant demanded. “We are here to discuss that girl.” He spat out the last two
words, as if even gracing Annika with a gender was offensive to him.

“Her name is Annika.”

“Her name is of no consequence to me. You are to cease any and all contact with her from this
moment. I don’t even want you to tell her you’re breaking up with her.”

“You don’t have the right to order me to do that, nor do I have to do it. Give me one good reason
to leave Annika.”

Grant’s eyes flared with rage. “I will give you three fucking good reasons. Maureen. Carmen.
Karac. Your family. Is that a good enough reason for you to give up your whore?”
 “You know I won’t leave Maureen, not even for Annika. The thought never even crossed my
mind. If you came here with the perception that I would, you can just leave. I won’t entertain the
conversation any further.”

“But do you want her to find out about the girl? I could tell her, you know.”

Robert shot Peter an angry look. “Out! Now! I have no further reason to glorify this with my
attention. If I don’t get time with Annika, you both know my performance on stage will suffer.”

The two men stormed out of his suite, and he knew he had them. Whatever their personal
differences, neither would do anything that might affect a concert. He sank back on the couch, back
to wondering if he should go to the dance studio to fetch Annika. He worried about her around
Dmitri after what Tamar had said. The word ruthless rang out in his mind. Dmitri was ruthless,
she had told him. Sensing a panic beginning to rise within himself, he decided to call for a driver.
Jack offered to drive him, and since he knew the bodyguard would protect Annika just as he would
protect him, he saw no reason to object to the offer.

Annika had been in the throes of practice since 7:00 that morning working on one of her pieces
with Dmitri. By the hour of 4:00 PM, her strength and interest began to wane, she just wanted to
go home to her lover and curl up in his arms. Even Mikhail seemed ready to call it a day. But Dmitri
was beyond vigilant that day, nothing less than perfection would do.

He lurked at the back of the room with Jack where no one would notice them. At least that was
what they expected. Dmitri and Annika were still dancing, and she hadn’t seen them come in. But
Dmitri had. He locked eyes with Robert for a split second before a menacing grin crossed his face.
Everything seemed normal for a few minutes, but the wheels in Dmitri’s head turned as he danced
with Annika. When she slipped on the floor and skidded into his waiting arms, things started to go
awry.

Dmitri grabbed her by the shoulders, gripping her as tightly as he could. She squirmed and
fussed, but he wouldn’t let go of her. Robert and Jack watched, feeling more on edge the longer
Dmitri held on. His eyes were black and angry as they stared into hers. He was getting his revenge
in the only way he knew how. He shook her body violently, yelling at her in Russian. Finally, after
he could no longer yell, he shoved her onto the floor. Jack dove for Dmitri and tackled him down as
Robert fled to Annika’s side, even going so far as to push Mikhail out of his way.

“Nika, are you okay, butterfly?” he asked her, his voice barely a whisper.

She groaned a bit, obviously stunned from the attack. He lifted her into his arms, and she didn’t
fuss a bit. He turned to Mikhail, clutching Annika close to him. “She will be taking a few days off,”
he told the instructor curtly, gesturing with a subtle nod of his head that he and Jack were to leave.

Tamar kept close on their heels as they strode back down to the waiting limo. She was livid. “He
did that to her because of you!” she wailed, punching Robert in the arm as he set Annika down in
the back.

“How is it my fault?” he asked. “I did not exactly have anything to do with that.”
 “You don’t remember what I told you, do you? He would stop at nothing. And because you were
there, he wanted to prove to you that he has power over her. You fucking idiot!”

Surprising even himself, Robert stayed calm. “You are saying that because he hurt her to prove
a point, I am the one at fault? Just because I showed up to check on her, because I was worried
about her? I was not the one that touched her. His actions were his own fault, not mine.”

“You let it happen! You and Superman over there just stood around while he hurt her!”

“Don’t you think I wanted to stop him? I would wring his neck for touching her if I could. But
what good would it do? She’s already hurt!” He placed a damp towel on her forehead and
whispered to her. “You don’t have to worry, little girl, I’ll take care of you.”

Tamar rolled her eyes. “You owe her that much! If I didn’t want to see Jimmy tonight, you can
bet I wouldn’t have left here with you!”

He didn’t say another word to her, his focus solely on Annika. “Baby, just rest. I am here. We will
go up to my room and have dinner. I bet you’re hungry.” He turned to Jack. “Jack, when we return,
make sure the doctor is sent to my room, please.”

Once the couple had returned to his suite, he laid the tired dancer on the couch and went to
order some dinner. The doctor came in as he hung up the phone and went to check on Annika as
she rested. Robert waited in the kitchen with Jack. He was anxious, hoping Dmitri hadn’t hurt her
too badly.

The doctor walked into the kitchen and handed Robert a piece of paper with a prescription
scribbled on it. “Do not let her fall asleep for a few hours. Fill this prescription tomorrow, and call
me if she experiences severe headaches.”

Robert looked slightly puzzled. “What’s wrong with her, doctor?”

“Nothing, as far as I can tell. She is just a bit bruised up. Whomever hurt her had a lot of strength
in him.”

Robert glared. “She was hurt by her dance partner.”

“She is a dancer? That explains a lot.”

“How so?” he asked suspiciously.

“Underweight by about twenty pounds. Is she professional?”

Robert looked puzzled, but Jack nodded. “I think she is. She dances for the Boston Ballet.”

All three men laughed, none of them knew any more about ballet than they did about nuclear
physics. It was kind of a joke. But Robert did praise the girl’s ability to move, he at least knew that
much.

“She will be off her feet for a few days, though. I can write a note on her behalf if need be.”
“That would be most appreciated, doctor, though her instructor did witness the attack.”
 A moment later, the doctor had written the note and was on his way out the door. Robert went
over to the couch and sat on the coffee table across from her. She looked exhausted. He smiled at
her when he had caught her eye. He knew she wanted to sleep, and it was agony for him having to
keep her awake.

Chapter Sixteen
Presents
He finally caved and let her sleep just after 2:00 AM. But he was just too restless and worried
about her to fall asleep. Every time her breathing slowed, he would rush to her side and sit with
her until he could relax again. It was one of the roughest nights he had ever had, sitting at the
bedside of his girlfriend as she recovered from an unnecessary physical assault.

By late morning, he realized she wouldn’t be up anytime soon. He called Jack to take him to fill her
prescription and maybe buy her a pretty, expensive gift. They went by the closest pharmacy and
dropped off the prescription. With an hour to kill, Jack suggested they go to a jewelry store to get
Annika something she could wear while she performed as a subtle reminder of her boyfriend’s
affection.

They walked into a jewelry store down the street. Robert looked completely perplexed as he
looked over all the cases of mostly gaudy jewelry he could never see his little dancer wearing.
Nothing caught his eye until Jack waved him over to a case full of unusual and pretty rings. He
looked through the case until he saw a ring with one small black diamond set in white gold that
looked absolutely perfect for his raven-haired Russian angel.

He and the jeweler spent a good twenty minutes haggling over the price of the ring, but he wasn’t
leaving the store without the ring. When they finally agreed on a price, the jeweler asked, “Is there
something you would like engraved on the band, sir.”

Robert thought it over. “How long will it take?”

“No more than half an hour.”

“I want it to say ‘All my love. Robert’”

The jeweler gave Robert and Jack the most pleasant smiles as he accepted Robert’s credit card.
The singer and his bodyguard left and looked for a way to spend the remaining thirty minutes.
“Maybe there is something else you can get her, something more personal,” Jack suggested.

Robert shrugged. He had no qualms about spending money on Annika, but his wife would have
noticed something amiss if he spent too much. Though he had plenty of cash on him. That
convinced him to turn into another shop. He saw a pair of crystal ballet slippers that caught his
eye. He picked one up and examined it closely. It was the perfect accompaniment to the ring he
had bought her.
He returned to the hotel with his gifts for Annika and her prescription. She stirred when she heard
him in the bedroom. “Robert?” she murmured, sitting up.

“I’m right here, angel. And I have some presents for you,” he smirked.

She perked up a bit. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

He laughed and handed her the ring box. “I wanted to, baby.”

She opened the ring box, and her eyes glazed over. “Robert,” she gasped, “this is way too much.”
She took out the ring to examine it. When she saw the inscription, tears spilled from her eyes. “You
are too good to me.”

“There is one more thing,” he smirked, taking out a small bag. “This came in a pair, but I’m only
giving you one. You’ll just have to wait for the match,” he teased. “Someday, love.”

She threw her arms around him. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she
whispered after pulling the crystal slipper from the bag he handed her.

He kissed her nose. “Nothing is too good for my little angel. How are you feeling, by the way?”

She shrugged. “Very sore. I can’t even imagine why Dmitri would do such a thing.”

Robert sighed. “Oh butterfly. I think it was my fault,” he murmured, echoing Tamar’s harsh
accusation. “He did it to spite me, or to prove he still could control you, or something. I feel
terrible; I wanted to check on you. You weren’t there when I woke up, and I was worried. He saw
me, and that made him hurt you. I feel horrid.”

Annika sighed. “I don’t know what to say, babe. How could you ever blame yourself?”

“He was trying to prove a point to me. If I hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have hurt you, angel.
Tamar tried to tell me he was ruthless, but I didn’t listen.”

“You had nothing to do with what happened. Don’t lead yourself to believe that. Now come here
and let me thank you properly for these wonderful gifts.”

He shrugged, not wanting to turn down her generous offer of gratitude. His arms snaked around
her and pulled her into his lap. “Are you feeling well enough for this?”

She nodded. “He just pushed me around a bit. Everyone is acting like he threw me off a building.”

Robert’s aching lips found hers and lifted her into his arms as he got off the couch. “In that case,
butterfly, maybe I had better help you recover,” he teased, biting at her lower lip.

He carried her to the kitchen, looking for a change of scenery for their encounter. She began
tearing off his shirt and reaching for his zipper as he looked for a place in the kitchen to take her.
Her lips urged him with quick, intense kisses; she wanted this as much as he did.

Every inch of her body was so exquisitely sensitive that she quivered under even the softest of
touches. But he had no intention of touching her softly. He ripped off her shirt, throwing it over his
shoulder and not caring where it landed. She purred and moaned as he thrust into her with wild
abandon, taking their encounter to another level. Feeling him pulse inside her, deeper with every
thrust, sent her into total madness. As she held onto him with all her strength, even as he had her
propped on the counter, he entered her deeper than he had before. She was still so pleasantly
tight, amazing considering the size of his fully erected cock.

The counter shook with every push. Her back arched, bringing her breasts up a bit. He took the
hint and moved his lips to her nipples, his tongue flicking over the little bud. His need for her grew
more intense, flaming him from within, and he moved against her that much more fiercely. She
ached but wouldn’t dare make him stop; being in his arms, feeling him deep within her, made her
feel whole.

With every breathy moan that escaped her lips, he loved her more. She had transcended
something within him, making his need for her more than just sexual. He may not have been able
to keep himself away from her, but it had become something else. And her orgasm confirmed it;
they had a connection that went deeper than their physical longing for one another.

Chapter Seventeen
Doubt
Watching her sleep that night, and ignoring the bruises on her body courtesy of Dmitri, he
wondered if he could have her as well as his wife. His love for Annika did not conflict with his love
for Maureen. Rather, they complimented each other. The two females could not have been more
different, and yet he loved them both equally. He had a daughter and son with Maureen, and he
adored them both. And while he hated being away from his perfect family, his little Annika eased
the separation.

As he covered her pretty, naked form, he wondered what he did for her that kept her with him. She
knew he was married and had a family, and yet she was devoted to him. It puzzled him to think
that he could earn the love of that girl when he really didn’t deserve it. And being married was the
biggest reason for him not to deserve her. They could never completely belong to one another
because of it.

Upsetting himself with thoughts of his less than deserving behavior towards the angel that saved
him from homesickness, he slipped out of bed. Being that close to her, knowing he was certainly
going to break her heart, sent a wave of pain through his body. She deserved someone who could
be wholly devoted to her where he could not be, but he also, selfishly, could not bear to end his
relationship with her.

Sitting alone in the dark hotel room kitchen where they had made love a few hours earlier, he
hesitated to call his wife back in England. The timing was good, of course; it would have been
midday. She would have been home taking care of the kids. But he could not bring himself to call.
He had sequestered himself away in a Boston hotel room with a dancer. She was all he needed
then, but he knew eventually he would miss Carmen and Karac.
Leaving his butterfly to sleep off their lovemaking session, he left the room and went to find
Bonzo. Surely his best mate would have a way to pull him out of the doldrums, even if it would
probably involve no small amount of vodka.

He found Bonzo in his room alone. “Mate, I need to talk to you,” he sighed.

“I miss Pat and Jason,” Bonzo sighed, which didn’t help Robert’s mood.

“I know you do. It’s early back home, give them a call.”

He left Bonzo to call his wife and son, feeling a bit more hopeless than he had when he walked in.
Jimmy was the last person he would go to for comfort since his brand of mood enhancement
usually involved cocaine. Jonesy was more than likely resting, so he wasn’t an option for someone
to talk to. Both Grant and Cole wanted him to get rid of Annika; he would never conceive of telling
them his doubts about her. They would play on his doubts like a hand of cards, and they would
win.

The sun had barely started peeking over the horizon when he left the hotel, thinking a walk on the
cold December morning would do him more good than talking to clear his head. With a cigarette
hanging from his lips, he turned a corner and just started walking. The city looked so different just
before dawn.

He dragged his feet along the sidewalk, his hair blowing around his face as the icy wind picked up.
It was a frigid morning, and he had gone out in only a flimsy windbreaker. Not his best idea. But it
had helped to clear his head.

He had been foolish, doubting his little Russian doll. What they had was special, even if he was
technically having an affair. He had given up trying to rationalize their love and just allowed it to
be. She gave him a reason not to be completely homesick while on tour, and that was reason
enough to protect her.

The sun had finally risen fully, but of course he hadn’t the slightest clue where he had ended up on
his walk. He went to a café for a cup of coffee and considered asking for directions back to the
hotel. It was still very early in the morning; early enough that Annika might not have rushed off to
practice already. He wondered for a moment if time apart might have made him feel differently
than when he had been worried about breaking her heart. But if she chose to be with him, who
was he to argue?

He hailed a cab to take him back to the hotel, hoping his butterfly was still sleeping the way he had
left her. But of course, when he got back up to his suite, she was just heading out for practice. He
pulled her into his arms to keep her with him.

“The doctor told you not to dance for a few days, sugar plum. Call Natalia or Mikhail and tell them
you have instructions not to be at practice. I’ll keep an eye on you.”

She squirmed a bit. “But I felt well enough to have sex last night,” she argued.

He laughed. “Please, baby doll? I don’t want you to get hurt. Just take off one day for me?”
“Fine, daddy, I’ll take another day off,” she sighed. “Because I love you.”

“I love you, too, angel. Thank you,” he whispered, lifting her into his arms. “Just lay down, I’ll take
care of you.”

He laid her on the couch, stretching her lean dancer’s legs across his lap. Her legs were pure
muscle, but she was so fragile-looking. As his fingers explored her thighs, she looked up at him.
Her eyes betrayed her worry; she knew something was off.

“Robert?” she whispered, and he met her eyes. “You seem upset or something.”

He sighed as quietly as he could. The girl was more observant than he was comfortable with at
that moment. “Worry not, butterfly. Everything is fine. You have my word.”

Her pretty eyes darkened. “Don’t lie to me. You are hiding something. Tell me what it is.”

Chapter Eighteen
The Crossroads
He took a deep breath, not wanting to address his troubles when she was already under her own
pressures. But her harshness could be intimidating. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, but
she did deserve honesty. “I was out for a walk this morning. I woke up having doubts.”

“Doubts? What kind of doubts?”

“Listen to me, princess, please. I was just thinking that I will only end up breaking your heart.
Eventually I have to go back home to see the family, my wife and daughter and son. And while you
will always have a large piece of my heart, I can never give myself to you fully. I want to, but I
cannot.”

She slid off his lap and walked out to the balcony, grabbing a tissue on the way. Her eyes had filled
with tears, and she didn’t want him to see her cry. But he followed her anyway, though she refused
to turn around and face him. “I suppose I should go home,” she breathed.

“No! Annika, I love you. I wasn’t trying to drive you away, darling. I was just being honest; you
deserve the truth.”

“I’m just the girl you’re fucking while you’re away from home. I don’t deserve-“

“Stop that. Look at me, please. You have never been just sex to me. When I tell you that I love you, I
mean it. With every fiber of my being, I love you. Don’t think that just because I have a family, I
cannot still want you as mine. To lose you now would most certainly break my heart.”

She turned around slowly, locked eyes with him. Her eyes glistened with tears that were about to
spill over and stain her flushed cheeks. “How is that fair? I am forced to share you, forced to be the
other woman, and you have a total claim on me?”
“No, you have a choice. You have always had a choice.”

Her face grew all the more flushed as she realized what he was saying. “I could leave. I am not
bound to you in any way. Nor are you bound to me. To leave you would not hurt me in the
slightest,” she murmured, the last sentence drenched in sarcasm.

“What are you saying, hummingbird?”

“I love you, but you can be so bull-headed! I was trying to make a point. I am, in fact, bound to you.
If I left right now, I would leave part of myself with you. You gave me the way out, and as I was
staring down at the crossroads, trying to decide if I should leave or stay, I knew I would never
again be whole if I left.”

He sighed in relief. “Baby girl, I never meant to doubt us. But I know I will break your heart.”

“Some things are worth getting your heart broken for,” she replied, quoting something she could
not remember and fidgeting with the ring he had given her.

He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “Come in, Annika, it’s freezing out
here. Please don’t let this become a wedge between us. I truly thought I owed you honesty. Please
know that you have changed me completely, I am a better man for loving you. And no matter what
happens, I will love you.”

She followed him back into his room. “I don’t know if I could ever love anyone else,” she
whispered.

He looked around, desperate to change the subject as fast as he could. When is your opening night
performance, doll? I want to be in the front row.”

“You want to be there?” she asked, not hiding her shock.

“In the front row, telling everyone around me that my girl is the lead dancer,” he replied proudly.
Though he also wanted to be around just in case her wretched cavalier Dmitri tried any funny
business.

She quite willingly promised him a pair tickets in the front row, as close to the center as she could
get them. It made her laugh when he suggested taking Jimmy as well. But knowing Robert, he
would have no trouble talking the guitarist into going with him.

With their almost-disaster swept neatly under the rug and forgotten, the couple curled up on the
couch again, relishing in what would probably be her last day off for a long time. With her
performances starting soon, she’d be scarce. And then he was home for Christmas, a thought he
actually dreaded at that moment. All he really wanted was for their quiet time to stretch on
forever.

He tried to shake the thought from his mind. There was still more than two weeks before he had to
leave for England. She could not spend every moment of it dancing. His worry over the end was
misplaced. They would barely be separated for a week, and he could call her when Maureen was
distracted. He fretted for no good reason, though he held her all the tighter as their quiet time was
precious.

Chapter Nineteen
Opening Night
The back of the theater was vibrating with the energy of an entire dance troupe preparing for the
first night of a grand production. Last minute practicing and costume adjustments filled the
hallways and dressing rooms. Choreographers barked orders at dancers. It was organized chaos.
The tension backstage mounted as it grew closer to show time.

Annika found Dmitri leaning against a wall drinking some cranberry juice. She approached him
nervously, holding back until he acknowledged her.

“Please keep it civil tonight, Dmitri. We may have personal issues, but there are bigger things at
stake here. You may disapprove of my romantic pursuits, and I may be repulsed by the idea of
your feelings for me. But this is our opening night, and we must make it great.”

He locked eyes with her. “You presume that I am as unprofessional as you are,” he snapped. “I had
no intention of acting out towards you. If I caused you to look foolish, in turn, I would also be made
to look a fool. There is no way I am risking my own image.”

She stormed off before she could say something she might have regretted. In her angry stride, she
failed to see her Drosselmeyer, a 24-year-old named Yuri, and he stopped her with a laugh.
“Where is the fire, little darling?” he asked.

She sighed. “I’m sorry, Yuri, I just got into another fight with Dmitri. Apparently I am
unprofessional as well as a whore. This is not a good way to start opening night.”

Yuri kissed her softly. ”You are a dancing goddess, Annika. He is not good enough to be your
cavalier. Someday, though, I know you will dance for kings.”

Startled by the odd exchange, she stepped away from him and went to find her best friend. Even
though they were dating men in the same band, she rarely saw Tamar anymore. She had followed
Jimmy into the darker side of fame while Annika stayed almost exclusively with Robert, not
indulging in rock star behavior.

“Tam, the oddest thing just happened with Yuri,” she remarked to her understudy.

Tamar looked up from putting on makeup; a curious expression begged her to continue.

“He kissed me and told me I would dance for kings. I have no idea what he was talking about.”

“Don’t be so thick, Nika,” Tamar spoke bluntly. “He and Dmitri are both in love with you. They both
wanted to be your cavalier. How have you missed this rivalry?”
She tilted her head. “I suppose I’ve been so caught up with Robert lately.”

“This has been happening for almost two years. It is kind of twisted. I mean, it’s not so bad for
Dmitri to be after you, he’s only 19. But Yuri is-“

“A year younger than my boyfriend,” Annika grumbled.

“Don’t go making this difficult. Does this change anything with Robert?”

“What? No, I am devoted to him, perhaps foolishly. But devoted to him nonetheless. There is not a
man on this earth that can change that.”

“Then why is this an issue if two other men are in love with you?”

Annika sighed; there was nothing she could really say. “It’s not, but it bothers me for some reason.
By the way, Jimmy is coming to the show tonight. I got him and Robert tickets.”

“I know, he told me he was coming when I asked him if he wanted to come to the party with me
tonight. Will Robert be escorting you?”

She nodded. “He bought me a new dress just for the occasion.”

The girls chatted idly, nervously, for another thirty minutes as they waited for curtain call. Neither
had ever performed with their love interest in the audience before, it added extra pressure to the
opening night jitters they both felt that night. To combat her budding stage fright, Annika primped
her hair more than usual, took extra time on her make up, and ate off the snack tray in the green
room. She could barely sit still. Yuri had to hold her in his arms when she started pacing,
something she only wished would have bothered her.

“Why are you so nervous, dove?” he asked her sweetly. “I have never seen you scared for any
performance.”

“My boyfriend is going to see this tonight,” she whispered.

“And he will be proud of you.”

Yuri’s simple declaration gave her a sense of peace. Robert had performed perfectly when she had
gone to see his concerts. Surely he could make her strive to be that much better knowing he was
out there. It was nothing to be nervous about. Rather, it was a motivation. She relaxed and
breathed a sigh of relief as the butterflies in her stomach ceased.

The curtain rose, Robert and Jimmy seated in the front row. Where Robert was eager to see his
girlfriend on stage and open to the new experience, Jimmy even refused to let himself enjoy the
sound of the perfectly tuned orchestra. He never cared that Tamar had been a dancer, outside of
the fact that it aided them in having spectacular sex. And to pretend even for a moment that it
interested him irritated him beyond belief.

Annika’s body moved with a feverish fluidity, something Robert would not have expected from the
few times he had seen her dance. It was confusing for him at first since there was only dance and
music used to tell a story, but he caught on quickly. And despite his mate’s complete refusal to
understand the art form, he found himself liking it. He would have never seen the performance
had Annika not been in it, but he thoroughly enjoyed it.

She was on stage almost every moment, and by the end of it, she seemed exhausted. But it gave
Robert a new appreciation for how much work she had done and how many hours she had clocked
practicing for the two-hour performance. And when it was over, he pushed his way forward to
give his little girl a big bouquet of 18 vibrant red roses.

Chapter Twenty
After the Curtain Falls
He and Jimmy wandered the theater as it emptied after the show, waiting for the girls to come find
them. It was hauntingly quiet in the lobby as they sat at the bar nursing bottles of beer. Robert had
a message sent backstage for Annika, and it would only be a matter of time before she came out to
him. He was anxious to shower her with praise and affection.

Another half hour passed before she flitted over to them. Swathed in a pashmina shawl and
wearing the party dress he had bought her, she looked good enough that she even got Jimmy’s
attention. But she paid no attention to him in return.

Robert lifted the tiny dancer into his arms and grinned with pride. “You were perfect!” he told her
enthusiastically.

She had to laugh. “Thank you, love. Come on now, I need you to be my date to a party.”

He set her down gently. “Will Dmitri be there?” he asked.

“Yes, but you already promised to be there. Don’t let him change your mind.”

“I never intended to,” he whispered. “I just wanted to know if I’d get the privilege of seeing his
expression when I walked in with you.”

She laughed. “Yes, now let’s go. Tamar is waiting for Jimmy, and I am absolutely starving. If you
promise to behave at the party, I will give you a present when we get back to the hotel,” she
teased.

The promise of sex kept him on his very best behavior. He didn’t even drink, aside from the beer
he had been drinking at the bar. Dmitri scowled at him when he saw him with Annika, and he just
grinned in return. It was a moment of glory for him to be the man dating the lead dancer.

Everyone showered Annika with praise for her performance; she had been remarkable. Robert
hung back to watch as his love became the center of attention. Jimmy was mingling with Tamar
and had not bothered to be on good behavior. He was grumpier than usual at being forced to talk
to dancers.
As he leaned against the wall nursing his soda, Dmitri unexpectedly stood beside him. He barely
acknowledged the shorter man, unwilling to risk causing a scene. But Dmitri was persistent; he
kept clearing his throat to get Robert’s attention.

“You are annoying me,” the singer whispered.

“I have a bone to pick with you, pretty boy,” Dmitri seethed.

Robert didn’t even flinch. “I couldn’t care less. I’m not here for you.”

“Shut up and listen, you wailing English vagabond. You are singlehandedly holding her back. Did
you see her tonight? Were you even paying attention?”

“She was perfect.”

“That’s just it. She could have been a million times better, but she spends all her free time with
you.”

He grinned, having the perfect retort. “She was the best dancer up there, far better than you were.”

Dmitri glared. “What the fuck would you know about ballet? You are just a brute who’s singing
bears more resemblance to a sick cat screaming than it does to music.”

“I didn’t realize one needed to be an expert in ballet to enjoy it. Perhaps you demand too much of
Annika to take away from the fact that you just aren’t that good.” He smirked. “You think that I
would not fight for that girl, but you are wrong. The biggest difference between you as me is that
you would use her to advance yourself then leave, and I absolutely love her.”

“Says the married man.”

Robert almost lost it, slipping to the very edge of his patience. But his promise to Annika kept him
from letting lose his temper on Dmitri. “Married or not, I am still better for her than you are. I’m
not the one that hurt her. What are you even trying to prove, anyway?”

“You are destroying her. How can she be her best when all you want is for her to be there at night
so you can fuck her?”

“How can she be happy when all you want is for her to dance every waking moment? Look at her,
everyone but you thinks she was impeccable. Are you so twisted that you think ruining her
moment of joy will make her suddenly want you?”

She bounced over to Robert, ending the conversation with Dmitri. He skulked off before she had a
chance to speak to him. “What was that about?” she asked Robert.

He kissed the top of her head. “He was stirring up trouble again, little doll. Nothing to worry about.
Now go enjoy your moment of glory; you earned it.”

She looked up at him. “I’d rather be here with you. This isn’t very interesting, and I have to see
everyone again tomorrow.”
His fingers wrapped around hers, keeping her close by. She nuzzled his chest and enjoyed his
warmth. Even surrounded by the noise of an entire dance troupe, the couple seemed to be in a
world of their own. His eyes locked into hers, and nothing else existed after that. She brought him
some untold sense of peace, something that nothing else could touch. He loved her with all of his
heart, which was the last thing he expected to happen with a tour girlfriend. Of course, she could
never be more; they had already discussed that, no matter how much he adored her, he could not
ruin his beautiful family. But she would always be in his heart.

He leaned down and brushed her ear with his lips. “Let’s get out of here, sugar plum. I must
confess, I need you desperately right now.”

She purred as he moved his lips to her throat. “I can’t say no to you, love.”

“Remember that attitude when I am ravaging you tonight, little girl,” he chuckled.

“Percy, you’ve never ravaged me. You are always so gentle. Let’s get out of here,” she smiled. “I’d
rather be with you anyway.”

He grinned at her. “Maybe I should make it rough tonight.”

She all but pulled him to the waiting car, ready and willing to start playing before they had even
started moving. After discarding her scarf, she slid into his lap and curled her legs around his
waist. He slid the thin straps of the dress down her arms to reveal the firm buds of her breasts and
teased her little pink nipple with his tongue then tugged it gently between his teeth. She began
grinding against him, feeling his erection growing in his jeans. He pulled her skirt up around her
hips and slid his fingers inside her to feel the heat of her sex.

A moan bubbled from her chest, encouraging to slide his fingers in deeper to stroke her swollen
clit. Rather than allow her an orgasm, he pulled his fingers out, smirking as she groaned. She
wordlessly begged him to reenter her.

“Please don’t stop!” she pleaded in a breathy voice.

“How bad do you want it, darling?”

“I want it so bad, baby. Please don’t make me beg.”

He grinned wide. “I want you to beg for me. Maybe I will even give you more.”

She lowered the zipped on his jeans and slipped her fingers around his cock. “Do you still want me
to beg?” she whispered seductively.

He growled playfully. “Are you going to tease me and then stop just before I cum?”

She nodded and squeezed at the base of his erection. “That is exactly what I intend to do.”

He slid a hand to her back and pulled her close to him for an unexpectedly passionate kiss. As he
kissed her, she released his cock and tried to slip him inside her, but he resisted for the time being.
“Wait, angel. The last thing I want to do is fuck you in the back of a car. You deserve my full
attention.”
She had to giggle. “I already have that,” she told him, gripping the base of his erection again.

He growled at her playfully, his arousal pulsing in her hand. “Oh god, you do, baby.”

Pulling her back into his lap, he shed her shawl and started to nibble on her collarbone. She purred
and tugged on his shirt, begging him to let her take it off. He ran his hand up her skirt, two fingers
past her petals. Her wetness coated his fingers, making him smile. As he kissed her, his tongue
slipped past hers. His fingers coaxed moans out of her even as he kept hers away from him, fearing
that it would get too intense before they were totally alone.

He pulled his fingers from her, though he did not break the kiss. She groaned for more; he did not
oblige. Teasing her had become somewhat enjoyable for him. Though he was aching to be inside
her, he knew how much better it would be for both of them if they just warmed up in the back of
the car.

They kept their composure as best they could while they entered the elevator and ascended to his
suite. In the hallway, though, he found it impossible to keep his hand from winding its way up her
skirt to her smooth thighs. She teased him by slipping away from him and running to his room
ahead of him. He chased after her and met her down the hall in front of his suite. Once he had
opened the door, he tossed her over his shoulder and carried her in. She squealed at him in protest
but to no avail; he was hell bent on whatever he had planned.

He tossed her stomach-first onto the bed, straddled her ass then tugged down the zipper of her
dress to tear it off her slight body. Once it was discarded on the floor, with a small tear in the thin
strap from the force of removing it, he set about removing her bra and panties. When her bare
flesh shimmered under the soft light of the hotel room lamp, he raced to shed his own clothing.

Once naked, he debated how exactly to go about making love to his girlfriend. “I want you on top,”
he whispered.

He leaned against the headboard and pulled her onto his lap. She straddled him then looked at him
curiously, not knowing how to proceed. He chuckled. “You have to move, baby.”

She linked her arms around his neck for support then slipped his cock inside her. Rocking her hips
backwards and forwards, she tried her hardest to please him. He put his hands on her hips and
started to guide her movements. Once she got the idea, she removed his hands and began to push
him deeper into her. Finally, he started to moan in pleasure, taking his mouth to her breasts so he
could make her moan as well. The wetter she became, the faster he was able to move inside her.

“Cum for me, doll,” he moaned.

And she obeyed, moaning for him as she released. He followed her lead, cumming just as her hips
slumped after her orgasm. She pulled him out of her and moved to lay beside him. Purring with
contentment after their encounter, she couldn’t help feeling a connection with him.

Chapter Twenty-one
 The End Begins

Even as she performed up to eight shows a week, their worlds were at peace together. She had
someone to come “home” to, someone to love her, to teach her how to love. He had someone to
make his time away from home more bearable. Though they were happy together, all could not
possibly have been so perfect.

She had taken to practicing with Yuri just to be away from Dmitri, but even Yuri had tired to
slowly poison her mind against Robert. She had resisted his words, for the most part, but one
thing he said rang in her mind.

Yuri held her in the air for a moment. When he brought her back to the ground, he turned her so
they faced each other. They remained silent for an unusually long time, just looking at each other
without speaking. When he did speak, his voice was barely a whisper. “Do you truly believe he
loves you, Annika?” he asked her.

She blinked, speechless for a bit. “Yuri, of course he does. Don’t turn into Dmitri all of a sudden and
tell me you think he’s something awful.”

“That isn’t what I am trying to say. Though he has a family, love. You can’t forget that. To him, no
matter what his lips say, in his heart you are always going to be the other woman. He wouldn’t
give up his life for you. You cannot throw yours away for him. He isn’t capable of loving you.”

Stunned into silence, she pulled herself away from Yuri and out of his arms. But he planted the
seed of doubt in her mind, though she didn’t know it yet.

When she returned to Robert after that day’s performance, she was abnormally quiet, something
that should have raised alarm with him. He was on the phone with his wife when she got in, and he
thought that was the reason for her reservations.

“I still love you, baby,” he whispered once he was off the phone. She just nodded, unable to say
anything in reply. He kissed her cheek and went to order dinner for them. “”I’ve been thinking,” he
told her when he returned, “I am going home in a few days. Would you mind if I was to call you a
few times while I am away?”

She looked at him and shrugged. “If you think you can.”

“Of course, baby. At least that way, you’ll know when I am coming back after the new year.”

She looked away, unable to reply. Finally she whispered, “Would you even come back to me?”

“Of course I would, Nika. I promise I would. I don’t have a choice, I have to go home. It’s Christmas,
and I want to see my kids. Don’t make me into some kind of villain here. You knew going into this
that I had a family.”

“I know you’ll forget me when you’re home,” she whispered.

“How could I ever forget you, baby?” he asked, concerned at his girlfriend’s sudden change in
attitude.

She almost collapsed on the couch, not wanting to answer the question. It would have opened up a
discussion she didn’t want to have. He didn’t immediately sit beside her, debating about giving her
space. But if she didn’t want to spend time with him, he figured, she could have gone home as
opposed to going to the hotel. As he sat down beside her, she shifted a bit so that she was no
longer facing him.

“Annika,” he whispered, exasperated, “tell me you love me, please.”

She sighed. “I do love you, dammit.”

“Then what’s going on? You’re behaving like you don’t want to be here anymore.”

A long silence passed; she didn’t even look at him. He wondered if this would be their untimely
end. For all their obstacles and differences, he did love her. But it seemed as if she was wishing
that they could split. His heart raced as he tried to imagine being without her. It was a miserable
thought, and he found himself unable to stand it. She just refused to speak, and the silence hung
heavily in the air. He couldn’t even breathe because of the mounting tension. When he finally
exhaled a long-held breath, she spoke.

“I love you too much,” she murmured. “You have a family, you will leave me forever one of these
days. It will kill me. I was stupid.”

He gripped her shoulders. “You think loving me is stupid?”

“No! Foolish, maybe, because I know how this ends. But not for a second has it been stupid. I am
stupid for letting myself get so close to you.”

“This isn’t over, and I have no plans to end it. So what’s all this talk about there being an end?”

“It is inevitable, admit it. Don’t pander to me because you are blind to that. I can’t just be your tour
girlfriend forever. How is that fair to me? I’d give up everything for you, but I can’t even begin to
ask for the same.”

He wiped away the tears that spilled from her eyes. “Annika, I love you. Please don’t make this
hard for me. You’ve kept me sane on tour, and I would never give that up. You have no reason to
be upset.”

She sighed, giving up for the time being. “Fine, Robert. I’ll be all right.”

Chapter Twenty-two
After Christmas
It was December the 27th. Robert was in England with his family enjoying the peace that came
with the days after Christmas. In Boston, Annika had begun rehearsing Swan Lake with Yuri. And
he reminded her more than once that Robert had not called her as had said he would. And she felt
the cold stab of a broken promise.

“Annika, you deserve better,” Yuri told her.

“You have made your opinion of Robert more than clear,” she snapped in reply.

He smiled. “Dear heart, you are so talented. In fact, I have a proposition for you.”

She shot him a dark glare. “Forget it, Yuri.”

“No, nothing like that. I am going to New York tomorrow, I have been offered the position of lead
male for the New York Opera Company. They have permitted me to bring my prima ballerina of
choice. Come to New York with me; leave all the heartbreak behind and start fresh.”

She looked at him for a long moment, not fully believing him. Thoughts flooded her mind. Dancing
in New York was the ultimate goal. And it was in her grasp. But to attain her dream, she’d have to
leave Robert with no way of letting him know what had happened and no way of reaching her. She
held her head in her hands, wondering if she could really leave.

“What about Robert?” she asked.

“Let him go, he’s holding you back. Please come with me. It will make your entire career. I will take
care of you; you’ll have nothing to worry about. There is no one I would rather take.”

She swallowed a lump in her throat and fought back tears in her eyes. “Fine, I will go to New York
with you. But I am not doing it because I have an interest in you; I am doing it because I am first
and foremost a dancer. This opportunity will never come along again.”

The house was deserted when she and Yuri got there so she could pack. As she threw her clothes
and possessions into her bags, she wept. Her heart shattered at the thought of her being the one
that called off her affair with the man she had come to adore. She scribbled out a note for Tamar
letting her know she had gone, leaving her instruction not to tell Robert where she was if he
should happen to call. By the time she had signed it, it had been smudged from the tears that fell
from her eyes.

Midnight in England. Robert was wide awake as Maureen slept. He got out of bed and went into
the study where he read. Her number was sitting there by the phone, reminding him that he had
yet to keep his promise. It would be evening in Boston, and he figured Annika would have been
home. So he dialed her number, anxious to hear her voice again. It rang three times and was
answered by a familiar voice. Tamar.

“Hello, Tamar. It’s Robert. Is Annika there?”

Tamar’s voice was thick and coarse from tears. “No, jackass, she’s gone!”

He drew in a long breath, fearing the worst. “Gone? What do you mean?”
“She left! She’s not here anymore. She moved away without telling me. How many ways can I say
it?”

“Did she even say goodbye?”

She crumpled the tear-stained note Annika left. “No,” she lied. “No one knows where she went, but
everything she owns is gone. She isn’t coming back.”

His heart shattered into a thousand pieces, and he nearly dropped the phone. “Goodbye,” he
whispered just before the tears spilled over.

He sat in the study and cried until the sun came up over the horizon. Then he went to walk the
perimeter of the farm, reflecting on everything he had with the little Russian dancer. She had made
him completely happy, but she didn’t even try to tell him that she was leaving. It broke his heart to
know that they would not be together again. All he had left were memories and the playbook for
her opening night performance. The memories were stained from his broken heart; things did not
look as good as they had before. Yet his love for her lingered; he wanted her back more than he
could have imagined. If he could have found her, he’d have sent her back to Boston where she
belonged, where he could find her.

As she unpacked in the apartment Yuri had rented for them to share, she found a t-shirt she had
accidentally taken from Robert. She held it tightly in her hands and began to sob, regretting her
choice to leave him. Her statement of being a dancer over anything else had been a lie even to her
own ears. She knew her love for Robert should have come first. She hung the soft cotton shirt in
the back of her closet and swore never to look at it again; she had to bury her love for him if she
was going to function without him.

Without him in her life, she became distant. She did not even try to reach out to anyone in New
York. Yuri gave up his attempts to show her affection and began seeing another dancer. It seemed
as if all she did was dance and sleep. She operated on auto-pilot, never steering from her routine.

Robert was in as dark a place without her. Creatively barren, he was barely able to write. The only
thing that gave him comfort was his volume of Lord of the Rings books, the one Annika had given
him at the beginning of their relationship. He completely refused to speak to Jimmy outside of
anything related to the band. And even then, he would only say a few words to the guitarist. Jimmy
had broken up with Tamar, something that made Robert even more upset. If they didn’t have
Tamar around, he might never get any news about Annika.

Chapter Twenty-three
Second Chance
In the early spring of 1977, March 19th, something happened that Robert never expected. He was
sitting in a nameless hotel room in New York City flicking the ashes off a smoldering cigarette
when Bonzo and Jack came in, smiles on both of their faces. He sat up, curious about what they
were up to.

Bonzo leaned in close and whispered in his ear. “We found Annika.”

Robert’s eyes widened from shock. He had never expected to hear her name again even if he had
thought about her daily since December 1973. “Where is she? Take me to her,” he told them.

They grinned and took him down to the waiting car, knowing he’d have moved the stars to see her
again. In hopes of earning her love again, he stopped off and got her some pretty, exotic orchids.
He was vibrating with excitement at the prospect of finally seeing his love again.

Annika had been dancing for the New York Opera Company since she left, and she had finally
gotten over Robert. Her life had gotten back on track again. She was practicing in the studio when
her instructor told her she had a visitor. After slipping on her sneakers, she made her way to the
lobby of the dance studio where she found Robert. Her breath stuck in her throat; he smiled at
seeing his little dancer. She had grown by a few years; she was 19 but every bit as lovely.

“Nika,” he breathed her name for the first time in years.

“Robert,” she replied, her voice smooth even though she was fighting with her emotions.

“You look wonderful.”

“As do you.”

He smiled wider. “I have really missed you, darling girl.”

She nodded, not ready to let him back into her heart just yet. “How’s your family?” she asked
coldly.

“Don’t spoil this, please. I have wanted to see you for so long. I still love you.”

“You can’t mean that. I had to move on, and it should have been much easier for you. You didn’t
have as much invested in our relationship as I did.”

His smile faded. “That isn’t true. I adored you, Nika. Why do you think I came back? When I found
out where you were, I came here right away.”

She sighed. “Have it your way.”

“Tell me something. Why did you leave without even saying goodbye to me?”

“I had my reasons,” she replied simply, avoiding further explanation.

“Don’t do that, tell me the truth. I was always honest with you; I think I deserve that much now.”
“Really, I had no way of getting in touch with you. You’d gone home, and when Yuri came to me,
offering me this job, he was leaving the next day. I had to make a choice. And since I knew you’d
never leave your wife to be with me, I decided I wouldn’t give up my career for you.”

“Was it that easy to walk away?”

Tears welled in her eyes. “No. It broke my heart to leave. I loved you more than I should have. If I
had stayed, you’d have eventually broken my heart even more.”

“Do you still love me?” he asked. She barely nodded. “Then forget the past. Please? Be my peace
again.”

“If you are still married, there is no way in hell I’d do that.”

He looked shocked. “I still love you, and you just admitted you still love me.”

She took his hand, and they started walking. “I cannot give up everything I’ve worked for, not if I’m
not getting something in return. You’re still married. You won’t ever leave your wife, and you
know it. So why would I bother? Yes, I love you. But I have worked my ass off to get where I am.
And I would never ask you to give up Zeppelin. It’s not fair of you to ask me this.”

“You wouldn’t have to give it up.”

“How the hell else would I be able to follow you all over creation?”

He sighed. “I could set you up in a little apartment, and I could join you when I had time off.”

“No,” she told him simply. “I will not give this up for you. I’ve hoped you would come back to me
and tell me you’d be with me, just me. But that will never happen, will it? You want it all, a family,
your wife, and me. I can’t be that for you.”

“It didn’t used to bother you.”

“Yes it did, and you know it!” she growled. “I almost didn’t want to be with you because of it! I had
so much doubt even though I loved you. You will always put your wife and children first. And
that’s how it should be. But I don’t want to be a part of it.”

“Are you sending me away?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper for fear of betraying his sadness.

“I have no choice.”

“You always had a choice.”

He dropped the flowers and turned away. When she could no longer hear his footsteps, she fell to
her knees and let the tears flow. He sat in the back of the car silently, hiding his own broken heart.
Seeing her again had not gone as he had planned.

No one had dared go near Annika as she lay crumpled on the floor weeping for hours. She knew
letting him leave was a mistake the moment she saw the flowers he dropped. Her pride got in the
way of something she had wanted for so long. She knew she’d never get another chance with him.
 Chapter Twenty-four
Hope Lingers

Early spring 2007. It had been thirty years since Robert had last seen Annika. He thought about
what could have been more than he should have. When he got divorced in 1983, he was tempted
to go back to New York and marry her, but he could never bring himself to do it.

He had been recording an album; he and his musical partners were in New York to do a last bit of
work on their masterpiece. Sitting in a hotel room, he forced himself not to reflect on the
heartbreak he had suffered thirty years earlier. So much had happened since then. He clicked on
the TV, the tail end of something on the local channel. It happened to be a show about a small
dance studio. Finding irony, he laughed and decided to pay attention.

“One final question. It might be odd, but it depends on your answer. If you had one wish, what would
it be?” the interviewer asked.

The interviewee took a deep breath. “Thirty years ago, I told someone very important to me that my
career was more important. I’d wish for a chance to go back and say the opposite,” she replied
through a veil of tears. It was Annika.

Robert sat up. He never expected anything like that. Seeing a phone number for the TV station, an
idea began forming. Maybe it was time to try again. He had heard her say she regretted sending
him away. It couldn’t have been taken out of context.
He looked at the date. It was March 18th. The next day would be the thirtieth anniversary of their
last encounter. The timing could not have been more perfect. He called the TV station, fishing for
information about the dance studio, planning to go the next day come hell or high water. Nothing
could keep him from making her one wish come true. And maybe they could finally have the
relationship they both wished they could have had.

It was impossible for him to sleep that night. He had been thinking about their reunion and how he
could make it meaningful for her. In his vision, she would never have sent him away. Everything
would have gone perfectly. He wouldn’t even consider the alternative of her saying she didn’t
really want him or possibly being married already.

For the last thirty years, March 19th had been a blight on Annika’s year. She grew more and more
depressed with each one that passed. It was this one that everyone who worked with her had been
dreading. If she kept with her pattern of ever-growing self-pity, this year promised to be
unbearable for her and everyone else. Yet she adamantly refused to take that day off, saying that
she needed the distraction, or she became even more morose. They all seemed to find that
unbelievable.

No one knew the whole story, though. She had, of course, given bits and pieces of her
heartbreaking past to a few people, but not a single person she had ever worked with in the two
decades she had been a dance instructor could get more than a bit of it out of her at a time. She
simply refused to speak about it, and no one knew who he really was, just that he was a very
talented singer from England.

The morning of the 19th, Robert went to a waiting car at 10:00 AM. He hadn’t told a soul why he
left with such a hopeful smile on his face. Beneath that hopeful exterior, his whole body quivered
with nerves. He had roses for her, a bouquet that perfectly matched the roses he gave her at her
opening night, and another small but sentimental gift. In his eyes, the last 30 years had not been so
kind to him. In August, he would be 59, certainly not the spry 25-year-old she had fallen in love
with.

Nervously, he walked into the dance studio. The bright, fluorescent lights reminded him of when
he used to go watch her practice. Various pieces of classical music filled the hall. He began to
wonder what the last 30 years had done for Annika; he was certain she’d age more gracefully than
he had.

He stopped the first person he saw. “I’m looking for Annika.”

The young woman looked puzzled. “She’s not really in the mood for visitors today, sir.”

“I figured. I am the man she has been regretting for thirty years,” he replied.

Her haw hit the floor. “I can’t believe it! Stay right here, I will go find her!”

She raced off, leaving Robert laughing a bit. As she went to search for Annika, she stopped off to
talk to anyone she passed, telling them that Annika’s Prince Charming had come back. The studio
was buzzing by the time she had found Annika in a private lesson with a student, the only thing
she could really do on her dark day.

“Annika, I have something that is going to brighten your day,” she chirped.

“There is nothing that can make me feel better, Claudia.”

“I can think of one thing.” She grinned like the cat who caught the canary.

Annia shook her head ferverently. “The one person who could possibly make me smile on this day
has not wanted to see me for thirty years,” she murmured as the tears began to flow again.

Claudia hugged her. “You need some air. I’m taking you outside for a bit.”

They walked down the hall, which had grown crowded with people wanting to see the reunion.
“Why are they all smiling like I just got married?” Annika growled softly.

“Oh, no reason,” she laughed as they walked closer to Robert. “Before you turn this corner, close
your eyes.”
“Why would I ever do that?”

“Trust me.” Annika closed her eyes as Claudia led her around the corner into the lobby. “Open your
eyes.”

When she opened her eyes, she saw her lost love standing before her, and she ran into his arms,
crying from the shock of pure joy. He held her close, letting his own tears spill over.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“I love you,” he told her.

“I love you, too. And I’m not sending you away this time.”

“This time, I’m not walking away.”

She laughed through her tears. “How could you have ever known I wanted you to find me?”

A smile played on his face. “Let’s just say that fate finally stepped in. I had to find you.” He pulled
something from beside the bouquet of roses he had set down. “Do you remember the little crystal
ballet slipper I gave you?”

She nodded. “Of course I do, I kept it all these years. It’s sitting on my dresser.”

“I gave you the first one and promised someday to give you its mate.” He opened his hand and
revealed the other crystal ballet slipper. “I give you this with another promise. These belong
together, and so do we. I am never leaving; I am never walking away. The last 30 years were
incomplete without you. The next 30 won’t be.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled. “This erases all the pain of the last 30 years.”

“For me, as well,” he whispered. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”