The Submission of Anna (closed for cum_inside)

The first time he really kissed her since her accident melted Anna; she relaxed immediately but clasped onto his neck like she never wanted him to let go.

She didn’t.

It was too soon when he pulled back and Anna was left wanting more. She couldn’t help but reach out and stroke her fingers over his chest under the collar of his still open shirt where her name stretched permanently over his heart. Anna has indeed caught sight of the inked characters over her own heart when the nurses had been cleaning her but she hadn’t been able to tell them what the tattoo meant when they asked.

Now Anna knew. It made a ton of sense.

She pressed herself up for another kiss a little bit more shyly than when Carter had claimed her mouth only moments ago.

There was only one thing she had to say before he left her for the night.

“I love you,” she breathed. “I can feel it in my bones. I might not remember everything but I know I want to spend my forever with you.”

She smiled and Carter reluctantly left her bedside.

****

Trent managed to steal a deck of playing cards that one of the nurses had sequestered away for long quiet nights. The small family played several rounds of Gin Rummy on Anna’s bedside table and she lost everytime but she blamed it on the fact that she only had one good hand and couldn’t “see all her cards” properly. Really, Lauren sat next to her side and generously held Anna’s cards for her and played the ones she was directed to. It was all in good sport and none of Anna’s wringing made Trent feel about about wiping the floor with her.

It was well after midnight when Lauren tucked a warm blanket up around her daughter’s shoulders and kissed her cheek goodnight. The nurses had found a cot that she was able to sleep on instead of that uncomfortable recliner and Trent curled up on the large leather sofa in the quiet room in case they needed him.

*****

She didn’t know what had woken her.

She thought for a minute it might have been her phone because tonight was the first night she’d had access to it in days (after their confrontation earlier Carter had returned it) but the black screen was lifeless with no new notifications when she checked it.

She frowned but wiggled herself in the bed until she was a bit more comfy. It was only then that she noticed Evelyn Crosby standing in the darkened corner fiddling with her IV pump.

She made a small noise of confusion and mumbled, “anything wrong?”

Evelyn turned and smiled at her. She answered quietly. “No, Mrs. Anderson. Your IV bag was running low. I’m just adjusting your pump accordingly and we’ll give you a dose of antiemetics through the line too keep you settled and help you sleep - I’ve heard you haven’t been doing too much of that lately.”

As she talked, Evelyn met her gaze unflinchingly, pulling a 20ml syringe from her pocket and screwing the end of it right into the port of her IV line next to her wrist. Steadily, she “pushed” the medication directly into the line.

Anna nodded, eyes closing sleepily, satisfied with that explanation.

It was only a few seconds later when her eyes shot open in alarm again.

What was she doing here in the middle of the night?! Her job was 8-4 and Evelyn did not work evenings, late nights, weekends or holidays. Even if she had some sort of atypical schedule for a manager or director that Anna wasn’t aware of, it wasn’t her job to change IV fluids.

And she had never had them give her antiemetic like that before.

“I really didn’t need it - I’ve been sleeping quite well tonight,” she stated, suspicion tinging her words.

Evelyn rested her hand over Anna’s.

“Everything will be okay, darling. You’ll never worry about sleep again.”

What did that even mean?!

Before Anna even had the ability to open her mouth and question the other woman, her heart started to beat uncontrollably. Her mouth got very dry and she felt a dull, thudding pain like no other emanating from her chest. It made her breathless and she couldn’t wrap her lips around the words she wanted to say.

“You... what have you...”

Evelyn was gone like she’d never been there in the first place. The heart monitor never alarmed because the electrodes that measured her rhythm had “somehow” become dislodged from her chest.

Anna’s heart fluttered and the exertion of it beating so rapidly but irregularly eventually caused it to stop. She let out a weak gasp.

She couldn’t reaach her call bell.

Early Wednesday morning - Anna fights for her life

Evelyn Crosby knew her life was over now that she deliberately killed someone. Years ago, it was an accident when she had given the wrong meds to a patient. She had blamed a young nurse, whose life she ruined and she felt remorse every day. But this was different. She couldn’t blame anyone for what she had just done. This was of her own doing for falling in with Edward and Josh and she had to get away, far away.

She had picked the right time when the security detail went to the cafeteria for some coffee. She had monitored their movements and when the man left, she knew she only had a few minutes to take care of Edward’s problem.

The video security cameras all over the hospital and parking garage would reveal her presence in the middle of the night. It would be only a matter of time before they would discover her image and then they would question her. Why was she at the hospital in the middle of the night? What administrative duties made it imperative she do it now instead of during her normal working hours? Edward was to be feared but she knew Carter Anderson would travel to the ends of the earth to make her pay for what she did to his wife. A tight knot tightened even more in her gut, making it hard to breathe.

Evelyn knew, if caught, she would break down and confess to killing Annaleigh and she couldn’t come to grips with jail and a trial. She had to run and get as far away from the hospital, Edward Hartman, Josh Williams, and Carter Anderson. The only question was, could she get away from them forever.

Driving away from the hospital, she cried tears of sorrow for the young Annaleigh Anderson. But she also cried tears of giving up a long career in nursing. She remembered her oath to help those in need and it only made the tears fall faster blurring her vision.

Her car was packed and she was heading out of town and knew she could never return. Edward had made a sizable payment to her bank account. She had pulled the money out and placed it with a financial friend, telling him she had come into a windfall. The woman didn’t question it but invested it and now Evelyn had enough money to start a new life in a new town and new state. She knew she would forever remember the horrible look on Annaleigh’s face when the young woman realized what was about to happen to her. Evelyn’s fingers twitched badly when she disconnected the leads to her heart machine. Without them, the monitor would not alarm the hospital staff that there was a problem.

New tears fell and she wiped them away ashamed of her own greed. As she crossed the city limits and drove onto a bridge, she stopped on the other side at a small rest area. It afforded a view of the city and tall skyscrapers. Gathering all her identification papers, she placed them into a bag filled with dirt. She had one more chore to do. Call Edward.

His phone rang and when it went to voice mail, she felt a rush of relief fill her entire body. She didn’t want to talk to the bastard. Her message was short. She did what she asked and Annaleigh was dead.

Putting the phone on a rock, she stomped it repeatedly until it was nothing but scattered pieces. Picking all of them off the ground, she placed the broken phone in the bag. With one last look at city’s skyline, she threw it as far into the dark water as she possibly could. The sound of the bag hitting the water and sinking only intensified her anguish. She took a young life and now she threw her old life away. She had Edward’s rotten money to thank for a new identity and hopefully a new life but the deed she just did would haunt her forever.

*******************************************************************
Carter slept restlessly in the hotel bed. He kept waking up every half-hour or so and looked at the clock thinking of Anna. After a few drinks with his group of loyal friends, he got to bed just after midnight. The bed swallowed him up, his eyes closing from exhaustion. But bad dreams haunted him and when he woke at 3 am he dragged himself out of bed, looking at the hospital across the street. A lone car exited the parking garage and Carter wondered what lucky staff member or doctor was going home to their family. If he had known it was Evelyn Crosby, who just administered a lethal injection into his wife, he would have pounded the window and screamed, but instead he watched the lone vehicle disappear into the night.

*******************************************************************
Trent and Lauren slept in the room with Anna, thankful to be with their child. She was being well cared for and with her semi-memory they were hopeful she would make a full recovery. Before his eyes shut, Trent made a promise to himself to seek out Carter in the morning. He had a lot of questions about what happened and why his daughter was driving a Mercedes. Was it hers, if not, who did it belong to?

The sound of whispers stirred him and he saw a figure standing over his daughter’s bed. Thinking it was the night nurse checking on her, he closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep. Before she left, she pulled the curtain around Anna and he thought she wasn’t done with checking her. The sound of feet scuffling on the floor next to the recliner, roused him a little, watching the person’s backside walk out of the room.

Trent fell asleep again but something was nagging at him. Why would they close the curtains and then walk out of the room? Sleepily, he hauled himself out of the recliner, cursing under his breath at how uncomfortable it was. He was half smiling when he pulled the curtain, expecting to see his daughter’s sleeping face. What greeted him made his mind trip into high gear.

Anna was struggling to breathe, her body was convulsing and then with a mighty lunge, it rose and then fell silently. Looking at the monitor, a flat line with a small blip raced across the screen. “She’s dying,” was the only words escaping his lips.

Shaking his wife, who by now was stirring on the cot, he yelled for her to get a nurse. As Lauren became fully aware of what was happening, fear enveloped her face. She walked out into the corridor, seeing the man on duty reading something on his phone.

Seeing a nurse at the nearby nurse’s station she ran calling out, “Get …… get help ….. please …… my daughter is in trouble.”

A nurse came running and entered the room. Seeing Anna lying comatose on the bed and the monitor flat lining immediately signaled for “Code Blue”. Within seconds the loud speakers blared out the harrowing words every nurse and doctor dread, Code Blue over and over as the cardiopulmonary team assembled inside Anna’s room.

In less than a minute, a team of specialized health providers had rushed to Anna’s room and began immediate resuscitative efforts. Trent and Lauren were distressed to see their daughter being administered by a team of specialists. They were ushered out of the room, banned from watching the team try to save their daughter’s life.

They had her rolled onto a back board and initiated compressions in no time at all. It helped that some of Anna's ribs were already broken - that allowed for more movement and depth to chest compressions without inflexible bone under their fists - the first time Sharon had ever done compressions and heard one of her patient's ribs snapping underneath the force of her thrusts she'd recoiled in horror. The doctor running that code had been Dr. Keegan and he was here again tonight. He'd barked at her to keep going - that compressions weren't good enough if a rib bone DIDN'T snap, and that her patient would likely be glad to be alive. The rib fracture would be the last of their worries.

The Respiratory Therapist worked on ventilating while Dr. Keegan called for various life-saving medications to be given.

After the second person had done two minutes worth of compressions and Dr. Keegan called for a pulse check there was a shockable rhythm detected on the crash cart that she had been hooked up to in order to monitor vitals and check for heart function. Annaleigh received one shock to encourage her heart to begin to contract again before they resumed compressions. The second shock she got was enough that her heart started pumping weakly again on its own.

Her pulse was thready but there.

During the commotion, there had been a lab tech who had drawn a basic set of panels to determine just WHY Anna's heart had shut down. It wasn't exactly normal for an otherwise healthy 24 year-old who had been on the upward climb after a car accident to just stop breathing.

Dr. Keegan ordered the Levophed and Vasopressin drips to be restarted to stabilize her blood pressure while they ran in regular saline "wide open" or very fast to flush her system and increase her hemostatic pressure. She was re-intubated for ventilation just in case her heart shut down again and placed under one-to-one nursing care for now until the forseeable future - although she had been doing well, Dr. Keegan was frustrated at the plunge she'd just taken. Her prognosis was not good.

The code had been successful because her heart was pumping again but he had no idea how long that would last.

He needed to speak to her family, but before that Dr. Keegan ventured into the medication preparation room and let out a loud growl. He hated not being in control, but most of all he hated losing a young, vibrant patient to unfortunate circumstances like this.

*****

One nurse from another unit who had come to help (Lindsay) had taken Anna's parents in the quiet room and sat there with them holding their hands and just talking to them - she didn't want to necessarily take their minds off what was happening but she needed them to be able to speak their minds and know someone was there for them, too. The team worked tirelessly on Anna and Lindsay could only try and console this broken family while they waited for news.

After a few minutes of explaining what was happening, Lindsay reached out and touched Lauren's shoulder.

"Is there anyone I can call for you?

Lauren sniffled and wiped her nose. Her eyes were sorrowful when she looked at her husband. She imagined how guilty Carter would feel when he received this phone call - the one night he'd left her, Anna almost died. He might never be able to forgive himself for leaving her alone.

But he needed to be informed.

"Please call her husband. I-I can... I'll talk to him but..."

"Shhhh," Trent soothed, flattening her wild hair away from her face. "I'll do it - just wait here, honey."

****

The lab tech called up with the results.

Dr. Keegan was waiting expectantly, so he almost lunged for the phone when it rang. His jaw dropped in surprise. "That's impossible! Just this morning it was still so low - we were supplementing... No way she jumped... Fuck," he swore.

Sharon couldn't help but giggle at the expletive, rolling her eyes, but wondering just what was going on. It sounded like there might be an issue with Anna's potassium levels but until he got off the phone she would have to wait and find out. She chewed on the end of her pencap as she kept an ear out and simultaneously typed up a note on the whole event for her documentation.

Dr. Keegan put the phone back in the cradle and bowed his head. When he looked up at her there was a defeated shadow shining behind his brown eyes. Sharon turned to face him in her chair.

"Her potassium is 8.9. Everything else is normal. Her heart stopped because we over supplemented, though I'm uncertain how she jumped from 3.1 this morning to triple that in just over twelve hours."

Sharon gasped. That was a massive jump.

Normal potassium levels were 3.5-5.0.

Potassium levels affected the contraction of smooth muscle (i.e., your heart being the most crucial example) and too little or too much could drastically affect the way the heart pumped effectively. It could contract too fast or too forcefully or it could even skip beats until your heart was fibrillating or fluttering - your body wouldn't get proper circulation or oxygenation this way and if your heart stayed in an irregular rhythm for too long it ran the risk of becoming exhausted and either stopping or causing one to have a heart attack or stroke.

They had to work on dropping that value NOW or Anna's heart could stop again or do what Sharon morbidly called "blowing up."

But it didn't make sense - the dose of potassium diluted in the IV fluids Anna had been receiving was perfectly safe and shouldn't cause an elevation like that. There had to be something that they were missing. There had to be some sort of causative factor they were overlooking.

Dr. Keegan had some new orders STAT (emergent) orders for Sharon.

"Switch her over from the saline to an insulin drip and run Dextrose simultaneously as per policy using her body weight to calculate safe dosage. We'll keep titrating that as we need to in order to see how her body adapts. Because of this, I want her blood sugars checked every hour for the first four and then if she's stable you can check every four hours instead. I also want her to have a Kayexelate enema now and we'll reassess that as well when her bloodwork is drawn again in four hours. Bloodwork every four hours for the next twenty four and vitals the same. I also want you to give her 60mg IV Furosemide now, please."

Though commonly thought of as a medication used to manage Diabetes, Insulin would actually encourage the activation of electrolytes in Anna's body and encourage potassium to move into her cells and be used more effectively - it would seep into her cells from the bloodstream and body processes could then use that potassium. The Kayexelate helped to take this "total body potassium" and bind it to molecules in the gut which could then be excreted. The diuretic Furosemide also would help to decrease Anna's potassium. The enema might not be pleasant but it was the last thing Anna needed to worry about now.

The hang-up was that administering IV insulin could cause a life-threatening drop in Annaleigh's blood sugar levels as well - which is why the nurses were going to be checking her blood sugar often and running a sugar solution into her central line to keep her at a stable level. By checking her sugars they could better titrate or intervene when necessary.

They were also going to check her vitals more frequently to monitor the effect the high potassium was having on her body and how she adjusted as they slowly helped her excrete it until she was back to safety.

Sharon gathered all her supplies while Dr. Keegan went to speak to Anna's parents. Although they likely wanted to see her it was essential to get everything going as soon as they possibly could to give her the best chance to live. Carter had just arrived at the family room and saw the pure devastation on his in-law's faces when the door opened to admit Dr. Keegan.

"I'm so sorry about what's happened, but I think there are some things we need to discuss. I'll explain what's happened and then answer any questions you have."

Wednesday morning - looking for answers

Dr. Keegan was very professional in handling such cases. His work in the emergency room and the ICU department for fifteen years brought him face to face with many different life-threatening issues. But nothing like what happened to Annaleigh Anderson. Her symptoms were very perplexing.

Walking slowly and quietly t the family room, he was still trying to wrap his head around how her potassium level jumped from 3.1 to 8.9. Everything he told himself didn’t make sense. The only scenario that made any sense at all was that someone purposely introduced a large dose of potassium into her IV. But why and how? There was a security guard sitting outside her room 24 hours a day. And why would one of the hospital staff want to harm her. He made a mental note to talk to Evelyn Crosby when she arrived for work in a few hours. Now he had to talk to the family.

***********************************************

Carter went back to bed after watching the lone vehicle drive off into the early morning darkness. It was 3:30 am and then not more than five minutes later, his hotel room phone rang. He wondered why the hotel would be calling him at such an early hour as he picked up the phone. It was a strange voice asking if this was Carter Anderson and he thought it was a wrong number. Then he heard the deep baritone voice of Anna’s father and instant fear roared through his body.

“Why would he be calling me at such an early hour,” he wondered. Carter sat on the edge of bed, stunned to hear his Trent tell him his wife went into cardiac arrest and the hospital team were trying to revive her. Carter refused to believe it at first but Trent continued to tell him to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

Carter hung up and dressed as quickly as possible, ignoring combing his hair except to run his hands through it. His mind was racing a million miles a minute, wondering if his wife died. He cursed as he ran through the lobby, chastising himself for not being at her side. Running across the street, his cell phone jingled and the only thought he could muster was that Anna died. But it was James.

Carter was breathing hard, listening to James tell him he heard the door to his room slam and wondered what was going on. Carter did his best to tell him but he didn’t know any detail either. James told him he would rouse everyone and they would be there as quickly as possible. Carter tried to argue but James cut him off, ending the call.

The look on the faces of Lauren and Trent said it all. Their daughter and his wife, was once again fighting for her life. Lauren was sobbing and Trent was trying to console her while nurse Lindsay Samuelson held her hands. Lindsay and Trent were trying to console Lauren as she continued to berate herself for falling asleep, telling her it was not her fault for falling asleep.

Trent looked up at Carter, his eyes red with tears, and Carter knew it was serious, very serious. Carter hugged Lauren and looked at Trent with the burning question poised on his lips. “What happened to Anna? How did she begin to slide downhill when she was doing so well this morning and just a few hours ago?”

The two men hugged and Carter felt the tremor in Trent’s body. He was very shaken, seeing the image of his daughter dying in front of him. The door to the family room opened and they all expected to see the doctor or some other hospital representative. But it was James, Rita, Blair, and Lizzy entering the small room. They each had a look of concern on their faces and acknowledged each other with hugs and assurances that Anna was going to be alright.

Lindsay started to tell them there were too many people in the room but Carter shushed her quickly, telling her they were all family in a way and they were welcome to stay. Trent had gathered his wits and began to tell the group how they played cards until after midnight. He took the recliner and Lauren slept on a cot provided by the hospital. At this, Lauren let out another loud sob and Lindsay put her arm around her comforting the distraught mother.

He was starting to tell Carter what happened when the night nurse came in when the family room door opened and Dr. Keegan appeared, wearing a very serious facial mask. All eyes and ears were on the doctor. He told Lindsay she could leave but Lauren held her hand tightly telling the good doctor she wanted her to stay. Dr. Keegan smiled weakly, looking at the large group in the room. He attempted to say that only the immediate family could stay but Carter quickly squelched that comment. “We are all family and they are going to stay.” It was a simple demand and when Carter said in that rough tone he expected everyone, including the doctor, to adhere to his wishes.

Dr. Keegan shook his head and began to talk. Everyone was riveted to his words and listened with rapt attention as he detailed the measures taken to save Anna’s life. When he mentioned he felt the event was due to her potassium levels being so elevated, Carter sensed something out of the ordinary was amiss. He remained silent but he had a feeling he knew who was behind this. Even he knew that a person’s potassium levels didn’t jump like that without some assistance. When he was done talking, Dr. Keegan waited patiently and silently for the flood of questions that were sure to come.

And he didn’t have to wait long for them. The anger in Trent’s eyes shone brightly when he mentioned the night nurse leaning over Anna’s bed and then pulling the curtain closed when she left the room. “Did she change the IV bottle and mistakenly gave her too much potassium?”

Dr. Keegan shrugged his shoulders and told them he was still trying to figure it out. But Carter’s eyes rose with this new revelation by Trent. He, Blair, and James looked at each other and he could tell they each had a pretty good idea of who was behind the attack on Anna. They continued to remain silent as Trent began to rave in anger.

“How could this happen? My daughter has someone sitting outside her room twenty-four hours a day?” He looked at Carter and then ranted, “What the hell kind of hospital are you running here? My daughter is brought in after an accident, nearly dead and now you can’t keep her alive.” It was evident Trent was losing control and if he knew what Carter knew he may have tempered his statements. But he had no clue about what Anna and Carter were up to with Edward and Josh. “I think there is a big lawsuit about to happen,” he seethed, his face flush with anger.

Carter tried to defuse the situation. “Trent let’s let the hospital find out the real cause and then we can determine our next move.”

“How in the fuck can you remain so calm. Your wife is on life support.”

Carter looked at the distraught father and really understood his anger. There were things he needed to know but could Carter trust him. “Trent …. You and I need to have a talk.” His tone was deep and sure and Trent settled down.

Turning his attention to the doctor, Carter asked. “You said she is stable for now. When can we see her doctor?”

He had a lot of questions but in the bottom of his belly, he had a feeling Anna held the key to what happened. He needed to have her input before he turned his anger to the proper source and he knew already it was Edward Hartman. One other thing gnawed at him, if Edward ordered the hit, who did it and would it be best to let Edward think he succeeded? So many questions and he could only hope his beloved Anna could answer some of them.

They say when you die your life flashes before your eyes.

Anna didn’t recall anything similar happening after the accident but then she didn’t even remember that at all, either; only what she had been told, which, admittedly wasn’t much.

This time, as Anna sucked in some agonal gasps as her heart stuttered and stopped from how irregularly it was beating, everything came rushing back to her. Every single moment of her whirlwind romance and her trip undercover. Every loving laugh and sexual stroke, every horrific moment in hell with Edward and his family of killers.

The moment she’d looked for the other driver and realized they were leaving her there. The coppery taste of blood in her throat and the painful way her chest contracted as she struggled for air. She remembered screaming in her ears. Both Carter’s and her own as she attempted to say his name through the earpiece - to tell him how much she loved him and beg his forgiveness at the end.

She hadn’t been able to speak those words then, but only a few short hours ago she had been honoured to watch the smile bloom across his handsome, stoic face as she declared her love for him for what may be the last time.

She understood just why she needed a guard 24/7, but that hadn’t been enough to stop Evelyn from sliding through the doors and injecting Anna with a lethal dose of medication. She remembered everything. But now, hooked back up to a ventilator and struggling for her life after cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Anna really would take her secrets to the grave.

Unless she fought like hell.

Well, Anna never had been known to give up easily - she was stubborn, you see.

She had better shit to be doing than dying, thank you very much.

*****

“Please. Feel free to visit but again... she is in critical condition and the sight of her now is... well, be warned that it may be hard to see. Take your time and if there’s anything, and I do mean ANYTHING we can do for you please let us know.”

Two hours later, Dr. Keegan scrolled through Anna’s most recent bloodwork. Her potassium was still high but it was down to 7.6 now and hopefully would continue to drop. Her blood sugar was running pretty consistently and her vitals were remaining pretty steady with the exception of heart rate which was running anywhere from 90 to about 160 as her ventricles fluttered due to the elevated potassium in her bloodstream. Her blood pressure was surprisingly fine. Normal heart rate was anywhere from 60-100 but given the events of the night Dr. Keegan was feeling more optimistic once it finally crested the 180 mark one final time and dropped about 160 beats per minute.

He decided to switch over one of the medications holding her blood pressure to something to convert her heart rate into something a little more sustainable, so Sharon immediately did as ordered.

He watched her “family” crowd around her bedside and rested his cheek on his palm, considering.

Just who was this Wonder Woman? She had great family support but there was also something deeper going on here. He suspected the “accident” had been anything but that, because why would security be outside her room at all times otherwise? Mrs. Anderson wasn’t exactly infamous just yet, but she would be when the world learned of her miraculous recovery twice over.

Were her elevated potassium levels another attack on her life? If so, how had someone crept past her security detail in the first place? It had to have been someone who worked here. That was a no brainer - someone who would not only have access to the patient, but also the knowledge of dangerous medications and behind the scenes access to restricted areas in order to procure it.

Something wasn’t adding up, but whatever was happening her, Dr. Ross Keegan knew he didn’t like it.

******

By the next round of bloodwork, Anna’s potassium was still high at 6.6 but it was approaching manageable levels and Dr. Keegan personally decreased the medication administration rate of the Insulin drip until he was satisfied. He didn’t trust anyone now - it was too risky. Because Sharon had been admitting another patient during the time frame when this alleged attempted murder had happened, she was off the suspect list.

But he still had plans to rule her out completely by checking out the security footage of the cameras aimed at the nursing station. For privacy reasons, there were no cameras inside patient rooms but there were two cameras that covered the small unit and overlooked everything outside the walls of glass separating their patients from the desk.

Then he’d put in a call to Evelyn and see what he could find out from her - if there was anything she could do to aid in the investigation. Maybe she could pull some strings and get them emergent access to who had acquired the extra potassium by removing it from the automated medication cabinets and track the suspect down that way.

For now, he paused by the desk and caught Sharon’s eyes as she finished giving morning report to the nurse coming on.

“Ladies. Good morning. Thank you for your hard work last night Sharon; you were instrumental in saving this young girl’s life. She’s not out of the woods yet but at least you gave her a chance. Amber, I have one sort of... odd request. I know it’s a lot of work but I want her moved from bed B down the way to bed E - it’s more private. Also. Please speak to Mr. Anderson and determine a list of exactly WHO is allowed to visit the Mrs; I want nobody other than those on that list to be given ANY information at all. I want her admission here kept a secret, actually, save for anyone directly involved in her care. I have a funny feeling about this whole thing and I think that this is only the beginning if word gets out that she’s alive,” he said morbidly.

He didn’t want to blurt his suspicions outright but he wanted to make it clear to both nurses.

There was no wiggle room. Any actions from here on out would be reviewed over and over under the microscope until there was no room for error or doubt.

Someone had tried to kill Annaleigh Anderson and they wouldn’t stop until she was dead.

Through the glass partition, Ross Keegan Met Carter Anderson’s burning gaze for only a moment. The look in them was saddened but primal and fierce, too.

It screamed not to fuck with him.

Ross wondered just what that man was truly capable of when it came to defending and extracting vengeance for the ones he loved. Ross didn’t want to find himself on the tail end of that hit list, so he nodded once in respect and turned away.

Time to find Evelyn.

Wednesday morning - Dr. Keegan talks to the men about Evelyn

No one in the entourage was ready for the sight that met them when they walked into Anna’s room. Anna was back on the ventilator, helping her breathe. The monitor reporting her vital signs was humming and it was heartening to Trent to see the tiny blip rising and falling. The last time he looked at the machine, there was only a flat line and he thought he had lost his baby girl.

The normal hospital policy was to only allow immediate family to visit a person in the ICU unit. But orders had come down from Cara Livingston, Riverside Hospital Administrator, to allow an exception to Carter Anderson. Now as each one stood beside Anna’s bed, they grieved within their own souls, praying for the young woman fighting for her life.

Carter was shaken to the core by the sight before him. Last night, she seemed on the verge of recovering her memory and now she was fighting for each breath. What happened to her? The thought nagged at him constantly. After a few minutes, he grew restless, wanting to find out what happened to his wife. He felt helpless standing at the bedside while her assassins were probably plotting another attempt. He nudged Trent, whispering for them to leave for a few minutes. Turning to leave, he also invited James to join them. It was time to give some information to Trent and he wanted James to hear what he had to say in order to keep him in the loop.

The three men left the women to watch over Anna while they retreated to the family room. Sipping coffee, Carter filled Trent in on why Anna was alone in a strange town. He mentioned the close relationship with Edward and how Anna wowed him at the office. Since then, they had meetings with Edward and his staff. She was working on a deal with Edward’s company and they all felt very comfortable with her working solo on this aspect of the deal.

Trent shook his head, proud of his daughter and the way she rose in the corporate world. He knew from an early age, she had the ability to negotiate. Hell, she had manipulated him and her mom on numerous occasions to get what she wanted. So, it was no surprise when Carter told her of her successes. But what happened? How did she get in the accident and what happened last night? He wanted to believe the hospital was giving her the best care, but there was something nagging at him.

Carter filled Trent in on her meteoritic rise in the company. The parts of their sexual adventures, Anna’s lust for pain, and her insistence to help expose Josh and Edward was left out of the conversation. He also glossed over the fact that his daughter was a sex star in some videos and had purchased slaves at an auction was left by the wayside. He was not about to tell him and James silently agreed, nodding his head at each point.

Carter was about to suggest going back to Anna’s room when the door opened and Dr. Ross Keegan appeared. “Gentlemen, please excuse the interruption but we have some important things to discuss.”

All eyes were directed to him and the nurses who followed him into the room. Dr. Keegan cleared his throat and leaned against the wall. “You know Sharon Markel, the night nurse.” Everyone nodded and Trent gave her a wide smile.

“Thank you for saving my daughter’s life last night.”

She smiled back at him as Dr. Keegan spoke again. “This is Donna Albright, another night nurse and “Amber Watson, who will be taking over duties for today.” Dr. Keegan saw the expectation on each of the men’s faces, wondering what the point was for them to be here.

“Gentlemen we are moving Anna to a more secure room and these nurses, Dr. Lake, and myself will be the sole health providers for Annaleigh. No one and I mean no one on this hospital staff will have access to her care. When we are done, I want you to give a list of people who can visit her to Amber before you see her again. Only those persons will be allowed back in the ICU area.”

Carter’s eyes met Dr. Keegan’s intent eyes. “Thank you but what do you suspect now that you didn’t last night?” Carter had a way of putting people on the spot and this was no different. He wanted to know who tried to kill his wife.

Dr. Keegan knew this question was coming and he was prepared. “I won’t pull any punches because I know you three want answers and believe me so do, we.” Trent was about to speak when Dr. Keegan held up his hand. “Please let me finish. After reviewing the lab work, I had some suspicions when I reviewed the potassium levels. The only way they could have got into her bloodstream was by injection.”

“Your goddamn right,” Trent shouted, unable to control his anger.

“Please Mr. Brayden. I know you’re upset. Did you recognize the nurse who came into Annaleigh’s room last night?”

“No. I was just waking up and saw this shadow leaning over her bed. I heard her whispering to Annaleigh but I thought the nurse was just checking up on her. And what about the guard. When my wife went out to get a nurse, he was walking back to the room with a cup of coffee.”

“I don’t think he had anything to do with it. The video shows him getting up and checking the room before he left. It’s not uncommon. And besides he told the nurses station that he was going to the bathroom and then getting a cup of coffee.”

Trent Brayden nodded, partially accepting the answer but not totally. In his mind, no one was in the clear. Yet!

Dr. Keegan cleared his throat once more. What he was about to say would make the hospital administrator and attorneys cringe at a potential lawsuit. But he had a feeling that the tall husband would take matters into his hands. “I checked the videos and the only person I saw was Evelyn Crosby, the head of the ICU department.”

There was an audible gasp from the men, hearing her name. Trent’s face turned red and Carter knew he needed to take control. “Where is this Miss Crosby now?” Carter could see the expression change on Dr. Keegan’s face. It was the look of a man who had no clue where she was but he knew something.

“I don’t know where she is Mr. Anderson. She didn’t show up for work and one of the cleaning ladies found a note on her desk tendering her resignation. We tried to call her cell phone but it goes straight to voicemail.” The look on the men’s faces grew grim and he knew he had to calm their fears. “I have another staff person looking for her. Please know we want to locate her as soon as possible before we call the police.”

At the mention of police, Trent and James looked at each other but it was Carter was quick to intercede. “You will not call the police Dr. Keegan is that clear?” The good doctor’s face and body language registered confusion. “Before you call the police and they start asking questions as to why you want her found, it would be best to let us do some investigating.”

“What …. What can you do?”

A stern look masked his face as he stared at the doctor and nurses. “You don’t want to know but let’s just say I have some resources that the police would deem inappropriate.”

Trent looked on in disbelief, not believing what he just heard from his son-in-law. Seeing the look of determination on his face, he kept his mouth shut.

“Doctor if you would be so kind as to get Miss Crosby’s address, we will take it from her for now.”

Dr. Keegan nodded knowing better than to argue with Carter Anderson. He knew he should call the police and Cara Livingston would have his ass but there was something about this man’s demeanor that extruded fear. This man didn’t get to be who he was by being a pussyfoot. He could only wonder what he would do to Evelyn Crosby once he found her.

After the doctor and nurses left, Carter turned to James and Trent. “James, I want you and Blair to go to Evelyn’s house or wherever she lives and see what you find. Trent and I are going to stay here with Anna and make sure she gets the care she needs.” There was another reason he was staying with Trent Brayden. He may be a great biochemical engineer but he was vulnerable to outburst of a father feeling immense hurt.

James smiled, pleased to be given something to do. He was going stir crazy sitting around the hospital and hotel. It’s not that he didn’t love Anna but now he could help and try to solve this mystery.

Carter also knew James had some special skills and with Blair, they would make a good team. “And James ……. I assume you still know how to pick a lock.” The two men laughed and saw the questioning look on Trent’s face. “It’s a long story Trent. James was special forces.” No other words were needed to know that James knew his way around sticky situations.

Carter put his arm around Trent. “While they are out hunting, why don’t you and I go keep an eye on our loved ones” As they walked to Anna’s new room, Carter knew it would be a long day of waiting. Waiting for calls from James and Blair and waiting for Anna to wake from the sedatives they gave her.

Wednesday passed by with no changes in Anna’s sedation levels.

Thursday morning though, as Amber did her assessments and reviewed morning bloodwork, she was pleased to find everything was back down to acceptable limits. Dr. Lake was happy to discontinue her Insulin drip and ordered her vitals to continue being recorded every four hours but her most recent heart rate was 115 - certainly an improvement. She probably didn’t need the stabilizing medication any longer for that, either.

Anna’s body was also responding to stimuli - her lips lifted in a flinch at one point and the sole of her foot drew away from the sensation of the tongue depressor Amber scraped across it. Her lungs sounded clear for the first time in days - no hint of any blood or congestion, and the chest tube had not drained any at all over the last two days. With a portable chest X-ray Dr. Lake reviewed both Annaleigh’s rib fractures and her collapsed lung which was now reinflated after days of steroid therapy and drainage. There was only one new break from the CPR they’d done early Wednesday morning. Not bad.

He cut the sutures holding the tube in place and pulled it steadily from Anna’s left side, causing a grating moan to bubble forth from Anna’s lips at the pressure of it. Amber had been at the ready to press an occlusive dressing over the old site and taped it securely down so that no air from the outside environment could enter into Anna’s tissue and cause further damage.

Because of how responsive Anna was becoming, Dr. Lake had hope that they could also discontinue the ventilator again. While the Respiratory Therapist got ready to do so, Dr. Lake gazed down at the young woman who had proven herself to be incredibly resilient. Somehow, this woman had survived through two crazy events and seemed to be prepared to keep fighting. Men like Carter Anderson and the woman he had chosen as his wife seemed to be cut from a different cloth.

The RT, Kelly, pulled the endotracheal tube free of Anna’s throat and immediately replaced the oxygen they had been providing her with via tube through a set of prongs that went into her nostrils.

No response.

“Breathe,” Amber muttered, staring hard at Anna.

“C’mon. You can do it. Breathe.”

No response.

With a firm upward thrust against Anna’s tummy just above her belly button, Kelly waited expectantly.

Nothing.

“Fuck this,” she said. “She might not be too happy with me when she comes out of it but oh well,” she stated emphatically before she clenched her hand into a fist and brought it down on Anna’s heart forcefully.

“Ughhhhhhhhh,” Anna gasped, eyes shooting open wide and mouth dropping open in surprise. Her lungs sucked in a deep breath at the same time as Anna’s body tensed in response to the pain of agitating her broken ribs.

“That’s my girl,” Kelly smirked. “Keep it up. Keep going, Mrs. Anderson.”

Slowly, Anna raised one shaky hand to clasp over her heart. Her breathing was laboured but that was likely from the surprise re-entry into the living world. Green eyes fluttered but pinned Kelly with a doleful look.

Her voice was raw and hoarse when she started to talk. Dr. Lake leaned in to hear her even as Kelly fussed around and checked Annaleigh’s blood gases via the arterial line and oxygen saturation.

“The fuck,” Anna complained. “I was sleeping so well, too. Why’d you have to go and pull that?”

“Oh my God,” Amber laughed. “I’m sure you’ll forget all about it in half an hour when I load you up with pain meds!”

Dr. Lake hadn’t expected such a tactic when he’d ordered her ventilator stopped in suspicion that Anna was regaining her independent body function but he had to admit that Kelly’s methods, while not always the most practical, usually always worked. Kelly was a bit rough around the edges but she got tasks accomplished and her patients seemed to build good rapport with her. This was just one of many success stories.

He had to admit seeing this young woman nursing her wounds and pouting a bit as she whined was a beautiful sight. He hadn’t yet been lucky enough to see Anna’s personality or hear her voice since the accident so this was a great way to start his day. He was pleased to report his findings to her family.

But before Amber could even step out of the room to medicate Annaleigh once more, Anna was curling strong fingers around Amber’s wrist.

“Can you do me a favour?”

Amber nodded slowly, curiously.

“Can you go tell my husband that his ball and chain would like to see him STAT?” She joked, using terminology she’d acquired from her time in the hospital and those old medical dramas she used to binge.

******

Megan passed the doors to the family room, quietly. The door was shut so she wasn’t able to see Anna’s entourage sitting inside waiting for the medical team to finish their morning duties. Instead, she strode quickly to the desk and raised her sunglasses to rest on the crown of her head.

She smiled sweetly at the clerk.

“Hello. I’m here to see Annaleigh Anderson. Is this a good time or should I come back?”

She glanced discreetly at bed B and noted the closed curtains and door.

The clerk, Joyce, who hadn’t been born yesterday and had been informed of the rules regarding visitors and information not cleared by Carter fixed a frown on her face and stated, “I’m sorry. There is no Annaleigh Anderson here. For more information I suggest you call her immediate family.”

It was tried and true to weed out anyone who should not be visiting patients. Usually that response was the default for any patient who had passed away, but it worked just as well in these circumstances, too.

“Oh,” Megan said quietly.

“Oh - no. I can’t believe... Yes. Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you.”

******

Sitting behind the wheel of her custom built sportscar, Megan stared blankly through the windshield at the dim parking garage walls.

It really was done this time.

Annaleigh was dead.

Even though she had been using them, betraying them, Megan couldn’t deny her love for the other woman had been real. There was a hole in her chest when she thought of Anna’s smiling face and the way she melted under the combined hands of Josh and Megan. She thought of the day Anna had said yes to their proposal - whether the bitch had meant it or not - and couldn’t stop the small smile that surfaced.

But those times were gone, now.

Any tiny shred of light was gone and a dark, sorrowful expression shuttered her face and eclipsed it.

She dialled her husband.

“Hey baby. I’m just leaving Riverside. Please tell uncle that it’s over now. Oh, Josh... Anna is dead. She’s gone,” she cried, tears breaking free and sliding down her cheeks.

“That horrible bitch. What she’s done to us... she betrayed us and fucking manipulated us but I can’t... I can’t stop fucking loving her! Tell me this is all a bad dream. Tell me we’ll wake up with her in our arms like this never happened. Please Josh... I know you still love her too,” Megan pleaded through her sobs.

******

Dr. Lake delivered Anna’s message when he stepped into the family room. Initially, it didn’t sink in for a about a minute or so, but then Lauren was squealing excitedly. “She’s awake?! That sounds just like her, too. What a hooligan I’ve raised - I promise I didn’t teach her the bad manners she’s accumulated,” she laughed, joyously.

“Well - what are you waiting for? I think your presence has been demanded, Mr. Anderson,” Lauren teased. “We’ll wait til after your negotiations are over before we claim her 1030,” she snickered.

Thursday morning - Anna wakes up again

Carter was right. Wednesday was a long day of waiting, talking with Trent, Lauren, and Lizzy. They stayed at Anna’s bedside, getting to know each other. Carter was glad Lizzy, the strawberry blonde who wanted to be a model, deflected Trent’s questions about her relationship with Anna. She and Carter had rehearsed a few things in private and he was glad to see she was sticking to her script.

A few times during the morning and early afternoon, Trent asked Blair and James, wondering how they were doing in their search for Evelyn Crosby. Carter wondered too. Hearing nothing made him more anxious but he was not about to show it to the Brayden’s. To them he was a pillar of strength and that’s the way he wanted them to think.

******************************************************

Blair and James drove to the address given to them by Dr. Keegan. The luxury apartment was just off the downtown business district. The building that once was a major manufacturing plant had been turned into apartments for mostly young up and comers. But a few of the apartments were occupied by retirees who had a nice nest egg.

They were about to knock on Evelyn’s door when the door in the adjacent apartment opened. A young woman exited the apartment and eyed the couple suspiciously, asking if they were looking for someone. Blair explained they were looking for Evelyn and when asked why, Blair explained that they were from the hospital and she had not showed up for work and did not answer her phone. The young woman accepted Blair’s explanation and walked to the elevator. She watched while Blair knocked on the door and called out in a concerned voice. But when she entered the elevator, their mood changed.

James smiled at Blair’s quizzical look asking her if she never broke into a house or apartment. She told him she had but was surprised her was the fact that he had those skills. James chuckled and then told Blair there was a lot of things he was capable of that she didn’t know. Blair tucked that knowledge away as James quickly opened the locked door.

Evelyn’s apartment was immaculate. Not a piece of furniture out of place, no stray papers or magazines laying out. Either she was the cleanest and tidiest person or she wanted someone to think so.

Blair’s trained eyes searched for any signs of someone living here but and at first glance everything appeared to be in its proper place. But she figured Evelyn was not thinking like a pro but rather like a person who left in a hurry. There had to be something out of place.

And there was something out of place. Every closet was bare, cleaned out totally of clothes and other belongings. She had done a good job of stripping the place of all her personal belongings and wasn’t planning to return. James was about to leave her bedroom, when he took a second look under the bed. There, in a dark corner next to the nightstand he spotted a wadded-up piece of paper.

Calling Blair, he carefully opened it to reveal a list of things to do. He quickly read the list and then again, slowly letting each item sink in.
Cancel apartment lease
Pack all belongings
Write note to hospital
Get all money
Call Lois ….
Pick up new papers
Call EH and JW

They had found Anna’s intended murderer and she skipped town. They looked at each other and in almost perfect synchronization asked, “Where are you going?” It surprised them both and they chuckled. James added, “Looks like we make a good team.”

“Yea, it sure does.” Blair was quick to call Carter with the news. She read off the list and added her own comments. “I think she has a new identity Carter. She has a note to call Lois and I have a feeling she is the forger. I will check with my contacts and see what I can find out.”

***************************************************************
Carter listened to Blair, telling her he appreciated their good work. He chuckled and let out a soft laugh when she told him she was impressed with James’ skill at breaking into the apartment. He responded, telling her there were a lot of things about James she didn’t know. Before they closed the conversation, Carter told her there was no change in Anna’s condition.

Clicking off, he thought about Edward and Josh, his anger rising. They had planned the accident and then forced Evelyn to do their dirty work at the hospital. They had to have something on her that forced her to do it. He remembered meeting her and she seemed so dedicated to Anna’s care. What changed her? When, not if, he faced Edward and Josh he would find out why they chose her. She was on the run and they had to find her.

A thought came to Carter. What if the detectives show up at the mansion asking questions about one of their vehicles being involved in the accident? Better yet, what if those detectives happened to be Lizzy, James and Blair? They could explain how they are looking into the death of Annaleigh Brayden and got their name from a recovered cell phone. Carter smiled at Anna lying on the bed unable to tell him what he was sure was critical information.

****************************************************************
Edward and Regina were sad to hear the report from a grieving Megan when she returned from the hospital. They had such high hopes for Annaleigh and now they were scrambling to come up with a new plan. Carter Anderson had to be taken down but they knew it was going to be more difficult. Edward told everyone they were going to use Lena to get Carter. Megan was to fly and meet with Lena on Saturday to discuss the situation.

Megan texted Lena and while she waited for a return message, she thought about her trip to the hospital. It was so sad to find out one of the loves in your life was dead. The tears welled up in her eyes and small drops fell to cheek, feeling like scalding hot water.

***************************************************************
Wednesday moved by slowly and it looked like Thursday would be more of he same. Carter was tired from no sleep, keeping vigil at Anna’s bedside. He was joined periodically by some of the family members who told him to go and get some rest. But he declined. He was not leaving her bedside. Not after what happened a few nights ago.

On Thursday, Blair and Lizzy convinced him to go to the family room for some coffee and rest. He relented and shortly after, Blair and Lizzy joined the group, telling Carter that Amber was in the room with Dr. Lake. They were going to take her off some of the tubes and would call when they were done.

Everyone was surprised to see Dr. Lake come in with a smile on his face. It was totally different than the look of despair he and Dr. Keegan had worn the last few days. His heart leap at the silent signal but he controlled himself. Better not to get too excited. When Dr. Lake told them the good news, grins that hurt, creased their faces. Everyone got up and hugged Dr. Lake, who looked embarrassed by all the attention.

The excitement filled the room and Carter was so ecstatic to learn his wife was awake and calling for him. He wanted Trent and Lauren to accompany him but they insisted he go alone. They wanted to give him some time to be with her before they all barged in to see her.

Carter and Dr. Lake walked together to Anna’s new room. On the way, they passed the desk and Joyce stopped them. She mentioned Anna having a visitor that was not on the list and just wanted him to know. She told him of their conversation and Carter told her she did a good job. Again, walking slowly, he knew it was Megan checking up on Evelyn’s work. He would love to see the look on her face when she sees Anna. It would happen and Carter would make sure of it.

He as not prepared for the bright smile that greeted him and Dr. Lake. Amber was standing off to the side watching Anna’s husband practically run at Anna. “Ohhhhh god baby you don’t know how scared we were for the last few days. We thought we lost you again.”

He leaned down to kiss her briefly and when he pulled back, he saw the smile on her face. It was a smile that she was back from the dead and he intended on keeping her that way.

She curled one hand around his neck and pulled him back in for another slow kiss. As he stepped back and moved to sit on the side of her bed she smiled and said “hi. Fancy meeting you here Mr. Anderson.”

Holding his hand, Anna sat back and just looked at him fondly.

“Woah. What a crazy set of days, huh? I promise I’m not usually so high maintenance... just a hot commodity is all,” she shrugged.

Her expression settled into something more serious.

“I think there are some things we need to talk about. I remember everything, Carter, and you won’t like most of it but I need to sit down and discuss it with the police, too. Edward Hartman is going to prison,” she declared, fire in her eyes. “None of the rest of those heinous people are safe now, either. Fill me in on what you’ve found out, please? And then I’ll fill in any blanks.”

She squeezed his fingers, gently. Her diamond wedding bands glittered in the fluorescent lighting and she soared a gaze down at the visible promise of their love. Her voice was steady and determined when she met his eyes again.

“Nobody will take me away from you. They’ve got another thing coming if they think they can fuck with us and I can’t wait to see their expression when I walk through the doors of Anderson and Clemens and steal our company right back out from underneath those dumb fucks.”

Her smile now was sharklike as though she was tasting blood in the water.

Thursday Morning - Carter gets a chance to talk to Anna

Carter was overjoyed to have his wife’s eyes open and her pretty mouth spewing venom against the “family”. She said she remembered everything, but did she? Did she remember the crash and how it happened? Sometimes it could take days, weeks, months, or even years to face the memories of a horrible event. But he was not about to douse her exuberance with all the details.

Holding her hand, he couldn’t help but lean over for another tasty kiss. Each kiss brought back delicious memories of their heated sexual battles that left them both breathing hard, exhausted, and content. His tongue speared against her lips, dipping past the soft guards to tease her tongue with expectations of erotic delights. And when he pulled his tongue back to safety, his lips captured her lower lip, teeth nipping at it and hearing her soft moanfully sounds. Realizing they were going a bit too far in a hospital room where anyone could walk in unannounced, caused him to pull back.

“Don’t worry baby. There is so much more where that came from. You need to regain your health and your strength before we play hard again.” Glancing at her leg and hand he wondered just how long it would take for her to completely heal. He wanted so much for her to be totally healthy so they could have some serious fun in the play room.

She must have been thinking the same thing when her good hand slithered between them, rubbing the front of his trousers. If she was thinking of getting a reaction from him, she was right. Not moving, but enjoying her hand motions rubbing the length of his cock only spurred more erotic thoughts of good times to come.

“Now, Now dear. We need you in better shape before we go off on some game that we can’t finish.” Her theatrical pout made him chuckle. “Soon baby soon I promise you. Once you are good enough to get out of here, I think we can work with a busted hand and leg just fine.”

Her laugh was the elixir they both needed to break the mood. “I can tell you a lot honey and I know you have some things to say that will be hard. But I know you did what you thought you had to do and remember, I went along with your ideas and even added a few of my own.”

“Let’s start when you left the house and traveled to Edward’s house. What did you, Edward, Josh, Megan, and Regina talk about on the plane? Were they conspiring to go after me or were they still testing you? And what about the night you were forced to have sex with five men?” Carter stopped talking, seeing the look on Anna’s face. She remembered. “Anna, it’s alright. Someone at the party took photos and sent them to me. I was pretty upset and I too made some mistakes with Blair and Lizzy. I need you to forgive me baby. Can you do that honey? Can you forgive me?”

Anna was about to speak when Trent walked into the room. Carter turned to him. “I know you have so much to say to your daughter but could you give us another minute?” Trent smiled, knowing full well he was taking a backseat to her new husband. And that is how it should be.

“Sure. We’ll be right outside. Take your time?”

Carter turned back to the lovely brunette staring at him with those big green eyes. “So, what can you tell me about your time with Edward and Josh? Did they make advances toward you?”

Death brought a lot of things into perspective for Annaleigh.

As angry as she had been with Carter for playing with Blair and Lizzy while Anna had been MIA, deep undercover in the lion’s den, she would rather not have to be without him. Anger wasn’t permanent and after everything she had been through, cheating felt like a non-issue; it felt a bit superficial. There were much more important things to deal with. She was just grateful to be alive and in his arms again.

The hand that had been cupping her husband’s plentiful package raised to cup his stubbled jaw instead. She smiled and leaned in to brush their noses together momentarily before pulling back to shift against the pillows as she got ready for story time. She didn’t want to have to go over every detail twice but she could let Carter in on the nitty gritty facts that she did not plan to tell the police.

“The never stopped testing me, actually. It was always clear they didn’t trust me, but after I joined Megan and some of her... associates for a steamy live stream they were more apt to believe me. Of course they wanted you eating out of the palm of my hand (as much I wish you were eating something else) and so they left no limits to our communication.

“Hartman and his family showed me the premises over the course of several days and various illegal acts of sexual slavery, drug use and some of the acts of torture that happen there. They have several different buildings just for prostitution sales and whatnot. That orgy... it was Josh’s idea of a ‘surprise’ and if I would have said no I would have been ousted. Apparently many prominent members of their clientele were there to both watch and enjoy me. However even after I had been drugged up with the sex pill, Marie Garnett didn’t feel that was enough — I ended up sick the entire next day after she drugged me.”

Anna paused. She’d been purposefully skipping over certain events but she knew she had to elaborate and be perfectly honest with Carter.

“Edward... he.... he touched me, baby. He made me suck him off in a car and then he expected me to give him my ass, too. Even though I belonged to Josh and Megan, their family is big into sharing. Nothing is out of bounds. Reluctantly, I gave it to him.

Carter curled his larger hands into fists and Anna scuttled forward as best she could to rest her forehead on his shoulder in reassurance.

“And you know that Josh proposed to me; both he and Megan proclaimed falling madly in love with me and wanting to spend eternity in some kinky poly family orgy; I said yes to string him along but apparently they didn’t love me enough if they let their lover get crushed in a hit and run. They must have found out I was betraying them and wanted to wipe their hands of me. They couldn’t even finish the job properly; it was Evelyn Crosby who they sent to do the dirty work and clearly she failed because here I am,” she tittered bitterly.

“Oh, uncle Eddy is going to be so mad when he finds out,” she snorted. “I can’t fucking wait. I’m... so defeated. To know that such a woman hurt me like that... I already know she probably felt like she had no other choice. Edward and Josh just make you feel so... dead inside, but mostly that everything you do just digs you into an even deeper hole. I’m finally breaking free and I could not be happier.

“But I think now is the time I need to speak to the police and tell them what I know.”

Anna waited expectantly for his reaction to her story.

Thursday Morning - Carter tells Anna his thoughts about the police

Her story filled Carter with anger for Edward and his clan. When she mentioned being taken by Edward himself, he imagined the scene and felt his rage roaring to life inside him. He tried to remain calm on the outside but Anna sensed it and tried to defuse his anger. The thought of getting Edward alone and pouncing on him like a wild man, swept over and over through his mind.

And he would do the same to Josh and Megan, given the opportunity. They, at first appeared to be single, working for Edward on different levels. Megan working for Edward and Josh trying to set up a new drug on the market. He and Anna were both duped by the charade, never realizing they were married. Their only interest in Carter helping them put a new drug on the market was to destroy him. If not for Anna and her business savvy and personality, they may have succeeded. Carter looked at her face and could see why the duo fell for her, hell he did in a big way.

“I love you very much Annaleigh Anderson and if I had know this was going south, I would never have put you in harms way.” Kissing her hand, he gave her one of his charming smiles. “Let’s not think about Uncle Eddie or his band of misfits. Let’s concentrate on you getting better and getting you out of here.”

The look of expectation was still on her face and he knew she was waiting for him to tell her about the police. “Baby we are not going to involve the local police. I'm sure some of them are in their back pockets and on the take just like Evelyn. Who by the way, went missing as of this morning. She left a resignation letter on her desk and she packed everything in her apartment. Anna, she skipped town. We need to find her so she can testify against Edward and Josh. I have an idea Blair and Lizzy will figure a way to find her.”

There was still a look of disappointment on her face about the police. “We aren’t worried about the police because we are going to have Blair call in the FBI. I have a funny feeling that if we call in the local police, Edward will find out you are still alive.” A soft confident smile spread across her lips. “The group is dealing with prostitution, drugs and slavery across state lines and those are all federal offences. With your testimony and Evelyn’s, if we can find her, should put them away for a long time.”

He saw a look of excitement fill her eyes and it made Carter happy to see the old Anna back from the dead. He planned to not let that ever happen again. “listen sweetie, there are a lot of people excited to see you and we don’t want to keep them waiting. Afterwards I want the doctor to explain how long you will be here and what we can expect as recovery time from the injuries to your leg and hand.”

He leaned forward, his lips once more meeting her with a deep loving kiss. “I love you baby and am never letting you leave my side again.”

Anna greeted the rest of her family exuberantly. She had a big smile and a kiss on the cheek for everyone. They spent the rest of the day just laughing and visiting. Her parents were so happy to see her come around so well after what had looked like a fatal event.

It was just after dinner that Dr. Lake stopped in once the family had started to quiet down and slowly disperse to give Anna some quiet time. Only Lauren and Carter sat by Anna’s bedside when he visited.

Anna sat up a bit straighter. Even after she had woken the first time she had not been told of her recovery time or full extent of her injuries because of her impaired memories and suspected fragile mental state. This time she was awake and alert to get the entire story from beginning to end.

Dr. Lake took a few small steps across the floor to lean against her bedrails.

“Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs Anderson, Mrs. Brayden. I thought we could take some time and discuss what the plan of care should be from this point forward, if that’s alright? I can come back if it’s not a good time.”

“No,” Anna said. “It’s not bad timing at all. I’d really rather know exactly what we’re looking at - can I break out of jail anytime soon?”

Her humorous outlook startled a laugh out of the attending and he smiled gently at her.

“I think you’ll recover without any adverse effects if you’re done inviting trouble,” he winked. “Realistically, we’re looking at keeping weight off your leg for about six more weeks give or take and your ribs should take about that long too in order to start feeling better but your lungs are back to working order and your surgical site looks great from when we removed your spleen. Hopefully we get you up and on crutches or mobilizing fairly independently. If you feel up to it we can get that catheter out.

Your bloodwork is almost completely normal once more. I think you’ll be able to head home soon but because of he sensitive nature of your case I don’t want to send you to a step down unit to recover in the interim. I don’t think you’ll be well enough to go before Monday at the earliest by the time we get you back on your feet and feeling better. You might need some assistance at home for a while but it should be no problem if you spend some money and hire someone,” Dr. Lake suggested.

He couldn’t help but add a comment about Carter’s wealth; thinking about the fact that this man’s silken tie was probably worth more money than Dr. Lake made per pay period made him feel somehow inadequate. Carter lived and breathed money - there was certainly no issue with him having the money to pay someone to look after his wife. Nothing but the best for the missus, after all.

Annaleigh Anderson was going to be one spoiled woman if the look of love radiating from Carter’s face was anything to go by. He’d give her the sun and the moon and the stars if he could. It was a pleasing sight to see.

That was acceptable to Anna and she nodded, feeling like that plan of care was definitely manageable. She wouldn’t want to go home before she was ready even as much as she was aching to go home.

“Thank you Dr. Lake - that makes sense. I’m happy with that. Carter? Is that okay? I know you have better things to do - you have so much else to be doing. I’m okay if you want to fly home and whip everything back into shape. I promise,” she said, as she turned to look back at her husband.

Thursday Late Afternoon - Carter and Anna talk to the doctor

Carter was used to people taking jabs at him about his wealth. Some were meant to be vicious comments meant to say when is enough, enough? Others didn’t object to his wealth and with the good Dr. Lake, he took it in jest. Yes, he made a ton of money and he gave a lot of it away to charities. But he also knew what the doctors were making and it was nothing to sneeze at. He made a good six figure income and lived in a very wealthy neighborhood himself. Giving him a smile and chuckle was all he needed to show the good doctor that he got the message.

“Yes dear. I am quite happy with what Dr. Lake has proposed.” Holding her hand, he looked at Dr. Lake and Lauren. “Anna will be given the best care at home. That I can assure you. I have already talked to my team of doctors and physical therapist and with your permission I would like them to visit on Sunday and have a conference with you, Dr. Keegan, and the attending nurses. We are especially appreciative of the excellent care you’ve shown my wife and family.”

Dr. Lake chuckled. He should have known Carter Anderson would have his own private team of doctors, nurses, and physical therapist at the drop of a hat. “Yes Mr. Anderson. That would be fine. I think a late afternoon meeting can be arranged for Sunday and it will be held in utmost secrecy. I will see to it that the meeting is a seminar as to not raise suspicions.”

“Very good doctor. I will take the necessary steps to make it happen.” As an afterthought, Carter added, “and doctor, we will expect to keep you informed of our lovely patients progress. In fact, I will make travel and accommodations for you and whoever you deem necessary to make a trip to my house to see her progress in person.”

“That is very kind of you but you don’t have to trouble yourself.”

“It’s not a problem.” The way he worded it and the tone of his voice relayed to Dr. Lake that it would be done.

Turning to Lauren, he smiled and grabbed her hand. “As for you and Trent. You are welcome too. I have already made arrangements for you to stay at the house and the staff is readying a room for you. And we are not taking no for an answer are we Anna?”

Anna looked at her mom, whispering that her husband was right and there was no sense arguing about it. They would be guests of the Andersons for as long as they wanted.

A tear formed at the corner of Lauren’s eyes as he whispered a hoarse, “Thank you.”

“That’s the least I can do for the wonderful mother who raised such a beautiful daughter and a brat.” Carter laughed and smiled at his wife when she squeezed his large paw and then hit his arm playfully. “Sometimes I have to straighten her out when she gets in one of those bratty moods.”

Lauren and Dr. Lake laughed but Carter and Anna knew exactly what he was talking about and the look in Anna’s eyes said it all. She missed his stern hand and the discipline that went along with it.

“Now if you’ll excuse us for a few minutes, Anna and I have some business to discuss.”

Lauren kissed her daughter. “You behave,” she warned knowing her daughter’s strong will.

When they were gone, Carter face took on a more serious look. “I do have business to attend to at home and I want to discuss it with you now.” Her slow nod and soft “Ok,” told him she understood.

“This afternoon, I talked to Blair and the FBI will be here on Sunday afternoon to talk with you. I will be back by then.” The look of surprise and her sudden movements were expected. He was springing part of his plan that he came up with this morning and wanted her spot on with what was about to happen.

“Blair and Lizzy found Evelyn Crosby. Seems she must have forgotten to throw away her gas credit card. Lizzy has a friend in the business and he was able to track her down. They are on their way to confront her and then bring her back. We are going to use her against Edward.”

Anna’s eyes searched his face knowing she should remain silent because his body language was changing and there was more. His fingers tightened around her small hand until she grunted and he realized he was squeezing her fingers too tight.

“They say the best defense is to have a good offence and it’s time for us to spring into action. I know you want to be part of it but right now your main job is to get well so we can get you home. Blair also told me she has been texting Megan on Lena’s phone. Megan is coming to meet her on Saturday and I have some plans for her.”

Carter saw Anna’s mouth open and he quickly put a finger to her soft lips. “Megan doesn’t know we have Lena in a safe house, being guarded by FBI agents. I plan to meet Megan at Lena’s house and have a bit of a talk with her. It is imperative she think you are dead and I plan to exploit that with her along with a few other surprises I can cook up between now and then.”

Leaning close to her, he stared into her beautiful emerald orbs, their noses barely touching each other. “I know you want to bring them down honey and you’ll have your chance once we get you home. I’m working on the details for a board meeting where you will be the star attraction and I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when they see you are alive.”

He kissed her softly and then withdrew his lips. “Are you really ok with me leaving for a couple of days baby? I promise you I will be back on Sunday in time for the FBI and I will personally bring your medical staff with me.” Then in a moment’s notice, he added, “I love the private jet thing. I’m going to buy one for us and when this is all over, you and I are going to a tropical paradise to relax and have fun.”

She nodded. “Of course I don’t want you to go but I know you have to, Carter. Things go to hell when you’re not there to run the show. It’s only a few more days and Daddy will make sure I’m okay in the meantime. I love you, baby,” she whispered, rubbing their noses together.

The suggestion of a trip to a tropical island was music to her ears. It would be the honeymoon they had never been able to have when they first got married. Anna loved hot places but she couldn’t wait to explore this world with her husband country by country.

“We can figure everything else out when I see you on Sunday. I’ll be back on my feet again and together we’ll be unstoppable. I’m in good hands with Dr. Lake and the healthcare team. Please don’t worry - I’ll be around to talk to you whenever you need to check in because it’s not like I’m going to much else besides watch movies and sleep for the next while.”

Her words were strong and steady. Anna was confident in herself that she could show the world just how resilient she was when she revealed herself as Carter’s wife at the board meeting he was planning to arrange. She could already envision the horror on the faces of Josh and Edward when they laid eyes on Anna’s return from the dead.

“Next week this will be all over and done with. I might not be 100% but I know that I can provide you with some... stress relief once we’re at home and I’m not attached to all these tubes and monitors. We’ll just have to find some interesting positions,” she jested. “I just want to reconnect with you. I know you’re busy, but will you just lie with me for an hour? Then I’ll say goodbye to you with a straight face and you can head home and get some things accomplished,” she requested.

Thursday Night - spending time with Anna

It felt good to lie next to his wife even if she was hooked up to the monitoring machines. He was careful not to disturb her IV and for a few moments, he treated her like a china doll, afraid to touch her. He knew she wouldn’t break but the idea of doing something stupid and causing her pain restricted his movements. But finally, Anna giggled and snuggled against his strong chest as if to say it was ok.

For the longest moments, they lay facing each other, reacquainting themselves. Carter’s eyes roamed over her lips, nose and cheekbones, taking in the delicateness of her flesh. When their eyes met, the look was one of complete love and understanding. “Your eyes are like the finest precious stones on earth Anna. I love you.”

He heard her low moan of approval and told him she loved him too. Lips met, touching with a tentative tenderness only lovers knew. There was no rush, no hurry, just the pure enjoyment of loving one another. If they were in a bedroom, secluded from everyone, the outcome of their silent seduction would be different. But in the hospital room with family outside and the possibility of a nurse entering the room, they could only enjoy the sweetness of each kiss and then gentle words of love they professed to each other.

Carter rested his head in his hand, his eyes devouring his wife. The joy inside was wildly celebrating her return from the dead. He was so close to losing her and he again vowed over and over, he would not lose her again.

Reality has a way of interrupting when you least expect it. They were resting together when the curtain was pulled back and there stood Vanessa. The nurse, who was on duty when Anna was carted into the hospital had a bright smile on her face. “You thought you could hide from me by moving to a new room.”

Anna and Carter laughed and when Anna winced, Carter’s face changed from a bright smile to one of concern. “I ahhh I ahhh know I shouldn’t be in bed with her.” Carter started to rise when Vanessa put up her hand to stop him.

“You don’t have to get up Mr. Anderson. I just came on duty and relieving Sharon. I’m sorry I was gone for a few days but I had a family emergency.” She didn’t elaborate but looked at Anna’s chart and smiled broadly. “Well Mrs. Anderson, you are doing very good. Soon, we’ll have you on your feet dancing the tango with this hunk of a man.”

“Now if you’ll excuse us women for a few minutes, I want to do a more thorough check of your wife.”

Carter kissed Anna and whispered in her ear. “It’s not fair. She gets to touch you and I don’t but when we get home, I plan to remedy that situation.” Looking at Vanessa, Carter got off the bed. “She is all yours for a few minutes. I plan to stay with her tonight until I have to leave to take of business tomorrow morning.”

Vanessa’s body language revealed surprise but she didn’t say a word as Carter walked past her. When Carter got to the curtain, he turned and looked at the two women with a serious look on his face. In his best impression of Arnold Schwarzenegger, he said, “I’ll be back.” Carter left to the sound of laughter and it made him swell with love and happiness to hear his wife’s voice.

Greeting Trent and Lauren in the corridor, he told them he was going to the cafeteria and would be back later. They assured him they would look after their daughter until he returned. His mind was filled with thoughts of how he planned to interrogate Megan and he planned to make sure Josh knew of his fury.

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his cell phone. He smiled at the text message from Blair and Lizzy. Found Evelyn in a motel about 500 miles from hospital. Will bring her back tomorrow. She is very remorseful and sorry. Glad to hear Anna is alive and will testify against Edward.”

Carter couldn’t help but skip a few steps to the amazement of nurses at the station. Things were looking up and for once in a few weeks he was starting to sense a turn in the tide of the war to destroy him. He couldn’t wait to get back to Anna and tell her the good news

Intrinsically, Anna had a pretty great sense of humour. She enjoyed jokes of all kinds, immature teasing or not. That’s why when Vanessa wiggled her eyebrows and made kissy faces in her general direction, Anna guffawed loudly.

When her giggles finally subsided, Anna said, “oh shush, you! I miss my hubby. Can you blame me? Have you seen him?!”

Vanessa smirked. “Oh hunny, any woman in this building is jealous of that hunk of man circling around you for the last week. I don’t know what you did in your past life but jesus girl; I’m not a swinger but if I had a chance at him I might change my mind in a hurry!”

Crinkling in laughter, Anna’s eyes curled up.

Vanessa was happily married and there was no concern of her actually stealing Anna’s man - not only was Carter clearly deeply in love with his wife, but Vanessa had no intentions despite her words. It was all good-natured rubbing between friends. Because Vanessa was someone Anna did indeed count the other woman as a friend.

“Bitch please - he is way too much for me. I love him to pieces but sometimes I still think I’m dreaming him,” Anna admitted. “I don’t know why, but he chose me. He chose me and I couldn’t ask for more. Except maybe to actually be able to take advantage of my handsome hunk of husband,” she crowed, before a pout overtook her face. “But instead I’m laid up like an invalid.”

Vanessa flung a warm wash cloth at Anna’s face when Anna reached out to take it. “Oh stop,” she said firmly. “You came back from the dead twice and next week you’ll be back to having hot kinky sex with your husband in a variety of interesting positions so you don’t get to feel sorry for yourself.”

Anna had to agree with that.

“True story. Might be hard with the parentals around but we’ll figure it out I’m sure. Plus we have more important things to worry about.”

Anna’s allusion to everything that had appended brought a grim atmosphere with it. Vanessa didn’t know very much about it at all but that accident had clearly not been an accident at all, and her elevated potassium levels were also a mystery - just why did someone want this lovely woman dead so badly? Vanessa didn’t know, but she was glad to change the subject and pull Anna from her own head.

“So tell me about how you managed to bewitch our favourite CEO, why don’t cha?”

“Oh - now that’s a long story. Carter is so...” Anna babbled on about her relationship with her captive audience who egged her on and encouraged her for all the dirty little details. Of course Anna glossed over their kinkiest escapades but she did give the other woman some tidbits here and there. Vanessa may have been happy with her husband but when Anna talked about her sexual adventures the other woman blushed and lowered her eyes. Her husband was probably vanilla.

Anna empathized.

Simon had been so painfully vanilla. She hadn’t even known what she had been missing until she met Carter. There was no going back to plain Jane Anna now.

Anna had a wicked idea.

“Hey... would you do me a favour? I just want a little privacy with Carter before he goes back home tomorrow.... you think you could manage to get us an hour with no interruptions?”

Vanessa raised an eyebrow and said, “you naughty little minx, in the hospital? Really?”

Anna grinned. “Carter loves risky sex. I’m not even asking for much. Just to reacquaint my mouth with hi—“

“Okay! Okay! I’ll take care of it,” Vanessa promised. Her expression softened. “I understand how important that intimacy is. It must be hard dealing with his upset. Hey — what do you think about trying to get up in the chair? The plan today is to get your central line fluids and meds all stopped and that arterial line out. If you’re good with it we can take your cath out, too,” she said.

“It might seem daunting now but it will bring you both some peace of mind to be down some tubes. We won’t take out your central line until you’re ready to go home but at least you won’t be tangled up in anything. I’ll teach you how to pivot into the chair and tomorrow will be crutch day,” she imparted.

Anna flung the sheets down to reveal her lower legs and knees.

“Let’s do it!” She said.

******

Rolling out to meet Carter and her family in a wheelchair and to get fresh air for the first time in a week felt wonderful. She had lost her catheter as promised and it was what she imagined heaven must be like.

Anna’s smile was infectious and she couldn’t stop, but especially as she yanked on Carter’s arm and made him lean over her shoulder to hear her speak as he pushed her chair down the hallway to the elevator a short distance behind her parents.

“I’m starving. Whatever shall we do about that?!” She stage-whispered.

“After my parents go to the hotel Vana will help ward off any visitors for some quiet time. Please, Carter?”

Thursday Night - Alone time in Anna's room

To say there was surprise written all over everyone’s face, was an understatement. Every face was beaming with pride when Vanessa wheeled Anna into the family room. Tears flowed freely from Rita and Lauren’s faces while the men just stared in wonder. Just a few hours ago this woman was near death and now she was in a wheelchair, looking almost healthy. The tubes were gone with the exception of her mainline IV connected to a bag on a hook.

Lauren and Trent especially made a big fuss over her. Peppering her with questions about how she felt, how was her pain, was she sure she wasn’t overdoing it? Anna deflected all the questions, telling her concerned parents that she was feeling fine and wanted to get out of the room for a bit.

James and Rita told them to go ahead. They were starting to feel like fifth wheels, in the background and only acting as window dressing. Carter understood and tried to think of something they could be involved with while they stayed. He pulled James aside and told him he wanted him and Rita to scout out the Edward estate while he was gone. James readily agreed and a smile creased his face. He was glad to be doing something rather than sitting in the hospital with nothing to do.

The troupe had to be careful not to draw the attention of the hospital staff. Vanessa directed them to an elevator used only by staff. They would be out of the public eye and those of most of the staff. Vanessa knew they had to be very careful not to reveal Anna’s presence. Dr. Dow and Dr. Keegan were very specific about keeping Anna’s identity hidden while she recovered. For this reason, they took Anna to a private porch area for some much-needed fresh air.

Carter, Trent, and Lauren smiled brightly watching Anna take in huge gulps of night air. She acted like a new woman, filling her lungs and then slowly exhaling. Carter watched his wife closely wondering what she had in mind when she told him she wanted some alone time with him after her parents left the hospital. Why would Vanessa have to ward off visitors?

Vanessa played the spoiler to Anna’s fun in the fresh night air. Carter saw her wink at Anna and he wondered what the hell was these two up too. They all retreated the same way they came out, Vanessa making sure the coast was clear and they didn’t see any spying eyes. Satisfied the way was clear, Vanessa led the troupe back to the ICU and to Anna’s room.

The FBI agent smiled weakly, wishing he was somewhere more exciting. There was a look of glee on his face when Vanessa told him he would take an hour break and she would stand guard at the door.

Vanessa saw Anna’s fake yawn and suggested her parents let Anna get some much-needed sleep. She looked at Carter and winked, telling him he should take his time saying goodnight to his wife.

Carter was befuddled. These two women were up to something and he felt he was about to find out. There was a twinkle in her eyes when he wheeled her into the room after her goodnight hugs and kisses with her parents. He knew that look and he was sure she was up to something but what? She was basically a cripple with the bad leg and hand and she sure was not about to get up and waltz around the room.

He was ready to help her out of the chair and back into bed when she put her hands on the back of his head, pulling him down for a deep passionate kiss. Their lips were sealed together, tongues darting anxiously against one another. They were both enjoying the privacy and the deep kiss when Carter felt one hand slip from his neck to rub his hidden treasure.

It was a shock to think they could have sex in the condition she was in. He pulled back and saw the glimmer in her eyes grow brighter. Her fingers continued to stroke his hidden muscle that was growing stronger with each squeeze.

“What the hell did you and Vanessa cook up baby?” The smile etching his face and the soft chuckle was a sure sign that he now had an idea of what they were about to do. When she didn’t answer, he cupped her chin, seeing her mouth open in an "O”. “Tell daddy what his little girl wants and daddy will see if he can help satisfy her kinky lust!”

She tilted her head up to meet his eyes better, his large hand still curled around jaw. From her position in the chair, Anna was about eye-level with Carter’s covered crotch. It was perfect for implementing her plan.

Carter was always willing to play along but she hoped that he didn’t turn her down based on her broken body - she felt well enough for some fun and she didn’t need both hands for what she was about to do anyway. He was probably missing their physical connection just as much as she was.

She cleared her throat loudly. The curtain and the glass door got yanked definitively closed and Anna couldn’t help but be grateful for Vanessa’s helping spirit. She was such a doll. Anna would have to send her a healthy thank-you present in repayment for all that she had done for her.

Anna’s deep green eyes sparkled with mischief.

Her words were explicit and left no doubt what she wanted, but her fingers plucking at the fastening to his pants was just as clear.

“Daddy’s baby girl wants to suck his cock before bedtime; Daddy’s little girl is hungry for some hot cum. Please Daddy? May I?”

Carter’s nod encouraged her and he helped her flick his trousers open and pushed them down along with his boxers. His cock was soft against his thigh and Anna reached out with her good hand to curl around it and stroke him to hardness. As she did so, Anna leaned in and nuzzled her face in the crevice where his thigh met his pelvis and rested there for a moment, just basking in having her husband so close to her once more.

She brushed lips down the length of him gently and met his steady gaze again.

“Fuck Daddy. I missed this so much - thought of you the entire time I was with them. I couldn’t wait to get back to you; the thought of the look on their faces when you strike them down was the only thing that made it bearable.”

That hand still curled under the sharp curvature of her jaw clenched just for a second and it was enough to spur Anna into action.

She leaned even further in and rested her good hand against his hipbone before she opened her mouth and wrapped pouty lips around the bulbous crown. Her tongue swirled and danced around the head as she worked him up to engorgement, already tasting the salty flavour of his precum bursting across her tastebuds. As she got more into giving him quality oral, Anna’s eyelashes fluttered and eventually closed as she sucked him slowly and thoroughly.

This might be their only fun for a while and after more than a week of being laid up and several days prior being forced to spend time with their enemies Anna wanted to make this last.

Inch by inch disappeared into her hot, wet mouth. By now, Carter was thick and swollen against her tongue and Anna moaned at the weight of him. There was nothing that she loved more than doing this for him.

When her lips had slid low enough for her chin to rest against his balls, Anna’s eyes looked up to his once more. She smiled around him.

Anna was home; she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

Pulling back, Anna asked Carter to take his pleasure from her.

Thursday Night - Anna pleasures Carter in the hospital room

What a miraculous recovery Anna had made. Just yesterday she was near death and now she was hungry for Carter’s cock. He wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do but the look in her eyes told him she missed this just as much aa he did. He wasn’t about to argue with the patient. Didn’t the patient know what was good for her? Of course, she did.

Carter watched his wife take her time getting reacquainted with his cock. The way she licked up and down it’s length while slowly stroking it soon had him nice and hard. Resting his hand on top of her head, he was not going to treat her rough today. That would be saved for another day when she had time to heal more.

Thinking he heard a sound, Carter’s head wheeled around but that didn’t stop Anna. Her mouth covered the bulbous head and he let out a soft groan when her teeth nipped at the it. Watching her take his cock deep into her mouth reminded him of past times when Anna had to learn to take all of him. She was such a good student that now it was easy for her to slowly take all of his cock while her fingers teased his balls.

He wished he could take her and throw her on the bed like before but he knew he had to be careful with his wife. Another groan escaped his lips when he watched her mouth withdraw, revealing the wet spittle and precum covered skin. She was in her element, stroking his wet cock while gazing lovingly up at him. The twinkle in her eyes and smirk on her face lasted a few moments before she went back to pleasuring him.

Her hand moved up and down the drenched muscle faster and her breathing quickened as she took him into her mouth once more. When she pulled back, Carter saw precum slipping from the corners of her mouth before she attacked his cock again. Holding his cock against his abdomen, her lips and tongue traced the length of his cock and then began to suck his balls. Carter’s hips moved on their own accord, his ass muscles clenching with each wave of lust flowing through him.

“Ohhhhh fuck baby girl …… you’re making daddy so fucking hot and horny. I want to fuck you so bad baby …… I want to feel my cock in that tight pussy.” But he knew it was not going to happen, at least, not tonight. There was no way they were going to get wild and crazy with an IV stuck in her arm, and her leg and hand bandaged.

Thrusting his hips, she held onto his cock stroking it while looking up at him with a devilish smile plastered on her face. She knew exactly what she was doing and when she started talking to him, teasing him, telling him she wanted his cum, he knew it wouldn’t be long before she got her wish.

Clenching his fingers in her hair, he pushed his hips forward only to be denied. The smile was fixed and she was waiting for him to ask her, no beg her to let him cum. Carter’s breathing was quick and growing deeper with each nip of her teeth on his cock. “Please baby …… let daddy fill your sweet mouth with his cum.” The groan that followed was loud and he was sure Vanessa or whoever was outside the door could hear him.

With great expectation, Carter watched Anna’s mouth cover the bulbous head while her hand stroked faster on the veiny surface. The point of explosion was near and her eyes told him she was not about to stop. His hips jerked and swayed to the sweet music being made by their combined groans. And then, his body stiffened, his breath taken away, his eyes shut tight just before he filled her mouth with his cream.

His cock jerked inside Anna’s mouth, watching her try to take all of his offering. When she pulled off, cream was sliding out of her mouth, and a long string of cum hung precariously between her lips and his cock. Anna saw it too and smiled up at him, her chin coated with his cum. “Baby that was great but what about you? You have to be feeling that you need some release. How can I satisfy my baby girl?”

She was completely satisfied knowing that she’d managed to make Carter cum in record time. That knowledge plus the full-bodied flavour of his salty jism pooling inside her mouth made Anna one happy wife. Licking her lips and swallowing the last of her treat, Anna leaned back in her chair to ponder.

“So I was a good girl, then? Because only good girls get rewards,” she grinned.

“But,” she continued, “I’ve thought about it. Why don’t you help me back into bed and then I’m sure I can find somewhere for you to slide those fingers...”

******

Outside the room, Vanessa flushed. There was heat spreading down her core and making her panties slick as she listened to the muted sounds of Carter’s pleasure - his heavy grunts and exclamations were a sound that she was sure she would never forget. His voice was husky and thick with arousal and Vanessa could hear every word so clearly as if he had spoken them in her own ear from where she’d cracked the door just a fraction in some sudden voyeuristic urge. She couldn’t see through the curtain unless she peeked and Vanessa was much too nervous for that - what if they caught her?! She’d promised to stand guard and ensure their privacy so she really shouldn’t break her vow and invade their private time in such a rude manner.

No.

Better to just stay where she was and fight the hot wave of her own sexuality as she listened to Carter ask Anna to “take Daddy’s cum”.

Anna was much quieter - sweet tenor a soft whisper that couldn’t quite be distinguished from here.

Vanessa scrubbed a hand over her forehead in discomfort and shifted from foot to foot. Her co-worker, Tanya, was currently doing a dressing change in the room next door and there was no clerk on nights - it was only the two of them and Vanessa had no one to witness her moment of weakness. Fuck, but she hoped it would be over quickly. If not, Vanessa was in danger of stuffing her hand inside her panties in full view of the unit camera as she listened to the live porno scene playing out behind her.

These people were kinky! She’d known it earlier in the evening when Anna had been describing some of her sexual adventures but to actually be somewhat experiencing that even if she was just living vicariously through the other woman...? It just made her very hot.

Of course Annaleigh Anderson would have an authority kink - her husband was a devilishly attractive but powerful man. For that dynamic to transfer into the bedroom, as well? Vanessa had never even imagined. Both her and her partner were fairly straightforward and shared power in the bedroom equally between them, a normalized give and take of pleasure, but Anna seemed to thrive on reassurance and taking orders or asking for permission before she acted. Did people really do that? She’d heard of BDSM through 50 Shades but even she realized that silly exchange for sexual deviancy was anything but realistic.

But it made her curious.

Apparently there was a whole world beyond her limited periphery to explore. Now the question was: would Chris be into that?

But as Vanessa leaned in just enough to pull the curtain open just a couple centimetres, she was stunned silent by what she saw. She hadn’t been able to resist. Now, she couldn’t look away.

*******

Carter had indeed helped her into bed. Then he’d gently secured the wrist and ankle restraints that were still hanging from where they were looped under the metal workings of the bed frame. He was careful to make sure that he wasn’t causing any pain to her damaged hand and leg.

Now, Carter raised the bed until she was at a more comfortable height for him; this way, he didn’t have to bend down to play with his wife. Leaning down over her to reach her mouth with his, Carter devoured her.

Anna accepted his kiss hungrily, lips slackening and widening to accept his questing tongue as it slid over every crevice and surface inside her mouth. He ran it over her teeth, stroked alongside the pockets of her cheeks and curled around her own wet dexterous muscle. They kissed as though it might be their last, when in fact, it was only the beginning.

As their lips danced, Carter’s hand teased down her belly and over her panties until he grasped the edges and tugged forcefully.

Anna whimpered, hips rising in desperation for him to touch her.

He obliged, teeth catching her lower lip and sinking in sharply just as two fingers breached the moist walls of her cunt in return.

“Hell yeahhhhhhh, Daddy,” She vocalized, honey-thickened voice cracking over her words of encouragement.

Thursday Night - Carter teases Anna to the brink of orgasm and Vanessa?

His wife lay prone on the bed, her left ankle and wrist firmly captured in the restraints. After a torrid kiss and his fingers finding her treasure trove and hearing her soft honey voice verbalize her desire, Carter felt more comfortable teasing and playing with his wife.

They had to be careful with the IV in her right arm but at his suggestion, she raised it up over her head. Carter smiled at his lovely wife; their eyes speaking volumes of their lust for each other.

His fingers slide slowly and surely into her wet cavern, drawing moans. The cavern walls closed tightly around the thick intruders. But that didn’t deter the journey. Deeper into the hot cauldron his fingers explored until they couldn’t go any further. As they began to squirm around inside her, he delighted in watching her mouth open as if to scream out her pleasure but then realized where she was.

The thin panties seemed to find a way to restrict the movements of his fingers. “I hope this doesn’t hurt too much baby.” Exiting the cavern, his slippery fingers from the fabric and pulled hard until he heard the distinctive snapping sound. Anna yelped from the sudden pain but didn’t stop him when he yanked on her left side, releasing the panties from her hips. “That is so much better baby,” he cooed leaning down to kiss her while his fingers returned to the cavern’s entrance.

Their deep kiss muffled any sounds they made as his fingers again found their way deep between the furrow of her pussy. A rustling sound got his attention and when he pulled away for a moment, he saw the curtain swaying slightly back and forth. Looking at Anna, he whispered in her ear, “I think we have a voyeur watching us.”

For a moment he thought Anna would stop his squirming fingers but she didn’t. Instead she let a louder moan as if it was a signal to nurse Vanessa. Carter had an idea and chuckled. “Let’s give her a show then baby,” he whispered after nipping her earlobe.

Straightening up a little, he looked down at his wife hips, seeing the wetness between them. “Don’t say a word baby girl.” He glanced at the curtain, seeing it sway a bit more and then he swore he heard a muffled moan.

Pushing his fingers back and forth, he leaned down so his lips were barely touching hers. In a bit louder voice, he began a litany of suggestive words. “You like what I’m doing to you baby girl.” His fingers moved faster, a squishing sound filling the small space. “I wish it was my cock sliding inside your tight cunt. I can’t wait to take you with my cock buried deep inside that hot fucking hole.”

The audible sound of a moan brought a smile to each of them. Vanessa was a peeping tom and it was ok with them. Carter wondered if under different circumstances Anna would have allowed the sexy nurse to join them. “You know how we like to play with other people, Carter teased. I love watching a man or woman enjoy your body the way I do.”

Anna was getting more agitated, her hips rising off the soft mattress to meet each thrust. While his fingers toyed and played inside her, his thumb found her aroused clit. The stimulation of his fingers and thumb soon had Anna’s hips bouncing harder and each breath getting louder. “I bet you’re thinking of that sexy Vanessa right now wondering what it would be like to have her touch you.”

It wasn’t more than a centimeter between their lips and Anna’s head rose to close that distance. Carter’s lips drove Anna’s head back into the fluffy pillow, their tongues dueling for position. It didn’t matter whose mouth was being attacked, they were both winners in the struggle for pleasure.

Breathing hard, Carter decided to make it more personable when his fingers, coated with her thick honey, slipped from the scorching heat and slide leisurely downward. The loud moan from Anna assured him he was in the right location. Running his soaked fingers around the tight rose bud, he moaned loud enough for Vanessa to hear. “I can’t wait to get you home to our playroom and spank this cute bottom of yours.” His fingers pressed harder, feeling the natural resistance. “I want to play with all our toys and watch you squirm with pleasure.”

The tip of his finger broke the tight seal and her body responded by rising higher off the bed. “I want to put my cock deep in your ass baby and hear you howl.” His words were getting to Anna and he knew also with Vanessa. The sounds behind the curtains were growing louder and Carter could only imagine the sexy nurse rubbing her clit as she listened and watched. “Are you ready to cum for daddy?” It was a question meant for both of them.

Anna’s loud moan perfectly answered his question. “Cum for daddy. Coat daddy’s fingers with your thick honey so I can taste you.” Pulling his fingers from her ass, they found the wet furrow and easily slid inside to find her enlarged love button. “Daddy’s wants to suck that perfect cunt of yours when we get home baby.” Rubbing the sensitive nut faster and then teasing it by slowing down, he had her on the edge of the orgasmic gorge.

Her body was responding, hips jerking up and down and tummy rolling with each thrust of her hips. She was trying to keep the pressure on her clit but Carter was planning to drive her and Vanessa further. “You can cum for daddy can’t you baby?”

Each tease, each seductive word pleased Carter with the way her body responded. He didn’t know what state Vanessa was in but Anna, like a rag doll, was on pins and needles. He continued to tease her and wanted her to start begging. “Tell daddy how much you want to cum for me. Ohhhh fuck yes baby girl …… tell daddy and you can cum!” He wondered for a moment if Vanessa would offer her words in the quest for sexual satisfaction.

Vanessa was mortified that she’d been caught. She couldn’t help but let out an embarrassed squeak as the sounds she was hearing from inside the room ramped up. Now, Carter wasn’t bothering to be quiet at all and Anna was almost equally as loud as her lover. Vanessa could even hear just how wet Anna was from here - the squelching of her pussy as Carter continued his ministrations echoed in her ears.

But then Carter mentioned Anna playing with other people - even that Anna might be interested in playing with Vanessa. She gasped. Was that a possibility? To play with these two?

Still nobody was around to witness her shameful behaviour.

She couldn’t resist slipping one hand down her taut stomach and into her scrubs to rub at the wet crevice between her thighs; she hadn’t been this soaked in ages and thought of opening that curtain and stepping inside was enticing. Listening to this man please his wife was so exciting - especially when he mentioned fucking her ass. Were his fingers there now? Did Annaleigh like that? Vanessa had tried it once and it hurt like the Dickens so she’d screamed for Chris to stop. They hadn’t attempted again.

She couldn’t resist. She scurried down the hall until she could knock on the door to the room Tanya was in. She stood there and said “the Andersons’ want some assistance. I’ll be in there if you need me,” knowing full well that she wouldn’t - the ICU didn’t have any more than the two patients currently and Tanya had it under control.

With her mind made up, Vanessa strode back to bed E.

Opening the door after knocking twice, Vanessa stepped inside. She tried to appear more confident than she felt as she flicked the lock and made her way into a chair in the corner. She flung one leg over the arm and reintroduced her fingers to her cunt.

Carter pinned her with dark eyes for only a second before his lips rose in a smirk and he turned back to his wife. Anna smiled at Vanessa.

Fuck.

They both liked the audience.

Vanessa fixated on the spot where Carter’s fingers were disappearing inside Annaleigh’s backside. He’d since buried two inside her and Anna was a trembling mess as he rhythmically fucked her butt and continued with his monologue.

Fuck.

But Vanessa wished she could see him actually fuck her.

His clothes were in disarray and his suit jacket lay discarded over the only other chair in the room. His dress shirt was splayed open under the first four buttons revealing much of his defined pectorals. His dark skin was smooth and so lovely. Vanessa would kill to see more of it. For now, she was satisfied to note that she had full visibility of the thickened head of Carter’s shaft over the edge of the bed from where Anna had pulled it from his pants.

It looked big.

Vanessa hadn’t been lucky enough for her husband to have a rod that size but she didn’t know that she wanted him to have one anyway. Didn’t that hurt?

Anna humped her hips back against Carter’s steady hand.

“Want you to fuck me, Daddy. Want it so badly. Can’t wait until you press me down in our bed and just take what’s yours. Will you fuck my tiny little asshole for me? I’m gonna cum thinking about it!”

Vanessa lost her breath, rubbing steadily. Carter liked that idea, too, apparently. His arm began to forcefully jackknife his fingers inside his wife’s ass until she was practically howling. He dropped his free hand down over her mouth and curled fingers around behind her ears, meeting Anna’s glazed eyes. Slowly, that hand drug down her face and the curve of her throat until they wrapped tightly around her neck. He assessed for any signs of discomfort.

Of course there were none.

It silenced Annaleigh so perfectly but also ensured that her orgasm hit her like a freight-train.

Vanessa’s eyes widened. This man was really strangling his wife? Did they get off on something like that? Was that even possible?

It was.

Anna’s eyes widened and her head tilted back, eyes closing as her body quaked and shuddered under the restraints and pressure against her windpipe. Vanessa was interested to see them using the restraints as some kind of kinky sex tool that she had never even inagined. Every time she fastened someone into them now she’d think of this couple performing admittedly steamy sex acts in their hospital bed.

Because her air supply was cut off Anna could do little more than let out a choked little gasp as she came. There was a gush of honey over Carter’s wrist and Anna’s trembles became more staccato and spasmodic with no real finesse to them.

After her orgasm finished, Carter released her throat and stepped back just a little to stroke his dick rapidly over Anna’s body, pulling his fingers free from her clenching rosebud. It didn’t seem to take long before the muscles in his ass tensed and he thrust his hips forward and covered the short growth of hair over Anna’s swollen cuntlips white with several salvos of sperm until it was almost completely painted.

Vanessa lost focus as her own orgasm crashed over her. When she came to again, the couple was engaged in some sweet aftercare.

Both of them seemed to like the idea that she wear his mark like that because neither made any move to clean it up; instead, Carter braced one hand over her shoulder and leaned down to kiss her deeply while he plucked open the fastenings to her restraints. He did press those fingers that had just been in her ass into the pool of cum in Anna’s pelvis and stuff them back inside her pussy until his cream was soaking into her sensitive insides. Vanessa didn’t know just how much Anna liked Carter’s cum inside her, after all.

Anna smiled brightly, if not a little sleepily.

She said “thank you Daddy. Your little girl will definitely have sweet dreams tonight. You take care of me so well.”

Her pout was noticeable when she spoke again. “I’m going to miss you so much even though it will only be one day. Can we have this meeting as soon as I get back next week? I want to get it over with.”

Vanessa readjusted her pants and made her exit from the room silently.

She stopped outside the door and laid a hand on the glass.

She counted Anna as a friend now, but this couple had done much more for Vanessa than he had for them; they’d opened up a whole new world.

Vanessa couldn’t wait to explore it.

Maybe she could even do it with Annaleigh.

Thursday Night - Carter and Vanessa in the elevator

The throes of ecstasy were ebbing for Carter and Anna. They were in the midst of aftercare, whispering their love for each other when Vanessa orgasmed. Carter had exploded twice and Anna had an amazing orgasm from his fingers. And from the sound and look on Vanessa’s face, she had a good one too. As they nuzzled their lips together with soft kisses, Carter couldn’t wait to get Anna home, and when she was a little more recovered, he would claim her pussy with his cock.

There was a rustling of clothing beside them, drawing their attention to Vanessa who hurriedly pulled her scrubs up and readjusted her top. The couple were hoping she would stay and talk to them but instead, Vanessa only stared at them while she rearranged her hospital scrubs. Her breathing was less chaotic when she rose quietly and quickly from the lazy-boy chair and scooted out of the room.

They were alone.

“I wasn’t sure I should use more force with you baby but I should have known better. Even on the brink of death, you love our sex to be rough.” Anna chuckled and he was sure her own orgasm wasn’t the only thing on her mind. “I think your nurse liked watching you cum baby.”

Anna let out a soft moan, her eyes closing a little. “Maybe we should invite her into our bed,” he whispered softly. Visions of the two women making love to each other and to him, exploded in his brain. But then he remembered the reprimand he had gotten from Anna when he breached her trust with Blair and Lizzy. They had promised, in Las Vegas, to agree on extra partners in their sexual games. “That is if you agree to it sweetheart.”

Anna’s eyes were searching his when he added, “maybe she needs to accompany you home as a private nurse for a week or so. That is until you have time to fully recover.” He laughed at the way his words spilled from his mouth, dripping with sweet tasting and tantalizing honey. It was a veiled plea for his wife to consider the possibilities. Would it be exciting to show Vanessa new heights of sexual surrender and pleasure? It was evident from Vanessa’s quick exit that the sexy auburn-haired nurse was inexperienced in such matters. But for her to brazenly walk in on their sexual fun must have taken a lot of guts.

She ran the risk of them rebuking her and when they didn’t, was that the opening she wanted? Was she looking for a chance to explore the kinky realm of sexual pleasure? To Carter, it also showed that whatever was happening at home was not totally satisfying her. But then again, would she even consider the proposition? And what about her husband? Would he have to know of such a rendezvous?

Carter could see the possibilities swimming in Anna’s brain as she lovingly stroked his cheeks. Their lips were practically touching when she whispered something like, “I don’t know if she …….” He didn’t give her a chance to answer as the kiss that followed was appealing, filled with short minute kisses, followed by their teeth taking turns nipping at each other’s lower lips. Was she contemplating allowing Vanessa to share their bed?

“Before you answer baby, I want you to think about it. I’m going down to grab a cup of coffee and when I come back, tell me your answer.” He kissed her again. “I will adhere to your decision whatever it is. I don’t plan to risk the ire of my sweet sexy wife again on this issue.” They both chuckled, knowing exactly what he was referring to as he got up and walked to the curtain. Looking back, he smiled as he watched her eyes take in his body. “Just take your time and think about it honey.” And then he was gone.

*******************************************************************
Carter walked down the empty corridor past rooms with empty beds. The ICU unit was not busy and he wondered where Vanessa had run off too. Was she hiding in one of the rooms? Was she ashamed of herself for laying witness to their kinky sex show? Given another chance would she be more vocal? Thoughts of Anna’s orgasm and the young nurse sitting so close to the action, swirled in his brain.

Turning the corner to the elevator, he saw the doors beginning their closure path. Moving quickly, he extended his arm outward to stop the doors. Surprised to see Vanessa standing inside near the control panel.

She was just as surprised, her mouth gaping open, no sound tumbling out. She made a move to leave but before she could escape from the small enclosure, the doors shut. She was clearly uncomfortable. Captive in the small elevator cab with the man who just brought his wife to a shattering climax. “I …… ahhhh …… I ……. Ahhhhh …….” She was sputtering, not knowing what to say.

Carter leaned close to her, seeing she was going to the same floor. “You don’t have to apologize Vanessa. Anna and I loved that you watched us and got some pleasure.”

“But ….. but …..” she sputtered again trying hard to speak to the handsome man but failing to get the right words out. She was embarrassed that he brought up the subject so casually.

“Anna and I have a very special relationship and sometimes we involve other people. We know you enjoyed watching and we’re sorry you ran off before we could talk to you.” Her eyes darted everywhere but not into his alluring eyes. When the elevator stopped and the doors began to open, Carter quickly hit the button to close them. He had only have a few seconds to finish this conversation.

Grabbing her chin in his strong fingers, her eyes flung open, unable to escape his unflinching stare. “Go back to the room and talk to Anna. If what you saw excites you, like I think it did, there may be some opportunities to talk and more.”

He let his words dangle, letting them soak in and also letting her know they were open to other more interesting interactions. The doors began to open again. Hitting the close door button, Carter leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I have a feeling you are looking something more (a short pause) shall we say more exciting in your life.”

He kissed her earlobe and when the door slid open, he didn’t stop it. Outside the cab, he looked at the stunned nurse as he held the door from closing. “Give it some thought and talk to Anna. Maybe we can get you some time off to be Anna’s personal nurse for a while.”

Carter let the door close and turned to walk to the cafeteria, thoughts of Anna and Vanessa dancing in his head.

Anna did contemplate Carter’s words. The look in his eyes had been gentle and encouraging. She knew Carter had a huge sex drive (and Anna did too) but in her current condition she wouldn’t be able to keep up. She had once told him that she loved the idea of watching him with other women, but she especially enjoyed the thought of him with Vanessa - someone who had been so good to her over the last week and had deserved a bit of Anna’s good faith.

Anna knee Carter would not be angry if she said no, but Anna knew this decision had a huge impact for everyone involved. She had to think carefully and not jump the gun.

She realized that Vanessa had not cared for her because of their money or power, but Anna wanted to repay her somehow and show her the affection she seemed starved for. Vanessa was a friend and she deserved a bit of fun. It seemed like she was desperate for affection or attention at home, the way she’d so easily blushed when Anna described her own sexual adventures with her husband and the way she had been quick to slip in through the curtain and watch their perverted show. She wondered just for a moment how far Vanessa would go; would she cheat on her husband and let Carter play with her? Would she let Anna take her to new sexual heights?

Anna couldn’t wait to find out.

The thought of Vanessa being Anna’s personal nurse for the next week made her cunt throb hungrily even though she’d just had one mindblowing orgasm.

She craved it.

She had to have it.

What Annaleigh Anderson wanted... well, she planned to get her way.

She was disappointed that Vanessa had ran away before they had a chance to talk about what had just happened, but the other woman likely wasn’t comfortable witnessing a moment so intimate between the couple - aftercare and sweet, slow kissing was not what Vanessa had expected to witness when she’d first entered the room. She wasn’t sure where she fit in this relationship. She was an outsider.

Anna curled her lip up in a smirk.

When she saw Vanessa next they’d definitely be having an interesting chat.

Closing her eyes and wiggling to the far side of the bed, Anna waited for her personal space heater to return and cuddle her on his last night here.

*******

She had nowhere to go.

Stuck in an elevator with a dashingly handsome man who likely still had the juices from his wife’s cunt dripping from his wrist felt like somewhere she should not be. She felt nervous about what he could possibly say about her invasion of their privacy. It had been evident that they enjoyed company and wanted an audience but now she couldn’t stop second guessing herself.

Carter had been so firm and strong, demanding and confident as he played his beautiful wife’s body like a fiddle. Anna had been lovely - positively radiant under her lover’s attentions and exploding like a firework. This couple was like something straight out of her wildest dreams: kinky but open, beautiful but friendly. So vibrant.

But here, trapped in this elevator with Carter Anderson, Vanessa was speechless. He was so charismatic. He smelled soooooo good... like pine with some kind of smoky hint underneath it. A wildfire burning out of control and destroying anything that tried to stop it. Vanessa had no idea what she could even say at all, even if she could get her jaw to unhinge and finally work.

She stuttered.

Then Carter stepped into her personal space and grasped her chin.

Just like the aura he exuded, his grip was strong. It wasn’t painful, though - just enough to tell her that he meant business and she was to listen.

She lost her breath with him this close and her already wet panties experienced another burst of wetness.

She imagined Anna beig chased and pursued by this man when they first met and had to swallow her moan of desire. She wanted to be pursued by any man, but most definitely Carter Anderson. Her husband loved her, yes, but their life together was growing mundane and Chris worked too much. She barely saw him. When she did, all he wanted to do was try for a baby. They hadn’t been successful yet and he was growing frustrated with her. If she was to be perfectly honest, Vanessa was relieved.

She was still so young. She wasn’t ready to be a mother. She didn’t know how to say those words to her husband. But he buried those failures under work and booze and Vanessa didn’t recognize the man he was becoming. She didn’t know that she wanted a baby with him at all, now.

Her train of thought derailed at the touch of his mouth against her skin. All thought process stopped. This married man had just kissed her inappropriately. This stunningly attractive man who had just blown his load in his wife’s mouth only fifteen minutes previous had just kissed her. He was coming onto her. One of the most powerful men in the world who could have anything he wanted.

Wanted her.

Or did he? Did he want her only because Anna seemed to? There had to be something she was missing. None of this made sense. This type of soap opera drama did not happen to Vanessa.

The only obvious path was that she needed to speak to Anna.

Carter had just made it clear as he exited the elevator without her, staring stupidly at his broad, muscular shoulders flexing under his dress shirt. Leaving her there like that almost seemed like an order: go back upstairs. Now.

Vanessa couldn’t stop the muted moan this time. Her thighs rubbed deliciously at the idea of him talking to her in that honey smooth tone as he demanded she behave for Daddy - because wasn’t that what Anna called him?

Fuck.

Vanessa pounded the button for the sixth floor repeatedly.

She wasn’t thirsty for coffee any longer. Now she just wanted a bit of milk.

But with a sinking feeling in her stomach, Vanessa remembered the way Anna’s diamonds had glittered in the light as she stroked hands over her husband’s body not long ago. Vanessa herself wore jewelry like that and her husband was not so accommodating as Carter. She couldn’t cheat on him.

When she returned to the floor, Vanessa couldn’t face Anna. She conned Tanya into answering any bells from the couple and told herself she would only enter that room long after they’d both fallen asleep. She had to stop this flirtation here before it went in a direction that Vanessa couldn’t find her way back from.

******

When Carter strolled casually back through the door to Anna’s room, all was quiet. There was no sign of Vanessa ever having come. Anna was playing on her phone propped up against her pillows as she waited for him, and she smiled brightly when she saw him.

“Hey baby! You were gone a while. I got cold and rang for a warm blanket but Vanessa’s gone MIA and now you’re back to warm me up. I’ve thought about it, sir,” Anna started. She used her respectful terms as always when addressing their sex life or any actions she had been ordered to do.

“I want her. But mostly I want to see you make her ours - I want to watch you fuck her, Daddy. She’s so innocent and she’ll probably resist, but she’s never had anyone like us and she won’t be able to say no when you corner her and lay down the law. Please baby? I want to see you hunt someone down like you did me... But you have to be gentle with her, because she’s not the dirty little slut I am. Can we have her, baby? I want her. I want us,” she declared, reaching out for him.

After he had stepped into her hands Anna leaned up to kiss him deeply.

She whispered, “be a dear and hunt her down and fuck her like she deserves - that husband of hers obviously can’t give her the dicking she needs... but mine can!”

Her tone was wicked, devious in nature. Her emerald eyes sparkled in excitement.

“But for now... I want to fall asleep with my husband for the first time in days. I’ll put our plan into action in the morning. She usually comes in to check my tubes and things around five am or so. I’ll be awake... and waiting impatiently.”