CH 21
"I'm nervous, Erik," Annie said as they walked the distance from their little cottage to the Opera Garnier. "What if they don't like me?"
"Then they are fools," Erik responded in no uncertain terms, "And have no business running an opera house."
Annie sighed. "But if I don't get a part—if I don't get selected—will you at last drop this idea of me dancing on the stage."
"It is preposterous to believe," Erik answered, keeping his eyes trained straight ahead, his mind completely focused on the goal of Annie auditioning on the stage. "That you would not get offered a part in the corps du ballet. And I will never give up on the idea of you being the Garnier's Prima Ballerina."
Annie rolled her eyes with a loud huff, whispering under her breath, "Unreasonable, stubborn, arrogant…"
"I hear every word you're muttering, Annie," he said, with a slight smirk curling his lips.
"I know!" she retorted back.
They walked on quietly for a bit, Annie stewing in her own irritation at having to do this in the first place, while Erik tried to contain his excitement.
"You will be there, won't you?" Annie said, after a time, breaking their silence.
"Well, I cannot simply sit in the audience, Annie. How will it seem to the managers if your ill brother," Erik lingered on the word to tease her, hoping humor would make her feel a little more at ease, "lingered in the auditorium infecting the entire staff."
"I told them you had been hurt in a fire, Erik, not that you were infested with plague!" she scowled at him irritably. "But you do have a point. It might be best if I attend the audition unaccompanied. It would seem braver—make me appear more self-assured. It's just…" Annie's voice trailed off, as an uncertain look entered her eyes. "I…just…"
Erik stopped walking and turned to her. Taking Annie's face in his hands, he looked directly into her eyes as he vowed, "You will not be alone, my love. Your fiancé will be there with you." And leaning his head low, he met her lips with his own in a gentle, reassuring kiss.
Annie's worries melted and a thrill of excitement filled her chest as Erik kissed her, but even more so at hearing him use the word that now defined their new bond. She could hardly believe that it was true, but Erik was indeed her fiancé—as she was his. And they were to be married!
Of course, Annie did not know when the blessed occasion would take place. As soon as the matter had been decided the previous evening, she had been ready to rush back into town to find a preacher who would do the job right then and there. She had been so ready to be Erik's wife. But Erik, given a bit more to propriety than she was, insisted that they exercise some patience.
"Annie, I cannot wait to marry you either," he'd told her, as they snuggled together in front of the fireplace, "but I do not want this to be a hasty affair." Stroking her hair, he had continued, "I want to give you the wedding you deserve—with a long white gown, flowers for your hair, and bands of gold on both of our fingers, to bind us together for eternity."
"Erik," she'd gazed into his golden eyes, glowing now with the fire's light, as she'd twirled a lock of his hair around her fingers. "We are already bound for all time. Our spirits are forever connected. I need no ring to circle my finger when I can already feel your love encircling my heart."
"Annie, I know you don't need these things, but I want to be able to give them to you none the less. I want to take care of you, Annie—to love you and provide for you, and to be all the things that a husband should be. As it is," he'd huffed, "I cannot even give you a name, since mine was never revealed to me."
Annie had watched as Erik's vexation grew. Lifting a finger to his lips for the second time that day, she'd gently admonished him. "Erik, hush," she said gently. "I already have a name, and I would be honored to share it with you, when the time has come to say our vows. For I know my father would have been proud beyond words to have been able to call you son."
And as their eyes had closed, words were replaced with gentle sighs and gasps of delight mingling with the crackling of the flames, as they kissed and cuddled until they finally succumbed to sleep by the last of the firelight's glow.
Erik broke the spell of her delicious memory when he parted his lips from hers, ending their kiss. Suddenly, Annie was back in the present moment, where auditions and not wedding plans, were the order of the day. "I promise I will not leave you alone, Annie," Erik reiterated his vow from a moment earlier. "But I will have to find a way to stay out of sight.
Annie smiled, remembering all their games of hide and seek as children, when Erik would simply vanish from sight until he wanted to be found. Grasping his hand in hers, Annie smiled at Erik as they continued on their way, saying, "I am sure you'll think of something, dear brother!"
Erik left Annie with a kiss on the corner of Rue Scribe and let her enter the majestic opera house first, the stone spirits of song and dance guiding her way. After a few moments, he pulled the brim of his black hat low over his face, to obscure his mask, and pulled his cloak more tightly around himself. And then he too entered the fray.
The opera house was a flurry of activity, with auditions being held for all performers, not only dancers. Office types scurried around, trying to smooth out behind the scenes details of the fast approaching opening night, while painters and construction workers put finishing touches on the luxurious details of the resplendent interior.
The foyer of the Garnier was as opulent as he had heard, with a mighty grand staircase made of marble and gilded statues holding decadent candelabras that shed light to glow on every shining surface. Erik took a minute to marvel at the exquisite architecture, making several mental notes of things he wanted to explore more fully on his next visit. Today was not about explorations, ho wever, and he quickly scanned the room for a spot that would give him an inconspicuous view of the auditorium's stage.
When a number of workers began to ascend the side staircase, Erik blended into the group. Keeping his head low, he followed them up the stairs, before turning down a side corridor, full of dark walnut doors, and continuing on as if it led to the location of some pressing matter of business.
Once the others were out of sight, Erik took a closer look at one of the doors. A small plaque numbered the door as 1, and peering through the little round window which was cut at about eye level, he could dimly see a view of the inside of the auditorium. Thinking it might be the perfect place to hide and discreetly watch Annie's audition, he turning its handle, but found it locked. Erik approached the next door, marked 3, and discovered the same—that it afforded a view of the stage, but it was also locked.
When he tried the next door however, the one marked 5, Erik was relieved to feel it swing open for him. Checking to be certain that he was unobserved, he quickly slipped inside, closing the door soundlessly behind him, making sure to pull the latch.
He was in one of the opera's luxurious private boxes. The walls were covered with red brocade, a curtain of scarlet velvet trimmed with gold fringe framing the view of the stage. Erik was filled with glee to realize he had once again found the ideal hiding spot! All he had to do was creep behind the curtain, and he would have the perfect view of the stage to watch Annie dance—with no one being the wiser.
Erik had to wait patiently in his box as several other performers auditioned before it was Annie's turn. He knew that she was most likely in a practice room, doing stretches and exercises to make her body limber for the dance. Erik had been witness to her doing these from time to time back at the cave, and he could not prevent his body from shivering in response to the remembered vision of Annie spread into a split on the ground. Oh, the delights and temptations of being in love with a dancer!
Once he had taken a deep breath to expel the tantalizing memory, Erik began to pay attention to the other candidates, in the hopes of distracting his mind from his lovely Annie. What he saw appalled him. Many of the so-called dancers were graceless, clumsy oafs, and Erik was fairly certain that the art of the dance was actually quite hazardous to their health. The singers fared no better, with one of the sopranos actually causing Erik to cover his ears to shield from the cacophony. Even the orchestra was woefully out of tune. Was this truly what passed for talent in Paris ? If so, Erik longed to return to the woods where subtle bird song would wake them from their slumber and sunlight would elegantly twist and sway through the branches of the trees.
Finally, it was Annie's turn to take the stage. She stood there, in front of the enormous red curtain, wearing a borrowed satin leotard and ballet skirt. The sleeveless bodice exposed the delicate grace of her long neck and arms, with the diaphanous gauzy skirt leaving her looking positively ethereal. In that moment, Erik was struck dumb by her exquisite beauty, and he could hardly believe she was his. That angel on the stage had agreed to be his wife, and somehow the abused, neglected, deformed little boy had become the luckiest man alive!
Suddenly, Erik felt abject terror wash over him. What if the horrible musicians proved themselves inept at keeping a beat, therefore throwing Annie off her routine? What if the casting directors, already so mentally exhausted from the string of horrible acts that had come before her did not pay her enough attention, simply lumping her in with the rest of the dancers? What if things, for some reason, did not go well for Annie, and he had dragged her here, against her will, for no good reason? Erik felt his throat go dry and his heart clench tightly in his chest.
But Annie held her head high, and pleasant little grin graced her lips. When the music started, she launched into her dance effortlessly, elegantly, and with such grace of movement, that Erik heard the ambient chatter in the auditorium hush. All eyes were on Annie, as they let her dance for far longer than the other candidates. When at last her routine was complete, the casting directors leapt to their feet, along with the musicians and gave her a round of thunderous applause.
Erik felt the tears wetting his face before he actually realized he was crying. Annie was perfection—exactly as he knew she would be. And now, as he watched a relieved smile break across her features, he also saw her eyes begin to dart all around the auditorium. He knew she was looking for him, so Erik stepped a bit outside the curtain to show her he had kept his promise. When she met his gaze, he could see a sparkle in her eyes and held his hand over his heart to indicate that she had done well. "Brava!" he sent a little velvety whisper directly to her ear and smiled when he saw her shudder in response.
When the applause had died down, Erik heard one of the casting directors begin to speak. He trained his ear to listen to what was being said.
"…superb performance, Mademoiselle Laramie! We simply must have you as a member of the Corps du Ballet here at the Garnier. Come," he said, rising from his seat. "Let us go back to the manager's office so that we can sign some papers and get you started right away, shall we?"
Annie glanced in Erik's direction before giving the director her answer.
"Go, Annie," he murmured, throwing his voice so that he knew she could hear him. "And when you are done, meet me on the second floor. I am in Box 5."
With an almost imperceptible nod, Annie smiled politely at the director and said, "Certainly, Monsieur." And with a final glance toward Box 5, Annie walked gracefully off the stage.
Erik felt like he was caged once again. He slunk to the back of box 5, pulling the curtain that separated its luxurious entrance from the seating area, making certain that the curtain obscuring the little rounded window on the door was pulled as well. It was here, in this hidden space, that he paced back and forth, impatient for Annie to arrive.
He had wanted Annie to meet him here, so that they could be certain to find one another in the throng of people milling about the opera house, but now, the waiting was driving him insane. He longed desperately to take her in his arms and tell her again and again how wonderful her performance had been. And each minute that ticked by before she returned was absolute torture.
Finally, Erik heard a rustling outside the box, and pulled the curtain almost imperceptibly away from the window. When he saw Annie standing there, he immediately undid the latch and opened the door just before she could knock.
"Erik!" she began with a smile. "I'm sorry it took me so long. I had to change and then I couldn't find the…"
Erik grabbed her hand and quickly yanked her into the box placing his hand on the back of her head to silence her with a deep and passionate kiss. He used his foot to kick the door closed while his hand was busy burying itself in Annie's hair. When the lock was once again engaged, he wrapped his other arm around her and crushed her to him as he continued to plunder her lips with his.
"You were magnificent!" he growled in her ear, after coming up for air, all the while trailing heated kisses down her long, slender throat. "Exquisite. Delicious. In fact," he murmured, giving the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulders a little nip, "you taste divine!"
Annie gasped at Erik's sudden amorous assault, relishing the flames he was quickly igniting within her. "Oh Erik," she moaned. "You are exhilarating."
"Am I?" he asked, tracing his hand down the curve of her side, "As exhilarating as dancing on the stage, and enchanting the directors with your ethereal elegance and grace?" He placed his hands on her bottom, and lifted her to sit on the little ledge that was attached to the wall in the entryway of the box standing between her splayed legs. Behind the ledge was a little mirror—presumably for some high society lady to do her makeup, or fix her hair. But right now, Annie leaned her head back against it, her own hair becoming a tangled mess, as Erik's hands roamed the outlines of her curves and made her mewl with delight.
"Erik, you are far more thrilling than the stage could ever be!" Her declaration ended on a gasp as Erik cupped his hand around her breast. "The things you do to me," she whimpered when he found her nipple beneath the fabric of her dress and began to squeeze.
"Oh, my dancing angel," he purred, as he put an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, so that there was no mistaking how very much he desired her at that moment. "The things I want to do to you!" he rumbled, grinding his arousal against her. "I could take you right here. Right now."
"Oh Erik," Annie sighed, as she felt that familiar, blessed heat begin to spread through her core, "Please do. Please take me."
Erik's mouth dipped low, and he hungrily kissed her breasts, shoving the neckline of her dress lower to allow him better access. He seriously considered doing exactly what Annie had just given him permission to do. For all of their love for one another, they had never actually fully given in to their desires. Oh, they had tasted bits and pieces of the pleasures that would come with consummation, and it seemed that every time they did, they hungered for a greater and greater portion. But Erik had always wanted their first foray into lovemaking to be special, so they had been satisfied with fevered kisses and tantalizing caresses.
Seeing Annie triumph on the stage, however, had made Erik's appetite voracious, and he felt as if he could scarcely exist another minute without being united with Annie's sweet, sweet flesh. However, he had fantasized of gently taking Annie's innocence on a bed strewn with rose petals, while simultaneously giving her his, as he gazed into the candlelight glowing in her eyes. Could he really relinquish that dream and tear her virtue from her selfishly on a cramped ledge pinned up against a wall?
"Annie," he said, still kissing her, but more gently now to slow the pace, and calm his ardor. "Not like this. You deserve to be pampered on a bed of roses—their velvet petals tickling your skin, their fragrant aroma sweetening the air around you."
"Erik," Annie murmured, arching against him, to show that she wasn't exactly in the mood to slow down. "You have so many ideas of what I deserve." She snaked her hand down between them, finding the protrusion in Erik's trousers and giving it a good, firm squeeze. "But I know exactly what I want and need!"
When Annie touched him, he saw stars exploding behind his eyes and the roar that spilled out of his mouth was perhaps louder than it should have been, but it could not be helped. He kissed her again, devouring her lips, while she continued to stroke him through his pants. When the sensations became so great that Erik began to feel slightly lightheaded, he placed his hand on the wall behind him, just above the mirror, for balance. But instead, of steadying himself, the world gave sway, and he heard Annie emit a little yelp as they both began to fall.
AN: Lots of excitement in this chapter! And I think they may have just made a very important discovery! Please review and let me know what you think!