"I don't think you should go Anna."

"Because you never want me to have fun?"

"Because you're only just back in the public eye. They'll be hounding you to find out what happened and why you took a year leave of absence."

"That's no one's business but mine Mary." Anna held up two dresses. "Which one says 'single and ready to mingle'?"

"You're not single."

"I promise you, I'm as single as they come."

"Then tell me," Mary held up a newspaper, "Why does this say you're still with Alex Green?"

"Because they're wrong." Anna tested one dress against herself in the mirror before the other one, switching between the two while glancing at Mary through the reflective surface.

"They seem pretty convinced."

"It doesn't matter how convinced they are, we're not together." Anna pivoted, moving the dressing to one hand to snatch the paper from Mary and toss it into the bin. "I told everyone that before I left. We're over. It's done and dead. End of story as far as I'm concerned."

"They're not convinced."

"Then they should've listened to what I said before I left on holiday."

"Caring for your terminally ill parents wasn't holiday."

"Before I took my break then." Anna sighed, holding up the dresses again. "Please, which one says I'm back and ready? No questions or debates?"

"There'll be questions." Mary got off the bed, taking both dresses out of Anna's hands and going into the closet to remove one. "But it's this one. It says, 'I'm back bitches' and we need that if we're going to come back strong."

She paused, her finger going to a white scar on Anna's forehead. "And it keeps you covered enough that no one'll make it an awkward debate about whether or not you let yourself go in the past year and gained weight."

"Because it's the possible weight gain you're worried about?"

"Well, there are certain parts of you that might show off more… Like your stomach or your hips or-"

"There's barely a mark there Mary."

"Doesn't matter. We need all questions right now to be about how the great Anna Smith is getting back on the horse and riding it into the sunset. Not about any possible changes her body went through in the last year."

"I'm sure you've already got a plan."

"I've got a plan for everything."

"Care to share what your plan for me is?"

"It didn't start with Gwen's party but since you're ignoring my advice and going anyway," Mary dug out a matching pair of shoes, "Take Tom as your security. He'll keep any of the creeps away and take care of Green if he shows up."

"Not sure he could do that with the restraining order and him being locked up and all."

"All the same." Mary opened her arms to support Anna when she tested one of the shoes. "If anyone from the company wants to feel some kind of obsessive loyalty toward him, I want to make sure they'll not get close enough to exact any misguided revenge."

"I doubt he's got that many friends." Anna made a face, "Or any at all."

"All the same, I want you to be ready for that."

"What about the deal?" Anna paused, holding the shoes up to the dress. "Did they accept the cancelled contract?"

"They had to."

"They had to?"

"It was either that or face the other charges we had leveled at them." Mary wrung her fingers. "I wish you'd let me…"

"No." Anna shook her head, "We're not going down that road again."

"Fine," Mary threw up her hands, "Let's get you ready to party."

It took them less than an hour to get Anna dressed and ready, meeting an auburn-headed man in the lobby of the building. He got up from the chair, tucking his phone away, and kissed both of Anna's cheeks before doing the same to Mary. "So glad you called me. I was afraid you'd decide on a new security team too."

"Too?" Anna frowned and the man shrugged.

"You're going with a whole new crew on the performance end I worried they'd contract your security to another firm." He shuffled, "And since our reputation's a little tied to your old producers I thought-"

"We'd never hire anyone else Tom." Mary soothed before putting a hand on his shoulder. "But if you cock this up, I'll be up your ass faster than the spiciest Indian food that ever put you in the loo. Understood?"

"She'll be safe and sound in my care." Tom extended a hand to Anna, "If you're ready, milady."

"Wow, you never gave me this kind of treatment before." Anna took his hand and waved at Mary. "Don't stay up too late Mother Hen."

"Not that I could anymore. I've got my own chicks to tend at home." Mary waved them off. "Be home before it's too late. We've got good impressions to make tomorrow morning and I don't want you hung over."

"She's going to be royally disappointed then." Anna muttered to Tom, accepting him opening the door for her. "I play on getting very drunk."

"Been a bit?"

"Let's just say, I wasn't exactly in a position to get soused when I was caring for people who needed me alert."

Tom winced, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Hey." Anna held up a hand, "It's not anything to trip over yourself about. Everyone passes eventually. I was just lucky to be there for them."

"It was a real honorable thing you did." Tom got into the driver's seat, peeling away from the building and joining traffic. "Though I was curious, how'd you manage it? Financially I mean?"

"How'd you mean?"

Tom scoffed, "Most of the people we protect in this business are only ever one flop away from being M.C. Hammer. They can't afford to not work and yet you went and took a year."

"My work sells well." Anna shrugged, "And I hope it still does when I get back into it but the real reason is that I had a god manager when I started who insisted, when I got my first real paycheck as a famous star, to save."

"Mary told you to save money?"

"You'd be surprised but Mary's a fantastic manager. She's got a head for money, business, and balancing needs with a boot to your ass." Anna let out a little smile. "She's the reason I can manage my money so well and why it all worked out the way it did."

"Good on Mary."

"If she knew how good she might kick herself." Anna let out a little laugh at Tom's expression. "She got me invested and managed so well that I could retire now and be alright for the rest of my life."

"But you wouldn't do that to her?"

"Without something to do Mary would go mad." Anna leaned her head on her hand, supporting her elbow on the door of the car. "But I did think about it. About just fading into the ether and letting everyone just speculate as to what happened to me before moving on."

"If it's anything," Tom rested his hand on hers a moment before going back to the steering wheel. "I'm glad you decided not to throw in the towel just yet."

"Me too." Anna patted her hands on her knees. "Because then I wouldn't get an invite to this party."

When the car joined the queue outside the already thumping club, paparazzi bulbs flashed and blinked. Anna's fingers tensed and she nodded at Tom as he pulled into the next spot. "I'm ready."

"Good." He got out, handing the keys to the valet before coming to Anna's door. She took his hand, focusing on him to try and adjust her eyes to the flashing bulbs, and allowed Tom to take the lead in pushing through the mass of people who rushed her like a rugby scrum. The noise only worsened as they all shouted their questions but Anna ignored them and exchanged a handshake with the bouncer standing guard at the door.

"Been a bit Bruce."

"Only yesterday Ms. Smith." He handed over a colored wristband. "VIP. Mrs. Harding's requested you in her private booth. This'll get you in there."

"Always a champ." Anna smiled at him, following Tom into the club and letting out a sigh. "First round down."

"Get me a face-to-face with DJ Dawson and I'll take you through whatever gauntlet you want." Tom called over the music, keeping his hand on Anna's as they pushed onto the main floor of the club. Flashing lights and music took a moment of adjustment before he pointed. "She's over there."

Anna followed his line of sight and moved with Tom as they skimmed the edge of the dance floor and ascended the first flight of steps to where two bruisers twice the size of Tom formed an effective doorway. Anna raised her wrist, showing off the bracelet, and moved through with their nods of approval. When they tried to stop Tom, Anna put out a hand.

"Only for a second. He needs to check the scene."

"We're good at our jobs."

"Yes, but people you let through might not be friends of mine." Anna pouted at them, "Mike, Nick, it's only two seconds. He wants to look around, gawk a second, and then he's down on the floor dancing with the rest."

The two men exchanged a look before nodding. One of them held up two fingers. "No more than two minutes."

"Done." Anna dragged Tom behind her. "And they're serious so whatever geek-out you're going to have'll have to wait until you're drinking alone."

"Not nice."

"It's the gig you signed on for." Anna wove through the standing tables to where an in-set circle of cushions looked down on the floor below. She leaned over to speak directly into the ear of a red-haired woman. "Room for one more here?"

The woman whipped her head around so fast it was only Tom jerking Anna back that saved her being beaned in the head with the rather lacquered ponytail. But in a second the woman was up and over the cushions to crush Anna in a hug. "You wanker why didn't you call the second you got here?"

"How would you've heard me over this noise?" Anna shouted before pointing to Tom. "Before Mike and Nick get rid of him; Gwen, this is Tom Branson, my ever-stalwart security and a huge fan of DJ Dawson."

"I hope you've got it spelled right on a t-shirt." Gwen shook Tom's hand. "Because it's not like my maiden name. Not anymore, anyway."

"No?" Anna frowned and Gwen pointed to the spray-painted label behind the DJ table that read 'DJ Daw-Sun'. "Why the change?"

"Bit of a spat with an up-and-comer and I wanted to prove they'd never take my fans with their punk ass music." Gwen shrugged and leaned back over the booth, rummaging for something on the table before using her teeth to take the cap off a pen. She signed her name quickly before leaving a baseball hat sideways on Tom's head. "There, helps me get the new name out there and advertises with some merch. Just don't lose it."

Tom took the hat off for a second, his fingers tracing over Gwen's signature. "This is… I can't-"

"Don't mention it." Gwen winked at him, "You brought the almost late, forever great, Anna Smith back to us and I'm eternally grateful. Tell the bartender two rounds free on me yeah?"

"Exactly like that?"

"Otherwise he'll think you're trying to get a free bar." Gwen waved him off, "Before Mike and Nick drag your ass away."

Tom turned to Anna, "You've got my number yeah?"

"Unless it's changed."

"Nope." Tom nodded at Gwen. "Pleasure."

"Likewise sir." Gwen saluted him away before grabbing Anna. "Alright, spill the juice. A new producer? And the whole thing with Alex? And what about-"

"You're going to need to get some drinks in me before I start spilling that much juice." Anna sat next to Gwen on the cushions, narrowing her eyes at all the people around her wearing masks. "Did I miss a memo?"

"Oh," Gwen reached into a paper bag and handed Anna a blue mask before putting a fiery red one on herself. "Sorry. It's to keep the people here who think they're hot stuff a secret."

"Not like they didn't all get papped outside the door."

"They're all second-tier." Gwen shook her head, downing the remains of a glass before handing Anna a shot. "But they're the ones I'm supposed to help into the game. It's part of this 'mentor' program my producers want to encourage. Get new blood into the system without making it a competition between the establishment and the neophytes. It's stupid."

"Especially since the public lives for a good feud." Anna knocked the shot back. "Anyone you feuding with? Other than the DJ that stole your name?"

"Being the artist formerly known as Dawson hasn't been such a bad thing." Gwen leaned back into the cushions. "Jai's happy about it. Says it makes it easier to tell people that I'm 'Mrs. Harding'."

"Was that a problem?"

"It was when I had to tell him I couldn't make a stage name out of 'DJ Harding' without opening myself up for an avalanche of sex jokes."

"I can totally see that." Anna sighed, reaching for another shot. "But, in answer to your earlier question about Alex, we're a hundred percent not together anymore. I broke up with him before I went to Yorkshire for a year."

"Good." Gwen shuddered, "I always hated that guy."

"You let him know every time you were in the same room."

"At least I only set fire to him once." Gwen smiled and clinked her shot glass against Anna's. "Alright, let's get a little bit wasted and then dance before getting really wasted and pass out in the back of my limo."

"Sounds like a plan." Anna knocked the shot back with Gwen and they both reached for another one. "Alright, we've only got so much booze before we've got to use the Ladies so… Get to it."

Some time later, delightfully buzzed, Anna danced with a mass of other strangers, all wearing colored masks, and only paused when there was a temporary break in the music. She turned toward the stage to see Gwen taking her place, wobbling a bit before waving off the first DJ to put on her own mix. "Come on London! We're here to party!"

The shouts and calls from the floor segued into the music and Anna joined with the rest of them as they moved to the new beat. But after a few minutes she paused, weaving through the crowd to find her way back toward the bar. She slapped her hand on it to signal the barman and waved him over before shouting over the music, "Water?"

"Got enough and to spare love." He winked at her, passing over a bottle before going to another customer.

Anna guzzled half of it in one go before turning back toward the crowd.

"Hey!" She frowned, trying to identify the voice and managing to place it on a tall man wearing a mask in matching blue. "How'd you get one of those?"

"Asked for it." Anna held up the bottle, pointing over her shoulder at the bartender. "He handed it over."

"Said they were all out for me." The man extended his hand, "John."

"Anna." She shook, "But if you'd like, I'll only drink most of the rest of this and you can have whatever's left."

"Sounds alright." He twitched and then pointed, "Can you… Do you know a place here where it's not so loud?"

"Not really but…" Anna surveyed the room and then pointed. "Follow me. I think I've got a place."

They moved through the crowd, past the inevitable line for the loo, and through a back storage closet. Anna opened another door and ushered the man into the empty space beyond. She closed the door and breathed at the quiet before taking a seat on an almost broken stool. "Been a long time since I was back here."

"You've been here before?" He took a seat as well, leaning back against the wall before spreading his legs out fully on the floor. "Am I about to be a victim in what I'll discover is a series of Mata Hari murders?"

"Nothing like that." Anna waved him down, taking another drink of the water bottle before tossing it to him. "Gwen and I used to bribe the original bartender, back when this place was Downton Place, to let us use this space."

"To get baked?"

"No." Anna shook her head, "We made a little recording studio back here when we were both backup singers on albums. We dropped the first tracks we used to get ourselves real recording sessions."

"Impressive." John finished the water and crushed the bottle. "I was doing open mic nights for years before I finally got the guts to do this job."

"Really?" Anna put her hand to her face and took off the mask. "That's impressive. Brave too. No one's a harsher critic than a drunk who lost their inhibitions hours ago."

"Are you about that drunk?"

Anna snorted, opening her arms as if putting herself on display. "Do I look that drunk to you?"

"I try not to judge a woman's drunkness and let her tell me." John tossed the bottle into the bin. "But I've actually seen you sloshed before."

"That's embarrassing." Anna cringed, "Were we at a party where I spilled something on you because I'm reasonably sure I never vomited on anyone."

"No," He shook his head. "It was an after party. The Jazz band I was playing for opened for you. We were one of the acts that opened for you and you were gracious enough to get us into the party."

"Really?" Anna closed her eyes, scrunching them shut a moment. "Because I feel guilty that I remember none of that."

"It's fine." He shrugged, "It was actually the party that got me the gig where I got noticed so thank you, by the way."

"Don't mention it since I'm the asshole who doesn't remember you." Anna set her head against the wall. "I can't imagine what you saw at that party."

"Why?"

"Those weren't my best times, to be honest." Anna moved off the stool, taking the space on the floor next to John. "Since I'll admit to being a little drunk, would you let me tell you some things in confidence?"

"Sure." John held up a hand, his fingers far apart. "I'm only this drunk so I could still dial a telephone number from memory."

"Good." Anna patted his hand, playing with the mask in her hands. "Because I'm here, getting drunk, trying to forge a new image for myself."

"And?"

"I'm not sure I want that anymore." Anna tossed the mask into her lap. "But it's really all I know how to do so I've not got much of a choice."

"You've got all the choices you want." John leaned over to her, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Yeah."

"I've bought all your albums as pre-sale." John nodded before wincing, "Well, not the first, because that one I had to hear through a friend but after that I bought them all. The second I had them I listened like a nutter until I could sing along with them. And then… Then I did some jazzy revisions on them. They always killed at open mic nights."

"I'll have to do a duet with you some time at one." Anna sighed, "I'd like to get back to that level of simplicity. Before my name was selling watches and shoes and other crap like that."

"I think you'll get back to that one day." John offered her his hand. "But I've got another secret for you."

"So many in one night and we're almost strangers."

"At that party, the one you let my band into," John swallowed. "I know why you were drunk that night."

"Really?"

John nodded, "Because you were starving. Your producer… what was that shithole's name?"

"Alex?"

"I think I just called him Green Grass Ass but whatever." John waved it down, "He was watching your weight. He controlled what you ate and when and you hadn't had enough to eat all day. So you were drunk because your stomach was empty and what you needed was carbs and a nap."

Anna opened her jaw but almost immediately closed it before nodding. "I didn't think anyone noticed."

"I did." John pointed at himself, "I was one of your biggest fans of the non-stalker variety. And I was star-struck to the point of struggling to almost remember my own name. I noticed everything."

"Did you?"

"I did." John nodded and started ticking off on his fingers, "You're a Scotch girl, you come from Yorkshire, and you've got a real penchant for fine chocolate before you pair it with cheese."

"Anything else you noticed?"

John stared at her, "You're beautiful and I'd like to kiss you."

"Really?"

"Very much so." John nodded, "But if you're absolutely skunked then it's my duty, as a man of honor, to escort you to the security you came with and make sure you get home safely."

"I'm merry, not drunk." Anna stopped, "No, a little drunk but still conscious enough to make decisions for myself. And I'd enjoy you kissing me very much."

John leaned over and Anna almost missed putting her hand on his cheek. But they made it and Anna sank into the kiss. It lasted for almost a minute before they pulled away from each other.

"Are you clear enough to make decisions?"

Anna nodded, "I'm very clear so anything you're about to ask me I'll whole heartedly consent to."

"Because you can still consent."

"Absolutely." Anna dragged John back to kiss her.

The kiss led to her straddling his lap. And them fumbling around with trousers and skirts and knickers until John's fingers became involved. Then it was a game of Anna learning how to control a kiss while he drove her slowly to madness with his fingers. When he tried to lift her skirt higher Anna stopped him, dragging him back into the kiss as a way to distract him.

And it worked.

Worked well enough for his fingers to bring her to climax. Well enough for Anna to maneuver over him and sink down with a satisfied sigh. One that continued as they moved and shifted together until John joined her on the high.

They settled for a moment, adjusting their appearance as Anna stood to go. "For the record… I've not come twice in a single sitting before so that was… Very pleasant and beyond lovely."

"I…" John only swallowed before standing, checking over himself. "I've not had anything nearly that fun or exciting in a very long time so it was lovely for me as well… If we're taking an opinion poll."

"If we were, I'd suggest a repeat." Anna extended her hand to him, "If you're amenable. I think we've hidden away long enough."

John trailed her out onto the dance floor again and Anna checked her phone before shrugging. "Probably time I considered getting home. I've got a big meeting tomorrow that I can't miss."

"Me too." John tugged on her hand, pulling her back toward him. "Mind if I ask for another kiss?"

"As long as you're willing to go through my agent for my number." Anna grinned and dipped as John leaned her back before kissing her soundly. When they broke apart, Anna winked at him. "Until next time, John."

"If there's a next time," He tucked a card into her hand between her fingers and phone. "I'll let you call me."

"Will do." Anna saluted him and sauntered out of the club. "Bruce, please call me a cab because I've had a lovely night."

"Always good to hear Ms. Smith."

"I think so too."