Hello everyone! I've been thinking about this storyline for a while and I hope you all enjoy it!
Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Fifty Shade of Grey or the characters.
Ana
I am on my way to the Grey House to speak to a Mr. Christian Grey, about merging Steele Publications with Grey Enterprise Holdings, Inc. I am unsure why my father couldn't come to this meeting instead of me. I'm going to get hit on by some middle-aged, perverted CEO the entire time. However, father said this would be a good learning experience for me since, as of next week, SP will be mine. I have been graduated for a year now, and learning the ropes is done, so my graduation present is almost in my hands! My father owns half of Seattle and, apparently, what he doesn't own, Mr. Grey does. I wonder how this whole meeting is going to go down.
"Miss Steele, we are here ma'am," my driver, Thomas, says as he exits the vehicle to open my door for me. "Thank you, Tom. I should be done in an hour. Would you mind getting my Starbucks for me and have it waiting here?" I ask him. Thomas shakes his head and tells me it will be waiting as I make my way into the Grey House. I walk across the lobby, listening to the clink of my own heels across the tile, and tell the young receptionist why I am here. She nods politely and hands me a pass with 'Visitor' written on it, and tells me to take the elevator to the twentieth floor. I thank her and make my way to the top floor.
I exit the elevator to bring myself to another smaller lobby. I go to the receptionist desk and am greeted by a beautiful, young blonde supermodel. "Hello Miss, my name is Andrea, how may I help you?" She greets me with a smile, but all business. I like her. "I have a lunch meeting with Mr. Grey. I am here from Steele Publications," I tell her. She nods with a smile on her perfect face and types away on her computer. "Miss Steele, if you wouldn't mind waiting just a few minutes, Mr. Grey's last minute is running a little over. However, you can take a seat in one of the chairs behind you until he is available. May I get you a refreshment?" She asks. Oh, she is good. I wonder if I can steal her from this Mr. Grey. "Oh, that's quite alright, Andrea, I don't mind waiting. Could I please get some ice water?" She nods and scurries off to get my water while I take my seat in the chair closest to the window.
After just a moment, Andrea comes back with my glass of water. As she hands it to me she says, "Mr. Grey's meeting has just ended and he would like for you to meet him in his office. Please, follow me." She allows me to stand before turning and leading me down a small hallway to a set of double doors. She walks right on it. I follow her to a small table, seated for two where she sets my glass down and then turns to nod at me. "He should be here in just a moment. You can wait at this table and your lunch should be here soon," she says to me and then starts to make her exit. "Thank you, Andrea," I say to her as she leaves. Now I can finally get a look around this office. The office is very boring. Everything is here for function, not for comfort. For a man, who I am sure, works all the time, you'd think he'd want his office a little more homely. However, I find myself drawn to the artwork on the opposite wall from me. I didn't hear the sound of the door opening and closing as I was so drawn up into my own thoughts about what the artist must have been feeling.
"Miss Steele, do you have a love of art?" A masculine voice breaks me out of my reverie and I can't help but jump a little and cover my heart with my hand. I turn to the mystery voice and see a gorgeous, young man standing in the middle of the office. His hair is copper colored, his eyes are gray, his face looks like Zeus, himself, carved it from the finest marble he could find, and his body was covered with a grey suit but that didn't stop you from noticing how well built he was. I wonder if this is Mr. Grey's son. Please let him be something. You know, I haven't had a boyfriend in a while, and honestly I wouldn't mind being under him fo—a chuckle escaped his luscious mouth and my thoughts were interrupted. "Oh, I'm sorry. You startled me," I said to him, as my heartbeat slowed down from the scare but started racing for another reason. Another chuckle from him. "Well, Miss Steele, I'm terribly sorry I'm late but my last meeting ran longer than I thought. Please, come and have a seat. Our lunch should be here soon," he said as he crossed the room to our little lunch table. I stood, frozen. This was the Mr. Grey? He looked to still be in his twenties and he already owns half of Seattle? Well, honestly, he could own me any time! I shake my head to clear my thoughts and make my way to the table, where he is still standing.
He gestures his hand for me to take my seat as he takes his. What a gentleman! "Mr. Grey, you are very young to own already own half of Seattle. How did you get so powerful so fast?' I ask him. Before talking real business, I wanted to get a feel of this man to better understand him. He's too young to have this much money. Says you, Ana. My inner thoughts are starting to become a pain in my ass. "Well Miss Steele, I had a hard entrance to life and I promised myself that I would never suffer poverty again, so I worked really hard, and now I want for nothing," he says rather arrogantly. I nod my understanding. My father has always made me work for what I want, even though he had the money to give it to me whenever. "What about you Miss Steele? You're very young yourself to own your own company," he counters back. I smiled a bit and then went on my explanation. "Well, Mr. Grey, Steele Publications is a graduation present from my father. I graduated a year ago, but he wanted me to shadow the chief editor, so I could get the knowledge necessary to run my own company. As of next week, I am officially the CEO of Steele Publications, and I am so excited to be doing what I love!" Mr. Grey nods in understanding and then we both just sit there in silence until our food arrives a moment later.
"Well, Mr. Grey, why do you want to merge with my company?" I ask once we have both dressed our salads and I take my first bite. Delicious Ranch! "Miss Steele, I have always had an interest in publications, but have never found one quite as successful as yours. You are the biggest name on the west coast and I would just like to help Steele Publications become an even larger franchise," he said. "So, really, you just want to rule the rest of the world," I say, looking at him to catch his reaction. He looks up from his plate with amusement in his eyes and a sly smile on his face. Oh my God, he is gorgeous! Please let me say yes to this deal so I get to see him more often. "I guess you could say that, Miss Steele, and please call me Christian. If we are going to be working together, we should be on first name basis" he says, still slightly amused. "Then you, Christian, should call me Ana, if we are going to be friendly," I say with a smile and then head back to my salad. "Is Ana short for something, or is it your full name?" He asks. "It's short for Anastasia, but my friends call me Ana," I respond as our next course comes in.
After that we mainly just talk about small things: school, friends, family, etc. just trying to get to know each other. Most of the time Christian steers the conversation back to me and my hobbies, he doesn't really like to open up much. I don't say anything about it though, I don't want to upset him on our first meeting. Every time I go to look down at my food, something makes me want to look back up. I don't want to miss the chance to see his face. When I look up he is staring at me too. We stay like this for I don't how long and I don't care. His eyes go from a light, smokey gray to a smoldering, thunderous gray that does things to my insides. Unintentionally, we are both leaning closer. Our faces are just centimeters away and I can smell the scent of his skin and feel his breath on my face. He looks down at my lips and then back up at my face. Just when he was about to lean the rest of the way in we were interrupted with Andrea coming across the intercom letting Mr. Grey know it's time for his next meeting.
"Cancel it," he says to her. There is silence on the other end of the line, but then I butt in, "Mr. Grey, I don't want to take up anymore of your time. You have an empire to run. Besides this won't be our last meeting if this merger does go happen, we'll have to see each other more," I say as I get up and grab my bag. He nods and hands me the file with the numbers and other forms of paperwork that I need to look at to see the profit of his company and my company and see if they are compatible and if we would both win out on this deal. "Allow me to at least walk you to the elevator," he says. I nod and wait for him to grab the paper work he needs for his next meeting and we both head out the door. He puts his hand on the small of my back to escort me to the elevator. He pushes the button for me and waits until I am safely in the elevator. I push the button and wait for the door to close. "Anastasia," he says as a goodbye with a nod.
"Christian," I say and the doors close.
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