Fifty Shades of Grayson.
Botany student Kori Ander's life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet distant, billionaire Richard Grayson.
Chapter one
It starts in the down town of Gotham. A young man slowly tied his running shoes as he prepared himself for his usual morning workout before he starts his day. He wore his black hoodie and sweats as he left the manor which he lived in. The exercise helps him relax and wakeup as he runs down the morning's calm streets and watches the sun rise. He ran his routine distance and back, sweaty and pumped up for the day. Once he returned home he hopped in the shower and washed away the sweat and grime of the workout before walking into his large, bedroom-sized closet. He picked out one of his usual black suits and red ties that his loyal butler prim and pressed for him before running downstairs and grabbing a quick breakfast that had also been prepared. And just like that Richard Grayson was off to his job at the big Wayne Enterprises.
On the other side of town a young girl awoke and began to start her day. She showered and brushed her long red hair before picking out a cute colorful outfit to wear. She then left her room, walking to the small kitchen her in tiny apartment. She poured herself a bowl of Froot Loops as she made small talk with her roommate and best friend who had awakened long before her.
"Are you ready?" Raven asked.
"Yep, I think so." Kori said nervously making sure she had everything she needed. She was taking the day off of school to help her friend; Raven had been sick all week and was scared she might have to cancel her big interview with the famous Richard Grayson. Her boss had pestered her for months to get this interview and she did everything in her power to get it just to get sick a few days before the meeting. But to Raven's rescue Kori offered to do the interview for her, quoting: "How hard could it be?"
"You nervous?" Raven asked, noticing her anxious friend.
"Who me? No, I'll be fine. I'm just going to interview one of the richest most handsome men in Gotham city... I'm cool."
"Yeah sure." Raven drawled before sneezing into her Kleenex.
"Raven, I'll be fine, as for you, you better stay here and get some rest, okay." She said sternly, causing Raven to roll her eyes.
"I have everything written down for you, just follow my notes and try not to get me fired." She said hesitantly.
"I love you too." Kori said, shutting the door and leaving the apartment.
Kori left the apartment complex, walked a few blocks to the bus stop and took two buses just to reach her destination. You would think she would be tired but she had to take long routes like these every day just to get to school and was used to it. What she wasn't used to was making her way around the big skyscraper of Wayne Enterprises. The building itself was already intimidating she couldn't even imagine what the inside might hold. It was like a maze just to find an elevator and she was running out of time, and god knows what would happen if she was late, but she did finally find the stupid elevator. She went up to the top floor, slowly glancing at her notes as she waited. By now she was almost shaking she was so nervous, normally she was calmer then this but this was all out of her comfort zone. The doors suddenly opened before she even had time to take a big breath. She slowly walked out and was immediately greeted by a redheaded woman with glasses in a black pencil skirt and blue blouse. "Miss Roth I presume?" She asked in a very friendly tone.
"Yes." Kori said, trying hard to hold in her nervousness. She felt like the odd duck in a pond, everyone here was so fancy and well dressed and compared to them she was just a casual sore thumb. She suddenly wished she had thought more into her outfit for this meeting. Even though Raven isn't that much into formal attire she would have fit in better with her dark blues and gray clothes then Kori did at the moment.
"Mr. Grayson is expecting you." The lady smiled, distracting Kori out of her train of thought as she gestured to the doors in front of her.
"Thank you." Kori said kindly before opening the big gray doors. She walked in and practically stilled as she saw him, the Richard Grayson right in front of her. He was standing up tall, glancing out his big window, overseeing the city it displayed. Suddenly the big steel doors shut loudly behind her and she couldn't help but jump and let out a shriek.
This caused Mr. Grayson to turn and face her. "Are you alright?" He asked in a charming voice as he approached her.
"Yes," She said quickly and he held out his hand for her to shake. "Hi… I'm-"
"Miss. Roth." He finished for her.
"Anders actually. I'm Kori Anders. Raven Roth is my friend, she's home with the flu, I'm here filling in for her." She tried to say calmly.
"Ah, do you study journalism as well?" He asked intrigued.
"Actually I'm currently studying Botany."
"Ah, plant life, I should have guessed." He said glancing down at her floral skirt. "Well we better get this interview started." He began, "I have a very tight schedule." He said gesturing for her to sit.
"Right of course." She tried to say calmly as she sat down and watched him casually walk over to his desk and do the same. She shuffled her papers, checking her notes before looking up at him, "Ready?" She asked, a hint of excitement in her voice.
He gave her an odd look at her lack of proficiency and a small smile crossed his lips. "Whenever you are."
"Great, okay..." She said glancing at her papers. "We all know how you became Bruce Wayne's ward; It was all over the news for years, the billionaire Bruce Wayne adopting an orphan making him his heir. How have you equipped yourself to fit the part?"
"Like you said I wasn't born into this life, I was only ten when I was brought into it. Of course a child was nowhere near ready to manage an empire and it took years of work, studying, and training… to become the man I am today." He said getting up from his desk and walking towards his window, glancing out at the view. "It wasn't an easy trip, I doubt you, Miss. Anders have ever met Mr. Wayne, but he's not exactly the lighthearted type." He said walking closer to her before leaning on the front of his desk.
"I see you too have a lot in common." She spoke and immediately stilled in shock that the words left her lips.
He gave her another odd look that made her gulp in uneasiness. "Bruce was no Father, but he did raise me. He taught me control and balance, something I exercise in frequently."
"So you're like a control freak?" She asked and she wished she had worded her words better.
"I guess you could say that." He answered.
Kori nervously looked back down at her papers in her lap. She let her knees buckle with her anxiety as she tried to find where she left off. Her nervous and restless demeanor caught his eye immediately as he couldn't help but watch her with an odd intrigue. "Do you have any interest outside of work?" She managed to ask.
"There are many things that interest me, and I have learned when I'm interested in something…" He stopped, "I uncontrollably pursue it."
It wasn't quite the answers she was looking for, but never the less his answer was very captivating. Kori only wished she had Ravens interviewing skills to pursue in that subject, but she didn't have a proficient thought of her own to ask, so she turned back to the paper in her hand. "Are you a homosexual?" She said before looking back at her paper, shocked at what she just read. That was a very unlikely question for Raven to ask and she knew it had to have been her boss forcing her to ask such a thing.
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"Well… it says here that you never date and that you are never seen out with women?"
He almost laughed but kept his face its smooth demeanor. "No, Kori, I'm not a homosexual."
"Asexual?" She suddenly asked, and it was another moment where she was shocked it even came out of her mouth. She needed to gain more control over what she thought and what she would say.
"No, I'm not asexual." He said simply. "I tend to keep my private life… private."
"I'm sorry." She said quickly, "Sometimes I have a hard time not saying what I think in my head." She blushed.
"It's alright." He said, and he couldn't help but watch her as she slowly nibbled on the top of her pen in her hand. She did it mindlessly as she fumbled with her papers and he found it oddly adorable. "What about you, Miss. Anders." He began.
"Huh?" She questioned, looking up at him.
"Why don't you ask me a question you… want to know?" He said getting up from his leaning position from his desk to sit in the chair next to her.
"Oh um…" She stammered, until an actual question popped into her mind. "Earlier you said there are many things that interest you, what might those be… exactly?" She asked uncertainly.
He opened his mouth to say something when there was a knock on the door and the redheaded woman from earlier entered. "Mr. Grayson your 11:00." She reminded.
"Cancel it." He said quickly, "We're not done here." He said turning back to Kori.
"Oh no, I… I think we have enough, I can go its fine." She said quickly, not wanting to over stay her welcome.
"I would like to know more about you." He suddenly said.
"Well… there's not much to tell." She said bashfully.
"I think you know as well as I do that that's not true." He told her. "I want to see you again."
"I think you know as well as I do that I stick out like a brightly colored flag here." She said referring to the type of style of clothing she wore compared to everyone in this building. "I mean look at me." She huffed, playing with her floral printed skirt.
"I am." He said simply and she blushed.
"I should go." She said quickly getting up, but in her anxiousness she dropped her papers on the floor. She quickly bent down to get them as she hurriedly picked them up, and to her surprise he bent down as well and helped her, slowly handing her the notes. "Thanks." She breathed and he smiled at her before grabbing her hand and helping her up.
No one said a word as he slowly walked her out of his office and to the elevator, and she couldn't help but feel like all eyes were on her as he did so. "I hope to see you again Miss Anders." He said as she walked into the elevator. "Kori." He suddenly corrected.
Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at him and the doors slowly began to close. "Richard..."
…
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