Chapter 1

Ana PoV

I was hyperventilating as I descended to the basement level of Escala. Half-sprinting, I reached the submissive special and hopped in. I knew I told Christian that I'd leave the car and he could pay me for Wanda, but I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible and I didn't want one of his goon squad driving me anywhere.

I threw the car in reverse and squealed the tires as I raced out of the parking garage. Home. I needed to get home. Nothing else mattered. Home was away from Christian and away from all thoughts of him. I parked the car in my allotted spot and walked slowly to the stairs. I concentrated on my feet as I walked, and was surprised when I saw a pair of feet right in front of mine. I looked up and it was Elliot Grey.

"Elliot?" I asked. "What are you doing here?" He was supposed to be in Barbados with Kate, soaking up the sun for nearly another week.

"Kate broke it off with me," he replied, saddened. "I don't know why I'm here, but this is where my feet took me as soon as I left the airport. You look like someone hit you with a truck. What's wrong Ana-Banana?" Ana-Banana? Since when did Elliot have a nickname for me?

"I um, broke up with Christian," I told him. "Just now."

In an instant, Elliot was on his feet, radiating rage. "What did that idiot do?" he demanded.

"I... um… nothing, Elliot. It just… it isn't going to work out. We… we can't be what each other needs," I told him, hanging my head.

"You mean you won't let him whip you with his canes and floggers and shit," he stated.

"What?! I don't… when did…. How do you know about that?" I asked.

"Oh trust me, Ana. I know all about my brother's little… hobby, we'll call it." He spat the words out as if he was ashamed of his brother. I saw nothing wrong with the Kinky Fuckery, but I knew it wasn't for me. Some people had those tastes; Christian was definitely one of them. I definitely was not. "Tell me, did you bolt before he showed you the playroom? Or after?"

"Um, after," I replied. "I had already seen it and um, been in there with him." I could feel my blush creeping across my face as I said the words. Why on earth was I telling Elliot all this? I'd signed an NDA specifically forbidding me from doing just this. But if Elliot already knew about Christian's preferences, was I really breaking the NDA after all?

"Let's go inside, Ana," Elliot whispered. "This is hardly the place to have this conversation."

I fished my keys out of my purse and led the way into the building. Elliot stayed close behind me but didn't utter another word until we were inside my apartment and each seated on opposite ends of the sofa, mugs of tea in our hands. "So what made you leave, Ana? What was your breaking point?" he asked me.

"Well, I really shouldn't talk about it," I told him, thinking again of the NDA.

"Fuck his NDA," Elliot snapped. "I'm his brother and therefore exempt from that rule."

I thought for a moment and then decided to hell with it. If Elliot already knew all about the playroom then I was going to forget the damn NDA. "I told him to show me how bad it could be," I replied. "I didn't like the whole punishment thing, and I needed to know how bad it would be, what the worst of the punishments would feel like so I knew if I could be what he needed. And I… I couldn't handle it." As I sat there, I could feel the soreness in my behind. I wondered if it would bruise

"And what did he do, Ana?" he asked.

"He whipped me with a belt," I whispered. Elliot's grip on his mug tightened to the point that I worried it might shatter in his hand, sending the scalding liquid all over him, me and the cream colored couch. As I stared at the mug, I began to cry, unending tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Oh Ana," he breathed as he set down his mug, pulled my own from my hands and wrapped me in his strong embrace. "I had hoped you'd change him, that he'd be able to just be normal with you. But that man is stubborn and stuck in his ways."

"It's what he needs," I sobbed. "He needs that release, and I can't give it to him."

"You shouldn't have to," Elliot replied. "Even if you signed a contract, it's akin to domestic violence. I get that it's whatever two consenting adults wish to do, but I just can't wrap my head around taking a whip, a belt, a cane, whatever to a woman in any way. It goes against every instinct in my head. And it should go against all of Christian's instincts too, I mean, we were raised in the same house."

I decided not to delve into the reasons Christian was the way he was. I had no idea what Elliot knew; particularly about the bitch troll molesting Christian when he was a child. I needed to change the subject. "What happened with Kate?" I asked.

"Well, I told her I wanted her to be my girlfriend," he began. "She said she wasn't ready to settle down, and wanted to explore her options a bit more. Truthfully, I think she had eyes for the cabana boy at the resort we were at." That did sound a bit like Kate, though I was surprised, considering how much she seemed to like Elliot.

"I'm sorry Elliot," I said, reaching up to pat his shoulder. A gesture that Christian would surely whip me into next week for. Another deal-breaker in our relationship. He wouldn't let me touch him. I wouldn't let him beat me, and he wouldn't let me touch him, things we both needed. He merely wanted a sex-slave that he could whip into submission, while I wanted a relationship. Hearts, flowers, romance, and all the rest.

Elliot moved his arm from around me and grabbed my hand in his, twining his fingers with mine. "This is so wrong, Ana, I know it, but I really want to kiss you." I looked up into his eyes, searching for the truth behind his words. I saw the desire there, and the shame at what he wanted to do.

But I couldn't help myself. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. And fireworks exploded all around us. His other hand moved to cup my face, his thumb stroking my chin. Kissing Christian was an amazing experience, but kissing his brother was something other-worldly. I couldn't put words to it.

Of their own accord, my hands snaked up his chest and around his neck, to run through his curly hair. It was soft as silk and tickled my fingers as they moved through the locks. He deepened the kiss by licking at my bottom lip. I opened my mouth to him and he eagerly explored my mouth with his tongue. I moaned as his hand gripped my hip.

We both knew exactly what we were doing. He was my best friend's ex, and I was his brother's ex… we had no business getting involved, yet here we were, hands and mouths exploring each other in every way. His hand trailed up my side and to my chest, he was about to go where only Christian's hands had been when my phone rang. It was Kate's ringtone.

I pulled away from Elliot, the spell broken, reality sinking in. Blushing profusely, I hopped off the couch and darted into the kitchen to dig my phone out of my purse. I strode into my bedroom and closed the door before picking up. "Kate," I answered.

"I broke up with Elliot," she said. Not even a hello; that was her intro.

"Yes I know," I replied.

"How did you know?"

"Because he was sitting on our doorstep when I got home just a bit ago. He's currently sitting on the couch with a mug of tea in his hands." I figured using a partial truth would be best.

"Oh, well he's all yours, honey," Kate stated. What?!

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Ana, the entire time he was down here, all he did was talk about you. About how you are way too good for his brother, and he's worried about what his brother will do to you, and how he wanted to protect you from him. I had to admit; I agreed with him, there's something off with Christian, which I've told you. But Ana, the way Elliot talked about you, I could tell that I was just a placeholder. You're the one he wants. And I'm okay with that. I promise. I know the unwritten rule is that a girl shall never date her friend's ex, but I'm making an exception for you here."

"Kate, I'm so confused. I thought you really liked him. Like really, really liked him," I said.

"I did, but to be honest, I knew it wasn't going to be a long-term thing. I've got my eyes on something different already, and if I truly wanted to be with Elliot, I wouldn't pay any other men any mind at all. So that was my clue. Ana, the reason I called is to tell you that you really should think about what you're doing with Christian. I'm worried about you."

"Well, you don't need to worry anymore; I broke it off with him earlier today," I told her.

"What? Really? What happened? Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, Kate. I mean I'm a bit upset, but I'll admit, Elliot being here when I got home helped a lot. I needed someone to talk to and aside from you, he was perfect. He knows his brother, knows what happened…" I trailed off.

"That's great," Kate said. "I'm gonna stay out here a while longer, babe. You'll be okay without me, right? Or do you need me to come home? Just say the word."

"No, no, Kate, you stay. Enjoy your beach and the new man," I told her. "Love you, babe."

"Love you more," she replied and hung up.

Elliot PoV

I knew she was on the phone with Kate, though the content of their conversation was a mystery. What would Kate say about me? I sat on the couch, worrying my hands over the now cold mug of tea. Kissing Ana was the greatest thing I'd ever felt. The moment her lips touched mine, I felt a zing go down my spine.

Christian would beat my ass for this, I knew it. Well, he'd try to beat my ass. I'd never let him that close, but I knew he'd be pissed. He didn't deserve Ana. She was an angel, one that didn't need corruption by him.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my brother, but I didn't approve of what he did with and to those women. Consent and contracts or not, it was wrong. Sex was about connecting with someone, showing them how you felt about them, and achieving that physical release together, not about punishment and reward. Not about taking what you want from someone, and giving little to nothing in return.

Ask anyone and they'd tell you I was a player and that I'd slept with half of Seattle. But that simply wasn't true. I boasted and bragged, but actually didn't sleep with that many women. Kate was the first one in quite a few months, and at first, I thought we'd be together for a while, but then as time went on and I got to know Ana a little bit, my feelings for Kate changed. And hers changed for me, too.

We were drifting apart before I went down to Barbados. And while I was there, we didn't even sleep in the same room. There was no sex, no kissing, it was more like we were just two friends hanging out on the beach.

She told me she knew we weren't going to last, and that I had eyes for Ana. "Go get her," she said to me. "I know you're better for her than your brother. You just need to convince her of that."

I spent the whole flight home mulling over Kate's words. How did she know that I was into Ana? Was it because I talked about her a lot? I supposed I did. Christian had never had a girlfriend before, so that alone made it a big topic of conversation. He was different with Ana; I had to give him that. While I knew about his submissives and all the contracts and everything, he never once mentioned dating anyone, never acted as if he were happily connected with someone. It was like those women were a means to an end for him. A way for him to expel his anger and get sexual gratification simultaneously.

Then when Ana came into the picture, his demeanor changed. I could tell that he treated her differently, but still, ultimately, wanted the same thing from her. And she was so much better than that. She deserved someone who would treat her like a queen, love her unconditionally, and never, ever punish her for anything. Punishments were for parents to give to children.

After a few minutes, Ana emerged from her bedroom. "That was Kate," she told me.

"Yeah, I figured as much. What'd she say?"

"Well, more or less, she gave us her blessing," Ana replied, a confused look on her face. "I guess she knew that you had a thing for me, which was news to me, and then said that you are better for me than Christian, which right now, I can't disagree with. And she said she's okay with us being together. Normally, it'd be breaking the friend rules, but she made an exception here."

"She's a great woman," I said. "Clearly not the woman for me, but a good one nonetheless. What do you think of this, Ana?"

"Well, I'm worried about how Christian will react. I'm sure he'll go thermonuclear on both of us, but to be honest, I don't really give a damn. I can't deny the connection I feel with you, even after only really hanging out for a little while. And there are so many emotions to deal with, and this is all so new and frightening, but I can't help what I feel.

"While Christian intimidates me, you excite me. I can be myself around you. I'm not constantly walking on egg shells, worried that I'll do something wrong and you'll drag me into your Red Room of Pain and punish me eight ways to Sunday. I'm not worried about not being enough for you; I can tell that you like me for who I am and don't care that I prefer to dress in jeans and chucks, and drive an old beat up car. I haven't felt this relaxed since before I met him. I hadn't even realized how tense I've been. He makes me a different person; someone I don't want to be." She took a deep breath after she spoke and waited for my reply.

"You're right Ana. I don't want to change you. I think you've never looked more beautiful than when you're wearing a comfy t-shirt and jeans. And yeah, Christian will flip out, but let me handle that, I don't want you worrying about him. Also, I'd be happy to take you to a car dealership, get something that fits you much better than that ridiculous Audi Christian gave you."

"You're not buying me a car, Elliot," she admonished.

"Who said I was paying for it?" I replied. "I'll help you pick one out. Car salesmen tend to railroad women buyers all the time. It's sexist and wrong, but it's ridiculously common. I'll go with you and let you know when the salesman is full of shit." That earned a giggle out of her.

"Christian gave me a check for what he sold my beetle for," she said. "Let me go get it and see what we have to work with." She pulled an envelope out of her purse and opened it, pulling out a check. "What?!"

"How much?" I asked.

"Twenty-four thousand dollars! There's no way in Hades he got that much money for that old jalopy," she hissed. Oh, this was angry Ana. And dammit if she wasn't sexy as hell.

"What kind of car was it?" I asked. She rattled of the make, model and year. "Well, that is considered a collector's car. I wouldn't be surprised if some schmuck did pay that much for it."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. You can count on Christian to get top dollar for anything he sells, regardless of what the item is worth. Do you want to go buy a car now? I can have the Audi taken back to Escala for you," I suggested.

"Yes, let's do that," she replied. She gathered her things and we went down to the bank first, deposited her check, then to the nearest used car dealership. We perused the rows of cars for a while before she set eyes on a ridiculously ostentatious lime green car. It was a Ford Fiesta, a 2011 that only had 10,000 miles on it. I put the salesman through the wringer and made sure he told us everything about the car. Allegedly, the previous owner bought it as a gift for his daughter for her eighteenth birthday. But by then she'd outgrown her lime green phase and wanted a pink car.

So he made her drive it for a while, while he found a dealer for her truly wanted car, and then traded this one in. Not a thing was wrong with it. It got an average of 40mpg, was nice and peppy, and safe enough for a klutz like Ana. She elbowed me in the ribs for that joke.

"It's perfect," Ana whispered. "I shall call her Lima Bean, and she shall be mine. And she will be my Lima Bean." I chuckled at her quip. The car did resemble a bean in shape, and certainly in color.

A new fiesta only ran $23,000 MSRP, so a used one was well below that. The salesman asked for $18,000, but Ana and I were able to barter him down to $15,000. Since the check had not yet cleared her account, I fronted the money with my black amex card, and she promptly wrote me a check for the amount, making me promise to deposit it first thing in the morning.

And I would deposit it, and then give it to a charity or something, in her name. Something she'd want me to do with the money, at least. I wasn't as well off as Christian, but an extra fifteen grand missing from my account wasn't going to bring a tear to my eye.

"Shall we go get a drink and celebrate your new purchase?" I asked as we headed out to the parking lot. "I'll race ya to Rumour's."

"You're on, Grey," she agreed.