Chapter One

Work, you damn hair! I mutter to myself in the mirror. My hair is being utterly repulsive at the moment when I need it desperately to cooperate. I am starting my new internship today and I don't want to be late. It's at Grey Enterprises Holdings Inc., owned by the mysterious and cold figure of the CEO, Christian Grey, a man I had never met prior to the hire. I went for an interview a little over a week ago, and, surprisingly, got the job.

I've seen the people there and I really don't feel as though I fit in very well: firstly, everyone is blonde, whereas I am a brunette. Secondly, everyone always looks prepared for something business-related, whereas I on the other hand always appear as though I'm wearing my grandma's clothes. Fortunately, my roommate, Kate, has allowed me to borrow some of her more approachable attire, so I will try to fit in as best I can with the plum dress she has given me to wear with black heels too high for my feet. I take one final look in the mirror, sigh at the big-eyed, brunette girl staring back, and finally leave my bedroom.

"You look cute Ana. Are you excited for today?", my roommate Kate asks me while propped on the couch watching crap TV. Kate is a beautiful, curious human being who never hesitates to not only make her presence known, but also to invade a person's privacy; maybe she should be working at GEH instead of me. I shudder at the thought.

"As much as I can be. I can't believe I'm meeting Mr. Grey this morning.", I say without hiding my obvious excitement.

"Are you sure you don't want to see a picture of him? He's ridiculously hot you know.", she asks me for the tenth-millionth time.

I chose not to see Mr. Grey before applying to the office since I had heard from many different people just how cold and intimidating he can be. I was worried that I would change my mind about working for his company if he put me in my place, something that no one else could ever do. Lucky for me, this was the first time that I was going to see him face-to-face, so my expectations were shorter than thin. Hopefully he wouldn't be too intimidating.

I mumble my "no".

"How old is Mr. Grey again?", I ask out of curiosity.

"Twenty-seven.", Kate replies. Good, not much older than me. I think to myself. If he was forty-something I think I might feel a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, I can do this.", I say more to myself than to Kate as I take a deep breathe, and relax my shoulders.

"You'll be fine, Ana. Just don't interrogate him; he hates that. Just be yourself and you'll get along just fine.", she tries to reassure me. Easier said than done Kate. Have you seen the people that work there? My subconscious sneers at me.

"Right.", I finally say. I kiss her head and say goodbye before making my descent down the stairs. Wanda, my Beetle, is waiting ever-so-patiently for me outside of our apartment sitting carefully preserved on the sidewalk. José, one of my close friends, was responsible for bringing this car to my attention, and honestly, it's one of the best gifts he's ever given me, despite just how old she actually is. This car could drive me to the moon if I wanted her to.

I climb in the front seat, pop in a Snow Patrol CD, and carefully make my way to GEH.

The building is just as tall as I remember it to be. From the outside it looks like a giant, glass structure with just enough floors for the President and his staff plus family. This man certainly enjoys his space. My subconscious is as taken aback as I am to be and almost faints from the view. I reluctantly think about joining her. Why did I agree to work here again? I'll never last a week in here, not with Mr. Control-Freak himself just waiting for me to make my entrance.

Taking a deep breath, I casually stroll in and find the elevator, hitting the button for the twentieth floor. The elevator whisks me up quickly and suddenly and very briefly do I almost lose my balance. This thing really moves. Finally I arrive to my floor, and search for Ros, Mr. Grey's second-in-command, before meeting with the other new intern, Olivia.

"Miss Steele, welcome back.", she says politely towards me. I mumble my hello as she comes to collect my things.

"Thank you. Where's Ros Bailey?", I timidly ask her.

"Inside with Mr. Grey but she should be out soon. Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you.", I reply as I shrug out of my jacket.

"Okay. Please have a seat Miss Steele. Miss Bailey will be out shortly.", she responds back as politely as possible. I nod my thanks and sit down on one of the leather couches in the waiting room. Next to me is a little pile of magazines with stories about Christian Grey himself and how profitable his empire is. I repeat the mantra of not taking a peek and wait with fidgety fingers and an almost dry throat. Maybe I should have asked Olivia for something to drink. I scowl at myself and shift on the couch.

The entire inside looks so much bigger than it does on the exterior. Everything is completely white with occasional drops of grey and black mixed within the cold aura of the shallow rooms. It feels like thirty minutes before Ros finally appears and I rise to greet her with an outstretched hand.

"Hello Anastasia. Nice to see you again.", she smiles kindly at me.

"You too Ros, and please call me Ana.", I smile sweetly back.

"Well Ana, Mr. Grey is ready to see you now. Just relax and I'm sure you'll be fine. He's really not so bad once you get to know him. Trust me.", she grins and I shyly grin back. She leads me to the door and opens it briefly for me to enter. Somehow my feet fail from under me as I fall headfirst into Mr. Grey's office, unfortunately catching his attention.

"Miss Steele, are you alright?", he asks me as he helps me stand to my feet. Ros starts to help me as well but Mr. Grey tells her that he can handle it. I slowly look up at him and my mouth suddenly drops. This is Christian Grey?! My subconscious finally faints hard on the floor and I can't even move as he holds me steadily in place.

"Do you want to sit down?", he asks after a moment and I slowly nod my response as the words are caught in my throat.

He's beautiful, which is a term I never thought that I would use for any man in my life. Not even José or Paul down at Clayton's Hardware could ever compare to this Greek god in front of me. Holy cow, is he gorgeous.

Mr. Grey helps me sit down as the numbness in my ankles keeps me from walking myself, and soon he leaves and returns to give me a glass of ice water. Thank you.

"Are you sure you're okay? That was a pretty nasty fall.", he says after I take a slow sip. Wow. Great first impression Ana. I'm sure he'll fire me on the spot.

"Yes, fine, thank you, Mr. Grey.", I babble. Jeez, calm down., My subconscious scowls at me. I ignore her.

"Nice to see that your color is returning. I apologize that I wasn't here to meet you yesterday for your first, real interview. Some meetings had come up that I just couldn't ignore.", he explains.

That was when I was supposed to meet with him for a job position outside of school, but his second-in-command had to hold an attendance for me instead. Deep down inside I'm happy that this happened, and I pat myself on the back that I didn't take Kate's advice to see him beforehand. My reaction is so much more better here.

"It's okay, Mr. Grey.", I say quietly and clear my throat to try again. "I understand that you're a busy man."

"Yes, but quite frankly I have no good excuse to not have an encounter with a future employee of my company. Hopefully this charade will never have to show up again.", he replies impassively. I seriously did not know it was possible for someone to look this so gloriously perfect. Would Tess attribute well to Mr. Grey's actions on my skin? I don't know but maybe she won't complain.

"Tell me about yourself. I make it a habit of knowing my employees on their first day of interning. Is there anything I should know?", he asks with hooded eyes.

I involuntarily gulp as I set my glass of water down on the coffee table in front of me, and prepare myself to bore Mr. Grey with everything he needs to know: 4.0 GPA; finals coming up; previous work experience. The whole scenario of how I came to be here has been repeated so many times to Kate that I'm sure Mr. Grey will have no interest whatsoever. Surprisingly, he watches me carefully as he takes in every word that I present. Wow. Maybe he is interested after all.

"Sounds like you'll fit right in, Miss Steele.", he answers dryly. Was that a joke?

"I personally don't think that I'll last very long here.", I confess. He narrows his eyebrows at me as he considers what I've just said. Oh no...

"Why would you say that, Miss Steele? Do you not feel as though you belong here?", he asks. He looks a little hurt or annoyed in his eyes. I can't tell which.

"Well, obviously, everyone looks the part and frankly I just feel out of place. I had to borrow my roommate's clothes just so I could be presentable.", I blab on. Jeez, when am I suddenly this flustered? Not even with my friends do I jab on like this. It must be the atmosphere of this beautiful man in front of me, or just my nerves of seeing him for the first time. I don't know which.

"Looks do not matter here, Anastasia. Power and a business-appearance are what make one "fit in", so to speak, as well as a strong sense of character. Clearly, I see much of this in you.", he responds. My breath hitches as I realize that he's just said my full name in front of me. Why do I find that so intoxicating? Even my subconscious is standing there gaping at his words.

My mouth dries as I take another sip of the cool, clear water. Oh, that feels so good in my throat.

"Is there anything you want me to do for you, Mr. Grey?", I quietly ask. I see his lips form a smirk and I wonder what it was I said that made him react that way. Does he find me amusing?

"I would think you figured that out as you applied here.", he says as he desperately tries to hide a smile behind his long fingers. I involuntarily bite my bottom lip as another smirk crosses his face. Shit... What a stupid question.

"I-I just thought...", I stammer, trying to find my explanation. Mr. Grey responds with a soft chuckle. "Real smooth, Ana.", my subconscious says as she shakes her perfectly-manicured finger in front of me. Not now!

"As of now, I just want you to understand my company better. I could show you around if you wish.", he says with a sudden hint of hope in his eyes. I shift uncomfortably in my seat and he watches intently. Thank goodness this dress is form-fitting.

"No, Mr. Grey, that's fine. I'm sure I'll adjust on my own.", I reply. He eyes me with a dark, cold stare. Oh...

"As you wish, Miss Steele. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?"

"Um, I-um, what's the dress code here?", I stutter involuntarily. I already know the answer to this from Ros but for some reason, I don't want to leave but feel as though I should. The electrical pull is very well known.

Mr. Grey looks at me-amused and not annoyed, I hope-, and removes his fingers from his lips. I quickly glance at his seductive mouth then back into his smoldering, gray eyes.

"Dress. Or skirt. I don't care about the top. Wear a t-shirt for all I care.", he answers coldly. I respond by looking down to the floor, twisting my fingers around in my lap.

"Well, I guess that's it then. Um, thank you Mr. Grey for you acquaintance. I promise to follow protocol here, once I'm more settled.", I say before I stand. I just have to get out of here. Mr. Grey rises too.

"Are you sure I can't show you around?", he asks in an almost-state of panic.

"Yes.", I whisper. He heavily sighs then goes to hold the door for me.

"To make sure you exit more gracefully.", he smirks. Great... That's going to come back to haunt me. My subconscious just shakes her head.

"That's very considerate, Mr. Grey.", I say with a forced smile and slowly, and carefully, make my way out. I turn to look at him standing in the doorway.

"Anastasia."

"Christian." I quickly turn on my heel and head back to the reception desk. I hear the door close slowly behind me, and very briefly look back as Christian disappears from my view.

Holy cow... I whisper to myself.

Ros greets me from the side of the desk.

"Are you still sure about working here?", she smiles kindly. I nod my head. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

After too-many-long hours, I am finally driving Wanda home to spill the beans to Kate, who I'm sure is anxiously waiting to hear my gossip. I love her but prefer not to have the Kate Kavanagh Inquisition. It unsettles me carefully well.

I pull in front of the apartment, and Kate suddenly emerges from inside. She gleefully comes to me and takes me up in a big bear-hug. Jeez, all I did was go to work. She's acting like I just passed Kindergarten.

"Hey, Ana! How did it go? Tell me everything I want to hear.", she beams with a big, all-white teeth grin. And so it begins.

"It was fine. That place is too big for me.", I say quietly.

"Everything is too big for you, Ana. Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Now tell me about Grey." Here goes...

"Um, he was fine.", I say with a clip in my tone.

"Is that all? Tell me more.", she says in her "that's-not-enough-for-me" attitude.

"He was formal. Polite. Courteous. And, clean.", I confess.

"Clean? What does that mean?", she asks as she raises one eyebrow. I am that close to rolling my eyes at her.

"I just mean that he was very, you know smart. Intense. It was kind of intimidating. I'm just not sure how I'll handle him being my new boss though. I've never seen anyone like him before."

"Since when have you seen any man before? Well, except maybe José...", she jokes. I stare at her with my mouth gaping.

José was a good friend of mine, but he did try to make a pass at me after having one too-many to drink. Kate had thrown a party to celebrate my internship, and once while I was trying to wind down in my room, José had come in and tried to kiss me. I instantly pushed him away-although I was also over the influence-, and we haven't talked about it since. I've forgiven him of course but it was rather awkward though.

"I'm hungry. Can we go eat?", I ask after a little silence.

"Yes, of course! Come on. I'll make you a sandwich.", Kate responds as she puts an arm around my shoulder and leads me inside.

After too long of an interrogation, Kate finally leaves me alone so I could relax in peace. I can't stop thinking about the gray eyes that stared at me intently; the long, slender fingers grazing across his lip; or even the sound of his own voice when he said my name out loud.

"Anastasia." It repeats in my ear. Just the sound of that is alone in itself seductive. My subconscious is suddenly joined by an inner goddess, who fans herself on a small, red leather couch. Where did she come from?

I reluctantly crawl into bed, turn off the nightstand lamp, and pull the covers on me and gaze blankly up at the ceiling.

Why didn't I see what he looked like before meeting with him? I ask myself. I looked like such an idiot. And that entrance? Ugh. Could I be any clumsier? The fact that he found the rest of my antics amusing-and maybe entertaining-just makes it even worse. I'm going to be seeing this man almost every day, and I'm sure my introduction will continue to haunt me with every passing moment. Right now, I just want the earth to swallow me up and never spit me back out.

On the other hand, he was undeniably, and shockingly, gorgeous in his own way. I never knew a human being could be that good-looking. How did he become such a powerful, and successful CEO? He's practically my age and I sure don't have the intelligence or drive to have that type of experience. Did he fuck someone to get there? I shake my head at the thought.

Soon, my eyelids start to feel rather heavy, so, dismissing all thoughts of Christian Grey, I push the day behind me, and slowly drift off to sleep.