Fifty Shades of Sleep
Prologue
Somewhere in the echoing distance a child was sobbing. He could hear the soft, slow gulps as the precious, helpless creature tried to contain its sorrow. He fought at the sound, willing it to leave his ears. I won't listen, I can't. It's too painful, I don't know if I can bear it. But it was no good. The sound pervaded his serenity with all the intensity and drama of a Rachmaninov concerto. He had to get up, he had to leave the warm, encapsulating comfort of his cocoon- like bed and seek out this plea. He was alone, he knew that, and only he could answer this call.
He slowly rolled out of his shelter and leapt, cat-like to the floor. As he padded down the richly-carpeted hallway, the cries became louder and more intense, boring into his brain like a diamond drill.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he breathed, quickening his pace.
He entered the room behind the solid, panelled oak door and was met instantly with a horrific and heart-rending sight. The child lay, sprawled across the floor, inert, gasping, face down. What had happened, what terrors had occurred to so torture this poor soul.
" . MY. BUNNY" yelled the infant, with a guttural, animal cry that so harmed his equilibrium.
"Captain Fuck," he sighed, "the fucking bunny's fallen out of bed again."
"It's all right darling, Daddy's here."
Chapter 1
"What is it?" asked Ana, her knees trembling as her heart fluttered with the intensity of his concentration.
"It's a pull-up nappy Mrs Grey," he hissed at her, as he ripped it out the plastic packet. "I'm going to put it on Junior now."
"But I don't know if I'm ready for that," Ana whispered, as she felt tears welling in her impossibly large, pale blue eyes. Even at 4am, after only fifteen minutes sleep, the sight of Grey's bicep as he picked up the box of pampers was too much to bear.
"I wanted to use real nappies from the start," she pouted," but you wouldn't let me." Staring back at her with that piercing glare of his, his intense grey eyes boring into her very being, he shouted "Ana. I. Might. Be. A. Billionaire. But I'm not a fucking idiot - real nappies? Honestly."
She sighed. Life with Grey had changed so much in the last three years and seven months. Looking at him, the dawn light creeping in from behind the soft, silk curtains, she found it hard to reconcile her life with Grey now with that intense, overwritten period that was the first three novels in their life so far. The chapters had shortened and the content was admittedly more PG13 than R, but she still had glimpses of the way things were. Maybe tonight, or this morning rather, would reveal one of those moments?
She sighed and he caught her melancholic gaze. "Lets just put him back to bed in the pull-up Ana, and we'll get Taylor to go fetch some more nappies in the morning." She nodded her agreement and watched as her husband lifted their beautiful, copper-haired son into bed.
"Love you Mommy. Love you Daddy." Junior yelped, as he found himself tucked in vigorously, arms and legs pinned to the mattress by the heavy, winter-weight duvet.
"Love you too darling." Ana purred, gazing adoringly at the angelic little child before them.
"Just go to fucking sleep," muttered Daddy, and stalked out the room.
Ana got up from the sumptuous armchair, upholstered with the ever so cute pattern of safari animals. Your father's a complete rhino, she thought, a fucking hyena, a complete fucking Wildebeest. But I do love him. And he is a beast.
As she walked back into their bedroom, she could see the sun just beginning to rise over the sparkling water of the Sound - out there bobbed their beautiful catamaran, The Grace. Oh what happy memories she had of their time spent on board, below deck, so to speak. She felt a blush rise across her cheeks.
She slid into their opulent, wrought-iron bed, next to the demi-god that was her husband. The years had been kind to him. He had retained that boyish quality to his face but his jaw had strengthened and his eyes deepened. His glossy, copper hair was now streaked with grey. Grey on Grey, she sighed, what a vision.
"Mrs Grey," he growled, "Get over here to my side of the bed."
"Darling…" she began, but he reached out with his grasping arms and pulled her close to him, burying his face in her neck and groaning. "Oh, Ana, oh my Ana, my beautiful, sexy Ana, you smell… you smell… oh fuck you smell like puke."
"Thanks," she whimpered her previous feelings of prowess at the happy memories of their early, rampant days, now shattered in an instant.
"But I want you anyway, I'm an animal, what can I say, It's you, it's what you do to me…" he rasped, pressing against her in his pyjama bottoms and top.
"Oh Grey," she sighed, "it's 5am, I've been vomited on twice tonight, I'm leaking milk from both breasts and I now need to pee again."
"But it's you," he sighed, "Only you, oh Ana, my Ana, my only Ana…"
She knew what she had to do, although it seemed like an eternity for her to realise it, it was only a moment, and in that moment, with heavy heart, she made her promise.
"Christian," she trembled, hoping he would relent and she could leap up to use the bathroom, "darling husband of mine…"
"Yes." He snapped, and suddenly his mood was changed in an instant, that cold, distant megalomaniac returned.
"Darling, can we please do it tomorrow, well tonight I mean?" She asked, her voice small and low.
He remained silent; she could feel the energy from his body crackling at her like static from her hairdryer.
"Christian… Sir," she pleaded, "I promise we'll do it tonight."
"Very well Mrs Grey," he relented, "But I'm going to punish you for this and what's more, I'm going to enjoy it." He snarled.
And with that he rolled over and promptly fell asleep. Oh my, she thought, what have I gotten myself into now?
Chapter 2
Anastasia sits at the cool, grey granite breakfast bar of her enormously large, sleek designer kitchen. She sighs into her latte, made for her by the wonderful Mrs Taylor.
Junior plays peacefully at her feet with a wooden toy train, calmly and methodically smashing it into the polished steel door of the gargantuan fridge freezer. Clunk, clunk, clunk: the dent increases with each accurately placed strike. So like his father, she swoons.
Her Blackberry bleeps on the table.
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Spanking
Date: May 3 2012 09:30
To: Anastasia Grey
We need to talk about spanking.
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
Ana splutters, her latte splattering the granite. She knew he would punish her, but spanking, again, he really is going too far.
From: Anastasia Grey
Subject: Off Limits
Date: May 3 2012 09:33
To: Christian Grey
I thought we agreed this topic was off limits.
Anastasia Grey
Full time Mother and Domestic Goddess
She takes a deep breath and braces her for the full onslaught of his temper. Lately Fifty has been pushing her boundaries on a lot of things. She wonders again if she has made a mistake in marrying him. At the moment his temper with her is so short. Maybe it's the long nights, the lack of sleep, the pee stains in their imported Persian carpets. She doesn't know but she has to find out – their marriage depends on it.
From: Christian Grey
Subject: No Limits
Date: May 3 2012 09:37
To: Anastasia Grey
I refer to our earlier discussion on this topic regarding Hard and Soft Limits. Spanking is not a hard limit, it's not illegal, lots of people resort to it. What exactly is your problem?
Christian Grey
CEO and firm supporter of pro-spanking group FFS Spank, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc
Ana snorts. This really is unbelievable of him, she may even have to reconsider the promise she made in the early hours of this morning.
From: Anastasia Grey
Subject: Psychological Studies
Date: May 3 2012 09:39
To: Christian Grey
I refer to a recent paper published in the American Journal of Psychologists (September 2012 edition) which clearly stated that spanking is both mentally and developmentally damaging and should never be used, even in extreme circumstances.
Anastasia Grey
Full time Mother and Chair of anti-spanking lobby PAINNSpank
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Extreme Circumstances
Date: May 3 2012 09:46
To: Anastasia Grey
Is Junior bashing the fridge with his toy train again?
Christian Grey
CEO and firm supporter of pro-spanking group FFS Spank (Fathers For Spanking), Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc
From: Anastasia Grey
Subject: Are you watching our CCTV?
Date: May 3 2012 09:39
To: Christian Grey
He is.
Anastasia Grey
Full time Mother and Chair of anti-spanking lobby PAINSpank (Parents Against Intervention of Non Necessary Spanking)
From: Christian Grey
Subject: FFS – For Fucks Sake
Date: May 3 2012 09:46
To: Anastasia Grey
Then you need to give him a bloody smack Ana – I'm not having him ruin our fridge.
Christian Grey
CEO and wielder of a very sharp palm, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc
Oh my, sighed Ana, who knew we were going to have such different parenting styles.