CHAPTER 3
ALL CREDIT TO ELJ
THE FOLLOWING MONDAY
Christian
I pull up in the driveway of a luxurious water front estate after punching in the code to the gate. This is what would be described as palatial. It's twenty thousand square feet and has a bunch of crap that I don't even care about. This was just a means to an end. I could hear the owner of Keen Realty drooling over the phone when I told her what I was looking for and who I wanted to show it. With the type of commission they could make, she was more than happy to give me whatever I wanted.
As I sit in the car, I see the familiar Camry pull up. I made sure to get here thirty minutes before the scheduled time, and I made sure to drive a different car. I don't want her recognizing the BMW that I was in the first night we met, so I drive the R8 today.
She walks up to my tinted windows. I take a deep breath before I get out.
She stands stock still when she sees me. She's in complete shock, but soon that shock turns to fury. I see the fire in her eyes. I rake my eyes over her body and just take her in. Today she's wearing a gray pantsuit today. The pants aren't too tight but they are fitted, and her jacket is tapered at the waist and shows her curves. I see she's wearing a bright blue collared shirt underneath her jacket. The color of the shirt matches her blue eyes perfectly.
"Ms. Steele," I say to her and extend my hand. She looks down at it, but doesn't take it.
"Is this some joke?"
"Joke? I'm interested in buying a house. You're a realtor. I'm a potential buyer."
"Fine. Follow me," she says with an eyeroll. Before I start to follow, I grab the package I have in the back seat of my car. We walk to the door and she punches in the code.
"What's in the bag?" She asks once we step inside.
"Since I scheduled this appointment during lunch time, I thought I'd bring some lunch." I know for a fact from Ryan that she eats lunch at noon everyday, which is why I scheduled this showing for this time. I wait for her to put up a fight. Bring on the fight, Ana. I'll force feed you this food if need be.
"Oh. That's surprisingly considerate of you, Chad. Thank you." She even manages a smile after that. I become paralyzed by her smile, but I manage to pull all the food out and lay it on the island in the kitchen. I pull out two bottles of water.
"So, the name is Christian, not Chad. And for our entrée, would the lady prefer salmon or chicken? I have a few different sides to choose from," I say to her.
"Salmon, please," she says before she starts digging in. I eat the chicken as I sit in a stool next to her.
"So, why real estate?" I ask. We eat in silence for several minutes. Since she's in such an agreeable mood, I'm going to take advantage of it.
"They were willing to hire me, and it pays the bills. The owner is married to Ray's army buddy and she paid for me to get licensed. After college, I wanted a career in publishing, but that didn't work out. This is fine for now, though. It gives me time to write." This is the kind of stuff that I don't know about.
"Is that something you're passionate about? Writing?"
"We'll see. I don't know how good I am at it. I figure I'd give it a try. I dabble in poetry, but I know that poetry writing isn't exactly lucrative," She says with a chuckle.
"What's your poetry about?"
"They're incredibly personal. I would never try to get those publish. They're a therapy of sorts." Now I'm curious. I turn and face her.
"Now, why would you need therapy?" I ask gently, as I put a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Everyone has their issues. Are you done eating? Let's go look at this huge house," she says as she hops off the stool and clears the island. She puts all the trash in the bag, and excuses herself as she goes and puts the bag in her car.
"Thank you for lunch," she says when she steps back in the house, but I can see that she's closing herself off again.
"You're welcome. See? I'm not so awful." She blushes and my heart swells. "And you'll see how nice I can be when we have our second date on Friday."
"Our second date? When did we have our first?"
"Just now. We sat down, had a meal together, talked without all of the snark. You're a delight, Ms. Steele."
"Um, that was not a date. That was business. Oh, and there will not be a date on Friday. I told you hell would freeze over first."
"I'll be sure to check the weather channel all week, but guarantee you that there will be a date. And you'll have a good time." She laughs at me and shakes her head.
"I sincerely hope you're not a gambler. Let's go look at this house," she says. What she doesn't know is that she's being followed. If she tries to run off somewhere on Friday, I will just find her ass. I've picked out a beautiful Valentino burgundy fit and flare cocktail dress for her to wear, along with a pair of Jimmy Choos, which will be delivered to her apartment tomorrow. I'll be delivering the diamond earrings to her myself when I pick her up. I've already informed my mother that I'll be bringing a date, so there is no going back now. Mother is excited, and I never disappoint mother.
We start the tour of the house in the foyer, which has a double staircase. The tile in the foyer must have recently been shined because Ms. Steele slipped in her stilettos and I grab her to hold her upright. This time she doesn't pull away from me as if I have leprosy. She has a folder on the house and we start with the family room, the gym, indoor pool, the many bathrooms on the main floor and the kitchen. The kitchen is massive with cherry wood cabinets and granite counter tops.
She's professional and knows lots of little details about the house.
"Do you like it?" I ask her.
"It's a beautiful house," she says.
"Yes, but do you like it?"
"It doesn't matter if I like it. You're not buying it for me."
"I could," I say to her.
"Ok. We're done here, Mr. Grey. You have wasted my time," she says as she starts to walk towards the front door.
"We haven't seen the upstairs yet," I tell her.
"Why are you doing this? What possible reason could a single guy like you need a twenty thousand square foot home?"
"I'm a customer so you have to show it to me," I say getting pissed. Who the hell does she think she is to walk out on me.
"This is my livelihood, you know. I could be showing a real buyer something instead of wasting my time here with you, but fine. You're the customer, so let's go. I don't want you giving me a bad Yelp review." As if I would ever do that.
She leads me upstairs and shows me the rest of the house, which takes about an hour.
"So, what's your opinion? I like it, but I want someone else's thoughts."
"I love it. I think you should make an offer right now," she says. I flash her my best smile.
"Come on, Ms. Steele. You wouldn't just be saying that to earn a commission would you?"
"And what a commission it would be, Mr. Grey. I'd be able to work less and concentrate more on my book just from this sale alone. Shall we draw up the paperwork?"
"You wouldn't be leading a poor bachelor astray just so you can earn a buck, would you?"
"Any bachelor who is considering this house is anything but poor, Mr. Grey," she says back.
"Touche, but please give me your honest opinion."
She sighs.
"I don't like it," she finally says.
"Because?"
"It's too big. It took us over an hour just to see the house. This feels more like a museum than a home. I don't like the kitchen at all. I prefer light colors to the cherry cabinets. I know that's easily fixable, but why spend fifteen million on a house that's not perfect. I also don't like the master bedroom. It's bigger than most houses. I'd want my bedroom to be small, cozy, more intimate." Well tell me how you really feel, Ms. Steele.
"Ok, then I won't take it," I say. She rolls her eyes at me.
"Just like I thought. A waste of my time," she mutters.
"Show me something else in the neighborhood. Something smaller, no bigger than 6500 square feet."
She huffs but tells me she'll be right back. I watch as she walks out of the house, and for a minute I think she might be leaving, but she comes back with her iPad. She pulls up some listings and we take virtual tours of three other houses. I use that opportunity to get close to her. I smell her hair again and make sure our bodies touch as I look at her iPad.
"Show me this one," I say of a 6000 square foot home about a quarter mile away. I get in my car and follow her. It turns out she didn't like that house either, so we saw another one about three doors down.
"What do you think of this one so far?" I ask after we looked at the first level. It has an open floor plan and the lighter color kitchen that she said she liked. The kitchen faces the sound and leads to a huge patio and an even bigger backyard, which has a swimming pool.
She lays both hands on the island in the kitchen and just leans in. She closes her eyes as if she's picturing herself here.
"I love it. The first house was just so cold and impersonal. This one is inviting, personal; intimate even. You have lots of space, but with the open floor plan, you're never far away from your loved ones. To me, this is a family home, so I can picture a family here cooking breakfast, sitting in front of the fire place. And you can put a Christmas tree right over there," she says pointing to an area by the front window. I close my eyes and try to picture us here on a Saturday morning, and Ana cooking. I wonder if she knows how to make waffles.
Before she says anything else, she starts up the stairs and I follow. We look at all the rooms in that floor and enter the master bedroom last. Ana walks in and just takes it all in.
"Do you see the fireplace? Can you imagine spending the cold Seattle nights here with your significant other? Drinking a glass of wine or a mug of hot chocolate after a long day in front of the fireplace?" She hugs herself and spins. She actually spins around the room. I go to the fireplace and turn it on and watch as she takes off her stilettos and lay on the plush carpet putting her hands behind her head. I can't help myself and lay next to her.
"I don't get to show these fancy houses too often. This has been a treat," she admits.
"So, it's a good thing we met when we did," I say as I turn on my side to face her.
She turns towards me, and props her head up with one hand.
"I wouldn't go that far."
"Why not? We're doing good business, and we're dating." I give her the smile that makes
"We are definitely not dating. Are you going to buy this house so I can earn a fat commission check or not?"
I think about how her eyes lit up during the tour of this house, and all I can do is envision her here with me.
"I'll take it," I say to her. I see her blue eyes widen.
"Just like that? Have you even been pre-approved?"
"I don't need to be preapproved. I'm paying cash," I say.
"Cash? This house costs five and a half million dollars!"
"Yes, but when you have billions, a few million is nothing."
"Billions?" Did this girl not do her research after I dropped my name? And how the hell does she not know that Christian Grey is worth billions.
"That's what I said. You can start counting that commission."
"Cabo, here I come," she says smiling brightly and clapping her hands together.
Before I can even think I speak out.
"I can take you," I say as I grab her hand and make eye contact. I feel this electrical charge go up my arm and envelope my entire body. I take her hand and kiss it. She pulls her hand away as if it was on fire and quickly stands up, putting her heels back on. I follow suit and stand up as well, but I'm not ready to forget about what almost just happened.
"If you're serious about buying this house, let's go back to the office and fill out the paperwork," she says while avoiding eye contact. I walk up to her and stand directly in front of her. She does everything but look at me. She runs her fingers through her hair while she fidgets.
"Why does a single guy like you want a family home like this anyway? Oh, I bet I know," she says. "For the orgies, I bet."
"The what?" I choke out.
"I've heard all about you from Kate," she says crossing her arms in front of her.
"Who?"
"Kate! Elliot's girlfriend!" She yells.
"I thought her name was Kori?"
"God, you're such a jerk!" She says as she turns around to leave the room. I follow behind her and grab her elbow.
"I'm a jerk? She's spreading lies about me having orgies, and I'm the jerk? For your information, I'd never participate in an orgy. I don't share, Ms. Steele," I say to her. She tries to pull her arm from my hold, but I hold it firm.
"How noble of you, sir. I guess I was right the first time. You're more of the one night stand type. How typical. The guy who can't even make the effort to remember his brother's girlfriend's name. Let me guess. You call all your conquests sweetheart or honeybun? How trite."
"I'd make an exception for you though, Anastasia Rose Steele. I'd never forget your name."
"I'm not flattered."
"I've already told you that I want to give you more." I begin.
"I know you're only interested because I didn't worship at your feet the night we met. If I had, you would have already forgotten my name by now. You'd be calling me Ava, or Anita. It's just one big game to you." This time she manages to pull her arm out of my grasp. She starts to walk down the hallway towards the staircase.
I've reached the end of my patience with this woman. I've spent days thinking about her, learning everything I can about her. I follow her to lunch, where she doesn't even notice me, have my security follow her ass to keep her safe from her dangerous ass job and she just blows me off. I don't think so, sweetheart. If Christian Grey makes the effort, you damn well better be receptive.
I catch up to her, grab her arm, spin her around and pull her to my chest.
"Bullshit. All I've done is think of you since we met, Anastasia Rose Steele. I don't know what it is about you, but I can't get you out of my mind. Maybe I'm a masochist because you've been nothing but a bitch to me since the night the very first night."
"Maybe I was a bitch because you were a conceited asshole who can't even," I shut her up before she can say anymore.
I press my lips to hers. She stands still from the shock of being kissed by me, but I start to put pressure on her mouth, trying to force her to open her mouth so I can taste her tongue. Before I can get her to open her mouth for me, she bites me on the bottom lip.
"Fuck!" I yell grabbing my lip to make sure the little vampire didn't draw blood. Lucky for her, she didn't. I catch up to her before just as she's about to go down the stairs and grab her arm again.
"What the hell is your problem?" I ask and before I realize what she lifts her hand to slap me, but I grab her wrist and pull her to me again, kissing her forcefully this time. She tries to pull away, but I hold her against my body, pressing her to me and god damn she feels good. She stops struggling and finally opens her mouth and I get my first taste once our tongues touch. She tastes sweet, like melon flavored lip balm. The scent of her strawberry shampoo invades my nostrils and I deepen the kiss even more. To my shock she starts to kiss me back. It's an angry kiss and I can feel her aggravation at me through the kiss. I roughly suck on her lips, and she does the same with mine. I let go of her hands so that I can wrap my arms around her waist, and she puts her hands in my hair, tugging in.
I think I hear myself moan as she does that. I pull her even closer, pressing my erection into her core. This time I hear her moan as we both completely lose ourselves in the kiss, pouring all of our frustrations into it.
I grab her round little ass and grind my erection into her even harder and she responds by grinding into me back.
Oh, baby! You're playing with fire. The beast in me awakens even more and I slap her hard on the ass.
"Yes!" I hear her say. Just as I'm about to pick her up and carry her back into the bedroom of this house that I intend to buy just because she likes it, my cell phone buzzes. I grab it out my pocket, hit ignore after seeing that it's Ros, all without breaking the kiss.
"I want you," I whisper. Before she can answer, my phone vibrates again. Fuck! It's Ros again.
"Hold on, baby," I say as I break the kiss.
"What, Ros?" I ask. I'm panting and have a rager of a boner. I see Ana look down at my erection and I lick my lips at her. She blushes, looks away and goes to stand in front of a window, looking outside.
I'm very unhappy to hear Ros rant about another company who is trying to play hardball in their negotiations. They want five million more than I'm willing to pay, and unfortunately I'm going to have to fly to Chicago to put some pressure on them. Fuck! Talk about shitty timing. Just as I'm making progress with little Ms. Steele, I have to leave town for a few days. I look at my watch, and realize I need to head to the office now, so that I can prepare to leave in a few hours.
I walk up to her as she has her back to me, lost in whatever she's look at outside. I put my hands on her hips and my chin on the top of her head.
"I'm sorry for the interruption, baby, but that was work and I have to go out of town for a few days."
I feel her tense under my touch.
"So, you're leaving?" Is that disappointment I hear in her voice? I hope so.
"Just for a few days, but I'll be back in time for our date on Friday," I tell her.
"The name is Ana, not baby, and I already told you I'm not going with you on Friday. Are you buying this house or not?" She says. I sigh. I guess we're back to this shit again. From hot kiss to raving bitch to saleswoman.
"Is that all you care about? Some fucking commission?"
"Well that is kinda my job!" She actually stomps her feet and leaves me standing there as she goes down the stairs. I follow her ass. I'm already irritated at the fact that I have to leave after our stormy kiss, now she's reverting back to her old ways.
"I told you I'm buying the fucking house. I'll have my secretary contact you. Let the owner know I'm putting in an offer and I'm paying cash. Once Elliot inspects this place, we can close. Are you happy now?"
"Very happy! Now I can go all inclusive when I go to Cabo!"
"I already told you I'll take you to fucking Cabo! You're not traipsing off to some foreign country by yourself." This woman pisses me off like no other. We finally reach downstairs and she yanks the front door open with as much strength as her little body could muster.
"Who says I'll be going alone? I have friends. Anyway, I wouldn't want you to be miss your flight to Chicago!" What the fuck is her problem? She can't possibly be mad that I'm leaving for a business trip, can she?
"You definitely won't be alone because I'll be there. I'll see you on Friday. And cut the shit. Wear the fucking dress and be ready when I pick your little ass up at seven pm sharp. I won't be in the mood to play your little games. Now come here!" She walks up to me and stands in front of me with her hands on her hips.
"And just who do you think you're ordering around, huh? I'll have you know," I don't let her finish. I just grab her and shut her up with my mouth. Just like before the kiss gets passionate quickly. We stand in front of my car and kiss each other like two people who are just hungry for each other. I reluctantly break the kiss since I'm now on a tight schedule.
I slap her ass again before I walk her to her car and open the door for her.
"I'll call you."
"Don't bother," is the last thing she says as she drives off.
FRIDAY
I'm stuck in meeting after meeting the entire two and a half days I spend in Chicago. The weather crappy weather doesn't help my mood either. Add to that, the fact that Ms. Steele only wanted to talk about the sale of the house whenever I called her. I was so busy with meetings and staying afloat of my other GEH business that I didn't have much time to call her anyway.
Now I'm back in Seattle and ready to go pick up my date for tonight. I texted her earlier reminding her to be ready, but just to make sure she doesn't try anything, I'm showing up an hour ahead of schedule.
Now I have the earrings and a bouquet of roses for my Anastasia Rose. Ryan has been shadowing her as usual and he even sent me some pictures of her as she went about her day. He even has some of her in the grocery store and going to and from showings. In every picture, she's absolutely stunning, and I can't wait to see her in her cocktail dress tonight. I was thrilled to hear that she went to get a manicure and pedicure today. I wish I had thought of setting that up for her, but there will be plenty of other occasions.
Taylor drives up to her apartment building and I leap out, eager to see my girl. I have the flowers and her jewelry, and a back up dress and shoes just in case she doesn't like what I sent. Luckily someone is exiting the building and I'm able to just walk right in. I might just have to buy this damn building so I can beef up the security.
I knock on the door and wait for her to answer.
"Oh, that was fast," I hear her say as she opens the door.
When she sees me, her eyes widen she yells out something about me not being the pizza she ordered as she tries to slam the door in my face. I quickly push the door open and let myself in, putting down the flower arrangement on her coffee table.
I look at her and she's in a pair of black yoga pants and a black tank top. Her hair is in a ponytail and she doesn't have on a stitch of make up. This is not someone who is getting ready for a formal charity event. She has her hands on her hips as usual, waiting to do battle, but there is something different about her tonight. I look at her again and it dawns on me. She's much taller. I look at her feet and she's wearing the pair of Jimmy Choos I had sent to her. Jimmy Choos and yoga pants. What the fuck!
"Why aren't you dressed?" I ask calmly as I step inside her apartment. Her tiny little one bedroom apartment.
"I told you I wasn't going, remember?"
"And I told you that you were going. You already have on the shoes so just go put on the dress." I'm so not in the mood for this shit.
"The dress and shoes are absolutely stunning, by the way. Your taste, assuming you didn't have your secretary pick this out, is amazing. You know I've never owned a Valentino dress before or owned a pair of Jimmy Choos. Just so you know, I'm a six and a half in shoes, not a six, but I can make these work. I'm going to look amazing in the outfit you picked for my date tomorrow. If the shoes don't loosen up, maybe I'll sell them on eBay and I can go to Spain instead of Cabo." What kind of bullshit is she spouting. And she starts walking around in the shoes, looking down at them and smiling. She lifts up one leg and flexes her foot while admiring the shoe. Baby, if you like Jimmy Choos, I can get you the entire spring collection.
"Our date is tonight, not tomorrow," I remind her. Is she senile or is she just trying to piss me off?
"I told you I'm not going to that. You can't just order me to go out with you. I don't take orders from you or from any man," she has the audacity to say to me, while not even bothering to look at me in the eyes. She's still looking down at the damn shoes, and walking around in them like she's on a runway.
"What is this feminist bullshit you're spouting now? And what date are you talking about? You want to go out tomorrow night too?" I was hoping for a night in with her after being gone most of the week, but if she wants to go out, I can make that happen.
"I am going on a date tomorrow, not with you though. I've met someone." Bullshit. I've had a member of my security on her twenty four hours a day. There has been no one else. And heaven help my security team if they've allowed some man to get close to her. I'd fire all of them on the spot. But just her entertaining the thought of being with someone else gets my blood pressure up.
"Anastasia, I've had a long week and I'm tired. I'm not in the mood to deal with your childish behavior tonight. I told you last week that you'd be attending this event with me on my arm, and that's exactly what you're going to do. I told my mother I was coming with a date, and she's excited. One thing I never, ever, ever, ever do is disappoint mother. Get your ass in your bedroom and put on the god damn dress. Now."
"Your mother? I'm not going out with some mama's boy. Get real," she says and starts walking and looking at those damn shoes again. "God, I love these shoes. Forget Cabo, I'm buying me a pair of these babies as soon as that check clears." Now I've had enough.
"I can be a mama's boy and Ana's man all at the same time. Now go get dressed. I'm not going to say it again. You can put on the dress or you can go in the yoga pants and the shoes." I know I'm about to do battle so I take off my tuxedo jacket. Thankfully I left the tie in the car.
"Make me. I dare you, Cody." I count to ten and then I start walking towards her. She's still just paying attention to those damn silver stilettos, so she doesn't see me approach. When she sees me, she runs out of my reach and goes and stands behind the couch. What fresh hell is this?
"You think the couch is going to protect you? I don't think so. And it's Christian. Say it. Christian?"
"You want to come into my home and tell me what to do? I don't think so, Carlton." I run around to the side of the couch to get her. She tries to run from me, but the shoes slow her down and I catch her. I pick her up with one arm wrapped around her tiny waist and walk towards the direction of what I think is the bedroom. She squirming, trying her best to get out of my arms, but she doesn't have a chance in hell of breaking free from my grip.
I get in the bedroom and close the door behind us. I still don't let her go. Her room is immaculate, not a thing out of place. Her bed is made and she has a beautiful blue quilt on top. I continue to hold her as I locate the closet. I see the dress hanging there and I grab it, while still holding her. I walk to the bed and toss her ass down.
She immediately gets up and tries to bolt from the bed, but I grab her and push her back down. I lay the dress at the foot of the bed. I climb on the bed and get on her, and pin her down, with her hands above her head. She's panting and her chest is heaving.
"I tried to do this the easy way but you're just too damn stubborn for your own good. Now, we can do it the hard way."
"You're so beautiful, do you know that? I'm going to sit you up and I'm going to take the tank top off." I let go of her hands, and I sit her up. She's looking at me and her breathing is still heavy. When her blue eyes find mine, I reach out and touch her cheek. Her skin is like silk. I lean down and I breath her in. Just then she turns her face towards mine, and our lips touch. I take that opportunity and I kiss her slowly. She responds and just like before, she puts her hands in my hair and I lose all senses. I lay her back down on the bed as we continue to kiss.
I break the kiss and look at her. She looks at me and offers me a shy smile. I reach for the hem of her tank top, and look at her, waiting for her to give me permission to take it off. She nods her head and I quickly remove the garment. Her naked breasts bounce and I cup them both in my hands. I flick my thumbs over her hardened nipples, and she moans. I look at her and she's biting her lip, studying me. She reaches up and strokes my hair again, and she lays on her back pulling me down towards her.
That's all the encouragement I need. I scoot down and take off her shoes, and I reach up for the hem of her yoga pants. Just like with the shirt, she nods, giving me permission to remove it. I remove the pants and her underwear in one swoop. She's laying naked before me with most beautiful skin. I touch it and she feels just like rose petals.
"You have to take off your clothes now," she whispers.
"Undress me, Ana," I say to her. She gets up and we're both on our knees on her bed. She reaches for my shirt, but I grab her hands.
"Christian. Say it." She gives me a mischievous smile.
"Curtis."
"Christian."
"Connor." I pull her to me and lean down, making sure our lips are barely touching.
"Christian. Say it." I say to her right before I lick her bottom lip with my tongue. I hear her whimper.
"Christian," she whispers.
"Even your neighbors are going to know my name by time I'm done with you tonight. You're about to be mine," I say just as my lips captures hers.
Looks like Christian got the girl! Do they make it to the charity event? Does Christian ever remember Kate's name? Do they ever make it to Cabo? Thank you all for reading and reviewing this short Valentine's Day story. You guys rock!
