Days of Fifty Challenge 2
Story 2 of 12
Disclaimer: The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy characters used in this story belong to EL. James.
Bella Vita
by
BellaButteryfly710
Chapter 1: Surprise, Ana!
Anastasia's POV:
I am standing in front of the building where Grey & Springs is located, debating if I should go in or just walk away from this even before it starts. I have been summoned by Mr. Grey, according to my "manager", Elena Lincoln.
Elena Lincoln is the owner of the much lucrative private dating services for the rich and famous, Bella Vita.
I have been working for Elena for three months, ever since she found me working at Clayton's Hardware Store. She came in to ask one of the guys for help with her flat tire, that's when she found me, the only one on the floor working. I went out and put her spare tire on for her. She was both stunned by my "beauty and brain", and could use a girl just like me.
She called the store later that week and talked me into meeting her for lunch under the impression of thanking me for helping her out in a bind. However, once we got our Cobb salads and sweet iced tea, she slid over a NDA to me. I read it, thoroughly, and signed. I only have two close friends and if someone doesn't want someone else to know something, I won't say it.
Mrs. Lincoln explained to me that her business is not an escort service, her girls, as she calls them, provides companionship to the elite business men and woman in Seattle. Those that require dates for functions, business meetings, and dinners.
I have met three men, two of which were businessmen and one was an athlete. They were small affairs, Elena suggested some small ones to get my feet wet, so to speak. All of the men were nice, attractive, and attentive. I don't know if they needed Elena's services again, but they didn't request me for a second time, which is fine with me. I think I like the one time and then move on. I don't even know why I am doing this to begin with - well, I do know. I need money for college. The scholarships that I have received year after year is not enough, and the money I make at Clayton's is enough for food and some bills. My parents, God love them, pay for my rent and the utilities. I hate that they do that. I am an adult, according to the government, I should be able to take care of myself at this age. I just need to get through this last year of my classes and then land a full time job, preferable a higher paying job with benefits in a publishing company.
So, here I am, standing in front of the tall building preparing myself to meet with a Mr. Grey. I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. I look down and quickly straighten out my black pencil skirt and white blouse. My hair is in thick ringlets running down my back, and I have minimal makeup on for the day.
My heels clack against the marble floors, making the receptionist look up and offer me a professional, welcoming smile.
"Welcome to Grey & Smith, my name is Lexi, how may help you?"
"Hello. My name is Anastasia Steele, I have an appointment with Mr. Grey."
She starts clicking away at her keyboard, then her finger starting swiping the screen.
"Ah, yes. Here you are. Mr. Grey's office is on the fifteenth floor. Please attach this to you and sign your name here." Lexi hands me a visitors badge and once I clip it to the color of the shirt, I sign my name in the ledger.
"Thank you, Ms. Steele. I sent a message to Mr. Grey's secretary, she will be expecting you. Please return the badge when you return down here."
"Thank you, Lexi."
I stand in front of the metal doors of the elevators, watching the numbers decrease. Within a minute, the elevator dings and the doors slide open with ease. I move aside, allowing some people exit, and then I gently slide in. Just before the doors close, a man rushes in.
He smells of of leather and citrus, a complex combination, but it seems to work for him. His unruly hair is a copper color with strands of light brown.
"Floor?" His masculine voice asks of me.
"Oh, fifteen, please." He turns at the sound of my voice and his eyes stops my brain from working and my heart from beating. They are the color of a summer days storm, light gray with hints of blue. Mesmerizing.
I see his Adam's apple bob up and down while his eyes trace down body. I should feel violated, but I don't. At all.
I clear my throat, and try to look anywhere but at him, but in an elevator, that is hard to do. There isn't even a landscape picture in here.
All I can think about is how I wish he were Mr. Grey, however, I look at the lit up numbers and the other button that is illuminated is twenty. Better luck next time, Steele.
I see in my peripheral that he is still glancing at me, and then all of a sudden his smooth voice starts to speak again.
"I'm Christian. I've never seen you here before, are you new?"
"No, I have an appointment. I am Anastasia." He reaches out his hand to me and I automatically place mine in his. A spark ignites in my body and his hand tightens around mine as we both stare down to our connected hands.
"Hmm," he hums.
"So, do you work here?" I ask as our hands disconnect from one another.
"I do," he simply states.
The elevator dings again and right now I hate that noise that is interrupting this moment I am having. The doors begin to open, Christian moves to side so I can exit. As I walk by him and before the doors close, I bid him goodbye.
"Christian."
"Anastasia."
Christian's POV:
The elevator doors close as I say goodbye to the angel before me. I have never felt the jolt of electricity when meeting a woman before. I didn't even feel that for my ex-wife when we first met. There was no flutter in my heart of stomach, no goosebumps when our skin touched, and certainly no air leaving my lungs just upon looking at her. We married for business, not pleasure. She was a business associate that I knew from working a lot in London and wanted to move to America. We did eventually start to have feelings for one another as the years passed. However, towards the end I caught her sleeping with another tenant that lived in Escala. I wouldn't say my heart was broken, because it certainly wasn't, however, I trusted her and I did something for her that no one else agreed to. We divorced, thank goodness for the prenup. She wound up with only anything and everything she brought into our 'marriage'. She quickly married the man that lived ten floors down
Anastasia. An erotic, beautiful name which suits her. She said she has an appointment here today, and she got off on the fifteenth floor, which are law offices, one of which is my fathers. My father is a criminal prosecutor, which, for some reason makes my blood boil that she would need someone like him. Who in this world would make the decision to hurt that angel? I have known her for a whole two minutes and could tell right away how pure she is.
The first thing I noticed when I entered the elevator was the scent of mixed flowers, like a meadow of wildflowers. It was enticing and heavenly. Her dark chocolate, wavy locks cascaded around her heart shaped face. That face. Those cornflower blue eyes that hypnotized me in an instant. I was lost in them and didn't want to find my way out. She had the perfect button nose, and full blush pink lips. She was at least a foot shorter than me, and I found that perfect. I had images of her in my arms, crushed against my body, my arms wrapped around her entire frame, protecting her. Another image of us on the couch, smooshed together as we watch some rom-com that she was just dying to see.
"GREY!" I hear from my office door, when I look up, my COO, Ros Bailey, is standing there.
"Yes?"
"Man," she shakes her head as she waltzes in and takes a seat across from my desk. "I called your name three times before you even looked up. You usually hear the door open right away, what is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, just thinking about this merger." I lie.
"What kind of merger?" She asks with a wink.
"I hate that you know me so well."
"Well, we have been best friends since high school and went to college together. Who else would know you like I do?"
"True."
"So?"
"Fine. You will get it out of my anyway, especially when Gwen and Elliot supplies us with bourbon. On my way up, there was this girl in the elevator. She was - well, she was captivating."
"Captivating, huh?"
"Yes."
"A new hire?"
"No. She had an appointment on another floor."
"Did you get this girls name?"
"Anastasia."
"What a name," she winks, again. "Sounds royal."
"What is wrong with your eye today?"
"Shut up. Did you get her number?"
"No. Nothing like that. We were only in the elevator for about a minute together."
"What floor did she get off of?"
"Fifteenth. Why?"
"You are Christian Grey and you are asking me why? Go down there and see her. She should still be on the floor, it hasn't been that long since she has arrived."
"So you are telling me to go stalk her?"
"Yes," and another wink. "Yes, I am."
"Stop with the winking. I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"Why would I have the need to go down there?"
"Christian, who works on that floor?"
"My father."
"Did you forget about that?"
"No, I know. Those offices are for criminal prosecutors, which means something happened to her. She needs to meet with whatever lawyer she is seeing being comfortable. I don't want to impose."
"Okay," she stands up and walks to the door. "I will," I hear her call out as the door closes behind her and then I hear her heels scurrying towards the elevators.
She is quick in those heels because she is no where in sight when I exit my office. Damn it, Ros.
Anastasia's POV:
Mr. Grey's assistant greets me when I get off the elevator. "Good afternoon, Ms. Steele, my name is Autumn, may I get you anything while you wait for Mr. Grey?"
"No, thank you." My stomach is still in knots from my encounter with Christian.
Mr. Grey, an older gentleman comes into the waiting area and greets me with a wide smile.
"You must be Ms. Steele. Thank you for coming in today."
"My pleasure, Mr. Grey."
He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me down the long hallway. His office is the last one at the end of the hallway, he opens the door and leads me in. I take it all in before he asks me to take a seat.
"You have a lovely office." It is painted in a sage green and his desk sits in front of a wall of windows. He has a beautiful view of Seattle.
"Thank you." His smile is bright, makes him look younger. I haven't been set up with an older gentleman yet, and I knew it would be coming one day. He is much older than me, however, he looks young, keeps himself in shape. He has frames on his desk, however, I can't see what they hold.
"You are welcome." There's a brief silence between us, our eyes glancing back and forth with one another. There is always an awkward silence in the beginning, I don't think I will ever get use to it.
"So, um, what event would you like me to attend with you? I would need to know what kind of attire to wear, time, place. I would meet you there and be picked up from there also. I don't share my personal information with, um, clients."
Mr. Grey lets out a little chuckle and I cock my head to the side and look at him in question.
"Oh, no dear. I am a happily married man. I have asked you here for one of my sons."
"Your son?"
"Yes, Ms. Steele. His birthday is coming up, and I would hate for him to be at that event alone. He is turning thirty and his mother and sister has planned a big party for him."
"You want me to meet your son for the first time and be his date for his own birthday party?" This just sounds odd. Wouldn't his son be more embarrassed by the fact that his father has set him up on a blind date, so to speak, to his own party. Can his son not find his own date? Is he a computer nerd with thick rimmed glasses and a pocket protector?
"Yes."
"So, let me get this straight, you asked me here to be a present for your son?"
Thank you for reading! I hope that you have enjoyed it. As you can tell from up top, this is only chapter one. Once this story is shared with the challenge, I will put it up on my FF account and keep it going.
*The name of the business that Elena runs is called 'Bella Vita' (also the title of the story), which means 'Beautiful Life' in Italian (well, that is what google translator told me)!
I just wanted to take the time (because I forgot in the last challenge, oops) to thank Lanie Love and KC Caron for creating this type of challenge for us to participate in, whether it be writing the stories and/or reading them. I think this is a great way for us to come together and really share what we love! Fifty shades, the characters, and the love of reading and writing. We need the positivity as a lot of writers are being hit by trolls with mean words and negative comments. I hope that with this challenge, more people will read and review all stories that they love, letting the authors know that they are behind them by encouraging them. Thank you.