Ana arrived back home exhausted but elated that her first day at work had gone so well — with the exception of a few minor hiccups. After she had returned to the office, a bevy of female coworkers accosted her, all hoping to become her new best friend. After a while, though, the commotion died down and she and Hannah had really hit it off. Ana had also begun editing her first manuscript and Mike seemed unfazed by Christian's earlier pissing contest.
Ana put her briefcase down and headed toward the bedroom when she was halted by her second surprise of the day: Christian.
She stood there baffled, mouth agape. He was never home at 6 p.m. It's still light out for God's sake.
Bemused, Christian sauntered over and encircled her in his arms. His tongue lightly traced the outline of her lips before coaxing them apart to dip inside for a voracious kiss that left her breathless.
When he finally let up, his eyes burned into her. "Surprised baby? I wanted to spend the evening with my lovely wife."
"I am. Very," she gaped at him, trying to erase the remnants of her shock. "First breakfast, then lunch and now dinner!"
Christian began to seethe that Ana was typecasting him as the workaholic husband who neglected his wife, but he stowed away his resentment for now.
"You know I like to monitor your eating habits Mrs. Grey. Come, Gail prepared us some veal and mushrooms," he said, leading her to the candlelit dining room.
Ana was still a little confused by the attention he was showering on her. She hadn't seen the hearts and flowers version of her husband in well over a year, but she'd take advantage of his reappearance, even if it was only fleeting.
So she spent dinner regaling him with stories of her first day, his earlier reconnaissance mission long since forgotten. Unfortunately for her, Christian hadn't forgotten about Ana's heart to heart with Kate. He'd thought of little else all day — snippets like "dreamy" and "detest" worming a hole into his psyche.
"Your boss isn't overloading you with work on your first day is he?" Christian asked, trying to keep his interrogation to a minimum.
"No of course not," Ana replied, trying to keep her condescension to a minimum. "In fact, he's entrusted me with a manuscript that could be the next 'Eat, Pray, Love.' It's a big responsibility so I'm in heaven!"
"I'm happy for you baby," Christian said, conflicted by a sincere desire to see his wife succeed and his innate fears of losing her to someone else.
"Mike's a decent guy Christian," Ana arched her brow sardonically.
"I'm sure Staunton is," he grumbled. Hopefully that decency comes in handy when I sack his ass and he looks for another job.
"Perhaps you could invite Hannah over for dinner some time," Christian suggested, wanting to get off the subject of Ana's hero of a boss.
"That's a terrific idea. The two of us could have a girls' night in or something!"
"I mean with me here Ana," he snapped, turmoil simmering beneath the surface of his cool exterior.
Why does she keep assuming I'm going to be MIA for everything?
Why he's so damn touchy lately?
"Oh sorry. I misunderstood you. Sure, Hannah has a boyfriend so we could do a double date whenever you're free. Be forewarned though, she's pretty smitten with you. She may choke on her food if you make her swoon too much."
"I'll remember that the next time I stop by for lunch," he chuckled.
Next time? What the hell's gotten into him? It's like he's out to prove something. He already staked his claim in front of every eligible male in the office. And the ones who were out sick surely got the memo by now.
Ana wrestled with how to let her husband down gently. SIP was her long-awaited chance to step out of Christian's larger-than-life shadow; instead he completely overshadowed her on her first day.
"Those were such beautiful flowers you brought today," she gushed, genuinely moved by his sweet gesture, which made her next request all the more difficult. "Are you planning on any more visits this week?" she ventured cautiously.
"Why? Any reason why you wouldn't want me there?" he asked, his tone vaguely accusatory.
"No, no, of course not," she stammered. Shit this already going downhill. Salvage this Ana. A crease marred her forehead as she contemplated ways to head off Christian's pending meltdown. She opted for a tried-but-true tactic: flattery. Nothing like boosting a man's ego. Shallow? Yes. Effective. Definitely.
"It's just that an appearance by the enigmatic Christian Grey does cause such an uproar. The work productivity among the female population was pretty much nonexistent after your visit," she winked, appealing to his vanity. "It gets tedious fending off your fan club off on your behalf. Maybe just these first few weeks, we could, ummm, I don't know, not be too obvious?" Ana seductively slid her foot up his leg to take the sting out of her rejection.
Christian wore an unaffected scowl, though the growing bulge in his pants told Ana that he wasn't completely immune to her charms.
"Your Adonis reputation precedes you. You know the effect you have on us ladies," she winked to further soften the blow.
Could she be any more transparent? Does she really think I'll bend to her will because she batted her eyelashes at me? She doesn't give me enough credit.
Christian didn't give her enough credit either, because when Ana leaned forward to give him a generous view of her cleavage, he was bombarded with images of bending her over every surface in the penthouse. Maybe I should trap her wrists behind her and pound her into oblivion so she doesn't forget who she's married to, he mused, feeling his dick twitch in response.
Fuck it! Christian pounced, tugging Ana into his lap and smashing his lips to hers. She felt the metallic tang of blood as he drowned out her faint whimpers with a ferocious kiss. I'll show you obvious Mrs. Grey.
"You decided to play with fire Anastasia," he said, frantically pawing at the buttons on her blouse. "You have no one to blame for this but yourself."
Christian yanked down her lacy bra and began to lave one rosy nipple with his tongue while rolling the other with his adept fingers. He sucked the tiny pebble hard before biting down on it, causing her to yelp as the exquisite jolt of electricity surged through her veins. Christian chuckled against her sensitized skin, reveling in her harsh gasps for air. Obvious enough?
Without warning, he heaved her up into his arms and carried her over to the couch, bending her roughly over the armrest.
"Did you really think you'd distract me with a game of footsie Mrs. Grey?" he asked, the baritone of his voice menacingly low as he bunched up her skirt and ripped off her panties. "Who's distracted now?"
Ana secretly smirked. Guess my little game backfired on me — and it looks like I'll be a sore loser.
Christian's hand wandered over the firm flesh of her ass before fumbling with his zipper. Fisting himself, he kicked Ana's legs apart and spread her with his massive erection, her wetness coating him. "Is this what you want Anastasia?"
"Yes," she let out a strangled cry, clutching the fabric on the sofa in anticipation of his carnal assault.
"Give me your wrists," he ordered.
Ana instantly obeyed as Christian whipped off his tie and bound her arms behind her. He rubbed the tip of his rock-hard cock along her folds, toying with her. "Are you ready for me? Do you want me inside you Anastasia?" he asked, sounding like the devil incarnate.
"Please," she whispered, her voice strained.
"You should be careful what you wish for," he said before ramming into her so forcefully he had to grab her shoulders to keep her from flying forward.
Encased in her perfection, a groan of unbridled veneration escaped his lips. Christian's pace was brutal and unforgiving as he pumped in and out of her, one hand around the nape of her neck to keep her in place.
"Is this what you wanted Ana?" he grunted, refusing to give her any respite from his merciless thrusting. His cock stretched her to the brim as he leaned down to cocoon her body, the choppy staccato of his breath warming her ear.
Christian reached around to cup her breast, pinching her nipple and making her squirm in delight. "Still," he instructed, slapping her ass hard, the red imprint of his hand visible on her skin as drove into her.
"Tell me Ana. Tell me who makes you feel this way? Who do you belong to?" he said through gritted teeth, his demands laced with possessive urgency.
"You," she said without hesitation. Ana arched her back and submitted to his punishing assault, her keening wails reaching a fevered pitch.
"Louder Ana! Or I'll make sure this is for my pleasure only and not yours," he threatened, a hard edge to his voice.
"You Christian," she wept as he hit her womb repeatedly, his fingers digging into her hips. "Only you," she swore.
Christian covered her body with his broad frame, pinioning her beneath him and hooking his hands around her shoulders for better leverage as he pummeled into her.
"Don't you dare forget it. When you're sore tomorrow I want you to remember who fucks you raw every night Ana. Only me — ever. You're mine. Now come for me!"
Ana's traitorous body complied as she let out a mournful sob, a wave of all-consuming spasms paralyzing her and stealing the air from her lungs. Christian bit down on the wing of her shoulder as he emptied himself inside his quaking wife, shards of color temporarily blinding him until he collapsed on top of her, prostrate and sated.
When their panting subsided, Christian shifted his weight off of Ana, wordlessly untying her and helping her to her feet.
"Are you OK?" he mumbled, adjusting his pants.
"More than OK," she caressed his cheek, peeking up at him through hooded lashes. "May I go finish my meal now Mr. Grey?"
"Go before I take you again," he said sternly.
Christian sat back down with a dramatic huff. He was furious with the lack of control he'd just exhibited. Oblivious to his inner turmoil, Ana prattled on about the rest of her day, a pink hue to her cheeks.
Picking at the food on his plate — his appetite for all things other than his wife's delectable body gone — Christian tuned Ana out as he plotted ways to reassert his dominance.
My errant other half may have surrendered control to me back there, but she wielded all the power — and she fucking knows it. I had my reservations about buying SIP but her little display of topping from the bottom cemented it. The company will be mine by week's end. I just have to figure out a way to break the news to Ana.
"So thanks for understanding," she interrupted his reverie, a victorious glint in her eye.
"Understanding what?"
"About keeping things on the DL at the office, just for now," Ana said casually.
A shadow passed over his rakish features. "DL? You're not in fucking college any more Anastasia. Grow up and use that English lit degree you supposedly earned. And news flash: We're married. That's not exactly DL," he barked, wrenching the plate away from her so fast that Ana was left with her fork awkwardly dangling in midair.
I guess that means dinner is done, Ana thought, dutifully following her irate husband to the kitchen. Christian's back was turned away from her as he stood over the sink, but she could see the muscles in his back flex and tighten with tension.
"And I didn't agree to shit. Is there a particular reason you want to conceal the fact that you're off the market Anastasia?" he snarled, the restrained animosity in his question making her shiver. "Are you ashamed to announce that God forbid you're married to another man? Or is it the billionaire part that crawled up your ass?"
"Huh?" she asked, confounded. So much for the post-sex glow.
"Perhaps your marital status is just something you prefer to keep hidden from your boss?"
"What?" Her shriek of incredulity bounced off the walls. So that's what that Neanderthal fuck was all about? He's nuts! A fucking insanely jealous nutcase! "You're not even going there Grey," she warned. "I mean it, take a left turn at Crazy Town and the exit ramp at Stalker Ville because I'm not even going down this well-worn road with you."
"Ana, your clever little driving analogies can take a backseat to my justified anger. Or perhaps Mr. Staunton would be so kind as to give you a few linguistic pointers since he's so fucking 'knowledgeable' about publishing?" he sneered.
"Perhaps he can, right after you parked your jealousy at the curb smartarse." Bring it on Grey!
"You're one to talk," he snorted. "I suppose your double standards don't apply to Stacie."
Ana blanched, her poise slightly faltering. "Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Ros told me how you feel about her," Christian lied, not wanting to expose the source of his information. "What's your fucking problem with Stacie? She has never once expressed an iota of interest in me. You hardly know her and you're already sending an innocent girl off to the guillotine because Ros has filled your head with poison."
His verbal lashing sliced deep. He's going ballistic on me but defending her? She's about as virginal and innocent as Christian was when I met him. For a cutthroat corporate titan and ex-philanderer, my husband is naïve as fuck.
"First of all Christian, give me an ounce of credit. I'm not so weak-willed that I just buy to whatever Ros suggests. Secondly, it's not my place to comment on your business relationships so I don't. I've never once disparaged the girl in the least, so take your pity party for her somewhere else. And third of all, your epic hypocrisy truly takes the cake."
"What the fuck are rambling about?" he demanded to know, incensed.
"You're acting like Mike's judge, jury and executioner. You're the one who's already condemned the man to the firing squad and for what? Saying all of five words to me? Meanwhile you communicate more with Stacie in one day than you do with me all week," she spit out. Ana hadn't meant to let her bitterness about Stacie slip out, but Christian exposed a raw nerve by bringing her up. "Get off your high hypocritical horse Grey!"
"Pot calling the kettle black," he mumbled cryptically.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"
Christian was about to excoriate Ana for her lack of communication skills but decided to hold off on playing his trump card. I'll corner her about Kate once she admits to how irrational she's being about Stacie. That way I can gloss over the whole eavesdropping part.
"Nothing. The point is that your hysteria about Stacie is completely absurd and unwarranted."
Hysteria? What am I madwoman in Victorian England being shipped off to the looney bin for getting her period? Misogynistic asswipe!
"And your hissy-fit about Mike is just as asinine. Although perhaps I should start spending hours emailing him so that you finally get a taste of your own 'hysterical' medicine," she fired back using sarcasm-laden air quotes.
"So that's your ingenious plan? Develop a relationship with Mike as some sort of retaliation? Tread carefully Anastasia. That type of immaturity has consequences for a marriage," he warned, the tenor of his voice eerily low.
A frisson of fear coursed through Ana. "What the hell are you saying?" she croaked out. "Are you threatening to leave me?"
Her horrified expression jolted some sense into him. "No of course not! Don't ever jump to that conclusion. That's the last fucking thing I want!"
She gave him a perfunctory nod, unconvinced.
"Ana listen to me, I made a vow to you and I consider that pledge sacred."
"I'm not an obligation Christian," she said inaudibly. Which is what I've clearly become if you can barely spare one night of the week to be with me. "If you want out that's your prerogative. I just wish you'd own up to it instead of hiding behind some chivalrous promise you made at the altar," she sighed, on the verge of tears.
He stared at her in wide-eyed astonishment. "Out? How the fuck can you even think that Ana? You're not an obligation. You're everything to me!" he exclaimed. "I love you. Isn't that patently obvious by now?"
Her eyes penetrated his, the sorrow in them clawing at his heart and fueling a volatile mix of despair and frustration. She doesn't believe me. How the hell can she not believe me?
"Maybe it's best I leave," Ana whispered, the fight seeping out of her. Her hand shot up when she saw his panicked expression. "Upstairs. I'm turning in for the night before we say things we both regret, though maybe it's too late for that. This is ridiculous. We're just running around in circles and I don't even understand how all this even started."
"The only thing that's ridiculous is the insinuation that I'd ever abandon you Ana! It's you who's running away like a coward." Ana barely reacted to his insult. Christian could see her shutting down, which only propelled his tirade. "I don't want 'out' — I want you to let me in! Why can't you just fucking talk to me? Is it that hard to open up to your husband?"
"You don't exactly make it easy with your adolescent mood swings Christian," Ana scoffed. "And I'm not indulging you in this latest temper tantrum. Goodnight."
"Said the woman whose own churlish behavior started this. Maybe if you'd acknowledge the effort your husband made today instead of forbidding him from your office so that you could flirt with your new boss, we wouldn't be having this discussion."
Ana was rendered speechless by his baseless accusations. Is there anything this man does not warp to fit his delusions? What's the point in responding to him? No matter what I say he won't believe me. It's like talking to a brick wall.
Shoulders slouched, Ana just shook her head — not in defiance but in defeat — and began to walk away, ratcheting up Christian's annoyance.
"Fine Ana. Just fucking run away, like you always do! As a matter of fact, you're right. This entire fucking conversation is ridiculous and I'm the one who's done with it so if you want to cower in the bedroom then just get out of my sight," he roared, slamming the plate he'd been holding into the kitchen sink and shattering it into a million pieces.
The loud crash pierced the silence and cut through Christian's fog of rage.
Ana begrudgingly moved to help Christian pick up the broken pieces but he stopped her.
"I'll take care of it Ana," he said, rueful for his actions and words. "I don't want you getting hurt."
"Too late for that," she choked back a sob, turning her back on him.