Chapter Seven - Anyone Got a Hammer?


Anastasia's POV

The soft, fluffy material of my robe chafes against my thighs every time I move and I can still feel my skin being ripped to shreds but I smile through it, sipping on my passion fruit mimosa as we sit for lunch in the main dining room, the outstanding views of the falls and Snoqualmie River taking my breath away. Grace takes hold of her mother's elbow as she drops into the seat opposite mine and hands her a tall glass of iced-tea.

"Did you have a good nap?" This woman is in her early seventies but she doesn't look a day over fifty, she's quite easily one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life. Now I know where Grace inherits her stunning beauty from.

"Oh yes, honey. I hope you didn't mind me sloping off? I get cranky if I don't get my mid-morning snooze." She flashes me a wink and unfolds her napkin, elegantly draping it over her dainty knee. "Did I miss anything exciting?"

"Don't worry, Grams, you haven't missed the stripper yet." A fresh faced Mia stretches her neck out and smirks cheekily across the table, eliciting a hearty laugh from her Grandmother.

"Oh thank goodness for that!"

Conversation flows over Caesar salads, seafood chowders and Bloody Mary's. I finally get to know Lou a little better which is surprising considering her daughter is in my wedding. Apparently Bethany threw a tantrum this morning because she couldn't come along to the 'patchloret'and when Jake threatened to burn her bridesmaid dress if she didn't behave she shut right up. Lou admits that it was harsh but oh so affective.

I knew they had her young, Christian filled me in on the minor details but hearing it from Lou's mouth is somewhat different. She was a teenager, barely had the chance to live her life like a normal seventeen year old before falling pregnant, her whole world flipped upside down. I remember how petrified I felt when Christian first breached the subject of trying for a baby so how the hell did Lou feel when she actually had a baby?

"Jake was pretty much MIA throughout the pregnancy," She shares, tucking a strand of hair back into the messy bun at the crown of her head. "He didn't want a kid, I didn't want a kid. It's so true what they say about it being different for the woman."

"What do you mean?"

"It was a quick hook up in the backseat of his dad's car," She lowers her voice and leans away from Fran to the right of her. "We hadn't even known each other long and then all of a sudden I was pregnant, and as much as I wanted to I couldn't resent my baby. She was part of me."

"But Jake did?"

"Resent is a strong word, he was more freaked out and totally unwilling to grow up, I dropped out of school and lost a lot of friends because let's face it," She snorts derisively. "No-one wants to hang out with the knocked up chick when they could be partying every Friday night."

"Christian told me you almost split?"

"A few weeks before Bethy was born," Lou nods her head once and reaches for her water, taking a hearty sip. "I was sick of him never being there for me, for us. I was seventeen and pregnant with absolutely no future and there he was with his life pretty much in tact. He was an ass."

"But he seems to be so in love with Bethany?"

"He adores her," She smiles fondly before shaking her head. "My dad lunged for him when he tried walking into that delivery suite but I wanted him there, I was out of my mind with pain relief and I wanted to sock him in the face for the way he treated me but the second she was placed into his arms, all red and scrunched up he fell in love with her. We both did. Now I can never imagine my life without her, she was meant to be with us."

I don't know if it's the vodka in the Bloody Mary, the fact that I'm missing Christian or because my vagina feels like it's on fire but I wipe away a stray tear without even realising it. Her daughter is the most beautiful and precious thing in the world to her and despite a tough struggle, she's engaged to the love of her life and they have an amazing family together.

It puts so much into perspective for me, all of the small doubts and niggling fears I still had about becoming a mother disappear into thin air. If Lou could give up school and raise a child at seventeen years old then what the hell is stopping me? What do I have to be afraid of? Not only is he the most financially stable man I've ever met in my life, Christian will without a shadow of a doubt make the most wonderful father to our children. He worships the ground I walk on so what will he be like with a baby? Our baby?

Damn. The mere thought of it makes my ovaries skip a beat.

After warm peanut butter tart, we change into spandex shorts and sports bras before heading to the hidden terrace for a gentle yoga class, Grace opting to stay behind with her mother for a cocktail in the lounge bar.

We stretch and sit on the mats, bending our knees and drawing our heels back as we lean into a head to knee forward bend, the lithe yoga instructor walking us through each pose step-by-step. I'm not a pro, and I haven't attended a class since meeting Christian but each stretch and twist flows back like I never stopped. Fran surprises the hell out of me by remaining quiet and focused throughout the session, she doesn't even snicker or make lewd innuendos when we press our hands against the floor and slide our buttocks forward into wide-angle bend. Something I was just waiting for with baited breath.

My temples throb slightly afterwards and for that I blame the champagne and cocktails we had over lunch but other than that I feel light and relaxed, I've visited various spas over the years with Kate and Olivia but Salish Lodge is completely out of this world. For a split second I regret deciding against having our wedding here, the photos by the waterfall would be absolutely insane but when I think about beautiful Lakewold and the garden where I'll recite my vows, I know I made the right decision.

I vaguely remember Brody suggesting this place for a weekend away, just the two of us but now I'm certain he only did it because he cheated on me with Evie and was feeling guilty. The timing fits like a damn glove. Thank fuck I didn't take him up on it, I would have never even considered here if I had. I don't want my bachelorette party tainted with memories of him.

"I can literally hear my pores weeping in sweet relief," Kate stretches out and tilts her face towards the ceiling as we lounge in the steam room, the heat sticking to the hairs at the nape of my neck. "I can't stop staring at your tits in that bikini, Ana. I mean…Seriously? Do you know how much a woman would pay to get a rack like yours?"

"Slight exaggeration, Kate,"

"That's what you think. Elliot agrees with me..."

"Elliot?" I shriek, my eyes flying open as I bolt upright and turn to stare at her. "You discuss my cleavage with Elliot? My fiancé's brother? Your boyfriend?"

"He's a man," She shrugs. "You know that he looks, Steele, it doesn't mean anything."

"Don't tell Christian that for crying out loud! In fact don't tell anyone that."

"She's right, Ana." Ros squints at me through one eye, the other refusing to open even for a second. "And I'm not saying this simply because I'm a lover of boobs myself, but brother or not he stares. I've seen him."

"This conversation is starting to weird me out," I shake my head and purse my lips into a thin line. Not to mention it's totally inappropriate, guys."

"Why? It's only human nature and besides, you can't exactly miss those bad boys, Ana so why bother trying." Kate leans back, stretches her arms above her head and smirks as she closes her eyes again. "Which is why you can't wear that frumpy-ass dress tonight. If you've got it, flaunt it."

"Just because it won't get me arrested doesn't make it frumpy."

"I beg to differ," She grumbles. "This is your last night of freedom! Which means you're walking out of here looking hotter than hell, Anastasia Steele so don't fight me on it."

Ros, Fran and Kate leave the steam room for the therapeutic pool ten minutes later leaving Olivia and I alone. I get the impression that something's on her mind when she chews down on her thumb nail and bounces her leg as she twists on the spot to face me, her face is flushed but I don't think it's from the heat.

"Do you think I should call Blake?"

"Where did that come from?"

"Seeing him this morning made me realise how much I miss him, and before you start pulling that face it doesn't mean I want him back. I don't think he'd take me back even if I did."

"Then what is it? I thought things were awkward as hell between you?" Not that I know why.

"Exactly. I was such a bitch to him when we first broke up and I guess I'm starting to regret it," She puffs her cheeks out. "You know what I get like when I'm on the defensive."

"Have you been thinking about this all day?"

"Mostly. We'll be together for an entire twenty-four hours next week and I don't want it to be like…this. Did you see the way he looked at me this morning? I wanted the ground to swallow me whole."

"We've all been there, Liv. You're only human."

"Now I think about it, I can't even remember why things are so damn awkward between us. I mean it's not like anyone cheated."

This is what I've been thinking all along but I've just been too afraid to say it. Break-ups are tough, they're never easy for anyone but the tension between these two has been plain unbearable. Anyone looking in would thinkthat someone had cheated it's been that bad. I refrain from picking at the corners of my nail polish and swipe a damp strand of hair away from my face instead, it's getting damn hot in here. "What about tomorrow? We're all meeting for lunch remember?"

"Shit, I completely forgot." Palming her forehead she closes her eyes and mumbles something inaudible. "Do you think I should speak to him before then?"

"I think you should do what makes you most comfortable, and don't listen to Kate either, she talks complete bullshit sometimes."

"She's right though. I did throw a perfectly good relationship away."

"Kate doesn't know anything." I say with an accompanied eye roll. "I love her but she seems to forget that her and Elliot were less than perfect when they first started out. She's done nothing but slate Blake ever since you split so take everything she says with a pinch of salt."

"At least she knows what she wants out of life, that's more than what I've got."

"You need to stop tormenting yourself and do what makes you happy. If Blake can do that then great, but if he can't…"

"Don't bother trying, yeah I know. I've had the same conversation with myself so many times."

"You and Blake getting back together would make the perfect wedding present," I joke, trying to lighten the mood when her shoulders slump in defeat. She looks like someone has just shot her puppy. "I hate seeing you like this."

"I hate feeling like this. Life was much easier before I met Blake that's for sure."

"Who wants easy? It wouldn't be love if it wasn't difficult, Liv." I gently nudge her shoulder and throw her a wink. "Come on, let's get out of here before I pass out."


Back in the suite, the girls launch an attack using a curling iron and a thousand make-up brushes. Grace squeezes the air out of my lungs before ushering Grams into the waiting elevator ready to take her home. Nicki Minaj blares through the sound system as I'm forced in to sitting cross legged on the bed for a full forty-five minutes while Fran dabs my cheeks with god knows what and coats my eyelashes in way too much mascara.

Naturally Olivia is on hair-styling duty, her fingers twisting at my locks and refusing to let me look in a mirror. Not that I'm worried, I'm surrounded with gorgeous women who know hair and make-up like the back of their hands. It's not like I'm letting thirteen year old teenagers experiment with my face.

"This one."

"Kate, it's-"

"Hot. The word you're looking for is hot, Ana so please just humour me and wear it."

"You do realise Sawyer will just report back to Christian don't you? He'll only make me change,"

"Not if I've got anything to do with it," Fran winks at me as she slides her feet into champagne coloured peep-toe heels. "Kate's right, this is your night. Embrace it, babe."

I stand with a hand stuck to my hip for a good two minutes, gnawing on my lower lip as I contemplate my options. I either wear the dress and piss Christian off, or refuse to wear the dress and piss my friends off. They're not wrong in what they're saying either, it's a knockout.

Fuck it.

Slipping my silk knee-length robe off my shoulders I step into the black, body-con dress with capped sleeves and mesh panelling along the stomach and hem line. It hits my mid-thigh and it's bordering along indecent but I can't deny how liberating it is to wear something this sexy. Kate has a shit eating grin on her face, Olivia claps her hands together with an excited squeal and Ros blatantly checks me out, her eyes grazing over the length of my body with an appraising glint. I can't say I'm not flattered.

"You look fucking unreal, Steele. Grey will swallow his tongue when he sees you,"

"That's what I'm worried about." I mumble, fingering the flimsy fabric and standing awkwardly.

"Don't sweat it, he's the one that gets to peel you out of it."

"Not tonight he won't," I'm forced into silence when she curls her fingers around my jaw and swipes a coat of nude gloss over my lips before dropping to her knees and working lotion into my legs. "Promise me there isn't a stripper."

"I already told-"

"I know you have but I want to hear it again, Kate. I know you."

Clasping my shoulders, she bends her knees and smirks deviously. "I promised you that I wouldn't and I meant it, there won't be any surprises you have my word. Christian has already given me my orders."

"And you listened?" One eyebrow arches in sarcastic disbelief, eliciting a snort of laughter from my best friend. "I'm stunned."

"I told him that he shouldn't get used to it."

After a final glass of champagne and a vodka shot for luck, we leave the suite and find Sawyer and Bailey stationed outside in their usual all black ensemble. Fran practically struts towards her boyfriend and throws her arms around his neck, driving her tongue into his mouth and not giving a shit who's watching. I almost blush when Luke squeezes her ass and growls in her ear, it's times like these that I forget he's my CPO. He looks so…normal. How old is he? Twenty-five, twenty-six? He's so young yet he's responsible for my safety and well-being, personally I find it bat-shit crazy but I can't say I'm not grateful. He does keep me alive after all.

"Who the fuck forgot to order a limo?"

"I didn't want one," I push Kate towards the waiting SUV and tap her hip when she takes her sweet time in climbing inside. "I don't want to draw attention to us, it's bad enough as it is."

"Do you think there will be paps there tonight?"

"I hope not," I murmur and adjust the strap of my dress, my fingers itching to creep into my clutch bag so I can text Christian on the sly. Fuck, I'm missing him like crazy and I only saw him this morning. "That would just piss me off to the maximum."

Fran leans into the front of the car and kisses Sawyer's cheek before flicking the music on, cranking the volume to full blast despite Bailey's attempts to swat her hand away. His palms cover his ears and when he bellows at her to 'turn it the fuck down' she just laughs and ruffles his hair, Luke shaking his head and grinning like the love-sick fool he is.

"Hey! No work allowed Roslyn!"

My fiancé's right hand woman glances up from her Blackberry and shoots me a sly wink, her fingers still tapping away at the melded plastic stuck in her hand as she elegantly crosses one leg over the other. I think I would be insanely jealous of this woman if she wasn't gay, not that I don't trust Christian because I do, but Ros is undeniably beautiful and she's around him more than I am sometimes. Her dark red hair is thick and glossy, curling around her above average-sized breasts and her skin is smooth and flawless. She actually reminds me of a real life Jessica Rabbit. All that's missing is the red, floor-length dress and the purple gloves reaching her elbows.

Not to mention she's ballsy as fuck. I've always wondered why she'd even want to take Christian on, I love my man but he's not the most laid-back of people that's for sure. He's temperamental, fiery, and an outright hot-head. Where I find it passionate and endearing others don't, but one look at Ros as she curses under her breath about incompetent fuckers who can't even proof-read an email and I'm sold. This chick is in a league of her own.

After a loud and intoxicated thirty-minute drive we arrive at the club, the secluded VIP section already cornered off with an ice-bucket and champagne waiting for us. Mia is already shuffling on her feet and itching to dance as the heavy and sensual beat blasts through the air. I'm still pretty buzzed from the spa but that doesn't stop Fran from poring me a large flute of champagne and handing it to me with a sly wink.

A blonde burly guy wearing a crisp, white shirt that looks like it cost more than the champagne I'm guzzling introduces himself and informs us that he'll be our private server throughout the night and of course this only encourages Fran and Kate who burst into a fit of whistles and cat-calls. I swear these two were separated at birth. The poor kid glances at the floor and even through the dim lighting of the club I can tell he's blushing, I can see Sawyer checking him out and watching him like a hawk but he doesn't look the least bit worried which tells me he's already been vetted.

"A bottle of your finest tequila, hot stuff." Kate squeezes his ass and I want to die, literally die. It's way too early for this and I'm nowhere near drunk enough yet but when he leaves our booth with a spring in his step and a glint in his eye I know he isn't offended. Or gay. "Hey, can you remember the last time we were here? Fran had just given Lukey a blow job."

"Aaah, memories. I'm hoping we can re-create the whole thing again tonight with a few changes."

"Changes?" Olivia frowns.

"Last time it was all about him and tonight I want it to be all about me. I'm so over all the chasing I did back then, now I have him exactly where I want him."

Lou is the first to drag me onto the dance floor not that I'm surprised. She's twenty-two and a young mother who most probably doesn't get out all that much anymore, tonight she's childless as well as Jakeless and she looks like she's having an absolute blast.

An old Britney track with a thick beat thumps through the speakers and glides down my ear drums like liquid silk. How does that happen? How can you be sober as a judge one second and the next you're on your feet and ready to move like a pole dancer? Bailey hovers close by and I'm more than aware of his presence, he doesn't even blend in! He's constantly talking into his sleeve like some damn FBI agent and when a guy dances a little too close behind me he moves in like lightening, slamming his forearm into his chest and shooting him daggers.

If I wasn't so tipsy I'd be mortified.

Three songs later I'm sweaty and flushed, reaching for two ice-cubes out of the champagne bucket and swiping them across my neck when my hair starts to stick. Olivia is surprisingly coherent still but everyone else is wasted. I've lost sight of Fran so I can only guess she's off with Sawyer 're-creating' the memories and Kate stormed off to the bar for more liquor when he snatched her phone away after threatening to hire a last minute stripper, stealing one of those cheap business cards out of the bathroom when she went to pee ten minutes go.

Talking of peeing…

Knowing I'll be in the shit if I don't tell anyone where I'm going, I leave the booth in the hunt for Bailey but bump into Luke instead. He catches on when I point to the exit at the far end of the dance floor and nods his head, whispering something to Fran as she re-appears looking more dishevelled than she did the last time I last saw her.

Of course, Christian doesn't answer when I secretly call him from inside the stall after tugging my g-string down one handed, balancing my phone between my ear and shoulder blade and smiling proudly when I manage to not drop it down the toilet. Elliot will have that thing shoved down the front of his pants if I know him as well as I think I do, determined to keep contact between me and my man to a bare minimum.

I don't care though, hearing his sexy as fuck voice when the dial tone cuts to his answer phone is enough. I'm half tempted to send him a dirty snap while I'm sat here panty-less on the toiler but that's just my drunken brain doing all the talking, I'm horny as hell and I miss him like crazy but I'm fully aware of how un-sexy I look right now. I want the last memory of me to be the one where I had just came as I humped his thigh in the hallway, not me now, all drunk and sweaty with make-up sliding off my face.

I quickly wash my hands and fluff the roots of my hair with my fingers, dabbing a face cloth over my damp forehead before partly re-applying my make-up. The door opens behind me but I'm too focused on fixing my smudged lipstick to check who it is, thinking that it's Kate looking for me I remain with my back to the door completely oblivious to the figure coming to a stop at the sink beside me. A tissue is shoved in front of my face, perfectly manicured talons curled around the rag as a voice I haven't heard in so long slices through the air like a ten-inch blade.

"You missed a bit,"

Wide-eyed and stunned, I slowly pivot on the spot and turn to face the bitch beside me, my fists clenching involuntarily as I look at the woman who tried to ruin my life. Well, helped ruin my life.

Cassidy.

She too turns to face me, looking fucking gorgeous in a flesh coloured dress that barely covers her ass. She's still as infuriatingly beautiful as I remember her to be which surprises me considering she's nothing but a trashy junkie. I don't say anything, I can't say anything. I haven't seen this woman in months, not since Elliot fired her for getting Brody hooked on cocaine but all of the hate I feel for her comes flooding back, I'm drunk but I could still wipe the floor with this whore if I wanted to. Oh, how I want to. Where the fuck is Sawyer? Hasn't he seen her yet?

"I don't want to fight." She all but purrs through cranberry coloured lips, her fingernails tapping against the cool surface of the vanity counter. "I saw you dancing with your friends so I followed you in here, I just want to talk."

"What the hell could we possibly have to talk about?" I seethe, fury boiling and threatening to spill over at any given second. "I don't want to talk to you."

"I heard about your engagement." She ignores me completely and it only serves to piss me off further. "Congratulations."

"Congratulations? That's what you came in here to say?"

"I know you hate me and I don't blame you. What I did…It's unforgivable but I still want to apologise."

"For what?" I fold my arms across my chest and stare her down, my shoulders square and my back straight as I take a protective stance. "For trying to fuck my best friend's boyfriend? For fucking my ex? Or are you apologising for dragging him into your pathetic, drug fuelled world and ruining his life?"

She bows her head and traps a lip in-between her teeth, gnawing on it nervously. If I didn't know her better I would think she was actually sorry but I do and she's not. This is all just another fucking game to her, just like Brody was a game to her. A toy she could manipulate and fuck whenever she wanted. A means to an end.

"Brody came to me," She whispers quietly. "I didn't sleep with him while you were still together."

"Oh, please!" I throw my head back and laugh loudly, slamming my palm against the granite and widening my feet. "Do you seriously think I give a fuck about that? I couldn't care less if you were having sex with him our bed with me in it! Brody is a dirty, lying bastard and you two deserved each other. It's quite sad you didn't work out really." My voice is dripping with sarcasm and contempt.

"We were a mistake, Ana. He was only using me to get over you."

"I wouldn't care if he loved you, that's not my issue and you know it."

"Look, I know what you must think of me and trust me when I tell you that I'm disgusted with myself, I never intended for things to go that far."

"But they did, Cassidy. You…I just can't…" I shove my hands in my hair and close my eyes, words escape me. They fucking escape me. "Why him? Why couldn't you just leave him alone? You knew he was in a bad place after we broke up but you didn't give a shit did you? As long as you had another loser to shove that shit up your nose with." I spit.

"It wasn't like that." She frowns and I want to laugh, like she even has the right to look insulted. "Why are you defending him after what he did to you?"

"Now, you listen to me when I say that I hate that man with every fibre of my being." I point a finger in her face and take a step closer, wishing that I had one of those damn rape whistles just so I'd attract someone's attention. "But I hate you just as much, you were the one who got inside his head and made him feel worthless, Cassidy. You were the who shoved him into a downward spiral until things got so bad all he could do was attack me."

"I never told him to attack you, Ana." She raises her voice and slowly but surely, the Cassidy that I know and loathe creeps to the surface, her eyes boring into my face like fucking daggers. "He left my apartment that night and I didn't see him until…not until after."

"Oh yeah, when you covered for him and left me bleeding to death? Thanks for that, friend."

"I…" She stutters, not sure what the hell to even say. Nothing - nothing could justify their actions that night, neither of them tried to help me and for that I'll never forgive her. She could have called for help, told an ambulance where I was but she didn't. She just covered for that fucker's lying ass instead and let my distraught boyfriend find me. Bile rises in my throat and I fight to keep it down. "I didn't realise things had gotten that bad, if I had…I would have tried to help him."

"I wish I could believe that but I don't. I don't believe a single word you have to say and I never will."

"I fell for him, you know?" I don't even flinch. I'm numb and void to any feelings regarding these monsters and I refuse to change that. "I don't know how or why but I did, he threw me away like a piece of trash when he turned himself into the police."

"He didn't turn himself in," I deadpan. "Christian forced Brody to do the right thing for once in his miserable life."

"Christian?" She frowns and cocks her head to the side, a knowing smirk on her face as she rolls her eyes. "So that's why he was black and blue."

She went to see him. Doesn't shock me in the slightest, I'm guessing that's when he told her to fuck off. "Is there anything else you want to say to me because I'm getting bored."

I sigh heavily and drop my arms just as the bathroom door flies open, almost coming off it's hinges when Luke Sawyer barrels in like a demon possessed with fiery eyes and ragged breathing.

"Hey, asshole this is the ladies!" Cassidy scowls at my CPO but her ire doesn't last for long when she realises who he is, her face draining of all colour as she gulps audibly.

"You," He points one long finger in the devil's direction and takes a step closer. "Get the fuck out before I throw you out."

"We were just talking-"

"Not anymore you're not. Leave. Now."

"There's no need to go all G.I fucking Joe on me, I haven't even touched her."

"Do you think you'd still be standing if I thought you had," In one fluid movement, Sawyer curls a hand around her forearm and drags her towards the door, ignoring her squeals of protest as she threatens to sue. "If I see you anywhere near her again I'll fucking ruin you, you got that?"

He doesn't even give her time to answer before the door is slammed in her face, her appalled expression and wide eyes the last thing I see. I slump against the wall behind me and wrap my arms around my midsection, all energy now gone. Well that's one way to kill my mood.

"Are you okay, Ana?"

"Fine," I mutter dejectedly. "How the hell did she even get in here without someone seeing her?"

"She must have managed to slope past Bailey in the hallway while he was waiting for you. Don't worry, I'll kick his ass before the night's out."

Before Christian does he means. Oh fuck Christian.

"Will you report back to Taylor?"

"Did she threaten or upset you?"

"She pissed me the hell off and I wanted nothing more than to punch her but no, she made no physical contact."

"Then there's nothing to report." He places both hands on my shoulders and smiles softly - reassuringly. "I knew something was wrong when you didn't come out after five minutes."

"Gut feeling?" I offer him a half smile and he nods.

"Do you want to go home?"

"Fuck no,"

Sliding past him I face the mirror and finish what I started before that bitch interrupted me. A quick fluff of a blusher brush and half a tube of lip-gloss later and I'm ready to get back out there and finish what's left of my night. Cassidy has already taken so much from me, she didn't care about me when I almost died so why should she start now? We were never friends and we never will be, I wouldn't be surprised if she was jumping for joy when I left Brody for Christian, finally able to pounce in like the slut she is.

"I can bring the car around all you have to do is say the word,"

"I'm fine, Luke." I smile at him through the mirror. "Now, let's get out of here before you get arrested for hiding out in the ladies room."


My throat feels like it's swallowed a ton of gravel and my head is heavy and pounding, light flickers through as I squint my eyes open, the effort too much to handle so I flop back down onto the bed with a tortured groan. I'm lying on my stomach, hands stretched out underneath the pillow and the sheet is covering my naked ass. Why am I naked?

I feel him before I see him. Christian is stroking my back and his fingers are tracing the length of my spine as he swoops the hair off my neck and kisses me behind the ear. His breath is warm and minty, caressing my skin like a glove and I can't help the moan that escapes my lips when I turn my head and see him stretched out beside me looking so fucking hot and sexy. It pisses me off that he can look so good this early…Is it even early?

"What time is it?" I croak, my mouth as dry as the bottom of a bird cage.

"Eleven. How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been pounded with a hammer while I've been asleep. Why aren't you hung-over?"

"Because I didn't drink as much as you clearly did, that's why." His fingers slide behind my ear, tucking a curl away and gliding down the length of my neck until he reaches my shoulder blade. "Did you know that you snore when you're drunk and hazy?"

"I do not!" I wince, air hissing through my teeth when I attempt to sit up, instantly regretting the stupid fucking decision the second I do it.

"You do," He chuckles. "It's pretty cute, actually. You're like a little grizzly bear."

"How long have you been here?"

"Do you mean how long have I been watching you sleep?" I nod with a sly smirk. "Over half an hour, you're so fucking beautiful when you're sleeping."

"What time did you even leave this morning? It's a ninety-minute drive!"

"Not early enough," He groans and shuffles down the bed, kicking his socks off and snuggling in closer to me. Fuck, if he does that I'll be asleep again within seconds. "All I could think about was you here in our bed alone and missing me. Imagine my surprise when I walk in to find you naked?" Christian wags an eyebrow and bends to kiss me square on the mouth, ignoring me when I smack a hand over my lips and grumble about vile morning breath.

"I must have passed out before I could do anything about it."

"I should be fucking pissed at you for being so reckless but you looked so hot I couldn't get angry despite wanting to. You weren't even under the covers, baby, you must have been wasted."

"I was," I yawn loudly. "It was an eventful evening that's for sure."

I don't realise I've even done it until I look up and find grey eyes staring back at me intently. The stroking of my back seizes and his strong jaw ticks as he watches me, waiting for me to elaborate. "Care to share what that means?"

"I just mean it was a heavy night, that's all. You know what Kate and Live get like it was tequila shots all-"

"Why don't I believe you?" He cuts me off sharply, his hand curling around my jaw and pulling me towards him so I can't break eye contact. "Tell me what you mean."

I'm tired, hung-over, grumpy and this is the first time I've laid eyes on my man in over twenty-four hours, this isn't what I want to be doing right now. I'm already halfway there, I'm horny and I'm naked, why can't he just hurry up and join me? "Christian-"

"Shall I just go and ask Sawyer? Because I fucking will, Anastasia so don't push me."

"You're reading way too much into this," I slam my palms against the mattress and push myself up, tugging the sheet over my exposed nipples and ignoring the way Christian is looking at me because it will take less than half a second for me to succumb to his sexual prowess. "Nothing bad even happened."

"But something happened?"

"Sort of-"

"Quit with the fucking riddles, Ana and just tell me." I bite down hard on my lip, gasping when he tugs at my mouth and gets so in my face our noses are almost touching. "Tell me and then I'll fuck you. I've needed to fuck you ever since I saw the picture of you in that damn dress last night."

Words escape me as I stare back at him, unable to breathe for what feels like hours when in reality it's barely even seconds. How did he?…When did he?…How? The smug fucker smirks at my stunned expression and swipes a thumb across my lower lip, gliding down my throat and sternum until he reaches my chest, his hand hovering over the swell of my breast. I can literally feel the heat of his touch and it's intoxicating.

"Cassidy was at the club last night,"

"Cassidy?" He zeros in on me, still holding the side of my face in a possessive manner. It's terrifying and arousing all at the same time. "You saw her?"

"I didn't approach her, she approached me in the bathroom."

"When?" His jaw clenches and his grip tightens.

"Just after I called you. She said she wanted to talk."

"Talk? She wanted to fucking talk?"

His voice is lower than a whisper which only means one thing. He's barely holding onto his rage and at any given second he'll snap like an elastic fucking band, the thought sends me into a panic, my breathing speeds up and my toes curl in trepidation. I don't want to fight over this but something tells me we're about to. Even if he isn't mad at me he'll take it out on me.

"I stood my ground, Christian. I didn't even let her finish sentences half the time, she wanted a fight but I refused to give her one."

"Where the fuck was Sawyer when all of this was going on?"

When I bite my lip and lower my gaze he's up and off the bed, running both hands through his hair and heading straight for the door with profanity after profanity spilling from his mouth.

"Where are you going?"

"To get answers."

"Christian Grey, don't you dare blame Sawyer for this. I swear to God I'll call off this wedding if you do."

A fleeting glance and an eye roll is all I get before he's barrelling down the hallway and yelling for Taylor at the top of his voice. He's been home for what…Forty-five minutes? This is just fucking perfect, absolutely wonderful. I'm not an idiot, I knew I'd have to tell him the truth about seeing Cassidy but this wasn't the reaction I was expecting. It's not like she touched me, she didn't even threaten me but I know the over-protective side to my fiance will out win the rational side in a heartbeat.

I mutter to myself in annoyance when I can't find my damn robe anywhere and I refuse to put that dress back on this early in the day, so instead I rummage through the chest of drawers like a woman possessed and pull an old tee-shirt over my head and step into a tiny pair of boy shorts. My phone vibrates on the nightstand scaring the shit out of me and when I see it's only a text from Kate, I strongly consider ignoring it before realising she'll only call me if I do.

-The room is still fucking spinning. Remind me to never drink again, this is so not worth it.

Is it ever?…

-I can't really talk now, I'll call you later - A

-Everything okay?

-I'm not sure yet, I told Christian about Cassidy.

-Ouch. How did he take it?

-I'm yet to find out, but it's not looking good.

-If you don't call me in half an hour I'm coming round. Oh! I have a surprise for you… It's right here at my apartment. I'll show you later ;)

A surprise? What sort of surprise? I don't reply because the second my feet hit the bottom step I hear raised voices, the loudest being Christian's as he refuses to let anyone else get a word in edgeways. Tossing my now forgotten phone on the armchair I press my ear against the door to Christian's study in the hopes of catching anything audible. He must have a damn tracker on me or something because right then the room falls silent, muffled murmurs the only thing I can hear.

My fingernails are in my mouth and my feet are shuffling against the carpet as I wait impatiently, each passing second feeling like an hour. I knew I should have called him last night, that's why he's pissed. He was over an hour away most probably drunk and completely in the dark, he couldn't check if I was okay and he couldn't come to me. I didn't want to worry the man but now I'm here, eavesdropping and lurking around corners I wish I'd done just that. Anything's better than this.

I jump out of my skin when the door flies open, Taylor closing it behind him quickly to prevent Christian from seeing me. I feel like a child who's been caught doing something they shouldn't be doing, but then I remember I'm a twenty-four year old woman in my own home outside my fiance's office and that I'm doing fuck all wrong. I deserve answers.

"Did he fire you?"

Jason snorts and shakes his head. "I wasn't even here he can't fire me."

"Is he firing Sawyer then? Oh god is he making you fire Sawyer?"

"Ana," I still can't get used to hearing my first name coming from his mouth. "No-one is getting fired, okay? They're just having a…discussion."

"It sounded like one heated discussion." I mumble and suck on my thumb nail again, a habit I seemed to have taken up since meeting Christian. "I should go in there."

"I don't think that's wise." His fingers curl around my wrist and pull me back when I move to slide past him. "You'll only anger the situation."

"So there is a situation?" I narrow my eyes.

"You were cornered in a bathroom by a potential threat, Ana. I'd say that's more than a situation."

"She didn't corner me and even if she did, I handled it perfectly fine by myself. I don't need-"

"I know. I know you handled her yourself because Luke told me."

"He did? When?"

"Last night." He sighs and brushes past me, scrubbing a hand over his face as he heads into the kitchen and fiddles with the coffee machine, impressing me when he manages to make a cappuccino without a hitch. Even Christian can't do that and he bought the thing. "It's protocol. He needed to tell me about Cassidy as soon as it happened."

"But you didn't tell Christian?"

He leans against the island and takes a sip of his coffee, pushing a latte across the granite and letting it slide towards me. I curl my hands around the cup and bask in the warmth when a shiver runs down the length of my spine. "He chewed my ass out over it." I frown in confusion. "Mr. Grey, I mean. I came this close to getting on my knees and begging for forgiveness."

"Why didn't you tell him as soon as you heard what happened?"

"Because the fucker was finally enjoying himself," He huffs. "Do you know what it took to even get him there in the first place? He was so hell bent on having a shit time that he didn't even realise he was actually having fun until he passed out face down in the hot tub smashed out of his skull."

"He passed out?" I screech, my eyes wide and my hands flailing out wildly. "In the water?!"

"Don't worry, Blake caught him before he hit the bottom." He deadpans like the love of my life drowning in the damn hot tub isn't even an issue. "I didn't want to ruin the night over something that had already been dealt with. Had the bitch actually touched you then it would have been a different story entirely, but Sawyer assured me you were safe and well so I didn't feel the need to worry him." Deep green eyes peer at me over his coffee cup as he takes another sip. "Different fucking story this afternoon, though."

"I need to take a shower before I talk to him." I rub circles around my temples and close my eyes. "I can't face him when the taste of vodka is still in my mouth."

With a smirk, Jason silently reaches into the overhead cupboard and pulls out a large tray laden with various pill packets and medicine jars before popping two Advil and pouring me a tall glass of water. "You need Vitamin C but this will do for now. Go shower, you'll feel so much better afterwards."


I've never been good with hangovers. They literally suck the life out of me and nothing is more frustrating than wasting the day away because you can't function for more than five minutes at a time, your head resembling a blender on turbo with nails and shards of glass inside. But after the longest shower of my life I start to feel somewhat normal, even if I do almost trip on my own feet as I reach for a towel off the warmer.

I still haven't called Kate back but I'll be sure to tell her everything when we all meet for a late lunch at the Mile High in an hour, she'll grill me as soon as I walk through the door so I won't have any other option. Flipping my head over, I blast my damp locks with the blow-dryer and run my fingers through each tangle until I'm left with a mass of messy waves.

I'm perched on the end of the bed and slipping into a pair of tiny panties when I spot Christian in the doorway, arms folded and ankles crossed over one another as he leans against the doorjamb with his shoulder. He's in his workout clothes and sweating profusely so I can only guess that he's been in the gym for the past half an hour, taking a long drink of his bottled water he stalks towards me and drops it onto the bed beside my leg.

"You should have called me last night."

"Are we really going back there again?" I divert my eyes when he stares down at me with a stern expression and pursed lips, not to mention his dick is at full staff and almost poking me in the chin through the confines of his sweat pants. "You need to let this go, Christian."

Like lightening he moves, pushing me down on the bed and straddling my hips as his hands entwine with mine before pinning them above my head. My legs are trapped and unable to move so I can't wrap them around his waist like I so desperately want to, I want to feel him pressed against me so bad. "No, what I need is to fuck the shit out of you, Anastasia Steele and I need to do it now."

Without warning his mouth is on mine, hard and brutal as his hips roll and grind into my throbbing core through the flimsy material of my thong. I can taste how much he wants me, our kiss is feverish and desperate and our tongues battle for much needed control until we're left breathless.

Christian's fingers hook into my panties and he clumsily tugs them down my legs as far as he can with his lips still glued to mine, it's like he's scared we'll combust if we break apart for even a second. It's raw and it's carnal but it's what I need - it's what we need. My underwear is tangled at my ankles and I'm naked from the waist up as my man pulls his stiff cock out of his sweat pants and shoves it inside me without further preamble, piercing through my wet folds and filling me to the hilt.

My scream is primal and wanton and I couldn't care less who hears me. The bedroom door isn't even closed. He's hard and throbbing and every time he pulls out of me only to ram back inside my muscles clench and quiver around his shaft. "You drive me fucking crazy." Christian buries his face into my neck and locks our fingers together above my head as his thrusts refuse to relent, hitting my sweet spot every single time. "You make me want to fuck you like an animal, Ana. You make me want you so much."

"Then do it," I purr into his ear lobe before sucking it into my mouth, eliciting a throaty groan from the love of my life as he moves in-between my legs at a ravishing pace. "Fuck me."

"You keep talking like that and you won't be able to walk for a fucking week."

"That's the hope."

With that he sits on his haunches and spreads my thighs, hooking his arms around my knees and pushing my legs as far apart as they'll go without splitting me in half. Oh my fuck. True to his word, Christian pounds into me like a savage and circles my clit in the process making me scream out louder than I've ever screamed before. "Don't come yet, baby." What? "If you come I will and I really don't want this to fucking end."

I simper when he reaches for the collar at the back of his neck and pulls his damp vest over his head, tossing it across the room before placing his hands back on my hips and in-between my legs. This is unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable and when he twists his hips in a figure-of-eight movement I almost detonate right there on the spot, my vision starts to blur and I can still feel my orgasm creeping in despite my best attempts to keep it at bay. Christian is relentless, sweat starts to form along his brow but that doesn't stop him in the slightest, if anything it spurs him on further.

"Christian," I gasp.

"You're ready aren't you?" He growls down at me, teeth clenched and eyes heavy and hooded. "Tell me you're ready."

"I'm ready," I moan. "Please."

"Not yet, baby."

"I can't…I can't hold it any…"

I don't even finish before I'm shaking and quivering around his cock, a flood of wetness coating my inner thigh as I cum harder than I have in a long time. I can't figure out if Christian is pissed off or turned on but when he closes his eyes and tightens his grip on my hips, scorching heat spilling inside me I get my answer. Holy mother of…that was intense.

He collapses on top of me with a tortured groan, his penis shrinking and deflating whilst still buried to the hilt. I can't even…

"Don't think I'm finished with you yet."


Christian's POV

"Kill me. Fucking kill me now."

"Don't be such a pussy, drink this you'll feel better."

As soon as a tumbler of leftover scotch from last night is wafted in Elliot's face he bolts upright and slams his hand out sending the glass flying across the patio, shattering into tiny shards near the French doors. "Don't even fucking think about it. I need a strong black coffee, an aspirin and nothing more."

Jake simply shrugs and drops into the chair beside him, shoving a forkful of bacon into his mouth and pulling his phone out of his pocket. It's 8AM and I'm ready to get the fuck out of here. I haven't had fun like this for a long time, not with my friends anyway but I need my girl now and fuck if I'm prepared to wait any longer.

Waking up this morning in nothing but a pair of swim shorts, face down on the couch in the main living area was enough to drive me to fucking suicide. If I had the strength I would have hunted my brother down and pounded his face in for forcing me to drink as much as I did, although I didn't take much persuading, he still forced me. After a quick run around the confines of the resort I threw back an espresso shot and reluctantly chowed down a greasy bacon sandwich before dragging my hung-over ass into the shower, feeling much more like myself once I'd finished.

Getting the boys up and running was a different story though. Even Ray and my dad were less on the fresh side but less than an hour later we were all up and ready to shoot our fucking brains out, the thought of a long car ride too much to handle.

"I'll go with Elliot and meet you and Annie later for lunch," Ray's mouth stretches into a yawn as he shrugs his jacket on. "I need a cat-nap and a decent breakfast."

"I doubt you'll get much sleep at Kate's apartment but sure," I nod. "Am I still keeping this a secret?"

"You bet," He winks and turns on his feel, heading in the direction of the front door before stopping to glance over his shoulder. "And what we talked about last night, about Jen and-"

"I won't breathe a word of it, Ray. That I can promise you."

Keeping what I discovered last night from Ana will be difficult but I could never betray my father-in-law's trust like that. I still don't know where his feelings for Jen stand but I won't be the one to bring my fiancée into the mix, not without Ray's consent or knowledge. Taylor and Evans take turns in loading our luggage into the trunk but Elliot pulls me back when I make a move to join the others in the SUV. "Bro, fucking check this out."

"What?"

Taking the phone from his outstretched hand I flip the screen and take a look, my eyes popping out their fucking sockets when I see a picture from the girls last night. It's a paparazzi shot, taken as my girl and her friends make their way towards the club with Sawyer and Bailey at either side of the group. "I didn't want to show you in front of Ray but fuck!" Elliot whisper yells with a quiet laugh. "I'm trying to look at Kate but all I can focus on is Ana's…"

My icy glare stops him from finishing that fucking sentence. I love my brother but I'm pretty sure he'd be out cold on the floor right now if he had, right there in the middle of a throng of scantily clad women is my fiancée dressed in the most hottest dress I've ever seen her in. Her tits are pushed up into a fuckable cleavage and her legs seem to go on forever. Her hair is loose, hanging down her back in gorgeous curls and the happy smile on her face is enough to make my dick as hard as a fucking rock.

"I don't know if I should be pissed or kissing her feet."

"Go with the latter," Elliot slaps my shoulder and slides a pair of Ray-Bans over his eyes in the attempt of disguising his dark circles. "Your girlfriend is hotter than hell, fucking feel proud about it."

The apartment is silent when I walk in, dropping my holdall in the entry way I creep towards our bedroom and push the door open, the sight before me enough to bring me to my fucking knees.

Ana is asleep in the middle of the bed, her hair covering her face as she snores softly. The urge to rip the sheet away from her bare ass becomes somewhat uncontrollable when I realise she's naked but she looks so peaceful and beautiful I can't bring myself to do it, so instead I push her hair away from her face and tenderly stroke her cheek with my fingers as I stretch out beside her.

Taking in an inventory of the room, I spot her discarded dress and heels by the dresser along with the strewn contents of her clutch bag. A bottle of make-up remover and a bag of cotton wool balls are on the nightstand but there isn't any water. She manages to clean her face but she doesn't even think about staying hydrated? The tee-shirt she sleeps in is at the foot of the bed, the task of slipping it over her naked form must have been too much effort because there isn't a thread of cotton on her.

God, I love her so much. Looking at her like this, so quiet and peaceful, it reminds me just how precious she is to me, how perfect she is. She's not weak, actually she's far fucking from it but she's still so fragile. Someone could easily hurt her or take her away from me, the thought is crippling and beyond heartbreaking and if I allow myself to think about it for more than five seconds I'd lock her away in a room and refuse to let her out of my sight.

Although when Ana stirs and groggily fills me in on the events of last night, that's exactly what I want to fucking do.


"How the fuck did the bitch even get in? Where were you?"

I'm hanging onto my temper by a fucking thread. Sawyer faces me with his hands clasped behind his back and his stance wide, his eyes never once leave mine and for that I commend him. He doesn't cower away or back down but I'm still seething. That whore should have never been in such close proximity with Anastasia last night but somehow she managed to be alone with her! Heads are about to fucking roll.

"Miss. Steele informed that she needed to use the facilities so I escorted her to the nearest bathroom, then Bailey remained stationed at the end of the corridor with a substantial distance created." Yeah, yeah, I fucking get it. Management don't like my staff loitering around ladies restrooms in case of a potential sexual harassment claim but this, this is exactly why I have them so close by. "How she managed to slide past without being recognised is unknown, Sir."

"I'll ask again, where the fuck were you?"

"Escorting a member of the party back to the VIP area, Sir."

"Which member?

Luke's jaw clenches and his steely expression falters for a brief second. "Fran, Sir."

Of course it was, his latest little fuck buddy. Ana would have my balls for thinking so crass of her friend but if he wasn't following her around like a little fucking puppy this wouldn't have happened. Sawyer is my fiancée's CPO, he is the person I assign to her protection and instead of keeping her safe he was tripping over his dick to get to his girlfriend.

"So what was Bailey doing? Remind me exactly what I'm paying this incompetent asshole to do?"

"I spoke in great length with him and he assured me that he was on standby at all times, he said he simply didn't recognise the perp."

"Excuse me?" I spit. "Have you or have you not seen this woman in the flesh and in photos?" I'm growing more and more fucking impatient by the second and if someone doesn't start giving me answers I'll seriously lose my calm.

"Sir, with respect she does look slightly different. Her hair is darker and she seems to have lost weight."

"Oh I'm sorry, I forgot dropping a dress size makes a person completely fucking unrecognisable." Taylor fights a smirk and I shoot him a death glare, I'm not finished dealing with him yet. If he thinks he's getting out this fuck-up unscathed he's got another thing coming. "Where did she go once you intercepted?"

"Bailey personally removed her from the premises."

"Did you oversee this?"

"No, Sir, I was still inside the restroom with Miss. Steele."

Count to ten. Count to ten and then count fucking backwards. Do not rip his heart out, do not rip his heart out….

"Excuse me?" Taylor clocks my expression and awkwardly clears his throat, knowing exactly what's running through my mind. Alone in a bathroom with my fiancée…

"She seemed to be quite shaken up so I needed to make sure she was okay before letting her join the rest of the group."

"You should have taken her straight fucking home!" I yell, pointing a finger in his face and losing control more and more by the second.

"I wanted to but she refused to leave. No physical contact was made and-"

"Do you remember what happened the last time she was left alone in a bar? The last time she walked off to use the bathroom alone?" The room falls silent as my two members of security drop their heads and look at anywhere but me. "Do I need to fucking remind you how she was dragged out-"

"Mr. Grey," Taylor interrupts and takes a step forward but I hold my hand up, Jason is more than staff, he's a friend but if he touches me I'm sure to do something I'll strongly regret. "Security was breached and for that I'll take the required action but Miss. Steele asked Sawyer to refrain from contacting me, she didn't feel the need to worry you."

Pinching the bridge of my nose I drop into the chair behind me and fight the urge to beat something with my fists. This is exactly why I didn't want her going out without me, I can't protect her when we're not together. I can't keep her safe. Realistically, I know I can't keep her locked away out of harms reach but when shit like this happens I fucking want to so desperately.

Why is it every time we try to do something out of these four walls, try to do something normal there's always someone waiting to fuck it all up? Last night should have been a happy memory for the both of us but where I was having a fucking blast, my woman was left to fend off that…thing without me even knowing. Cassidy was merely looking for a fight, I'm not worried about her. I truly believe she and Ana just happened to be in the same club at the same time and like the manipulator she is, she moved in and took her chance as soon as she could.

But I can't get the image of Ana lying on that fucking floor, bleeding and unconscious in my arms out of my head, it's playing on a loop and reminding me of what can happen when I'm not there to protect her. I can't get it out of my head when I dismiss Taylor then Sawyer and I can't get it out of my head when I pound the treadmill for a solid twenty minutes.

It's only when I have her in my arms, naked and writhing beneath me as I fuck her senseless that I start to calm. Feeling her around my dick seems to be the only way I can snap out of these over-protective funks I get myself in and where I love it, I fucking hate it all the same time. I can't lose her. This woman is my absolute everything and when she strokes my hair after I spill my cum deep inside her, whispering her love for me I lose it, holding her as close to me as humanly possible without crushing the life out of her. Mine.


"What the?" Ana's eyes widen when she spots her father seated at our table as we walk into the Mile High club. Ray stands and buttons his suit jacket before skirting around a beaming Kate and heads straight for us. "When?"

"Surprise." I whisper in her ear and leave a soft kiss on her cheek before letting her run towards the other man in her life, the only other man I'll share her with.

Leaving them alone for a private moment together as she wraps her arms around Ray's neck and starts to happily sob, I kiss Kate on the cheek, shake Elliot's hand and summon a passing waiter for a bottle of Cristal before taking my own seat.

"Kate told me about what happened last night." Elliot leans into my side and passes me a menu. "Why the fuck didn't you know about this?"

"You tell me," I grumble quietly. "Ana can be pretty persuasive when she wants to be. I haven't fucking forgot about it though and I won't for a long time. Sawyer shits himself every time I glance in his direction."

"Kate went looking for her," He murmurs over the rim of his glass. "She wanted to rip her hair out."

"The woman is your ex-girlfriend, Ell. Hardly surprising is it."

"She was never my girlfriend," He spits. "And Kate hates Cassidy for more than just our brief history together. I think what she did to Ana out ranks any hatred she had for her over me."

"I don't think we'll be seeing her again, all she wanted was to make a point."

"Didn't get very far did she?"

I wave him off when my girl and her father join us back at the table, not wanting to talk about the bitch who shall not be named during our dinner I dab Ana's cheeks with a tissue and kiss the tip of her nose when she sniffles and squeezes my hand. "He was with you all night?"

"We wanted it to be a surprise." I stroke her beautiful face with backs of my knuckles. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not," She sniffles again. "This is perfect."

The waiter pours out nine glasses of champagne ready for the others once they arrive and hovers around me like a kid needing fucking approval, it's always the same story every time we come here and while I'm pleased my staff have exceptional customer service I also find it fucking irritating. I catch Ray watching his daughter as she takes hold of my hand and the sheer adoration on his face is enough to make me weak. This is what he's been waiting for all weekend, to be here with the centre of his world and nothing else has managed to distract him.

I catch his eye and he winks, squeezing Ana's free hand and sipping on his flute of Cristal quietly until Elliot breaks the silence. "I say we order something strong and stiff before Blake and Olivia get here and pretend that they aren't still in love with each other."