Chapter 8 – Long and Winding Road
My Wednesday workday speeds by. I conducted a record ten interviews today! I pat myself on the back at the feat. When I am done just after 5:30, I set to call Grey for what will be my last time for a ride home. The thought of the matter is bittersweet.
I was pleasantly shocked this morning how he handled everything. He did something that I didn't think he'd ever do – apologize. He also came up with a very reasonable solution for me to drive a GEH car, which will not only benefit me, but will benefit every employee who's not an executive. I'm so pleased to be a part of positive change, even if the initial concept may have been solely for my benefit.
Now I have six whole months to save for a new car, so I am golden. I called the mechanic earlier and told him to go ahead and junk my sweet Wanda. Poor Wanda, she's been so good to me all of these years. It will be sad to break the news to José and his dad, José Sr. I'll have to let Ray know as well.
To my surprise, Grey is tied up in a meeting until late, so he has Taylor to take me home. For some reason, I am mildly disappointed that I don't get to spend my last car ride home with him. However, we still have tomorrow morning. I wonder if we'll do breakfast again?
Taylor is a sweet guy, although he's as quiet as a church mouse. Perhaps Grey prefers his help to only be seen and not heard. I roll my eyes at the thought.
"Miss Steele," he says, all formal-like.
"Hi Taylor," I beam at him. And I notice that my smile is contagious. There's a slight grin twitching at the corners of his mouth. I smile wider before climbing into the back seat of the Audi.
"Did you have a good day?" I ask him. Just making idle chitchat. It's good to make nice with the people who spend the most time with Grey. Maybe they can give me more insight into The Man himself that Grey wouldn't otherwise share with me. I hope to get in Ros' ear one of these days. Then I begin to wonder how it would be like to get to know Grey's older brother and younger sister. I cease my thoughts. Grey's my boss' boss' boss! – I remind myself.
"Yes, ma'am," Taylor responds. Ma'am? Oh no, that shit wont do. I'm only 21 years old, homeboy.
"Please Taylor, call me Ana," I beseech him. Yeah, don't call me ma'am. And it's just as bad that Grey doesn't call me Ana either. I need to find a way to change that. Although somehow, I think that effort would be a lost cause. Grey will always call me 'Miss Steele'. The very thought annoys me.
"Ana," Taylor mumbles. I see him through the rearview mirror as he says it. He looks as though it physically pained him to say 'Ana'. My God, did Grey condition poor Taylor in such a way that breaking protocol induces vomiting? Is he hypnotized to remain formal with everyone at all times? My imagination runs wild at the thought.
"So, how do you like working for Mr. Grey?" I ask. I've had a couple weeks of practice trying to pull information from robots. Talking to Taylor doesn't frighten me one bit.
I witness him fighting an ironic smile in the rearview mirror.
"Very well, ma – um, Ana," he corrects himself. Good job, Taylor. And in a surprise move, Taylor turns the tables on me.
"You?" he simply asks. And I know he's asking me the very same question. Let's see if he gets a rise out of this.
"Well, it's good and bad. Good because I am learning so much about how things work at Grey House. Bad because I never know how Mr. Grey will react to certain things." Okay, I've said enough – but not too much. I'm sure Taylor gets the picture. To my delight, Taylor chuckles.
"I completely understand, Ana. But no matter what happens, know that Mr. Grey is a good man. His intentions are always good," he says. Wow Taylor – how profound. I never thought that I would get such insight from my idle probing, but there you have it folks – Mr. Grey is a good man.
Suddenly, the levees of insight close shut and Taylor regains his usual staunch composure; and I know that today's 'Q&A with Tay Tay' is over and done.
….
This morning will be our final transit encounter.
It's the very last time that I will ride to work with Grey. The good news is that I will have my very own brand spanking new car for the next six months. That bad boy will be going home with me this evening. I'm excited just thinking about it, even though I have no clue what kind of car it is. Will it be an Audi like Grey's? Honestly, I don't care what it is because I'm sick of borrowing Kate's car to go to the supermarket.
I sit in the back seat of Grey's SUV. He looks irresistible in his expensive dark gray suit, which is obviously his go-to color. I'm wearing a fabulous black long-sleeved pencil dress with white on both the collar and the cuffs that button around my wrists. Kate and Lacy have impeccable fashion sense, so I know to never go shopping for myself without them ever again.
He looks at me with an impressed look. My brows arch up, wanting to know why he's looking at me like that.
"What?" I finally say.
"I would like to compliment you on your dress, but I don't know how to do so without getting HR involved," he says with a sexy grin. Holy shit. And I could care less about human resources right now.
"Well, if I'm not mistaken, I have complimented you personally before and I don't seem to recall HR being called on me," I say jokingly. He lets out a single quick chuckle from his nostrils.
"So, are you ready for your new car this afternoon?" he asks, brushing off the previous topic. I smile and nod eagerly at him.
"What is it?" I ask.
"An Audi A3. It's the safest car on the market," he says. Okay. Well, now I know it's an Audi. I idly wonder if the other cars in the pool program will be Audis.
"What color?" I ask him. His lips form into a straight line as he ponders his response. And I thought my question was a simple one. Um, it can only be one color, Grey!
"Well – initially, the car we ordered for you was red. However, since the advent of the pool program, we modified the order to silver," he says.
Oh – very well. Silver it is. I look forward to finally driving myself for a change. It's been so long since I've done so. I like to crank up my music loud. Grey prefers his music in the car to be ambient. I guess it's because he takes so many phone calls on the road.
"I wanted to take you to breakfast in honor of the end of our transit time together. Unfortunately, I have an early meeting," Grey breaks the news to me. Shucks. So this is truly it then. No more breakfast outings before work. No more dinner outings after work. No more impromptu carnival trips. All gone. And there's a heaviness that tries to fight its way into my chest, but I bravely ward it off. It's all for the best, Ana. It was just a ride. It was just a random carnival excursion.
Grey cares for me, but only as an employee. He hasn't given me any indication that he wants – more. And I know in my heart of hearts that even the possibility of a relationship outside of work with this man can only do more harm than good He's beautiful, he's rich, and he's extremely powerful. He's the perfect ten – maybe even a twelve. And on a good day, I feel like I'm a 7.5. Although today in this fitted dress, I could be spilling in to 8.5 territory. You go, girl!
We arrive at Grey House and we walk side by side to the elevator one last time. The blonde model-looking girl behind the front desk quickly glances at Grey and I before turning her head. She looks disappointed. Don't worry, sweetheart, this will be the last time you'll see us walking side-by-side like this. You may now return to your regularly scheduled fawning and drooling first thing tomorrow morning.
We enter the elevator together one final time. Grey looks at me as his index finger hovers over the "18." I nod and he presses it before selecting "20". We take the journey upward.
And suddenly, those feelings that I felt in here before with him – that…attraction, it's evident once again, and it radiates throughout my body. In an ill-conceived move, I turn my head to face him and see that he is already looking at me. Our eyes tightly lock in together. Holy shit! Oh my God – somebody turn away! Turn away now! But we don't.
Suddenly, my chest starts to visibly elevate and decompress as if I'm hooked to a respirator – and he sees it. I witness his eyes gaze at my chest. Slowly, he licks his bottom lip slightly, and I am numb. I want him to touch me so bad. Please, Christian…touch me.
The elevator stops on the 18th floor. Fuck! What just happened? Nothing – that's what just happened.
"Andrea will call you to sign the pool program paperwork," Grey says straightly as if what just happened didn't happen. Really? You didn't feel that?
"Okay," I breathe as I walk out of the elevator. I turn around to face him before the doors close.
"Have a great day, Miss Steele," he says with a look of uncertainty on his face.
Wow – so, that's how it is?
"You too – Mr. Grey," I say wistfully as the doors completely shut.
And I conclude by the look I just saw on his face that the past two weeks meant absolutely nothing to him. I have to push past these misplaced emotions and simply do my job. After all, that's the only reason why I'm here – to do my job.
Before I put my wayward thoughts about Grey to rest for once and for all, I adopt the following credo: I will never fall in love with a man who could never love me back.
….
Two weeks and one day fly by. It is now D Day – Friday, July 22nd.
Thankfully, I've been so busy over the past two weeks that I haven't had time to dwell very long on Grey. I've consolidated the survey and interview results as well as formulated my recommendations into a complete employee satisfaction report. I've seen Grey in passing, and he has also stopped by the 18th floor conference room every so often to see how the project is coming along. Other than that, there's been – nothing.
This morning, I meet with him face to face with my completed report. There's a part of me that misses him and is glad to be able to see him for at least an hour. However, there's another part that's fearful of his reaction – especially the part where I list my recommendations. Thankfully, I have run some of the suggested key initiatives by a few experts in the building and they have vetted them. Hopefully that will carry some weight with Grey.
When I leave the office today, I will truly be at a crossroads. Weeks ago, I said that I only wanted to see this project through before calling it quits. Once the project was done, I wanted to try and pursue my dream in publishing. The desire within me that wants to work with literature will never burn out. I resolve to continue to pursue that dream even if it means forgoing the remainder of the recent graduate rotation program.
I've already lost one month of viable finance-time due to Grey's project. That only leaves me with two months in finance before Karen Newman places me at my next assignment. I idly wonder where they will have me next. Who am I kidding? I can't work here at GEH anymore!
Other than my desire to work in a completely different field, there's something else that's in the way of me staying here at GEH: I have a thing for the CEO. And until I can get my emotions under control and can accept that nothing will ever become of us, I'll have to take the Anastasia Show someplace else. It'll be sad to no longer spend lunchtime with Lacy and Gunther. However, I can just about guarantee that the three of us will remain good friends no matter where my career takes me.
For my grand finale, I decide on a royal blue tunic pencil skirt and blouse suit. The blouse has three quarter-length sleeves and a silver zipper that goes down in the front. My favorite part of the blouse is that it flares out at the bottom, accentuating my rump. I'm sure Grey won't even care – it is casual Friday after all – but I still look damned good! I thought it would be appropriate for me to dress nicely for the occasion. It says: 'Here's your stupid report Grey! And here's what you're missing out on! Bye Felicia!'
As soon as I enter the elevator that morning at Grey House, I take the haunting trek directly to the 20th floor.
When I exit the elevator, Andrea greets me. Girlfriend is all over my suit, and I graciously thank her. The complement means a lot coming from her. Andrea and Olivia always dress so nicely. I take my seat and wait for Andrea to summon me to Grey's office. To my surprise, Grey comes out himself. He is also in a suit, forgoing casual Friday as well. Holy shit, he's gorgeous.
"Miss Steele," he says, motioning me into his office. I rise and approach his office as he opens the door for me. As we reach closer to his desk, he looks over at me. Uh huh – I see you looking, Grey! We reach the couches before his desk and he motions me to sit. He sits directly across from me. So, this is more – personal? Intimate?
"So, first things first. You look very beautiful this morning," he says with a gentle face. Don't do it Ana! Don't you dare fall for him!
"Thank you," I say, looking down shyly. Don't be a sucker, Ana! He's not going to touch you! He's the CEO!
"Let's see what you have," he says plainly – immediately getting down to business. I shake off my wayward thoughts and hand him a professionally composed glossy softcover booklet. It truly looks like something that you can purchase from the bookstore. I had someone in IT do the cover art for me. It's a long winding road that leads to a horizon with the GEH logo imbedded into the rising sun. It's quite spectacular if you ask me.
"Impressive. What was your concept behind this?" Grey says about the cover.
"That all roads that lead to the vision aren't necessarily straight. It's going to take some maneuvering to improve on these employee satisfaction scores," I explain to him. And immediately, the thought crosses my mind that the same concept can also apply for outside of the business world. I dismiss the thought immediately.
Grey tightens his lips and nods his head as he studies the cover. He then opens the book. He carefully goes through each page. I also have a copy of the book in my hand in case he wants to reference something. As he parses through the pages, something stops him.
"Wow, I had no idea people felt this way," he says, seemingly disappointed.
"Where are you?" I say, holding out my book in my hand to show him that I can follow along.
"Page 23. 'The majority feels as though management does not have a vested interest in their personal growth. They feel that management functions in more of a supervisory role and not a true leadership role'," Grey recites. Yep, I know this report like the back of my hand. That's exactly how the majority of those who I interviewed felt. Grey continues to flip through the book.
After twenty minutes of silence, I glance across from me to see where Grey is in the book. Oh boy, he's one page away from my recommendations. Some of the proposed initiatives I list were a mentor/mentee program that places management and employees together based on common factors, a development program for long-time employees who feel that they are stuck in their jobs, and a fitness initiative that includes the building at large, not just the top three floors.
Grey eventually arrives there and he looks it over intently. I kneed my fingers together in nervousness. This could go very good or very bad. Suddenly, he looks up. And wait – he's smiling!
"Well done, Miss Steele. This is top-notch work. I had no doubt that you were capable of this and more. You should be very proud," he says with a sincere grin. My word! It's over! I did it!
"Thank you so much for the opportunity, Mr. Grey. I learned so much during this entire process about the company. Things that I would have never known had I not had the chance to do this," I say with a smile of appreciation.
"You will do great things, Miss Steele – no doubt. My executive team and me will comb through these results and also consider your recommendations. Make sure Andrea gets twenty more copies of this report," he tells me. I nod.
"I'll have them to her by the end of the day," I vow.
"Good," he grins. He slowly rises to his feet and I meet him. He extends his hand. Slowly I take it and we shake firmly.
"Miss Steele, it's truly been a pleasure," he says fondly.
"Likewise, Sir. Thanks again for the opportunity," I say with grace. I carefully retrieve my belongings and leave. This time, Grey doesn't follow me out. I walk out alone. And the gesture is so symbolic.
I came here alone and I will leave here – alone.
….
"Ana! Yay! Ana!"
What the fuck? I return to my desk on the 8th floor for the first time in weeks and my whole finance team is surrounding it. They have party favors – hats, whistles, cranks – the whole nine. My buddy Lacy from the 15th floor is also among the craziness, standing besides Gunther. On my desk is a huge "Congratulations" sheet cake, a silver spatula and some small plates. Suddenly, my manager Brad Smith steps up front and approaches me with a greeting card and a "Congratulations" balloon.
"Congratulations on completing your project, Ana! We hated to lose you for a month, but you had a very important task at hand. I'm sure you knocked it out of the park!" Brad says, handing me the card and balloon. I am speechless.
"How did it go!" someone in the crowd calls out.
"Great!" I say with a big forced smile. A few cheers follow.
"Alright, let's eat cake and get back to work," Brad chuckles. Melissa from the 8th floor front desk claims the spatula and begins to cut the cake, passing each slice down on a plate. Eating cake just past nine in the morning? Oh, what fun it is to be an adult!
The hoopla dies down. Gunther, Lacy and I firm up our lunch plans before Lacy returns to her floor. Now I have to get back into the finance mindset. I never did finish those last few training modules. I resolve to complete those later in the month. Today, I would like to learn more about the finance department. I set to begin the standard work instruction assignment that was issued to me a month ago.
As I begin my work, I am highly surprised how well I reacted after my meeting with Grey. The meeting was very professional – it was almost everything I hoped for. Why almost, Ana? Well…
I quickly dismiss the thought. Steele, it will never happen – whatever 'it' is! I must keep repeating this over and over again in my brain until 'it' is no longer a thought. I then lose myself in my work.
Shortly after 11:30, Melissa comes around pushing a cart with a enormous basket of arranged flowers. She stops at my desk.
"For you, Ana," Melissa grins. Holy shit! I help her heave the large basket on my desk and she takes the cart away. I take the card from the center of the arrangement.
Miss Steele: Thank you for a job well done. As I told you earlier, I expect great things from you. Remember that. – Christian
My heart stops beating. What does this mean? Is this – just what it is? Does it mean that he expects me to keep doing a good job for the company? Or does he really mean something else?
Fuck! I need to stop thinking too deeply into shit! The whole thing is exhausting. I just got flowers from the CEO, thanking me for my hard work on a major project. This happens all of the time! This is nothing special, Ana! And at that moment, I know that I need to see a shrink. I've never been so schizophrenic in my thought-life until I started working here!
"Who were they from?" Gunther calls out from across the aisle. Oh boy.
"Grey," I smirk at him. Gunther's eyes round and his mouth puckers as he nods his head, impressed.
"I'm sure you kicked ass up there," he says proudly. I grin.
"You ready for lunch soon?" he asks. And before I can answer, my phone rings. Hmm, it's Karen Newman from the new graduate program.
"Hello?"
"Ana! It's Karen Newman," she says cheerfully.
"Hi Karen!"
"Hey, do you have time to meet for thirty minutes about something?" she asks. I wince perplexed. I know I'm supposed have regular check-in meetings with her, but this is so sudden.
"You want to meet now?" I ask.
"Yes, if you can," she says.
"Umm…sure," I say hesitantly. Gunther is looking at me with a 'what the fuck' expression on his face. He knows I'm either going to skip lunch or delay his.
"Great. Meet me in the conference room on the main floor – the one where you and I first met," Karen says.
"Sure, I'm on my way," I tell her before we disconnect.
I turn to Gunther.
"I have a thirty minute meeting with the NGP lady. You and Lacy can either wait or go on without me," I tell him.
"Oh, that's not too bad. We'll wait for you," he says.
"Good. I'll already be on the main floor. Just meet me there in half an hour," I tell him. He's good with the plan.
….
Karen is dressed in a dark skirt suit with her shiny blonde hair placed neatly in a bun. I enter the conference room and she grins wide.
"Ana! You look fantastic!" she greets me, raving over my dress. I bow at her in humble appreciation. And it's at that moment that I realize that not too many people are observing casual Friday today.
"So, I've called you down here for some bittersweet news," Karen starts with a solemn look on her face. Oh no. I gape at her. I'm trying not to freak out here. Oh my God – what is this woman going to tell me!
"Ana, you have truly made a mark with your employee satisfaction report today. The executive staff as a whole are absolutely raving about how well put together it is. There are action meetings taking place all day today as a result of what you did," Karen grins proudly. I'm speechless. I continue listening on.
"Well, I have another opportunity for you right here," she says, pointing at a file folder. My eyes narrow at her, confused. Is she already rotating me out of the finance department?
"Ana, I truly hate to see you leave the NGP, but you are a shining star and I don't want to hold you back."
What in the hell? She wants to take me out of the program altogether?!
"Here's the opportunity. It's simply – unbelievable Ana. You'd be crazy not to take it," she says as she pulls out a sheet of paper and slides it upright in front of me. I scan it.
"It's a newly created position as the CEO's personal support manager," she beams at me.
Holy shit! Oh, no you don't Grey! Uh uh! No way! No how! I gape at Karen Newman as if she just took out a crack pipe, lit it up and started smoking it right in front of me. I break my gaze away from her and return it to this ludicrous offer sitting before me. As I read it, I'm getting sicker by the second. I can't work for that man! Nope! I can't do it! I'm already crazy out of my mind as it is! He leads me on and he does nothing to follow through?! And it's so – frustrating! And in a calculated move, I don't turn the page to read the salary offering. I could really care less.
"Karen, I really appreciate the offer, honest I do. However, I am still brand new to the company. I'd rather complete my entire year and my four rotations so I can become better rounded. I still have so much to learn. And truthfully, I would not do a good job taking a job of that caliber just out of college," I say to her. Instead of giving me a look of understanding, she gives me a look of what, disappointment? And I thought this chick truly wanted me to stay in her lame program!
"Ana, you would learn so much more under Mr. Grey's direct tutelage than you ever would in the NG Program. This is an opportunity of a lifetime! Many of your peers would kill for this job! Your direct supervisor will be envious!" Karen argues.
Yeah, what would I learn under Grey's tutelage other than the temperatures hot and cold, how to maneuver through getting yelled at and how not to kiss a girl that obviously wants to kiss you? Nope – not signing up for that! I'll keep my happy ass in finance and away from Christian Asshole Grey.
"Again Karen, thank you so much for the opportunity. But if it's okay with you, I would like to remain in the program," I tell her.
I will never take that job.
A/N: Faithful Readers – Just a clarification on one of the reviews: Ana is technically a GEH employee already. She is part of the "New Graduate Program" where she spends one year doing four 3-month rotations in four different departments in order to round out her experience with the company. At the end of the year, she will be permanently placed in a department. Gunther, who's permanently in finance, went through the very same program.
Now in this chapter, Christian pretty much wants to remove Ana from the program entirely and skyrocket her career overnight. Now his reasons for doing so can be debated by you in the review section, lmao!
By making Ana his support manager, Ana won't be an executive per se, but she will have executive privileges since she'd pretty much be Grey's right-hand-woman. Although Ana turns down the job in this chapter, don't think for a second that our favorite dom will give up so easily. ;)
You may not see another update until Tuesday night. I will try my best to make it sooner, but tomorrow is a very busy day. Also, it's my birthday week and I have a few wonderful people that want to do some cool stuff for me. :D
Please review chapter 8! – ST2
