Later that evening
Everyone has gone off to do their own thing. I'm sitting in our suite alone since Kate went to dinner with her parents. I want to go out, but I'm concerned about where Jose is and I don't want to run into him again.
"Where's Christian?" I ask over the phone to Taylor.
"Downstairs in the bar, Elliot's with him."
"Ok Thanks," I say to him before hanging up.
I've not seen him since he walked out on me earlier today. Each time I call he ignores me, and when I text he doesn't respond either. At least Elliot is with him.
BAR - CPOV
"Hey bro, you sure you've had enough to drink?" Elliot asks me, actually teasing me at how slow I'm drinking.
"Shut up," I say still trying to get my head around Ana and the events of today. At least she left her rings on for the ceremony, which is something. It's a step forward I suppose, but not enough me though. I want everyone to know we're together as a couple. Married, and happy as well. But, right now I don't feel happy at all.
Elliott and I are sitting at the bar when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I think it might be Ana; however, I turn around and see Jose standing there. Without saying anything a word, I see a fist come flying at me which I manage to dodge. I grab his hand…I've only had a couple of drinks so my reflexes are still quick.
"What the hell is that for you asshole?"
"Stay away from Ana, she doesn't need you tainting her."
"Excuse me, but who are you to say who I can and cannot talk to or be around?" I say to him. I'm not in the mood for this pig headed, jealous ass of a boy right now.
"I'm her friend, a friend who is concerned for her welfare."
"Oh really, the same friend who was forcing themselves on her the other night? The friend that wouldn't take no for an answer." I snap back at him. Temper... control the temper, Grey.
"She is not your bit on the side Grey and when she realizes that is all she will be with you she will see what I know we have."
"Sorry, Jose, but Ana is no bit on the side. Never has been, never will be. She is mine. Always has been, always will be." I honestly don't give a fuck what he thinks or says or if I let it slip she is mine.
"You're an arrogant bastard you know that Grey. What does your partner have to say about your affair with Ana?"
"There is no affair Jose. What is going on between Ana and me is our business, not yours and I would like it if you stopped putting your nose in other people's business and leave my damn wife alone." Fuck, did I just get punched in the face right then. Fuck that hurts. I didn't see that coming. Why...oh right, I was controlling my temper, stopping myself from decking him and he decks me instead.
"She's not your wife you asshole. She isn't married you prick or I would know that titbit of information considering we are best friends. There's no secrets between us. I know you're after her because she's never been with a man before. A virgin. Quite a rare gem to find these days, and I won't let you take that from her just because you have money to buy her affections," He snaps.
Where the fuck is Taylor and Sawyer when I need them? Elliot is no good since he's falling down drunk and laughing hysterically at what is unfolding in front of him. I bet if Kate was here it would be a completely different story. Him laughing at me getting punched does not often happen to me. In fact, it's been close to 10 years since I was in a fight.
"Now where the fuck have you been hiding her Grey because I know for a fact she hasn't been back to her apartment for the last few days."
This bastard's been stalking her. Thank god she been staying here with me.
"Who's he been hiding?" I hear Ana say from behind me.
"You, thank god you're ok. I've come to take you away from this prick here." I hear Jose say.
I turn and look at her and that's when she sees me holding my face.
"What the hell happened here?" She asks as she totally ignores him and comes up to me. She stands between my legs and takes the ice pack that the bartender had thrown at me off the side of my face.
"Who hit you Christian?" I raise my eyebrows up at her.
"Who do you think hit me Ana? Your so-called possessive friend over there. You know, the one who doesn't understand the word no," I say to her hoping she realizes I mean Jose.
"How the hell did he get the jump on you?" She asks me not even having bothered to look
at Jose who is now fuming because she ignores him.
"I was trying to rein in my temper and not beat the shit out of him because of some
smart remark he said about our relationship and then bang, his fist...my face."
"Damn it Jose, fighting doesn't fix problems," She spins and says to him.
"It felt damn good," He smugly says with a smirk on his face.
"I don't care if it felt good you can't go around hitting people just for the sake
of it. Get your shit under control."
"I'm just trying to protect you from him, he's no good to you Ana. He's with someone else and he's just using you, can't you see that? Money isn't everything, it doesn't buy you happiness, and you deserve more to be some bit on the side, an affair."
"Jose I've already told you to step off and leave Ana and I alone. Please, just do it," I say to him. I'm getting sick of this shit. This is just the sort of shit we will have to deal with if she won't agree to going public.
"Not happening Grey. Not until I make sure she is out from under you clutches.
She will see soon enough that I'm the better choice."
Fuck this I'm leaving she made this mess. She can fucking sort out this shit.
"Jose, please, just butt out of my life. I am more than capable of deciding who to be with."
Wow, maybe she is finally going to stand up to him.
"But you're better than his dirty little secret. He even said the two of you are married,
which is a lie, Ana baby..."
I can't stand this any longer. I cut in on whatever he is saying because hearing him call Ana Baby was the final straw. I'm going to beat his ass in a about 30 seconds.
"Sort this shit out now Ana. I refuse to take the blame. It's your damn fault we're in
this mess now with him, so help me god if you don't you won't be able to sit
for a fucking week by the time I'm finished with you," I say with a level of indignation. My Dom voice coming out thick and heavy and I see her breathing change, her body reacting to me. Yes, baby I know you love my inner Dom but right now you're not getting him. I walk out and see Taylor walking toward me.
"You're late," I say to him before I head off up to the suite. If I tell him he's fired, he never listens anyway because he knows I need him far too much for that.
APOV
I got sick of waiting for him to come up so I decided to go down and check up on him and see how drunk he had gotten because of me. When I walk in I notice only a few people in the bar, and I know all three of them
"Now, where the fuck have you been hiding her Grey because I know for a fact she hasn't been back to her apartment for the last few days." Who the hell is Jose trying to find, I think when I hear his voice?
"Who's he been hiding?" I ask Christian since Jose is talking to him.
"You, thank god you're ok, I've come to take you away from this prick here." Me? He's been hiding me since when, I think to myself. Then I look at my husband. What the fuck has happened here.
"What the hell happened here?" My thoughts come tumbling out as I place myself between his legs and takes the ice pack off the side of his face. Shit he's been hit on the cheek.
"Who hit you Christian?"
"Who do you think hit me Ana? Your so-called possessive friend over there. You know, the one who doesn't understand the word no," Damn him.
"How the hell did he get the jump on you?" How did Jose get the jump on Christian and where the hell was his CPO while all of this was going down?
"I was trying to rein in my temper and not beat the shit out of him for some smart remark he said about our relationship and then bang, his fist...my face." This is a first...Christian holding his temper.
"Damn it Jose, fighting doesn't fix problems." First he leaves bruises on my arm and then scares the crap out of Kate...now this. What the hell is next?
"It felt damn good," He smugly says with a smirk on his face.
"I don't care if it felt good you can't go around hitting people just for the sake of it. Get your shit under control."
"I'm just trying to protect you from him, he's no good to you Ana. He's with someone else and he's just using you, can't you see that? Money isn't everything, it doesn't buy you happiness, and you deserve more to be some bit on the side, an affair."
"Jose I've already told you to step off and leave Ana and I alone. Please, just do it." I hear Christian say from behind me. I can feel the anger radiating from his body.
"Not happening Grey. Not until I make sure she is out from under you clutches. She will see soon enough that I'm the better choice."
Jose better shut up before Christian lays you out.
"Jose, please, just butt out of my life. I am more than capable of deciding who to be with."
How many times do I have to tell him I'm not interested in him and never will be.
"But you're better than his dirty little secret. He even said the two of you are married,
which is a lie, Ana baby..."
"Sort this shit out now Ana. I refuse to take the blame. It's your damn fault we're in this mess now with him, so help me god if you don't you won't be able to sit for a fucking week by the time I'm finished with you," Fuck, why did he have to use his Dom voice, it always affects me. Great way to leave things... Christian pissed off at me and me being left feeling turned on.
"And then you let him talk to you like he owns you. Like this is your fault when it's his and that he will physically hurt you if you don't do as he has asked."
"Jose shut the hell up will you? You're doing more harm than damn good right now with your ridiculous ideas. When are you going to get it through your head, there will never ever be anything between us."
"Come on Ana, you know that's not true. You've liked me for years now."
"As a friend, yes, but that's it. I thought we were friends, but now I'm seriously reconsidering that notion." I can now see why Christian wanted our relationship out in the open because now it's a nightmare. And finally my CPO has arrived, took long enough for him to realize I was gone.
"Come on Ana, don't let Mr. Moneybags Grey decide what you can and cannot do, or who you can be with you're a free woman Ana, a virgin who has choices, your first time needs to be with someone who cares for you."
"You think Christian doesn't care for me?"
"If he did he wouldn't be leading you along. You have something that is sacred… a prize that is cherished by all men baby. You can never have another first time. It's important, let me be that for you, not him." Oh fuck no, now I know what this is all about.
"Jose, who I give it up to is my choice and it will never be you."
"The bastards already done it, hasn't he? You've only known him a few days and he already has you spreading your legs for him. You're just like your mother; open your legs to any man who has enough money."
No, I'm not like my mother. I'm not like my mother.
"Jose, I am nothing like my mother. Do yourself a favor and don't bring that up again." Must keep thinking that because I'm not like her.
"Yes, Ana, you are just like her. You go interview some hot shot billionaire from Seattle and the next thing you know you're jumping into his bed. How much did he pay you, huh? Or should I ask how much did you charge him for that service?"
"Sawyer step away," I tell him as I see him move closer to us.
"Oh, so now he has some guard on you, doesn't trust you not to run away." Jose you're pushing it.
"No, Sawyer is not a guard, you dick. He's my close personal protection officer, and has been doing that job for me for how long now Sawyer?" I ask Sawyer as I can't remember when Taylor hired him.
"Five years now Mrs Grey." I see the very smartass smirk on his face, I know what he's up too.
"What? You're Mrs. Grey? Oh fucking hell Ana, really it's not even been a week knowing this prick and you've given up everything for his controlling ways."
"Jose, you know how I was always telling you I was with someone...that I was in a relationship?"
"Yes, but...I thought that was all lies or you were gay. More so I thought they were lies because you just didn't want someone, or to be with someone while going to school."
"Well surprise, they weren't lies. I've known Christian for longer than a week."
"Stop lying for him Ana and be truthful, you don't have to lie to me, I can protect you from him."
"Jose, this obsession with me has to stop and I mean stop right now. I'm not lying and neither is Sawyer. I've been married to Christian for two and half years and we've been together since I was 15. There will be no us, EVER and stop telling me I'm like my mother because I'm nothing like her." I've had enough so I start to get up to leave and feel him grab my arm again.
"Jose, don't," I say firmly to him.
"Money can't buy you everything and one day you will come running back to me when you get sick of lying about how long you've been together."
"Oh my god, how many times do I have to tell you that it's not a lie? The only lie was keeping our marriage from everyone. For the very reasons you think I'm with him are the reasons that I'm not. I've helped him build GEH. It's not just his, but mine as well. Don't mess with me again Jose or your life won't be worth living."
"That a threat is it, Ana? Because I don't take kindly to threats."
"Sawyer, have him removed please. Also, please put him on the no contact list as well."
"You can't do that Ana, you don't own this hotel."
"I can and I just did." I watch Sawyer lead Jose out. I'm not sure what he has said to Jose, but he is looking even more pissed off than he was a few moments ago. Damn it Christian, why do you always have to be right.
"Ana, you ok?" I hear Kate say to me as she comes up and hugs me from the side.
"Elliott, get your brother ASAP, Ana's crying." I hadn't noticed I was crying, when did the tears start to flow? How long had I been sitting here slumped over the table in this booth? At least there is no one around me. I just hope no one heard the scene with Jose because bad press is that last thing we need or GEH for that matter.
The next thing I feel is a pair of arms snake around me and lift me up off the seat. I know whose arms they are. The scent coming off him is unmistakable. I curl up into his embrace, the tears still flowing. I have no idea what caused the dam to break, but it's broken with no signs of stopping soon. I hear him telling me over and over that it will all be ok. Right now I don't feel like all will be ok. We're in this mess because of me.
I'm not my mother, I'm not my mother, or am I?