Candlelight

Disclaimer - All the rights to the wonderful world of Fifty Shades Trilogy belongs to E.L. James. I do not own any of the characters from the trilogy. No copyright infringement intended.

A/N: Thank you for all your wonderful reviews. Special thanks to my dedicated reviewers Gobears1, And1rea and Pieletje for all your consideration and support. You guys rock!

This is going to be a fluffy chapter inspired by the big, fat snowflakes outside and by the songs Wicked Games – The Weeknd and Skin – Rihanna. Check them out to set the mood for the chapter ;)

Warning – smut ahead!

Christian's POV

The next morning, after a rather hot and steamy shower session, Anastasia and I say our goodbyes, each one of us having to go to work, with the promise that we'll talk later.

I'm feeling ready to face the day and not even the Taiwanese fuckers won't be able to sour my mood. I don't want to see Ana go, but I have to be present at the negotiations, and she has to go to the office. It's amazing how relaxed I feel, despite the fact that we never strayed from vanilla. My tension is all melted away, and even my muscles feel more relaxed. I don't know why, but suddenly I'm not in such a hurry to go back home.

At about seven thirty I give a call to Taylor, letting him know I'm ready to go at eight. I finish my breakfast, checking the morning news on my tablet and looking over some e-mails from Ros from over the weekend. It seems everything is going smoothly at Grey House, though she's urging me to close this deal, seeing as with every day that passes, we're losing more money.

I get a text from Ana, letting me know she arrived safely at the office and that she'll be in meetings all day long. She suggests we start communicating via e-mails, explaining how it's easier for her this way and she'll respond quicker.

Fuck,fuck,shit,fuck! I can't give her my normal e-mail. It will blow my cover. And if she finds out my real name now, everything will go down south. What if she'll think I seduced her only for finding out about her father's company? I certainly don't stoop so low to learn about my competition, but I'm not so thick-skulled to think it won't seem suspicious that Christian Grey found an unexpected interest in the only daughter of his most important competitor. Or worse. What if she'll think a little retribution is in order and fuck up my deal with the Taiwanese? I'll lose a ton of money, sure, but more importantly, I'll lose my only market entry for Asia. Not to mention my reputation will be dented. Fuck…what have I gotten myself into?

An idea pops in my head and I pick up my phone, calling Welch.

"Sir?" he answers.

"Remember that company we took over last month? The one in Chicago?"

"Yes, sir…" came his confused answer.

"Do you still have access to its old servers?"

"Yes, sir. I still do, but…Is there a problem, sir?"

"Can you set up an e-mail account from those servers?"

"I can…"

"Good. Set one up and send me the details. In the name of Elliott Grey, use the old name of the company in the address. Also, put back up the company's site. Make sure everything appears to be still working perfectly and there's no reference of GEH buying it."

"Of course, sir. But the embargo has ended and the employees have been notified of the new owner. I don't understand…"

"It doesn't matter. Just do what you're told. Send me the e-mail address and password ASAP." I say to him, pressing the end call button.

I put the phone back in my pocket and rub my temples. This day was supposed to be a good one. Taylor's brisk knock alerts me it's time to go. I let him in and make sure I have all the papers I need with me, before we depart.

This fucking day is dragging on and on. I spaced out a couple times during the discussions, remembering little things about Ana. How she plays with her hair when she's nervous, or how she wriggles in my arms until she finds a comfortable position when we go to sleep, or how she sleeps with her lips slightly parted. Or how the curve of her neck meets her shoulder and how good it feels to bite that spot. How she moans and flushes when she comes. How it feels to have her legs around me when I'm pounding into her. How good it feels to be buried deep inside her…fuck. I don't know what this woman has done to me, but I can't seem to stop thinking about her. I'm seriously considering witchcraft.

At around four in the afternoon I find out that there are still some other issues to settle before we can call it a day. Fucking shit. I was ready to bolt from here at five. But the clock strikes six and we haven't managed to go through half of them. I pull out my phone to let Ana know I'm working late and that it's not possible to see each other today, telling her my new e-mail address also.

A few minutes later I get a ping, letting me know I have a new e-mail.

From: Anastasia Steele

To: Elliott Grey

Subject: That's too bad…

…because I was looking forward seeing you tonight. I'm so sorry you have to work late. I'm currently relaxing in my bathtub and there's no one here to keep me company or to help me rinse the suds off my body…

Talk to you later (rather busy with the bubbles),

Anastasia Steele

Chief Contracting Officer, Bouvois Participations du Groupe

I groan at the e-mail and pocket my phone with a long sigh.

Tuesday goes smoother and by six o'clock I'm done for the day and out the conference room with a spring in my steps. I get in the car and Taylor closes the door for me. I pull out my phone and call Anastasia while I wait to arrive at the hotel.

"Hello?" she answers after the third ring.

"Hello Anastasia. Are you busy?"

"No, I just got home. What's up?"

I raise my eyebrows at her casual manner. "I was just calling to see if you're free later tonight. I hope you don't have any prior engagements."

"Nope" she says, popping the p. What is she? Five? "I'm all yours, Mr. Grey."

"That sounds perfect, Miss Steele. So…do you want to meet up later?" I ask her with a sly grin.

"I do. How about you come to my apartment, say, in about an hour? Don't ruin your appetite before coming, Mr. Grey." She says in a low voice.

"Don't you worry about my appetite. See you in an hour, baby." I say chuckling. Oh, I'm hungry enough. Famished, actually.

Anastasia's POV

I'm feeling so giddy. I can't wait to see him. I shocked myself with how much I missed him these days. My body is thrumming with anticipation, tensed so hard that I feel like it might snap at the tiniest movement. I missed his soothing touch so much, to feel his deftly fingers on my skin again, trailing paths of hot, liquid desire. He makes me feel wanton, he awakens me, and his caresses stroke places in my body I never knew existed before.

I decide I have enough time for a quick bath, so I go and fill up the tub. After washing myself, I carefully apply my favorite cinnamon lotion all over my body. I decide on a short, simple black dress and I pull my hair into a bun after brushing it thoroughly, leaving a few tendrils to frame my face and neck.

I go and start dinner, cooking an unpretentious chicken stir-fry. I put my I-pod in the dock, choosing my favorite Ludovico Einaudi playlist, letting the music fill the apartment. I dimmed the lights and even lighted a few candles and, by the time I set up the table, Elliott is here.

"Hey" I greet him at the door, taking the bottle of wine he brought and his jacket. "Come in. I just finished dinner."

He brings his arms around my waist and kisses me passionately. "Smells amazing. And you smell like cookies." He tells me, eyes alight with desire.

I give him a shy smile and motion for him to fully enter in the apartment.

"What did you make?" he asks me.

"Nothing too complicated. Just some chicken stir-fry."

"I bet it's amazing. I didn't know you could cook."

I shrug. "I love eating home-cooked meals and I live alone, so…" I trail off.

After I helped Elliott open the bottle of wine, we each took a seat at the table, across one another. He takes a bite and moans. "Mmm…this is heavenly. Better than the food they serve at the hotel." He praises me.

I blush and push the food around in my plate. "Thank you, but I doubt my cooking skills surpass the ones a five-star chef might have. You give me far too much credit."

He shakes his head and chuckles. "I'm telling the truth, believe me or not."

We eat in silence for a moment, enjoying the meal and the music. "So, how are the negotiations going?" I ask him.

He makes a face. "They're going slow." He offers reluctantly.

I raise my eyebrows at him. "With whom are you negotiating?"

"The Taiwanese".

"Ah…brutal negotiators."

"Have you dealt with them before?" he asks me, now intrigued.

I nod. "Briefly. They refused further discussing the deal, saying I was a woman, and demanded another representative from my company. Needless to say, that didn't go so well for them. Are you buying or selling?"

"Buying."

"So they have the upper-hand for now."

He nods again, chewing slowly. "Are you having some tips for me, Miss Steele?"

I laugh softly. "I may have, Mr. Grey." I tease back. "Look, respect is a great deal for them. And if they're in a higher position, they love some kiss-ass. So, you know, use those. Be a little, good sheep for them right now. You can don your sheep wool later and show them the big, bad wolf."

He starts laughing, big barks of laughter that reverberates through the apartment and I follow suit. I don't know why is he laughing, but the image that popped in my head of him in the role of a little good sheep is killing me.

"And if I were to sell?" he asks me after he's calmed down.

"Then it's the opposite. And I don't think you would have any problems dominating their asses."

He stops chewing and gives me a strange look. "I'm an open book to you, right?" he asks me, grimly.

"Sometimes." I say shrugging. "Am I not the same for you?"

He doesn't say anything, just smiles and continues eating. We finish dinner in silence and he seems deep in thought. I hate it when he closes himself off like that, but I can't really blame him, seeing how I do just that sometimes.

After we clear the table, we take our wine glasses and go over to the couch. I scoot over to him and he places one hand around my waist. I turn in his embrace and lean my back on the side of his chest, legs stretched in front of me. He snakes his arm around my torso, playing with my hair. I sigh contently, feeling my entire body relax in his presence.

"Tell me about your family." I say to him.

He tenses and remains quiet for some time. "Not much to say. I have two siblings, one brother and one sister."

I nod and wait for him to continue. "I'm adopted too" he blurts out. "We all are." He continues with a sigh.

Wow, that was unexpected. I turn my head slightly and smile at him, lacing my fingers through his.

He takes a sip of his glass, but doesn't elaborate. I decide I won't press him, because I know he doesn't like to share much.

Instead, I get up and take the wine glass from his hand. I climb in his lap, straddling him and cup his face, tilting his head slightly. I give him a slow, sweet kiss, taking my time tasting him.

He gets up, taking me with him. "Where's the bedroom?" he asks me. I point in the direction, and he starts walking, kissing me again. He presses me tightly against him, his hands cupping my ass, his tongue teasing mine in a scorching dance.

Once in the bedroom, he presses me against the wall, his teeth nipping at my lower lip, his hard cock hitting me in just the right spot, making my insides melt and my limbs burn. He trails kisses along my jaw and neck, nipping and sucking gently and my toes curl and I feel the damp heat spearing between my legs. My core is throbbing with desire and need and I curl my fingers in his hair, tugging gently, gaining a deep groan from him.

He lets me down, making quick work in dropping my dress on the floor. He studies me head to toe, smiling appreciatively. He takes my hand and backtracks to the bed, pushing me on it. He discards his clothes, joining me just in his boxers.

With a wicked smile on his face, he hooks his fingers into the waistband of his boxers and slides them down, giving me a full view of his hard, long, thick cock. I can't resist touching it, feeling his hot velvety skin, and he hisses trough his teeth at the contact.

He reaches at the back and unclasps my bra, letting slide down my arms. He kisses me, his hands roaming everywhere over my body.

His hand glides over one of my thighs, spreading my legs open. He teases me, trailing his fingers over my pussy, and I whimper.

He smiles and takes one of my nipples in his mouth, rolling it on his tongue, biting and sucking it gently. He pushes my panties down and with one finger he presses down on my clit.

I cry out, pure pleasure coursing through my veins.

"Elliott, please…"

He bites down harder on my nipple and starts to trace small circles with his thumb on my clit, one finger sliding inside me. My breathing becomes more ragged, and I moan louder. He curls his finger inside of me and hits that spot, rubbing it gently.

I can feel my orgasm building, my body trembling, my nails digging in his bicep.

"Please…" I pant. "I want you inside me."

He looks at me, a feral look in his eyes and licks his lips slowly, his cock twitching against my thigh.

With one quick move he sits astride me, his big, hard cock on my stomach. I reach out and touch it, pumping it a few times, while he finds a condom.

After he slides the condom on, he leans most of his weight on his elbows, his cock teasing my entrance and gives me a long, deep, sensual kiss.

With one swift thrust he fills me, his length stretching me almost to the point of pain and I moan at the sensation of feeling him. He sets a slow, leisurely rhythm in which he retreats fully, before slamming into me, filling me to the hilt. My hips start rocking and I dig my nails in the skin of his biceps.

"Please…harder, faster." I plead him, feeling the orgasm building once again.

He slams into me and rolls his hips, hitting once again that spot. He reaches and takes both of my legs, lifting them on his shoulders, angling my body upwards. Once satisfied with the position, he starts a hard, punishing pace, fucking me in earnest.

"Yes, yes, like that…" I moan, crying out. "I'm close…don't stop…" I continue, whimpering.

He reaches between us and grazes my clit with his thumb, drawing small circles. My orgasm hits me in full force and I cry out, his name falling from my lips in unintelligible gasps.

He pushes into me a few times before he follows me, my name falling from his lips in a harsh groan.

After we catch our breath, he pushes out of me and discards the condom. We stay on our back, our hands in the middle of the bed, fingers laced together, breathing heavily. I turn my head towards him and he turns his head, looking at me.

"Hi" I say, offering him a full blown grin.

"Hi" he responds, with his own megawatt smile, grey eyes still piercing fire.