I would like to give thanks to my beta, Sherryola from FF although she didn't beta this author's note. I'm saving her time for where it will do the most good - Chapter 11, the mammoth of a chapter seemingly without end, already at 10k words.
A/N: Generally, I like to address select reviewer questions/criticisms in the endnotes, but I have received many reviews that make it seem as if Ana's being too hard on Gail and company. Once an author's note reaches almost 1k words, it needs its very own space.
Author's Note 01: Ana's attitude regarding Gail (and by extension, security)
There are actually a few issues at work here, the first being that Ana feels like she has absolutely no privacy, even in her own home. She can't relax and chill out because they have staff. She can't even wash her own panties if she wants. Ana is a very self-sufficient person, yet her basic activities of daily life have all been usurped. She even has CG to wash her ass! For the most part, when the subs were there, they had little or no interaction with Gail. The subs cooked and cleaned up after themselves, so even though they were subs, they still had a certain level of autonomy that Ana lacks because Gail is there four to five days a week. CG and Gail barely let Ana use her own damn kitchen. I think Ana had to actually get permission at one point. When she does, it's pretty much a special privilege. It's Gail's kitchen in Ana's fucking home! Would you feel like the Queen of your castle under these circumstances? Does CG even need a house manager now that he has a wife?
Second, Gail is not nearly as ignorant of the security situation as Ana. She's been with CG longer than Taylor. CG may be a great, generous boss, but in his regular life, especially where the subs were concerned, he was an asshole. There are many scorned women who had to be literally carried or dragged, kicking and screaming out of his apartment. There was a direct correlation between the WSU graduation photo publication and Leila's appearance at CG's apartment. I have a difficult time believing that Leila is the first scorned former sub to show up at Escala, and I'm also pretty sure that some elaborate measures were taken to keep Gail safe there.
In my story, several easily accessible silent alarms had been installed. There is absolutely no problem with Gail giving Leila emergency treatment except waiting to alert Taylor after the ambulance arrived and then after she arrived at the hospital. I didn't expect her to pick up a phone in front of Leila, dial 9-1-1 and wait for the police; I expected her to alert security that was readily available. She did, however, call an ambulance for Leila to be picked up at Escala! Did Gail take CG's precious privacy into account then? Hadn't she signed one of CG's blanket NDAs? Taylor was out of town. What the hell could he do from Savannah? Every car in CG's purview is lo-jacked including Gail's. Leila would've had a much harder time escaping had Gail done just one little thing. Also, neither CG nor Taylor gave her the riot act about security protocol and risking her life dealing with Leila. Gail was comforted! Compare that to their actions towards Ana, who they've told pretty much nothing about security other than 'here, take these burly strangers with you everywhere you go.' Ana may be a pushover, but she resents the hell out of Gail, Taylor and CG for this glaring double standard. Guess which of these individuals Ana can actually do something about?
Lastly, she's very pissed at (and disenchanted with) Taylor and has lost basically all confidence in him. She can't exactly kick him out of the apartment, separating him from his girlfriend, can she? In fact, she isn't exactly kicking them out; the expansion and remodeling of the penthouse calls for their displacement. Semantics, I know, but she was a literature major. Getting them out of her apartment is a welcome side-effect. Gail and Taylor are, for all intents and purposes, a package deal. She hasn't tried to fire anyone or reduce their pay, and as the lady of the house, she could easily get another housekeeper. Her treatment of these individual is tame compared to what she could do; she could have had Taylor and CG's asses prosecuted for what they did. She could have fired (or at least refused protection from) Sawyer who let her down and fucked her over on Taylor's say-so.
I really believe she agreed/insisted on seeing Leila at GP because she was probably stunned that she was out and about after holding her at gunpoint and being sent to the damn country club/finishing school of a loony bin. Think about it. The last thing Ana saw was Leila being taken away to places unknown. Even if Christian didn't have the book thrown at her, don't you think Ana had a reasonable expectation that the evil bitch was no longer free to move about the country? How much do you want to bet that the witch had tried to e-mail Ana before she showed up at Ana's job? Also, what's the point of security if they can't actually keep you safe? The President has Secret Service, yet he can go to work, travel to different countries and go on vacations. Ana's security only seems able to keep her locked up or keep everyone locked out.
I don't intend for Anastasia to be angry forever; case in point, she still speaks to Carla, who as far as I'm concerned, betrayed and abused her more than CG, Taylor and company combined. Perhaps since she trusted and expected more from them, her disappointment and bitterness is greater. She hasn't expected anything [good] from Carla in a very long time. Has anyone noticed that it hasn't even been a week yet? Let her gain some equilibrium. Ana's pissed, stressed and pregnant with twins. She should really come with a warning label.
[I agree with many of the reviews/critiques that stated Ana should have cared more about security, but since they didn't provide actionable intelligence of viable threats, CG and his band of merry men were left looking like overpaid, hypervigilant cockblockers. Christian wasn't telling her about jealous, possibly murderous, people or kidnap threats, he was telling her that men were trying to get in her panties.]