Chapter 11 – Recharge

It's late Thursday morning and an essence of melancholy looms in the air. Today is the day that Christian announces temporary pay cuts to the first wave of GEH employees. Ana's heart is with her husband at this moment, knowing that this is one of the last things he wants to be doing right now. However, the positive in the situation is that all employees will be retained and that pay will be restored a year from now, at the latest. Still, Ana knows that this is not a good time for Christian.

To keep from driving herself mad by sitting in the grand house thinking and re-thinking about Christian and his current situation, Ana decides to take the rest of the morning and afternoon off from her study and take Ted out. Being that it is the middle of winter, their outdoor options are slim to none. Therefore, it's either the mall or a museum of some sort. Ted is still very young, so the most fun he could have in either of those places is in his stroller. "How would you like to go to the airplane museum? That would be cool, huh Teddy?" Ana coos to the infant. Ted reflects a smile back to his mother. "Alright, Museum of Flight it is!" Ana declares.

Ana bundles up Ted first before placing a tan wool long coat on over her WSU Cougars long-sleeved baseball shirt and jeans. "Gail, me and Ted are going to the flight museum. We'll be back sometime before dinner," Ana announces to Mrs. Taylor in the kitchen. "Sure thing. You two have fun. See you later, Teddy!" Gail beams to the infant.

Ana carries Ted to the garage, and opens up the rear door of the silver A6 to fasten him in his car seat. "We're off, Teddy!" the young mother chants enthusiastically to her child.

It's after two o'clock in the afternoon and mother and son have already explored a plethora of warplanes and commercial jets on display. "Daddy will be so jealous when he finds out where you've been today," Ana gleams at Ted. Ana packed away some snacks in the diaper bag for the both of them, which they partook in earlier. "Thirty more minutes and we'll head back home. Looks like you enjoyed yourself here, Teddy. Daddy will be pleased that your love of aircrafts remain intact!"

On the way back on the I-5, Ana's phone rings and she answers it over the car speaker. It's Kate.

"Hey Kate."

"Ana, where are you?" Kate asks in a concerned tone of voice.

"I'm in the car heading home with Ted from the flight museum. What's up?" Ana frowns, wondering what Kate's on high alert about.

"I just found out about the pay cuts at Grey Enterprises. The media is camped outside of the building," Kate informs.

"Oh." Ana responds, soberly.

"So you knew it was coming?"
"Yes," Ana soberly replies.

"So, how's Christian taking everything?"

"As best he can, considering."

"I'm sure he's been hell to live with these past few days," Kate says in her infamous manner of trying to siphon out information from the source.

"No, he hasn't," Ana snaps. Ana is not being completely dishonest with Kate. He hasn't been 'hell to live with' because he hasn't been home.

"Sorry, Ana. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay with all of this craziness going on. If you need anything, let me know," Kate says, apologetically.

Another call is coming in. It's Grace. "Kate, Grace is calling now," Ana announces. "Okay, I'll talk to you later," Kate calls out. "All right, bye," Ana replies before answering the other call.

"Grace?"

"Ana! Where are you?" Ana's mother-in-law inquires. 'Not again!' Ana sighs to herself.
"Ted and I are headed home from the flight museum," answers Ana.

"How far along are you? Are you too far to head over to Bellevue?"

"Um, sure I can come over to your place. Why? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine. I just figured with everything going on that you and Christian might want a few quiet days alone before he heads out of town on Monday," Grace says tenderly. 'How does she know he leaves town on Monday?' Ana ponders.

"Well, I don't know…" Ana is struggling to find the words to say to her mother-in-law. Ted hasn't seen his father in days and there is no telling when he will be able to spend time with him. However, Ana doesn't want to disclose the news of Christian not being home for the past few nights to his mother.

"Ana, I know Christian hasn't been home all week. I spoke to him before I called you."

'Oh? He spoke to his mother but he couldn't call his wife?!' Ana flinches.

"Oh," Ana finally says out loud. "Yes, and he's handling it well on the outside, but I know he's not totally well. He needs you right now, Ana. So, I want to take Ted until Sunday. I'll bring him home in time for Christian to spend the day with him before he leaves for San Francisco. Ana sighs. "Okay, I'm heading your way," Ana responds. "Good. I'll see you in a few."

When Ana arrives at her in-law's place, Carrick is watching a news report on the GEH pay cuts. The reporter's voiceover accompanies footage of Christian in a navy blue suit and tie standing on the stage in a large auditorium, presumably at Grey House, speaking to a large audience. Christian appears sober, but strong. Ana is frozen in place watching the television, while Grace takes baby Ted out of her arms. 'He looks so yummy up there,' Ana thinks as she licks her lips. Part of her feels guilty for having such thoughts considering the current situation.

"He's doing the right thing. He'll be able to rebound the company much faster this way," Carrick commentates. "Yes, all will be well," Grace says in hope as she nuzzles her grandson while removing his coat.

"You know that we have plenty of clothes here for Ted, so don't you worry about him. He'll be fine. Why don't you head home now so you can beat the peak of rush hour," Grace suggests.

"Alright. Thank you both. I'll see you Sunday," Ana replies, almost wistful.

"I know Mommy will miss Teddy. You can always FaceTime him, okay? It's going to be fine. You just worry about Mr. Grey right now. He has another town hall tomorrow," Grace smiles warmly to Ana.

"Alright," Ana beams softly. "By the way, when you talked to Christian, was he still in the office?" Ana asks.

"Yes. He said he would be home later tonight, I believe. He hasn't called you?" Grace says, concerned.

"I haven't spoken to him since yesterday afternoon," Ana says with a look of melancholy etched on her delicate face. Grace shakes her head in dissatisfaction. "Oh, Christian. You two definitely need this time together alone. Communication avoidance is not an option," Grace rebukes.

Still parked in the circular drive at her in-laws, Ana has an idea. She calls Hannah for assistance.

"Ana!" Hannah answers.

"Hey Hannah," Ana greets, lacking energy.

"Is everything okay? I just heard the news about GEH. Will that affect Grey Publishing? I know folks here have been asking," Hannah shoots out in rapid fire pace.

"No Hannah, it doesn't affect us; just GEH and its shipping operations. Tell everyone there to rest easy. I'll send out an email tomorrow morning," Ana informs.

"Good," Hannah breathes in relief.

"So, I need you to do me a huge favor," Ana starts.

"Sure, what do you need," Hannah asks.

"Well, I need you to get in touch with Andrea over at GEH and find out if Mr. Grey is free this afternoon from 5:00-6:00."

"Um, you want me to schedule a meeting with him?" Hannah asks, puzzled.

"Well, yes. But between us, I need your creativity. I want to schedule a meeting, but I don't want Mr. Grey to know that it's with me.

"Ohhh! Well, Andrea and I have become good friends. Let me see if she has anything up her sleeve and I will call you right back," Hannah says, slyly.

"Great," Ana smiles.

Instead of heading home, Ana makes her way back towards downtown Seattle. Fifteen minutes later, Hannah calls Ana back. "Alright Ana, so here's what we came up with. Mr. Grey is in meetings until 5:00. He had an update meeting scheduled with the head of human resources, but just she postponed until tomorrow because of a sick kid. However, Mr. Grey doesn't know this yet. So Andrea's going to put you in at the 5:00 slot, but not cancel the first meeting until it's too late for him to notice," Hannah speaks softly as if she's leading a major covert operation.

"Excellent! I owe you and Andrea big time. Maybe the three of us can do lunch next week, on me," Ana beams. "Awesome! I'll see what works for her and put it on your calendar. Good luck with your meeting, Ana," Hannah says with excitement. "Thank you! I'll give you a call sometime tomorrow," Ana says shortly before disconnecting.

Ana heads over to the penthouse at Escala to change out of her jeans. She selects a sexy, fitted red dress with a square neckline and thin black belt. Its office appropriate, but stunning. Ana pairs the dress with black-strapped heels. Her meeting time is fast approaching, so she quickly heads out and over to Grey House, GEH's headquarters.

"Oh boy," Ana says out loud. News cameras are all over the place. Ana is pretty sure one or more of them know that she's the wife of the CEO. 'How in the world will I ever get in there past them?' Ana ponders. Ana picks up her phone.

"Mr. Grey's office, Andrea speaking."

"Hi Andrea, it's Ana Grey."

"Mrs. Grey! How are you?" Andrea beams.

"I'm doing okay. How are you doing, more importantly?" Ana says in sincere concern.

"I'm doing pretty good, honestly. It's going to be okay," Andrea responds. Ana is not sure if Andrea is trying to reassure Ana or reassure herself. However, Andrea sounds quite convincing.

"So first of all, thank you so much for discretely getting me on Mr. Grey's calendar."

"No problem. Are you close? You're on in less than ten minutes," Andrea informs.

"Actually, I'm here. However, I have a problem. The media is crawling all over the place," Ana says, anxiously.

"Oh, that's right. They're still down there," Andrea sighs. "Okay, so here's what you do. Drive to the rear of the tower by the loading dock. I'll have security to clear you to park and enter the building back there. Then I'll need you to take the service entrance and go up the service elevator to the 20th floor. I'll be waiting for you there so I can take you around to Mr. Grey's office," instructs Andrea.

"Great. I'm heading over there now. Thanks again, Andrea!"

"No problem, Mrs. Grey!"

Ana exits the parking lot and drives to the rear of the tall building. A security officer in a pickup truck with a yellow light flashing on the roof greets Ana.

"Mrs. Grey?"

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, please drive past me and park over in the spot right next to the parked security vehicle closest to the service door. Then, go straight in," he instructs.

"Sure. Thank you!" Ana smiles.

"No problem. Have a good night, ma'am."

Ana parks, takes the service entrance and pushes the call button of the service elevator. She then makes her way up to the twentieth floor, growing more nervous the closer she gets to Christian's floor.

As she walks off the elevator, Ana catches Andrea's eye as she is speaking casually to an individual who is dressed as if he works in maintenance. "Mrs. Grey!" Andrea gleams. "Hi Andrea," Ana smiles as she reaches out to embrace her for a hug.

"Thank you again," Ana whispers.

"No problem. And I look forward to lunch with you and Hannah next week. You didn't have to do that," Andrea murmurs in appreciation.

"Oh, I want to. And plus, your boss wont be here next week. It'll be a chance to get away from the office for an hour or so," Ana winks. Andrea smiles and nods in agreement. "That would be great," Andrea replies.

Shortly before Ana and Andrea step out of the back hallway into the CEO office suite area, Ana has a question. "So how is he today?" Ana asks.

"Busy. He seems his normal self," Andrea replies. "Okay," smiles Ana.

"Is he going to be upset with you for sneaking me in here?" Ana asks, now with a look of uncertainty.

"I don't think he will," Andrea smiles.

They enter Christian's office suite and pass the reception area. "Let me take your coat. You know where his office is. Just head right in," Andrea points in the direction to Christian's office. "Ana removes her coat nervously, almost shaking. She flashes one last smile at Andrea before heading towards Christian's office.

'Let's hope that I don't fall on my face this time,' Ana reflects a she reaches the grand door leading to Christian's office. She gently pushes the door open and walks in.

Christian is plugging away on his laptop, not bothering to look up. "Have a seat," he says as he continues to type away. Ana smiles and walks in, taking a seat on the other side of Christian's desk. He finally looks up.

"Ana?" He is startled.

"Hi," she says, shyly.

"Wh…what are you doing here?" he says, immediately standing to his feet. He is wearing his navy blue plants, but his jacket and tie are now removed. His shirtsleeves are rolled up and his collar is buttoned down. Ana stands as well.

"I have a 5:00 meeting scheduled," she murmurs nervously.

"You do?" he whispers, appearing lost as he crosses over to the other side of his desk. He is now face to face with Ana.

"Yes."

"Where is Ted?"

"With Grace. Are…are you okay?" Ana murmurs.

"I am now," Christian replies. He hooks his arm around Ana's waist and gently pulls her into him.

Ana wraps her arms around him and they hold each other in a tight embrace. He nuzzles her hair and takes in her aroma. "I've missed you so much," he whispered. Ana is at a lost for words. She is battling the knot in her throat as well the tears that threaten to surface.

Ana pulls away slightly in order to catch a glimpse of his face. His gray eyes are swimming in uncertainty.

"It's going to be okay, Christian," she murmurs.

"I know," he nods. He then leans in and kisses his wife gently.

"You look beautiful, Mrs. Grey," he says, in adoration. "Step back and let me see you," he smiles. They release their hold and she takes several steps back. Grinning, she slowly twirls 360 degrees. Meeting his eyes again, he slowly closes them. When they reopen, Christian's gray eyes are burning with desire. "Oh, Mrs. Grey, you are so damn sexy," he yearns. That oh so familiar feeling flashes inside of Ana; shortness of breath, the tightening of the groin, and butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"So Mrs. Grey, what did you want to discuss?" Christian asks, but mischief is splattered all over his face.

"Well initially, I wanted to talk about today's events. However, if you are pressed for time, I can table that discussion for another time," Ana replies. She is all business on the outside, but her libido is in full charge on the inside. Ana has questions that she truly wants addressed. 'Is GP in the clear? Why didn't you call me instead of your mother? When are you coming home?' However, Ana decides to see if nature takes them a different route during this meeting.

"If you don't mind, Mrs. Grey. I would like to hijack your meeting for my own selfish objective. I've missed you terribly. I was going to surprise you and Ted at the house today at seven o'clock. However, it seems as though you have a few surprises of your own," Christian says with fire in his eyes. 'Oh my. Selfish objective?' Ana reflects.

"You want to hijack my meeting? What did you want the meeting to be about then," Ana purrs.

"I think you know," Christian replies, briefly raising a brow as he shuffles slowly, closing the gap between them.

"Um, I don't know Mr. Grey," Ana says coyly, playing the role of being nervous and naïve.

"Well, I'm sure you didn't drop off our son and slide on that hot ass dress to come up here just to talk," Christian glares with sex eyes.

"I….I wanted to see you. I also wanted to dress in a way that was meeting appropriate," Ana murmurs.

"Mrs. Grey, you are dressed in a way that's fuck appropriate. And I want to fuck you. Right here. In my office. Right now," Christian says sternly.

Ana discretely gulps, in shock of his blunt candor. "Christian, I did want to talk," Ana whispers. 'Oh boy, what are you doing, Ana Grey?!' Ana's inner goddess is furious with her right now.

Christian has not yet completed the quest of closing in the gap between he and Ana. They are close enough for him to reach out and touch her. However, he remains standing in place with his arms close to his side.

"Ana, we've never had sex here. Do you want to fuck here or not?" he snaps. Ana's eyes are now round and wide. All she can do is rapidly nod her head, vehemently agreeing to Christian's proposal.

Christian glances at his Cartier watch. He walks over to the door and locks it. He then walks over to his desk phone and presses a button. "Yes, Mr. Grey?" Andrea says over the loudspeaker. "Andrea, cancel my meetings for the rest of the day. And go home. I'll see you in the morning," Christian says. "Will do, Mr. Grey," Andrea replies before disconnecting.

"Now…back to you, Mrs. Grey," he starts, with reignited gray eyes. Ana stands in place, wondering what he has in store for her. "So…you snuck your way on my calendar, huh?" he huffs and puffs like the big bad wolf as he restarts his journey to close the gap between he and Ana.

"Yes," Ana moans.

"Don't you start that yet!" Christian scolds. Ana sighs before forming a sensual smile.

"Take off that dress," he commands. Ana eyes now burn, and Christian takes a deep breath. Slowly, not taking her eyes off of his, she reaches her arms to her back and unzips her dress all the way down to her bottom. She gently shifts her shoulders, and the dress falls, draping her feet. She then steps out of the dress, moving each of her high heels to the left of the fallen dress. Ana is now standing in a lacy black bra and matching panties.

Christian's mouth opens slightly, his chest visibly rising and falling at a slow, sensual pace. "Come here," he commands. Ana closes the gap. She places her arms on his shoulders, bringing her breasts slightly closer to his face. "Baby, in a few minutes, I want those heels where your arms are right now," he whispers, moving her hanging brown locks over to the side before placing a kiss behind her ear. Ana exhales.

With both hands, he caresses her bottom through the lace before taking her mouth captive with his. Their kiss breeds in intensity. While kissing as though their lives depended on it, Ana knots her fingers through his hair while he kneads her bottom, reminiscent of a deep tissue massage. Christian breaks loose and gasps in air before saying to Ana, "I'm going to do you from the back first over that sofa."

Immediately, he grabs her arm and hurries her over to the sofa in the massive office. He takes her behind the sofa. "Hands here," he motions behind the headrest. "Bend over and spread your legs," he commands. She complies. Christian then drops to his knees and lowers her panties, removing them over each high heel. He moans in delight as he inspects her thighs. Still on his knees, he begins to kiss the area of inspection. Ana groans in pleasure with each peck.

Christians stands back on his feet behind Ana and spreads her legs wider apart. He caresses parameter of her sex with his fingers, causing Ana's breathing to become more rapid. He then places his index finder inside of her. "Oh yes, Mrs. Grey. You are ever so ready," he whispers in her ear. He then ads his middle finger along with the index finger. "Ah!" Ana calls out as he moves them in and out of her.

"You miss me, baby?" he murmurs.

"Yes," Ana moans.

"I've missed you too," he whispers, and then begins kissing her on the neck. Ana pants and begins to gyrate with the movement of his fingers.

"You want me? Mrs. Grey?" he purrs.

"Yes," she breathes in response.

"How bad do you want me?"

"So bad," she moans.

"You want me to fuck you now, Mrs. Grey?"

"Yes," she says, breathless.

"How do you want me to fuck you?"
"Hard. Fuck me hard, Christian," she says, moaning loud.

Without saying another word, Christian quickly unbuckles, and unfastens his pants, dropping them down along with his boxer briefs to the ground in one fell swoop. Not hesitating, he pushes his erection into his wife. She quickly bites her lips together and groans on impact.

"Baby, it's okay. My office is soundproof," he murmurs. He starts his pace slow, but rough. Ana body quivers so violently, that her arms barely hold her up on the edge of the sofa. Ana moans in pleasure and in relief. She has longed for his touch for four days. She begins to move along with his slow, intense rhythm.

"Yes, Ana," Christian groans from his throat. "Say my name," he commands.

"Christian!" Ana calls out.

Christian moans. "Say it!" he commands, louder.

"Christian!" she screams.

"Yes, Ana! Come on…give it to me!" he cries.

Ana builds and builds before bursting forth, bubbling all over in peak pleasure, crying out in the process. Christian pumps twice more before following suit, finding his own release.

He grips her tightly around the waist, panting. Their bodies breathe together in unison. "Oh sweetheart, thank you for my medicine," Christian exhales. "You're welcome, Mr. Grey," she grins while panting deeply.

After a few moments longer, he releases her and stands.

Ana softly speaks, "Sir, did you still want these shoes by your head?"

"Yes indeed, Mrs. Grey," he smiles devilishly.

Christian pulls up his pants and boxers, zipping up slightly, but doesn't fasten them. He walks over to a closed door that appears to be a closet and pulls out a fleece blanket. After shutting the door, he walks back to the sofa where Ana is still leaning, and drapes the blanket over the seating area. "Take off your bra and lay down," he commands. She does so. As she lays on the sofa with eyes locked on his, he removes his shirt, shoes, and all of his clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. He climbs in between Ana's legs, placing her ankles on his shoulders as he rises up to meet her face to face. Needless of any preliminary reinforcement, he is ready to go at it again. He enters gently while her high heels dangle behind his head.

Christian and Ana head home together. Since Ana drove, there was no need for Taylor to pick up Christian. Christian drives while Ana rides shotgun. Making their way out from behind the building, Christian realizes that the media cloud has thinned, but there are still a few satellite trucks that remain parked across the street from Grey House. His smile dims as he drives away. "So," Ana prompts, not following up with any premeditated statement.

"So," he answers back. "I'm just glad that the initial announcement is over. I get to do it all over again tomorrow," Christian sighs. Ana takes him by his right hand and presses it against her lips. "So, you talked to Grace," Ana states as a matter of fact.

"Yes. She called after she saw the news," he explains.

"You haven't called anyone?" Ana asks. Christian releases her hand. "What is this about, Ana? You know I don't confide in anyone except you, if that's what you're worried about," he frowns.

"I…I know. I'm sorry. I've just been on edge. I haven't seen you or really talked to you in almost four days," Ana says, eyes filled with anguish.

"Honey, I don't mean to make you feel that way. But I really don't like burdening you with this shit either," Christian confesses.

"Christian, I'm your wife …and your best friend. At least that's what you said in one of the vases of flowers you gave me. I should be good for it. It hurts me more when you keep me in the dark," Ana replies, pouring her heart out to her emotionally eschewing husband.

"You hate it when I do it to you," Ana adds.

"I know…I know baby. I'm sorry for being such a hypocrite," he apologizes. "Don't keep me in the dark anymore, Christian. I've never felt so lonely in my life," Ana says, holding back tears.

"I know, baby. I've been lonely too," he murmurs.

"Teddy couldn't sleep the first night," Ana says, wiping an escaping tear. Christian takes her same hand and kisses it gently.

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "We'll FaceTime him when we get home," he adds. Ana smiles and nods in agreement.

"So what else was it that you wanted to talk about?" Christian asks.

"I wanted to make sure that the cuts wont ultimately affect us over at Grey Publishing."

"Of course not," Christian frowns.

"I figured as much. I just wanted to make sure. I'll communicate to the team confirming this tomorrow."

"Good," he approves.

"So…I take it that you finished reading that manuscript?" Christian starts.

'Oh, boy,' Ana buckles on the inside. Even in the dark, Christian can feel her reluctance.

"You just got on my ass for not communicating, Mrs. Grey. Let's not be a hypocrite," he says, pushing the figurative basketball back into her chest. Ana exhales.

"First of all, it is probably one of the best books I have ever laid eyes on," Ana says softly. "Wow. That's big," Christian says.

"Yes. Huge."

"So what's the problem?"

Ana sits silent.

"Ana!" Christian snaps, startling her.

"Okay!" she snaps back.

"Well…my big issue with the book was how you would feel about it."

"How I would feel about it?" Christian echoes.

"Yes."

"But you love the book, correct?"

"Yes."

"So why would you care how I feel about the book? You're CEO of Grey Publishing," Christian says, baffled.

"I know. But you're my boss," Ana says, softly.

"No. Ana, you're my partner. I'm your husband, not your boss. I do own GEH, true. And GEH does own Grey Publishing. But when I gave you Grey Publishing as a wedding present, it became yours free and clear," Christian explains.

"But I do answer to GEH, Christian. I have objectives that I am expected to hit quarterly. I'm sure if I did a terrible job, you would find someone else to replace me," Ana explains, with slight affliction.

"Ana, you know I bought that company initially because I wanted to look after you while we were dating. Since then, I've made three times what I paid for it, mostly due to your solid leadership. If I don't make another dime, it was worth the investment. With that said, you won't be getting replaced anytime soon," he smiles.

"Well that's good to know, Mr. Grey," Ana beams, staring at Christian profile as the passing streetlights glow across his skin.

"So, are you going to tell me about this book or not?" Christian frowns.

"Didn't you just say it doesn't matter?" Ana says, giving him the side eye.

"I said that it doesn't matter what I think about it for you to publish it. My interest is peeked, so I'm asking you to tell me what the book is about."

For the remaining forty minutes of the drive home, Ana gives Christian a comprehensive summary of the book. Ana paid extra attention to him when she revealed that Amanda Foster was a prostitute who became addicted to drugs. Christian did not show his cards. He continued to listen intently. Ana made it a point to express how William's love for Amanda ultimately healed her.

"So?" Ana says simply after completing the summary.

"You were worried that I would make the parallel to my birth mother?" Christian asks.

"Yes," she says, simply. Christian pauses before speaking again.

"I appreciate that you worry about me, Mrs. Grey," Christian glimmers over to his wife before refocusing on the road.

"I always worry about you. Just like you always worry about me and Teddy," Ana says softly.

"In all honesty, that Amanda character sounds absolutely nothing like my birth mother. First of all, Amanda didn't give up. If anything she's more like me, and you're like William. Just like he saved her, you saved me," Christian murmurs. 'Wow! He's seeing it the way I saw it,' Ana reflects.

"Before you came into my life, I was the one fucking all of these women for no reason…and the dominant lifestyle was my drug. Then you showed me that there was more to life than my quest to control women in a particular environment. And regardless of how you may feel, I don't own you…you own me, Anastasia Grey," Christian speaks heartfelt as he caresses his wife's hand.

"Oh Christian…you do own me. Body and soul. You know you do," Ana says softly with tears in her eyes.

"You are my power source, Ana. You recharge me. I'm so sorry I went this long without connecting to you. I was depleted of energy, and it was all because I was afraid that I wouldn't be focused on the task at hand if I talked to you. But truth be told, you make me even more focused. I thought about you and our son every second of every day." He almost loses his voice at the end recalling his longing for his wife and son. "Oh Christian, I am stronger than you think. You can tell me absolutely anything," Ana expresses. "I know," Christian smiles.

"I want to read this manuscript. I think I will like it," Christian eventually says as they pull into the garage at home.

"I know you will like it," Ana beams.

That evening after dinner and FaceTime with Ted and the grandparents, Christian and Ana couldn't keep their hands off of each other. Lovemaking commenced in the shower as well as three times in their bed before falling asleep.

Friday morning now looms, and Christian awakes half an hour before the alarm clock sounds off. He is spooned behind his wife, and begins kissing the back of her neck. "Christian, what are you doing?" Ana moans.

"Good morning, Mrs. Grey," he says softly in her ear before he resumes necking.

"Hi, Mr. Grey," she murmurs, smiling.

"I have thirty minutes. Wanted to get one more charge in before I go back out into the cold, cruel world," he whispers.

"Okay," she replies, tired but eager. "By the way, please thank Andrea today for me…and thank her for yourself as well. I told her to keep my visit yesterday a secret," Ana smiles drowsily, still fatigued from the night before. She has counted that they've had sex six times since 5:00 pm yesterday, which more than makes up for their four-day drought. Six will soon be seven within a 24-hour period.

"I will," he murmurs, cracking a half smile recalling the lengths that Ana and his personal assistant went through in order to sneak her onto his schedule.

"When the crisis is over, make sure that you give Andrea a raise," Ana adds.

"I will. But right now, I'm going to give you a raise, Anastasia," Christian murmurs before quickly flipping Ana on her back and laying his naked body on top of hers. Ana giggles from the sudden move.

"Oh, Mr. Grey…you're always so happy to see me," Ana purrs like Marilyn Monroe.

"Always indeed, Mrs. Grey," Christian replies right before taking his loving wife once more.