Anastasia stared at the cryptic message on the card in her hand. She used her other hand to tuck a stray brown curl behind her ear, and let out a huff of air. Upon arriving in her office, she was immediately assaulted by the smell of flowers. Two dozen red roses sat on her cherry wood desk, all in full bloom, and all beautiful.
If I tell you the truth, you may never speak to me again. - CG
She closed her eyes, confused why he would ever think such a thing. After a moment, she opened them again, anger overtaking her.
Why was this so difficult?!
"New boyfriend?" Ana jumped and turned her head, closing the card immediately. She stared at the man in the doorway. Jack Hyde, her boss, leaned against the frame grinning at her.
Two years ago, Jack had been the one to directly hire her into the business. When she had interviewed, immediately she felt intimidated, unsure that she would get the job. The hiring manager, Elizabeth had been harsh and by the end of the interview, Ana felt flustered. On the way out, however, she ran into Jack Hyde who sat her down and immediately conducted a second interview, hiring her on the spot.
"No, definitely not." She said with a laugh, though the feeling in the pit of her stomach said otherwise.
He moved into her office, sitting across her desk in one of her white guest chairs. One leg crossed over the other at the knee, and he let his fingertips drum against her wooden desk. Overall, Jack was a handsome man. His blonde hair was long enough to be pushed back, and his body was fit and toned. While most people dressed in business casual clothing to work, Jack wore only casual. It fit his personality.
"Well good," Good? Ana shifted uncomfortably."I'd love you take you out sometime for dinner Ana. We can go over some of the books you're working on...I know we've been giving you quite the load."
Ana looked around her desk, noting the five separate stacks of papers, all bound with a rubber band. She had in fact noticed that since Christian came back into her life, she was falling behind.
The thought of attending dinner with him made her feel guilty, and she took a moment to wonder why. Her and Christian weren't seeing each other. In fact, they had only kissed - which people did all of the time. She took a deep breath.
"Possibly." Was her response, a small smile on her face.
Jack clapped his hands together, "Great! I'll set something up.", and left leaving Ana to wonder if this would be a mistake.
Christian stared at his phone, waiting for something, anything. He sat in his living area, in grey sweat pants and a white v-neck shirt. His piano was still fresh from being played. The phone sat, silent, except for the occasional work e-mail to come through and one call from Ros ten minutes before. He had been hoping it was Ana so much, that he yelled at Ros for ten minutes drowning her in his disappointment.
He stood, and moved to his couch, sitting and leaning his head back. Earlier his phone mocked him with calls from Elena, wondering where he had been and why he had not been answering her. She also texted him asking if he had found a new submissive. He couldn't even answer her, which confused him.
He never had an issue speaking with Elena. But now that Ana found her way back into his life, he felt dirty by still giving into her.
At the time he felt he needed Elena, but now that he thought back on it... did he? Could Ana have given him the same fulfillment that he needed? He almost puked when the answer 'yes' came immediately to mind.
Two Weeks Later . . .
Going out with Christian Grey versus Jack Hyde was a completely different experience. While Christian was over the top and the definition of poised, Jack was laid back and casual. While Christian would open the door, or pull out a chair, Jack did no such thing. In fact, in the first five minutes, Jack had asked Ana to switch him seats to better see the television.
Both Jack and Anastasia sat in The Walrus and the Carpenter, a seafood joint that was more relaxing than it was nice. While she found that the food and drink were delicious, her company left something to be desired.
Jack liked to drink. A lot. And so while Ana was on her second beer, Jack had finished his fourth and was ready to order another. His face was increasingly red, and his eyes zoned in on her as she finished her oysters.
"So are you still enjoying your job Ana?" Asked Jack, raising an eyebrow at her. His arm lay casually on the back of his seat, one jean covered leg crossed over the other.
The look he gave her was in no way professional and it made her regret her choice of clothing which was a simple blue A-Line dress, a shrug hugging her shoulders to fight off the chill in the air.
She cleared her throat, lifting her napkin and dabbing her mouth. "I am, very much so. Thank you."
"Mmm. Good. Good." He laughed, "I just... I just don't know why it's taken us so long to do this, you know?" He waved his beer between the two of them.
"Well, we've both been busy with work, and most working environments don't really promote fraternizing." Which she could appreciate.
He shrugged, putting down his empty beer bottle. "Where the hell is that waitress? I swear it's never been this lousy of surface before. HEY!"
"Jack..." Ana frowned, watching as the frazzled waitress came towards them, only to get berated by Jack.
"Listen, I spend a lot of money here... and I expect to have good service. What the hell is going on, there's barely anyone here?" He said, his hand hitting the table.
The waitress, duly chastised responded, "I'm sorry sir. We're down a cook in the kitchen, so we're all having to do what we can. I'll get your beer right now."
Jack mumbled something under his breath, leaving Ana sitting with her eyes wide.
"Maybe we should stop drinking for now..." She mentioned lightly, to which Jack rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine."
"Nothing, nothing in two weeks. I've called, I've texted... I've sent her flowers. Kate says she's fine?" Christian waited for his brother to respond on the other end.
With a frustrated groan, he did. "Yes. She is fine. She's out with her boss right now I think. Maybe she just needed some space bro. From what Kate's told me you were kind of a jerk to her."
Out with her boss..? He thought, immediately moving to track her phone. "I have to go." And without waiting for a response, Christian ended his call.
The Walrus and the Carpenter. He had been a few times, mostly after spending the afternoon sailing.
He stood, grabbing a baseball cap and the keys to his Audi Spyder. "Take the rest of the night Taylor. I have an errand to run."
"I don't actually think you are fine Jack. You're being very rude to the wait staff, and now you're being very rude to me." Ana stood, grabbing her jacket and shrugging it over her shoulders. She reached into her pocket, pulling out two twenties and placing it on the table. "That should cover my portion of the meal. I'm going to get a cab home."
Ana turned, moving to walk away, only to have her forearm grabbed tightly by Jack. "Ana, we're having a good time."
"I'm not having a good time anymore. Let go." She yanked her arm back, rubbing the skin.
"Ana, I suggest if you want to keep your cushy editor job, you sit back down."
In shock, she turned to see her boss, arms crossed over his chest and a cocky smirk on his face.
"You have the audacity to threaten my job?" She exclaimed, gaining the attention of the waitstaff. "How dare you!"
At the moment she moved to grab her drink (to hopefully throw into his face), a hand steadied her on her shoulder and she turned to see none other than Christian Grey.
He stood, with the same look on his face that he had when they first met.
"She said she'd like to leave. Come on Ana, I can drive you." He said, which she found herself grateful of as Jack had picked her up at his bequest.
"Who the fuck are you?" replied Jack, standing and approaching Christian. "This is none of your damned business, so I suggest you leave."
"Actually, I think it is my business." Christian said, watching as Jack moved closer to him.
All it took was one push to Christian's chest by Jack before his fist swung, coming into contact with Jack's face.
"What the hell were doing there? How did you even find me?!" Yelled Ana over the wind that whipped past them. She was unsure of where they were even going, but saw the ocean to the right of them. Cars whipped past them, and Ana was too scared to check the speed they were going.
They both sat in the Audi, Christian's hands clenched around the steering wheel and a menacing look on his face. Once the first punch had been thrown, management immediately came and all three were thrown out. It took everything in Ana to hold Christian back from beating Jack down in the parking lot. Part of the reason he hadn't was that she had agreed to the ride home.
She was unsure of where Jack had even gone after that. She cringed to think of what work would be like in the morning, but chose to keep that out of her mind for the time being.
"You didn't tell me you were dating your boss." He said, almost too quiet to hear.
"I'm not! And you didn't tell me you were stalking me!" She yelled, furious that he would even have anything to say about her 'dating' life.
"You've been ignoring me for weeks!" He yelled back, the car suddenly coming to a halt so he could turn and look her in the face. "I've sent you flowers! I've called! I've texted! Nothing! You asked me to talk to you, and then you deliberately ignore me like a petulant child!"
"Oh you mean like you ignored me for YEARS?!" Full of rage, Ana swung open the car door and stomped out. She could hear of the sound of the water nearby and felt the sting of the cold air on her face.
Getting out as well, he moved towards her, his jaw clenched. "Why can't you just move on?! What is the point of digging up the past?! I've never wanted a woman in my life the way I want you in my life! Why isn't that enough?!"
"So you can do it to me again? Just throw me aside the minute another woman that you find better than me comes around?"
Christian moved towards her, grabbing her gently by the shoulders. She blinked away the tears of anger forming in her eyes and cursed the fact that she would cry when angry.
"I don't want another woman. I want you."
Ana stared at him, a tear making it's way down her cheek. She hadn't remembered him to be this emotional. Angry, yes... but not affectionate. In fact, anytime she'd see a magazine with him, or see him on the television when an event was covered, he was cold and calculating.
Meekly, she responded, "But why didn't you want me then..."
He sighed, dropping his hands. "We were kids Ana... we were fifteen. I didn't know what I wanted."
"I can't just move on Christian... not with some big secret looming over us. Just tell me what happened... please."
Christian groaned in frustration, his hands moving to pull off his baseball cap to tug at his hair.
"Okay... fine. It's not like you can run away from me here."
Ana looked around, noting the same thing. "You're right, because I have no idea where we are."
Christian walked towards the water, leaving her to follow behind. Once he found a satisfactory spot, he sat in the sand, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling. He watched as she moved next to him, first getting to her knees, and then sitting to the side to keep her dress from moving.
He smiled slightly, looking at her legs shining in the moonlight.
"Well...?" She began, raising her eyebrows.
"Can I kiss you first...? Because I have a feeling it'll be the last time you'll let me." Christian said to her, the feeling in the pit of his stomach growing. He could command an entire board room, but telling the truth to one of the most important people to ever come into his life was torture.
"Christian, that's silly."
"Ana, please. Plus... it might help me calm down a little..." He said, the thought of Jack Hyde grabbing her still fresh in his mind.
Ana frowned, but gave a small nod.
She watched as he moved closer to her, his hand moving to cup her cheek. She leaned into it, closing her eyes and felt as his lips touched hers. Immediately she melted into him, craving more. While the kiss started light, he moved closer to her, his tongue darting out to push past her lips and move against her own.
It only take another moment of him kissing her before she moved to lay into the sand, his body moving to cover hers. She groaned into his mouth as his hips pressed down against hers, and moved her hands to touch only his arms. He leaned against her, grinding his hips once more into hers and she could immediately feel him being restrained by his jeans.
The moment she felt his hand move to hike up her dress, she moved her head back, hands pushing his arms. "No, stop... please." She murmured, which was all it took for Christian to slightly lift himself, his excitement obvious even in the dark.
"Fuck, I'm sorry.." He groaned, sitting back onto his feet and pulling at his hair again. "I have no control when it comes to you it seems.." Which made him feel flustered.
"It's okay... It's my fault as well. Just give me a moment." She tried to look away from him, while she fixed her dress and sat up.
He cleared his throat. "The day after the dance I started a relationship with Elena Lincoln."
Christian sighed, the relief he felt overwhelming as the words flowed out.
"W...what?" It seemed Ana didn't feel the same way, and he closed his eyes, glad to be shielded from the look he knew she was giving him. "Christian, look at me... What did you just say?"
His eyes popped open, and he wasn't sure whether her face was one of anger, or sadness. "I started a relationship with Elena Lincoln..."
"Your mom's friend?!"
He cleared his throat, "Yes."
"Does she know?"
"Of course not!" He spat out, watching as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"But she... she was... old."
"She wasn't that old Ana." He felt sickened that he was even defending her.
"What kind of relationship...?" She said quietly.
"A sexual kind." He said lightly, choosing to leave out the specifics of it.
"But... but you were... you were a kid Christian..." Her eyes widened. "You were molested when you were fifteen?" She stood up quickly, moving closer to the water where he could hear her heave.
Christian jumped up immediately, following her and placing a hand on her back to which she immediately pushed him away.
"Ana...it wasn't like that. I was willing. Please -"
"Don't touch me.." He took a step back, frowning. "I was home crying every day, while you were having sex with your mother's friend! I was home wondering what I did wrong and you were..." She stopped as realization dawned on her. "And you still see her... you still are having sex with her... aren't you..?" She said meekly.
He stared at her, torn apart by her reaction. Before seeing Ana again, he wasn't sure he still even had a heart. Now, seeing her disgusted like she was, he felt it breaking into two.
"No, Ana... that stopped years ago. She's my business partner... we own-"
"So she'll always be in your life then...your pedophile.." She interrupted, causing his face to flash with anger.
"Well, we own businesses together... unless I severed the-"
"I'd like to go home please."
Christian watched as she walked away from him, towards his car where she wanted for it to be unlocked before stepping in.
He glanced at her occasionally on the ride home, watching as she stared blankly out the window. He was sure he could see tears silently flowing down her cheeks and off of her chin. She made no effort to wipe them away.
He frowned, wondering whether to touch her... to console her... or if that would only make it worse.
He could only hope that she would one day forgive him.