Chapter 11

After a long morning of shower and counter sex I walked my clean, fully dressed body to the kitchen to see Gail there at the kitchen counter, making lunches for us. She turned as she saw me enter, "good morning dear, I made some sandwiches for you, and put here in this cooler and there is some steaks in the cooler as well, and some veggies too, I hope you have a nice day to where he is taking you."

"Taking me where?"

"Oh he didn't tell you, silly boy, oh well I have been there a while back I will say this, bring your bathing suit. Or he might have one on hand, but you will like where you are going." I shrugged.

"Ok." Christian came behind me and kissed my cheek as he did, "thank you, baby."

"You're welcome angel." He turned to Gail, "thank you too"

"I will sweetheart, also your mom called while you were upstairs and she wants to know if Independence Day weekend if you're in town she wants to do a BBQ at the house, your sister with her boyfriend will be coming from New York too. Do you and Ana would like to go?" I nodded, realizing the question was to him and not to me, but I wanted to see where he came from and what his family was like.

"Ana says yes so sure, we will be there, can she bring her brother and his wife?" He asked.

"Yes definitely! The more the merrier!" Gail got more and more excited as she talked about my family coming. She ran around the bar and hugged me, "we waited so long for you, you have no idea what you are doing but he is happy you are here."

"Thank you, I guess. I will bring my family then."

"Please, she said she would love to meet your family." She smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Ok,"

We walked out on to the deck and to the left where he said "it lead to the boat dock." It was mostly stairs followed by a rocky path, as we came to the end it was beautifully gardened, I guess Gail does more than just cooking and cleaning. We came to a clearing as we did there was a small boat dock, with an adjoining dock to it that floated while the one I was on just was held fast to the land and to the rocks. He ran to the boat dock with the lunches in one arm and me on his back. He led me down to his boat, his very large yacht, actually. He let me get on first he told me to take off my runners once I was on the boat, that I would slip off if I didn't, so I believed him and took off my shoes, showing off my painted pink toes. He took one look at my toes.

"I thought you didn't do pink?" He inquired.

"I don't but I thought the color looked nice and Kate needed girl time after her miscarriage and I thought what a better way to spend it at the spa."

"Kate is the one with blonde hair and boobs you could see from space?" I shot him an annoying glare, "sorry about that, yes I know who Kate is, what happened?"

"She doesn't know nor her doctors but one week the sack and baby were there and the next the baby stopped moving, and it looked like it wasn't going to work. She was really heartbroken, this is her second one in the times she has tried, and she is getting really discouraged." He shrugged and threw the ropes over to the boat, "wait I thought we were having lunch on the boat tied to land? What's happening?"

He looked at me as he pushed the boat away from the dock and untied the last rope and jumped on taking out a set of keys he pulled me up to the top deck and started the boat. It made some beeping noises and came roaring to life. "We are going up to a dock up in islands, I belong to the Seattle Yacht club and I thought that we could this time to go boating. What? You freaked out over boats?"

"Yes well no, I can't swim, I can but I can't do it well." He pulled me close.

"Do you want a lifejacket?" He asked. I shook my head. "You sure?" He raved the engine up and charged towards the other side of the water. The sun was out it was warm, it was the perfect day to go boating. "Look there is the ferry docks he pointed towards a small harbor that had two big boats parked in them. I pushed my hair out of the way to see them clearly. "Hey you want a drink a beer?" I nodded. "Great, here you go." He shifted so I was in the driver seat and he turned to go down the ladder.

"Wait you want me to drive this thing?" I demanded.

"Yeah, what you going to do? Drive us into an island?" He chucked as he ducked down below. I looked out on the water, it was bright, he came back up and sat on the bench beside me, he handed me a pair Oakley's to put on my face, the brightness darkened up, noting he had the same pair on. He turned on some music and we sat there enjoying the water, sun and beer. He rubbed my shoulders as I leaned on him, I wanted to be close to him everywhere we were.

It took us an hour and a half to get to the private dock, when we came close there was a bunch of kids over by the dock calling to him, "hey Mr. Grey, want us to tie you off?"

"That be great Teddy, how's the family?" He asked as he pulled closer to the dock. I got one line out and threw it to the kid, another young boy came up and grabbed the line right off the boat, and tied it in a bowing knot. "There you go ma'am, I didn't realize Mr. Grey was home." I nodded.

"Hey Teddy, yeah I have been home for a few weeks now, if you're not busy next weekend I would love to see you and the family up at the Seahawks's lounge, I can put aside some seats for you and your folks." He looked away like he didn't want to talk about it.

"Yeah, Mr. Grey the thing is well mom and dad are separated not long ago so it's hard but if you want to send me and my brother then sure we would like that."

"No problem." The boys took off down the dock. "Well I made 20.00 on that bet." He turned to go into the galley.

"You made a bet on some guy's marriage?" I grilled him.

"No, you don't understand, the guy was a lying cheating scumbag and also my old coach that didn't care about his kids, or his wife for that matter. I offered to fly him and his wife and Teddy out there to a Giants game once and he wanted to trade the tickets in for a hotel room and a first class ticket for two and Teddy and his wife were not coming. You can image I was thinking when I found that out! What I did, is a few guys at the club here we all made bets on how long his marriage would last until she kicked his lying ass to the curb. So far. I won." He walked into the bedroom as he was talking, I stood by the door and watched him stripped down to his birthday suit and get his swim trunks on, "can you swim if the current is controlled? I promise you will not drown."

I nodded, "I think I should be ok, as long as I don't start breathing like a fish." He chuckled.

"You make me smile at things I didn't know I could laugh at." I watched him take my head in his hands.

"Get ready I will be out there waiting for you." Then he was gone.

"I can't do this!" I screamed as I looked at the rope and the water, Christian had jumped ahead of me to show me there was on the third step on the rope swing and it was just a rope and swung out and jumped into the water.

"Come on Ana you can do it!" I shook my head, "come on the water is deep enough, and you can do it." I shook my head again. "You pussy, even I do the top step!" I look down to a beautiful, mature, blonde. "Come on, my kids like to go before its dark! Move it!"

"What if I break my leg on the fall? What if I don't clear the wood?"

"What if I push your ass off?" The blonde challenged. I looked down at her,

"You're not helping." I fired back.

"Sarcasm is one of the services I offer, now let's go you can make the landing, all of us do it, is the right of passage, now go!" I noticed Christian coming up,

"Oh no Grey, your booty call has to learn. You are not helping her, if she you're keeper she has to jump on her own. No helping!" The blonde took aim at him.

"Elena, just relax, she will go." He came up to me, "come on angel, you scared?" I nodded, "ok here's what we are going to do, and I will hold the rope."

"That counts as helping Grey!" Elena fired up.

"Elena, need I remind you of where my hands were few summers ago and your husband couldn't be bothered to show you the ropes?" I looked at him as he took the rope in his hands the look of pure shock. "No, no, it's not like that. Ok here what we are going to do, you are in the middle as is the rope so you are going to get your feet on the big knot right here." He pointed to the big knot at the end. I put two feet on it, and climbed my body up on the rope. "Ok you good?"

I looked at him then back to the stairs. "I think so."

"Good." As he said it he let go and I traveled backward, as I did, I was scared until I heard "now let go!" I let go and felt weightless, as the boom made a metal snapping noise and the rope went back as it did, I looked back all I saw was Christian's face and it was replaced with green water. I pulled up to the top and found the top I took a big breath in. "Good job Anastasia!"

"Yes right good job Anastasia, you let go of the freakin' rope in time." Elena made a snide remark and went back to the dock. I swam closer to the dock as I did Christian gave the rope to the next kid. He jumped into the water. "Hey Angel." I spat out the saltwater in my mouth.

"What's her problem?" I noted to Elena walking down the dock.

"Remember that jerk I told you about? That is ex-wife. She got the life time membership and the boat in the divorce."

"Is she always bitter?" I pried, I got out of the water. And wiped my brow.

"No, because whenever I brought a girl around it meant her husband was nicer to her. But really he was a two timing jerk, I am happy he is gone." He turned to the showers beside the rope swing and rinsed off. I was about to go back to the boat, "oh no you don't you need a cold water treatment followed by a hot man blanket!" He pulled me under the cold spray.

As the evening wore on we stayed out and I changed from my black two piece bathing suit and into a pair of jeans with an old Giants sweater found on Jackson's boat. He changed into a pair cargo shorts. And a blue polo shirt, he told me he would bring me back on a weekend when he was in town on a Saturday and Sunday to stay the night, tomorrow he had to go back to practice. I watched him on the grill, making our dinner and it felt like a relief I didn't need to help him. He looped one arm around him. I was lost in our own world. There was a clam around us.

We sat with the rest of the boaters some were retired, others were returning to work after Independence Day, and some were leaving that night, I watched the kids all run and play on the deck some even said they had just come from the rec room and were finished playing every game there. I was lost in the motion, and I loved every moment. "I love it here."

"I knew you would, that's why I brought you up here." Christian said as he pasted the corn, everybody had their own meats but we shared the veggies around. People were asking about us, about how long we were together and comparing us to them. The only one who wasn't here was Elena as she was alone with her kids on her boat.

"What is Elena's deal?" I asked aloud. Everybody got silent as if I was the one who missed the memo, "What? She is people too, why can't she come over to eat with us?"

"See Angel she private person. We leave it at that." I nodded, I excused myself to go up on the mainland to use the bathroom not that the bathroom on Christian's boat wasn't just fine, I just wanted to walk up and take care of some other business. As I came out found Elena standing in front of me I wanted to walk around her only she blocked me.

"I know you were talking about me, what about? Ask me, wanna know how I know Christian's is a lying cheating bastard like my ex, it's because the two of them where in his playroom with some little whore my ex brought over. Christian, I can tell you, he will play you in ways you never knew. Be careful." She turned and left.

"Said every jealous woman before me who never got a chance!" I yelled after her.

She stopped, then turned.

"He calls you his angel right?" I didn't nod or acknowledge it, "I was his first, I was called angel too, as was his girlfriends. He likes to play with girls and once he done playing he will put you down where he found you. I just hope for your sake it wasn't in a gutter because that would be a shame."

She turned and walked back to her boat to which I saw Christian walking back, I knew not to take it personally, but I had to get back to the mainland and not be left here, if anything I knew I was in the right mind not to move in with him.

"What was that about?" Christian asked as he came up to me.

"Tell me honestly how many where there before me?" I asked with a deadpan expression.

"Ana, Elena has wanted to get back at me for years for what her husband did."

"Just answer the question!" I yelled.

"15! Alright, 15 Subs before you, God she got to you didn't she?" I looked at him and bypassed him as I walked quickly back to the boat. And just got on not wanting to hear one more word not saying good bye to any of the people I had met on the dock. My perfect day had be ruin by his first love, the coach's now ex-wife.

We pulled into the dock and I helped him tie off the boat as I did I ran up the dock up to the house, mad as all hell. I wanted to be alone tonight, and I was going to get it.

"God Ana stop it. What do you want?" He probed.

"The truth!" I fired back.

He grabbed my arms and spun me around on the trail to his house. "You want the truth then fine here it is, Elena and I went out a few summers ago when I was young and dumb right after my first Super bowl win, when I got the house. For years we kept it a secret for the sake of my membership, and as a payback I sent them to games and trips to make up the wrong I did, the worst part is she went back to that S.O.B. She takes it out on every girl I have gone out with, I didn't care she went back to him, but she wanted to just fuck me and that was it. " It took me to see the two come together. I sat down on the trail step.

"But really I don't love her, I love you."

Wait what?