Chapter 19
New York. 7.35pm, Wednesday July 8th

Ana checked her make up in the rest room mirror. The lighting made her look better than she felt and Yves Saint Laurent's Touché Éclat was managing the rest. In her purse her BlackBerry started to play Blondie's Picture This. It was her current ringtone for Christian and it reminded her that she really must change the damn thing. She rummaged for it and tapped the screen to send the call to answerphone. She was very much tempted to swap the ringtone for another track on the same album - Just Go Away.

Picture This had caught her attention one day on the radio for the line 'I will give you my finest hour. The one I spent watching you shower.' Watching Christian shower was a mighty fine hour indeed if Ana was any judge. But right now, pictures of Christian didn't so much fill her dreams as fuel her nightmares. There would be a showdown, she knew that. Sometime, somewhere he'd arrive and she'd have to face him when he did, because she'd run from him. The last time she'd done that it hadn't ended well.

They hadn't spoken since yesterday lunchtime, when Ana had fled Escala, thrown herself into the back of a cab and gone to SeaTac. She'd had Hannah messenger her stuff over from the office and had ditched their private plane for a spare seat on a scheduled flight, just in case Christian decided to jump aboard before Stefan took off. She'd holed up in a private room in the terminal until it had been time to depart. Throughout the day she'd been calmly going through the negotiations while her incandescently furious inner consciousness had raged at her, asking her why she hadn't told him about the photographs. Truth was, she didn't know. It was stuck. She was quite used to blurting things out at the best of times, but this one wouldn't come out. And when she'd tried to tell him something had always gotten in the way. It was worse now because time had passed. Now she had the additional fear of how he'd react simply when he saw date stamp on the envelope.

"Why didn't you tell me, Ana?" He'd say. Obviously, not in that calm, rational manner. God knows how he'd react and that was the crux of it. She may joke that his Mom had been the wrath of God, but the real wrath was him. A man with every means at his disposal to exact revenge, and one hell of a creative imagination with which to do it. Southeast Asian business put so much emphasis on manners and etiquette that sending a raging Christian into those negotiations next week might blow the whole deal out of the water.

As well as one voice screaming at her, another was telling her to keep it hidden for just a few more days. After Singapore it kept repeating over and over like a stuck record. And that voice was louder than the furious voice. Wait until the right time, Ana. Wait until you can ask him to clear his schedule for the day and then, sit down like the two rational adults you are and talk about it. Or, as she suspected, where he could be detonated by controlled explosion and just take her out, instead of taking GEH and Venture Sengkang along with him.

And what about Faye? Ana stared at herself in the restroom mirror. No, she couldn't think about Faye. Faye would have to take a number and wait.

When she'd arrived last night she'd eschewed their apartment and checked into the St Regis under the name of the first cartoon character that had come to mind. Ana didn't know if Christian was sufficiently well-versed in Scooby-Doo to know that Daphne's second name was Blake. It had popped into her head during the flight when Ana was thinking back to more carefree times. She'd remembered a Halloween party that Kate had thrown in the October of their final year, where they'd all come dressed as Scooby Doo characters. Ana had made a great Daphne and there was something about Kate that was a natural Velma. She was always sleuthing around. José had been hilariously unconvincing as Fred. It had made her laugh and taken away the pain of reality for a few moments. She missed those days. She missed the fun they'd had. Not that she would trade Christian for those times, but she could definitely lose all the crap than came with him. If she could, she'd buy a rocket from NASA and launch all his baggage into the heart of the sun. Were they rich enough for her to do that? She'd look into it on her return.

But one thing she resolved on. As soon as he got back from Singapore they'd talk. Really talk. Surely she could hang on for a few more days until she could do this calmly and with sufficient safeguards in place to make sure that when he exploded he didn't take the rest of his life with him. Was that OK with the screaming harpy in her head? Ana took a deep breath. An acceptable compromise, yes.

But now she had to go out of this restroom and celebrate. Perry Publishing was now hers and Grey Publishing had a new Financial Director out of it. Ana had persuaded Perry's Olaf Sørensen across to Seattle.

She and Olaf were dining at The View and it had been his choice. Although he had a fine track record in financial management; Ana had noticed, with some amusement, certain controlling tendencies that Olaf shared with a particular CEO back in Seattle. Olaf was very picky, a creature of habit and he liked things done just so. He was in his mid-40s, tanned and fit, immaculately dressed and with a taste in interior decoration that was as minimalist as Christian's. Perry's offices looked like something from the 22nd Century. His ex-model wife looked like she'd been sculpted from ice and the pair of them were doing nothing to dispel the myth that all people from Sweden were blond, blue-eyed and uncompromisingly gorgeous.

When he'd come Seattle to look around, Hannah had actually walked into a room divider when she saw him for the first time. She'd never done that with Christian and several of the female staff had begged Ana to make sure that Olaf was a nailed-down part of the Perry deal. Hot Accountants were the new thing in the offices of Grey Publishing, much to Ana's amusement.

Christian and Olaf hadn't met yet, and Ana knew that it was because she was afraid of Christian being an arse and getting all territorial - again. What was it with her husband and his stupid idea that every man was out to steal her right from under his nose? She smoothed down her dress, a beautiful maroon one that Christian had bought on one of his rare lone forays into a clothing store. She picked up her purse, forced a smile on to her face and headed back out to the restaurant.

In her absence, Olaf had poured the champagne. "A toast!" He said. "To the future success of Grey Publishing."

"To Grey Publishing." She said and they clinked glasses. Ana downed it pretty much in one. For some reason she felt in urgent need of a drink.

Olaf refilled her glass. "So," he said as he settled back in his chair, loosened off his tie and undid his top button. "When do you want me?"

His slight innuendo make Ana laugh. "August 1st?"

"You don't want me sooner?"

"Marilyn doesn't retire until July 31st." Ana took another sip of her drink.

"Well, why don't I start on the twenty seventh and she can do a handover?"

"I thought you were up to speed on our accounts."

"I am. I wasn't thinking of that kind of handover. I need to know useful things, such as where's good for lunch." He smirked. His heavily Swedish-accented voice was deep. "Where do you go for lunch, Ana?"

"It's usually at my desk, or sometimes I go home. About once a month I meet up with a friend."

"You go home?" This seemed to confuse him.

"Yes. We have an apartment close by." She tried not to think about the last time she'd been there.

"You mean there are no long corporate lunches at Grey Publishing?"

She shook her head. "No. We're too busy."

"But you manage to find the time to go home?"

Ana took another sip of champagne and Olaf topped it up again. "As I said, it's close by and…" A ridiculous thought appeared in her head and out it came in that brain-to-mouth fail way that she had, occasionally. "I make a great sub!" She laughed loudly at her own private joke. Several diners on adjacent tables glanced disapprovingly in her direction.

"You eat subs?" He looked confused

"Yes, I eat subs!" Her eyes flashed with mirth, a recklessness took hold of her and she took another mouthful of champagne. "For breakfast!"

Olaf looked at her with consternation but she wasn't going to explain the heady release from the pressure of closing her deal and the amusement she'd found in one word to sum up the stupid set of circumstances she'd return to in Seattle.

"Mrs. Grey?"

Ana looked up. A waiter was standing by the table with a telephone in his hand.

"There's a call for you, ma'am. It's your husband."

"Oh!" She took the handset. How in God's name did he know she was here? Ana sighed. There was no point even dwelling on that. Her husband could make the CIA look like a bunch of Boy Scouts when it came to surveillance. "Christian?" She said tentatively.

"You. Are. Pregnant!" Came a voice that snarled with barely controlled rage. "And who's the Viking?"

He was here. Ana didn't even bother to look round. Wherever he was he'd make himself known soon enough.

Ana cleared her throat and tried to keep it together for the benefit of her new finance director. "I didn't know you were in New York." She said with false brightness. "I'm having dinner with Olaf Sørensen. He's going to be taking over from Marilyn next month."

"Is he now?"

"If you're here you should drop by and say hello."

"Count on it. I'll see you sooner, rather than laters, baby." There was the click of his call being disconnected.

"OK, bye!" Ana said to no one and ended the call on the restaurant's handset. "Christian's on his way over." She said as happily as she could manage, knowing that the wrath of God would be arriving shortly. Her mouth felt suddenly dry.

Ana poured herself a large glass of water and ditched her champagne for something that wouldn't cause any more aggravation. The conversation stalled between her and Olaf. He noticed the change in her.

"Are you OK?" He asked. "You seem extremely tense."

"I'm fine." She sipped her water.

"I'm not blind, Ana. I know what's been circulating about your husband these last few days."

"It's categorically not true. But we're both under a lot of strain right now and life isn't easy when you feel like you're living in a goldfish bowl."

"You seemed shocked to discover that he was in New York?"

"Sometimes his plans change at the last minute. It's not wholly unexpected." Not when she'd run out on him like that, ignored his calls and called Gail instead last night to find out how Ted and Phoebe were.

"I should go." Olaf made to stand.

"No! Don't." Ana pleaded. She wanted the security of someone else so he wouldn't explode at her here and now. "He could have plans," she covered. "And if you leave I'll be left eating on my own."

"But you need to talk."

"We will."

"You don't sound convinced."

"So much is going on right now. I guess the lines of communication have broken down a little." A slight understatement.

"All the more reason why I should go and you should spend the evening together."

A familiar glint of dark copper hair on the periphery of her vision made her look up. Christian was following the maître d' as he wound through the tables to Olaf and Ana. With him was someone else. A tiny, oriental-looking woman in a white dress. Her straight black hair fell over her shoulders like a curtain. She wasn't anyone Ana knew.

Christian bolted forward to her. "Ana, baby." He reached for her and Ana rose from her chair, letting Christian embrace her and kiss her, responding just as she would do had they not seen each other all day. His fingers brushed along her jaw. "You closed your deal?"

"Yes." She felt deeply confused. Mercurial was not the word for this man!

"I am so proud of you!" He murmured fiercely, close to her lips. In an instant the tension in his eyes vanished and was replaced with a look that made her catch fire inside. His fierce pride sounded genuine and Ana tried to relax. "I have someone to introduce to you" he continued and stood back to reveal his dinner companion. "This is Huang Meien. I've finally managed to persuade her to become GEH's new Director of Operations for Southeast Asia. Ana didn't have to force on a smile. She'd heard the woman's name mentioned again and again over the last few years and she knew that Christian held her in very high regard.

Ana held out her hand. "I'm so pleased to meet you. Christian speaks very highly of you."

"He positively gushes over you." Meien replied and laughed. She was older than Ana expected her to be. About forty.

Ana glanced at Christian. He looked a little sheepish. "Guilty as charged." He smiled and his eyes flicked to Olaf. Ana took the hint.

"And I have someone to introduce to you. "This is Olaf Sørensen. He's going to be our new Finance Director. Olaf, this is my husband, Christian."

Olaf and Christian shook hands.

"Pleased to meet you. I hope my wife didn't drive too hard a bargain for Perry Publishing?"

"On the contrary, she offered a very fair price. We're glad to be with someone committed to championing new writers. As you're both unexpectedly in the same city, would you like to have my seat and have dinner together?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. Really. You stay. Meien and I have some details to talk through. I'll see Ana later at the St Regis."

Fuck, he knew where she was?

He leaned in towards her. His soft grey eyes held hers like magnets. "Sorry for the call." He muttered. "I'll explain later… Ms. Blake." He stressed and arched an eyebrow opening wider eyes that were truly smoldering now. Hell, what was going on with him? "Enjoy your dinner." He murmured sexily. A sure-fire guarantee that she wouldn't.

She could already feel herself getting aroused and he hadn't even touched her below the chin. He stroked her jaw and then kissed her again briefly but tenderly on the lips. His eyes searched hers. Looking for what, she didn't know.

The maître d' escorted Christian and Meien to their table a short distance away, where she could still clearly see him. His rapport with Meien was easy and confident, whereas hers with Olaf was now self-conscious because Christian had deployed his come-to-bed eyes.

Damn him! He'd done this deliberately, knowing the state he could have her in just with a few words and a few chaste touches. Ana took a big slug of iced water and tried to quench the fire inside. All this hell she'd put herself through with the photographs, and when it came down to it all she wanted was Christian. She wanted to curl up in his lap and hide from everything, safe in the knowledge that he would protect her. She knew he ultimately would, but everything had gotten so mixed up in her head. And what had effected the change between angry Christian on the phone and the sex on legs that had arrived at her table. They ordered and Ana couldn't help squirming a little in her seat. Tiny movements she made that she could see were not going unnoticed by Christian. Their eyes met frequently and she watched him place his hand on his lap. Was he trying to cover his own reaction to her? Ana bit her lip to hide a smirk. Women had it so much better in some ways!