A/N
Once again I must thank all of you wonderful people who are reading this story.
The song Amazed was written by Marv Green,Aimee Mayo and Chris Lindsey.
The song Breathe was written by Holly Lamar, Greg Sutton and Stephanie Bentley.
To my Malay readers, my Malay is from Google translate. I am quite sure it is not as beautiful and poetic as your lovely language. Although Ana may speak in another language, in the future, regretfully, it won't be word for word.
For those of you curious what Ana said in Malay, the English translation would be
"Tonight we celebrate our engagement. I understand that you have an enormous music library. Is it possible to hear Breathe by Faith Hill?"
"Congratulations, Madam. It would be my great pleasure to play that song for you. If there is anything else I can assist you with, please do not hesitate to call me. I am your humble servant, Akmed."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Taylor looked down at his vibrating phone, about to answer it, then stopped in shock when he saw who was calling. Carrick Grey. He motioned to Ryan to take over and headed for the corridor answering his phone with a simple, "Taylor."
"Carrick Grey here, Taylor. Are you able to speak?"
"Yes, sir. I am in an empty corridor outside of a restaurant. What can I do for you Mr Grey?"
"How is he?"
Taylor let out a long sigh. " There hasn't been much time to really judge. He was very emotional. He cried quite a bit. He told me you knew and I think he was a little overwhelmed by the fact that you still love him."
"I'm coming there, Taylor. I need to talk to him. He needs me. What about the girl? He told me he loved her. Is he just saying that? Is this engagement for real?"
"Sir, it's for real. When you see him, you won't recognize him. He's a different person. For the better. Come, he needs to see you, you're right. As for Ana, you've already met her."
"Taylor, I want to know what was said, why did Elena attack that child?"
Mrs Lincoln implied that Ana was servicing the staff. She said by the end of the week Ana would have slept with every man here. Ana knew who Mrs Lincoln was and she hated her."
"Wait a minute. You mean this girl, who he only knows a few days, he told her all about his relationship with Elena Lincoln?"
"He told Ana everything about his relationship with Mrs Lincoln, from how it started to what it is today. I know because I was there. He asked me to chaperone."
"Really?"
"Yes, sir. You'll see when you come. You are in for a surprise. Ana is the best thing that has ever happened to him. Anyway, getting back to the incident, Ana replied that at least they were over 18. Mrs Lincoln charged her and when she got in Ana's face, Ana just swore at her, "fucking child molester!" and then the fur started to fly. We had a very hard time pulling them apart. Mrs Lincoln now has a bald spot and a broken wrist."
Grey grunted.
"Let me know your arrival time sir and I will see to it that someone is there to pick you up."
"Very good and Taylor, thank you. For everything."
"Your welcome sir. Will you be traveling alone?"
"Yes. I am arranging for my wife and Elliot to visit Mia in Paris. I have a private jet waiting at Sea-Tac for them. I am sorry but I am using security for an excuse. Until I decide exactly how we are going to handle this, I don't want Elena Lincoln anywhere near my family, especially my wife and daughter."
"Don't apologize sir. Mrs Grey and Ms Grey have always been the weakest links and that hasn't changed. Mrs Lincoln is aware of that. Consider her a cornered animal, dangerous and unpredictable. Your son has divested himself from her businesses. He has called in her loans. She will discover that tomorrow. We have two men watching her 24/7 but she's the kind that always pays someone to do their dirty work. We do, however, expect her to confront Christian in person, at some point. Once she leaves for KL, we will have a team search her home for anything involving Christian. We know there are photos and we want them."
"This is an awful business, Taylor. Awful. Until tomorrow. "
"Have a safe flight sir."
"Thank you, Taylor. Good night."
Carrick's next call was to his son Elliot. "Son, we have a security emergency. I need you to drop everything, grab your passport and escort your Mother to Paris. There is a private jet waiting at Sea-Tac for you. Security will meet you and take you to Mia. Mia and your Mother are in great danger. I am counting on you to keep them safe. I will meet up with you in a few days, but right now I am working directly with Christian's security people. This is not a joke. Under no circumstances is your Mother to talk to or visit with Elena Lincoln. Security is aware of this. Don't ask me why. I'll explain everything when I see you. In the mean time, just trust me. "
"Dad, you're serious, aren't you?"
"As serious as a heart attack. I can't explain yet and I don't want to alarm your Mother and Mia anymore than I have to, but, son, if your Mother asks you to get her a phone, don't! And don't bother Christian. He's half out of his mind with worry as it is."
"Alright, Dad. I'll be at Mom's in an hour."
"Thank you son, I am counting on you."
Ana and Christian were lingering over their desserts at Cantaloupe. Christian had ordered the Black Forest Bombe and Ana the Marinated Strawberries. Ana had been startled when the waiter took a blow torch to some cognac and poured the liquid flame over the chocolate dome causing it to slowly melt and reveal the crunchy chocolate cake, cherries, and chantilly. It was certainly a dramatic presentation, especially compared to Ana's not so simple dish of strawberries in eucalyptus caramel gel with a fizzy lime sugar. They sat by the window, gazing out at the magnificent view of the Petronas Towers, then gazing at each other, feeding each other spoonfuls of dessert. Taylor was seated alone at a table to their right, while Fitz and Ryan occupied the nearest table to their left. Security was scattered throughout the dining room and foyer.
Time passed. Soft romantic music played in the background. Christian took Ana's hand in his. His thumb rubbed small circles on the top of her hand. He stared at her, lost in the moment, awed by her beauty, her innocence, her honest simplicity. "Dance with me?" He whispered softly.
Ana smiled, honored by the request, but still shook her head no.
"Come on, there's no one here but us. Please, Ana, dance with me?"
Her blue eyes momentarily lost their sparkle as a wave of sadness crossed her face. "I cant." She confessed.
"Why? I can promise no one will touch you."
Ana's sad smile became even sadder. "I know that, I'm not worried about that. I can't dance with you because I can't dance, literally. I never learned to dance. I've danced alone with Kate once, but it felt very uncomfortable and I know I wasn't very good."
"That's all? I can fix that, baby. "
"Christian, I cant! Dont! I haven't got my shoes on!" Ana let out a small scream as Christian lifted her up in the air over his head. He threw back his head and laughed as he carried her out to an open area of the dining room, minus her shoes. Then, ever so gently, he set her down, instructing her to place her feet on top of his shoes. She did as he requested and then Christian began slowly dancing her around the dining room as the sounds of Lonesome singing Amazed came through the speaker system.
Every time our eyes meet,
this feeling inside me
is almost more than I can take
Baby when you touch me
I can feel how much you love me
And it just blows me away
I've never been this close to anyone or anything
I can hear your thoughts
I can see your dreams
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
The smell of your skin
The taste of your kiss
The way you whisper in the dark
Your hair all around me
Baby you surround me
You touch every place in my heart
Oh it feels like the first time every time
I wanna spend the whole night in your arms
I don't know how you do what you do
I'm so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
Every little thing that you do
I am so in love with you
It just keeps getting better
I wanna spend the rest of my life
With you by my side
Forever and ever
Every little thing that you do
Oh, yeah every little thing that you do
Baby I'm amazed by you
As the song came to an end, Ana felt the tears come and gave into them. She looked at Christian and whispered in awe, "How did you do that? "
Christian grinned like a little kid, " I told Taylor I wanted to hear Amazed by Lonestar and he took care of it.
"Christian! We're not back home in the States, how did he do that?"
"Why, you have a song you want to hear?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, I do."
Christian laughed and spun her in a circle as he made his way back to their table. He motioned to Taylor to join them.
"Sir, Ms Steele," Taylor greeted them.
"Taylor, Ms Steele wants to know how you arranged for that song to be played."
"I tipped the Maitre d. Their music system is computerized. They can literally play anything you want to hear."
"Thank you, Taylor. Could you ask the Maitre d to come here. I want to request a song."
"Of course, Ms Steele."
A few moments later, the Maitre d ' approached their table. Ana surprised everyone when she started speaking Malay. "Malam ini kita meraikan pertunangan kami. Saya faham bahawa anda mempunyai sebuah perpustakaan muzik yang besar. Adalah mungkin untuk mendengar Bernafas oleh Faith Hill?"
The Maitre d' bowed his head as a sign of respect and replied, "Tahniah, Puan, ia akan berbesar hati untuk memainkan lagu untuk anda. Jika ada apa-apa lagi saya boleh membantu anda dengan petang ini, apa-apa pun, sila tidak teragak-agak untuk menghubungi saya . Aku hamba yang rendah hati anda Akmet."
The Maitre d' bowed. Ana bowed her head in response and replied, "Terima kasih, Akmed."
A few minutes later, the waiter appeared with a bottle of champagne, compliments of the house . They had just taken their first sips when music began to play and Ana held out her hand to Christian, "Can I dance with you again?" She asked softly with a shy smile. They made their way to the same area they had danced in before as Christian smiled in recognition of Faith Hill singing Breathe.
I can feel the magic floating in the air
Being with you gets me that way
I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've
Never been this swept away
All my thoughts just seem to settle on the breeze
When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms
The whole world just fades away
The only thing I hear
Is the beating of your heart
'Cause I can feel you breathe
It's washing over me
Suddenly I'm melting into you
There's nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
Baby, isn't this the way love's supposed to be
I can feel you breathe
Just breathe
In a way I know my heart is waking up
As all the walls come tumbling down
I'm closer than I've ever felt before
And I know
And you know
There's no need for words right now
'Cause I can feel you breathe
It's washing over me
Suddenly I am melting into you
There's nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
Baby isn't that the way love's supposed to be
I can feel you breathe
Just breathe
I can feel the magic floating in the air
Being with you gets me that way
Taylor watched as the two danced, more like turned in an ever diminishing circle, until they just swayed together, forehead to forehead. He texted everyone on the team that departure was less than ten minutes and to have the cars pulled around.
Holding Ana in a tender embrace, Christian wept unashamedly, proud of her open display of love. Then he kissed her eyelids, her nose and her lips. Then the kiss deepened. The dining room was now closed except for them. The kiss became long and intimate. When they finally broke apart, Christian turned his head and looked at Taylor. Taylor nodded and stood.
I
Fitz watched with Ryan. "How does he do that? How does Taylor know he's going to want to leave? For that matter, how does Taylor know that's what Grey wanted when he looked at him? I watched him. Grey never said a word, he never gestured."
Ryan laughed. "I've seen it so many times, Fitz. It's like they're telepathic."
"What if he was wrong. What if he just wanted another song."
"Then Taylor pulls rank, as far as security goes, his word is law. If he tells Grey it's time to go, Grey doesn't argue." Then added with a smirk, "At least, not in front of us."
Fitz moved closer to her charge, as Ana stood and Christian pointed out the restrooms for her. Ryan and Fitz followed nonchalantly with Fitz following Ana into the Ladies Room. Once she returned to Christian, he pulled her close, kissed her soundly, and started for the elevators.
Taylor advised him the Paps were gathering by the main entrance. Building security, along with Grey security, had held an ever growing crowd at bay. Taylor explained to Ana what was about to happen. All she had to do was look happy and smile. No matter what happened, because the cameras would never stop clicking. If, at any time, it became too much, all she had to do was squeeze Taylor's hand twice. She was not to answer any questions, but she could flash the ring as much as she liked.
Ana took a deep breath and tightened her grip on Christian's arm and Taylor's hand. Ana glanced around nervously. Fitz, Ryan, Reynolds, Molloy and the British guy had formed a ring around them. The double doors opened and the flashes began. All Ana could think of was she didn't want to do anything that would embarrass Christian. The crowd of photographers and reporters surged forward, and Ana suddenly became afraid. She waved her ring, in response to requests shouted by photographers and concentrated on smiling. Then she saw a welcoming sight. The huge, impressive hulk known as Sawyer, swatting the bolder photographers away like they were flies, easily clearing a path to the car. As she got in, she promised herself she would thank Sawyer the next time she saw him.
It didn't take long to arrive at their hotel, where Sawyer once again, led the way into the hotel, shoving everyone back who tried to get closer than ten feet. Once in the elevator, Ana sagged in relief against Christian, who smiled at her proudly. "You did great, baby. Really great! I was so proud of you." And then he leaned down and kissed her nose. "You look like you need a nice bath, a glass of wine and bed."
"Mmm, sounds good, but maybe not in that order." She replied, with a wicked smile.
"Indeed. I will see if I can meet Madam's request. Surely, by now, Madam knows I aim to please."
"Indeed. So bed first? Then a nice hot bath and a glass of wine." Ana replied.
"And then bed again?" Christian inquired
"More wine?" Ana asked.
"But of course. Perhaps a shower then?"
"A shower for two?"
"But of course. I will devote the rest of tonight to pleasuring you in every way imaginable and some that are beyond your imagination." Christian whispered seductively in her ear.
Ana blushed beet red, but held her head up proudly, praying that none of the security team heard that. When the elevator doors opened, she started forward only to have Fitz haul her back.
"You never leave the elevator, or for that matter, any room, or car before your security. First we need to clear the corridor and then sweep the room. Didn't your previous CPO go over protocol with you?"
"I may not have been listening."
"Well I sincerely hope you are listening now." Fitz replied.
"I am, Fitz. Really, I am."
"She's right, Ana. And another thing is you NEVER get into a car, even if you think it's yours, until the driver gets out and opens your door and you are sure it's your driver." Taylor added.
"Enough Taylor. You are both killing the mood."
Taylor chuckled, but declined to comment, but knowing nothing short of a bucket of cold water was going kill the mood between those two. He watched as hand in hand they headed for the bedroom as he headed for the connecting door to his room. Taylor checked his watch. It was one a.m. Security had been arranged to cover the door to the suite and the elevators and stairs. He felt his phone vibrate and saw it was Barney texting the best photos from the two mob scenes. Ana looked beautiful, calm and happy as she flashed her ring proudly. Christian, who never took a bad photo, looked dark and brooding. Taylor grabbed a quick shower and decided to end this night early because the newly engaged couple looked like they were going to make a long night of it. Maybe he could fall asleep before they started.