"I'd like to replace the dryer with one of the newer HE versions that have a delicate setting and also a steam option."
"Why?" Christian asked, looking up from the paper he was reading at the counter.
"Now that a lot of the laundry is of a more delicate nature, it would help to keep it from becoming destroyed." Look in his eyes, Gail. Do not be embarrassed.
Christian swallowed the oatmeal and felt it sit heavy in his stomach. Gail Taylor was talking to him about Ana's panties and instead of being embarrassed, he now had a semi and the desire to take inventory of his girlfriend's lingerie drawer.
"Of course, Gail. Whatever you feel is best is fine. Did you decide on a menu for Valentine's Day?"
Oh my God he's adorable. "Yes, Sir. I was thinking of preparing a fondue." She giggled a bit and waved her hands around in excitement at the image of this stoic and sterile man bending all the rules for a woman. Love and the crazy changes it made in someone had always been a fascinating thing to Gail. "It's a bit unexpected which we women like and it's perfect to do as a couple. I can have the chef whip up a lighter fondue and also a cheese one and then we can finish it off with dark chocolate pot which is a favorite of Ms. Steele's."
"Unexpected?" What does that mean? "Is unexpected expected on these types of holidays?"
"Yes. Anyone can order up a romantic dinner and do the typical Valentines stuff but it's when men step out of the box and think of us individually that we love." She turned to hide the smile covering her face at his obvious confusion. Thank God Taylor told her about the jewelry and chocolates. And another car? That was just about the last thing Ana would want. It had taken a bit of subliminal groundwork on Gail's part but Christian had finally come to the conclusion that Ana would not want the latest Porsche SUV to match the Audi he'd just given her a few months ago.
"Romantic," he muttered, taking another mindless bite as he mulled over the word. He'd never recognized Valentines Day in the past and romantic? Unless a bright red leather paddle counted as romantic he'd never even thought of romance. Can I do romantic? What the hell is romantic anyway? Flowers! I didn't do flowers yet. Women love flowers.
As if reading his mind Gail prattled on while she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. "I'll ensure that the apartment is decorated with Ms. Steele's favorite flowers and I'll be sure to have the ingredients on hand for her favorite breakfast as well. We've still got a week so there's plenty of time to finalize and perfect anything along the way but if you need me I'll just be a telephone call away."
At that he stood and laughed. "I'll be fine but thank you. I want you to enjoy your night off and not think about work at all. If anyone's earned it, it's you and Taylor."
"About that." She turned, resting one hand on the granite counter tops and let her shoulders drop in gratitude. "Thank you, Sir. A pampered two days at the Ritz is very generous but I..."
"And very deserved, Mrs. Taylor. I take your husband away enough, the least I can do is give you both back two days."
She pardoned his interruption and clapped her hands together to move the conversation along. As much as this softening of his persona was something she'd been praying about for years, it still took some getting used to.
"Yes, well, thank you all the same. Could I grab your attention for another minute though?" He nodded and sat back down to inspect the list she placed in front of him. "Since you've not held Sunday dinner here for your family yet and I've not attended one at Bellevue I wanted to ensure that this menu was to your liking for this weekend. Your mother was beside herself to be coming over here and I don't want to mess it up."
Quickly scanning the food and wine he nodded again. "Looks about right. I thought Anastasia was cooking though?"
"Oh she is! I put the list together and Ms. Steele helped me to fill in the blanks."
That pleased him immensely. That Ana would know his families habits had him grinning from ear to ear from the breakfast bar to the garage. In the car he texted her his morning greeting, forgoing the reminder that he'd been irritated that she'd not stayed over last night. 'A night at home' is how she explained her goodbye after their weekend in Indianapolis, the stark reminder of her absence fueling his desire to get her to move in with him. Not having her in his bed was simply not an option anymore.
"Rozlyn. Good morning," he said airily when his second in command entered the elevator with him. Grunting her customary good morning he set about with small talk about the game and the flight home, how he needs to upgrade the GEH plane, get an additional standby pilot and something about repainting the lobby to the building. When this jovial and talkative man mentioned the unrelenting cold front she threw her hands in the air and stopped him.
"Are you feeling all right, Christian?" Seven years together and he'd never once strung that many inane sentences together. Frankly, it freaked her the hell out.
"Great. Why? Are you ill?" he'd asked with concern, his brow knitting as he scanned her from head to toe. "If you're not well you shouldn't be here."
Roz ignored him and shook her head, following him to his office where his entire persona morphed into the aggressive CEO she'd dedicated her life and career to. This Christian she could handle. The love-struck-doe-eyed foreigner in the elevator? No. She'd seen the same behavior from her Congressman brother when he met his wife but seeing Christian act normal and, dare she say it...happy...well it just unnerved her entirely. After his customary cold greeting and brisk daily rundown from Andrea she felt a bit better, the orderly and predictable way in which he ran his empire back in the forefront but by noon he'd gotten himself so worked up over the events of the day that he'd taken off his tie and had unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt while barking orders at anyone who dared step into his office.
That's more like it, Roz thought as he banged his fist on the desk in frustration. Mexio was turning into one big huge clusterfuck and despite everything they'd thrown at the problem, despite working diligently to bring about a fair deal, it seemed as if the end was drawing near. And it did not look good for GEH's interests and investments. At two Andrea had walked in and laid a note on his desk per Roz's emailed instructions. Nothing more than flight details and a time.
Fuck. Mexico was the last place he wanted to go to right now but there were really no options left. His appearance was a last ditch effort, a hail Mary if you will but 40 thousand jobs depended on him closing this deal so with a growl of resignation he motioned for Andrea to inform Taylor and slammed down the phone.
"Plane leaves in two hours, Roz. I expect to be back by tomorrow night but we've got to go."
"You got it, boss. I'll have Gwen bring my bag to the office and we'll leave here in an hour."
He nodded, called Gail to have her get a bag ready and then called Ana, disappointed when his call went straight to voice mail. He listened to her sweet voice and hung up only to call back and listen again. In his life he'd never left a message for anyone and he wasn't about to start now but damn if he didn't want to hear her speak.
Instead he got Sawyer calling to ensure that there wasn't an issue.
"Sir. I have two missed calls on Ms. Steele's phone. Is there a problem?"
"No. I'm assuming she's teaching right now."
"Yes, Sir. She's booked solid until seven tonight."
"Seven?" he exclaimed. "She teaches until five. Why seven all of the sudden?"
"Her time is limited since she can't give lessons on the weekends so she's shifted some of her students to later time slots in an effort to keep her revenue stream from slipping." Doesn't she talk to you about this? Now I'm a financial planner too?
"She's worried about her revenue stream? What the everlovingfuck for?" She gets $100k a month into her checking account already! How much does she need to pay her bills?
"I'm not privy to Ms. Steele's finances, Sir." And if I were to tell you that you giving her cash each month and fucking her each night may make her feel like a whore, you'd fire me. And frankly, that would really fuck up my revenue stream.
"Make sure she calls me between students."
Click.
Fingers flying over his keyboard he pulled up the account he'd set up for her back in December and checked the activity. Other than the bi-weekly appointments at Franco's there hadn't been one debit to the account. Ana was sitting on $300k dollars and instead of using it to pay her bills, was relying on her $70 an hour lessons to get her through.
"Mr. Grey," Peter Firestone answered with brisk efficiency when his desk phone rang.
"Effective immediately stop cashing Anastasia Steele's rent checks for both her office and her apartment." She doesn't want to take my money, I'll go a different route.
"Yes, Sir."
"Where are we on the security upgrades?"
"The apartment building is complete. We've also vetted her neighbors like you requested. Nobody was a problem though I'm sure Jason Taylor has informed you on all of this already. The office building will be upgraded in full by week's end but again, no issues with any of the other renters."
"But her studio is completed?"
"Yes, Sir. Ms. Steele's was the first office to receive the upgrade."
"Thank you, good enough."
Restless he paced back and forth, pulling on his hair and all but tripping over the coffee table in the center of the office. Why isn't she taking my money? They all had. Happily. Granted his other subs had been given much less but still, they used it shamelessly and quickly. Some of it paid student loans, some of it paid for travel plans and some of it paid for absolute nonsense but it all got spent one way or the other. It was as if she was unaware of its existence outside of the salon use and shit, he'd been the one who had set up Franco's payments anyway.
Worthlessness, when ingrained in ones psyche is a cutting, constant and suffocating feeling. Christian had known that particular emotion as if it had been part of his very biological makeup. Ignored and abandoned by his mother. Belittled and abused by her pimp. Exploited and embarrassed by Elena. Hated and feared by his rivals.
But money? Money carried a worth unlike anything he'd ever seen. It made the meek powerful, the ignorant seem wise, the ugly sexy. It had been that first taste of cash that had finally made him feel as if he'd had something to offer the world. That first gold plated invitation to the homes of the power players that had him thinking maybe he'd not been a total waste of breath.
He ran the Northwest and single handedly influenced the economy of the most powerful country in the world. When he felt inadequate, he learned to fly and then built himself a plane. When the fear of what he and Elena had done knocked on his door he bought a castle in the sky and hid there. When women teetered on the edge of emotionally needy he threw cash at them and bought himself out of the entanglement.
Money was what he had. What he could offer in a way nobody else could. It secured him a place in the world where he was ensured of power, prestige and control. Money had given him worth. For Ana to refuse it, to pretend it wasn't there…it unsettled him, brought him back to face those inadequacies in a way he'd ignored for years. If his wealth and power didn't impress her, if those things that he relied on so heavily to shield himself from the world held no sway over her, it was only a matter of time before he held no sway over her.
Taylor knocked and entered, brisk and businesslike even though he'd just gotten off the phone with a disappointed and emotional Gail. These last minute trips really suck the life out of romance, he thought, his plans for his wife, a bath and a massage out the window.
"Change of plans, Taylor. We'll be stopping at Ms. Steele's studio first. I'd like to leave now. Have Andrea send someone to Escala to retrieve our things."
A nod, a turn and a quick text to the pilot and they were on their way. In less than five minutes the Audi was idling outside of the building now owned by the man sitting in the back seat. How Christian had managed to procure it and the apartment complex without anyone so much as mentioning it was beyond him. A multimillion dollar real estate deal and not a word of it was picked up by the press who wrote about what Grey had for dinner anytime he dined out. It didn't happen often but what Grey could accomplish by greasing the right palms always surprised Taylor even after all these years.
See what money can buy?
"Sir," Sawyer rose from the chair outside of the door and waited for his instruction. Taylor would be getting a piece of his mind. A little warning would have been nice though thank God that chick from the next office wasn't still standing here flashing her tits around. The Boss would've gone nuclear.
From the other side of the door the faint sound of a piano being played with a skill level Christian had not been prepared for caused him to stop.
"Is that a student?" he asked with unbelief.
"No, Sir."
"Is she alone?"
"No, Sir. Mr. Nathan Belshigrav is in there now." And heeeere we go. Wait 'till The Boss gets a load of the guys green eyes. Not that Sawyer leaned that way.
Grey's eyes narrowed, his shoulders immediately thrown back as he buttoned up his suit jacket and cocked his head to the side.
"And how old is Mr. Nathan Belshigrav?"
"I would guess in his late twenties." Oh yeah, I'd rather he'd have found me with that chick down the hall. On her knees. In nothing but the purple heels she wore daily. This is not going to go well.
"When did he become a student?"
"He's not a student, Sir. He's visiting family in Seattle and preparing for his tour."
"So what the fuck is he doing here?" Those were the last words Sawyer heard before Grey threw the door open and stalked inside as if he owned the place. Oh. Wait. He did.
"Christian!" Ana exclaimed from the chair next to the piano where she'd been strumming her guitar to the melodies Nathan had been laying down. "What…"
Ice dripped from the glare he threw her way, switching to fire from the laser beam assessment of her pupil. Nathan's fingers hovered over the keys, green eyes wide with disbelief, mouth suddenly dry.
"I didn't realize you were taking on new students, Anastasia."
Guiless blue eyes blinked at him in disbelief and embarrassment. He stood stock still and waited for one of them to move, to say something, to offer up an explanation as to why a stranger was sitting less than two feet away from her in a private room.
"Nathan is not a student of mine. He was a professor of mine at UDub and needed a quiet place to work for the afternoon...his sister just had twins..." She worried that bottom lip and stole a quick glance at Nathan who had gone from surprised to wary. "I offered him this space if he'd help me with some of the chord progressions I can't seem to get." She stood and rested her hand on Nathan's shoulder to assure him that everything was fine and then took two steps towards Christian. "Can I have a few minutes, Nathan?"
The pianist stood as if to protect her and began to answer but was cut off by Christian, his finger accusingly pointed his way.
"You and I need to have a little chat," he spit out. How dare this man use his authority to garner alone time with Ana. Her professor? How dare she touch him like that with such familiarity! Was this guy, this blond haired pretty boy the man who'd been her secret Dom?
Her eyes grew wider as the gasp escaped from between those plump lips. "The hell you do. You and I need to have a chat. You and Nathan have nothing to say to each other."
He retreated as if she'd slapped him. "Excuse me? I come here to find you alone, in a locked room with a man of dating age and you don't think I have the right to ask him just what the fuck he thinks he's doing?"
"Nathan. Please. A few minute and we'll pick up where we left off."
Sucking in a slow breath he took a tentative step towards the door and held out a hand.
"Ana, if you need to leave, I can take you wherever you need to go." His eyes shot to Christian who made one quick move towards the man equal his height. On instinct Ana stepped between them and put both hands up, the threat of her palm touching his chest enough to make Christian take a step back.
"I'm fine," she promised Nathan. "This is my boyfriend and while he seems threatening, I can assure you I'm in no danger. I just need a few minutes."
Nathan waited a few seconds before reaching for the door and signaling that he'd be right outside should she need him. The cutting look he shot at Christian did nothing to diffuse the tension. As soon as the door clicked shut Ana turned on her heel and threw both hands in the air.
"This is my work, Christian! What if he had been a paying student? What if he had been a potential student? The door was locked because you require it to be according to Sawyer. We are alone because that's how this works. Student, teacher, lesson. It's not a spectator sport! How dare you storm in here like that and embarrass me! How dare you!"
She stomped her foot, barefoot except for her socks. When he saw the boots she'd worn thrown against a wall he hit the roof.
"You're taking your clothes off? What the fuck is going on here, Ana?" Twisting around to face the shoes she'd kicked off hours earlier he strode to them, picked them up and demanded that she put them back on.
"You need to go," she said quietly, the tone of her voice brokering no argument. "Now."
Leave? He tried not to laugh. "Was he your Dom? Was he the pathetic loser who fell in love only to get cut out of your life? Is this his way of keeping in touch?"
"Nathan has no idea that I'm in the lifestyle. I don't even know if he knows what the lifestyle is. What I do know is that you need to leave."
"No, what I need to do is collar you. Then maybe you'd remember you had a Dom and boyfriend at home." He sneered when her face dropped. "Do you prefer platinum or titanium?"
Her hand raised on its own, dark blue nails sailing through the air only to be caught a split second before she'd hit his cheek.
"Raise your hand to me and you will regret it, Ms. Steele."
She scoffed. "Rich coming from you." Her fingers curled in, embarrassment turning into hostility. "I want you to go."
It was his turn to laugh. "Can't throw me out of my own building, baby." He relished in her confusion and then took a step back as realization dawned on her.
"Your building. The Richman Group owns this building." Her stomach roiled, the feeling of having the wool pulled over her eyes making her hot and sick and nauseous.
"No they don't. Surprise! You're looking at your new land lord. And as your land lord, I want that man gone from the premises immediately."
"You can't be serious," she panted, heat racing up the column of her neck like wildfire.
He leaned forward and tipped her chin up to him. "Dead serious." For a moment they stared at the other; he, forgetting the moment long enough to breathe in her scent and the cornflower blue of her eyes. The last thing he wanted to do with his last few minutes with her for a few days was fight and watching her bite that lip was not making this any easier.
Ana, however, was plotting his murder.
"Fine," she said calmly, wrenching her arm free and then snatching her shoes from his hand. With hurried anger she shoved her feet in the black leather boots and grabbed her beat up Takamine from its stand before tossing it into a beat up black case covered with stickers from her favorite indie bands.
"What are you doing?" Christian stood still and used the voice that silenced a room full of executives but Ana ignored him completely. Doubt over his behavior and yes, a smidge of humiliation crept up his spine but god damn it the man had been alone with her! "Ana! What are you doing?"
"Two things. One, I am figuring out my first step so that I can start looking for a new place to work out of. And two, I'm leaving."
"Leaving. Where are you going?" Panic laced the edge of that tenor voice but he held it at bay and watched as she shoved things into her purse. I have really fucked this one up. Mind racing he felt a bit dizzy and off center but words, the only thing he could use to save this situation, eluded him entirely.
"If he can't be here, in your building, we'll go to his place." Hand on the door knob she turned and glowered at him. "In Portland."
He lunged for her but caught only the sleeve of her coat, the wool slipping from his fingers until she turned again and met him straight on, the anger radiating from her as palpable as the shock coursing its way through his body.
"Which means I won't be over tonight since Portland is so far away."
His stomach lurched and fell, her name falling from his lips in a pathetic sigh. Nathan's house? Alone?
"You're not going anywhere," he growled as he pushed her against the wall, the door thudding shut next to them. Outside he could hear the man protesting to Sawyer, concern lacing each word. "You're mine. You're not going anywhere with another man, Anastasia."
His lips crushed hers in a bruising kiss that felt so wrong she shuddered against him, her fingers dropping the case so that the hard edge landed on his foot. He didn't even notice. In his entire life he'd never felt so out of control.
Her protests, all but silent save for a few gasps when he pulled his face back for air went unheeded as did the grip of his hands on the flare of each hip. His name, pushed out between breaths of air did nothing but add to his desperation, the fog of confusion thickening with each second. He didn't hear Sawyer knocking on the door, didn't hear Ana's feet as they scraped along the floor in a bid to find her footing. He heard nothing until that desperate male voice on the other side of the door said the word 'police'.
With alacrity he stepped back, eyes wide at the sight of her panicked eyes and disheveled dress. Lipstick smeared a crimson stain along her cheek but it was the gloss of unshed tears that finally pulled him back to himself.
"Ana." Soft, as if she were a caged animal he opened his palm and stretched his arm towards her. "Ana," he said again as Nathan began beating on the door.
"Ana!" Nathan yelled as Taylor pulled him away and down the hall.
Christian stared, unblinking and externally unphased as he waited for her to respond. Inside, he was on the verge of vomiting. What the fuck am I doing? Losing your mind. You are losing your mind. This is why you don't lose control and why you don't do relationships.
"Ana!" Nathan shouted again, this time the deafening silence between them followed by the slam of the outside door.
Without looking she reached for the knob and tested it, felt the solid click as it opened and ignored the possessive flare Christian couldn't hide when she took a step towards the hall. Never taking her eyes off of him she reached down and grabbed the guitar, backing out until her steps were halted by solid muscle.
"Let me go, Luke," she whispered, eyes still locked onto Christian's. In a move that would bind her to the hulk of a man at her back he took her shoulders and turned her towards the door.
Job be damned. That fucker has issues and damn if I'm going to stand by and be a part of them.
"I'm leaving for Mexico!" Christian boomed out behind her as if that explained his actions. He was definitely going to throw up, it was just a question as to whether she'd be around to see it.
Her tiny palm flat on the glass door that bore her name she paused and dropped her head to her chest. Behind her Luke stood still and waited, his charge's protection the only thing on his mind. He'd had a friend once who had naively thought her boyfriend's jealousy meant he loved her. Too young to say anything of worth then he'd stood by and let the relationship run its course until all that was left was a shell of a woman whose self-esteem had left her questioning her ability to do anything. Fuck if he'd watch that happen to someone as vibrant as Ana.
"I was on my way to the airport," Christian rushed out, his expensive shoes barely making a sound as they walked quickly to her. "I wanted to say goodbye before I left. He…" his arms waved at the mess around them, "This…caught me off guard."
Over her shoulder she glanced at him, felt the gravitational pull that made her want to run into his arms and ignored it. "Travel carefully."
And then she was gone.
If he'd had it his way, Luke Sawyer would not be sitting at his spot outside of Ana and Kate's apartment, he'd be in Portland watching the too-sweet-for-her-own-good Anastasia preforming with that piano dude. Turns out he'd had to catch a flight to Wichita of all places for a show tonight and wasn't going to Portland anyway. Not that he'd told Taylor any of that. Let the fucker sweat for a bit, he thought as he picked at a hangnail and perused the Thai menu the girls had handed him.
"Come inside," Kate had beckoned him once the food had been delivered and against his better judgment he did. There was zero chance he'd fool around with either of them but the way things had shaken out earlier, he wasn't ashamed to admit it had left him a bit rattled. His position was new to him. The ability to block out his charge as human and only as a job not yet something he'd been able to grasp. After today, he probably never would. That girl had some serious spunk. And balls. Shit, she'd put the billionaire in his place with nothing more than a few soft words and the back of her head.
For her part Ana seemed far less affected than he'd expected. Dressed down in yoga pants and a sweatshirt she'd made herself a nest on the couch and had surrounded herself with three guitars, a few pencils, a metronome and an enormous bottle of red Gatorade.
"She's in the zone," Kate whispered over chicken curry and rice. "I don't know what happened but whenever she gets really upset this is what she does. Total retreat into her own head. It used to concern me but now it doesn't."
Luke cocked his head to the side and watched. A few strums, a furious scribble, a few chord changes, finger plucks, a swipe on the metronome and a bite of food. So this is how it's done.
Ignoring her phone, yet again, Ana let the words that were jammed up in her mind fall out onto the six strings under her fingers and the paper across her lap. No amount of talking or therapy could even come close to the way emotions worked themselves out when she could play them instead of merely feeling them. By the time the first verse and the bridge were worked out she'd taken ownership of the confusion inside and had made it hers to capitalize on.
"Kate you've got to toss those flowers, it smells like a funeral home in here." With the flick of her pencil she worked out the chorus and walked to the keyboard in the corner to test out the harmony.
"But they're so pretty and so freaking expensive. This must've cost him thousands. Do you know how hard it is to find gloriosa's and lily of the valley here in February? And don't get me started on the peonies and hydrangea's. What'd he do anyway?"
Chewing on her pencil Ana pulled out the bench and hit a few keys. "He was an idiot."
"Well his apology is definitely not idiotic. Damn. I mean, these are hybrid, Ana! You can't just throw them out."
"Take them to your room then. They're too overpowering out here."
With a shrug Kate stood and reached for the oversized pink display, one of six that had been delivered in the last two hours. How Christian had managed to get arrangements like this on such short notice was impressive if not a bit annoying. A lot annoying actually. Ana had always been a sucker for delivered flowers...
"Leave the Lily of the Valley. It's my favorite." She glanced over and relished in the delicate beauty of the tiny white flower before hitting ignore on her phone again. Poor Sawyer, she thought as his phone lit up shortly after. Looking skyward he answered it for the hundredth time, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so.
"Yes, Sir she is perfectly safe and in for the night." Pleading he looked at Ana who sighed and waved her hand to indicate her indifference. "I believe she's writing music, Sir…yes I will certainly do that…yes I have let her know…yes her phone is charged…yes I do believe she's focused, perhaps that's the reason she's not able to answer."
With a groan he tossed his cell onto the coffee table and stood to stretch. "You're going to have to talk to him at some point. I'm charged with protecting you, not running interference on your love life."
Raising a brow skyward she shot him the middle finger and walked back to the couch where her newest song waited.
"Listen," he started, hooking his thumbs into the loops of his jeans. "Between us," he looked around, noticed Kate's closed door and continued. "I didn't like what went down earlier either but you gotta understand something, Ana. The man is used to having people do whatever he says, when he says it and how he says it. Very few things hold value to him. You," he said with a point of one meaty finger, "hold an enormous amount of value to him. So when a man comes to see his girlfriend before leaving for an international trip he knows is going to be tough and finds her in a room with another man, he's going to react. Couple that with the fact that the man knows bubkiss about being a boyfriend and add in the fact that music is extremely intimate to you and that's what you were doing with that nerd and you've got the perfect recipe for disaster."
"Are you freaking kidding me?" she exclaimed with indignation.
Sawyer held up his hands and laughed. "I'm not saying he was right, hell no. All I'm saying is as a man, I can see his point. How he handled it, not so much. But like I said, the guy's a novice at this whole thing."
"I can't believe you're defending him." But as much as she wanted to fight, his words rang true even if she thought they were bull shit.
"I'm not. All I'm saying is jealousy is a really sick emotion especially if you're not used to it. You mean something to him and not many things do. So if he hits a few bumps in the road, cut him a break. Now, clearly you have the upper hand here and clearly you're not one to over dramatize things but you do need to at least talk to the guy. Taylor said he's been despondent since you left and frankly, that makes mine and Jason's job a bitch to do."
"I did nothing wrong," was her petulant response but Luke just walked to the door and opened it.
"I'm going to bed. You're not leaving, right?"
"No."
"Good. Do me and Taylor and the people of Mexico a favor and answer your phone the next time it rings, okay?"
"I really fucked up, John."
"How so, Christian?"
"After I flipped out at her in front of one of her friends…students…teacher whatever the hell that guy was, I blurted out that I'd bought her office building."
Flynn thanked his lucky stars he was doing this over the phone and pinched his nose in disbelief before he stood and poured himself a drink. He'd always been one to admit that love made you do crazy and sometimes stupid things but Christian brought it to a whole new level.
"Did you mention the apartment as well?"
"Thank Christ no. Though I would have I was so fucking mad."
"And her reaction to this news? To your behavior?"
Turning to take in the table strewn with four bottles of empty Dos Equis Christian strode to the fridge, grabbed another and popped the top onto the floor.
"Not good. To her credit she didn't freak but then again she never does. My owning the building and the fallout from that I can deal with. The way I reacted and the way I all but attacked her?" He shook his head and pulled his hair so hard he winced. "I'm at a loss as to what I'm supposed to do now."
"What you do now is work on your jealousy issues."
Christian blinked and shook his head. "What? No, that's not what I mean. I'm asking what I do to get her past this?"
"Apologize, show your sincerity in your regrettable behavior and then grovel." Flynn chuckled and sat back down to ready himself for the last patient of the evening. "But that's just a temporary fix, Christian. Unless you lock her up, she's going to be around other men. The problem lies with you. My appointment is here. I suggest you start begging for forgiveness now and for your benefit, mention the fact that you'll be addressing your jealousy issues immediately."
Five beers down and an empty room had Christian pacing like a fighter waiting for his match. How many times had he called her now? 10? 15? How many unanswered texts sat unread on her phone from him? Thank fuck for Taylor and his quick detective work. Had that Nathan schmuck not had a show in Kansas tonight Christian may have jumped out of the plane just to rid himself of the anxiety. Eleven at night and he was as awake as if he'd just slept 12 hours.
"Taylor," he barked into the phone, his earlier buzz fading into an unpleasant regret. "Clear the gym, I'm going to work out."
Next door Taylor rolled out of bed, hand still around his dick. Gail giggled sweetly into the phone and promised to wait for him to call her back before finishing herself off but at that moment all he really wanted to do was tell Grey to fuck off.
Ms. Steele's little display of righteous indignation had made him proud if not a bit weary over what was sure to come. Forget being a man, Jason Taylor knew Grey better than anyone else with the exception of Ana and maybe John Flynn so if he couldn't help but feel a little bad for the guy, well that was just the way it was. And jealousy? Yeah, Jason knew that bitter taste all too well. Shit, he'd forbidden Gail to shop at the local WholeFoods just because of the suave manager who always seemed to find his way out front when she was shopping. So, despite the method, he did have some sympathy for The Boss.
Money had brought Grey respect, something he'd sorely been denied as a young child and again as an impressionable teen so when he'd found out that Ana wasn't using the cash he bequeathed her with, Taylor knew there was going to be a fall out. But to find her in her office with another man, doing something as intimate to her as writing music, well he'd just been glad Grey hadn't killed the guy.
Taylor had been the one to pacify the pianist and shove him into his car with the promise that Ms. Steele was fine and yes, he'd have her call him within the hour and yes, if she didn't call he understood that Belshigrav would involve the police. It had chaffed Grey's ass that Ana had called Nathan to see how he was doing and not him but other than the grinding of his teeth they'd continued to SeaTac in silence. Thank all that is pure and holy I had the foresight to look the guy up while they were arguing.
Half asleep and horny as hell Taylor held the sand bag and watched with detached interest each time Christian made contact with the maroon leather. Man to man he could offer some advice but that's not how their relationship worked. Plus, he wasn't a chick so…
The flowers had been a nice and quick touch but Ana hadn't so much as acknowledged them yet, a point Grey was contending with with each swing of his arms. Left, right, left, right…Christian fell into a steady rhythm, the day's events playing out on a loop he couldn't unsee. He'd scared her. Had actually pushed her against the wall and not with the burning passion she'd become accustomed to. He'd pinned her there to keep her there.
God I'm a fucking moron. If she ever speaks to you again it'll be a miracle. What were you thinking? What the fuck happened in there? Acid filled his mouth each time he remembered the fear in her eyes.
Defeated, muscles trembling with overuse he called it a night by walking towards the elevator and downing two bottles of water in quick succession. A shower soothed the sharp pain in his body but did nothing to help alleviate the gnawing ache of how he'd left her.
Two am Seattle time. He could call Sawyer again if only to pacify himself as to her whereabouts. I guess it's a good sign that she hasn't gotten rid of him yet, he thought with a resigned sigh as he dialed her number again. If she was done with me, she'd have made Sawyer leave too. Expecting to hear the melodic message of her voice mail he sat straight up in shock when she answered with a groggy hello.
"Christian? It's two in the morning. Are you ok?"
Fine now that I'm talking to you. "The question is are you ok, Ana? My behavior…it was less than agreeable." His mouth opened and closed, the rehearsed apology eluding him now that he had the chance to actually say it. "I embarrassed you and intimidated you and blindsided you."
"Yes, you did. You also left bruises on my hips and my neck hurts from sleeping on the couch."
He blinked and smiled. "You're sleeping on the couch?"
"Yes."
"And that's my fault?"
"Yes," she laughed, the sound of a guitar hitting the floor and papers flitting to the ground drowning out the expletives she used when she tried to stand. "I must have fallen asleep writing."
"A song?" Just keep her talking.
"Yes."
"About what?"
"Stupid men."
He barked out a laugh and leaned back. "Any stupid man in particular?"
"Yes. You." Sliding into bed she fiddled with the worn edge of her blue and white comforter and looked at the framed picture Mia had given her of the kiss she and Christian had shared at New Years. "I'm not the kind of girl that fawns over a man throwing his alpha gorilla 'she's mine' shit around. I find it nauseating."
His eyes closed of their own accord, the stinging words reaching through the phone and smacking him across the face. An image, Ana on the wooden horse in the red room while he whipped her flashed across the backs of his lids, the urge to punish raging a battle within. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it. He may be a stupid man but he wasn't stupid enough to correct her mouth right now.
"I don't know what to say other than that I was out of line and regret the entire thing. Beginning to end it was hideous and not something I want to remember or repeat."
"Oh they'll be no repeating," she scoffed. "That can't happen again. For comparison purposes may I remind you that I had one of your ex-submissives measure my entire body, dress me in clothes, bring me drinks and listen to me ramble on and didn't react the way you did."
He hung his head and took a deep breath. The last thing, the very last thing in the world he wanted to do right now was bring up his ex's. Damage control, focus on damage control.
"You alone with a man I don't know…it makes me anxious."
"Jealous you mean. It makes you jealous. It's why you're so obsessed with learning who my Doms were, it's why you didn't let my friends from Montesano stay at my apartment, it's why you came with me to the bar the other night. I'm not stupid. I know you weren't just being a normal boyfriend. You weren't willing to let me go out with a guy who wasn't on your payroll. You think I'm not aware of your motivations but I am."
God damn it this is not how the conversation was supposed to go. Recognition of wrong, forgiveness, a light banter to ensure things were good, a tug and talk session and a sweet goodnight.
Should he tell her that he'd already found out the names of every Dom except the one that had loved her? Probably not a good idea just yet especially since she'd not mentioned the purchase of her building. If there was a God, Christian was fervently praying she'd forgotten that little tidbit.
"Hello? Anything?"
"Yes. I would like to move past this and make a vow to you to not behave that way again. You are a stunningly beautiful woman, Ana and if that weren't tempting enough you are also incredibly talented, amazingly sweet and unbelievably intelligent. I would be foolish to think no other man would be interested in dating you."
She smiled and touched the photo in her hands longingly. "That was very sweet to say, Christian but I am not a commodity you need to protect from thieves. I have no interest in other men, only in you. Being with anyone else other than you? Holds no interest for me. What I am telling you is that the whole beating of the chest jealousy thing? That also holds no interest to me so…stop it."
"OK," he laughed out. "I'll put that on priority number one with my therapist."
"Thank you, that would be most appreciated." A few seconds of contented silence and she heard him yawn, the rustling of pillows bringing a smile to her face. "Go to sleep. I'm sure you have a really important day tomorrow and need your sleep."
"I'm not tired," he said salaciously to which she just laughed.
"Well I am."
"We're good, Ana?" Because I can't live with this weight on my chest and that seemed way too easy.
"Well we still need to talk about the building and I want to make sure you understand my ground rules as to interactions with people in my life, but so long as you promise not to act like that again, yes, we're good."
Well shit. The damn building. He could kill himself for spilling that little nugget.
Two days of stagnant negotiations, lousy food and intense arguing had brought the teams from GEH and Inovation Alegres to a place that could be summed up in one word; contempt. They'd done enough staring and glowering to last a lifetime and if the bringing in the president of the country hadn't changed Grey's mind, then nothing was going to.
They had thrown all they could at him and Roz in an effort to pacify them but no amount of booze, girls and innuendo was going to save the deal from certain death. Resigned to his fate Christian stood and walked out of the room, slowing his pace as he reached the door in the hope of being called back in. Failure was not something he was accustomed to. Roz followed behind, their small team cleaning up the table and storming out with indignant huffs and hard glares.
Despite the blazing heat he buttoned up his suit jacket and refused the bottle of water from the driver. Roz held her phone in her hands and watched the screen, willing it to ring. When it didn't Christian, eyes never leaving the window finally admitted defeat.
"Call the attorney's and have them file the law suit."
"Do you want to at least wait until we're back in the states?"
"Make the call. It's over." A total and utter failure. That's all that was left.
Forty thousand jobs. Lost. Families left with nothing, children who would be hungry while their fathers begged for work on street corners and their mothers wept at the loss of security and the fear of the future. He'd tried. Valiantly. How many hours had he dumped into this project? How many factory workers and day laborers had he met over the last few months, promising a better future for them and their families?
For nothing. Not one of those jobs would be here in six weeks. Not one of those self absorbed government assholes would be here in the days to come when lines of unemployed would circle the building to beg for work.
Despite being 30 thousand feet in the air he felt as if he were drowning. Making money was secondary to what his real passion was. Sustaining people. Be it by feeding them or investing in them, by creating a job or ensuring the stability of the one they had, at heart, his passion was to sustain. And he'd failed.
Forty thousand. Forty thousand. Forty thousand. The number repeated itself. Letters, numbers, figures. It all came back to the same thing. Forty thousand.
Had it not been for the lightness of his talks with Ana throughout the last day he'd have lost his damn mind but as it were, she'd read his mood and had thankfully avoided the conversation about her office. Instead she let him vent, cracked a joke here and there and sent him a new mp3 of a song she'd written entitled, "Jerk." He couldn't help but smile each time he listened to it.
Ana. He needed her more than the oxygen in his lungs. What was it about her that demanded such a want in him? Did it matter so long as she fed the beast inside that hungered for her body, for her mind, for her very being? The deal failed but he still had Anastasia.
His departure had been hasty and unplanned but the details mattered little when his feet crossed the threshold to his apartment. Home. With its subtle scent of cinnamon and woman he'd finally understood the word. Taylor handed him his briefcase and made for the security suite.
"Were you able to get ahold of her?"
"Yes, Sir. She cancelled her last two lessons and was able to move her doctors appointment to now. I expect her shortly. Should I have Gail prepare some food?"
"No," he said with a wave of his hand. He couldn't eat if he tried. Disappointment and guilty responsibility had taken up too much space. Forty thousand jobs. "I'll be leaving normal time for the office tomorrow. Take the night."
With a nod Taylor left him alone, the rays of muted sunlight in his office the only thing keeping the shadows of despair at bay. How long he sat there, a drink in his hand, elbows on his knees at the end of that huge couch he didn't know. Business, especially his, was a gamble. And losing wasn't something Christian Grey did well. Or often. He took a burning swig and tried to quiet the chaos in his mind but the alcohol did little to help, the crushing anxiety growing with each passing second.
Until Ana walked in the room, a white wrap dress finishing off the sudden appearance of an angel in the doorway. He didn't move for fear that he'd break the spell and when she walked to him, slow purposeful steps that highlighted every womanly part of her he surrendered to her completely.
Red fingernails untied the sash of the dress so that it fell away revealing alabaster skin framed in with a sheer set of white lace panties that had his mind blanking entirely.
Hooooly fuck she looks good. Tight pink nipples pointed heavenward when she knelt in front of him and took his drink away. Silently she traced the worry lines in his forehead, the soft skin under his eyes, the sharp edge of his jaw. Eye to eye she undid his tie, lifting her mouth to his temples to kiss his stress away.
Without permission she traced the collar of his white shirt and one by one, slowly and bravely she unbuttoned it, the thrill of pushing it off his shoulders flaring in her eyes. His hands, clenched on either side of him remained still when she slid her palms back up each arm and to his neck. Tipping his face she kissed him so gently, so tenderly the breath in his lungs rushed out.
Pulling back she smiled and went back to her knees, those red nails tracing the waistband of his pants until they found the center button. His hips raised when she tugged the fabric off, his cock hard and desperate for her.
With eyes as sincere as anything he'd ever seen she licked him from root to tip once, twice, three times until he felt her lips close as she sucked him in deep. He could only hiss with the intense pleasure she gave him, that beautiful mouth creating the perfect blend of sensation. When that hot little mouth closed in on his balls he jumped, one hand stroking him upwards while her tongue dipped between the seam of his balls before circling them with tiny flicks. It wasn't until she sucked one gently between her lips that he closed his eyes to the pleasure, an acknowledgement that despite everything, she was the one in control now.
How she incited such desire and made him want more when she was giving him exactly what he needed he didn't know. What he did know was that he wanted more. More of her body, more of her time, more of her thoughts, more of her present, her future, more Ana. When she hummed along his shaft and gave him the smallest coy smile he resigned himself to the moment and laid back on his elbows, helpless to do anything but feel.
Intensity reigned down on her as he watched that wicked mouth of hers work him up and down until he was as hard as steel and as desperate as an addict. When she stood and took him in hand, swinging one leg over his hips so that she could take him inside he made no move to stop her. With the confidence of a well-worn lover she guided him between her legs and spread the slippery head of his cock against the slippery folds of her sex, agonizingly slowly sinking down on him, inch by blessed inch until he was buried deep.
Her hands, tingling with the want to touch him found anchor on the back of the couch, his eyes burning with intensity as he let her take the lead. With each slow lift of her hips, with each slow undulation of her waist, with each slow slide of her sex he felt the control he prided himself on float away until all that was left was sensation and the unbelievable connection that ran between them. This, this...vulnerability that left them both so exposed and needy, so bare and honest to each other...this was where he wanted to dwell.
Curling his fingers around the flare of her hips he lifted his mouth to the tempting dangle of her nipple and felt the pleasing hard tip flick against his tongue, the stimulation driving her movements faster. He was falling apart with each stroke into the bliss of her body, both of them riding the powerful emotions that superseded anything physical between them.
His mind was nothing more than a swirling canvas of colors, his body strained in a tight arch as he fought back the orgasm that would bring him completion. His arms circled her lower back, pulling her close enough to bite the tender curve of her neck so that her pulse raced against his tongue. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the piercing sensation of her finger nails as they dug into his shoulders but nothing mattered more than the primal urge to drive upwards into her soft body until he'd left a part of himself behind.
"Christian," she whimpered into his ear and though he'd heard that moan a hundred times, tonight there was something in it that fed his soul. "Christian," she said again, those nails scraping down the round of his shoulder and holding him there.
Faster, harder, deeper. From beneath the sanctuary of her body he pistoned himself, lost in the perfection of having Ana in his arms until the pressure in his balls couldn't be ignored. That moment, that ultra-personal moment when man becomes slave to the primal urges of his body had him reaching for her, drawing her closer, the frenzy of all consuming need turning his walls to dust.
"Ana," he grunted as his cum lashed her inner walls. Beneath her he jerked and twitched, eyes squeezed shut and mouth open as razor sharp euphoria coursed through his veins. His hands gripped the silken strands of her hair and just as the pleasure reached its peak.
Her body hummed, the tension of Christian's day leeching into her strained muscles and burning scalp. His eyes remained closed, the harsh breaths against her neck giving way to a sated pant before his arms went limp along her legs. Aware of the gravity of the moment Ana stayed still, relishing the feel of his body at her mercy. He had never before let her ride him with such abandon. No restraints or ties, no spoken reminders or harshly gripped hands.
"Did you cum?" he finally asked with a hoarse growl, those sharp gray eyes focusing on the flush of her chest.
"It's ok," she whispered, her heart falling when he gently but purposefully lifted her hands from his shoulders.
"That is most definitely not ok." An easy grin spread across his face. He'd let a woman ride him, unrestrained, and it had blown his mind. Good or bad he had no idea but right now was not the time to dissect it. Keeping himself inside he turned her and sat up, spreading her legs wide so that he could find her erect clit with the pad of his fingers.
"Oh God," she groaned, her head falling back to his chest, heat blooming deep inside as his fingers worked their magic. "Yes, right there…Christian…please…"
"You never need to beg me, Ana…all I want is to give you what you need, whatever that may be." His cock stirred back to life inside her clenching channel, each sweet kiss pressed against her back propelling her towards that blissful abyss. She palmed her breasts and shouted her pleasure as the lust broke into sweet relief, her shaking legs barely able to hold her up when Christian pushed her forward and pounded into her from behind.
More...more...more...
When finally they were both wrung dry, reduced to nothing more than a boneless heap on the cold floor, he lifted her off of him and covered her with his shirt. Minutes ticked by as they sat, Christian's hands mindlessly running up and down the expanse of her back. Snuggling into him Ana dared to turn and press a kiss to the base of his neck, happy when his customary warning about where to touch him went unsaid.
Maybe his freaking out about Nathan had been a good thing. Maybe he'll let me touch him now.
"I lost the deal." His voice had never sounded so small.
Ana took his face in her gentle hands and brought his lips to hers. "I'm sorry," she whispered so tenderly it made his heart ache. She had already known, Luke had filled her in on the basics but had left out the details but when she'd seen Christian so alone and so vulnerable she'd shed her dress and shoes and had come to him to offer him the respite she knew he needed.
"Forty thousand jobs, Ana." Her shoulders felt the weight of his responsibility but her heart felt the anxiety she knew he carried. She didn't pepper him with stupid questions as to what else could be done or ideas that she knew would go nowhere. Instead she stood and offered her hand to him.
"Food. You need to eat. It's seven and we've not had dinner. I think we should order Chinese and eat ice cream in bed."
"In bed?" he laughed, rising to his full height. When she turned to walk he grabbed her hand and pulled her close. Two feet apart and it was too far.
"It'll work. It's Kate's breakup routine but somehow it always works. At least to take the edge off."
"There's a breakup routine?" That weight lifted a little even as he picked her up to carry her to the bathroom.
"You don't strike me as a chick-flick kinda guy so we can watch a shoot em' up kind of movie and then," she trailed one finger along his jaw, "if you're still feeling like this…"
"What?" he finally asked, placing her feet on the stone of the shower floor. "What if I'm still feeling like this?" Which is impossible because I felt better the second your skin touched mine.
Over her shoulder she gave him a coy smile and let him stare at the suds sliding down her smooth back.
"I'll let you take me into the red room."
One brow popped up, his smug grin relaying all she needed to know. "You'll let me take you in the room? Oh, Ms. Steele," he said, his hand landing with a loud crack on the creamy globe of her ass. "I will take you in there whenever and however I want or have you forgotten that parallel to this relationship we have there is a contract that states just that?"
Instead of a retort Ana just flicked a handful of suds at him. A Dom he may be. But Christian Grey was also a man and if there was one thing Ana had learned from her experiences as a submissive and as a woman it was this.
When it came to men, women had all the control.
Author's note: Hi readers. I got a bunch of questions asking if I had a posting schedule. I do not and I will not be holding myself to one. My real life is super busy in a great way and I'm not cutting anything out so I will write when I can, edit when I can and post when I can. And no, I have not seen the movie.