A/N: I know. Believe me. I hope it helps to know that I'm already like 1600 words into the next chapter though! But I had to cut this one off here.

Christian POV

His fist raised, hesitating for a split second before he forced himself to knock on the hotel room door. His gut flipped once, his nerves climbing up his throat, constricting it for a moment. This had to go well. He needed this to go really well tonight. She deserved a perfect evening out, and he wanted to badly to be the one to give it to her.

He had persuaded her to come out to Seattle. First, because he'd had a meeting that he couldn't cancel and it would have greatly hindered his time with her if he'd had to fly out to her so late after the meeting ended. But secondly, he would be far more capable of impressing her here than in a tiny little town like Montesano. He'd wanted to offer her a room in his home, but he had resisted the urge, knowing he didn't want to come off too forward before even getting through the first date. So he'd flown her up here in his private jet and put her up in the Fairmont Olympic for the night. She was given free access to room service, to the spa services, etc. So that's where he was now, standing outside of the door of the Cascade Suite. He'd made sure everything was available to her there, any amenity she could want.

The door opened and there she was, standing there in a floor length, dark blue patterned dress made of some kind of material that flowed gently around her as she moved. Her hair was down and wavy, and she looked even more beautiful that he'd ever remembered her looking before. Or maybe it was just that he hadn't set eyes on her in entirely too long.

She looked up at him, a little smile on her face, but he could see the nerves behind it.

"Hi," he breathed out, hearing the tightness in his own voice.

"Hi," she giggled, and the noise washed over him like a drug kicking in and spreading throughout his body.

"You look beautiful, Ana," he said, unable to help himself as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek. She looked amazing, smelled amazing, was amazing.

"Thanks," she said, blushing lightly while tucking a piece of hair behind her left ear. "And thank you for all this," she said, motioning to the room behind her. "It's too much. Way too much. But I appreciate the thought behind it."

"Nothing is too much for you," he said sincerely. "I would give you the world if I could."

She blushed, then cleared her throat as she reached over, grabbing a little clutch off the end table before stepping out of the doorway, closing it behind her. "I'm not going to lie, I've been kind of nervous all day. Not because of you, but just because of this in general. I've never done this before, you know?"

He felt the heat of anger rise up inside of him. No, she had never had a chance to date before, because Scott fucking Kennedy was a piece of shit who stole her adolescence, her innocence, from her. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. This wasn't the time or place for this anger. He'd spent countless hours completely submerged in a state of fierce anger over this situation, but tonight was going to be light and easy and fun. Not filled with the heaviness that had surrounded their relationship up until this point. He would give her a real first date, one she would be able to look back on fondly for the rest of her life.

"I get it, Ana, but there's no reason to be nervous. I just want to enjoy some drama free one on one time with you. I want to get to know you. The real you. Who you are in here," he said, placing his hand over his own heart.

"I'm still trying to find out exactly who that is myself," she replied with a smile that hinted some sadness. "But I'm happy to share with you what I've learned so far," she finished, her smile turning brighter and more genuine.

He'd led her out to the Bentley he'd rented for Taylor to drive them around in. Sawyer was in the passenger seat. He wasn't taking any chances with security. The one reason he had considered not having Ana come to Seattle was because Kennedy was here, and it made him intensely uncomfortable to have them even in the same city. But ultimately he trusted his security to keep them safe, and he wanted Seattle at his fingertips to show Ana.

He wanted her to be blown away. He wanted desperately to impress her. So he'd put together a date he hoped would do just that. He couldn't risk this going badly, not when this could make or break their future. He wanted her to know he cared, wanted her to know what kind of life was waiting for her with him, what he had to offer the very moment she ever decided to be his, if she would ever do so.

He'd opened the door for her, offered an arm to help her in, and closed the door before rounding the back of the car to sit next to her. In that time, he took a deep breath, trying to even out his newly resurging nerves.

It was a twenty five minute drive to their location. He had a bag waiting in the trunk, filled with a pristinely prepared and expertly packed meal by Gail, an obscenely expensive and rare bottle of wine, and hand dipped chocolate covered berries for dessert. They pulled up to the open area where Ana immediately took in an audible breath at the sight of the huge, multicolored hot air balloon waiting for them. He'd rented out the whole area, so they would be the only ones there. He didn't want to share this, or her, with anyone else. The pilot of the balloon was vetted and signed an NDA, and was given strict instructions to remain as discreet as possible, which included wearing headphones when he wasn't actively playing tour guide to give them privacy. He'd even rented the largest balloon, which normally holds up to fourteen people, just to give them plenty of space.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights," he said, turning to her with a smile.

"A little late if I was, huh?" she said, eyes still on the balloon. His smile faltered just as she turned to him, and she was quick to try and assure him. "I was kidding. I'm not. This is amazing. I'm excited to get up there. I've never been in a hot air balloon before."

He breathed a small sigh of relief, his smile returning before he told her to stay put, then exited the car and came around her side to help her out. Taylor grabbed the food from the trunk and carried it over to the basket, where he handed it off to the pilot who was waiting for them with a smile. The he returned to the car to wait with Sawyer until they returned. He only scheduled the balloon ride for a two hour tour. Enough time for them to enjoy their dinner and each other's company, but not so much time where if she didn't enjoy it that they would be stuck in the air for three or four hours.

Ana's excitement was palpable and contagious as he helped her up the ladder and into the basket. Her cheeks were flushed as she grinned widely, listening to the instructions given to them by the pilot. And in no time, they were ready to take off.

Ana watched the scenery, and Christian watched Ana. They ascended toward the sky, watching the world float away from them in a comfortable silence until they leveled out. Then finally she spoke again.

"This is beautiful, Christian."

"I'm glad you like it," he replied earnestly. So glad.

They listened to the pilot point out some landmarks, like the foothills of the cascade range to the east and the obviously bustling cityscape of Seattle and it's surrounding areas to the west. They talked about everything from the beautiful sights to themselves for about forty-five minutes, at which time Christian suggested for them to eat.

Ana helped him unfold and lay down a blanket, while Christian began to unpack the food. Gail had gone through a sushi phase, in which Christian had arranged and paid for her to have a lesson from Seattle's top sushi chef to learn how to prepare it herself. She'd been absolutely ecstatic about it personally, but truth be told, it greatly benefited him too since she liked to roll fresh sushi for him now. At least he'd had the foresight to check to see if she liked sushi first, unlike checking to see if she has a fear of heights.

He opened the containers and sauces that Gail had packed, then pulled out two pairs of expensive, authentic chopsticks he'd gotten from his last business trip to Tokyo, handing one to Ana. He opened the eight thousand dollar bottle of German riesling that he'd gotten for tonight, pouring each of them a glass and handing Ana hers.

"Thank you," she said, taking a quick sip then licking her lips. "This all looks so delicious. I don't know what to try first."

"It's all amazing," he admitted, knowing he'd previously tried everything here at one point or another when Gail had made it. He pointed out the different options- tuna, salmon, eel, and what was with them, on them, and what sauces there were to try. They dug in, sharing everything, even bites off each others pieces so she could try different combinations and sauces.

The meal had been light and easy. They'd spent the time discussing things that were nice and normal. Ana talked to Christian about her young childhood, good memories, omitting the entirety of her mid to late teens and early adulthood. He got to know who she was before, and hear about the things she'd been doing since she moved back to Montesano. He learned about her love of fishing, and how she and Ray had already been out on the water. She learned that was a mutual love of theirs, and they were already discussing future plans to go out on a fishing excursion on his boat one day, Ray included.

It was nice to be able to ask her questions open and honestly for once, instead of always feeling like he was going to push her away by prodding too much, looking desperate for information. He told her about his childhood, his wild phase in high school, about college at Harvard. He worried maybe the topic of his mainstream adolescence would upset her, but she just seemed purely interested, even asking lots of follow up questions about what it was like to be in school. She seemed excited more than anything. Like she was just focusing on the future, not on her past, and he found himself ever more impressed with her strength. He admired her, everything about her. She was the most intriguing person he'd ever met, and he'd met a great deal of impressive people in his line of work.

They finished up their meals, Ana declining a second glass of wine, joking that she was a lightweight and didn't want to do anything to embarrass herself, especially with nowhere to hide in a hot air balloon basket.

She scooted to the edge of the basket, looking down at the earth below them. He saw a shiver run through her, and was quick to remove his jacket and place it over her, his hands cupping the rounds of her shoulders. She didn't seemed to mind, in fact, she swayed against him, resting her back against his front gently. She looked back over her shoulder with a sweet smile and a quiet thank you. His arms slipped down, trapping her body against him and the edge of the basket, and she automatically nestled against his body between his biceps. They finished the rest of the ride watching the world below them, engaging in more small talk until it was time for them to descend back to the ground.

When they were safely back on solid ground, Christian exited the basket first so he could help Ana down since she had to navigate her floor length dress. Which proved to have been the right choice as she stepped on the back of it and nearly slipped off the top rung. Luckily for her, he was right there. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her easily, setting her gently and safely on the ground.

"My hero," she laughed, looking up at him with a glimmering laughter in her eyes.

In that moment he wanted to kiss her so badly. But he wasn't sure if he should or not.

He didn't have to wonder for long though, as she pushed up on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His grip around her tightened as his lips loosened, and gently they kissed for a few moments before they pulled away.

"Well, Mr. Grey," she said as they turned and began walking back toward the idling car with Taylor at the helm and Sawyer sitting shotgun. "I must say this is the best first date I've ever been on."

"I'm glad, Miss Steele," he gazed down at her, sending her a playful wink, knowing the unspoken joke that she'd never done this before. "It has been for me as well. Truth be told, I'm not ready for it to end."

"It doesn't have to," she was quick to respond.

He couldn't help where his thoughts went next, images flashing through his mind's eye of him taking her back to her hotel or to his place and absolutely ravaging her.

"Coffee," she said, an amused tone to her voice that pulled him from his thoughts. The look on her face told him that where his mind had wandered had been obvious, and he shrugged unapologetically.

"Taylor would have to check a place out first," Christian started to think out loud.

"Or we can just go back to the hotel," she offered. This time he was giving her the look, his eyebrow cocked and a little smirk playing on his lips. "For convenience sake," she said with a grin as the walked toward the car.

"Well who can say no to an invitation like that?" he said, helping her into the back of the car before getting in himself.

"Where to, Mr. Grey?" Taylor asked.

"Ana's hotel, please."

Scott POV

He'd lost her.

All the years he'd had her, all the years that every move he made with her worked seamlessly, fit into place like a puzzle, and now? Now he'd lost her.

He'd managed to successfully lure her in, keep her father from finding out, keep her out of college, move her out of his house, and keep her wanting and waiting diligently under his thumb while he built GHI. He'd done ALL of it, for years, and now?

He'd lost her.

Fuck Grey Enterprise Holdings. Fuck all the money he'd made with this deal. Fuck the notoriety, fuck the strides they'd made in the technology he loved, and FUCK Christian fucking Grey.

If he could go back and stay simple with GHI, not merge with GEH, he'd do it in a heartbeat. Because then he'd still have her. She'd be his, and that would be enough.

He wasn't sure where she was, and he couldn't risk looking into it. The only place he could imagine she might be was with her dad, which, as much as he fucking hated the idea, wasn't even as bad as her being with Grey. So if that's where she was, he could live with it for now. Until he could find a way to get her back. Steele had been oblivious to her doings before. And that's when he was responsible for her. Now she was an adult. If he could get to her, draw her back in, there'd be nothing Steele could do about it, even if he saw it coming this time.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he grunted. Get her back…. How? How was he going to manage to pull that off? He'd been mulling over possibilities, but so far he was at a loss. He had a feeling that whatever had happened between she and Grey that kept them apart, Grey would still be watching out of her. If for no other reason that to spite him. So however he was going to do this, he needed to do it under Grey's radar.

He never realized how much he needed what Ana provided until she was gone. The sex was just the tip of the iceberg, and although definitely missed, this was all so much more than that. He needed to dominate her in order to be in control in all aspects of his life. He'd taken the fact that she was just there for granted for years now. He needed her back. His fingers longed to itched to touch her. His mind longed to control her.

He'd even taken to occasionally watching old videos of them just to feel that connection again. He would watch himself controlling her, close his eyes, and imagine she was in front of him, imagine she was doing every little thing he desired, only when he allowed her to do it. He imagined her satisfying his mental and physical needs with her submission.

A notifications sounded on his laptop, pulling his attention away from the mental images of Ana. Clicking on the Google alert, he found the one thing he'd anticipated seeing, the reason he set up this stupid fucking Google alert to begin with. He'd had to verify every single time his name splashed across a new article about this or that, just to make sure he knew about it the moment this happened. And it was finally happening.

Seattle's Most Eligible Bachelor Seen Entering Hotel with Mystery Brunette (Photos)

He clicked through them, and there she was in a series of five images, her hand clasped in his, both smiling as they scurried in the front entranced at the Fairmont Olympic. He knew that it was only a matter of time before this happened, before the two of them saw each other again, and were seen out in public. But the fact that he'd anticipated it did nothing to quell the fierce anger he felt at actually seeing it play out. And not just something innocent, not just pictures of them out to dinner, but pictures of them entering a hotel together.

He'd expected it, but still, her being around Grey was a serious complication. Because if she was around him, and he was around his security, as he always was, that made it harder for him to get to her. It wasn't a deterrent though. He would still find a way. He would just have to finesse the plans a little bit more.

Someday. Someday she would be his again… For now, he would again utilize the closest thing he had to her.

Standing up from his desk, he scrolled through the mental rolodex of various scenes he'd filmed, trying to pick one to play out this evening.

There was a really good, one of him really testing a few of her soft limits that he really enjoyed, so he decided to go with that one. He visibly smirked, as he glanced at the shelf where he kept the book, that damn Tess book that that cocky prick Grey had given her, the one he'd very much enjoyed gutting and ruining.

The one that was very conspicuously missing from the shelf.

His mind raced with possibilities. Not who. He knew who. But when. And how. And what did he plan to do with them?

A new surge of instantaneous anger hit him like a tsunami and before he could think better, he pushed both hands behind the giant bookcase and pushed, sending the whole thing to the ground with an ear splitting crash.

It made him feel better, but only for a moment, then his mind was racing again. He had little option left at this point. Grey was clearly trying to exert his authority here, trying to show he was the alpha, the one in control. But there was no way in hell Scott Kennedy was going down without a fight.