Hello, thanks for reading, and a special thanks to Wattle, AriadneinNaxos and LilithBlood
Chapter 25
Christian POV
I scowl at the photographers, daring them to shove their cameras further into my face. At least they can't see Anastasia now, all wrapped up. Taylor opens the car door for me, and I carefully slide in, not taking Anastasia out of my arms. Screw the seatbelt for the meantime; I'm not letting her go. I don't care how wrinkled my suit is going to be either. It's only a suit, and I have a much more precious possession in my arms. With a low growl of the engine, we speed off down the street, and I see the scrum of scum, the paparazzi, leaping out of the way. Their own lives are more important than getting a picture. Selfish bastards. I want to ruin their day they way they have ruined my girl's. My blood boils as I hear Anastasia give a soft whimper beneath me. I unclasp my right arm from around her body, and push back the blue patchwork quilt that covers her face. She blinks and squinches her eyes, as she adjusts her eyes to the light outside her cotton cawl.
"Thank you for – rescuing me," she whispers. "There were so many of them, I could hear them even though Elliott had told us to stay back from the windows. I don't know what would have happened, if he, if you weren't there." Her voice fades away.
I do my best not to look angry. I'm not angry at her. "Shhh, Sweetheart, it's ok. You are safe now." I will always keep you safe. When she smiles, my heart melts, and my anger at the world temporarily subsides.
"Are they following us?" I twist round and back again, meeting Taylor's gaze in the rear view mirror.
"Yes, they are, but Taylor will soon shake them." I have utmost faith in his driving skills. Also, thank fuck for tinted windows. Nobody is going to take unauthorised photos of my Anastasia, if I can help it.
She chances a little peek further out from her handcrafted cocoon. Her eyes widen when she sees another man besides Taylor in the front seat.
"Anastasia, you know Taylor. The other man is Sawyer." Sawyer turns around and gives her a wide smile which is reciprocated. I feel a pang of jealously, that perfect smile should only be for me, not any other man.
"Hi Sawyer," she grins. "I'll put you into my journal when I get to work." It's my turn to smile. She hasn't forgotten the task that I've set her. I'm looking forward to having a read at that later. She turns back to me. "I didn't know that you trusted anyone but Taylor."
There we are, back to trust again. I can almost predict the response that will follow my next statement. "Sawyer is to be your close personal protection." She frowns, the little crease between her eyebrows deepening as she mouths the words to herself. The expected realisation sets in and she tries to wriggle into a sitting position, but it's easy to hold her firm. The blanket makes quite an effective restraining device. It'd be completely useless in the playroom, but here in the back of the car, it's perfect.
"A bodyguard? Christi-, I mean Sir, you can't give me a bodyguard." I give her my best Dom glare and she subdues for a beat. "No offence to Sawyer, if you trust him, I'm sure he's very good at his close-personal-protectioning, but I don't need it." I stare my unruly little sub down and finally she drops her eyes.
"Miss Steele, if you continue to protest, I shall take action." I use my free hand to point to the handkerchief in my breast pocket. "Consider this your one and only warning. I will use this to silence you, regardless of who is travelling with us." Her eyes fly to the front of the car. Taylor is focussed on the road, hands on the wheel. He has heard and seen a lot worse than that. Sawyer gives a fleeting glance to Taylor, but when they don't engage, Sawyer straightens up, and recomposes himself. Apart from flashing those winning smiles to my girl, with his efficient discretion and adaptability, he has already begun to prove his worth. Again, this is why I trust Taylor, I'm quite sure that he will fill the newbie in on the finer nuances of the NDA.
"Uhm, May I ask a question, Sir?" When she is so compliant, I swear my dick swells like a teenager. Taking over a company, controlling whether I choose that merges into GEH, or stands alone, does not give me nearly the same head rush as knowing that I can dominate a woman like Anastasia. It's not just the domination, it's the awareness that I have her submission. If she yelled that I was kidnapping her, or threatening to rape her, I would let her go immediately. Delicately beautiful surrender, like that innate in my girl, is a wonder to behold. I nod in acknowledgement and she continues, "Where are we going?"
"We are going to Escala." She frowns and shakes her head. I have to give a dry chuckle, she is being obedient and heeding my warning, although I can tell she wants to speak, but I'm not giving her permission.
"Anastasia, we are going to the apartment because I want to ensure your well-being." My free thumb strokes her cheek, my left arm still holding her firm. I'm vaguely aware of pins and needles setting in, but I'm not letting her go. She flinches slightly, no doubt at the mention of her 'well-being', but I choose to ignore it. "You belong to me Anastasia, and I will always protect what is mine. Dr Greene, will make a house visit, just to ensure that you are not suffering any undue stress." I doubt that she is, but I am not taking any chances with her health
"No!"
I raise an eyebrow at her sudden small protest. "No?"
"I mean, it's not necessary, Sir."
"Anastasia, this matter is closed, and I think you have shared enough opinions on the matter for one day."
Once again, she wriggles, this time a little more forcefully. "Noooo! I'm dressed for work, I have to go to GEH!" Whilst I admire her work ethic, I will win this argument. I curl her in close to my chest and surreptitiously take my handkerchief from my pocket. Those baby blues widen in shock and she presses her lips firmly together, so much so that they almost disappear. She shakes her head. "Mmmh, mmh!"
I dip my head so that our foreheads almost touch. "I warned you, Anastasia. Now open." I have never tolerated bratty submissives, and Anastasia, although she is still learning, must appreciate that a good Dom does not make idle threats where punishments or discipline are involved. Her lips part slightly, the dainty rosebud colour returning, and using my linen-wrapped finger, twist the handkerchief into her mouth. She doesn't make another peep. To spare her any embarrassment, I bunch a little wall of quilt around her face, so that the guys in the front cannot see her. I don't know whether Sawyer is in the lifestyle, but Taylor knows that I am. He is also well aware of the tenets, safe, sane and consensual. I drop a kiss on her forehead and she gives a soft mewl, and snuggles in to me. "Good girl," I whisper. She is safe with me. I have an overwhelming urge to protect her. I look up to the backs of their heads, the matching buzzcuts of Taylor and Sawyer silhouetted against the early morning sun. We will all keep her safe.
It's only been a few minutes, but finally we are in the dark cavernous garage of Escala, away from prying eyes and long range camera lenses. As Sawyer steps out to open the door, I take the handkerchief out of her mouth. It isn't a gag for silencing someone, but serves as a reminder of submission. She could have spat or pushed it out at any time, but she didn't. I stroke her hair, and murmur reassurances in her ear. She is truly trying to be a good sub, and I take so much more pleasure out of training her when it doesn't all revolve around pain, although there is nothing as cathartic as a good spanking, for both Dom and sub.
When we arrive, Dr Greene is already sitting there, a small medical bag on her lap. Gently, I set Anastasia on the couch and unwrap her from the quilt. The apartment isn't cold, but she gives a little involuntary shiver, and I replace it loosely around her shoulders.
"Good morning, Mr Grey, Miss Steele." She stands up and extends her hand. This woman is all business and it's the way I like it. "I believe you have had quite an eventful morning." I repress a snort. If feeling like you are about to witness your house being swarmed in a home invasion of photographers, then yes it was eventful. She gives me a glance and chooses to concentrate on our patient. "Where would you like to be seen, Miss Steele? It's your choice."
Anastasia looks up to me for approval, and whilst I want to be there, this is her decision. "Anastasia, you may be seen here, or in your bedroom, where it's a little more private."
"Uhm, in my bedroom please." She tries to stand, and I leap to help her, catching her by curling my arm around her waist as she almost topples over. "But, would you mind if Si-, I mean Christian came too." Dr Greene merely nods, and whilst that's what I try to do, my heart swells and thumps like a character in one of those old Looney Tunes cartoons that I used to watch with Mia. Anastasia trusts me to be there with her.
"I will carry you Anastasia." She pauses, considering a protest, but her own common sense quashes it. I lead the way followed by Dr Greene.
"Well, Miss Steele," Dr Greene pops on her stethoscope and slides it under Anastasia's shirt. "Take a few deep breaths." Easing the buds back out of her ears, she sits back and asks my girl to roll up her shirt so that she can take her blood pressure. As she pumps up the sphygmomanometer, and then releases, she watches the numbers flash on the digital screen but her face is impassive. I am at once impressed and pissed off. I need to know what she is thinking, and I need to know that the events this morning have not caused Anastasia any long term trauma.
"What did you eat for breakfast, Miss Steele?" Anastasia's cheeks pinken, as she whispers that she didn't eat this morning, and mouths a small 'sorry' to me. I clench and unclench my hands. This is not the time to lose my temper, but I'm furious with her. This was one of the rules, the rules to which she had signed her name. I'll deal with this when Dr Greene leaves. At the minute she's too vulnerable for a spanking, although it's really what I'd like to do. "It's the most important meal of the day," she chastises. Yes, I could get used to having this medical professional as Anastasia's personal physician.
"Ladies, if you will excuse me, I shall go and ask Mrs Jones to prepare something for Miss Steele to eat." I give my shamefaced disobedient sub a firm glare. It will also give me time to make a few phone calls.
One of the best things about being me is that with the casual drop of my name, my PA Andrea can get through to just about anyone. I type her a quick email giving details of who I need, no want to speak with today. In the meantime I get on with my other calls, and I get Barney on the phone
"Hey Boss, Welch here."
"Barney. You will know by now that there was an altercation with some photographers at Anastasia's apartment this morning."
"Yup. Do you want to know what I've done about it?" I note Barney has used the past tense.
"Do I want to know?" As Head of Security, I know that Barney won't actually break the law, but he is a creative genius when it comes to circumventing loopholes and finding weaknesses in IT systems. He works as part of a larger gatekeeper network for identifying and neutralising viruses. I'm glad he is on my team and not working for the dark side.
There is a pause on the phone. "Boss, I've created a mini web-bot with the meta tags of your name and Ana's, including variations." Obviously I'm the only person who calls her by her given name. "Any photograph that has been linked to your name will not be able to be viewed on the web. In addition, I will be able to track the IP addresses of any media outlet that has tried to upload them."
Like I said, a fucking genius. "Fine. That's good enough for me, Barney." Understatement of the year.
"No problem, Boss." The brief silence on the other end of the phone is broken by some folksy caterwauling. "We all look out for each other, you know that. The past shouldn't impact the future." I know to what, or rather to whom he is alluding, but I don't want to think about that any more. He is right. It's ancient history now. I'm so relieved about his work on blocking the digital images, I lighten the conversation.
"Indeed. What are you listening to, Barney? You need lessons on some quality music, not that hippie European fuzz." Perhaps that could be arranged as a scene. Barney would hate it and love it, and he hasn't merited a punishment of any kind in a while.
"Boss, we all don't listen to hoity toity classical. You should give lyric based music a try sometime." He chuckles as if he's seen me frown down the phone. "Maybe Ana will teach you a thing or two, if she can dust off that old gramophone of yours." Cheeky ball bag.
"And maybe I need to tell someone that you have been disrespectful a time or two." My tone is playful with Barney, I can't get mad with one of the few men that understand me. "Your acid sense of humour aside, I'll talk to you about Anastasia when I get in."
The next call might be easier. It's to Elliott, and he's back to his usual laconic self. How he keeps his cool is beyond me. "Hey bro, how are things with Ana? After you left with the press pack chasing you, Kate and I were able to slip out. She's gone to work now and she is not happy about our relationship being dissected in Seattle Nooz."
I care about Kate to the extent that the law requires, but Elliott likes her, so I take an interest, for him. "How is she doing?"
"She's fine, that one has a crocodile skin, and we are both smart enough not to let this sour things for long. She's not enamoured with you though," he snickers, not in the least bit perturbed by the personality clash between his overbearing girlfriend and myself. "And, she's more concerned about Ana, given that she's this morning's media obsession."
"As long as I don't have to date her, bro, she can think what she likes." A ball breaker like Kate Kavanagh might be a perfect match for easygoing Elliott, but that mouthy attitude makes her a spoiled princess in my book.
"Yeah, I told her that." As long as they are on the same page, I don't care. "She thinks that you treat Ana like a possession." He pauses and I can almost hear his brain ticking over. "Different strokes for different folks, bro. I know you'd never compromise Ana."
Absolutely no-fucking way, and the way she's getting under my skin, I think I'd throttle anyone who did. "No, Lelliot, I can assure you that Anastasia's safety is my primary concern." I glance at my screen and see an email back from Andrea . That woman is worth every penny of her salary. "I have to go now. I need to see if I can keep the rest of those pictures out of the public domain."
"Okay, bro. We'll catch up on Sunday. Laters." I press call end. Elliott really needs to learn how to construct a sentence.
I check out the number that Andrea sent, and click on the link.
"Kavanagh here."
Ah. Terse and to the point, and like me, he answers with just his surname. If he doesn't try to turn this into a pissing contest, we might get somewhere. "Hello, Grey here. I have a matter I'd like to discuss."
"Ah, Christian Grey, one of the brothers that has made my daughter's private life public." I roll my eyes. Kavanagh started as a journalist for fuck's sake, and you'd have to have lived under a rock to think that Kate an innocent virgin. I couldn't care about Kate's image. This is about my Anastasia. Deep breaths, Grey. Judging from his tone, the photographers were not sent there by his people.
"That is why I'm calling you, today. I know that great pictures help to sell print media, but I would be very grateful if you could embargo any images that might be touted your way."
"Embargo? For how long?" At least Kavanagh hasn't said no.
"Indefinitely. I will of course pay you for any losses that you may suffer following this decision."
"Grey, you know as well as I do that print media is a declining industry. However, there are still some areas that generate income." Aha, now we are getting somewhere.
"What do you want, Kavanagh?" I have an idea what he wants, ever the newshound looking for the scoop. I will need buy-in from Anastasia, and she isn't emotionally ready to make that decision.
"I want exclusive pictures of the happy couple. Seattle's most eligible bachelor and the sweet ingénue that stole his heart." Fuck. I was right. Publicity shots, plastic and airbrushed with pithy taglines.
I hear a small kerfuffle and I spin in my chair to see her tiptoe into my office, with a shy half-smile and fuck, she's biting her lip. My dick doesn't so much twitch as stand to attention.
"I'll get back to you on that. I need to check it out with my people."
"Don't wait too long, Grey. A blossom like Ana needs care and attention." I hang up. What the fuck is it with the world offering advice on how I should keep my own Anastasia safe. For a second I'm fifteen again, filled with self doubt.
Before last night I was never seen in a picture with a woman who wasn't either my mother or a business partner. My subs were always behind the scenes. My private life was private, and the one sub that I thought would be more ... I'm not going there, and instead focus on the beautiful woman in front of me. She won't need airbrushing, her natural beauty shines through. By managing the print photos, it'd go a long way to protecting our privacy. But, it's been less than a week. I already know I want more than a month from Anastasia. Three more weekends in the playroom isn't going to be enough time with her. But does she want more from me?