Sunday 19th June 2011
Ana's POV
It's noon and we are all in Christian's study. I am thankful that Mrs Jones saw to it to hang a framed picture over the hole that Christian made when he thumped the wall, so his parents are oblivious to the damage.
He's been discussing the contract for Esclava with his dad for the past two hours, whilst Grace and I have been listening. Most of it has gone straight over my head and I think Grace is also confused, due to her occasional scrunched up nose.
His dad notices a few things that are in Christian's favour. There is a clause in the contract, which states that offers are not subject to a limited notice period. This means that there is no time delay between offer and close of deal, in which Elena can put in a matching bid. Also, there is no mention of market values and can be sold for anything, so the shares can be sold immediately, without warning and for a pittance. Mr Grey was surprised Elena didn't notice those particular gems, but Christian said that the signing was done in a rush, one evening, as Elena was running late for a dinner date. His legal team wanted him to put them in, so they were added at the last minute. Christian said that if Elena chose to not read the fine print on the final version, then that is her problem. There is also mention that the shares cannot be sold to close family or friends, but states acquaintances are fine. Christian remembers that he wanted to remove the family and friends limitation completely, but Elena wouldn't have it, thinking that she could have ended up being partners with Mia. So they came to a compromise and this is what they decided on. The third alteration on the 'not so standard' agreement, was that no attorney or third party needed to be involved, other than a witness to sign the agreement on either side.
Under the clauses that Elena insisted on, Christian cannot sell to me, which would have been the icing on the cake, but he pointed out fairly quickly that he didn't want me involved in this. He, however, had to find someone who is trustworthy.
I think my father, who doesn't take fools lightly, could play a prominent role and I suggest this as an option. Dad got remarried a few months ago and his new wife works in the beauty industry, but is between jobs due to her relocation after marrying. "Maybe Martha can run the company, can she relocate the salons?" I ask. He grins at me and I think this could work.
I decide to call my dad and put the phone onto loud speaker, so we both can hear the conversation. Grace and Carrick have gone out into the great room to give us some privacy, as this might be a bit awkward for me, explaining to my dad not only do I want him to buy a business, but from my boyfriend, whom he knows nothing about.
"Hey daddy, it's me."
"Hey Annie, how's it going? I've not heard from you in a month, what's happening?"
Oh drat, I knew that would be the first thing asked. I take a deep breath, here goes. "Well, a lot has happened, actually. I'm seeing someone and we sort of live together now, although it's not official." I see Christian frown, I know he thinks it is, well… it is in his head, but I still see it as staying indefinitely, with a reality check thrown in that I won't get bored and leave.
"You're with someone? Who? Do I know him? How did you meet? It's not Jose, is it?" I see Christian's face, I bet he's wondering, who the fuck José is.
"No it's not José, he got the hump and hasn't talked to me in months, not since I broke his arm. His name is Christian, he's just turned twenty eight and he owns his own company here in Seattle, he's not a recent college grad like me." I cringe as I don't know what else to say, 'Oh, I have just fallen in love with a multi billionaire, whom happens to be one of the top babe magnets in the country and he has a rather kinky playroom.'
"Business you say? Rich, is he?" my dad laughs, but I am mortified. Christian grabs my hand and gives it a squeeze, he's not wanting me to get embarrassed over my dad's joke.
"Dad, please, he can hear you as I have the phone on loud speaker."
"Oh, well then nice to meet you Christian… Do we have a last name?"
"It's Grey, sir, and it's good to speak with you too. I have a lot to thank you for."
"Thank me?"
"For raising such a wonderful lady… Ana, baby don't, you are," he whispers to me as I feel my face burn. My dad hears him and chuckles.
"That she is. Annie, you were never one to accept compliments, is she bright red?"
"Yep, a wonderful shade of scarlet." I just smile shyly at Christian, his eyes are sparkling with the banter he is having, I didn't think they would be so at ease with each other straight off.
I need to get this call back on track, so I straighten myself out in order to start business. "Dad, the reason I am calling you is on behalf of Christian. He has a beauty salon business he owns and wants to sell it quick, I thought Martha might want to have her own business, as she is a qualified beautician, didn't you say she had her own shop in the past?"
"Yeah, she did, back in the late 90's. But Annie, I can't afford that, I don't have that sort of money floating about," he sighs.
"Mr Steele, do you have a ten dollar bill spare?" Christian asks.
"Well, yes son, I got a few of them in my pocket right now, for our takeaway tonight," he laughs, not connecting the two.
"The business is yours for ten dollars, I will even throw in the expertise of my accounts department to help your wife in the first few months."
"Ten dollars? It can't be much if it's worth that.What is it? A washing up bowl, towel and a pair of scissors?" he laughs again.
"No, the company is worth two million dollars, there is a salon in Seattle and one in Olympia. The premises come with the business, but can be sold in order to relocate. Alternatively, you can put a manager in the Seattle branch and sit back and enjoy the profits, which are several thousand a month. The Olympia branch already has a manager in place… I will be honest with you, Mr Steele, I am selling as I just want rid of it in order to annoy a minority shareholder."
I hear him gasp, "You want to annoy someone at the cost of two million dollars?"
"Daddy, please don't ask how rich he is, I know that is what you're thinking. Let's just say he can afford it. Go look him up on Google." He must be by his PC, as I hear him tapping the keys.
"Fuck! Shit!.. Sorry." I hear him gasp. "You're the Chief Exec of Grey Enterprises?"
"Yep, that's me. So, what do you think? Are you interested?"
"I don't know, it's a lot to take on board and what about any repercussions?"
After further discussions and persuading on my part to try and win dad over, we end the call. He needs to go and talk to Martha about it, as she will be the one in charge of the day to day running. Dad thinks that he will have some sort of repercussions on this from Elena, but Christian states that it will more than likely be him she will be aiming her anger at. Knowing that the business can be sold immediately has put my dad's mind at rest to some degree, as if it proved to be more than Martha could handle, then they could sell up immediately. I look at Christian as soon as I end the call, not sure why he is grinning at me. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing… He just called me 'son.'"
Dad calls back an hour later and asks that the paperwork be sent over by email. Apparently, Martha was bouncing around the kitchen when dad told her. Christian scans the documents over to him with some other clauses. The business will be in his name, not Martha's, but he can make her president. It cannot be sold for anything less than market value prices, which is for two reasons. Firstly, dad will get a good payout for it and secondly, if Elena was inclined to buy it back, it will be at market value and she won't be able to twist my dad's arm, although that will be impossible, considering his nature.
Dad agrees to the deal and Christian has a courier drive the contract down to him and we wait for them to come back, signed. I ask if Grace and Carrick would like to stay for dinner and I will cook a roast. They accept, but will leave after we have eaten.
Christian remembers to phone down to the concierge and to tell them to remove Elena Lincoln from the list of guests allowed up into the apartment. She has been barred from access to the building and if she refuses to leave, they are to call Taylor, who will go down and escort her from the premises.
They are sitting on the couches, when Christian comes out to the kitchen, to make sure I know where everything is. He has forgotten that I have used the kitchen before on more than one occasion.
He comes around me and holds me to him from behind, "You look so enticing, Ana, being a domestic goddess in the kitchen." How can someone say I look enticing whilst peeling the potatoes is beyond me, but he makes it sound so sexy. His hands are wrapped around my waist and his cheek is resting on my temple as he watches me with the vegetables, but a hand begins to stray and heads downwards. Christian reaches the hem of my skirt and lifts it up, where his hand delves into my undies.
"Christian, stop it!" I whisper. "Your parents."
"There is at least fifty feet between us and a wall of kitchen cupboards blocking their view, they can't see us and the music is drowning out any noise." Shit, his fingers are rubbing me and I want to groan, but I know that the room will echo and they will hear me, even if Sinatra is playing in the background.
Christian pulls me back against him and I feel his arousal. This makes me rub my behind against him. "Take down your knickers," he commands abruptly. I do as he says and I hook my fingers into the sides and slide them down as far as my knees. He drags out the small steps that Mrs Jones uses to reach the top shelves and tells me to step up onto the first rung, so I am at the right height. He lifts the back of my skirt and I hear a distinct zipper being pulled undone, along with a small shuffle indicating he has pulled his pants down slightly and… Oh! He is in me. His breath judders as he pushes deeper and my head falls back against his shoulder. He has one hand about my waist still, holding me tight to him and his other is still rubbing me. His movements are small but quick and all I want to do is groan out loud, but we are both aware of the couple sitting not that far away. Christian leans over and is able to turn the tap on, to try and further drown out any sex noises that may occur.
"I'm gonna cum, Christian," I turn my head and whimper quietly into his neck. I shake and my legs begin to give way but he holds me in place, whilst still moving inside of me. The sound of my release is remarkably subdued, even though its intensity was not. I hear Christian also cum, as his breathing stops momentarily and he exhales a victorious YES! through his gritted teeth.
Operation cleanup has now begun, as we don't want any trace to linger in the presence of his parents, heaven forbid they notice. I grab some kitchen roll and stuff it between my legs, pull up my undies and quickly head to the downstairs bathroom, where I need to sort myself out. Christian gets the wet wipes from under the sink and removes all traces of our intimacy from his cock and washes his hands.
When I come out of the bathroom, Christian is with his parents again, as though nothing has happened. He looks up at me and I give him a ridiculous grin, before returning to the kitchen. He's joking about something with his dad, I think it is regarding Elliot's drunken state last night.
Just before his parents are due to leave, the courier brings the paperwork back from dad. The deal is done and Christian now has the signed documents to prove it. Dad had Ted, his neighbour who so happens to be a solicitor, look over the papers. As all were in good order, dad signed them and Ted was witness. Christian's set of papers were then returned by the same driver, who was told to wait. Dad has paid the ten dollars into the designated bank account by instant transfer and Christian will send $4.90 over to Elena later tonight. As there is no time out clause, the deal is done and Elena cannot do anything about it.
By ten, Christian's parents are leaving and as the elevator door shuts, he grabs my hand and leads me upstairs.
Oh! The playroom!
"Christian, what are you doing?"
"I need you, in here," he says as he punches in 0910. "Please, baby. I know yesterday was a one off, but we both enjoyed it, didn't we."
"Fuck yeah!" I blurt out, without realising the implications. "Oh darn! I was gonna treat it as a special occasions thing, but sod it!" I say. I want this, he wants this, so why are we skating around the issues if we both want it.
It's gone midnight and I am totally exhausted. Having spent two hours in that room has drained me of all my strength. I am now half asleep, as he carries me downstairs and as my head hits the pillow, I am out like a light.
I wake to Christian shouting. What the fuck! Who is he talking to? I cannot hear anyone else, so assume he is on the phone. I look at the alarm clock an it's three in the morning. I bet it's Elena, Christian must have sent the money over.
Christian's POV
"I told you I would sell to the lowest bidder, just to make a quick sale and I accepted it. I don't care about the money, I just want you gone from my life, for good."
"But you can't just cut me out, you have an obligation to me. I need that money!"
"What fucking obligation? I don't owe you anything… If this is about the money you loaned me years ago, I have already paid that back to you with interest, I owe you nothing."
"That's not what I mean, we have… you have… obligations!" she huffs.
"Oh for fuck's sake, Elena, let this be the end. I don't want to drag this out. I don't want to hear you, see you, or read anything from you, so let's just say our goodbyes now." I am getting fed up with all this, I just want out.
"No… you can't," she's crying? What the fuck is going on? She never cries. I can't take this, it's an act and a ploy to get me to stay friends. "Please, Christian, I went through physical hell for you, you just can't cut me out like this-"
With that I end the call, cutting her off in mid sentence. I don't want to hear about Linc beating her up yet again. I know she went through a lot back then, but that was her decision to commit adultery and pay the consequences if she got caught. If all else fails, she mentions the aftermath of our separation and what she had to endure at the hands of her husband. Her rehab in California took months and she was so subdued for a time afterwards, that I actually thought that she was heartbroken at one point. But Linc and Elena were never in love, as it was a marriage of convenience, she gained wealth whilst he gained a trophy wife.
I go to the piano and lift the fall board to expose the keys. The stretch of black and white mimics how my life once was, monotone and flat. Now Ana has brought vivid colours and lucidity to the meaning of my existence, I am here for her. We were put on this planet to be together and no-one, not even Elena will pull us apart.
I shut my eyes and start to play, allowing my emotions to choose the music. Suffocation fills the room and I find myself not thinking about the loss of a friend, but that of a normal life. From birth until a week ago, I was nothing but a shell of a human being, trying to exist in this world. Now I am whole, filled with love and desiring a future, rather than just waiting for the day to end, so that the next may start, filled with the same monotony of the day before.
I hear Ana come into the room, but I do not stop and continue to play the mournful piece as I lament the loss of nearly twenty eight years of my life. I feel her sit down on the piano stool beside me. Her head leans against my shoulder and I cannot play anymore and my fingers still on the keys.
"Are you okay?" she asks me, her voice is full of concern. She must have heard the shouting.
I sigh and open my eyes to look at her, but I don't know what to say. Elena said some cut-throat stuff, but her behaviour towards the end of the conversation confused me. I have to think that it's all mind games, that's what she is good at, I can see that now and thinking back over the years, I can pinpoint out many times where she manipulated me to her cause.
"She is livid, but then I didn't expect anything less. She has threatened with a legal suit, but I told her to go back and look at the contract, there is nothing she can do, no loopholes, nothing. I told her that she should have reread the contract on the day of signing, she huffed and said that she didn't expect me to be so underhand. That is her problem, not mine. She should have known that I am calculating in business, how does she think I got to where I am today, by being Mr Nicey Nicey?
"She came into the venture four years ago without putting a penny in, and she has been left with the same, so it's not as if she's lost any money out of it and she's made enough over the duration. She did, however, start with the waterworks, hoping that I would negate the deal, but that wasn't going to happen and I hung up on her."
"Thank god it was all on the phone and she didn't come over."
"Oh, she's already tried that, she attempted to get in and I got a call from Geoff downstairs. I told him to eject her from the building and she called me from her car. Dad will have the restraining orders sorted tomorrow, so she won't be able to approach, call, text, email or write to any of us, I have also included your dad and Martha in the group she cannot approach."
"Oh shit, I just realised something. What if she ignores the order and tells my dad what I was to Cliff. My father will go ballistic."
"Deny it, it will look like vengeance of a bitter old woman. I doubt she will try that, she knows I will ruin her and take what little she has left."
I look at the clock and it's late, I scoop Ana up into my arms and carry her back to the bedroom. "Back to bed, we have work in the morning."