Disclaimer: Most of the characters in this story are those from the Fifty Shades Trilogy. They remain the rightful property of E L James. Recognisable brands, places, music or films remain the property of their owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

Rustyarbor51 - Thank you! Yes, Lee and Elliot are one and the same. For reasons which will be revealed in the next chapter, I promise! Much Love x

Sophiedog22 - Thank you. I'm really glad you liked the previous chapter! :) As always, I hope you enjoy this one too! Much Love x

Piso 29 - Thank you! Really glad you're liking this side to Christian. Oh yes, I wouldn't like to be in Elliot's shoes! I think Christian may have a thing or two to say to him, when he finds out what's been happening. :) Hope you had a great Christmas, too! Much Love x

SuzB - Hm, I wonder too... A first edition might be in the works! :) Thank you! I hope you like this update. Much Love x

Hello Lovelies,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/end of December! Thank you for the well wishes for the holiday season. :)

As always, I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to more. I can't wait to explore more of this story with you in 2017.

Happy New Year! See you on the other side.

Much Love,

Chelsea x

Wearing just my bath robe, I sat cross-legged on the couch, still feeling the post-coital rush running through my veins. I had almost finished my plate of Chow Mein, practically inhaling it as soon as it was delivered. Christian certainly knows how to work up a girl's appetite.

He sat beside me as he worked his way through his own meal – Szechuan chicken and rice. I turned to look at him for a moment, admiring his profile as he worked another portion into his mouth. His gaze was fixed on the TV and the episode of The X Files that was currently playing. He demanded that we watch it when I flicked through the channels and came across it.

"I used to love watching this when I was a kid," he had said, a smirk covering his lips. I gave into his wish. I was never a fan of the show, but I'd happily sit through anything just to please him. I'm already acutely aware that his happiness can be fleeting, like gold dust. Something to treasure whilst it lasts.

Christian watched the screen until the commercial break, then turned his eyes to me. His fork was poised in front of his open mouth.

"Jesus, you finished that quickly." He raised his brow and shot a glance to my plate.

"I was hungry," I shrugged my shoulders. Leaning forward, I slid my plate onto the coffee table and grabbed the container with the last remaining spring rolls. I'd been eyeing them for a while. "Do you mind if I have these?"

"No, not at all," he smirked and shook his head. A small laugh brewed inside his chest. "I guess I don't have to worry about you eating after all."

"I always get like this," I explained. "Hormones love carbs."

He smiled back at me and then returned to his plate, finishing up the last few mouthfuls before setting it down on the table. He grabbed a napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"This is nice," he announced with a nod.

"Yeah, it's a good restaurant. Kate and I always order from them."

"No, I meant this –" he waved his hand around himself. "Doing this sort of thing. It's nice."

"You're not bored?"

"I could never be bored when I'm with you," he said, a slight frown developing over his brows. My stomach warmed at the sincerity in his voice. "I look forward to spending time with you, Ana. I never thought in a million years that I'd find myself doing this – eating takeout in front of the television, doing something other than sex with a woman."

I paused for a moment, before asking: "Does it bother you? That we haven't done much of what you want?"

His frown deepened, as if he hadn't fully understood what I meant.

"You know," I continued. "We agreed to be equal in our time together, but so far we've only really done things I want to do… We haven't been inside your playroom properly yet and –"

"What I enjoy, it's more than just sex," he explained. "It's not all about tying you up and fucking you senseless. Dominance is much more than that. It's in the mind."

"But –"

"Trust me," he interjected. "This is working for me. So far… Do I want to take you into my playroom? Absolutely. And I will. But we're working our way up to that."

I nodded my head, accepting his answer. I was worried that he wasn't getting enough from me.

He reached across and linked his fingers with mine, drawing my hand up to his mouth and pecking a kiss to my knuckles.

"I'm enjoying vanilla," he admitted. "I never thought I would, but you've changed that for me."

I licked my lips and gulped hard.

"Maybe you just weren't open to the idea before," I suggested with a shrug. He shook his head. "Or maybe none of the women you'd been with wanted to –"

"You're not the first woman who wanted more," he said.

I jerked my head back a little, surprised to hear that. I frowned at him.

"You're the only one I've been willing to try that with," he assured me. "My last submissive wanted more. She wasn't content with keeping our arrangement strictly dominant-submissive. It's the reason I terminated the contract."

"What happened?"

"We clashed over it and she made it clear that's what she wanted," he explained. "It was a bad match anyway. She wasn't the type of submissive I needed. She was too argumentative, too clingy. The contract only last two months."

"How long ago was this?"

"I ended it in November," he said. "She was the last woman I had sex with - before I met you."

That surprised me. A man like Christian could have any woman he wants. I couldn't imagine him being without a sexual partner for more than three days. He's sex on legs.

"What?" he smirked at my reaction. "You find that hard to believe?"

"Very," I nodded.

"I'm a busy man. I didn't have time to seek out a new sub," he added. "Then I met you and I wanted only you. I wasn't going to settle for anybody else. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"I'm glad to hear that," I smiled. "Because I can't get you out of my head… or my bed, apparently."

He chuckled a laugh and let go of my fingers, reaching out for his glass of wine. He took a sip and leaned back into the couch, staring at me for a moment. I saw this as a chance to keep him talking, seek answers to a question that had been bothering me since lunch.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I wish you'd stop asking if you can ask me a question," he sighed. He nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Does your mom know that you're in business with Elena?"

"Yes," he nodded. "She knows that I have shares in Elena's salons. Obviously, she doesn't know about the clubs."

"Obviously," I repeated with wide eyes. "But doesn't it bother her? The fact that you're in business with someone she's fallen out with?"

"No," he said. "I started working with Elena well before she and my parents had their disagreement. When it happened, I spoke to Grace and Carrick about it. I asked them if they wanted me to cut ties with Elena."

"Would you have done that?"

"If they asked me to," he nodded. "But Grace said no. She told me that it wasn't my place to get involved. The argument was between the three of them, and Grace didn't want me to be dragged into it. She said that it didn't bother her whether I continued to work with Elena or not. It was my choice."

"That's incredibly diplomatic of her," I breathed out in a sigh. "I don't know if I could be that understanding."

"Grace is one of a kind," he admitted. "I did think about withdrawing my shares in the salons and clubs, but I decided to keep out of the dispute. A part of me wanted to side with my parents, but in the end… I felt like I owed that much to Elena. Financial support. After everything."

I remembered what he said about Elena – what her ex did to her when he found out about Christian. I can understand why he'd feel guilty, but I don't think he should. If anyone should feel guilty, it's that beast of a woman.

Christian sipped at his wine, glancing occasionally at the television.

"I'm trying to push Elena out of Maîtrise," he admitted quietly, in a throwaway comment. "Get her to take more of a backseat. She's made waves across all three clubs. There's been a lot of complaints over the years, from staff and members."

"Somehow I don't think she'll go down without a fight."

I didn't want to reveal what Cal had already told me - about Christian's designs to push Elena out of the business. I didn't think it was the time or place to mention that I knew.

"She agreed to take a step back from staff issues at Maîtrise," he reminded me. "That's something."

I frowned at him. "You haven't spoken to Cal yet, have you?"

"Spoken to him about what?"

"The new girl he hired."

"Why would he?" he shook his head, matching my frown. "He's in charge of hiring. It's nothing to do with me."

"She was recommended by Elena," I added.

If I had placed a bet on him being mad at this revelation, I would have lost miserably.

His expression didn't change, not even fractionally.

"Literally right after you told her to back off, she dropped someone under Cal's nose and told him to hire her," I continued to plead my case. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Was it still Caleb's choice whether or not to hire this new employee?" he asked. I nodded. "Then I don't see a problem."

"Both me and Cal think Elena has done it on purpose, get someone on the inside who can keep an eye on me and report back to her."

"You're probably right," he agreed. "But I trust that Caleb thought of that before he made his decision. He knows what I expect from him. He has your interests in mind – I've made sure of that."

I wasn't content with his response. It didn't fill me with any sense of relief.

Sensing this, Christian shuffled closer into me. He draped his arm around the back of the couch, his other hand sliding across my cheek to keep my attention on him.

"Do you want me to talk to Caleb about this?" he asked in a quiet voice, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"Er, yeah!" I nodded. "You don't get it, do you? She won't give up control just because you tell her to."

"I'll ask Caleb to tweak the rotas and make sure you aren't working when –"

"He's already offered to do that."

"See!" he shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about, is there? I think you're making this into something much bigger than it needs to be."

I pulled my chin away from his hand and arched my brow.

"If you come out with some line like 'I think you're just being paranoid', then you'll be out on your ass before you can say 'vanilla'," I promised him, flexing my finger towards the door.

He clenched his jaw in response, but there was still a mischievous glint in his eyes. I saw his fingers twitching.

Before either of us could say anything else on the subject, the phone began ringing throughout the apartment. Christian eyed it from where he was sitting, frowning at whomever had dared interrupt us.

I tightened the robe around my waist and climbed off the couch, heading into the kitchen and lifting the blaring handset from its cradle.

"Hello?"

"Annie. You're home –"

The sound of Ray's voice shirked off my tension instantly. My lips split into a smile.

"I tried calling you on your cell but there was no answer," he continued. "I thought I'd try you at home, just in case."

"My battery must have died," I apologised. I pressed my hip into the counter and listened to the noise on his end of the call. There was a lot of jeering and a low thud of music. "Where are you?"

"I'm at Phil's," he said. "We're having some drinks to celebrate his retirement."

The name didn't ring any bells with me.

"I just wanted to check in," he said. He stepped away from the noise, presumably outside. "I ran into José. He's here."

"He is?"

I turned to look back at Christian. He was staring at me, his gaze narrow. I held up my fingers and told him to give me a minute. He didn't move, didn't blink.

"Senior," Ray clarified. "He reminded me of little José's exhibit. You know, his photography thing? You got an invite, didn't you?"

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head slowly. I began sliding my finger up and down the countertop. "I got it in the mail the other day. I forgot all about it."

"Me too," he admitted with a snort. "He said José was getting worried. Because he hadn't had a reply from you yet."

"I'm going," I announced. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. It's a big night for him."

"I said you'd be there," Ray hummed into my ear. "It gives me more a reason to go now, seeing as you'll be there. I've missed you, Annie."

"I've missed you too," I mumbled back, feeling a lump in my throat. Whilst I talk to Ray on the phone all the time – at least once a week – it has been months since I last saw him. In fact, I don't think I've seen him since I moved to Seattle, almost a year ago. "It's been too long. I need a hug."

"Me too," he whispered. He cleared his throat. "Why don't we grab dinner after the show? We can catch up then. You can tell me all about this new job of yours. I want to know all about the book publishing world."

I grimaced at that. I hate lying to him, but I couldn't face telling him the truth. He knew that I had applied for tons of jobs and just assumed I'd settled for something in publishing. It had always been a dream of mine. I didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise, so I kept up the pretence. Not my finest moment, I'll admit.

"Right, Annie, I need to go," Ray declared, a burst of noise erupting around him. "The guys are starting a game of poker and they need someone with brains to deal the cards."

"You're definitely the right man for the job," I giggled.

From somewhere close behind me I heard a loud sniff. I turned and was startled to see Christian at my side. He stalked around me, on his way to the refrigerator, his body brushing past mine as he moved. He lingered in front of the open fridge, staring inside, lending his ear to my conversation.

"I'll see you on the 27th," Ray said with a smile in his voice. "I can't wait to see you. I love you, Annie."

"I love you too," I replied.

Christian's spine stiffened. He sniffed again.

"To the moon and the stars," I continued.

"And right back again," Ray finished our saying before adding his goodbyes.

I hung up the call and placed the phone back where it belonged. Christian pulled a wine bottle from the fridge, helping himself to a new glass from the cabinet above. He turned to look at me, an arched expression spreading over his tight features.

"Who was that?" he asked bluntly, straight to the point.

I studied his eyes for a moment, calculating my next move. I thought about teasing him, poking that the hint of jealousy I was getting from him. But, in the end, I decided not to. Not after I witnessed something dark - pained - pass through his steel grey irises.

"It was my dad," I revealed in a shaky breath. "It was Ray."

His shoulders dropped in an instant, a hard breath exploding from between his lips.

I don't know what compelled me to move from my spot by the phone, but I found myself gliding towards him, my hands outstretched and reaching for his cheeks.

I slid my fingers around his stubble-scorned jaw, until my hands linked at the back of his neck. I pulled him down to my level and pressed a kiss to his mouth. I could feel him melting into my touch.

"Did you get worried for a second?" I whispered. He answered with a hard, ardent kiss. "Oh, Christian…"

"I won't share you," he declared harshly, as if speaking directly to my soul.

"It was just my dad," I repeated, even though I knew exactly what he meant.

"The idea of you and another man," he growled, taking another kiss from me. "Another man looking at you the way I do."

His hands grappled my waist, pressing hard through the fluffy fabric of my robe. Slowly, his hands moved around my back and followed the curve of my buttocks. He yanked me into his chest, commanding me without objection.

"You really don't have to worry about that sort of thing," I promised him once he'd finally allowed me to come up for air.

He stared into my eyes and shook his head.

"You don't see it, do you? You don't see how desirable you truly are," he exhaled.

A breath caught in my throat, forming a lump that I found hard to gulp down.

"Fuck," he grunted. He smacked his lips to mine again. "You're mine, Ana. Do you understand? Only mine."

"Yours," I panted, launching myself at him. I feathered my fingers into his hair and tugged on the curls at his nape. "No one else… Only you."

"Good," he hummed. His hands cupped my butt in that signature move he does before he lifts me off the floor. He raised me to his height, keeping my body close to his. "I won't share my girlfriend with anybody."

Oh god.

That word weakened me to the core, shivers ripping through my veins.

"Take me to bed," I ordered.

"No."

"Huh?"

He strode forward until my back met the wall behind me. I gasped I was pressed against the cold, hard surface. He pinned me in place, holding me up with just a single hand under my butt. I wrapped my legs around him, hugging him tight, linking my ankles around the top of his thighs. With his other hand, he reached between my legs and shoved his pants down, just enough to free his erection. I gasped as his fingers slid across my sex and pulled my panties to one side.

Without warning, he buried himself deep inside me. I took all of him in a single thrust.

"Christian!" I cried his name. "Fuck –"

"My girlfriend," he repeated, driving his hips into mine, pushing me further up the wall.

"Again," I pleaded. "Don't stop… Please... Don't -"

"Never," he grunted through a kiss, sucking at the base of my throat. "You're mine. Mine… Mine."

The week passed much quicker than I hoped it would. I blinked and Friday appeared from nowhere. I woke early that morning, making sure I had enough time to primp and preen myself for dinner with the Grey family. I wanted everything to be perfect. I even went out to the store to buy some flowers and wine for Grace. I had called Cal on my way there, asking his advice of which bottle to buy. It was an expensive bottle and I couldn't pronounce the name of it, but I trusted his palate much more than my own.

Glancing at the clock on my bedside counter, I saw that I had a little over an hour before Christian was due to arrive.

Fuck.

I haven't even got dressed yet.

"Kate?" I called out, my voice tinged with panic. "Kate, can you come in here for a minute?"

I heard her roll off the couch and shuffle towards my room. She came to a dead halt in the doorway, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"What the fuck…?" she breathed as she scanned the room, taking in the chaos that had exploded over every surface.

I was sat on the floor in front of my closet, surrounded by clothes and shoes. The vast majority of my things had been thrown aside in distaste. I had forgotten just how much stuff I owned, and how much of it I actually don't like. I'm not a hoarder but I have grown out of most of my things. Not literally, of course, just in terms of my tastes. I'll always be a jeans and converse kind of girl, but I've started to appreciate more dressier items in recent weeks. Dresses, skirts, lace and silk…

Basically everything but the clothes I currently have to hand.

Kate shot me a look, her brows low around her eyes and knitted with confusion.

"What the hell happened in here?" she asked. She tried to hotfoot it to my bed, almost tripping over a pair of jeans on the way. "Did a bomb go off?"

"I'm on the brink of a nervous breakdown," I sighed, burying my head in my hands.

"You're only going out for dinner," she snorted a laugh, flopping down on the end of my bed.

"I still want to look nice," I retorted.

As far as Kate is concerned, I'm just having a romantic dinner with Mr X. I couldn't tell her any more than that, not without upsetting her in the process. No, for the time being, I need to keep her out of the loop. She still harbours a lot of upset over the whole 'Christian Grey didn't let me interview him' saga. She grumbles whenever she reads an article about him – if she came face to face with him, there's every chance she might rip him a new one.

Besides, how would she feel if she found out that Mr X's parents know who I am, yet she doesn't know the identity of the man sharing my bed and coming in and out of our apartment most nights?

No. I can't do that to her. I need more time to figure things out - figure out a way to get her to think differently of Christian.

Kate leaned forward and picked up some of the clothes by her feet. She examined them briefly.

"These are pretty," she said unconvincingly. "Any of these would look great on you."

I shook my head at the skirt and blouse she was holding. I need to look family-friendly, but not in a way that suggests I have a dozen cats waiting for me at home.

Kate rolled her lips inward and blew out several hard breaths. She clapped her hands together and let her green eyes cross the floor.

"Right," she hummed, bolting up from the bed. "Go get me a beer. This might take us a while, but Cinderella will go to the ball."

"I have fifty minutes to get ready," I told her. "Hair, makeup…"

"Then you better move fast, Steele," she blinked and shooed me out of the room.

I trudged to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles from the back of the top shelf. I needed something to settle the butterflies in my stomach.

Taking a sip from my bottle, I picked up my iPhone from the counter and checked my messages. There was a text from Christian, confirming that he'll pick me up at 7:30pm.

I hadn't heard Kate move from my room to hers, only realised that she'd switched when I found my cesspit empty. Peeking my head around her door, I watched as she rummaged around in her closet. She had her back to me, her long blonde hair cascading down her back in soft waves. She slid her hangers back and forth.

"Ah-ha!" she declared, pulling something from the rail. She turned on the spot and held up a dress with a proud smile. "Will this do?"

I stepped forward and ran my fingers over the ruffled skirt. The dress was a deep wine colour, rich and plum-toned. It was sleeveless with thick straps and a low V at the bust, the wrap-around front was held in place by a tie on the waist. It was made from satin, the fabric smooth under my fingertips.

"Well?" Kate asked, her brows dancing as she waited for my answer.

"It's beautiful," I whispered. "I've never seen you in this before."

"I've never worn it," she smiled. "My mom bought it for me a couple of months ago, but it's not really my style. It's too dark for my skin tone, but…"

She held the dress up to my chin and pulled me in front of her full-length mirror. She stood behind me, resting her chin on my shoulder.

"It would look perfect on you," she grinned. "Would do you say?"

The layered skirt sat just above my knees, scalloped in a way that would accentuate anybody's curves. Simple, yet intricate.

"It's yours if you want it," Kate offered. I looked at her in the mirror and was about to shake my head, but she interrupted first. "I'm serious. It'll look so much better on you… Just throw on some nude heels and that cream jacket you wore to graduation, then you'll be good to go."

I envisioned the outfit in my head, nodding as I saw myself in it.

"I could wear the sapphire earrings Ray gave me for my birthday," I added. "And maybe curl my hair a little?"

Kate nodded and bounced on the spot, approving of my choices. She hugged me from behind, squeezing my waist. I fell into her and shook my head.

"What would I do without you?" I wondered.

"You'd probably die," she said with a sincere expression over her face. "You'd be heartbroken. Not even Mr X could help you through it."

"I'm sure he could help distract me," I laughed. "He's good at that sort of thing."

"Oooh, tell me more!" Her eyes lit up. "Is he a ten out of ten?"

"I have no one to compare him to," I said. "But he's… incredible."

"Tall?"

"Extremely," I nodded.

"Dark hair?"

"In certain lights," I shrugged.

"Well hung?"

"Kate!"

She giggled and held her hands apart, to a gap of only five inches or so. I rolled my lips inward to stop myself from grinning.

I reached down and widened the gap she'd made. Her brows shot up her forehead.

"Ana!" she gasped. "Holy shit… No wonder you've always got a smile on your face. You lucky bitch."

At 7:30pm on the dot, Christian sent me a text to say that he was outside. He had parked a short walk away from the apartment building.

I kissed Kate goodbye and thanked her again for helping me get ready, before donning my long jacket and leaving the apartment. It was cool outside, the air still thick with winter's ghost and drizzling light rain over our patch of the city. I turned and looked down the street, spotting Christian's sports car. He flashed his headlights at me, beckoning me over.

I teetered to the car and let myself in, trying to be as graceful as possible whilst juggling my purse and the giftbag for Christian's mother. I found my heels in the back of my closet, opting for blush over Kate's suggested nude. They're much easier to walk in and don't shred the skin on my toes.

Sliding into the passenger seat, I closed the door behind me and turned to offer Christian a kiss. He was a step ahead of me, as always, quick to plant a wet one on my lips.

"Hey," I breathed as he pulled away and reclined back into his seat.

"I've missed you," he said in lieu of a greeting, his gruff voice sending a tingly wave through my core. I pressed my thighs together.

"It's only been three days," I said.

I haven't seen him since late Tuesday morning, when he left for a late meeting. He'd spent most of the morning between my thighs. I didn't see him that night – for reasons I don't know. We've both been busy all week, but we still found time for a heated conversation over the phone - just as I was getting ready for bed after a shift at the club, and he was dressing himself for a day in the office. That sex toy I took from his playroom certainly came in usual...

Just thinking about it again made my skin prickle with the urge to climb into his lap and –

"What's in the bag?" Christian asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"I bought some flowers and wine," I explained, even though the bouquet was half hanging out of the silver bag. I reached inside the bag and showed him the wine bottle. "They're for Grace. The flowers, I mean. I didn't want to arrive empty-handed."

"That's very thoughtful of you," he nodded, appearing surprised by my gesture. "Are you ready for this?"

"I think so," I gulped. "Did you talk to your dad?"

He nodded.

"And?"

"He can't wait to meet you," he smiled. I blew out a hard breath. "You look amazing," he observed, his gaze roaming the length of my body. "I'm going to enjoy fucking you later, Miss Steele."

He placed his hand on my thigh and began to slowly hitch it further up my leg, his fingers dipping inwards and moving salaciously towards my panties.

I clamped my hand around his, stopping him from going any further.

"Later," I promised. "I want to make it to your parents' house in one piece."

He threw his head back and laughed, knowing exactly what I meant by that.