AN - And now for the phone call.

Pinterest has been updated.

Note* I have taken Forbes listing for this year and not 2011, so what is discussed isn't historically correct, but who cares, lol.


Christian's POV

"Ana?" I ask as if it's a question. The question isn't asking if it is her, as I know she's called me due to her face coming up on my screen as we are video calling, but I'm trying to ascertain what sort of mood she's in by her emotionless expression. I am almost sure she's not gonna be happy. "Please don't be angry with me."

"I'm not angry, I'm anxious. You know that I don't like being eyeballed. I have enough of that with men staring at my tits."

"I know. You can't miss them, but they are mighty fine jugs, Miss Steele," I laugh.

"Christian! This isn't funny. You know I don't like people gawking at me."

"I don't like it either. You're mine and I don't like anyone desiring what is mine. You're for my eyes only.

"I'm sorry baby, but mother keeps doing this to me and it's her way of showing me off like a prized bull. I can just imagine it now. "Oh, may I introduce my son, Mr Christian Grey. You know him, the billionaire entrepreneur, the third richest man in the USA only beaten by Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos," I say in a squeaky, slightly Italian voice.

"Who's Jeff Beezooze?"

"Bezos. He owns Amazon."

"He owns all that? Wow!"

"Yeah. It's a big empire."

"You can say that again.

"Yeah. It's a big empire."

"And it takes up a fair portion of Brazil and Colombia, Peru and other South American countries, doesn't it? Yeah, I just read that from Google dot com."

"What?" Why is she going on about South America?

"It's one hell of a backyard if you ask me. Maybe a little too much for personal use, mind you. I wonder if he's gonna develop there? Maybe set up a few towns amongst the trees. I would imagine it would be pretty peaceful living out there in the wilds. Although, I don't think much of the wildlife and having my legs bitten off. Let's hope he's environmentally friendly and doesn't build any speedways straight through the middle. It would ruin the feel of the place."

"Ana, what the fuck are you-"

"We could take The Grace out there and sail her up and down the river. But I won't be able to go swimming, will I? Isn't the water poisoned and full of sharks and alligators?"

"I think they have Piranhas." What the fuck am I talking about Piranhas for? It's not the fucking Amazonian. I gotta put a stop to this, as she'll be asking me to invest heavily in a venture and I'll be rebuilding the place before I know it. "ANA!"

"What?"

"Amazon dot com. Not the fucking rain forest."

"Oh. So, he's not a landowner?"

"No. Well, yes, but not on that scale."

"What sort of scale is he on?"

"I don't know. Probably a few private dwellings. I doubt he's some sort of glorified landlord. He owns the online website."

"Are you saying someone who owns a website is the second richest man in the USA? Mm? Maybe I should get myself a Wix page."

"I doubt that will put you on the Forbes listing."

"Why not? If my blogs and vlogs are good enough and I have Google Ads. Next, you will be telling me Bill Gates didn't get to be number one with his Microsoft double glazing company and that he runs some big computer enterprise."

"He does."

"No, he doesn't. Dad had him fit the windows to his house in Montesano. Gave him a big discount. The soft close dampers they use as standard are really great. I wonder why more companies don't use them?"

"He owns Windows, as in the pc operating system. How do you not know this?"

"Because I love Apples."

"And I love oranges, but it does not make me ignorant of the fact that I know who Bill Gates is."

"Christian! Are you saying because I love apples, that I'm thick?"

"No. For fuck sake Ana, why are we discussing apples and double glazing, when we were talking about a masquerade ball."

"Shit! I forgot about that. Why do you not want it to be fancy dress?"

"I don't want to go as Thor."

"Then don't. I quite like the idea of going in fancy dress. I can hide behind my costume."

"But that means I will have to get dressed up too."

"Go as Yoda."

"Hmm? That's an idea. What will you go as?"

"Princess Fiona as a fat green ogress. I'd only have to get the velvet dress, kids face paints and a ginger wig. Oh! And the crown."

"Why do you do this to yourself?"

"Do what?"

"Paint yourself to be a big character."

"I need to paint myself. She's green. Can't have Mrs Shrek go without her verdant complexion."

"No. I mean the first thing you do is think of a big character. Go as something else. Rapunzel?"

"I can't! Your fucking ex-Dom chopped off my hair."

"Get a wig. I can be your Flin Ryder. I could even get a false nose and look more like the wanted posters he complained about."

"Then no one will know it's you. You won't get your presents."

"I wouldn't as Thor."

"I bet you would. You wouldn't look much different other than the long blond hair and warriors costume. I quite like the idea of Thor overpowering me," she giggles and this fills my head with images of her strapped to the cross in my playroom as I play at being Thor with my big steely mallet, which is actually made out of Lego. The props department had a cutback in their budget because of what Anthony Hopkins was demanding, so I had to put up with a bright red and yellow plastic hammer held together with copydex, which was CGI'd over in the editing stage.

"Oh yeah?" I smile as I think about overpowering her, but not as Mrs Fiona Shrek. "What about being Sif. One of Thor's sidekicks."

"That Blindspot woman? Yeah, I quite dig Jaimie Alexander, although I don't like her tats. I'll have to get several packs of those kiddie transfers."

"They weren't real. Someone painted those on."

"Wonder if Patterson knew about that? She spent so long cracking them just before each attack. I can't even do a Rubik cube without picking off the labels and repositioning them."

"She was an actress, not a real FBI agent."

"I wonder if Kurt Weller knew? Or that other guy… Reade."

"Read what?"

"No, Edgar Reade. The one who got into drugs, then left the FBI to do some other job, only to return and end up the boss on the next series. All seemed rather unbelievable to me that he would get that post when Weller left for Colorado."

"Erm? Why are we discussing this anyway? It's not even been filmed yet."

"Don't know what you mean?" She staring at me, wide-eyed into her phone camera. What is she not saying?

"They don't start filming until 2015 and it's only 2011."

"We are pretending it's 2011. It's really 2017."

"That can't be right. Where did the last 6 years go?" Huh? Surely I ain't overslept.

"We have all been backdated. It's really the future, or should I say present."

"So I won't be twenty-eight? I'm really turning thirty-four. Fucking hell, I just lost six years of my life. No wonder my crows feet look worse."

"Why don't you remember. I can remember the past six years," she giggles. Why is she giggling?

"What's happened to make you laugh?"

"Not saying." She's doing this deliberately. Something has happened. "I signed an NDA so my lips are sealed. I can't even think about it when it's my point of view, or the readers will know what's happening before the chapter has been written."

"But I'm the only one with the NDAs around here. Who else got you to sign?" She giggles again and I'm now getting angry. "Ana! If you don't tell me, you will be punished!" I say firmly because I want to know and I haven't spanked her for a few days and my palms are getting upset with me.

"Oh, yes please, master."

"Shhhhh!" I know she's at work. She can't say things like that as everyone will hear.

"It's okay. I'm in the ladies. Do you want me to finger myself whilst you listen?"

"No! I want you here, across the desk, allowing me to do the fingering."

"But master, I can't. That new boss you brought in is a slave driver."

"She's good at her job."

"I know, but I'm not sure I like her being so… bossy. I only like my man being so demanding of me."

"Then give up work. You know you can do whatever you want. Write a book, set up your own editing company. Do whatever you wish, darling." I would give her the world if she wanted it. Although, I draw the line at the Amazonian rainforest.

"You know I can't do that. I'll be branded a gold digger."

"You wouldn't be. It will be a business venture." She silent. I wonder what she's thinking? "Baby?"

"I don't know. I thought my life would be filled with books."

"I have a library. You can spend some time in there and be surrounded by them to get your fill. Besides, you know what life is gonna be like for the next six years. Surely you know what you want."

"Yes, but it's something I have thought about for a long time, but it's fueled by frustration rather than an enjoyment."

"What, Ana? What do you want?"

"A boutique for big women."

"Oh!?" Why should that surprise me? She loves her dresses and I'm sure she's been frustrated in not having so much choice as some skinny latte bitch, who doesn't deserve anything nice. "I can do that," I say with a smile. I'd love to see her run her own business.

"But I don't know the first thing about business and all the accounts."

"I can get my accountants to do all that and have an assistant to help with the financial side on sight." I think of Mia, but she knows nothing about all the paperwork, but she does like shopping. "Ana? If we do this thing, what about having Mia on board?"

"Oh? Does she work?"

"Well, she is lazy in that aspect, but she loves shopping. She could be your 'Caroline Acton.'"

"My who?"

"A personal shopper. Someone who goes and buys on behalf of someone else, when they don't have time to do it themselves."

"But how does she know someone's taste? I wouldn't use someone else as I'd probably end up with bright green dresses."

Like the fucking tie, Mia is gonna get me. :(

"I've used Caroline in the past. She works in women's clothing at Neiman Marcus."

"Well, she wouldn't be in men's overalls, would she?… Erm? Why do you want to buy women's clothing?" Shit! How do I tell her that I outfitted all my previous subs without her getting upset? I just say the words quickly, hoping that she doesn't absorb them, but who am I kidding? "You bought for all your previous submissives? Even Leila?"

"Yeah," I sigh.

"So, all your other… girls had a full wardrobe, but not me?"

"You're getting a boutique. Besides, looking at the content of our closet, I doubt you need anything. They all look like one-off designer outfits to me."

"That's because I designed and made them myself. It's difficult to buy clothes when you look like a heifer."

"Ana! Stop that now!" The line goes quiet. "Baby? Are you still there?" Silence and the screen shows a non-descript ceiling. "Ana? Talk to me."

"How can I when you told me to stop. Make your mind up." I sigh again as I see her beautiful face fill my screen, but this is exhausting.

"Can you come over and we can have lunch together. I'll send Taylor to collect you."


Ana' POV

I'm laying beside Christian on the couch. He persuaded me to come over to talk, but as soon as I walked through his office door, he slammed it shut, locked it and proceeded to kiss me. Then things progressed and I was bent over the desk having my ass slapped before he could unzip his fly. It's funny how sex takes him from being Mr Grumpy Draws to Mr Deliriously Happy. "So, are we on the same page now, Mr Grey?" I ask as I continue to stroke his chest with my fingertips, going from scar to scar in a circle.

"I hope so. I don't like it when we don't see eye to eye."

"I know," I sigh. I hate it when we bicker, but the making up sex is great. "So I'm going as Mrs Shrek and not Sif and you as Thor?" He nods in defeat, but I can see the disappointment on his face. He wanted his sidekick. "Christian, I can't walk around in armor all evening. I have enough wei-"

"Ana!" Shit! He's warning me and I grimace at what I was about to say, again. He hates it when I go on about my weight, but he's not the one living with it. Well, he is, but not in my actual body… Oh, but sometimes he's in my body. I smile at the thought. "So, this venture you were thinking about. You really serious about it?" Thank god he's changed the subject.

"I don't know. I know that I get so frigging frustrated at what is out there already, or should I say lack of what is out there and what I have found costs a fortune. I know there is more material involved, but there is little extra work or overheads. It's a crime to charge what they do. I end up making most of my stuff myself."

"Have a think about it and we can discuss it in a few days if you want?"

"Maybe, but I don't want to think about that now. I have a costume to make up. I'll have to go to the fabric shop to see if they have any green velvet."

"Have it made for you and send the bill to me."

"You don't have to do that. I can manage."

"But, Miss Steele, the longer you spend sewing, the less time you spend with me. I'm being selfish here, babe, let me pay for someone else's time." I relent. I know he will get his way in the end, so why fight it. "So, did Mia call you after our call?"

"Yeah. I'm taking Friday afternoon off to go shopping. I can't believe she wanted me to try that coffee. Sounds disgusting."

"I tried it once without knowing what it was. Elliot's such a fucking asshole. We ended up in the steakhouse after a few beers at the bar a few years back. He said he was hungry so we went for a steak and afterwards, he suggested a coffee. Little did I know that he had ordered a standard one for himself and left me with the shit."

"What does it taste like? Can you taste the pooh?"

"Ha! No, you can't. But it doesn't taste all that different from a good quality Arabica Bean. And because of that, I drank the whole fucking cup. Elliot was in stitches when I finished. He didn't tell me until we left. The following day, mom gave me a lecture on the pros and cons of punching one's brother in the face and after I told her what he did, she gave him a lecture on deception… Do you have to go back this afternoon?"

"I have to, Christian. Felicity wasn't happy about me taking Friday afternoon off, saying I had to give a week's notice."

"Let me phone her and tell her you'll be taking the rest of the day off. I can say you are needed at Grey House."

"No, you can't do that. That's preferential treatment."

"Then hand in your notice and become your own boss. The only preferential treatment I will be giving then will be to the boss and nobody can complain." I sigh. I know that this job isn't all I thought it would be. I'm sure it was Jack Fucking Hyde who put the dampener on things and ruined my ideal job. Now I just can't get back into the flow of things. I stare at Christian, who is waiting for a response. Can I do this? He says he will fund everything and I can go at whatever pace I want. I'll never get this opportunity again but if I do this complete turnaround in my career, my English Literature degree will be for nothing. But if I stay I will be flogging a dead horse. I then wonder what would happen if we broke up? Would he pull the rug from underneath me as he did Mrs Robinson? No, he loves me and I can see the future which is the present, so know he's for keeps… Fuck! Did I think that in my own POV? Shitty-fucky hellzy-bellzy! I need my Ray-Bans and neuralyzer and blast you all out there. Forget I thought that!

Christian is still looking at me, waiting for my reply. "Yes." There, I said it. He's grinning at me and hands me his phone. "I can use mine."

"Your bag is on my desk and I don't want you to move."

"Okay… Here goes." I dial Felicity's number and she answers. "Felicity, it's Anastasia Steele."