Chapter 38 – Wrapped in Red

"Ana?"

I find myself calling KB on her cell phone shortly after leaving Jeremy's office. I take the call in a vacant conference room. I am surprised when Katie answers the phone after the second ring.

"Hey KB. I was wondering if you were free to meet me out for lunch today," I say, cutting right to the chase. She sighs.

"Did you talk to Jeremy?" she murmurs. Her tone is laced with skepticism.

"Yes, I did. But he didn't put me up to this. I want to see you," I say in a reassuring voice. She sighs yet again.

"Fine. Let's do pizza at that place by Grey House," she says, reluctantly giving in. I close my eyes in dismay, believing that Jeremy's foolish revelation to her may now have me on the outs with my good friend. Hell, I can't control how someone else may have felt about me in the past. I'm just hoping that KB can be reasonable and put everything in its proper perspective. I sincerely believe that Jeremy truly cares for her.

Hours later, I meet KB over a slice of pizza and a salad.

"So, what gives?" I grin at her. She has a conflicted look on her face. My heart instantly aches for her.

"Look, I know that I may have overreacted. It's just…things are going way too well… too fast with Jeremy and I. I'm afraid that I might actually fall for him…only for him to disappoint me later," she says fearfully. Oh no.

"KB, Jeremy is crazy about you," I smile warmly at her. Katie's eyes grow more wide and alert.
"Really?" she says in surprise. I nod in affirmation.

"Yes! Katie, you'll need to get over what the last asshole did to you. Jeremy had nothing to do with that. You need to heal from your past and let it go. Only then will you be able to truly let Jeremy in," I say. She gives me a smirk at my words and I start to laugh. Oh Lord, I'm starting to sound like Dr. Flynn.

"Okay. I'll call him back," she grins shyly.
"And stop asking him stupid questions about his past that you really don't want the answers to," I playfully scold her. She giggles. Although the advice I give her is quite humorous since I am infamous for putting my fiancé on the spot with dumb questions all of the time.
"I was just in one of those emotional moods where I wanted to know if he ever had feelings for you," KB ashamedly confesses.

"Katie, before I started working at ECP, I'd only spent a total of 35 minutes with Jeremy. That's all. That's no time to connect in the way that you and him have connected over these past few weeks. Look, you have no reason to be upset with him," I say in reassurance.
"I know, I know," KB nods in complete understanding.

"So, are you ready for the GEH Christmas party tomorrow?" KB grins, appearing more hopeful now. I'm so glad to have my cheerful friend back with me once again. And Jeremy will be quite pleased to hear from her.

"I guess. I'm just ready to get this holiday party season over with," I groan. I'm already tired of all of these events. Not only must I contend with work parties, but all of these holiday charity events that I must accompany Christian to as well as the holidays at the Grey's place in Bellevue.

"Jeremy informed me that ECP's party is for employees only. That sucks," KB frowns. I chuckle.
"I'm sure Christian will appreciate the break from yet another party," I laugh.

"I guess I'll see if Jeremy wants to come with me to the GEH party tomorrow. That's if he's still talking to me," Katie says grimly. I frown at her.
"Of course he's still talking to you. Katie, he'll understand. Just explain to him why you were so quick to cut him off last night. Reassure him that you will be open with him anytime you are feeling unsure about things," I advise.

"Damn, Ana – I should have called you last night after I left Jeremy's. You are really giving me some solid advice right now," Katie laughs. I laugh right back.
"Chalk it up to trial by fire. I've learned so much this year already, and I still have a great deal to learn," I say humbly.

….

"Wow," Christian says breathlessly at me as soon as I enter through the glass doors of the Seattle Art Museum. A long black fleece coat hangs loosely over my festive red chiffon dress. Christian's praise of me sets me aglow. Luke Sawyer holds the door open for Taylor and I, and Taylor then saunters from behind to kindly take my coat.

"Thank you, Taylor," I beam sweetly at him.

This Thursday night, GEH has shut down the SAM entirely for an elaborate, sophisticated private holiday gala for all of the company's Seattle-based employees. If I hadn't felt the holiday spirit before with decorations adorning every single building and street in Seattle, along with every single department store that I enter, I absolutely feel it at this moment. The beautiful, colorful lighting outside and inside the lobby of the SAM could melt the cold small heart of any Grinch. And I don't know if the art museum normally looks this way aside from the GEH party, but I am instantly in awe of the way everything is arranged. Even the subtle festive music I hear playing from a distance sends a welcomed chill down me. Is that a live band? I am now anxious to see the reception area.

True, the Christmas decorations home at Escala are magnificent as well. However, I wished I had a little more involvement with that whole process. Perhaps I would feel a little more…connected. Where I come from, you trim the tree and hang the lights with family and friends. Christian and I have been so busy with closing out our respective work for the end-of-year, overseeing the completion of our new home, and planning for our spring wedding, that he hired an interior designer to have carte blanche over decking our halls.

Next year at our new place, I make a vow to myself that I will have a hand in the holiday decorations. Christian could tell that I felt sort of…indifferent with things as soon we walked into our apartment and saw what the hired team had done. He appeared to be disconnected from it all as well. I think it's important to feel a part of the holidays instead of letting the holidays just…happen.

Back at the party, my fiancé whose insanely good looks already overwhelm the eye kicks it up yet another notch for the occasion. He mirrors his net worth wearing a sleek black tux, making even Bradley Cooper look more like a rusty Mini Cooper.

Because Christian was so busy at Grey House today with back to back meetings, he had to change clothes at his office and head straight to the party from there. Meanwhile, Taylor retrieved me from ECP and took me home to change before driving me here to the party.

Instead of immediately joining all of the employees at the party, Christian patiently awaited my arrival near the front door. He was able to greet people as they came in, which more than likely shocked a great deal of them. Many GEH employees don't get an opportunity to interact with their CEO because he is an extremely busy man. I'm sure many of them will talk about on the next employee satisfaction survey how special it made them feel that Christian Grey himself took the time to shake their hand and personally thank them for a stellar 2011.

"Shall we join the party, Miss Steele?" Christian says, positioning his arm for me to hook my arm through it. I oblige with a grin and he leads the way.

We pass several exhibits on the way to the hall where drinks and refreshments are served. Taylor and Sawyer walk closely behind as Christian and I wave at those turning away from a painting or sculpture to flash us a sincere smile.

"Ana!" "You look wonderful!" "So good to see you!" "We miss you!" Those were some of the things that kind folks called out as Christian and I saunter past them. And I am humbled. I truly miss working with these good people. I suddenly feel a slight pang within that I instantly shake off. I work with a really good team at ECP as well. It's all still quite new, but I am sure that I will have the same affinity for the ECP team as time progresses.

As if he just read my mind, Christian leans over to whisper in my ear.
"Bet you don't get any of that where you currently work. You can't even bring a date to your holiday party," he teases. I frown playfully at him. He's right. And I know that in spite of his playful mood right now, he is still quite annoyed at the fact that he can't join me at the ECP party tomorrow. I reassured him that it's going to be during work hours and I will probably make it home before he will. Well, at least ECP is doing something for us to close out the year. And for that, I am grateful.

Soon as Christian and I enter the banquet hall and the greeting servers place glasses of wine in our hands, we are flooded with friendly faces…mostly from Christian's executive team. The moment Christian gets pulled into a conversation with his head of finance, I break away and join Ros and her partner Gwen who are standing over a tall table with their drinks and hors d'oeuvres before them. I place down my glass of wine in front of me.

"Ana, you look amazing," Gwen gushes.
"Thank you – so do the two of you," I beam at the ladies who are both dressed to the nines.

"So – how's the wedding planning coming along?" Ros asks.
"It's…coming along. I'm so glad that we pushed back the date. The whole process is nuts," I giggle. The two ladies laugh with me.
"I'm sure it is. Christian discusses the details from time to time. It's amazing how involved he is in the process," Ros praises. I nod.

"Well, you know how hands-on he can be. He doesn't want anything happening without his knowledge," I smirk. Ros bursts out laughing.
"You're so right about that," Ros adamantly remarks.

Soon, I feel an arm snake around my waist and I know that it's my fiancé rejoining me. He kisses me on the crown of my head. I instantly feel shy, but the looks I see from Ros and Gwen are that of awe. I can tell that Ros loves it when Christian and I are together in a room.

"Is she saying anything bad about me?" Christian says to his number two and her date.
"What do you think, Christian," Ros teases him. Christian looks down as I smile guiltily up at him.
"I wouldn't put it past her," he winks at me.

"Only good things, Christian," I playfully reassure him. He softly kisses my forehead and I close my eyes in adoration. And I'm sure spectators are now thinking that the two of us should just get a room already.

The four of us commence in some additional small talk as servers come by to take up empty glasses and small dishes as well as offer up more drinks and food. Soon, a stream of people cut in to greet Christian and I. Many visitors thank Christian for the great party so far. I turn to look around the hall. There are a few people already sitting at a festively decorated dinner table, while others are standing up and chatting just like we are. There are even some people dancing in front of the band currently playing Christmas tunes. The entire vibe of the party is quite wonderful.

As Christian falls deep in another conversation, I feel a light tap on my arm. I look up to see Lacy and her boyfriend along with Katie.

"Oh my God!" I squeal as I excitedly jump up and hug my two girlfriends at once by their necks. They each wrap their arms around me to embrace me back. I grab my clutch from the table because I know that the girls will want to talk away from the CEO. As we slip away from Christian, he playfully narrows his eyes at me. I sweetly mouth, "I'll be right back," to him and he quickly rejoins his conversation.

"Ana, you look amazing!" Lacy gasps as we come to a stop.
"Thanks! I learned from my two fashionistas…you and Kate," I giggle back at her. Lacy's boyfriend asks if any of us would like something from the bar. I inform him that I still have a drink over at the table with Christian, while KB raises her glass to let him know that she is good for now. He finally takes his girlfriend's drink request before he leaves us three girls alone.

"Where's Jeremy?" I immediately ask Katie. She smirks at me. I hadn't seen Jeremy at all today. He was occupied in an all-day meeting, so I didn't have a chance to ask him how things were going with Katie, and whether he planned on coming to the GEH holiday party tonight.

"Well…I think Jeremy is scared shitless of Mr. Grey," KB reveals. I gape at her and Lacy laughs.

"So I let him stay home. I'm going over to his place after the party," KB scandalously grins at me. I gasp and then beam at her.

"Last night, Jeremy came over to my place with flowers and a note. He told me not to read the note until after he left," Katie says, all smiles.
"Holy shit…that note," Lacy gasps. I wince at the two of them. Katie let Lacy read a note from her boyfriend? I would never do that. That's so…private.

Before I even have a chance to further react, KB pulls a greeting card-sized envelope from out of her purse. I stare at it with my mouth wide open.

"Here…read it," KB implores me. What?!
"It's truly awesome!" KB laughs as she places the card into my reluctant hand.

"It's absolutely amazing, Ana! Jeremy is a riot!" Lacy says, laughing out loud. KB laughs right along with her. Somehow, I feel like I missed out on a good inside joke. Soon, Lacy's boyfriend rejoins us girls.

"Read it when you can," Katie says discretely to me. Immediately, I slide the card in my clutch.

The rest of the party is quite enjoyable. I soon link back up with Christian and he doesn't let me out of his sight for the remainder of the night. I had the chance to reconnect with those I left behind as well as hear about some of the new projects that are coming through the pipeline. Wow, I really miss working at GEH. Could I ever go back there?

Just before dinner, Christian and Ros head towards the stage to address the partygoers. Ros speaks first and congratulate everyone on a job well done. When it's time for Christian to step up, he surprises me by trying to pull me up on the stage with him.

"Christian!" I whisper loudly in objection. He ignores me and continues tugging me up with him anyhow. On the stage, Christian holds my hand while griping the microphone with the other hand.

"Everyone, thank you so much for making this a wonderful event today. And more importantly, thank you for all that you do to make Grey Enterprises Holdings, Incorporated the success that it is today."

As Christian is talking, I see people taking pictures of us with phones and cameras. I instantly clam up. Holy shit – I feel so awkward standing here! Ana, you're going to have to get use to this. This will be your life from now on. I gradually loosen up.

"I'd like to thank my beautiful and brilliant fiancée, Anastasia Steele for playing a major role in our company's success in 2011," Christian says as he pulls me into his side by snaking an arm around me. Oh crap. Talk about being put on the spot. And suddenly, every single person in the room as far as I can see stands to their feet and releases a thunderous applause.

Oh my. I am speechless.

I am instantly moved to tears, but I try my best to hide it. Christian beams down proudly at me and I smile up shyly at him. There he is, putting me on the spot yet again…and I love him for it.

After the crowd finally subsides, Christian continues to talk about some of the year's successes. The audience applauds every so often to something else that he says. I tune out for the most part – still touched by the more than warm reception that the people gave me. Who wouldn't want to work here? Well, I obviously didn't. I frown at the thought. Steele, you did what was best for you…quit second-guessing yourself.

"…and we truly know how to party here at GEH, so make sure that you stick around after dinner. There's plenty more to come."

I mentally return to catch Christian's final words as everyone stands to their feet for one last resounding round of applause. Christian then carefully guides me off the stage with him.

After dinner, to everyone's utter shock, Christian and I get up and dance after the DJ relieves the band. If someone would have told me months ago that I'd be willingly to get up and dance anywhere, much less at a party with all of GEH watching, I wouldn't have believed them. It's the Christian Grey effect. All boundaries are torn down and I now have a newfound confidence within. Christian makes me feel like I can do anything. It's an exhilarating feeling.

….

"Christian!" I giggle in the backseat of the Audi SUV. As soon as we get in the car and the doors closes, Christian playfully takes me in his arms and begins to kiss me all over my face. I can't stop laughing.

"Alright, in your seat belt you go, Miss Steele," he commands with a grin. And I instantly feel disappointed that playtime is now over. Then I recall that Sawyer and Taylor are in the front seat, and I immediately scoot over to my side of the car. On my way over, my clutch falls to the floor, but I quickly pick it up and snap it shut before buckling up.

"Did you ever find out where your holiday party is on tomorrow afternoon?" Christian asks on the drive home.
"At the bowling alley two blocks away from the office," I say. Christian rolls his eyes, disturbed.

"Ana…you don't belong there. You saw back there how much GEH truly appreciates you," Christian pleads. I sigh and I shut my eyes, conflicted.

"Christian, I needed to step out on my own. Things are going quite well for me over at ECP," I reassure him.

"Well, sometime in the near future, I would like you to consider coming on as an editor at SIP…if publishing is what you really want to do," Christian proposes. And for some reason, I don't feel upset at his words. Maybe it's because I had a few drinks this evening.

"I'll think about it," I say plainly to him. And my words cause him to wince in utter shock. The expression on his face in the dark car reads, 'What? She's not going to put up a fight?' Nope, not tonight, Grey. I just want to enjoy the rest of our night together. Perhaps a little sexy-time before bed?

….

"I really love this dress on you, Miss Steele," he murmurs in sheer adoration.

His hands grip my hips and he takes a step back to take me all in. We are standing in our bedroom. We decided to finish off our glasses of wine in here.

I playfully wind my hips in a circular motion with his hands still in place. He slowly removes my wine glass from my hand and places it up on the chest of drawers right next to his. He looks at my sad attempt to dance with sheer amusement.

"But I'm sure you'd rather see this dress off me," I purr. He sexily narrows his eyes at me in the dimly lit room.

"Oh, Bunny – you know your fiancé all too well," he purrs right back. And without any pomp and circumstance, in a flash, his hands grip the dress at the hem and he quickly peels it off from over my head. Whoa, Nelly! I stand before him in a black lace bra and panties as he blindly tosses the dress to the floor. He licks his lips as he scans me from head to toe. Holy shit, he's hot!

"I want you to keep those heels on," he whispers. Oh my. Every nerve ending ignites within from his request.
"Yes, Sir," I breathe. He smirks at my choice of words.

Then, he spins me around and slams my back flush against his front. I gasp as the wind is knocked out of me from the sudden move. Slowly, his hands begin to slide down, starting at my chin and down my neck. As I heat up, I can hear my very own panting in the otherwise silent room. His hands eventually reach my bra-covered breasts and I throw my head back against his chest.

"Baby, your body is so beautiful. I love caressing it," he says softly into my ear. I exhale at his praise and my body bows back against his. His hands begin to gently massage my breast and I revel in his touch. Nobody does me like this man does. No one has every made me feel this way.

"Soft or rough, Miss Steele?" I hear him say in a whisper. Holy cow. Shit – I don't know what I want. I just want him. Well, maybe rough because I have to go to work tomorrow and that will reassure that we both get some sleep tonight.

"Rough."

I enunciate the word with quiet vigor. I can hear him slightly gasp, but his hands continue their steady journey downward.

"Oh?" he says in a voice that's singed with amusement.
"Yes," I breathe in reply.

"Well, as I've always said Bunny – we aim to please," he speaks in a silky voice. He cups my sex and I gasp loudly. And before I can inhale, he lifts me up by the waist and carries me over to the bed.

He plants me back down on my feet, but I am still facing away from him. I don't turn around, but I can hear his clothes rapidly cascading down to the floor behind me. Oh my! But I wanted to undress him!

And before I can even breathe, he slams my upper torso against the bed. Oh shit! As my feet dangle over the edge, I instantly know that he's going to fuck me hard from behind. I pant deeply as he slides my panties down and over my heels.

"Buckle up, sweet Bunny. Tiger's going to take you on a fast and furious ride," he warns in a harsh whisper.
"What?" I gasp.

All the air leaves my body. In a surprising move, he tenderly kisses the back of my neck while he enters into me slowly. I thought he said 'fast and furious'. He stills inside of me as his lips continue to riddle my neck and shoulders with soft kisses. Oh. And I can feel my body slowly melting all around him. Finally, he starts to move. Slowly.

"Ah!" I moan quietly.

"I was going to do this fast, but I can't help myself when I'm with you, Ana. You're like a fine piece of chocolate that I simply want to savor a bit at a time. I don't want this night to end," he declares into my ear. Oh my.

I will never contend with this man. He simply owns my heart.

And my body.

….

"Ana, you still have the note from last night, right?"

Holy shit – the note!

"Er, I left it at home in my clutch," I say ashamedly to KB over the phone. I'm at my desk on a Friday morning – my last workday of the year. Suddenly, I get an idea.

"Hey, I'm going to leave the ECP party at the bowling alley around four. If you are free, you can meet me there and follow me home. I'll get you the letter then," I propose to her. And Christian will probably still be at work and I won't have to explain what I'm doing, because he will want to know.

"Well, I will be free but I'm actually planning on meeting Jeremy outside of the party at that time. I'm picking him up," Katie informs me. Crap.

"Well – why don't I meet you somewhere tomorrow and I'll give it to you then?" I try again.

"Sure. I can meet you at Pike Place," KB says happily.
"Cool. I'll text you and we'll link up then," I tell her shortly before we say our goodbyes.

I beam at the thought of things going so well between her and Jeremy. I hope things continue progress with the two of them.

"Ana, word has it that Liza might pop in for a few minutes at the party to say hello to everyone before getting back to her baby," Donovan calls out to me from his open office.

"Great! It will be good to see her," I call back to him. Everyone here at ECP has been so kind. I've even had an opportunity to have a couple of mentoring meetings with the president himself, John Fisher. I'm glad to be ending my work year off on such a high note. Suddenly, Jeremy approaches my desk.

"Ana, we had a last minute manuscript come in. I'll let you decide if you want to begin working on this over the holidays," he says to me.
"I'm sure I'll have some spare time to do it before we return from break," I say agreeably.

Jeremy places the pile on my desk before heading into his nearby office. I instantly stand and I take the binder clip off of the manuscript in preparation to scan it into the character recognition software.

"Any plans for the holidays?" Jeremy calls out as I stand by the scanner/copier outside of his office.

"Just visiting family and friends. I'll be spending Christmas with my future in laws," I tell him.

"I might be meeting Katie's mom next week," Jeremy chuckles. I turn and beam at him inside of his office.
"That's great!" I say excitedly.

"I'm kind of nervous, but apparently, she's been looking forward to finally meeting me," Jeremy says. I gush at the news. That is so cute! And I idly wonder if KB's mom is anything like my mom. I shudder at the thought. Oh, Carla.

….

At the bowling alley, everyone's already dressed appropriately in traditional casual Friday attire. We are mostly all in blue jeans and sweaters. Pizza, wings, nachos, and beer…it's pretty much an average night out with the employees of Emerald City Publishing. This holiday celebration is a sharp contrast to the formal GEH soiree last night at the SAM.

However, just like last night, I am having a great time. I'm getting to know my new colleagues in a whole new way over beers. I skip the bowling because I completely suck at it. However, I have a good time cheering on my boss Donovan as he annihilates the competition. Even John Fisher gets in on the fun.

"Ana, have you enjoyed your time with us so far?" Mr. Fisher says to me, making small talk.
"Yes, absolutely," I say kindly to the big boss.

"Great. I've been hearing nothing but good things about you, as to be expected. Can't wait to see what 2012 brings," John smiles warmly. I light up at his words.
"Thank you, John. I look forward to it as well," I reply.

Sometime later, I'm off chatting with some of the girls from the office – two administrative assistants and two of my fellow EAs.

"Ana I can't stop admiring your engagement ring! Holy crap!" one girl says. I am instantly bashful. I don't like to talk about anything that sets me apart from the crowd – especially this ring that I'm sure my fiancé spent a mint on. But I smile warmly at the group anyway.

"Aren't you engaged to Christian Grey?" another girl says. And here we go. I nod quickly, praying that someone else changes the subject. The one girl who complemented me on the ring is still holding my hand out, observing the gem. At the other girl's words, she stops and frowns as if she's trying to recall who my fiancé is.

"Christian Grey!" another girl says excitedly as she passes the first girl her cellphone. She obviously pulled him up on a search engine. I roll my eyes.

"Holy shit! You're marrying him?!" the first girl gasps. By now, I am visibly uncomfortable.

"Ana, I'm so sorry. We obviously have no lives. We all want to live vicariously through you," a third girl laughs. I close my eyes and shyly shake my head. Please girls, lets not talk about me or my fiancé. Let's talk about work or…shopping, heaven forbid. I still hate shopping.

"Oh my gosh! It's Liza!" one of the girls calls out. Thank God – saved by the bell. We all crowd the new mom and shower her with hugs and kind words.

"Ana, I just heard that you are kicking butt on the job. I hope there's still a place for me when I return from leave," Liza giggles.
"The place wont stay afloat for long without you, Liza. I can't wait for you to return," I say warmly to her.

"Overwhelming?" she smiles understandingly at me.
"Well, it's a lot to support those two guys. I can't see how you did it," I say in awe.
"You're doing quite well. Thank you for your help," Liza smiles in sincere appreciation. In a surprise move, Liza hugs me yet again. I beam in her kind embrace. Suddenly, I hear a bang and the entire bowling alley gasps. Liza and I immediately pull a part.

"Hey man! It's not what you think!" I hear a guy yell out.

When my eyes finally locate where the commotion is coming from, I find Jeremy lying down on the floor with his hands up in placating motion.

Oh my God!

My eyes scan up and I see Christian in a suit covered with a trench coat, furiously towering over Jeremy while flashing a card in his hand. That card.

Oh no!

Without wasting another second, I grab my coat and purse and quickly dash over to the scene.

"Christian!" I scream. I see two men step in front of Christian to keep him and Jeremy apart. Jeremy is still on the ground. What did Christian just do?!

"Christian! That's not mine!" I yell at him while pointing at the card in his hand. Where in the fuck did he find that?! Was he rummaging through my purse?! His eyes glare at me.

"Why did I just find this in the car?" he says in a calm voice, while looking like he's out for blood. Holy shit – it must've fallen out last night when my clutch hit the floor! I instantly feel sick to my stomach.

As I quickly scan the room and realize that all eyes are definitely on us, I decide that I must get Christian out of here at once.

"Let's go," I say authoritatively, tugging his arm. Christian does not budge. He doesn't want to leave. He wants answers now. Either that, or he wants to keep beating Jeremy's ass.

"Let's go!" I say a little louder. I glare back at him with the same intensity that he glares at me. He finally relents and the two of us leave the bowling alley. On the way out, I catch the two men helping Jeremy back on his feet while Jeremy clutches his forehead with both hands.

Well, there you have it. I just lost my job on the last workday of the year. How in the fuck does that happen?

The moment we get outside, Christian angrily spins me around. Holy…

"What in the fuck is this?!" he spits at me, waving the card furiously.

"It's not my note, Christian! I wish you would have called me as soon as you found that and I would have told you exactly who it belongs to!" I yell back.

"Well – talk!" he shouts. I glance over and see a few spectators have made their way outside to the parking lot. Shit! Okay, I need to calm the two of us down. I take a few deep breaths.

"Jeremy is dating Katie Burns. It was her note. She gave it to me last night at the GEH party to read, and I forgot to give it back to her," I say quietly. Christian winces at me.

"Katie?" he says in utter shock. I tighten my lips in a crooked line and nod in confirmation.

"Well, why didn't you tell me?" Christian frowns at me. I wince at him.
"Because, it was none of your business," I say angrily through gritted teeth.

"Ana, I just bashed his fucking face against that table in there. Had I known about him and Katie, that wouldn't have ever happened. You knew that I couldn't stand the bastard. At least I would've been reassured that he wasn't trying to put the moves on you," Christian glares at me. I now glare back at him, indignant.

"Oh, so you wanted a head's up? Just like you warned me that Nicky Starr was meeting privately with you to talk about the lawsuit, or that she was a lesbian? That sort of warning? Oh, that's right…that was none of my business either!" I shout at him.

"It's not the same! I never went out on a date with Nicky Starr!" he says, now raising his voice. I am now boiling.

"But you knew that I was leery about her, yet that didn't stop you from withholding information from me! Let's not be double-minded here, Christian!" I counter. I try to calm myself down. I refuse to move the freak show outside while my management is still inside of that building.

"You're always acting before you think, Christian. Now I have to go back in there and face my team after you just went ape shit in there," I gripe in a loud whisper.
"Ana, You don't have to do anything. Just deal with it after the New Year. We're going home," Christian says in a commanding tone.

"Christian, my boss is back there lying cold on the floor. Let me at least apologize to him and give him his note back," I plead to my ridiculously jealous fiancé. Christian scowls at me.

Before either of us can speak another word, two police squad cars with flashing lights speed into the parking lot and come to a screeching halt not to far from where we stand. Out jump two officers from each car.

Shit! I start shaking. Someone called the cops?!

"Excuse me…Mr. Grey?" one of the officers asks. Two of the four immediately enter the bowling alley.
"Yes?" Christian replies in a calm tone – not even displaying an ounce of fear on his face. It's as if he didn't just bash another man's face in.

"I hate to do this, but I'm going to have to ask you to wait right here with us. We just got a call about an incident and we need to sort this thing out before anyone goes anywhere," the officer says kindly.

Holy shit – is Christian about to go to jail?! I really start to shake. Christian pulls me into him in order to calm me own.

"Ana, calm down. It's going to be okay," he says calmly into my ear.

How in the hell does he know?! He just slugged my boss in broad daylight in front of tons of witnesses for no fucking reason at all! How can he not get arrested!

"Mr. Grey, can you tell us what happened in there?" the cop asks my fiancé. Oh no. He's done. Finished. That's it. He's going to jail.

"It was just a slight misunderstanding, officer. It's no big deal," Christian says, not even breaking a sweat.

You gotta be fucking kidding me! Is he serious?! Now those other two cops who entered the building are going to get the real story from Jeremy! Then they are all going to come out and cuff up my fiancé and I'll have to watch him be whisked away in the squad car! Oh no! I really start to panic. Christian grabs me tightly and tries to hold me still.

"Stop," he whispers in my ear. Suddenly, Taylor joins the bunch.
"Is everything okay, Sir?" Taylor murmurs to Christian. Christian nods to reassure him. Lies! It's not okay, Taylor!

Slowly, I begin to see people filing out from the party. Fuck! What's going on? I check my watch and see that the gathering is set to end right now anyway, and I hope that this is the reason why people are leaving and not because my crazy ass fiancé ruined everything.

"I'm certain that it's no big deal, Mr. Grey. This is all just a part of protocol," the officer reassures him. Yeah, he says that now, but wait until his other two cohorts come out here and reveal what Christian did to Jeremy! Shit, even I don't even know exactly what Christian did to Jeremy. I just know that he ended up on the floor after a loud crash!

I soon hear the back and forth chatter on the cops' walkie-talkies, and it all sounds like gibberish. I idly hope that they aren't speaking in code telling the cops outside to take Christian directly into custody. I so happen to turn my head away from my immediate surroundings and catch my friend Katie frantically running inside of the bowling alley. Oh no – I hope Jeremy is okay.

I look up at Christian and see that he just witnessed what I saw.
I give him an 'I told so' frown and then I roll my eyes at him, perturbed. What a fine mess you just got us both into, Mr. Grey.

I really want to run inside right now and see what's going on, but Christian is gripping me tightly. Five minutes later, KB walks out of the bowling alley alone. Her and I lock eyes. I move while in Christian's grasp and he finally lets me loose. I quickly run to meet my friend half way in the parking lot.

"Katie…is Jeremy okay?" I murmur, deeply concerned.

"He's okay, but I'm going to take him to urgent care. He might have a concussion. I mean, Mr. Grey did just bash his head into a table," KB says plainly. Holy shit. And I missed it all. I only saw the aftermath.

"I'm so, so sorry about that," I apologize profusely to my friend.
"Ana, it's not your fault. And for some unknown reason, Jeremy refuses to press charges against Mr. Grey," KB says bitterly.

Whoa – seriously? I gape at her. In an instant, she steps away from me and angrily marches towards my fiancé who is standing with the two officers and Taylor. Holy crap! I am frozen in place, afraid to move.

I see her take the card out of Christian's hand then the back of her head starts to move as she is talking to him. Christian remains even keeled throughout and nods at her every so often, not uttering a word. She then walks away from him and comes towards me once again.

"I'm going to pull the car around and get Jeremy. I'll keep you informed," KB says calmly.
"Katie, again…I'm sorry," I say from the bottom of my heart.

"Ana – it's okay. I don't know why Mr. Grey jumped the gun like that…assuming that this note was for you. He obviously has issues. I can't work for a man that resorts to violence so quickly. I just gave him my verbal resignation," KB says with no emotion present in her face.

What! I gape at her. She just quit! And I instantly feel worse than shit.
"Katie…" She cuts me off mid way.

"It's okay, Ana. I just didn't appreciate how Mr. Grey was so quick to assume the worse and didn't talk things out with Jeremy like a gentleman. I sincerely hope that he doesn't treat you in the same manner," KB says with dread in her eyes.

Oh, hell no! I gape at her, truly offended.

"Absolutely not!" I snap at her. Relief floods her face.
"Good. Well, I need to get Jeremy to a doctor. I'll text you tonight," Katie says.

In a sudden move, Katie pulls me in for a hug. I'm reluctant to hug her back because the girl just insinuated that Christian beats on me. I'm highly upset over the assumption.

As Katie heads off, I gear to rejoin Christian, Taylor, and Christian's two uniformed baby sitters. Before I can approach them, Donovan intercepts me.

Oh no.

"Ana."

Oh shit. He's about to fire me. I internally begin to freak out.
"Donovan, I'm so sorry…"

"Ana, it's no big deal. In fact, it's funnier than shit," he says, trying to restrain his laughter. I gape at him.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to knock Jeremy upside his head. That was absolutely awesome. I was standing right there when it happened, too," he chuckles. Again, it still does not compute. Why is Donovan making light of this?

"Look Ana, everything is fine. It was just a simple misunderstanding. John is good with everything, I'm good, Jeremy's good. As soon as the cops clear everyone to leave, go home and enjoy the holidays. Everything is fine – really," Donovan says with a reassuring smile. I rapidly blink at him.

Is this for real? No, it can't be. I mean…my fiancé just crashed our employee-only holiday party, bashed one of my boss' faces in, and the cops got called. Now, I'm being told that everything is completely fine, and oh…'Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we'll see you again in a couple of weeks'?!

Is Christian a mob boss or something?

A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long to update this chapter. This was a difficult one to nail down. To my surprise, being on break from work mostly hindered my progress haha!

I took a PMer's advice from a while ago and started a Pintrest board for B&P. I will continue to load the board with things that inspire certain scenes of the story. I even pinned the inspiration for Ana's dress in the GEH holiday party scene. You can find my page under the "StorieTella" username (Hint: Add that username after a slash at the end of the url).

So, what did you think about chapter 38? What would you like to see more of? Please give me your feedback in the review section. Thanks for reading, everyone! – ST2

PS – For those who were wondering in the previous chapter why Flynn focused on Christian's career and not Ana's: It's because Ana expressed her understanding concerning the importance of Christian remaining plugged in at all times. Flynn was simply making a blanket statement until he saw the look on Ana's face. Otherwise, no one would have been pointed out as a violator of this precept. There was no preexisting drama in the area. I simply wanted to show the more 'understanding' side of Ana. I wrote it that way on purpose, yet my readers continue to think that these sessions were aimed to pin everything on Christian. That wasn't my intent. Apparently, I can't persuade the minds of my readers no matter how I write the dialog, haha!