Out in the Open
It was the middle of September in Seattle, and the nights were getting cooler. Still, with Taco's thick coat, he thought it wasn't cold enough, despite christian had already got his shirt collar lifted trying to shield some coolness from hitting his bare neck. Tomorrow was Anastasia's birthday, yet, he was still out here walking their hound in the middle of the night.
"Is this what you were going to give me?" He asked her, holding up the cash briefly before turning to his dinner.
She shook her head. Then, reached for her phone.
"This isn't what I was going to show you either, but I think I need to tell you before I forget."
Unlocking the phone, it was immediately in the camera app. She clicked into the photo album and swiped a few times before handing it to him, who wanted to remind her of their phone policy but stopped when he detected the somber mood.
"Have you sen these girls before?"
He squinted at the images. Using two fingers, he zoomed in and out trying to get a closer look at the faces. They were all blondes, but oddly, there was a hint of familiarity when he saw them.
"Where did you see them?"
"I think I'm paranoid, but I just feel like I keep seeing a blonde around me. At least they were always just… there. I tried to take a picture of them whenever I see them, since I can't just blatantly stare at them. However," she gestured to the pictures on her phone taken in a span of the last few days. "they all look different each photo. So, I assumed that they weren't just a single person. I just can't figure out how many."
"Three," Christian muttered as he swiped through them over and over again.
He had seen them, too. Somewhere, he just couldn't recall a single detail at the moment. He didn't give it too much thought since he had Taylor with him almost every time he was out in public. Though, Sawyer only occasionally accompany Anastasia to work, much to his dismay; but, she insisted that it wasn't necessary since they were no longer the focus of the media.
"I'm sending it to my security team," he told her while fiddling with both of their phones. He furrowed his brows trying to decide whether to summon his team over right this second or the next day. He stole a glance at the girl sitting across him, and the fatigue was evident on her face, he decided that neither would happen. They were going to wait until Monday, because tomorrow had to be stress free and fun for his girl; or at least chilling.
In the end, he simply settled for a text for Taylor, Sawyer, Welch and Barney. The rest would have to wait.
"So, what is this oh-so-mysterious something for me?"
He watched her swallow nervously and stared back at him carefully. He now had a bad feeling bubbling from the pit of his gut.
"Here. This," she reached for the pieces of papers that came from her purse. It was carefully folded but heavily wrinkled, suggesting that it had been viewed repeatedly. "The dates," she added even more nervously and returned to her meal, feigning indifference and nonchalance He took the pages and flattened them out against the table next to his plate, which was now empty.
"It's my blood test result," he frowned but she didn't meet his gaze. "Is there something wrong with me?" He pondered aloud as his eyes scanned the document looking for the language that he could understand. "I'm clean," he read. Then, he looked again trying to catch her eye but she didn't raise them. So, he went back to searching for the dates like she had told her in the small voice earlier. "What?" He scowled at the numbers he was reading. "I don't understand."
"I rushed your blood test," she admitted. She could still remember making that decision on the day she accompanied him to take his blood. He was a ball of nerves; his hands were sweating and slipping from her hold, but it didn't make him loosen it.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He wasn't mad at this point, not a single bit, he was just confused; he learned to not jump the gun too fast with her. There must be a reason why she did what she did since she always had been reasonable and more rational than him on most cases.
"It came out on the Friday before I reminded you about the six-week mark, I was going to tell you then, but I… chickened out," she stuttered defeatedly. She was disappointed in herself for withholding this from him but she just couldn't do it. She convinced herself that she couldn't stomach the crestfallen face that he would have when she rejected him on sex.
"I'm not following," he stared at her even more intently, but with patience.
"I know you'd get the idea that I probably want to have sex with you because I rushed the results for you, but truth was, I didn't want to."
"You don't want to have sex with me? You know that I'd never pressure you into sex, I'd wait for you, right?" He knitted his brows tightly. "Is this because I had other relationships in the four years that we are apart?" He couldn't even pronounce the term for the women he had fucked. He truly felt shameful.
"I don't know," she murmured, stabbing at the few remaining pasta uninterestedly, even Taco was laying under the table by their feet.
"Don't spare my feelings, Ana. You told me that you weren't bothered and that you were over it."
"I thought I was!" She defended but she really didn't have much of a leg to stand on. "Part of the reason I rushed your test was because I was worried about you."
"Worried about… me?" He pointed a finger at his chest as if he needed that hand gesture to make her understand his words.
She nodded. "There's no better way to put it but it comes from purely selfish reasons just like why I hid your report from you."
He frowned. He wasn't angry at her, yet, but he had a nagging feeling that he was going to be upset by her revelations or become angry.
"I don't know whether you used protection with… those girls after me, so I just want to make sure that you weren't infected with some kind of STD. That was truly for your benefit and I was truly worried about your health and well-being. However, I know that we are going to become intimate at some point down the road at this rate, so I also wanted to make sure that we don't have to worry about anything. Though, that's just me justifying my actions to myself."
"What about keeping my results?" He inquired, seeing nothing wrong with her motivation behind rushing to obtain his results but she hadn't broached the reason for withholding it.
"I wasn't sure if I was ready…" she confessed. "I was always reminded of… your subs… so, I don't know. I said it doesn't bother me, but…"
"It does," he finished for her. He wanted to be angry at her for her slight hypocrisy because she was obviously bothered by the fact that he had been with other women intimately during the four years while she claimed that wasn't the case. He also wanted to yell at her for assuming that he'd pressure her into sex the moment his test results came back clean, granted, he did want to have sex with her but if she didn't consent, he'd never force her.
However, him being him, the disappointment and regret that he was feeling for engaging in the lifestyle after her was surfacing. He sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry," she apologized after sensing his mood change. It was the last thing she wanted as his reaction, because she was planning on enjoying whatever he had planned for her birthday tomorrow, whether at Pike Place Market or anywhere.
He shook his head, dismissing her apology which was completely unnecessary in his opinion since she didn't know what her implied assumption meant to him. The guilt and the hurt was both competing to eat him alive, and he had to get out.
"Tucks," he whistled for their pooch in a quiet and subdued tone as he made his way to the door. The dog bounded over completely disregarding the icy atmosphere in the house.
It was now after eleven at night, and quite frankly, he had no idea what exactly he was out here for; other than indulging in Taco's late night walks that he begged but rarely got. Sure, he was hurt by her implications that she felt pressured to have sex with him, but his actions to take on submissives probably crushed her even more.
Maybe it was just because the both of them were just too unclear with where they drew their line when they split up four summers ago.
Anastasia's birthday was just around the corner and she was alone at home. If he wasn't going to do anything special at midnight, he thought it should be at least decent or better if he was next to her to be the first to wish her a happy birthday.
After spending a few minutes to locate himself geographically with Taco tugging at the leash in every opposite direction from home, he started to drag a very unwilling pooch in the correct direction. For some reason, the more time their dog was outdoor, the more he liked it and refused to return home each time. It was utter bullshit when other dog owners claimed that the dog would stop pulling at their leash and act so excited whenever they go out if they spend enough time outside, because that was the exact opposite in his case.
The more they went out the better Taco acted like it was his first time out the doors in his entire life.
"Tucks!" Christian pulled him back abruptly when Taco charged suddenly at a cat. He was so unlike a Saint Bernard, who stereotypically was always serious since they were working on sniffing out hikers under the snow after avalanche with whiskey around their necks.
He had only been out for not even an hour, or at most, but when he entered the apartment, it was already dark. Taco wasted no time to find his water bowl and get on with everything, disregarding the worry emitting from his male owner as if he couldn't feel it.
The lights were still on in their bedroom, so he thought she was still up, but what he saw stirred u the guilt that had been eating him away for the better part of the walk rather than anger. The efforts that both Flynn and himself paid to convince himself that regret was the most pathetic emotion because what's done's done, so there really was no point in mourning over the betrayal that he thought she was feeling over the entire situation with him and his submissives.
It was his choice, and he gave it to impulse three years ago, so there was nothing that could be done to change the facts.
If he had known that was how their relationship would turn out, he definitely wouldn't even entertain Elena's words… well, he would, but he probably wouldn't act upon it.
Though, that was all part of the had-I-known crap.
Anastasia was laying on her stomach fully clothed on top of the covers sleeping soundly. Her phone clutched in her hand. The idea that even in her exhausted state, she tried to wait up for him made him felt like an even bigger asshole.
Christian debated tucking her under the blanket but after some debate with himself, he settled with lifting the cover around her to wrap her up temporarily. He wasn't even totally in the bathroom when he heard muffled giggles.
"You're not asleep?" He made his way over to the bed and sat on the edge.
"I was," she admitted. "I had a dream," she giggled again softly.
"About?" He humored her.
"I'll tell you in the shower," she flipped off the cover, hopping out of bed and headed for the bathroom starting to undress. "You coming?" She lobbed at him.
He shook himself out of the daze and mimicked her actions. He had been so out of sorts in his private life lately, given that he presumably had been in control before, and ironically, he used to call himself a Dominant.
Look who's calling the shots now.
It was comical and almost laughable with the confidence that she was demonstrating in their relationship when he had always believed that he was the one in charge in the bedroom. That was obviously an illusion.
"I accompanied you to this conference, and we were making out way out," she began to recount her very short dream animately. Too engrossed in her narration that she had neglected her own shower and also the fact that Christian was scrubbing himself into cooked-lobster color.
"What are you doing?" Her mind was finally coherent enough to process what she was witnessing. Grabbing ahold of his hands, she took a step closer forcing them to be wrapped around her torso.
"Showering," he didn't know why he tried to down play it when obviously nothing could escape her when it concerned him; she was equally protective of him. "Okay, I felt disgusted by myself and the choices that I've made. The submissives and all…"
"You know I overreacted, Christian. I was making a big deal out of nothing and I made… assumptions."
"Yeah, you did," he settled on saying when he was going to say that she wasn't freaking out. "That kind of hurt."
She threw her arms around his neck and touched their fronts together.
"I know," she murmured under the water, her voice mostly carried away by the stream. "I'm sorry." That came out muffled, and that instantly dissolved the tension between them. The elephant in the room sort of just went away with it.
"You know I'd never pressure you into anything, much less sex, right?"
She nodded mutely.
"Good, because I'm going to beg if you aren't ready."
She giggled at that and she could already feel his hands sliding down her bare back down south.
"Please," he made a show of begging pulling his bottom lip out into an adorable pout that almost made her melt.
That only made her laugh harder at him.
"I'm just kidding," he joined her in the cackle. "I'll still beg but don't feel pressured. I'll wait," he assured. "But, in all seriousness," he pulled her away slightly just so he could see her face. "When?"
She bursted out laughing. He was so adorable when he wanted to be. Shrugging, she really didn't give it too much thought, she was just going to take it as another joke of his and not give him a straight answer.
"Before this year ends."
He wanted to ask for a more specific time frame to work with but, in the end, she simply shrugged. When she saw that he wasn't exactly too happy with that answer, she added.
"You won't be suffering from a dry spell for that long," she giggled. "We can start with oral?"
A laugh bubbled through his throat, and in spite of her dangerous glare at him, he couldn't contain it. Instead of explaining to her how her serious mien and the words that tumbled out of her mouth were the roots of his laugh, he tilted her head by her chin and cupped her cheeks, then lowered his mouth to hers.
"What do you say to a hand-job for starters?" A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes when she nodded her head accepting the suggestion eager to reconnect their lips.
…
It was already rare for her to wake up before him, but it was even rarer for her to open her eye lids before him when they fell asleep way after midnight. If she didn't fall into an orgasm-induced coma, he would probably pull an all-nighter just to play with her body.
He surely wasn't kidding when he said he was going to feast on her, because not only did she pass out after several intense orgasms, but she also had half a mind to evaluate her hydration level with the way she was squirting all over his face and fingers.
There wasn't a single muscle that could possibly maintain enough strength to carry herself out of bed, but she certainly wasn't going to waste the rare opportunity of waking up before him. Her core still ached from the ministration from him yesterday night, or perhaps this morning; but, it was her birthday, so she had the right to be petulant.
Not that she hadn't been petulant around him lately.
That didn't stop her from lifting the covers with every intention of slipping her hand down there reaching for the hard rod that was poking at her naked flesh all morning.
I slept butt naked and this guy had the nerve to wear an underwear?!
She seethed silently.
Still, it didn't stop the hand that moved its way down into the waistband of his boxers brief. Her eyes lifted to focus on his face, and she could see that he was stirring but not completely out of his deep slumber.
A moan escaped him when she grasped at his base and started to move up and down all the while shifting his underwear down his hip. He lifted his hips to aid her quest with his eyes closed but very much awake now.
"What are you doing?" He gasped after she got under the covers and flicked her tongue over his tip with her hands now firmly groping on his balls.
"It's my birthday today," she grinned at him from under the lifted covers. "Last I checked," she added cheekily, still cupping his balls. "So, I think I'm allowed to play with you however I please."
He groaned. It wasn't like she couldn't play with him any time, because she had him by the balls, always; and, this time it was in the literal sense. His thought process was interrupted by her mouth enclosed around him, and her tongue relentlessly teasing the tip.
It was driving him crazy. He hadn't felt her mouth on him in years, and even though he knew she wasn't the most experienced with oral skills, but because it was her, it made the sex simply the best he'd ever had.
"Ana!" He moaned, fighting to keep still but ending up bucking his hips and thrusting into her warm mouth. She wasn't planning on stopping her ministrations anytime soon. It was like she was on a mission to make him cum as fast as possible.
"I'm going to cum," he warned but it was way too short a notice given that she heeded it in the first place. "Ana! Oh, baby…" he panted, reaching down to still her bobbing head just so she could be merciful to him for one second to let him catch his breath. That was embarrassingly short for him as someone who had been practicing orgasm control for a decade, but he wasn't allowed too much time on that thought since she wasn't done with her vicious assaults.
"Did you like it?" She peeked up from beneath the covers staring straight into his eyes, her hands never stopped stroking him.
"You can't torture me like that first thing in the morning," he whined half-heartedly when she climbed up his body and sat her heated core directly atop of his semi-hard member. "Ugh!" He groaned at the contact, instantly recharging his semi to a full. "Gimme a break, honey," he joked, fighting the urge to lift her and just lower her onto him instead of letting her have free rein and grind on him.
She was having an internal debate at the moment. Sucking his dick had been fun and watching him writher at her complete mercy was even better, but she was now soaking wet; and she needed a release.
As she continued to grind on his length, enjoying the sensation she was feeling, she wondered if penetration could be the thing that could tip her over the edge. However, there was still reservation on her part. There was still the fact that he had been with other women that was bothering her, even if part of her mind was telling her to let go, and she whole-heartedly agreed, but another part of her just wanted to remain a hypocrite.
Maybe with a condom?
The friction was starting to feel not enough, she needed something stronger and more intense to end her frustration.
Perhaps a condom could put her racing mind to rest?
"Hey," he cooed softly beneath her, he could feel her mind drifting off into conflict zone. "Baby," he called again trying to gain her attention. He needed more from her too, all those grinding was driving him mad.
"Where's the box of condom?" She blurted out.
Oh darn, here I thought I'm going to have to beg for full intercourse.
He let out a sigh of relief. This was what he had been waiting for, even though in his mind he was supposed to be on top worshipping her body, but in his desperate state of mind, he really just wanted to be inside of her. He honestly didn't know why she needed a condom to separate them since his blood was literally flowing inside her veins, but if this was what it would take for him to finally have her; then so be it!
"Bottom drawer of that nightstand," he pointed and she reached out to grab it.
The instant her heat left him, he missed it—even the tiniest friction that he was silently mulling over earlier was now severely missed.
With the tin foil packet in between her teeth and the entire box's content spilled all over the bed next to their heads. She roughly and carelessly shoved the drawer back shut.
"You moved it," she stated through her teeth around the condom. He simply nodded as he watched her return to her previous position and straddled him.
Outside of the bedroom, Taco scrambled to his feet and bounded to the front door barking. He had been busy moving every personal belonging of both owners into the guest room where he now considered his territory; his very own bed was only for show in the living room.
Anastasia's slender finger traced the outline of the key chained to Christian's neck distractedly and her grinding halted. His eyes darted to her right wrist in reflex and enclasp it into his hand.
"Why did you even get one?" She muttered, watching him plant kisses on the palm of her hand. He had no idea that she would be breaking their moment like this but it seemed like legit question that needed answers.
"I wanted to tell you that my feelings for you haven't changed; it never did."
She stared at him intently. Given the circumstances that he had been with submissives, she wasn't sure what to make of that heartfelt declaration.
"You were an asshole."
He scowled despite the lightness in her tone.
"Full disclosure, I don't know where the key went. I truly didn't pay much attention to it because I honestly cannot fathom what you were trying to convey. You were very confusing."
His scowl deepened, this time he truly felt affronted with her nonchalance that he previously mistook as lightness. Suddenly, the notion of them having matching love bracelets sounded childish and naïve; or plain stupid.
"Perhaps we should just take them off?" Her thoughts mirrored his.
"No," his conviction startled the both of them. "I'll toss this key away."
"And we're stuck with this bracelet forever."
He furrowed his brows again.
"It's not practical, Christian."
"Fine, then let's just keep this screw driver somewhere safe. As backup."
He lifted an eyebrow half mocking her and half asking for her opinion.
She nodded once, only remotely comfortable with the suggestion but remained mute.
The doorbell startled Taco, making him leapt to his feet so he could watch over and protect his spoils of war. His barks had interrupted the couple behind the closed door, just when Christian was about to brake it to Anastasia that if he was HIV positive, then portion of his blood wouldn't be flowing through her bloodstream. She still wasn't aware of what had happened in the hospital.
"Fuck!" He roared, throwing open the bedroom door, but it didn't toss the pent up sexual frustration stemmed from being cock blocked away. He was just about to get laid, and he was on his path convincing her to take him bare.
By the looks on Taco's face he was certain that whoever the fuck chose this time to turn up would be ripped to shreds before they even crossed the threshold. The dog had plenty of fun in the rain with Taylor and Sawyer this morning since Christian had asked his personal staff to take care of the hound on Anastasia's birthday. The person behind the door had obviously disrupted Taco's playtime with everything in the apartment.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Her sweet voice did nothing to sooth his boiling anger.
Merely sparing a glance at Taco's way, he made his way to the door while throwing a t-shirt on to cover his naked chest. He idly wondered what time it was, but never bothered to actually check. He had every intention of throwing whoever was at the door out before returning to the warm naked body that was now concealed underneath a white fluffy robe. She was vexed by the interruption, too, but she wasn't showing it on her face like her boyfriend.
Though, she wasn't sure if she could work up the courage to have full penetration with him again. At least not in the recent time.
"It's eleven in the morning and you guys are still in bed?" Mia gasped once the door opened.
Christian wanted to call her out since she never wake up before noon if she could, unless it was Black Friday.
"We fell asleep at three in the morning, not that it's any of your business," Christian answered in an even tone just to keep himself from snapping at his little sister. Behind her though, wasn't a pretty sight. It was Elliot staggering closer to the door following Mia inside but trying to maintain his balance.
Anastasia promptly disappeared behind the bedroom door to get dressed.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"For her birthday," Elliot piped in which wasn't welcomed by Christian.
"So, you decide to barge into our house in the middle of the day?"
"Hey," Anastasia surfaced now fully dressed in a casual attire, rubbing her boyfriend's back.
"Happy birthday, Ana!" Mia quipped enthusiastically, probably a little bit over letting it known that she was attempting to hide something.
"Give me a hug, future sister," Elliot stepped up and pulled her into an unexpected embrace.
"Elliot," Anastasia pulled back wincing, awkwardly showing her bottom teeth when her eyes met with Mia's. "You reek of alcohol," she wasn't sure if she should say that since Christian was already pissed off, and she shouldn't be poking at the tiger's ass.
Welp, there goes our weekend.
Christian's eyes whipped toward his brother and instantly stepped into pull his girl away. He glared at his brother and opened his mouth asking him to explain, but his question was drowned by Taco's barks which was caused by a few knocks on the door.
"Ethan," Anastasia gasped as the door opened revealing.
"What is going on?" Christian demanded.
Fuck, he truly is seething mad at the intrusion and most importantly for getting cock blocked.
Elliot sighed heavily and pulled out a chair from under the dining table, and slumped onto it. He slowly opened his mouth the same time as guilt washed over his entire feature. His first words were lost in a gasp coming from Mia where Ethan was showing her something from his phone.
Anastasia drowned out Elliot's babbles as he yapped away trying to make sense of the sequences of the events that happened from yesterday after they all went back to their respective homes after a day of hanging out. The couple at the door attracted Christian's attention but he had no means to deal with both problems at once, so he decided to get through Elliot first.
She only caught on parts of it. She knew that the Grey parents called from Detroit, and it had something to do with either Isaac or Christian, but it was definitely Elena related.
"Why did you get drunk?" Christian glowered at Elliot while sparing a few glances in Mia's way just to keep an eye on what was happening under his roof.
"I didn't plan on getting drunk," Elliot protested. "You know that I'm not an alcoholic."
Christian rolled his eyes. That was completely irrelevant.
"My drink was probably spiked but I don't know because when I got sober enough, I only had my phone with me. Every other items in my pants pockets and my jacket was taken. My phone was hidden in the inner layer so whoever probably didn't find it."
"Who were you talking to."
"I spilled my guts to some blonde there."
Christian growled. He had absolutely nothing to say to his brother right now.
"Did she put stuff in your drinks?" Anastasia finally tuned into the conversation when she could feel the silence creeping up on her.
"Probably," he confessed. "I don't know. I didn't give any names."
"Who doesn't know what the Grey family members look like?" Christian barked at his brother, now towering over him.
"Why were you drinking alone in the first place?" Anastasia asked again, she didn't catch the part about the content of the phone call between the Greys since she really couldn't care less about that two.
"I guess it just finally sank into me that Christian truly cut them off. I was living in this bubble that we can get through everything and return to normal, but I didn't expect mom and dad to run of to Detroit chasing some boy just to redeem their sins. They were shopping for a new son when this one abandoned them."
"I didn't abandon them, they tossed me away!"
"I called Mia after they poured an ice bucket over my head."
"More like wasted a bucket full of ice," Christian sneered, earning an elbow in the ribs from Anastasia who gutted at him silently.
Choosing to disregard the wry remarks, Elliot continued with his narration.
"Wait a minute," Anastasia scanned the surrounding then raced back to the bedroom and came back with her phone in hand. "Do you remember what that blonde girl look like?"
Christian's head snapped toward her having caught on where she was going with it.
"You don't think…"
"It could be," she shrugged at him helplessly. Handing Elliot the phone, she told him to see if he recognize any of them.
"I don't know," he admitted defeatedly. "They all kind of look the same since their faces aren't exactly clear."
"But, is one of them remotely similar?" Anastasia pressed.
After a few pause, Elliot nodded. He swiped the phone to the picture, and Anastasia was in the process of reaching for the device when the apparently unlocked apartment door opened the same time as Mia screamed.
Anastasia's phone subsequently clattered on to the ground from the sudden chaos. Christian's ire only rose higher at the downturn of events of the day.
"What the fuck?" Christian was the first to react, and the fire was shot at the poor security guard at the door now looking frightened. Surely this was the last place he wanted to be in front of the angry man.
"Mr Grey," the man stuttered as he watched Christian snatching Anastasia back to his side when she took a few step forward in an attempt to get closer to the door. "Yo- your car-"
Mia gasped. "I knew it! I was going to get Ana to come and see it."
Anastasia stared at Mia dumbfounded for being cued so randomly.
"Say that again?" Christian demanded as Anastasia got snatched away from his side suddenly.
"Sir," the guard took a deep breath to steady his speech. "Your car has been vandalized."
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