Hi everyone! How are we all doing?
Gowldcats: you were the 900th review. YAY, I sent you a PM.
Also, if you check chapter 12 - Author's Note from March 6th, you will see the family tree. I know it got a little confusing for a bit but I hope that authors note will clear things up.
I saw some new people reviewed. HIIII, thank you for following my little dramatic story. Thank you so much for following along this rollercoaster in a time when our real lives are one bumpy ride.
After Chapter 42, I think I will be doing some time jumps. 2-3 week jumps. We'll see. i'm still working on that. Till then, some happiness for our favorite couple in love.
Chapter 41 – Lovesick
February 14th, 2020.
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CARMELA ON TOP FOR SEATTLE NOOZ
Well, well... my little caramel bites. It appears all of Seattle and the US of A is in a tizzy. Our resident Prince Charming, Christian Grey has finally found himself a lady. From broken bones to the royal throne, it appears little Miss Anastasia Steele has finally won our Prince's heart. I guess Miracles do happen. Sources say they met at wedding, how very rom-com, if you ask me... though I do believe there was a little more going on behind the scenes at work if you know what I mean. I wonder how she caught the big boss's attention. Anastasia, if you're reading this and wouldn't mind giving any tips... we're all eyes and ears.
That being said, Little Miss Steele will be one to watch in the coming days. Rumors are she comes from a small town in Washington but also has ties to big money. Never knew Christian Grey was into the 'girl next door type'. I can hear the sounds of many hearts breaking across the USA.
You know how dedicated I am to getting you the scoop. I may have to get to the bottom of things but don't worry, I always come out on top ;)
Send me your delicious thoughts.
Love and Caramel,
Carmela On Top.
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APOV
I wake up to light kisses on my neck and a considerably excited guest wanting to visit. I feel Christian's assault on my right breast... he's such an addict but it makes me smile. He's turned me into one as well. I feel his hand travel down between my legs and play with my clit. He uses his two fingers to glide between my now swollen lips, slowly... up and down. It takes everything in me not to moan as his other free hand now curls around my neck, slowly turning my face towards him. My eyes are still closed as he plants soft kisses on my lips.
"I know you're awake baby. No use fighting it." I hear that low baritone voice that melts me into a puddle on the inside. The fucker is smiling; I can feel it with each kiss.
"It's not like you've given me a choice. You've launched an all out assault from all sides, Grey." I giggle with my eyes closed.
"I just know what buttons to push baby."
"hmmm, I can feel your excitement." I moan.
"The little fucker and I are addicted to you." He chuckles and kisses me again and I get lost dancing with his tongue.
He enters me slowly. Holding me in place and it feels like heaven. I love it when he holds me like this. Not letting me move, his hand on my neck as he moves in and out of me while his fingers tease me.
"Christian..." I call out to him in between kisses.
"Do you like this baby?"
"Y-y-esss." I'm a complete mess. My hand reaches back and I grab on to his hair. I hear a low groan as he bites down on my neck causing me to moan out loud again. "Don't stop... please..."
He starts to really pick up the pace as his grip on me tightens and it feels like heaven. With each thrust I climb higher and higher, my breathing quickens to the point where I can't even make a sound. I feel myself tighten around me with extreme force and he grunts into my mouth. I half moan and half scream into him as I come. Completely shattered and trying to catch my breath but he's still going. Thrusting into me as he buries his face into my neck. Soon enough he stills and groans my name into my neck, holding me in a vice like grip as I feel him shoot his load into me. I will never get enough of this feeling. Of him filing me. Leaving a part of himself inside of me. Only me.
His hand is still on my neck, holding on to me as he tries to calm himself down. "I love it when you hold me like this." I whisper.
"What do you love about it baby?" he asks in between his all consuming kisses.
"It makes me feel wanted and protected... it makes me feel close to you." I say looking into his eyes and there's that look again. That intense, magnetic look, staring into my eyes with his thumb tracing circles on my cheek.
"That's all I ever want you to feel with me, baby." He says with undeniable sincerety. I raise my face to kiss him again.
...
I sit on the bathroom counter and watch him get dressed. "I feel like a coward for not going into work today." I muse.
"Ana, you're not a coward. I wouldn't go into work either but I've got a meeting with the M & A team about Lot 43 and some companies we've been looking into. I'll be back by 3pm. I want you to be ready."
"Don't we have to meet Catherine from HR and officially tell her we're together? I mean, GEH has a strict non-fraternization policy." I ask.
"Well, it's good thing you're sleeping with the guy who runs the actual show." He smirks.
I try not to laugh. "You're such ass."
"You're obsessed with checking out this ass." He laughs. "Technically, we have a clause that if as long as you're not in a relationship with your direct supervisor you're fine and HR looks favorably if you disclose your relationship before you're found out and baby, I'm not your direct supervisor though sometimes I really wish I was. It would make work a whole lot of fun for me."
"God, you are SUCH A PERVERT." I roll my eyes.
"Did you roll your eyes at me?"
"Yeah, I did. Whatchu gon' do about it... PUNK?" I sass back at him and laughs. He walks over to me and holds me.
"It's fine. Catherine adores you like everyone else in that building but if it makes you feel any better, we can meet with her on Monday. We'll walk right up to her office, hand in hand and announce ourselves. Happy?"
"Hand in hand in front of everyone?" Please do not say yes. I will be mortified.
"Yes. I want to show the whole god damn world you're mine."
I take a deep breath and roll my eyes. "What's next, you're gonna walk me to my desk, carrying my bag? Like how high school guys carry their girlfriend's books and drop them off at their class and give them a kiss?" I raise an eyebrow.
He thinks for a moment. Seriously considering what I said."Yes. I never had that experience in high school so yes, I will walk you to your desk and kiss you with all the indecency in the world before I say goodbye."
"Oh my god. All the women in GEH will murder my ass."
"Not before I'm done with it." He smirks.
"Fuck you, Grey." I narrow my eyes at him trying not laugh.
"Miss Steele, you most certainly will fuck me tonight, as I will you." Before I can respond he locks me in a searing kiss and I'm lost.
He has such a way of making me feel like a teenager sometimes.
Mrs. Jones insisted on making us a full on brunch spread but I told her that pancakes are all we need and maybe some cut fruit. She indulged me and made caramel pecan cinnamon pancakes to honor my obsession with caramel pecanbons. The last time I had some was during the holidays. They don't have any locations in Seattle proper. I need to remind Christian I need my fix when we're in Bellevue next. Chances are he's never had one. I have so much to teach him about that world.
I give Kate a crushing hug and cry like a baby. I've missed her so much. We sit down to eat and devour our food like heathens. It's been forever since we had our breakfast dates. After we're done, I take her up to the guest room and we sit on the couch by the window with a glass of wine for her and tea for me. I set an alarm on my phone because god knows we'll keep on talking and miss our spa appointments.
"My girl is fucking famous." Kate laughs.
"More like just a target for abuse." I roll my eyes.
"Have you seen the latest stuff?"
"No, I just saw some of the initial stuff yesterday evening and it was fucked up and fucked with my brain."
"Well baby now they love you. The Seattle Times round up of the Seattle-Mason Gala has you pegged as a friend of charities given your little shame game with Seattle's Elite."
I roll my eyes. "The press are fickle... no offense. They just ride waves. I'm sure by this evening they'll hate me again for taking away their darling boy from them."
"How do you want to play this?"
"I don't want to play it Kate. I want it to shut the fuck up and leave me alone... which brings me to my next issue... Christian wants me to move in. Security says our apartment building isn't secure and well, he wants me to move in with him anyway. I wanted to run it by you."
"Actually, I'm glad you brought it up because I've been thinking about moving in with Elliot for some time now. I'm barely at the apartment anyway and when I am in Seattle I'm mostly with him trying to spend as much time as I can before heading out again. And once Ethan comes back from wrapping up everything in Boston, he can take over the apartment."
Phew... this is easy. "So I guess we aren't going to be roommates anymore, huh?" I say and I start to feel the tears in my eyes. I look up at her and she's battling the same emotion.
"Fuck... I'm gonna miss you Steele."
"I'm gonna miss you too, Kavanagh. Can we please promise to try and hangout? I know this is a transitory time for the both of us, given our new relationships and now the demand of your job, but there's no replacing you in my life. I'm always going to need my best friend."
"Oh fuck yeah, we need to. In fact, I was talking to dad two days ago. I don't think I want to be CEO for Kavanagh Media anymore. I mean I know I'm in training, but I've been thinking lately. I want to marry Elliot and have babies. I want to have an involved life you know. I saw how dad was always working and mom felt neglected and drank all the fucking time and spent her life being depressed. I don't want that. I want to stick around. I'd probably move to PR or become a producer. I have the shares to Kavanagh Media so money is not a problem but I miss the idea of crafting a narrative. CEO shit is getting real boring, real quick."
"Wow... um... shit Kavanagh, this is such a 180. I mean, I'm fucking ecstatic for you but I thought you really wanted to be CEO."
"Yeah, I thought so too but I love Elliot and I don't see it as giving up anything at all. I want my life to be different, and being a CEO doesn't hold the same thrill for me."
"So babies, huh?"
"Yeah. I want babies. I've grown ovaries since I've been with him."
We both laugh like hyenas. I know Kate will be amazing mom. This works out in Elliot's favor. She's already down to get married. The baby timeline might not be what he wants... oh well.
"How are things with Christian?" She asks with a loving smile.
"They're good. We've been talking a lot and I'm slowly opening up to him and telling him everything and he's been amazing. I know it's a lot for him and he's not used to all this emotion but he's been doing well. But Kate, I'm scared also."
"What happened?"
I tell her about the Vishaal ambush at the Gala and the fight him and I had along with my finally telling him my reasons for staying quiet.
"Ana, he's never going to get it. I mean I get your point of view, I fucking hate it but I understand it. He's a guy, he's only got so much in him till he fucking blows him out of the water. Fuck, I want to murder Vishaal myself. There's only so much you can take you know..."
"Don't you think I know that Kate. I'm fucking scared. I don't know what the fuck Vishaal is capable of. I mean... I am literally caught in the crossfire and I am trying to keep them both at bay. If I involve more of the family... I have to wait till the will is read by the end of the 3rd quarter. Right now everything is up in the air. So many A's are in play for AHAK right now, I can't fuck up the business side of things for the family. It's their livelihood."
"Ana, they've got the money to last them all lifetimes."
"Jobs are also at stake. It's just a fucking pandora's box, Kate. Besides, I have a theory, well two theories about what Vishaal is up to. This whole Vogue India thing feels calculated..."
I tell her my hunches and she nods in agreement. It could very well be what I'm thinking. It certainly does make sense given all that I know of him. I grew up with him and he was a close confidante while I was in recovery. I know his fears; I know how he thinks... I need to confirm this hunch with Karan and then Rania as delicately as possible and then tell Christian. She urges me to not wait too long and tell him sooner rather than later.
"Another thing happened... just between you and me though."
"OOOOH GOSSIP!" Kate claps her hands and I roll my eyes.
"He sort of asked me to marry him."
"SHUT THE FUCKING FRONT DOOR... what did you say?" Kate is about faint like our favorite meme.
"I told him I did want to marry him but that I needed time. I have a lot of unresolved issues and I want to go to therapy for a while both alone and as a couple before we jumped into a heavy life commitment."
She looks at me for a moment and smiles. "Only you Steele, only you would make Christian Grey wait and I'm fucking proud of you for wanting to work on yourself and get to better place. Any other girl would've jumped at the chance but you're not any other girl, you're fucking Anastasia Steele. "
"Thanks mama." I smile back.
"So what does the great Christian Grey have planned for your first Valentine's together?"
"No idea. It's all a surprise. I was told to be ready by 4pm here."
"Damn... I better get first dibs on the scoop."
"Girl, we meet at Grace's on Sunday, I'll give you every single detail."
"Even the number of orgasms. I need to make sure you're being taken care of." She smirks,
I roll my eyes. "Just because you felt the need to overshare your sex life doesn't mean I have to."
"This is the basic tenet of girl talk. Do not deny me." Kate cackles.
"By the way, you and Jose need to meet. I'll make a plan for drinks or maybe we can meet here. This room is actually going to be mine. Christian said I could take over one of the guest rooms and make it my own for my girl dates and shit."
"Yeah, I want to meet this Queen of yours and God Bless your man... I wouldn't mind girl nights in this joint. Elliot says he's always got good booze and Mrs. Jones, well... I half want to ditch Elliot's ass and marry her so I think we can make this arrangement work to our advantage." She laughs.
"I'm glad you approve of my moving to Escala." I giggle.
...
Our spa treatment was amazing. Kate thoroughly enjoys being pampered, she really knows how to lose herself in this shit. Me? I'm always a nervous nancy but having her by my side helped me. She's slowly trying to brainwash me to accept all the perks that come with being in Christian's life. I don't think I'll ever get used to it. Caroline texts me and lets me know she sent my dress to Escala. I told her I didn't need to get my makeup done for today. I'd rather get ready myself. I still want to maintain some sense of normalcy in my life.
Once I get back to Escala, I take a bath, careful to not ruin my blown out hair. I check my phone and see a slew of texts from Jose.
JR: BITCH! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU LEFT ME OUT IN THE COLD TODAY.
JR: DID YOU SEE, YOU MADE IT TO THE BEST DRESSED LIST ON THE SEATTLE TIMES WEBSITE. YOU'RE WELCOME, THAT WAS ALL ME. CAROLINE AND I HAVE BEEN TEXTING TO MAKE YOU A REGULAR FEATURE.
JR: VOGUE IS CALLING YOU THE NEXT IT GIRL.
JR: BITCH REPLY ALREADY.
JR: DID YOU SEE WHAT CARMELA ON TOP WROTE?
AS: Hi honey, how are you feeling today? Doing well, I see.
JR: Don't give me that bullshit. We need to cultivate this image ASAP. I have so many ideas.
AS: Are you my new PR person?
JR: Yes. Was there any doubt? I need to make sure I secure my future and bish you are my meal ticket.
AS: I'm SO GLAD we got that cleared up.
JR: Okay for real, how are you doing?
AS: Yesterday was really rough. With showing of the accident shit and just the general negativity and hate... it got to me. But I met with Kate this morning and she told me about the Seattle Times write up, plus the fact that now everything seems to be taking a positive turn.
JR: Yeah, the media just goes where the wind blows but you can get through this.
AS: Thanks boo. I do want us to have a girl's night. Maybe next week you can come to Escala? I'm moving in with Christian and apparently he has really good booze for you to get piss drunk on.
JR: Bitch, check your front door, I'm already standing out there with my suitcase.
I'm all bathed and relaxed. I'm almost done getting ready. I fix my hair and check my makeup. It's almost 3:30. I walk into the walk-in closed and quick strap on my heels. I take the dress that Caroline sent me out of the garment bag. It's red satin dress from Rasario and I'm a little nervous to wear it. I've never worn something like this but I wanted to wear it for Christian. There's a huge slit and if I'm not careful, I could flash my hidden real estate to all of Seattle but I guess I'll wear a long coat till I'm sure I'm in private.
A familiar song comes on and I haven't heard it in a really long time. I love Banks. Her throaty vocals crooning through the bedroom sounds system start to give me the confidence I need as I step into the dress and zip it up. I can't help but sing and hum along...
Oh, I know your love before I kissed you
And now you have only made me miss you
Come get me
Come love me, baby come love me
'Cause I'm lovesick
And I ain't even ashamed
And I'm hard up, for some time in your sheets
Would you be down to spend all your time with me?
'Cause I'm lovesick
I take one last look in the mirror. Fuck... I've never looked like this. I suddenly feel unsure... am I trying too hard? I try to dismiss the thought and realize I need earrings, I turn to walk out of the walk in closet and almost crash into Christian as he's walking in. He stops dead in his tracks and looks me up and down. Fuck... his face, I can't tell if he approves of disapproves... he just stares at me.
CPOV
I get back to Escala and it's almost 3:30pm. I walk into the bedroom and hear some music... it's dark and sensual. I turn the corner to walk into the walk in closet as Ana's walking out and I'm frozen as I see the woman in front of me. I look at her, drinking every inch of her. Holy fuck, she looks amazing. This red number is... well, I don't care if she loves it because I can't wait to tear it off of her.
Cause I'm lovesick
And I ain't even ashamed
And I'm hard up, for some time in your sheets
Would you be down to spend all your time with me?
'Cause I'm lovesick
'Cause I'm lovesick
And I ain't even ashamed
And I'm hard up for some time in your sheets
Would you be down to spend all your time with me?
'Cause I'm lovesick
Fuck it. I walk up to her and crash my lips on to her. It takes a few seconds for her to realize and adapt herself to what's happening.
"Wrap your legs around me." I growl and lift her against the wall and unzip myself. I rip her panties and push into her. She gasps throwing her head back and moaning which each thrust.
"oh fuckkk... Christian... yes... yessss... " She cries as I fuck her. It's hard and quick as I roar my release into her neck while she screams her own.
I gently let her down and she giggles and looks up at me smiling. "Good Afternoon, Mr. Grey."
"Good Afternoon, Miss Steele. You look exquisite." I smirk.
"Yes, I gathered that. Thank you for the demonstrative compliment." She giggles biting her lip.
"Miss Steele, I will be demonstrating my appreciation all weekend. I hope you're ready."
She laughs. "I'm all game, bring it on Grey." She gives me a small kiss. I hold her face and look into her eyes.
"You really do look so beautiful. I'm one lucky son of a bitch."
"It's all for you." She breathes, holding on to my wrists. I lean down and kiss her, consuming her. I break the kiss and bring my lips to the wrist wearing the charm bracelet I gave her. She gives me a shy smile.
Once I'm ready, I meet her in the great room. She looks to me and smiles, walking to me and throws her arms around my neck. "Do I get to demonstrate my compliment or do I have to wait?" she wiggles her eyebrows making me laugh.
"You'll have to wait, we're about 10 minutes behind schedule already." I kiss her nose.
She gets her coat and we head out. "Where are we going?"
"All in good time Miss Steele."
We take the elevator to the rooftop corridor and she looks at me confused. As soon as we get to the door that leads us on to the rooftop, I tell her to tighten her coat a little but more.
I open the door and she gasps walking out. It's not too chilly but there's always a strong wind current when you're this high up.
"isss thiss... Oh my god." Her jaw is on the floor and then she starts to laugh. "The choppa!" she squeals.
I roll my eyes. "Helicopter."
"Same difference." She laughs.
"Where are we going? Oh my god... this is SO EXCITING. I'm sorry... I'm nerding out a little. This is SO EXCITING." She says grabbing on to my arm. Her excitement makes me happy. I think the last time I saw her like this was when she saw the R8. We walk up and she touches it.
"She's pretty." She looks to me.
"He is handsome." I grumble making her laugh out loud.
"What's his name?"
"Charlie Tango."
"Oh... well nice to meet you Charlie Tango." She giggles.
I help her inside and walk to my side and get in. I strap her in.
"Strapping you in is giving me other ideas." I smirk and give her a kiss. She holds my face to hold on a little longer and smiles when she pulls away.
"I love you, Mr. Grey."
"I love you, Miss Steele." I smile back at her.
I get the go ahead from Sea-Tac and we take off. Ana tries to keep quiet and it's comical. She's freaking out with excitement. She goes from clapping her hands, to holding her face to giggling. All the while a big smile plastered on her face. I've never seen her like this and I realize that I want more of this. More of her full of life like this.
"Can I ask you a question or is this like a 'don't disturb the pilot' situation?" she whispers.
I laugh. "You can ask away Miss Steele."
"Do you fly often?"
"Not as often as I'd like."
"That's sad. It's so beautiful to be up here like this. It's so amazing you can do this." She smiles at me.
"We aim to please, Miss Steele."
"So... where we going? Please tell me." She whines.
"Well, you mentioned not being able to visit Mt. Rainier and I didn't want to wait till it was warmer so I thought I'd give you a small tour before our dinner. I thought we could see the sunset from up here."
"Oh em gee. Yes please... Oh Christian, that's so romantic. You sap!" she giggles.
"Only for you Miss Steele." I chuckle.
As we get closer to Mt. Rainier, Ana starts telling me random facts about how there are about 70 or so active volcanoes across the United States and how she'd love to see molten lava in real life.
"Miss Steele, your mind is a beautiful and weird place sometimes."
She shrugs. "I had way too many questions as a kid and Ray never had all the answers so national geographic was my best friend along with the Internet and the library."
I go around the craters perimeter and she takes a few pictures.
"It's so beautiful and serene here. Have you been here before?"
"No, another first Miss Steele." I smile at her and she smiles back.
We head back to Seattle as the sky goes dark.
"I always loved the approach into LaGuardia in New York but seeing Seattle like this, it's a close second."
"You like New York?"
"I love it. Anytime I had to go, I always asked to fly into LaGuardia if I had to fly commercial even though it was a mess of an airport, I only did it for the view as we came in. Just the excitement of seeing the city, it's so wonderfully vibrant and exciting and best of all, you can be completely anonymous and explore it in peace. When I was 16, I thought I'd end up living in New York eventually and maybe work for AHAK... but funny how life changes... I guess Seattle is home now." She muses as she looks out her window.
"We can go whenever you like, I have a place there."
"I'd really like that. Do you ever explore the city when you're there?"
"I've never really explored New York. I go there for work and then go to the apartment and back to work and then I leave when I have to. Sometimes we have client dinners but that's pretty much."
"Oh then whenever we go, we are exploring it properly. We are walking and taking the subway. You need to explore New York like a regular guy. None of this rich billionaire stuff, Mr. Grey." She warns with a giggle. "I'll take you to my favorite Peruvian restaurant and Belgian fries place... they have this mango chutney that is die for... oh and then... well there's a lot. I won't bore you." She laughs.
"No baby, I want to hear about it."
"It's better I tell you when we go there." She smiles.
We land back on the Escala helipad and head down to the garage.
"That was so beautiful. Thank you." She leans up and kisses the corner of my mouth.
"Anything for you, baby." I kiss her forehead.
We arrive at the Mile High Club and it's packed. We're led into the private dining room that has a floor to ceiling window with a full view of Seattle. We settle into our chairs, both side and by side and she nervously laughs.
"Something amusing you Miss Steele?" I ask.
"This feels weird. It's lovely but... I don't know, I've never had this. This would technically be my first date." She says trying to suppress a smile.
"Neither have I but I'm so happy it's with you and only you." I kiss her deeply.
"I hope you don't mind but I ordered ahead. You told me you liked seafood so I ordered mostly that."
"Yeah sure, I love seafood."
"You like oysters?" I ask as the waiter brings our appetizers.
"Love them. Whenever I visit SF and Nani and I have our ritual lunch at fisherman's wharf, we always start with oysters."
I squeeze a little of the lemon and pick up and oyster and feed her.
"I like feeding you." I tell her.
"I like it too."
"Would you like some wine?"
She looks at it wearily and takes a few moments, shaking her head. "Um... no thank you. Water is fine." She says in a small voice.
"Just know that whenever you want you can, you're in safe place."
"Yeah, I know... maybe one day." She gives me a smile but it doesn't reach her eyes.
She tells me about her afternoon with Kate and how it was much needed. She misses her but says they're going to try and make an active point to hangout at least once a week because every girl needs a girlfriend.
"I hope it's okay, if I can invite Jose over sometime next week."
"Ana, you don't have to ask. Escala is your place too."
"Yeah, but it's your life and all this is new to you too. I don't want it to be jarring."
"Well as long as nobody moves in, I think we'll be fine. I'm not keen of having a third roommate. I want you all to myself, unfettered access at all times." I smirk and lean in to give her a kiss.
"Oh about that... Jose is so ready with his suitcase. He's been freaking out, keeping track of all the press coverage." She giggles.
"I'm sure he is. He's probably been looking for his own picture."
"I think I'll plan an excursion and take him out and make sure his picture is definitely taken. Poor thing only wants the simple things in life." She giggles.
I laugh. "There is nothing simple about Jose Rodriguez"
"You know, he'd love that statement. Heck, if I texted him that right now that you said this; he'd 100% get it tattooed on his fucking forehead by midnight." She muses as she takes a bite of her salmon and I laugh.
Our conversation flows so easily. It's always a joy to watch her eat and be animated when she's in her story telling mode. Rolling her eyes and the undeniable sass she has. She's always funny.
"Bee tee dubs, between you and me, on a scale of 1 to hell fuck no, how ready is Elliot to have kids?"
"What the hell is Bee Tee dubs?"
"Oh sorry, I keep forgetting you're a pop culture novice. It means, by the way..." she laughs.
"Oh... okay. I don't know how ready he is. I never asked him. We just briefly joked about if we had daughters we'd never let them out of the house." I chuckle
"You know what they say right? The more uptight your dad the bigger the hoe he was back in the day. Well let me tell you, once a hoe, always a hoe... it's embedded in your DNA and will be passed along." She shrugs.
I let out a big laugh. I love her sass.
"What? It's true... you know how your kind thinks... and how gross you can be. But when it comes to your wives and daughters, y'all become holier than thou. I don't know what kinda shit Ray was up to in his youth but I'm pretty certain he didn't want me to date until I was like 30 and even then he would've chaperoned that shit." She giggles.
I have to laugh. "Ray would've killed me."
"No... he would've loved you. Threatened your life for sure but also loved you because I love you." She smiles and leans up to kiss me.
"Why are you asking about Elliot?"
"Well, as I said... also super honor code between us. You cannot say this to him. Not a single word."
"Of course Miss Steele, I'm a man of my word."
"Good. Kate is all ready to get married. I mean, this is the same Kate who didn't want to get married and have kids and she's miraculously now grown emotional ovaries and wants babies. Not a baby, BABIES. She got emotional talking about it. It made me emotional since well, I cry at everything but yeah... Elliot Grey has turned my best friend into a sap. Never thought I'd see the day a man would make Katherine Victoria Kavanagh catch the feels."
"Well, I guess she's definitely going to say yes then."
"Yeah. I'm so freaking excited. It's going to be so much fun."
"I love how involved you are and how you cheer on other people."
"Well yeah, I love weddings and babies. Babies more so because you get more of them and watch them grow. Can you imagine, their kids would be so freaking cute. Like little Swedish meatballs."
I laugh out loud. "Where did that come from?"
"Well they're both blond and their babies will be chubbies and cute... I don't know the only food that came to mind was Swedish meatballs since Kate is Swedish on her mom's side."
I grab her and kiss her hard. "I fucking love you."
It takes her a moment to recover and she falls into a fit of giggles.
We're done with our meal. "What's for dessert?" she laughs.
"Well, dessert will be at another location." I say giving her a small kiss.
"Listen tome, Mr. Grey, I am talking about actual dessert. Like, ice-cream and cake etc. None of that distraction you have planned." She giggles.
"Miss Steele, how about we combine the two?" I whisper in her ear as my fingers trace her inner thighs. "You know, I really like how easy this dress makes it for me to get what I want."
She tries to control her breathing and turns to me, speaking against my lips. "I could've chosen a dress that made it hard for you but I settled on something easy, though I'm pretty sure as easy as this dress is... there's a part of all this that is very hard, Mr. Grey." She smiles and I feel her hand slowly creep up my thigh.
I grab her hand. "We need to leave before I end up fucking you on the table."
She shrugs her shoulders and gives me a small kiss as we make to get up and leave the club.
...
"We're not going back to Escala?" She asks as we get closer to the Fairmont.
"No, we're staying here all weekend. No interruptions. Just you and me Miss Steele, I've missed you." I kiss her hand and she give me a shy smile.
We walk into the Cascade Suite and I make myself a drink. The dessert cart was brought in a few minutes before we arrived. I ordered strawberries and cream with melted chocolate and some cheesecake. Her favorites. I've been craving the opportunity of licking these off of her skin.
I see her taking her shoes off and notice that her hair seems shorter.
We sit on the couch and get comfortable. "Did you cut your hair?"
"A little bit. I was due for a trim, the last one I got was in September then I just got busy with everything." She says distractedly.
"I don't want you to cut your hair again."
She whips her face to me. Oh shit... I messed up, didn't I? "I'm sorry... hold up and back up...would you like the chance to rephrase that statement?" she says with a raised eyebrow.
Fuck. "I would prefer you to never cut your hair again. I like it long."
"Hmm, that's better. However, since we live in the 21st century Mr. Grey, allow me to introduce you to the idea of my body, my decision. Since this hair grows out of my head, I decide what to do with it... but I will keep your preference in mind. You're welcome." She smiles sweetly after essentially ripping me a new one.
"I appreciate that consideration."
"Damn straight you should." She laughs and kisses me. "I was however thinking of getting bangs but I felt that might be too drastic. Maybe a slight a color, I've never done anything like this... I don't know. We'll see." She shrugs and leans in close to me, resting her face in the crook of my neck.
...
"Ana... if you don't want me to come in your mouth... you need to stop right now."
She looks up to me with those fiery blue eyes. "Would you like me to stop or would you like to come in my mouth?" she asks as she lightly swirls the tip and sucks on it. Fuck... I have no control.
"I want to come inside your mouth." I say trying to control obviously ragged breathing.
"Hmmm I thought so." She winks at me and devours me. Holy shit she is good. I feel her moan as she tightly sucks me and it's the most unbelievable sensation. I'm losing myself and I come so hard that I see can barely see straight as she drinks up every last drop. She gets up and kisses me "Thank you for dessert, Mr. Grey."
We find ourselves in the bath after a very delicious three rounds of sex and dessert.
"You know, I'm pretty sure some of the stuff we did is illegal or that it should be illegal." She giggles and the sound goes straight to my dick and on cue it's ready to go.
"Miss Steele, I'd happily lick cream and melted chocolate off of you all day." I bite her neck. "You know, now that everyone knows, I can leave my mark on you. No more hiding."
"I swear to god if you give me a hickey anywhere above my breasts I will kill you, Grey."
"No you won't, you'll love it. I'm going to mark you and everyone is going to know you're mine."
"How about I mark you back."
"Have at it Miss Steele, I'll proudly wear that badge of honor."
"PERV." She bites back trying to suppress a laugh.
"Freak."
...
"I got you something, I was going to give it you when we first came in but I got distracted." I get up from the bed and go to get her present from my bag.
"You know, I have lots of questions about your photoshopped body." She calls out from the bed, laughing.
"Ask away Miss Steele." I smirk as I walk back to bed. She's lying on her stomach, completely naked and beautiful.
She sits up covering herself with the bedsheet.
"Ana, there's no one else here."
"Well I'm used to walking around naked with my unphotoshopped body, so excuse me while I exercise just a little bit of modesty for my sanity." She laughs.
I pull her close and hand her the box. She looks at me before opening it. "Christian... you didn't have to get me anything. This whole day has been so wonderful... I don't need gifts."
"Baby, just open it. I want to do these things. I know you're perfectly happy lounging around in your panda pajamas, eating pizza watching tv but right now... I want you to have this. I worked really hard to have what I have and I want to share it all with you and enjoy my life with you." I hold her face and kiss her. She silently nods and opens the box.
She just stares at the contents and tries to speak, opening her mouth several times but failing. Finally she looks back with tears in her eyes.
"I had been thinking about what I wanted to get you. I wanted it to be meaningful, I saw this necklace and it reminded me of how beautiful your eyes looked, like glimmering sapphires when we made love for the first time. You trusted me and let me into your life and changed mine so profoundly in the process. Anything that I ever do will never measure up. I love you so much, Ana."
She climbs on top of me and holds on to me, silently crying into my neck. After a while she pulls away "You're so sweet to me, I don't... I... I just have a hard time sometimes... it's so beautiful... I love sapphires and it's also my birthstone... this is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen... I... "
I take the necklace out of the box and help her wear it. "And you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." I pull her in for a kiss and she takes me in.
We get lost looking into each other's eyes. "I love you Christian, so much."
"I love you, baby."
...
"Q&A? We haven't done it in a while." I ask her.
"Sure... but before that. One second." She grabs her robe and throws it on and runs into sitting area and comes back after a minute. "I didn't think we were going to do Valentine's Day since I'm pretty anti- valentine's day and you also didn't mention anything till last week... besides you're really difficult to shop for Mr. Billionaire." She giggles and then her face tenses a little. "I wrote you a letter originally to go with your Christmas gift. I wrote it on the day you were coming back from Tokyo but then when everything happened and I... I... didn't know what the future was going to look like so I wrote you that small note instead... but this was the original letter I wanted to give you. All I ask is that you not read it now. Read it when you're alone and I'm not around" She starts to tear up.
"Why can't I read it now?"
She shrugs. "Cause... I don't know. Nerves. Just read it when I'm not around... don't argue with me. My gift, my rules." She sasses and laughs.
I take it from her and see my name written in beautiful calligraphy. "Okay, I'll read it later." I put it on my side table. I'm determined to read it and I will as soon as she goes to sleep.
"Good." She lies down and places her head on my shoulder. "Can I ask the first question?"
"Ladies first, always."
She laughs. "Okay, so... I'm asking this purely as a... like to have an objective conversation... I mean as objective as it can be."
I snort. "Oh boy..."
"Shut up!" She giggles. "So... does my inexperience... I mean... do you think... basically... I don't want you to ever get bored you know. I mean... you're very, you know sexually generous and I know I don't reciprocate as often and you have all this sexpertise and I'm... well I'm a completely novice you know and I don't want you to get tired or bored..."
"Sexpertise?" I ask trying to hide my amusement.
"THE FACT that you picked up on that only and completely disregarded everything else that I said. I mean the NERVE, honestly... Grey. " She rolls her eyes and laughs.
"Alright, I'm just going to lay it out there for you... when I first kissed you, I could tell you were inexperienced but that held a certain thrill for me. I didn't know how this was going to go, I thought we'd fuck and then I'd contract you... that was my very initial thought process but as always Miss Steele, you surprised me and turned my world completely upside down. To answer your question, I am not bored. I don't think I could ever get bored. You're so in tune with your body and what you want, you may not be well versed in BDSM techniques but I don't care. Our sex life is... I never knew sex could be this fulfilling. I mean... again, full disclosure and I don't meant to tell you this to make you feel I'm comparing you as a person but in terms of what my life was like before and now... when I have sex with you, it's an all consuming experience. I lose control in the best way. Before, everything was controlled and calculated and it took a lot for me to even be remotely satisfied, because there was no emotion. I wasn't taught that, I wasn't allowed to experience that. With you, as much as I want to stay buried inside you all the fucking time even just being in close proximity to you is a calming experience. Everything with you means more. If you only wanted vanilla sex, I'd be more than happy with that but you've made it fun, you surprise me at every turn."
She looks at me like eyes are about to fall out... she swallows and takes a few moments. "So what you're saying is that I'm pretty fucking amazing and I'm doing everything right?" she laughs.
I laugh as well. "Yes Miss Steele, you can do no wrong."
"Cool. Thanks. God, I never thought I'd ever have sex you know." She muses.
"Why not?"
"Well... after everything, I just felt like it was a weapon and then actually, you'll like this story. Kate really helped me get comfortable with the idea of sex since she was... quite active in that department and she's an oversharer as I've told you before... so hearing her sexcapades helped desensitize everything in a way... AND THEN... on my 22nd birthday... this bitch gets me a vibrator."
I laugh out loud. "Tell me you used it."
"Hell fuck no. I never took it out of the packaging. Kate literally said, 'Steele, if you're not going to have sex with a man then at least have it with yourself. Self love is true love." She says in her best Kate impression and we both lose it.
"You mean to tell me you never masturbated."
"Nope. What the hell was I going to fantasize about? I didn't like anyone, I didn't know what kind of guy I liked. I was a complete nun in that department so what's the point. And I threw shit out when were moving to Seattle, I found it my things, still packed and I threw it in the trash,"
"Come on what about that fucker Charlie what's his name?"
She bursts our laughing and falls into a fit. "Charlie Hunnam? He's an actor. I don't like him like that; I just said that to piss you off... I just like him because he seems like sweet guy and he put his life on the line to save a kitten once. But he's a blond and I'm not into blonds." She shrugs.
"Miss Steele, we need to rectify this situation."
"NO WE DON'T. Besides, I read on some of those BDSM websites that it's better not to masturbate because then we you eventually do have sex... it's more intense. And I'm patient. I'm the most patient person you'll meet." She wiggles her eyebrows.
"Yes, Miss Steele, I'm well versed in your patience." I smirk. "So tell about this research."
"Whaddaya wanna know?"
"Tell me what you read."
"Well, I have to say, most of the stuff I read on websites, it was just basic terminology and tips and I was really looking for like... I wanted to hear from people. Mostly women and I read some articles but still... I wasn't... something was missing. I found this guys blog and he talked about the nuances of dom/sub relationships which I will get to in a minute... I actually... met with a Domme because I really wanted to hear a woman's perspective."
'What the fuck? Who did you meet? And How?" Who the fuck did she meet? Fuck.
"Well, NDA. Can't really say who she is..."
"Please tell me you made her sign an NDA as well."
"No, I told her EVERYTHING, you name, your social, how you like your eggs. I was very forthcoming." She snaps with annoyance. "OF COURSE I made her sign an NDA, honestly, I grew up with a family that values their privacy AND I work in legal... give me some credit. And I did not tell her your name, I just said my boyfriend... blah blah..."
She's so right, that was a stupid question. "You're right... just making sure."
She rolls her eyes. "Anyway... she really helped me understand stuff. It made all of it less scary. She said don't knock it until you try it and that I should trust you and if you did hurt me that I should kick you in the balls and send you to the ER." She giggles and I kiss her. "She said that it didn't have to be extreme, she gives instruction to high profile people and she said most of her clients are at a level 2-3 and do it for just the roleplay and excitement. She said that like any lifestyle, there were extremes and that... it was all up to me. I had the control and could set the pace so all I had to do was to start slow work my way up and that I had to always effectively communicate."
"Sounds about right." I want to know who this Domme is. "When did you meet her?"
"When we were on break."
"Where did you meet her?"
"Not telling you that. NDA."
"Oh come on..."
"Christian, I'm certain you don't know her. She started out on the east coast and she travels for work, giving instruction. I'm sure if you really wanted to find out... you could but drop it." She warns.
"So tell me Miss Steele, was there anything you read that intrigued you? Anything you want to try?" I say raising an eyebrow.
She looks at me and scrunches up her nose. She's embarrassed. I start to kiss her neck. "It's okay, you can tell me."
"Well... I know I said, that I don't want to go into that room but there is one thing that I found intriguing."
"What's that?"
"The grid on the ceiling. What's that?"
"That? Well, remember those leather cuffs I used on you... They can be hooked onto the grid, effectively immobilizing your arms... "
She giggles. "Oh... that is very intriguing."
"Once we get back to Escala on Sunday, that room will cease to exist. I've gotten rid of it."
"Oh... Christian, you didn't have to, I really meant that... it's your... I mean... "
"Ana, I don't need it. What's the point of having it there? If you ever wanted to explore more with the BDSM lifestyle, we could build a new playroom just for us and have only the things that you like. Our playroom, should it come to be will only be about pleasure... "
"We could make our own playroom?"
"Of course we can, it would be completely different and reflective of who we are."
She thinks for a moment. "Maybe, in the future I guess. I mean I don't know. This is all so new to me..."
"Take your time baby." I kiss her forehead.
"Why didn't you call it a Dungeon?" She asks and it makes me tense momentarily.
"I hated that word." I say simply and she nods not pressing any further.
"I read about why romance was hard in dom/sub relationships."
"And?"
"Well the guy who wrote it said that the dom/sub behavior was a complex behavior that had to be learned and that bringing romance and love into the mix was chaotic because... well love comes to us naturally. You can be raised without love but still we all have the capacity to fall in love or experience and practice a version of it. But being a Dominant or Submissive those are very absolute behaviors I think, like they're incredibly complex and it takes years of practice to be good at it and love is about... well, it has it's own complexities but... I mean I understood why it was hard because... well he wrote that being a good Dom requires you to have humility and empathy, traits that are difficult for men to practice and a good submissive needs to learn master the skill of controlling her emotions which is hard for women, again not to generalize but I saw the truth in it. Love comes with expectations and can blur the lines to the point of irrationality. It made me realize I would be a really shitty submissive if our trajectory were different, like... I would've beat you back." She laughs.
I look at her for a few moments, letting her words sink about the complexities of the Dom/sub relationship and I'm suddenly so grateful I'm done with that shit. I'd rather be in love with her than ever have her as a submissive. "Well, I think you could be an excellent submissive if you wanted. Especially if you saw it as a challenge, I know you have that fire in you to rise up and win every challenge."
"Nahhh, I feel too much and a good submissive doesn't let their emotion get the best of them. I may not always show it but... I wasn't like this before... I mean, I only cried in front of Ray maybe a handful of times, my brain was always buzzing otherwise, I had too many questions about everything. So I kept myself busy and you know... I didn't really feel the kind of emotions I feel now. I went from one extreme to another... I never had the kind of anger I have now. Like the darkness came in and never left, it just stayed within me and seeped into my bones." She says looking up to the ceiling. "I had my sadness before but I had my dreams to distract me and I had something to work towards but then my biggest challenge was just getting to walk again and then talk again the things that we take for granted... As for the challenge shit, that's all fun and games... it's not real... it's just a small distraction from all the other overwhelming shit that's constantly on my mind..." she trails off and I see her get lost in thought.
"You've come so far and you've brought me along with you." I say and kiss her and she gives me a small smile.
"You know I thought I'd be nervous when we had sex the first time but I wasn't... I mean I was a little but it was so weird... I knew what I wanted and I wasn't afraid to be naked in front of you. When you kissed me, it just all made sense... whatever I wanted, I just did it. It didn't feel alien at all." She muses.
I kiss her deeply. "Same here baby, it was the most natural thing... speak of which I would love to have some more dessert. Get up and sit on my chest."
"What the fu... no."
"Yes, get up Anastasia."
APOV
Fuck, that Dom voice speaks straight to my core and suddenly I'm listening to him. I climb up and I suddenly realize what he's about to do.
"Listen... this... no. What if I kill you?" Fuck, what if I suffocate him.
"You know won't kill me, you're light as a feather and besides, death by eating pussy? Sign me up."
"Oh god, you are such a pervert."
"And the freak in you loves it. Admit it baby." He smirks. Asshole.
He scoots down a little and I feel his tongue work on me. I hold the headboard and raise myself but he keeps pulling me down and fuckkkkk I don't want to kill him.
He moans as his tongue enters my core and I can't help but through my head back trying to control the sounds that come out of my mouth. The last thing I need is security breaking down the door and finding us like this.
"Christian... "I call his name out over and over like a prayer. God this feels so fucking good. I might just... oh fuck... I can't even complete a single thought.
"Please..." I ask for, what the fuck am I asking for?
I hold on to the headboard with one hand use the other one to grab on to his hair. He looks at me and I'm pinned by that intense stare. I can't look away. I'm completely lost in him as I get closer and closer...
I throw my head back and just as I'm about to let go, he spanks me hard and I come, loudly screaming his name and vaguely aware that I'm quite literally gushing. Fuck... this is so embarrassing but I feel so good right now. It takes me a second to realize that he's no longer under me and my face is down on the bed with my ass in the air. He slams into me and fucks me with a punishing rhythm. I grab on to the bed sheets and try my best not to moan but I can't help it. It feels so good... he's hitting the spot and I start to feel myself quiver again... tightening myself onto his cock... I let go, screaming as loud as I can into the bed. He pumps into me and I feel like I'll break but I hear him...
"FUCKKKKKK" he roars and stills, filling me... I feel our liquid heat trickle down my thighs. He falls on to his stomach beside me panting...
A few minutes later, we regain our strength... to form words.
"Mr. Grey... you were right this date... there was fucking and it was amazing." I giggle.
He laughs out loud and pulls me in close.
"I've never experienced that... I thought... I'm sorry for almost drowning you."
"Oh baby... it's a joy to see you experience all of this with me... and only me. You can drown me anytime.
"Perv... but you're my perv."
"And you're my freak."
Saturday, February 15th, 2020
CPOV
I wake up and check the time and it's almost 8. I look and see Ana is still asleep, wearing the necklace from last night. She looks ethereal like this. Fuck, if only I could have her like this all the time. I almost touch her and then remember the letter. This is the only time I can probably read it this weekend before she wakes up.
I open the envelope and take out the letter to read it.
Dear Christian,
You're on your way back from Tokyo right now and I've missed you so much. I never knew I could fall so deeply in love and this quickly but Nani told me that I should always measure my relationship with you in love and trust. You've made me feel so safe, something I've longed for but never thought I'd get after everything. You make me want to dream again, and dream I have since we met. You make me want to plan again and not live this life just day to day. I don't know where life will take us but all I want is for us to be together every step of the way, holding each other's hands through it all because I know we are meant for each other. Don't ask me how, I just do. You give me a strength that I never knew I had and you've changed my life completely. I wish that we could've met earlier but I suppose fate had a better plan for us both. I haven't celebrated Christmas in 6 years. I was never really bothered, it was just too painful but this year, I can't wait to spend the holidays with you and create new traditions and memories. I can't wait to experience all that life has to offer us both, with you, and only you.
I am only better with you. You make me believe in myself. Nani may have taught me the meaning of life and Kate helped me understand it but you, only you could help me truly experience it. I can't put in to words how much you mean to me. I may never be able to. I only endeavor to be worthy of you and your love for this lifetime and beyond. I love you with all that I am and I always will.
Love,
Ana.
I feel my eyes burn and blur. This is how she felt that day but I fucked up and we lost out on time. There was a time where I broke her trust in me... but she still found her way back to me. She's been finding her way back to me all this time against all odds. I don't deserve her love but I will do whatever I can do be worthy of even an ounce of it.
I put the letter back in the envelope and turn to lie back down with Ana. I kiss her face all over and she stirs.
"Breakfast better involve some real food, Grey." She mumbles making me laugh.
"What do you want to eat baby?"
Her eyes are still closed but she pulls me in close and clings to me and bites my jaw lightly. "You're really yummy but I think I want greek omelette and some toast and butter. The butter is important."
"Yes ma'am." I chuckle.
I place the order and we both get up to take a shower. By the time we're done, breakfast has arrived and we both sit on the sofa in our robes and eat. She giggles every now and then like a child.
"What's so amusing Miss Steele?"
"This... it's so much fun. I've never had a staycation before."
I laugh. "What's a staycation?"
"I have much to teach you, child." She says in her best yoda impression making me laugh. "Staycation is doing vacation like things in your city. Like staying in a hotel for the weekend and doing vacation like things... you know, going to see a show and all that stuff."
"Well we can do that every weekend if you'd like."
"Nooo not every weekend. But once a month would be nice. Or maybe we can drive out somewhere on Friday nights and go for hike or something. I really want us to go to Portland one day. I'll show you allll the places I'd go to and you've never had voodoo doughnuts right?"
"No I have not."
"Oh Mr. Grey, your photoshopped body is going to HATE me because there is so much you need to eat and experience on the Steele tour of life."
I smirk . "It's okay, I'll just work out a little more."
"By the way, what do you do to work out, cause..." she points at me up and down. "all that is... seems like too much drama for your mama." She laughs and I chuckle.
"Miss Steele, I don't think I've ever experience this side of you. I knew you had sass but this is a whole other level I'm experiencing."
She shrugs. "I guess this is like 50% of my girl talk persona. I don't think you can handle me at 100%. That alter ego is crazzzzzyyyyy."
"I think I can handle her."
"No you can't. Even Kate can't handle her. My 100% girl talk persona is not for the faint of heart. She has a completely different vocabulary. Every girl has one. Even Mia does though I surpass her. I'm no match for Jose though."
I laugh again. "Well, I know what buttons to push to get you in line so it's safe to say I can handle her."
"It's your funeral." She shrugs, laughing. "Okay so tell me, what do you do to work out?"
"Running, kickboxing and I lift some weights here and there."
She shakes her head. "Yeah... too much cardio and too much work. I'm happy with my Pilates, though I can't go fucking go anymore. Maybe I'll sign up for the private sessions and go then. My instructor is cool, I just have to call her and see what her schedule is." She muses.
"Why not invite her to Escala instead?"
"Can't. It's Reformer Pilates, so I need to go to a studio."
"You mentioned you also do yoga."
She nods.
"Just how flexible are you?" I suddenly have so many ideas that I want to try out.
"I'm decent I think. I'd show you but I'm scarfing down this food so remind me tomorrow before breakfast and I can show you."
We eat in silence for a few minutes as she checks her phone.
"OH BY THE WAY" she starts animatedly. "While talking to Kate I realized something. Now, before I tell you, please don't freak out..."
"You know, if you don't want me to freak out, you shouldn't start a conversation that way."
"Chill, it's funny."
"Okay, proceed."
"So... I almost interviewed you for the WSU newspaper. I had forgotten about this till Kate reminded me yesterday."
"WHAT THE FUCK ANASTASIA?" I almost lose my shit. "HOW and why didn't you show up?"
She laughs and falls into me. "Okay so, Kate was in the masters program and she was overseeing the school newspaper like a mentor since she had been EIC from sophomore to senior year in her undergrad and then continued to stay on in a advisor capacity. ANYWAY... so since she had the hookup, given her name, the idea was to get the interview under her name but have this kid James who was EIC to conduct the interview. A few days before he got sick, Kate didn't want to interview because this opportunity was meant for an undergrad student, she was just helping out... so she asked me. Only issue was, I had two interviews that day. One with SIP and one with PRK Publishing. They were back to back but my last interview time was at 1pm. I didn't know how long it would take plus the interview with you was at 2pm, even though it was a 10 minute drive... I didn't want to take the risk because what if my interview ran longer, you know?
I even tried to push it up to maybe 12:30 since the PKR interview was at 10am but SIP had scheduling issues so Kate and I drove in. She went interview you and I waited for her in the plaza when I was done. And when she met me outside she told me how it went, which we both know how it went. And a few minutes later, we saw you walking out of the building with Ros and walking to the SUV."
My jaw drops because holy fuck again. I missed her AGAIN. "You know... this is fucking ridiculous. You mean to tell me, I could've met you then?"
"Okay, let's be real. I was a scrubby ass English lit graduate and I knew about you cause I once asked Rania to look into Seattle for AHAK and she Seattle is Grey's playground plus it fucking rains there all the time so I didn't care too much. Kate really wanted me to do the interview because she know I could've asked the right questions but... we would've probably killed each other. Let's be real... I mean... with my amazing and spitfire personality... you think I would've let you off the hook? You would've just thrown me out for standing up to you."
"Yeah, I almost threw Kate out." I smirk.
"See."
"Yeah but looking into those beautiful blue eyes, I'm pretty sure you could've extracted my ATM pin number."
"You know what an ATM pin number is?" she cocks her head to one side.
"Shut up."
She throws her head back and laughs.
"Rania is right though. Seattle is mine, tell your family to stay the fuck out." I laugh.
"Well, in that case, Rania has message for you too wonder boy." She raises an eyebrow. "When I had my little girl talk with her she was like... I know he's moving into hospitality as of late, just tell him not to fuck with any of my deals or I'll chop his balls off. So Mr. Grey, don't piss off Rania Raees cause... dat bitch is cray when it comes to business." She shrugs.
I laugh. "Deal. As long as AHAK under that fucker's direction stays away from me... I'll happily stay away from him."
"Well, AHAK is locked in till the 3rd quarter so no new deals will be made or sought after. Which brings me to what I want to talk about actually... unless you would rather us not talk about my family at all this weekend which I would totally understand."
I pull her close. "Baby, we can talk about anything, what's on your mind?"
"I've been thinking about this whole press situation and how it got it leaked. It feels very calculated and I have two theories about it but I need to talk to both Rania and Karan. You mind I call them?"
"Yeah sure, go ahead." I give her a small kiss.
She picks up her phone and proceeds to call Rania.
"Hi baby." Rania says cheerily.
"Hi Apa, you're happy this AM" Ana says equally animated.
"Cause I had sex." She laughs.
"I DID NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT." Ana groans loudly and I try to stifle a laugh. She picks up a cushion and puts it too my face, rolling her eyes.
"baby girl, listen to me. I have some advice to share. Do not, and I mean do not under any circumstances get immediately pregnant after getting married cause as much I love my rugrat... I really miss spontaneous and unscheduled sex... I mean... " she takes a deep breath.
"Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to keep it in mind."
"What did you and Mr. Hunnid do for Valentine's Day?" she asks laughing and Ana looks at me smiling, rolling her eyes.
"We're having a staycation."
"Girl, that's another thing I miss. Hold on... RAEES... can we have a staycation soon?" She yells over to her husband and hear some incoherent version of a yes I believe and it makes me chuckle.
"Listen, Raniapa, I am so glad we're able to dissect your sex life this morning but can we please get back to why I called."
"You're welcome. Just making sure you get your education..." she laughs. "Okay why you call me little one?"
"I have a question and you don't have to give me specifics but I just want you to trust me."
"What happened Aana?" her tone is now serious.
"Nothing bad. I was just wondering about something. How many A's are in play for AHAK till the 3rd quartner. Again I don't want names, just the number."
"Uhhh... about 12. 6 are really small time but will be a decent addition to our portfolio and then 4 are I'd say mid size and then 2 are big."
She looks to me. "Okay and out of all of them... how many are struggling since Nana's death?"
"Well, the 2 bigs ones have been wavering. And we have a combination of small and midsize ones."
"All are in the US or?"
"Mix of US and Europe with one major one Australia."
"Okay."
"What happened Aana?"
"Can you keep this between us?"
"Yeah of course." She says with sincererity.
"I think leaking my relationship with Christian was deliberate."
"You think Kiran did this on purpose?"
"I think so."
"Well she maintains that it was an innocent mistake... we all know that Kiran has always loved being a socialite and being on society pages."
"Apa, I'm just going to be distancing myself from her. I think it's all very convenient that my relationship is now plastered all over the media and you know... I never got to control any part of my story and now everyone knows that I'm related to AHAK and KGI and honestly... AHAK and KGI benefits way more than Christian does from all this. I mean Nana always wanted AHAK to be behind the scenes but this brings it into the limelight and I think Vishaal and Kiran will use it to save those deals because being associated to the Grey name even in this small way... is beneficial."
She looks to me with tears in her eyes and mouths 'I'm sorry." I lean in and kiss her. None of this is her fault.
"Hmm... well, I think I see your point because the Australian deal was suddenly willing to meet with Vishaal as of yesterday in which case, this is really fucked up."
"Yeah. Listen, I don't want this to cause a rift in your relationship with them, I just... for a while not things have not really been great you know... and anyway, this is a conversation that we need to have in peson when I visit next. I have some things I want to run by you."
"Of course baby, let me know whenever you're coming to visit and I'll take a day off and we'll lay in bed and you can tell me everything."
"Yeah, I'd really like that Apa."
"Anything for you baby girl... oh and by the way... Aria yelled out motherfucker in the park the other day when she dropped her ice-cream."
"Oh godddd you guys really need to learn how to control your language in front of her."
"Uh, talk to your brother in law... hold on... RAESSS, get your ass here is Aana."
Ana groans and laughs.
"Hey Aana, you hear what my daughter said?"
"Yeah, I did. This isn't something to be proud of. You guys need to chill on the cursing. What if she says these words in front of Nani?"
"Nani will fine. She's heard it all. When are you coming to see us?"
"Probaby end of Feb, will you be around?"
"I should be unless there's an emergency at the hospital, I'll be around."
"Okay good. I have to go now, I'm bored with you old farts."
"Damn, girl starts dating a billionaire and all of sudden we're boring. I see how it is." Raees sneers.
"Shut up, I love you guys. BYEEE. Love you. A big kiss to my gremlin"
"Bye baby, we'll talk soon. Love you."
She takes a deep breath and looks at me.
"What's your second theory?" I ask her.
"Well, now that we're associated... if you go after him in any capacity... it will look bad. It will look like you're attacking your girlfriend's family."
"Its just business Ana."
"Is it though? Everything we do is inherently personal, for personal gain in some way. Even if your intention isn't personal it can personally benefit or harm you. Aren't you motivations for going after Vishaal personal? He's doing the exact same thing. I am still trying to figure all this out... I need to call Karan now."
She calls Karan and tells him her theories about everything. He gets immediately pissed off.
"That fucking piece of shit." Karan growls.
"No doubt about that. I mean, we all know how easy it is to manipulate Kiran with liquor and she takes his word as gospel so he definitely set the scene for this EIC meet up to happen and then a couple of glasses of wine and suddenly Kiran is the most agreeable person in the world."
"I'm so sorry Bachay, this is too much of a price to pay for some stupid deals."
"Listen, this is all him. He orchestrated this. He says he wants to diversify in Seattle but... I don't see how he can do that given how AHAK is locked in and all KGI assets in the US and Europe are under AHAK's purview."
"It could very well be to get on Christian's nerves or that he's probably going the private route. Trying to build his own personal portfolio outside of AHAK and KGI. Before the security update, when I had access to his calendar and his PA, he had started hanging out with Rothstein again... I suspect he never stopped being friends with him but of course he became a little more obvious about it after Nana passed."
"WHAT THE FUCK? ROTHSTEIN? ARE YOU SERIOUS? If there's anyone else in the world who hates me as much as Vishaal... it's Rothstein."
How the fuck does she know Rothstein?
Authors Note: okay, so I lied a little. there was like a tiny bit of drama. hehehe.
Pinterest: www dot pinterest dot com/paleseptember10/50-shades-of-love-and-light/ - check out board for chapter 41:)
Music:
Lovesick - Banks
