How are you all doing?
Chapter 45 – Reverie
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020
CPOV
"This was all that you found?" I ask with frustration. I called up Welch and Taylor after I received a package from Elena Lincoln this morning. The package was tested by security to make sure it was safe and when we opened it, it was nothing but an envelope addressed to me. In addition, Welch has Elena's entire place searched for anything incriminating against me but they came up with nothing. God knows the amount of shit I have on her... I was certain she'd have something on me too... but nothing.
"Sir, no one else has been in our out of the house since the authorities left. We searched through everything. I had my best men go in."
All that was uncovered from the safe was $50,000 in cash, background checks on some submissives, a copy of the deed to her house, the contract for Esclava with me and two new contracts she had signed with a company called SARKAV Limited, LLC.
"How much longer till Esclava shuts down?"
"Sir, we checked in on that and all her debts have been paid off as of three weeks ago when she signed the contract with SARKAV. Esclava has enough funds to operate till the end of 2020."
"Who the fuck are these people?"
"Sir, an anonymously registered company but in Panama. They've been buying up small properties through out the Pacific Northwest, California, New York and Europe for the past 4 years. The most recent acquisition were the clubs previously known as Trinity and Box House right here in Seattle. They shut down about 3 months ago and Elena Lincoln's name is on the deed along with SARKARV. They recently got the go ahead and do major renovations and combine the two into one building."
"Who fucking owns this shit?"
"We are still working on that. In the meantime we've been keeping an eye on her lawyer to see what his next move is in regards to dealing with her affairs. We hacked into the law firms servers and found something rather interesting."
"Is interesting your new code word for shit is about to hit the fan?"
Welch tries to suppress a smile but quickly recovers. "Elena Lincoln has named Phoebe Richmond and Leila Williams the beneficiaries of her estate... whatever is left of it. She left them everything that has her name on it."
"WHAT THE FUCK? HOW DID WE MISS THIS?" I scream at them.
"Sir, we were only keeping the bare minimum tabs on her as per your orders. Nothing about her seemed suspect until recently when you asked us to monitor her movements in detail and even then nothing out of the ordinary took place. I've run background on her travel history for the past two years. She's been going to San Jose every month to meet with Phoebe Richmond and meeting her under a pseudonym of Alaina Grey. In the first week of January, she opened a bank account in Credit of America. The account maintains $500,000."
'Please tell me you're fucking with me?" You have got to be kidding me with this shit. "Welch, Taylor this is a MAJOR fuck up. Does this mean she's somehow behind the cash deposits to them? I need confirmation on that... we need to find out what the fuck is up with that. I do not want those two coming to Seattle."
"Sir, there's not much we can legally do to stop them from coming to Seattle. Miss Richmond wasn't in any state to sign legal documents at the time we admitted her to the San Jose facility to bar her from coming to Seattle and Miss Williams left of her own accord and has never broken the NDA as far as we know. Miss Blake is the only one who did and Sawyer made it clear to her that one step in the direction of Seattle and it's over.
Furthermore, while Miss Richmond did indeed break the terms of the NDA, approaching them again could mean stirring the hornets nest. I would suggest heavily surveillance on them both to ascertain what their next moves are." Taylor proposes.
Fuck, if they come to Seattle, I will have to tell Ana and that will not go down well. What the fuck are they playing at? What the fuck was Elena up to?
"Use one of our subsidiaries or aliases to purchase Esclava and burn that piece of shit to the ground. I want it scorched off the face of the earth. Her house... feel free to actually set that shit on fire." I say irritated.
"Sir... I want to confirm, do you actually want me to set her house on fire?" Welch asks carefully.
A part of me wants to laugh. Ana would definitely make a joke about this. "Yes. Start from the basement and let it grow." That house is the living embodiment of my past. I want it gone.
"With pleasure." He smiles with a smug face. It's no secret that everyone on my staff hated Elena Lincoln. Torching her house will be a small victory for them, though I suspect Taylor would given his right arm to watch her have the heart attack. I'm sure it took everything in him to not grin like a fool when Welch gave me the news of her death.
...
We're done with dinner and catching up about our workday when Ana sets off to gathers ingredients to make something. I remain seated on the barstool with my glass of wine and watch her work. She's so laser focused sometimes, it's entertaining to watch.
"Baby, what are you doing?" I ask her as she whisks a few eggs in a bowl.
"I'm doing the Macarena." She deadpans.
"Miss Steele, you know what they say about sarcasm."
"Yeah yeah... whatever. I'm making some stuff for my girls night tomorrow." She giggles.
"Why not tell Gail, she'll prepare things for you all to eat."
"Christian, the poor woman has got this humongous place to deal with and she cooks for us and the security team. I feel bad. I wanted to do this myself. I'm inviting my friends over for the first time, so I should be the one to make something. I was going to invite them to my apartment but now that's a no go... " she shrugs.
"What are you making?"
"Two kinds of quiches and the cheesecake pudding. Plus we'll have other store bought snacks and then they'll probably raid the wine cooler so yeah we should be good I think. Otherwise we'll order in."
"I'm guessing no boys allowed." I smirk taking a sip of my wine.
"No hetero boys allowed." She narrows her eyes at me and laughs.
We continue to talk a little more as she prepares everything and sets it in the fridge, that way she only has to set them to bake when she comes home tomorrow.
"Are you sure there isn't anything I can do to help?"
"And have you cut your finger, causing a bloodbath? No. Just sit there and look pretty and entertain me." She laughs.
"What piece is this? It sounds familiar." She's had classical music on this evening.
"It's the Debussy playlist I follow on spotify. This one is called... Reverie I think.. .hang on..." she taps her phone and check the song title. "Yep, Reverie."
"It's beautiful. I haven't heard it in a while."
"Same here. I really like it." She smiles.
I need to tell her about what I found out about Elena today. Fuck... why is this so hard. I don't want to give random pieces of information... it will freak her out and she doesn't deserve to be burdened any further. I take a deep breath.
"Baby, I wanted to run something by you" I try to say as calm as possible.
She stops cutting the strawberries and looks up and immediately puts the knife away.
"This is bad news right?"
"How do you know it's..."
"Your voice and face right now. You forget that I can read you very well Mr. Grey. The inflection in your voice, your facial expressions, I can tell when something is bothering you or I'm about to get bad news. So just hit me with it."
"I don't know if it's bad news yet it's just... a lot of revelations. I'm trying to make sense of it."
Her eyes grow a fraction wide and her face tenses as she takes a deep breath.
"Okay, tell me."
The distance between us bothers me. I stare at her for a moment and get up to get the letter Elena sent me... or in this case her lawyer must have sent me from my jacket. I put it on the kitchen counter and pass it towards her. It's a sealed envelope with a wax seal with her initials.
"A messenger service dropped off this letter from Elena Lincoln this morning at GEH."
"You didn't open it?"
"I didn't want to. You can open it."
"But it's yours. She left it for you."
I shrug.
She stares at it for a few moments and takes it and rips it open. She reads the letter and rolls her eyes and laughs.
"The letter only has two lines. I made you. I will always be in your life. I know I said she was a wicked bitch but after this letter... she was also a crazy ass bitch. She's trying to mess with you Christian." She shakes her head.
I feel the anger rise in me as I close my eyes to try and control my temper. I feel her hand on mine, while the other runs through my hair. She kisses my temple. "Christian, she's just trying to mess with you. She's not here. She can't do anything."
I take a few more deep breaths. "There's more."
"Okay, tell me."
"It's doesn't make sense right now but she left whatever was left of her estate to two of my former subs. Leila Williams and Phoebe Richmond."
"Why them?"
"I don't know, and when I gifted her my share of the salons, she signed a contract with a company called SARKAV Limited and they paid off her debts. She also is listed on the deed with SARKAV for the purchase of two clubs that recently closed down. They just got the go ahead to gut renovation. She left her house to Leila and Phoebe as well."
"SARKAV sounds Russian. You think she was planning something against you?"
"I don't know, but her leaving her remaining assets to both of them doesn't make any sense."
"Where are they now?"
"San Jose."
"What do you want to do?"
"I'm trying to find out who is behind SARKAV but it's an anonymous company registered in Panama."
"If it doesn't make sense then you have to wait a bit. Have Welch monitor the company's activities and the two subs. I mean it's such a waste of resources if it turns out to be nothing but if it gives you peace of mind then so be it, besides... if you try something right now... it's like shooting in the dark. Wait a bit and see how things materialize. You said it yourself, none of this makes sense... watch them and make an informed decision to make a move." She says simply.
"I just don't want anything to happen to you. If they're the beneficiaries to her estate that means they will be coming to Seattle."
"Okay, let them come to Seattle. Christian, you can't let fear of something happening to me influence your decision making... take a step back and really look at everything. You have to be patient and intentional."
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't. I'm sure Taylor and Welch will keep an eye on them and it's not like I live a public life. I'll be fine."
I crush her in a hug. "I can't stand the idea of anything happening to you Ana."
She hugs me tight. "I'm fine Christian. You said it yourself, Escala is secure, so is GEH... I'll be fine... besides stop worrying or we'll have to go toe to toe with Jose to buy all the La Mer to prevent those worry lines."
I laugh. She always knows how to lighten the mood. She gives me a deep kiss. "I love you, Mr. Grey."
"I love you Miss Steele."
"Want to see a magic trick?"
"Sure."
She takes my hand and we walk around the counter to pick up the letter. She turns on the stove and lights it on fire and throws it in the sink.
"Ta daaaaa" she laughs and I chuckle.
"How are you so calm about this?" I ask as I lift her up onto the counter and l look into her eyes.
She shrugs. "I have two options. I can either freak out or calmly look at everything. I'm choosing to be calm. Besides, I have now have practice of learning how to quickly adapt to supremely uncomfortable situations. If there is indeed something against you and you make a move right now... the injunction will only be short term. Watch them quietly, let them think they're in control. You've got a top notch security team and enough money to deal with this... just quietly watch everything." She shrugs.
"I've never seen this side of you... it's a little..."
"Scary?" She raises an eyebrow.
"I was going to say sexy." I chuckle.
She snorts. "Treat it like a game Christian. Strategize. Focus on the bigger picture. Right now there are too many moving parts. Let the subs lead you to the final piece of the puzzle." She says.
"I told Welch to set her house on fire."
She looks to me with eyes wide trying to not smile but fails. "YOU DID NOT..." she giggles.
"I did. That place is an ugly reminder of everything."
"I know this is really bad... but any way we could get a front row seat to that train wreck? I'll bring snacks for everyone" She wiggles her eyebrows. "And we sing, the wicked bitch of the pacific northwest is dead, lalalala" she sings like a child and laughs.
I laugh and lean into her neck to kiss it. "I think we need to stay away from this particular crime scene."
"Dammit. This is no fun at all." She whines.
I kiss her and bite her lip. "Let's take a bath, I'm sure there are some fun things we can do there." She laughs and I carry her to the bedroom.
Thursday, February 20th, 2020
APOV
Christian has been on edge since Monday evening. It's led to a lot of sex and I know that it's his coping mechanism but if all this Elena shit ends up giving him a coronary I will go to the deepest pits of hell to drag her fucking soul to the surface to kill her again. He maybe a 30 year old multi-billionaire on the outside but on the inside, he's still battling between being the 4 year old boy and the 15 year old teenager. It will take him time, just like it will take me time to grow too the lonely teenager from high school and then recovery. He keeps looking at me with the look of "I need to protect you" and I am trying to be as cooperative even though I am dying to just go out for a walk or I don't know... walk to the nearest the Starbucks and inhale a Caramel Frappuccino... I also need to figure out a way to go to Pilates for private lessons without being hounded by the press. They're still going strong outside of GEH. The requests continue to pour in. Harpers Bazaar also listed me as a 'one to watch' for their best dressed list. Jose is obviously over the moon and has come up with various scenarios where I can be 'seen'. He is way too obsessed with this.
I meet Jose and Val in the lobby for us to go into the garage and head home with Sawyer and Prescott.
Prescott is my new CPO and well... let's just say this is nut that will never crack. I immediately recognized her because I remember clocking her a few times when Christian and I were on break but I didn't bring it up. Her job was to make sure I was safe and I can't hold that against either of them. Prescott prefers not to talk to her charges. This makes it rather awkward for me to talk to Sawyer if I ever have to ride with them alone. Truth be told, Prescott scares me. She's a woman in her mid thirties I think, gorgeous hair and skin but a permanent RBF which I get, I have the same problem too. I've been told many a time that I should smile more, to which I always reply with a fuck-off scowl. I tried to get to know her and she gave me very basic answers about herself. Her mom is from Guyana and her father is African American. She grew up in Boston and did not take to kindly to my wicked smart joke. All in all, I'm determined to break her. Maybe a batch of cookies will help. Sawyer gave me a smirk and wished me luck on my latest quest for adding another person to Team Ana.
"Jose, I have a new CPO in addition to Luke. Her name is Belinda Prescott. She's very... well, just don't fuck with her and don't pester Luke in front of her either."
"BELINDA?" Jose gasps as we get to the door to head into the garade.
"Yes. Shut the fuck up. There she is. Be nice." I angry whisper as we approach the vehicle.
"Hi Prescott, these are my friends Jose Rodriguez and Valerie Clarke, they will be coming back to Escala with me."
She nods in understanding. "Mr. Rodriguez and Ms. Clarke, good to meet you."
"Girl, please. Just call me Jose." Jose smiles his winning smile and Prescott looks at him impassively.
"I prefer Mr. Rodriguez." Prescott holds the door open and Jose dejectedly gets in while Val and I giggle at the shutdown.
"You were right." Jose whispers. "But I'm a stubborn motherfucker. I never give up."
I groan and roll my eyes. This could be fun though.
"Hey Luke, how ya been?" Jose asks animatedly.
"I've been well Mr. Rodriguez." I can sense Luke's smile.
"Oh god, not you too. I'm going to need so much wine now." Jose rubs his temples.
We walk into Escala and Jose and Valerie almost have heart attacks at the sheer size of everything. Christian's penthouse is about 3 times bigger than Ros' apartment. I tell Jose and Val to feel free and look around but that the bedroom and study are off limits. Not that Christian said anything about it but I know it's the two places he frequents a lot and I want to protect that.
The sounds of Jose shrieking and gasping along with Val's giggling and cackling travel through as they tour the place. Once they make it back to the kitchen I have a bottle of wine and glasses waiting for them to indulge themselves. I've put the quiches in the oven and have prepared our little snacks to feast on.
"Girl, TRAP HIS ASS FAST." Jose pleads as he inhales his wine. "OH HOLY FUCK, this shit is good. Yep. Moving in. Serving Phillip divorce papers tomorrow. Yas boo."
"Jose, you're such a fucking hoe." Val laughs.
"Shut the fuck up." He snaps.
"Val, how are you doing? Is Bill still texting you?" I ask.
"Oh god. Yes. He's playing the puppy dog card and I'm this close to blocking him."
"Is he really that boring?"
"Ana, I know I seem like the quiet shy type but that's only because I'm not that keen on talking but when it comes to a guy... I've dated complete dickheads in the name of amazing sex so when I met Bill, he was a nice guy but the sex was so fucking boring. God. Girl, I mean... I once fell asleep during... He won't really try new stuff. Missionary gets pretty fucking boring after 5 minutes. I want to be... for fucks sake throw me against the wall and make me scream. If I'd stayed with him any longer, I would've cheated and I didn't want to be that woman so I ended it. He's a sweet guy but he's just really stuck in his ways and not open to new things. Heck this Tulum trip was my idea. I pretty much dragged him. I want to date a complete freak." Val huffs in frustration. Maybe BDSM would be her scene...
"Val... that's like the most you've said... ever outside of us joking." I look back in amazement.
"Yeah well, that's what happens when you haven't had decent sex."
"You should hire an escort." Jose calmly suggests.
"I'm not above paying for sex right now. Even Benjamin isn't cutting it."
"Who the fuck is Benjamin?" I look at her confused and Jose laughs out loud.
"My vibrator. I named it Benjamin because it gets me to 100 and Benjamin is on the $100 bill. It made sense in my head at the time... but yeah, whatever."
"Oh." I am terrified and loving this side of Valerie Clarke right now.
"What about someone at GEH?" I ask.
"Been there done that... they're all assholes with big mouths and small dicks."
"If only Luke wasn't gay, I muse."
"Heck, at this point, I'd still take him." Val says with a sigh.
"Give me your phone and open up tinder, let's get you laid." Jose holds his hand out expectedly.
Valerie Elizabeth Clarke. 28. Junior executive on the GEH Merger and Acquisitions team. My new nickname for her now is Silent but Deadly. She comes off as the shy and sweetheart type but she can cut a bitch quicker than you can say 'what?'. Growing up she had a hard time in high school with being bullied and overweight. We bonded on that. She had to learn how to really love the skin. Once she lost all the weigh in college and worked to keep it off, she started to find the confidence to shine. She only has a handful of friends at GEH and Jose and I are the closest. She's drop dead gorgeous and I know many of the guys in GEH wouldn't mind tapping that but my girl here has got standards with a side of freak. She stands tall at 5'8" without heels and is always dressed immaculately. When I first saw her I thought she belonged on the pages of Vogue. She could honestly outshine Jourdan Dunn with that mix of Puerto Rican and Jamaican goodness. She's always been a woman of few words but I think the combined efforts of Jose and I have finally worn her down.
Kate and Mia show up and Jose and Val immediately hit off and now Jose has two more hags to add to his Royal Court of Rodriguez. I love this. My little group is growing. We talk about everything under the sun and fuck we are loud. Our voices echo through the apartment and I thank God Christian isn't here. I know he said he'd be fine with all this but that man has enjoyed his solitude for far too long, I need to ease him into this part of my life.
We head up to my room and I quickly change into my pajamas while everyone gets comfortable. We all take our designated spots in the room; some on the bed, some lie on the floor and take the couch. All in all, things are going swimmingly and my heart is a happy.
CPOV
This afternoon I had lunch with mom and dad. This has never happened, I've had lunch with them separately during the week on occasion but this was rather an unexpected occurrence. It has Ana written all over it but I don't mind given that I no longer have anything to hide from them. I met them at the Mile High Club and we actually talked. They wanted to know how I was doing given Elena's death even though I had separately spoken to all of them on the phone after the news became public... they still wanted to check in. I was honest about my feelings and it strangely felt good to share that. Mom squeezed my hand and kept telling me how proud she was of me. Dad smiled in agreement. I really never had much of a relationship with them but this felt good. Ana was right.. they do love me. Not that I ever doubted it but it's rewarding to see all of this in a new light. My sessions with Flynn are better now because of her.
Since it's girls night at the apartment, I texted Elliot to ask him if we could hangout. He jumped at the chance and now I'm on my way to meet him at a place called Fifty's. I find the name amusing.
"What up bro? How are we gonna celebrate?" Elliot pulls me in for a hug and I take a seat across from him in the booth.
"A glass of Cristal would've been good but I'll settle for beer." I smirk.
"There's my asshole brother." Elliot laughs. "So... how are you holding up?"
"I'm good. I was pissed that bitch died so easy but now she's out of my life so I can focus on Ana and my future."
"How did she take it?"
"She took it well... she made us go to the helipad and scream out 'the wicked bitch of the pacific northwest is dead'"
"Seriously? Can we all do that as a family one of these days when we visit Escala?" Elliot laughs.
I chuckle. "Ana would love that."
We talk so more over bar food and drinks about his plans for the proposal and how the business is going. I'm planning to tap him for any of the Lot 43 developments once we lock in the deal which is taking for fucking ever to close. It's the most sought after piece of real estate in Seattle right now and dealing with it has been a bitch.
Once we're done, we head to Escala. I text Ana we're on our way back but I don't hear from her. I tell Elliot we can watch some TV or hookup the playstation to kill time till girl's night is officially over.
"No bro. We have to eavesdrop on their conversation."
"Elliot, what are we? 15?"
"Trust me, girl talk is fucking hilarious. I've overhead Kate and Ana talking millions of times... that shit is a whole other world."
"You always were a nosy son of a bitch." I agree with him hearing Ana talk is hilarious sometimes.
"Can't help it. I need to know shit. Helps with my boredom." He shrugs. He almost sounds like Ana at this point.
We get to Escala and Elliot makes a beeline to the kitchen and looks over the food that's been left over. He starts sampling all the shit and nodding his head in appreciation.
"Dorothy, you have got to get her to marry you ASAP."
"You just ate a shit load of food at fifty's, Lelliot."
"So? That was 30 minutes ago. I'm hungry again." He says, while shoving another piece of quiche into his big mouth.
After his little sampling of the food, he grabs another beer and I pour myself a glass of wine and we head up the Ana's room. The door is left slightly ajar and we hear music playing and hear roaring laughter echoing from the bathroom but before that I notice a sign on the door and it makes me chuckle. The sign reads.
"no hetero boys allowed."
I tiptoe behind Elliot into the room and we listen as everyone talks.
"...LISTEN TO ME... if I hear that she's made another snide ass comment about me, I swear to god Jose, I will cut the bitch so fucking deep that her dead grandma will come back to life and die again because of it." Ana says in all seriousness. Elliot and I look at each other trying to suppress laughter. My girl is hilarious and fucking terrifying sometimes.
"I'd be inclined to be believe your ass only if you weren't wearing those impotency causing panda pajamas." Jose yells at Ana and Everyone laughs.
"Listen to me you hair losing, catty homo... leave my pajamas alone." Ana bites back and the laughter continues.
Much to Elliot's disapproval, I knock on the bathroom door and walk in with Elliot and everyone freezes but then laughs. They all have shit on their faces. Kate and Jose are lying fully clothed in an empty tub drinking champagne. Mia's sitting on a stool while Val and Ana are sitting on the double sink counter, indian style. It's hilarious.
"HI BOYS!" Ana says cheerily.
"Hi girls." I reply back chuckling. "So why are you all in the bathroom?"
'Because the best conversations have in the girls bathroom."
"Is that so?" I ask.
"Yeah, why else do you think we always go to the ladies room in groups and take forever to come out?" It's because of this." She gestures to everyone.
Before I can make proper introductions, Jose speaks.
"Hold up and back up...who is THAT?" Jose points in our direction towards Elliot.
Kate tips her head back, smiles and winks at Elliot. "That is my man, Elliot Samuel Grey. The oldest of the Grey Siblings.
"Oooh snap, Kavanagh, look atchu girl... solid trap."
We all laugh. Elliot thoroughly enjoys the objectification.
"What is on your face?" I ask Ana and she laughs out loud.
"It's called a face mask, look it up, Grey." She peels it off and sticks her tongue out.
"So did you guys talk about how amazing we are?" Elliot teases.
"No. We didn't. We had more pressing issues to discuss." Ana deadpans.
"Why you gotta always burst my bubble?"
"Just keeping you in your place. Not everything is about you." She shrugs and laughs.
"SILENCIO hags. I have a far more urgent matter to discuss." Jose interrupts with disdain. We all look at him intently as he continues. "Saturday night, Secret Garden... they're having a throwback karaoke night. We HAVE to go. I already reserved us a booth."
All the girls cheer but Ana looks to me. "Security needs to do a run through." I tell them.
"Calm your tits, Grey... The gays will love her, ain't not bitch paparazzi coming after her at the Secret Garden. I know the owner... he's a sweetheart." Jose says matter of factly while sipping on champagne.
Everyone's eyes go wide and Elliot bursts out laughing.
"What? Blame it on the booze. By the way, this shit is GOOD." He says taking another sip.
I snort. "Mr. Rodriguez, I'm glad you approve of the liquor I stock."
"Please, call me Jose. After all, I am laying in your luxurious tub, chugging down some of this fine ass wine. Surely, we can be on a first name basis."
Everyone laughs. "Fine Jose, make yourself at home."
"Thank you, but I already have. I've already picked my room and I brought my suitcase."
"Sorry honey, I tried to keep him out." Ana laughs, looking in my direction and I roll my eyes.
"So is this an all girl affair?" Elliot asks.
"Heteros are allowed too but Karaoke nights always mean you either have to wear a wig and/or glitter makeup. It's a theme." Ana tells him.
"Count me in." Elliot laughs. I look at him. He looks back at me and smirks. "I'm always down for a good party and besides I'm comfortable enough with my manhood to wear some glitter to spend time with my girl." He raises an eyebrow challenging me like the fucking asshole he is. I roll my eyes.
"Elliot... stop harassing my man." Ana warns.
"Just telling him to live a little." He shrugs
Saturday, February 22nd, 2020
CPOV
I walk back in to the apartment from a grueling session with Claude when the sight of Elliot sitting on a dining room chair getting his makeup done by Ana and Kate makes me laugh my ass off.
"Shut the fuck up Dorothy." Elliot yells.
"I'm sorry but watching you get this shit done is hilarious."
Ana looks back at me and narrows her eyes. She looks hot, wearing a green sequins dress with glittery green eye makeup and a pink wig, I feel an erection coming on just the though of what we could possibly do with all this. Kate is in a black wig with goth makeup, clearly living out some residual teenage angst. When they're done with Elliot is looks like a Bowie knock off with silver shit on his face to match with Kate. I'd say his balls were in a vice like grip but the fact that he's willingly subjecting himself to this is still hilarious.
I walk back into the bedroom to shower and change and hear the clacking of heels behind me.
"We're heading out. I wanted to say bye." Ana says with a pout.
"Already?" I try to hide my surprise. It's only 7:30
"Yeah, we're a little late and Jose will kill us. He wants to make sure we all eat before we, well all of them, drink like fish and possibly get shit faced. Plus it's better to go before the crowds pour in and settle in."
"Alright. Be safe and keep Prescott and Sawyer close."
She rolls her eyes. "You know I will. Stop worrying."
"Can't help it."
"Well, please try not to worry. It's not like I'll be alone." She kisses the corner of my mouth.
"I know. I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too. A lot."
"You look beautiful."
She snorts. "I look like I walked through a carwash full of glitter but I'll take the compliment."
I kiss her soundly swaying with her a bit to the music playing over the great room sound system.
Every time you move
You're looking like you're dancing
I think that you could have it
(Ooh-ooh)
Everything you do
I want to do it with you
Don't ever want to miss you
"You're making it difficult for me to leave Mr. Grey." She says against my lips.
"Don't leave then. Shower with me and let me have my way with you." I bite lip and she moans.
"Christian, you don't play fair."
I grind into her. "Only because it's more fun this way. I can't wait to fuck you when you come back."
"You're such a romantic." She giggles, kissing me again and I slap her ass before she turns to walk out.
APOV
I asked Sawyer and Prescott to dress like normal human beings to not attract too much attention to us and that way none of Carmela's spies could clock me though Elliot could easily be recognized so I guess my picture could end up on the Nooz regardless. Fucking fuck. I really didn't think this through. Oh well, whatever.
We approach the SUV in the garage and I see Prescott in a dress and actually dressed up for a night out on the town. Holy shit, Belinda Prescott is a looking like babe and half.
"PRESCOTT!" I gasp.
"Yes ma'am." She looks at me confused.
"GIRL. YOU LOOK LICENSED TO KILL! I APPROVE." I wiggle my eyes and finally, FINALLY she breaks out into a shy smile. "YES! I broke you. Don't worry, I won't bother you anymore." I wink at her and she rolls her eyes along with Sawyer who shakes his head and heads to the drivers seat as we laugh and get in and head out.
The Secret Garden is my favorite place in Seattle. I've only been once and that was after the wedding when Christian and I got together. I've wanted to come back ever since and even though I miss him like crazy right now, I'm still so happy my friends are getting along and can be here today. This place is like an opulent burlesque club which it actually is some days of the week and the other nights they rotate between drag shows, karaoke throwback nights and then nights for just dancing. The food is great and I'm sure the drinks are too though, I've never really had anything besides water. Sometimes I wish I could let go and liquor up with my friends. The thought of not being in the slightest bit of control makes me panic. Yes, I can adapt to an uncomfortable situation really quickly but I don't know how I would be with the presence of liquor in my system. I'm still trying to remember things from that night and Akash's flashbacks are the closest I've got to in 4 years and even then... it's not enough.
We walk in and the smell of sandalwood seeps through the air. It'll be short lived till the crowds really pack it in. The dark ambience and the red hues instantly put you in the mood and keep you there. Mia is already with Jose, Phillip and Val at our reserved booth as we approach them. We eat, sing and dance and cheer on with the crowds as people take the stage. It's all in good fun. The thing about theme nights at the Secret Garden is that at one point, all the tables get pushed to the side and the dance floor opens. There are rarely ever any hetero men who show up so it's be known to be a fairly safe place for women.
We all take turns and have a blast singing everything from Cher to Mariah to Celine. Jose does a mean "Believe" by Cher performance. He's a natural standing up on that stage with his purple locks as the crowd cheers him on. Him and Phillip are nothing alike but they adore each other. He puts up with Jose's antics and they both really take care of each other. It's a lot like Christian and I's relationship. My mind drifts to him. The minute the thought of him comes to mind, I'm a wet mess. I send him a quick text to tell him how much I miss him because I do. Now who's the lovesick puppy Ana?
Elliot is the most surprising tonight while him and Kate do an excellent rendition of 'my hips don't lie'. And the entire club went wild for them. Of course they did, they're fucking beautiful.
"Can we come back on a burlesque night?" I ask Jose.
"We definitely can... they always put on a good show. Who knows maybe you could learn a thing or two to trap his ass." Jose cackles and I roll my eyes.
At this point, the performances are done with. Kate and Elliot are lost on the dance floor. I'd tell them that this isn't their bedroom but it wouldn't matter. Jose, Val, Mia and I join them and we get lost from song to song. The DJ's here always make it a point to give Queen Bey her due credit.
Stack my money fast and go (fast, fast, go)
Fast like my Lambo (skrrt, skrrt, skrrt)
Jumpin' off the stage, ho (jumpin', jumpin', hey, hey)
Crowd better savor (crowd goin' ape, hey)
I can't believe we made it (this is what we made, made)
This is what we're thankful for (this is what we thank, thank)
I can't believe we made it (this a different angle)
Have you ever seen the crowd goin' apeshit? (Offset!)
As I dance, my eyes catch the sight of a woman. She's standing sipping on her drink and watching me intently. She's hot. Damn, I've never been checked out by a woman... I mean, I think she's checking me out. She gives me a small smile and winks as she turns around. Well, I am in a gay club...
All that water is finally getting to me and it's time to pee. Thank god this place has reasonably clean bathrooms. Apparently the owner who Jose is now good friends with is a germaphobe, in which case owning a club seems counterintuitive but it makes him a shit ton of a money and he keeps the bathroom's smelling and looking fresh so whatever. I stand in line with Prescott standing across from me to keep watch. She too is familiar with my hand signals to help out should need be. I look through my phone and reply to Christian's text making fun my selfie with Elliot. Ass.
"Hey..." a soft voice catches my attention.
I look up and it's the girl from the bar. She's wearing a red bandage dress with the same color wig to match. Her skin is lily white like mine and her eyes are grey. She's really is hot but suddenly I'm on edge. She could be a Nooz plant or maybe I'm just insecure. Time to channel Sapphire from London.
"Hi" I reply back.
"So, are you with that black girl?"
"What do you mean, am I with her?"
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"She's a girlfriend yes but not in the romantic sense."
"You're not from around here." She asks cocking her head to the side.
"No, just visiting friends."
"Well, if you're in town for a while, I'd love to meet for dinner."
"I actually have a boyfriend."
"Ah... I see. Well, I guess all the beautiful ones are always taken."
I shrug and smile. I feel uneasy. Her eyes are almost boring into me as she twirls locks of her hair around her finger. It's a little menacing but I don't want to alert Prescott and have her break this girls face over a random hunch.
"What's your name?" I ask.
"Peony. Yours?"
Who the fuck names their kid that? I mean... I guess it's cute. No. I don't know. Maybe it's a nickname.
"Sapphire."
"Mysterious." She says seductively.
"I suppose so." I give her a small smile. I'm now closer to the door and begging for the girl inside to be done already. I really need to pee and get the fuck out of here.
CPOV
It's around 1am when I get the text from Sawyer that they're on their way back to Escala. I finish reading a report and hop on a call Walid, the head of M&A in our Abu Dhabi office. We go over the financials for one of the struggling companies we acquired and discuss a game plan to help it recover. I pinch the bridge of my nose as we go back and forth on the possible options when I sense Ana. I look back and she's standing the threshold of the study. She gives me a smile and I motion for her to come over.
"Khalid, run the numbers again and give me your two best scenarios and I'll let you know what Ros and I decide."
"Of course Mr. Grey. Will have to you by the end of today."
"Shukran. I'll see you in a few months."
"Yes sir."
He hangs up.
"Talking to the Abu Dhabi office?" She asks, leaning against the desk near me.
"Yeah, just going over everything and getting an update. One of the companies we acquired is struggling."
"I like the name Khalid. It's one of my favorites."
"Do you know what it means?"
"I think it means eternal. I've always thought it was a regal name for a guy."
"Interesting. So tell me, how was your night?"
"It was fun. We all danced and were silly. Though I'm sure you got reports every hour on the hour."
"True, but I want to hear it from you. Sawyer isn't as colorful with his descriptions."
She laughs. "I mean he could be but he's dealing with you so he keeps it profesh ya know."
"Profesh?"
"Yeah."
I stand up and kiss her. "Why do you taste like peanut butter?"
"Well, when I first came in, you were engrossed in your conversation and I was feeling a little hungry so I made myself a quick peanut butter and jelly sandwich." She giggles. "You want one, I can make it?"
"No baby, I'm good."
She wraps her arms around my neck. "I really missed you. I couldn't stop thinking about you?"
"Is that so? What did you think about?"
She tiptoes and speaks against my lips. "Lots of things that made me very wet."
"I can take care of that, if you'd like."
"I would love." She giggles.
I take off her wig and unpin her hair and run my hands through it.
"There's my girl." I smile and kiss her deeply as she moans into my mouth and on cue, I'm hard as a rock and ready to go.
I move the shit on my table to the side and lift her dress around her hips and lay her on it.
I kneel down but she calls out to me. "No... just... I want you inside of now... please..."
"We aim to please Miss Steele."
I free my erection and rub it against her sopping wet clit and she moans arching her body. I slam into her and she screams. I pull out slowly and slam hard into her and establish rhythm; fucking her slow and hard. Within a minute she begins to tremble and comes loudly... she's not even halfway through her orgasm when I lift one of her legs and anchor it on my shoulder, bend down and start to pound into her, angling her to hit the spot.
"Fuckkk... this feel so... " she moans.
"Deep... I know baby. Just feel me." I say with clenched teeth as I focus on getting to the finish line. I'm almost fucking there. I feel her start to tighten around me again and pretty soon we both yell out our release. I fall onto her and suck on her breasts as she runs her hand through my hair catching her breath.
"Baby... I need to have sex with you a minimum of 4 times a day. Twice a day doesn't cut it."
She giggles. "You perv. There are people in the world who barely get to have sex twice a week."
"I don't fucking care about others. I care about us. I need you a minimum of 4 times a day."
She snorts. "Sounds like you're only concerned with your needs."
"Well right now, I was pretty concerned with your needs."
She laughs and I bite down on her hard. "Let's get you cleaned up my little freak."
I stand up and offer my hand to help her up.
"You know, I'm kinda in the zone here. I could literally fall asleep on this table." She giggles and then takes my hand. I help her up and throw her over my shoulder causing her to squeal and giggle again.
I walk through the apartment and she can't stop laughing. "You're such a caveman Grey."
"I suppose I am." I slaps her ass.
She lightly slaps mine with both her hands like she's playing the fucking congos. "You've got a spankable tushy Mr. Grey."
"Did you just call my ass a spankable tushy?"
"Yeah." She giggles.
I arrive at the ensuite bath and sit her on the counter and get her makeup wipes to help her clean her makeup. She sits in front of me with her eyes closed and tells me all about the night.
"Are you sure you didn't drink anything. You're swaying and having a bit of trouble speaking." I ask.
"Not a single drop of alcohol. I'm just tired and a little bit delirious... two things happen when I'm delirious, I'm either a silent but raging bitch on the verge of crying... or I'm in lalalala land." She sings.
"Are you in lala land?" I ask laughing.
"YEP." She giggles.
Once I'm done clearing her face I give her a kiss. "There's the girl I fell in love with."
"You didn't like the girl I was with all the makeup?"
"I did but that girl reminded me of Poison Ivy."
"From batman? She's my favorite. I loved Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy. She was the shit. In fact she is the shit. She's so beautiful and regal and... yeah I think I should change my stripper name to Poison Ivy." She muses and gets off the counter.
"I'm sorry, did you just say stripper name?"
She silently nods and finishes washing her face and holds up her finger while she starts to brush her teeth. Once she's done, she goes and changes into one of my t-shirts. Fuck, she looks really good in them. I want more of her. I follow her into bed and hold her close to me.
"Yeah, my stripper name... Every girl has a stripper name. It's a thing."
'What is your stripper name?"
"Sapphire. Duh. I mean... nothing else made sense."
I laugh out loud.
"So tell me more about Sapphire."
"Wouldn't you like to know you grade A perv." She giggles and starts to speak in a British accent. "Well Sapphire is from London and rarely ever visits."
"I would love to meet her."
"Of course you would." She sasses back in her normal accent.
"I'm glad you had fun."
"I wish you could've been there. I missed you a lot but it helped that Val and Mia were there too so we danced together."
"Maybe next time I'll join, sans the glitter though."
"But glitter is so much fun." She whines.
"No fucking way, Anastasia." I growl and bite her neck making her laugh.
"By the way, I got checked out by a girl today. It was quite the ego boost."
"This I have got to hear." I chuckle.
"Shut up. Okay listen... I was dancing with the girls and I clocked this woman looking at me and I thought maybe she's looking for someone but she winked at me and then when I was in line for the bathroom she came and struck up a conversation with me but I immediately thought she may be a Nooz spy or something so Sapphire from London made an appearance. This girl legit asked me out on a date. Can you imagine? Never would I have thought that in a span of 4 months would I get a boyfriend and be hit on by a hot girl. Don't worry, I let her down easy since I'm such a nice girl." She giggles.
"Where the fuck was Prescott?" I try to rein in my temper.
"Oh calm your tits, Prescott was right there and it was just a regular conversation. Prescott and I have an understanding that the minute I feel uncomfortable I signal her and she can intervene but it was fine. It was like a 2 minute conversation."
"Who was she, what did she look like?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" she wiggles her eyebrows. "She was taller than me... I mean I'm so fucking short..."
"You're not short baby. You're fun size."
"Did you just call me fun size?"
"Yeah." I laugh.
She puts her hand over my mouth. "You. Are. Interrupting. Story. Time." She half growls and half laughs.
"I'm sorry baby." I chuckle and kiss her.
"Anyway... so yeah, she was a Val's height I think. Fiery red hair, definitely a wig, short red dress... she was dressed to kill fo sho. She said her name was Peony... which, who the fuck names their kid that? So she definitely gave me her stripper name too."
We both laugh and she continues to tell me about Jose and Elliot's antics till she yawns and falls asleep in my arms while talking. I look at her, she really is fun size and full of life. I'm tempted to kiss her all over and wake her up again but that would be a dick move, so I settle for giving her one last kiss and hold her close against my chest.
I look out the window and wait for sleep to find me. I close my eyes and just as I feel I'm about to drift off, my eyes open wide.
FLASHBACK
Thursday, August 6th, 2015
"Miss Richmond, is there anything else you would like amended in the contract?"
Her eyes remain downcast. "Sir, I would liked to be called by my middle name."
"Peony?" A fucking flower. Really?
"Yes sir."
"Any particular reason why?
"Everyone calls me that."
"Well I am not everyone. After we sign this contract, I will be your Dominant and I do not care for nicknames. I will address you either Miss Richmond or by your first name which, trust me, will be rare unless you please me."
"As you wish, Sir."
"You may leave."
"Thank you, Sir."
END FLASHBACK.
FUCK. She's in Seattle.
Authors Note:What's your stripper name? I'm still working on mine.
Pinterest: www dot pinterest dot com/paleseptember10/50-shades-of-love-and-light/ - check out board for chapter 45:)
Music:
Reverie – Claude Debussy, Alain Planes
Floating (feat. Khalid) – Alina Baraz
Hips Don't Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) – Shakira & Wyclef Jean
Believe - Cher
APESHIT – The Carters