Chapter 10

Greetings faithful readers! I apologize for the long wait in between chapters.

Snoopylover60 and I promised we would one day write an HEA, and that day has arrived! This will be a short story, and we hope you will enjoy it.

Christian's and Ana's back stories are a little different—There is no Elena or BDSM—Christian is a lonely, hardworking CEO who is leery of relationships, and Ana is a grad student at U-DUB studying forensic accounting.

Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed chapter 9—we really appreciate it!

We do not own FSOG.

CPOV

My eyes flutter open, and I see the most beautiful sight in the world. Ana is laying with her head on my chest, her arm is draped across my stomach and her hand is laying on my thigh.

I have my arm around her, and I lean down, nuzzle her hair and take a deep breath —she smells like vanilla and apples. Whatever her shampoo is I am going to buy it all so I never forget her heavenly scent.

I think back to last night and smile—it was the most incredible night of my life. Making love to her was like nothing else I have ever experienced. Our bodies fit and moved together so incredibly well, that I could not believe this was not only our first time together, but it was Ana's first time having sex.

After our 3rd round, she fell into an orgasm-induced coma and hasn't moved since. I went to the bathroom and came back with a warm wash cloth and cleaned her, and she never moved the entire time. I smiled when I saw the blood on the sheets, and I feel so proud and honored that she trusts me and loves me enough to give me her most precious gift.

Wow—Ana loves me.

I knew I loved her that first night, after the snowball massacre…I could not stop thinking about her. I looked into her blue eyes that night and I knew I was a goner. I put a wall up around my heart after Jillian, and never let another woman get close to me, but that night, after Ana kissed me and thanked me, I felt that wall crumble and come tumbling down, and my heart began to beat again.

I need to send a few text messages, so I slide out of bed, taking care to not wake her, grab my phone and sneak into the bathroom.

I send my texts, and after I get confirmations of my request, I take care of business and crawl back into bed and snuggle up to Ana, pulling her into my arms again.

A few minutes later, she stirs and after a bit she opens her eyes, blinking a few times, then gives me the biggest smile "Well, good morning handsome man"

"Good morning beautiful—sleep well?"

She blushes a little, then very shyly tells me "I slept fantastic, after all the sex shenanigans we did, I can't believe I have the energy to open my eyes"

I give a good belly laugh "sex shenanigans? Well, I have to say that's a first time hearing it called that!" and I lean down and give her a quick kiss. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Well" she starts "I feel…..very well loved" and her face blushes a bit red "And a little sore in certain places."

That makes me smile even more, and Ana slaps my shoulder and calls me a caveman and asks if I am going to start beating my chest.

OMG this woman makes me laugh.

I remember the feeling I had the morning after our dinner date in Aspen—waking up with her in my arms. I wanted that every day, and now I want it even more.

"Well, since you are sore, let me run us a bath—the warm water will make you feel better" and I kiss her and climb out of bed and walk into the bathroom and start the water running in the tub and pour in some jasmine bath beads.

A minute later Ana comes walking in and chases me out, telling me she needs to use the bathroom, but refuses to pee in front of me. I laugh at her modesty and walk out; closing the door to give her some privacy, and a few minutes later she opens the door and tells me our bath is ready.

I find her already hidden under the bubbles and she scoots forward and I climb in and pull her back to my front. She settles in and I reach around and pour some body wash on a cloth and gently wash her breasts, then move to her belly and finally between her legs. She starts to moan, waking up Little Christian, but I know she is too sore for sex, so I just continue to caress her, telling her to relax and enjoy it.

"How can I relax when your dick is massaging my back? I can feel him every time he flexes" she laughs.

"Well, you are out of commission for a day or 2, so don't worry about him. He can wait."

She exhales and leans back into me, and we lay there until the water gets cold. "Come on, baby. Let's get out before we both shrivel up." I help her up, and reach into the towel warmer and wrap her in a towel and then reach for another one and wrap it around my waist. I smile, then take her in my arms and kiss her with everything I have. "God, I love you, Miss Steele."

She kisses me back with the same intensity, smiles and tells me "I love you, Mr. Grey. More than you will ever know."

I so much want to lay her down and make love to her again but I know she needs a rest, so I take her by the hand and lead her into my closet "Now, again, please don't get mad at me, but I had Taylor pick up a few clothes for you the other day—nothing fancy, just a few casual things and personal items so you can be comfortable and not have to walk around naked or in my boxers and t- shirts, although I wouldn't mind if that's all you wanted to wear" I tell her with a smirk on my face.

"Thank you, Christian—you are so thoughtful" then she kisses me and walks to where her clothes are hanging and selects a pair of jeans and a sweater, and laughs when she sees the Seahawks hoodie. "So—is this mine or did you buy me another one? You never returned mine" she smirks.

"I am never giving yours back—it smells like you. I wore it at night in my hotel room when I was in Taiwan—it felt like you were there with me" I confess, and she smiles, and I swear I see her eyes water. "Also-In the top drawer of the dresser there are a few sets of lingerie, and on the floor are a couple pairs of shoes" I tell her.

She opens the dresser drawers and her eyes get as big as saucers "Christian!" she gasps, holding up a pair of black La Perla panties and a matching bra. "All of this cost more than my first car did!" she exclaims, and walks over and hugs me, then peppers my face and neck with kisses. "Thank you. You are the kindest, sweetest, sexiest boyfriend in the world. How can I repay you?" she asks, with a sultry devilish look on her face.

"You don't have to repay me baby…but if you really want to, you can model the lingerie for me, and then maybe make me breakfast" I grin at her.

"Deal" she tells me, and we walk out of the closet and she tells me to go sit down on the bed as she walks back into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute" as she closes the door.

A few minutes later the door opens and she walks out, still wrapped in her towel and asks me "Well, what do you think?"

"I want to see what is under the towel, Miss Steele" I barely manage to utter, knowing full well what is under the towel.

She grins and slowly lets the towel fall away from her body, and stands there and twirls around, giving me a 360 degree view of her beautiful body. "Well, what do you think now, Mr., Grey?" she smirks.

I cannot speak—I am tongue tied staring at this gorgeous woman, and Little Christian is making his presence known by poking out from under the towel around my waist. "Ana….wow…" is all I can manage to get out.

She blushes from my reaction, then walks over and removes the towel from around my waist and smiles as she sees Little Christian sticking straight up. "I think I know 1 more way to thank you" she tells me, and kneels down, taking me into her mouth, and a few minutes later I am screaming her name over and over again.

After a delicious breakfast of bacon, pancakes and scrambled eggs, Ana washes the dishes and then tells me I owe her a tour of my apartment. "I wasn't interested in seeing any other rooms last night except for your bedroom" she confessed, blushing. "Now, I want to see the rest."

I laugh and give her the ten cent tour, and we wind up on the balcony looking out over Seattle.

"Wow—I can see the Space Needle from here, and my apartment!" she excitedly states. "It's so quiet and peaceful up here, Christian. I can't believe we are in downtown Seattle."

I watch her point out various landmarks and laugh and enjoy her excitement and awe, and I feel a face splitting grin spread across my face.

I want to make her this happy and excited every day.

Just then I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and I take it out and see that it's a text from Taylor "GEH 2:00."

I grin, slipping my phone back into my pocket, and wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me and nuzzling her neck. "Baby—I have to go to the office in a few minutes—do you want me to drop you at your apartment for a while or do you want to stay here? I should only be gone for an hour or so."

"If you don't mind I will stay here and fix dinner for us if that's OK with you."

I tell her that would be great, and whatever she fixes is fine by me "Gail has the freezer stocked with meals—if you don't want to cook anything you can just thaw out something. She makes the best mac and cheese, and there are several containers in there."

She gives me a kiss and tells me to leave "The sooner you leave, the sooner you will be back."

"Make yourself at home baby—I'll be back in a bit" and call Taylor so we can leave.

We pull into the parking garage at GEH and I see 2 vehicles waiting for me in the underground garage. Elliot gets out of his truck with Tonya and Paula, and the owner of the interior design company GEH uses walks up and sticks her hand out to me "Good afternoon, Mr. Grey. It's good to see you again."

I shake her hand, thanking her for coming in on such a short notice, as well as a Saturday.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Grey" she tells me, and we all head to the elevator. On the way up I explain to her what I want, and that money is no object, but it must be done by next weekend. "Elliot with help you with any remodeling, and Paula and Tonya are here to assist on décor, furniture, etc.…"

A little over an hour later, after I have been assured that what I want done can be finished by next weekend, I thank them all for coming and tell Elliot he is in charge, and head back to Escala, to my beautiful girl.

I step out of the elevator and hear music playing, and I follow it down the hall to the library, where I find Ana sprawled out on the couch, reading. She looks up from her book, giving me a million dollar smile and then gets up and gives me a welcome home kiss "That didn't take long—I figured you would be gone for a while."

"Nope—I just had to meet with my team and get them going on a project I need done—after I explained what I wanted, there was no reason for me to stay—I left everything in capable hands. Besides, I wanted to hurry and get back to you" I grinned.

We spend the afternoon lounging around, playing pool, snuggling and making out on the couch. She was still sore, but that didn't mean we couldn't do other things….after we both gave and received a few orgasms, we spent the rest of the night talking, learning more about each other as the night wore on, and about 11:30 Ana fell asleep with her head on my lap while we were watching TV.

I picked her up and carried her to my bed, gently undressing her as to not wake her up, then crawled into bed, pulling her into my chest. I kissed her head, nuzzling and smelling her hair, and fell into a very deep and peaceful sleep.

This is heaven I say to myself, as I feel myself drifting off into a deep slumber.

The next morning, I wake up to an empty bed, but after I came to, I could smell coffee brewing, and after I take care of business, I put on a pair of sweats, walk out and find my beautiful woman in the kitchen, cooking breakfast again.

"Hey baby" I said as I wrap my arms around her waist, kissing her neck. "You don't have to cook again…we can go out" I tell her.

She turns around and kisses me back, telling me she doesn't mind at all, and then grins and says "I cook for Ren and Stimpy all they time, and I don't get incredible, unlimited orgasms from them in exchange for food!"

We both laugh at that, and while Ana finishes cooking, I get out plates and silverware and set the table, and as I pour us each a glass of orange juice, Ana plates our food and sits down, telling me to eat up.

I don't know what she put in the mix, but her pancakes taste better than any other ones I have had, and Gail is an incredible cook. After we finish eating and washing the dishes, I ask her if she has plans for the day. She tells me no, so I ask her if she would like to go for a walk down the pier and see my boat.

"You have a boat?" she asks, surprised.

"Yes—I keep her docked about 10 minutes from here. If you want to take her out, we can, but it might be a little chilly today."

"No—we can take it out some other time, but I would love to see it today."

"Ok—let's take a shower and we can head out-Mia keeps a closet full of clothes here—I'm sure there is something warm of hers that you can wear."

An hour later we are headed to the marina in my R8. I told Taylor to take the day off—being winter time, the marina wouldn't be busy so I didn't think we would have any issues with the paps. The gate to the marina requires a key card for entry, so once we are inside the gate, even if the paps showed up, they can't bother us, and the security at the marina would chase them off or call the SPD to have them removed.

We pull into the private parking lot, and as I suspected, it was pretty empty. That's what I like about this marina—why I moved my boat here-the restaurants are open to the public, but there is a private parking lot for those of us who keep our boats moored here, and it has a manned security station to keep the general public from entering.

We walk along the pier, looking at all the other boats, and walk to the end and stop. Ana gasps when I tell her this is my boat. She doesn't say anything, just stares at it, then at me. "This is really yours?" she finally asks.

"Yes—I had her custom built by a local company here in Seattle—she was 18 months in the making" and hold out my hand and ask her to come aboard.

She takes my hand and I hold it while she walks down the 3 steps, and I pull her to me, giving her a quick kiss, and tell her "Welcome aboard The Grace."

"You named her after your mom?"

I nod and tell her yes. "Boats are named after ladies, and my mother is the sweetest, most compassionate, generous person I know. She and my dad gave Elliot and I a wonderful life—keeping us together after our parents died. I owe them everything."

I see a tear roll down her cheek so I reach up and wipe it with my finger and kiss the tip of her nose "Hey—no tears. Elliot and I were young when they died—I don't remember them at all, and Elliot has very few memories as well. Yes, it is sad they died, but we have had a wonderful life because of the Grey family."

She smiles, lifts her head up and kisses me, and tells me she wants a tour, so we start on the upper deck, and she is shocked when she sees the Jacuzzi, and we continue down to the 3 state rooms, which have their own ensuite, and we end up outside my bedroom door. She opens the door and walks in, and I can tell she is amazed with the luxury of the décor. She walks to the bed, sits down, gives me a sultry look and pats the mattress, inviting me to sit next to her, and whispers "I want you, Mr. Grey…"

We spent the rest of the day in bed, or the shower, or in the Jacuzzi. I found a couple bikinis that Mia left in her bedroom, so even though I preferred Ana to be naked, she was able to cover herself as she stepped in the Jacuzzi…I never knew if or when the paps would be lurking, and with the long range lenses they used, I wasn't going to risk the chance of any nude photos of Ana surfacing in any of the gossip rags.

We ordered a lunch from SPs, and even though they don't normally deliver, because I am a regular, they were more than willing to bring it to us since they weren't too busy.

We enjoyed our seafood chowder in bread bowls and a couple of Adnams Explorers, and then went back downstairs and crawled back into bed for round 3..or 4 or 5….I really lost track…

Finally, about 6:00 we headed back to Ana's apartment—it was dark already so the chances of anyone seeing us was leaving the marina were slim to none. We pulled into the parking lot, and Elliot's truck was there along with a familiar black SUV, so I knew they were done at GEH for the weekend. We walk out of the elevator and the closer we got to their apartment, I can hear laughter and Elliot's booming voice through the door.

At least we won't be walking in on any or all of them doing the nasty I think to myself as we open the door and walk in.

Everyone turns when we walk in, and after few seconds Paula screams "Ana!" and runs over and hugs her, and whispers something in her ear that makes Ana blush.

"Later" Ana whispers back to her, and I smile at them both, knowing full well what their brief conversation was all about.

Paula winks at me and walks back to the kitchen to where Ryan is standing, and tells us "we just ordered pizza if you are hungry—we ordered plenty in case you guys showed up" to which Ana nodded yes, and since we were both starving we happily accepted.

30 minutes later the door buzzer sounds and Tonya lets the pizza guy up. I try to pay, but she shook me from the door, smacking me with a magazine while telling me it was their turn to treat since I have done so much for them already.

Elliot about fell off his barstool when Tonya smacked me with the magazine, and he starts calling me Fido, telling me I'm a bad boy and to go outside, which earns him one of my famous "Fuck off, Elliot" responses.

After dinner, we all sit around talking for a few minutes when the subject of the Christmas holiday comes up.

"So—what are you girls doing for the holiday" I ask.

Paula informs us that her and Tonya's last day at work are Friday the 18th and they are off until January 4th, and are headed to Montesano on the 23nd to spend Christmas with their families.

Ana had already told me she was leaving on the 23rd for Montesano, but invited me to come for dinner Christmas evening—apparently she has told her parents about me already and asked them if she could invite me for dinner.

My family always has dinner on Christmas Eve, and we exchange gifts Christmas morning and have brunch about 11:00, so I will be able to spend Christmas dinner with Ana and her family.

Wow—this will be the first Christmas Dinner I will spend with a girlfriend's family…

About 9:00 we all decide to call it a night, and like the first time, the girls walk all of us to the elevator.

I press the button and wait for the doors to open, hoping it takes all night to arrive, but sadly a few minutes later the doors open. Elliot and Ryan step in after kissing their girls goodnight, and I grab Ana, hug her and plant an obscene kiss on her lips. "Get a room" Tonya yells, and I release Ana, and tell her I will call her later. As the doors close, I see all 3 girls standing there, and I know the minute they get back to their apartment, Ana is in for one hell of an interrogation. I chuckle to myself, wondering how she is going to survive those 2. I told her I didn't care what she told them, as I know they are nothing like the despicable, shameless gold digging bimbos who latched themselves on to my ex when they found out who she was seeing.

Ugh—I get a chill down my spine as I think of those 3…but seeing Ana hand Jillian her ass Friday night was the best entertainment I have had in a while, and watching the color drain from her face as Taylor informed her she would be hearing from my attorney for violating her NDA was the icing on the cake. Apparently she forgot when Taylor informed her that the burn phone was a serious violation, and even though I let it slide at the time, her approaching us at dinner was inexcusable, and Taylor let her know it as he escorted her to the elevator.

Oh well—it's the past and I don't care anymore. I have an incredible future with the most beautiful woman in the world…I would rather think about her.

The week flies by—Ana and I had lunch a few times, and she spent a few nights at Escala with me. I had my parents and Mia over for dinner one night so Ana could meet my mom and Mia,and they loved her, as Ana did them.. She was nervous about meeting my mom and Mia, but my dad had told them so much about her, they felt like they knew her already.

She spent the week looking for office space, and I also had her meet with my legal department to get her licenses and insurance set up, and I asked her to let my legal department review any leases before she signed them, and she said she would…the realtors can get pushy, and I don't want her to get looped into anything, yet….I also had Barney meet with her to start working on her website—the man is a genius when it comes to stuff like that.

Friday night rolls around, and Ana packed a bag and is going to stay with me until she leaves for Montesano Wednesday morning with Tonya and Paula. I wanted to order an entire wardrobe for her, but she wouldn't let me, but every time she stays with me, she leaves a few more things here, and I sneak in a few items here and there without her permission, and I know it's just going to be a matter of time until I ask her to move in with me. I still haven't met her parents yet, and that is something I want to do before I ask her to move in.

I have a few last minute details I need to oversee at the office Saturday afternoon, but I told Ana I made plans for dinner and I would be back and to be ready at 6:00 . I was nervous about this dinner, but on the other hand I could barely contain my excitement.

I stepped out of the elevator at Escala at 5:30 and made a beeline to the shower. Ana was still getting ready so I had time for a quick shower before I got dressed. I put on my favorite Tom Ford suit and walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of wine while I waited for her to finish.

I was standing in the great room, sipping my wine, and when she walks in, she takes my breath away. She is wearing a dark red dress that hugs her curves, and a pair of Louboutin's that make her legs go on forever.

"Wow" is all I could manage to say.

She just laughed at me, walked over, took my wine glass out of my hand, finished it, and tells me "Let's go baby—I'm starving." She doesn't have to tell me twice, and I text Taylor and let him know we are ready.

As we pull out of the garage at Escala, I tell her I have a surprise and that I have to blindfold her. She gives me a funny look, and after a few seconds she agrees, and I take my tie out of my pocket and cover her eyes. "Can you see?" I ask, and she shakes her head and tells me no, and a few minutes later Taylor brings the SUV to a stop.

I step out, and lean down and take her hand, helping her out, and we slowly walk to an elevator and step in. I put my arm around her and tell her "Watch your step baby, and just hold on to me, OK? It's only a short walk from here."

She giggles, which is my favorite sound, grabs my arm, and tells me she trusts me, and a minute later the elevator opens, and we step out and we walk a short distance down a hall and I tell her to stop.

"Are you ready" I ask, so excited I can barely stand still. She nods, and whispers yes, so I tell her to close her eyes while I remove the blindfold from her eyes. "Don't peek, Miss Steele" I tell her. "On the count of 3, open your eyes, OK?'" She smiles, and telling me yes. "1,2,3—open your eyes baby!"

Her beautiful blue eyes open, and immediately her hand flies to her mouth and she shouts "OMG Christian! What….how…when….."

My project that I started last week was converting the 2nd floor into an office and reception area for Steele Accounting Services, LLC.

I recruited Tonya and Paula to work with the interior designer since they were familiar with Ana's taste and preferences, and Elliot and his crew worked all week getting the offices and reception area set up, and I even recruited Andrea and Molly to assist with keeping Ana away from the 2nd floor when she was here during the week.

"Well—what do you think?" I ask her, as I hand her the scissors so she can cut the ribbon that is draped across the entrance.

"Christian, it's perfect. OMG, I can't believe you did this for me. I don't know what to say" and the tears start again.

"Hey—this is a happy moment" I tell her, and wipe the tears off her face. "Come on-let me give you the nickel tour. Obviously, this is the reception area, and your assistant or receptionist will have their own work area; you have your own phone number, so all calls will come directly to your receptionist instead of through the GEH main switchboard. There are 4 offices, so when you expand and hire additional employees their offices will be already be available. Each of the offices has its own extension, and while your office has its own private printer, scanner, and copier and fax, the other 3 offices will share one." We walk into Ana's office and she lets out a small gasp at the eloquence—the girls and the interior designer did a fantastic job with all 4 offices, but Ana's is absolutely incredible. "Your office has a full private bathroom" and I open the door and show her, and it's fully stocked with all her favorite personal items and toiletries. I look at Ana, and she is still in shock over everything, and I ask her if she is OK. She nods yes, and I continue the tour. We walk past the other 3 offices, and I stop and open a door "you also have your own kitchen/break room area that is fully equipped with a refrigerator, microwave, and state of the art coffee maker—Andrea will have to show you how to use it, though!" I tell her, making her laugh.

Finally we come to the last room "And this is your conference room." and as I open the door everyone in the room shouts "Surprise!"

Ana looks at everyone, and when she sees her mom and dad she screams and runs over and hugs them, and the tears start again. "How did you manage this?' she asks, looking at everyone—Paula, Tonya, Elliot, Ryan, Taylor, Andrea, Molly, Mia, and my mom and dad all stood there, smiling at her.

I start laughing, and tell her how I recruited the Boozehounds last weekend, and Paula put me in touch with her parents and we sneaked them into town this afternoon, and I put them up at the Fairmont for the night.

Just then Ana notices the plate settings on the table and the waiters standing off to the side holding trays of champagne flutes.

"I had dinner catered here for all of us—I thought it would be appropriate to share this with everyone" and I lean down and kiss her. I nod to the waiters and they begin passing out glasses of champagne, and when everyone has a glass, Ana leans over to Tonya tells her not to make a mess, and tells Paula no strip teases or dancing on the table.

I tap my glass on the side and clear my throat. I hold my glass up, looking down into Ana's blue eyes and say. "A toast to the most beautiful woman in the world. Here's to the start of a brilliant, successful career. I love you."