How does one find a faceless angel?
In the end, I gave into myself and spent the weekend crying in bed. I didn't even go out to buy food; all I did was cry. No preparing for my interview, no showering, no doing laundry- nothing. Eventually I got up, cleaned, dressed, ate, and ready to go come Monday morning. I went from looking haggard to very lovely and professional. And most surprising of all, I actually felt a little better! Who knew that sobbing nonstop would actually help things? I still wasn't back to normal yet, but much better today; at least I looked better.
My phone alarm looked went off and I got ready to go to Grey Enterprises. I walked from my apartment to downtown; it wasn't hard to find the big, tall, grey building. Mr. Grey's office was on the eighth floor, not that I'd be meeting him. This was an intern position for PhD candidates; it didn't make sense for me to meet the owner of the company for something like this. Besides, I didn't know who Mr. grey was; probably some old, rich man.
I came through the front door, only to immediately meet a receptionist. Admittedly I was a bit intimidated by this whole business setting; this wasn't my realm. I'm an academic above all else; and I do mean all else. The man- yes, it was a man- smiled up at me warmly. "Hello, love." "Hello. I have an interview with Grey Enterprises." "The internship?" "Yes." "What's your name?" "Anastasia Steele." "Anastasia….." He typed something into the computer, then gazed back up at me.
"There are you. Yes, please come with me," the receptionist got up and led me towards the elevator. He unlocked it with his key card and held his hand out for me to enter; I was surprised to see him press the eighth floor. Ok… Maybe I'm being interviewed by Mr. Grey's personal assistance. The receptionist escorted me upstairs, holding every door open for me. I was equally as surprised to find that Grey Enterprises was full of men and some women; women were definitely the minority, and the ones who were there were all blonde. Mmmmmm, I wonder if this is a warning sign; maybe Mr. Grey is a misogynist and bigot. Maybe I don't want to meet him…. He probably wouldn't like someone super progressive and educated like me.
Irony: the moment I thought this, the receptionist led me to these two giant steel doors with the label "Christian Grey, CEO" beside it. Whoa! Wait a minute! What are we doing here? The receptionist just grinned back at me before opening the door. "Good luck," he said before opening one of the doors for me. Oh…. oh boy… oh no, nope! I'm not ready for this! I've never met anyone like Christian Grey; there a huge difference between a godfather and billionaire CEO- the biggest being that one can sue you up shit creek and the other can toss your wacked body in it. I was much more familiar with the latter kind. But this….
Remembering to breathe and realizing that I was supposed to go inside, I hesitantly made my feet move in front of each other. When I was finally in, the door slammed behind me. I spun around to see it now shut, making me understand that I was now alone in a billionaire's office. It took all my willpower to spin back and see Mr. Grey for the first time. And while my jaw dropped stunned, he simply smiled.
Mr…. Mr. Gorgeous?! I couldn't believe my eyes. Here I was, standing across from Mr. Gorgeous again! The same Mr. Gorgeous from the police station; the one who rescued me! The one who had a manly clash with Paul….. uh oh. "Mr. Gor-…. Mr. Grey!" I had to automatically correct myself. "It's good to see you again, Miss Steele," he spoke with such sincerity and kindness… "Wh-… um… how… wha-…." I was so stunned, I couldn't even formulate a sentence. This seemed to amuse him slightly.
"How did everything go at the hospital?" Hospital? "Huh? Oh! Uh, fine! No concussion or anything." "You're ok?" "Y-yes," well, as ok as I'm going to be now; this is my new normal, I guess. He appeared relieved a bit; huh, was not expecting that. Then he held out his hand toward the white couches in front of his long desk. I sat down on one and he sat opposite me. Well, it wasn't as awkward now but still, I wasn't sure what to say or do. He just leaned back and kept his gorgeous eyes onto me.
"So, you are a PhD candidate? Was uninformed of that at the police station." "Uh, y-yes; I'm a PhD in literature." "Literature? You want to be author?" He perked up a bit. "Oh, yes; I was a born writer. I'm currently working with fiction; specifically learning from fiction." "That's very interesting, and difficult. You must be smart." "Oh! No, I wouldn't say that," my head gave a little shy shake. "You have an MSc in philosophy," he wasn't convinced. "Erm, well…. I'm not dumb, I suppose," I shrugged, still embarrassed. "That's obvious." Awe, that made me grin at him.
"Why did you apply for the internship here, Miss Steele?" Ok, full-on interview time; I can do this. "Experience, and the money would be nice before I start my studies. I'm a full-time student, so I'll be teaching undergrad while doing my research. This will be good experience before that." "You'll be teaching?" He rubbed his finger under his lip ponderingly. "Just first year philosophy and fiction courses. I really want to teach children's fiction." "Why that?" "I love fairy tales, fables, anything like that." "Interesting…"
A natural pause fell over us. I waited for Mr. Grey to say something, and he- a little later. He was clearly thinking, considering to himself; keeping his finger rubbing back and forth. Gave me the opportunity to ogle at his beauty- seriously, he was like a living Greek god. At least in my eyes. Finally, he smiled- a knowing, clever smile.
"I've read your masters and honours dissertations. You are very good." "You… you what?!" He did what?! Well, technically he didn't do anything wrong, but still! Who reads a dissertation for an internship interview? Once again, Mr. Grey seemed delighted with my shocked reaction. "Forgive my ignorance but… this is standard practice, sir?" He looked at me for a second before chuckling very softly. "No. I just read yours." "Uhhhhhhhhhhh?" What? Just… what? Am I supposed to be this confused? Was this a nefarious plan or something? I didn't… understand at all. And yet, Mr. Grey looked to be totally comfortable right now. His grin grew firm and serious; the same expression I saw in the police office.
"I admire your fortitude, Miss Steele. But I recall instructing you take your time recovering from your traumatic experience last week." This… this caught me off-guard. Was he allowed to talk to me like that? It didn't help matters that I was naturally submissive; I am not dominate or confrontation at all. That's what happens when you grow up surrounded by a sea of powerful, deadly men. You learn to obey without question….. expect in the case of my father and the succession; I knew he wouldn't kill me if I said no. I was a princess, but I was under no illusion- I knew how controlled I was. And… I actually had a thing for strong, dominate men too. But I can't let that get in the way now! Ok, focus- you can be professional, Ana. Just answer the questions honestly and to the best of your ability. Mr. Grey observed me straighten up, clasp my hands on my lap, and grin politely at him.
"I appreciate your concern, Mr. Grey; but I'm alright, honestly. Nothing came up at the hospital." "I know." "What?" I blinked, surprised for like the millionth time this afternoon. His beautiful eyes sharpened onto mine. "I got a copy of the hospital's report." "Wha-….. why would you…?" "My lawyer is representing you. I would ensure that those thugs get more time if you were hurt; we would use the report as evidence in that case." "Oh… I see," my gaze began to wander. I guess that makes sense… This world of legitimate money and lawyers was still so foreign to me. Mobs don't have lawyers; they have hitmen.
This CEO analyzed me for another moment before leaning forward and planting his arms on his legs- the "serious" position. "Alright, here's what going to happen, Miss Steele. You're going to go home and take the rest of the week off. You're going to report here directly to me next Monday; I'll have my secretary send over the contract." "Uh….. w-wait, does this mean… I've got the internship?" He grinned and nodded; looking brilliant as he did so. "Really?! But wait, like… isn't there… I've never been interviewed for an internship before, but I thought there'd be more of a process." "Well, if I didn't hire you, I would be out an intern." "Huh?" And his smile grew…. He smiled at me. "I've cancelled all other interviews. You are my last." "W-why would you do that?" I didn't understand…
"When I saw your name on the prospective internship list, I deleted the rest. You have on key advantage above the others, Miss Steele. We've already met, and I knew when I saw… I already knew."