[When Ana grabbed onto that man's arm, I about lost my mind. This asshole could lift an entire wooden table; he could really hurt her. "No, don't! You're going to kill him!" Typical- only Ana would want to rescue the man who's been hunting her these past couple of days. "He can try," but man, if I had a gun right now… "Anastasia!" Clearly I wasn't the only one the verge of having a panic attack now either. "You're dead! You're dead! You're so frikin dead!" Yes, good; kill him- far, far away from Ana. "Mr. Bodyguard, please!" Mr. Bodyguard? Well, I guess she wouldn't know his name; we only saw him the other night. Still, how did she know he was a bodyguard? Was he…. a bodyguard, for that matter?
That would have to wait. The informant had the gull to smirk like this was cute or something. "Did you just call him "Mr. Bodyguard"?" No, no…. "That's just adorable!" No; don't talk to her. Don't you dare talk to her. I was beginning to see all red now. "Isn't that precious, Odo?" There's nothing precious about any of this. "Piss off!"
That did it. My patience was completely gone as I gave into my temper. My finger shot up to Black in the most furious way possible. "You're under arrest!" I don't know what I was expecting after announcing this. Maybe he would have slipped out of the window, or shockingly given himself over to me. He elected for the former, only stopped when the brute dropped the table on the ground. "Call your dad!" I didn't even consider the implications of that sentence. Now was my chance. My hand shot over to grab onto Ana; it was so fast and instinctual that I didn't see Grey do the same. Holding firmly onto her, I practically dragged her out of the apartment; not letting go or looking back once. I had to get her out of there- that was the only thought going through my mind.
We exited the building to find even more mobsters outside. Luckily police were already arriving on the scene. They immediately spotted me, flashing me confused expressions. I didn't go back to them until we- or more importantly Ana- was safe off to the side, away from the gangsters. Grey still with her, only then did I go back to speak to the other cops. When I eventually glanced back to check on Ana, I was mortified to see that idiotic Grey practically tossing her into his car. He shut the side door and speedily drove off. That dick… When I get my bloody hands on him….]
Mr. Grey was driving me to I don't know where at a really fast speed. This worried me; not because he was driving so fast, but I didn't get to say anything to Paul before we left. He'll be concerned too, I'm sure…. And we just left without any notice to anyone. I don't think Mr. Grey was too anxious about that right now, however. He drove with one hand, constantly rubbing his lips nervously with his other. It took a while before he said anything.
"Anastasia?" "Yes?" I replied without looking at him; I didn't need to look at him to know what he was thinking. "That man; is he the informant?" "Yes…. I don't know how but am not too surprised that he found out where I lived," he was one of the best underground informants in the city after all. Another long pause fell over between us; Mr. Grey kept his eyes locked onto the road the whole time.
"Anastasia, stay at my house tonight." "Huh?!" I gasped, affronted. "I will protect you; just stay." He'll… protect me? Oh yeah, I guess… that's why we entered this fake relationship in the first place. So I'd have some more protection….. I finally found the courage to peak at him from the corner of my eye. He did the same moments after my gaze fell upon his face. "Mr. Grey…. I don't think I can… I should…" "Enough, Anastasia; I've had enough. This whole thing…. It makes me nervous." He's scared for me? My eyes widened in surprise and a hint of delight. "I… I know you're worried about me, but I think…."
"Don't think about it. Whatever you're thinking, put it out of your mind. Just come and stay over; there's no reason to mull over it. The sooner we get you safe… I mean at ease, the better." Is it just me, or did he accidently say "safe"? He's not doing this for me; well, yes he is. But… there's more to it than that. Just like agreeing to be my fake boyfriend, he's doing it for himself too. Why? What does he get out of me being safe? I don't understand….. Still…..
"Um, sir? I… appreciate the offer but I'm going to have to decline. I'll just go stay at my father's tonight." Mr. Grey let out an exasperated sigh, glancing out the window for a moment. "I don't think he'll mind you sleeping over for one night, Anastasia." "You don't know my father…" I retorted in a low whisper. It's true; if Mr. Grey had any idea the kind of character Daddy was…. Of course, he didn't, and he wasn't about to let this drop so easily.
"Anastasia, there was a man- an underground informant- in your apartment. What would you have done if we weren't there? Forgive me for being a bit shaken up by all this, but after tonight…. I never want to let you out of my sight again," he said, looking out in front of him. Oh boy, did this make my eyes grow huge; bigger than I thought humanly possible. God, I wish he didn't say things like that; this whole "not getting attached" thing is hard enough even without physical contact.
"Don't you get it? You're in danger. What if that informant knows where Ray lives? What if he breaks into his house while your asleep tonight?" "I wouldn't worry about that." If he did, he'd come face-to-face with a bunch of well-built Dollars, not to mention a raging man Hulk. "Just stay with me tonight." "This is really not a good idea. It's not that I don't trust you; I do! It's just… there was nothing in the relationship contract about this," oh good save there, Ana; yeah, he'll really buy that. Mr. Grey shot me the most unimpressed expression.
"This wouldn't have something to do with that policeman friend of yours, would it?" "Mr. Grey! How dare you?! I can't believe you'd even ask me something like that!" Ok, that was below the belt and definitely not ok. Mr. Grey didn't look deterred at all. "I can tell the way you two act around each other." "Like the good friends we are. And by the way, I don't recall needing your permission to spend time alone with Paul. He's one of my best friends; he's not going anywhere, Mr. Grey," my arms folded defiantly. "Do you like him?" "That's none of your business." "So no, then?" "Mr. Grey!" "Good. Then it'll be a one-sided relationship forever." I mean… my apartment was just broken into, and he chooses now of all times to discuss Paul? Talk about immaturity. There's no reason for him to be jealous; he's my fake boyfriend after all, not Paul.
Seeing the visible change in my mood, Mr. Grey released another sigh. "My point is that you should stay with me tonight." I know why he keeps pushing this; he needs me to consent otherwise its kidnapping. Well, we'll see about that! "I don't want to leave you alone by yourself tonight." Oh crap, why does he have to say such heart-melting things like that?! It screws up my willpower; gees! Fine! What's the worst that can happen if we sleep in separate bedrooms and don't see each other in our pajamas…. I don't have any pajamas. All the more reason for us to stay at opposite ends of the house! My arms flung up in the air in defeat.
"Alright, I'll stay." Mr. Grey looked over to me, but didn't smile; ok, maybe a little… but not a victory sort of smile. More like a "I'm happy you're safe" smile. We arrived at his apartment; this nice place downtown where he had a flat on the twentieth floor. He unlocked the door and held it open for me. Mr. Grey then proceeded to help me take off my coat before taking off his own; he hung them up in the closet. Plopping himself down on the black-leather couch, he grinned over to where I was still standing.
"Are you hungry?" "Huh? Oh, y-yeah… I guess a little," I patted my stomach. "I'll order us something. What do you want to eat?" "Mmmmmm, ramen maybe?" Just then, my phone vibrated in my jean pocket; my personal phone. I checked the screen to see Paul's name; oh boy. Without hesitation, and perhaps forgetting where I was for a split second, I instantly answered it. "Hi, Paul," and I could feel Mr. Grey's eyes roll from here.
"Ana! Thank god! Are you alright? Where are you?" "I'm fine! I'm at Mr. Grey's place." "Grey?" The world's quickest pause. "Where?" "Uh, hold on; I'll send you the address." "What address? You're not sending him my address, are you?" Mr. Grey rushed over to my side. I had just enough time to give him a look before Paul spoke again. "Ok, we've traced the call; I'll be there in five minutes." "Uh, wait a minute. Paul!" Too late. Click on his end. I nervously peered up to a very upset Mr. Grey. His glare was as firm as his hands on his hips.
True to his word, Paul arrived in less than five minutes. The doorbell rang and I thought Mr. Grey's head might explode. So I pressed the button to let him in after another ring. Paul stormed in, not bothering to glance my way. His eyes were dead-set on Mr. Grey. Wow, I hadn't seen him this mad in a long time, I thought wisely staying off to the sidelines. "What the hell do you think you were doing? You drove away our key witness," Paul growled dangerously. "Paul," I saw a safe opportunity to slip in. He gazed over at me for a moment, visibly relaxing when he saw that I was alright.
"What is she doing here, Grey?" Well, that didn't last long. "Anastasia is staying with me tonight." Oooooooooh, I really don't think that was the best choice of words. Technically true but…. Paul's face both widened in horror and narrowed in disgust; I think he was too stunned for words. "I'll let her stay here, so don't worry," oh now Mr. Grey chooses to put a positive spin on this for him? My lips pressed tightly together as my eyes rolled off to the right. Yeah, no; that's not gonna work. It wouldn't work if I went to stay at Paul's place, and it's not gonna work here.
Paul waited another second before saying anything. The room was so tense, you could cut the air with a butter knife. Then his glare dashed over to me. "Let's go. How can a grown woman spend the night with a single man; much less one who's her employer? This is illegal, not to mention immoral. Are you insane?" When I didn't reply, Paul's eyes rolled. He then had the wisdom to reach and take hold of my wrist. Uh oh…. "Come with me," Paul told me, trying to pull me towards the door. We were stopped by another hand grabbing onto my other wrist.
"Leave her here." This wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. Paul slowly spun around, and the two men glared red-hot daggers at each other. I had to close my eyes when Paul took a few steps towards Mr. Grey. Good god, why is it always like this between them? This is what happens when you take two very strong, very successful men in their field, and lump them together; their massive egos didn't help anything either. Paul's glare sharpened first.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" "I need her here tonight." Mr. Grey! I blinked silently at him. Paul was not at all impressed. "I'm taking her." "I said no already." "And I said I'm taking her." Gees! Don't these kinds of things only happen in dramas or trashy romance books? I'm sure it's thrilling to read about and put yourself in the character's shoes. But in real life, this was tense and awkward as fock. It didn't help matters that neither of them was asking what I wanted; oh no, can't do that. Cause they're guys and they know what's best for me- insert eyeroll here.
"She's not going anywhere." "Yes, she is. I'm taking Ana with me." "No." A very long and horrible silence came over the two after this. While they kept this glaring-war up, I blinked between one and the other nervously. What is with these two?! Seriously! Were they so opposed to me spending time with one of them alone? Yes- yes, that's just the problem actually. Better not to tell Paul about our little museum adventure then. And on top of everything…
They were each still holding onto my wrists!