Author's Note: This is a new story, not previously posted on fanfiction.
Chpt. 1
CPOV
"I cannot thank all of you enough," I raise my glass to everyone around me. "Without you, none of this would be possible. Mom and Dad, I know you weren't thrilled with my decision to drop out of college, but you supported me despite that. Elliot, I was ready to run from this place but you convinced me to give a chance. You were able to see through the busted walls, falling in ceiling, exposed electrical and countless other problems to see the potential it had. You turned this place into the perfect office space that GEH needed to kick off. Andrea, you've been next to me on this journey when it was just a figment of my imagination. You listened to me for countless hours on my business plan, never getting tired-"
"That she told you," Elliot cracks and we all laugh knowing it's probably true, at least partially. Andrea never would have complained to me, but I'm sure she did to Elliot or my parents at some point.
"As I was saying," I glare at Elliot before continuing. "Andrea, you catch my countless spelling and grammar errors that I'd be embarrassed if they ever appeared in an actual proposal. Mia, your design skills made Elliot's vision even better and wouldn't be complete without the perfect logo design. Thanks to you, GEH has brand recognition that I am confident will catch everyone's attention. And last, but certainly not least, my beautiful wife. None of this would have been possible without you believing in me. Without a question, you said yes when I suggested we start down this crazy journey. You didn't bat an eye as we cosigned the business loan together, or had to sell our condo and move into a small apartment to be able to afford this place. Without you, I wouldn't have had the nerve to take this giant leap."
My beautiful wife of two years squeezes my hand as I watch her blue eyes fill with tears. Her cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink as the embarrassment hits her. She never likes to be the center of attention and right now all eyes are on her. Even on our wedding day, she hated the focus being on her. Whereas most women want a big wedding, my wife-to-be would have been content with a backyard wedding surrounded by a dozen of our closest friends and family. And that's what she got – though it was slightly more than a dozen guests.
I'm pulled from my thoughts by Elliot clearing his voice. Everyone chuckles as I finally pull my focus back to the group that has gathered for the ground breaking of my company. Grey Enterprise Holdings, GEH for short, is officially a registered business in Seattle, complete with an office. Until now, I've been working out of our home, conferencing in Andrea whenever possible. But after countless trips to local office supply stores for copying, faxing and printing, I was done. I took the proceeds from the first company I bought and sold, combined it with the small profit we made by selling our condo and combined that with the even larger business loan, and put a down payment on the office we're all standing in today.
With Elliot's help, the run down space became a functional office suite. It's not large by any means, but it's the perfect size for our starter up business. A lobby/reception area, a private office and a large conference room. We really don't need very much right now, though I hope that in a couple of years outgrow this space and move into something much larger. An entire floor in a large building, or better yet, an entire building for GEH. Though the ladder is definitely more of a pipe dream than anything else.
"Congratulations, son," my dad raises his glass. "Your mother and I couldn't be more proud of you. May this be the first of the rest of your dreams coming true."
I didn't think we needed the drinks and fruit platters when Andrea suggested, but like always she knew better than I did. For this reason and countless others, Andrea is the first employee of GEH. I don't have much to offer and we both know she had other offers, but I will always be grateful that she chose to start her career with me rather than anyone else. We grew up together, constantly at each other's houses so I like to think we know how each other thinks. I worried that it would be difficult for her to think of me as her boss, but the last several months have proven me wrong.
"You okay?" a sweet voice pulls me from my thoughts.
"Perfect, Mrs. Grey, how about you?" I wrap my hand around her waist and gently tug her closer to me.
"I'm perfect too," she agrees. "It all came together perfectly."
"I meant what I said; I couldn't have done this without you. I know you loved the condo-"
"Hush," she quiets me with a simple, but ever so effective kiss to the lips. "Sure the condo was great, but it was just four walls. Home is wherever you are. I know GEH is going to be a success, but to do so you needed an office space. It was an easy decision."
"Still, not every wife would give up their dream home to move into a space half the size across town from all their friends."
"Small price to pay," she shakes her head even though we've had this discussion a million times. "It was an apartment, Christian, that's all. We did the budget and it didn't make sense to keep paying a large mortgage for a space that we were both hardly at. Between GEH and my new job, we would have only been there to sleep. We can do that at the new apartment."
"I promise you, we're going to get that condo back, well maybe not that exact condo, but one just like it. Or one better. One that has the patio overlooking the city you always wanted, and a large kitchen so you can bake all day if you want, and an office for you to grade papers in instead of having to use the coffee table, and–"
"It all sounds perfect, baby."
Even though we both know that's probably years from now, she agrees with me anyway. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive person. She put our dreams on hold without giving it a second thought so I could focus on my dream of owning my own company. Just one of the many reasons my wife is the love of my life, my everything, and so much more. If she said no, or thought it was a stupid idea, I would have given up my dream in a heartbeat. But she didn't. It was the exact opposite actually; she jumped in feet first right with me.
"Is there anything else you want me to take care of before I leave, Mr. Grey?" Andrea asks a couple of hours later after my parents and Elliot have left.
"Mr. Grey, that sounds so weird coming from you," my wife says and the three of us laugh knowing how true it is.
"No, I think anything else can wait until tomorrow morning, Andrea."
"I'll see you bright and early," she says before turning to leave.
"I still can't believe you make her call you Mister Grey–"
"I told you, sweetheart," I gently lead her over to Andrea's desk and lift her up so she's sitting on it. I take off her heels, knowing how much she hates them, and gently rub the ache out of her feet. "Andrea and I… it's weird. We grew up together, she was constantly at our house having sleepovers with Mia or for family barbeques. I know it isn't easy for her to see me as her boss, but I want to keep the lines as clearly drawn as possible. At work, I'm her boss but outside of work we can still be friends. The name formality is just a way to keep those lines clear. We talked about it, she understands."
"Will all our employees call you Mr. Grey?" she teases, smiling in such a way that her entire face lights up.
"Well I am the boss," I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me. I take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her perfume and shampoo.
"Ready to go home, Mr. Grey?"
"Always, Mrs. Grey."
The drive back to the apartment takes longer than it would if we still had the condo, but it's not a bad drive over all. When I was looking at office space, I knew I had to be in the city. Even though office space was cheaper on the outskirts of the city, I had done enough research to know that location was going to be key especially for a startup business like mine. I can't expect business owners to fly into Seattle and then drive or take a cab thirty minutes outside of the city to get to me. I needed to be accessible to them and, just as important, be able to look like I can afford to buy their company. Understanding that, Elliot and a friend of his who is a realtor were able to find this suite. It's in an up and coming area of the city that is showing real promise.
If we still had our condo, the drive home would have taken less than 15 minutes. However, tonight it's more than 30 minutes and that's without traffic. Our new apartment is just outside the technical city lines. It's a small, two bedroom apartment that we were able to rent for half our previous mortgage payment. My commute tomorrow will probably be twice as long as the trip home tonight, but I plan to leave first thing in the morning to try to get in ahead of rush hour.
"You're going to do amazing things tomorrow, baby, I can just feel it."
Two years later…
"Look, you have two options here," I sigh and fall back into my desk chair in frustration. "You don't have to take my deal. You can wait a year, maybe two if you're really lucky, and then watch your company go under. You'll then file for bankruptcy and all your employees will be left without an income. OR, you can cut your losses and take my deal. You can pay off your debts, including the mortgage on your building. Your employees will have the option to either become an employee of GEH or they will be given a generous severance package. And you'll even have a little leftover money to take your family on a nice vacation. It's your choice, but the offer expires at midnight tonight."
I slam the phone down and run my hands through my unruly hair, turning in the chair to stare out the window. I've been working on this deal for almost a year now and we just seem to go back and forth over the details. What I don't let on is that this deal means everything to me. It could be a serious game changer for GEH. It could give us the opportunity to hire more staff, to get a bigger space so the couple of staff I do have could work on site instead or remotely when I need the conference room. It could mean paying off the rest of the business loan I took out to start GEH two years ago.
"Andrea, I said no interruptions!" I bark when I hear my door open.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey, she insisted-"
"Oh, sweetheart, I didn't realize what time it was," I immediately walk over and greet my beautiful wife who as most nights is carrying an insulated bag of what promises to be a delicious dinner. Immediately I'm engulfed by the smell of some type of a pasta dish and the flowery perfume she wears.
"If this isn't a good time-"
"It's always a good time for you," I lean down and kiss her.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey, I told her you didn't want any interruptions," Andrea apologizes. "I know you were on the call-"
"It's fine, Andrea," I dismiss her, turning my focus to the beautiful woman at my side. "How was your day? I feel like we didn't get a chance to talk this week."
"I don't think she likes me very much."
"Andrea? That's not true."
"Every time I come here, she gives me a look when I walk in," she explains. "Even when I call sometimes it seems like I'm just bothering her-"
"Wait, when you call? When did you call?"
"I called this morning when I had a break for lunch," she looks at me confused. "And then earlier this week, maybe Monday or Tuesday, I called when I got home from school. I wasn't sure if you were working late that night and wanted to see if I should bring you dinner."
"She didn't mention you called at all this week," I shake my head in confusion. Getting up, I grab the stack of message sheets from my desk and quickly thumb through them, confirming what I already knew – Andrea never gave me the message. "I'll talk to her tomorrow morning."
"It wasn't anything urgent and honestly I just assumed you got tied up and forgot to return my call. It wasn't a big deal, but like I said, I don't think she likes me very much."
"I'm sure that's not true," I try to reassure her, but inside I'm just as confused. It's not like Andrea to not give me messages, especially ones from my family. She's never seemed to have a problem with anyone in my family, especially not my wife. We've gone out to dinner as a large group before and I've never noticed anything off. Besides, why would Andrea hate her?
"Let's not worry about it; maybe I'm just reading too much into it. She probably just got busy and forgot to give you my message."
But gave me all the other messages, before and after you called?
"You're right, blue eyes, let's not worry about it," I say but make a mental note to address with this Andrea first thing in the morning. I won't have her not giving me messages, it's unacceptable.
Several years earlier
"Who's the new girl?" I interrupt my buddy who was carrying on and on about something, I wasn't really listening to start with. Instead, since class ended a few minutes ago, my attention has been captured by this beautiful, brown haired girl a few rows behind us. She must be new to class, because there's no way I would have not noticed her before now. She's talking with a group of other girls, occasionally tossing her long hair over her shoulder as she laughs. Even from this far apart I can tell her eyes light up when she smiles. I don't know what it is, but I feel like I need to go talk to her.
"Who?" Josh asks.
"Directly behind me, about 4 rows back," I turn away from her so it's not entirely obvious who I'm talking about. "The one with the brown hair, wearing a red top."
"Oh her?" he gestures his head in her direction; I can't help but roll my eyes at his obvious gesture. "She's not new, she's been in the class all semester."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," he laughs. "The prof said she was the only one who got a perfect score on last week's test."
"Hmmmm."
"I don't get you," he shakes his head in clear disbelief. "You don't pay attention in any classes, instead just spend the hours scribbling away in your notebook, yet somehow manage to ace every test given."
"I'm not scribbling away, I'm working on my business plan."
"Whatever you're doing in that notebook, you're not paying attention."
"I'm going to go talk to her."
Turning around, I leave Josh and head over to the beautiful girl that I somehow never noticed before today. Josh is right, I do spend most of my time writing in the notebook, but these classes are bullshit. I'd rather be out in the real world, getting shit done, then being stuck inside these four walls listening to some old guy teach about strategies that don't even make sense any longer. If you're going to teach business classes, at least keep up on technology, strategy and hell just what's going on in the real world.
I gather up my books, keeping an eye on the brunette a couple rows back. When she begins doing the same thing, I quickly nod and head in her direction. I time it perfectly, reaching the end of her row of seats just as she does.
"Hi," usually I'm far smoother but any quick lines leave my mind the moment she glances up and her eyes meet mine.
"Excuse me," she mumbles quietly.
"I don't think we've met, I'm–"
"I know who you are, Christian," she interrupts surprising me.
"You do?"
"Sure," she smirks. "You're the guy all the girls go gaga over. The one who goes from bed to bed, never to be the same girl twice."
"That's…that's not true," I fumble, quickly trying to come up with a name to prove her wrong. I play the last year over and over again in my head, an array of women flashing before my eyes. Sure there's been plenty of women, but isn't that the whole point of college? Certainly it's not to learn from these profs who know absolutely nothing.
"You can't think of anyone, right?" she smiles and for a moment I forget what question I was trying to answer. Her baby blue eyes pierce mine and I'm immediately captured by them. "Christian?"
"What? Right…I…"
"If you'll excuse me, I need to go. I have another class to get to."
"Wait, what's your name?"
"Look, Christian, I'll be honest," she starts to walk away, but stops suddenly. "I'm here to get an education, not be another notch in your belt. I'm a double major, economics and education, plus work two jobs so I don't have time for your games–"
"Games? I don't play games," I interrupt quickly. I may have partied a little too much and shared my bed with a few too many women, but I don't play games with anyone. I don't make promises that I have no intention of keeping. I don't promise to call women the next morning, I don't take them out on dates and then drop them. They all know that with me they get one night of wild passion and some fun, but that's it. I'm not looking for anything more than that, but I make that known to everyone.
"Whatever you want to call it, I'm not interested," she says. "I'm here for my education; I have a year left and then I'll be back on the west coast starting a new job."
"You don't have time for a new friend?" I push back.
"I somehow doubt friendship is what you want," she laughs and immediately I smile. Of course I don't want a friendship with her, but if that's all she'll offer I'll take it. "But, a friend? Sure, if you want to friend we can be friends. Just know that I don't do friends with benefits."
"Now, how can we be friends if I don't know you name?"
"Prove you're not out to get into my pants and then I'll tell you my name," she winks at me and I can't help but laugh at her sudden change in approach.
"I'll prove it to you, but until then I'm calling you blue eyes."