Chpt. 1: Christian's POV
"Andrea!" I call from my office.
"Yes Mr. Grey?" Andrea asks quickly walking into my office.
"Get Ros up here immediately!" I bark.
"Yes sir" she responds.
"Yes Christian?" Ros asks entering my office. She is the only employee who I let get away with calling me by my first name. She has been with me since the very beginning and is currently my second in command. She knows the business very well and is able to run things in my absence, not that I've ever taken a vacation or been away from the office for any length of time.
"What the fuck is going on with the Taiwan deal? Why hasn't it closed by now?" I say angrily. This deal has been dragging on for six months now; we should have signed months ago!
"They aren't budging on the price" she explains. "Their financials do not support the price they are requesting however I think they are stalling because they don't want to deal with women."
"God Damn it!" I yell angrily, throwing my phone across the room. Ros, used to my temper by now, does not so much as flinch at my outburst.
"How do you want to proceed?" she asks.
"I will fly there later this week for a few days and find a way to get them to sell. We need the shipping yard in order to get our food delivered safely. Have Andrea reschedule everything from Wednesday through Friday of this week into your schedule" I order.
"No problem Christian" Ros says leaving my office.
I swear sometimes the only way to get something done is to do it yourself!
"Andrea!" I bark.
"Yes Mr. Grey?" Andrea walks into my office.
"Book me a first class ticket to Taiwan for Wednesday and schedule a meeting with the shipping yard owners for Friday morning. I will need hotel reservations for Thursday through at least Saturday; see if you can get a penthouse or at least a suite. Book a return flight for Saturday but be available in case I need to change the flight at the last minute on Friday. Ros will cover everything in my absence" I direct.
"Yes Mr. Grey" Andrea leaves my office.
"Andrea, I also need a new phone" I say just before she walks out of my office.
"Yes Mr. Grey" she says without giving it a second thought.
I am beyond frustrated with this deal but we have been working on it too long and it is too important for me to walk away. We have increased our charity work with food deliveries to many third world countries and this shipping yard is key to being able to have full control of our deliveries and not needing to hire so many contractors.
"Gentleman, are we ready?" I ask walking into the board room. "I have asked that you prepare a brief presentation on your recommendations for the restructuring of the management team if we were to acquire Seattle Publishing. You may begin."
Within minutes I quickly realize no one has provided information that demonstrates they conducted in depth reviews of all team members. They are basing their recommendations on the resumes of each manager and not on performance reviews or financial implication. Once again I am reminded that sometimes it's easier to do everything yourself.
"Gentleman!" I interrupt. "Was I not clear on exactly what I was looking for?"
"Yes Mr. Grey" Mr. Jones answers. "You asked for recommendations on the management team for Seattle Publishing which we did-"
"No!" I interrupt. "You made recommendations after only looking at resumes. It is obvious none of you reviewed their full HR charts including performance reviews, background checks and compensation packages. How do I know this? Because this employee right here" I say throwing a file on the desk "Has an arrest record four pages long and your recommendation is to keep him!"
"Sorry Mr. Grey, we will compile a new presentation –" Mr. Jones begins.
"Get out of here and do the job I pay you for! All of you! And if it's not complete this time don't even bother coming back for the presentation!" I yell walking out of the board room and slamming the door shut.
"Mr. Grey?" Andrea asks as I am about to enter my office.
"What?" I snap.
"Your new phone is on your desk and IT has programmed it so you can access your email and contacts" Andrea explained.
"Thank you" I said walking into my office.
The IT department is used to having to program new phones for me as it seems there are months where I go through several phones often because of tough days. I've had anger problems for as long as I can remember; I was kicked out of four high schools before graduation. I dropped out of Harvard but I'm convinced I would have been kicked out for fighting at some point. This the primary reason I have my own company; I knew early on I could never work for someone else as my temper would likely get in the way. I have been seeing a therapist for years but I don't find it helpful at all; I'm not sure why I continue to pay him an obscene amount of money. For awhile working out or kickboxing would help but even now I have found that it doesn't help like it used to.
"Andrea!" I call through the intercom. "Please have Taylor come up."
"Yes Mr. Grey" Andrea answers.
Andrea has been my assistant for the last couple of years but before her I went through a slew of assistants. Most could not handle my temper or my immediate demands; others thought I was paying them to swoon over me. I could catch them sitting staring at me or flirty with me and then they would start wearing inappropriate clothing to work that showed way too much cleavage. Did they really think that dressing like a tramp would make me want them? Sure they were good looking but I have a firm non fraternizing policy for myself. I really don't date woman anyway so their advances were moot. It's not that I'm not attracted to woman; god knows I can appreciate a beautiful woman! I've been out on several dates but they always seem to end the same way. When my business responsibilities require my attention they get mad that I need to cancel dates or work late hours. If I devote all of my attention to them like they would want I would lose my business. I typically work at least twelve hours a day at the office and then usually another couple of hours in my home office. Weekends are no exception; if I'm not at the office I'm in my home office for at least several hours each day. Most woman cannot understand this and they often end the relationship. Once it lasted a few months and I caught her cheating; when confronted she blamed me because I worked too many hours. Since then I haven't been actively trying to date and I have turned down requests to set me up on a blind date by my family members.
"Mr. Grey?" Taylor enters my office.
"I'm flying to Taiwan on Wednesday and should be back on Saturday. I don't see the need for you to accompany me on the trip, therefore I am giving you the weekend off" I explain.
"With all due respect Mr. Grey, I would rather accompany you on the trip for security purposes" Taylor says.
"I am sure you would, but I would rather you not" I firmly say.
"As you wish sir" Taylor exits my office
Taylor has been my head of security for about four years now, ever since I received a threat on my life at work. My head of GEH security, Welsh, had recommended I obtain personal security and personally recommended Taylor. Taylor is a former marine with combat training who has worked in personal security for at least the last ten years. I know he means well, but I need to do this trip alone. There have not been any threats recently and I know if something arose Taylor could have someone in Taiwan support me until he could personally arrive.
Wednesday morning arrives quickly and I find myself seated in first class for the flight to Taiwan as I prepare for what will likely be a long boring flight. As many times as I have flown to Taiwan to get the deal this close I never get used to the long flight. I am scheduled to arrive Thursday evening which should give me enough time to rest before my meeting Friday morning. I will then fly out Saturday or Sunday depending on how things progress on Friday.
As I thought the flight to Taiwan was long and boring. Without internet access on my phone I couldn't get very much done but type up a few reports to send out when I get to the hotel. I try to sleep on the plane but I'm afraid of falling into a deep sleep and having a nightmare. I have nightmares at least several times per week surrounding the abuse I experienced at the hands of my mother's pimp when I was a toddler. He would beat me and put lit cigarettes out on my bare skin often while my mother sat by too high from drugs to realize what he was doing. Eventually she overdosed and I was stuck in the apartment hungry for several days before her pimp returned and found her. He called the police who took me to a hospital and eventually I was adopted. My therapist says my anger stems from the abuse from the pimp as well as at my mother for not protecting me. I have tried telling him that was years ago and shouldn't be effecting me now but he insists that's the reason.
** I am taking some liberties here since this is fiction; I have no idea about the culture of Taiwan **
I check into the hotel and spend the next few hours responding to the emails I received while flying and sending off the reports that I typed. As I flip through the tourist magazines on the desk I see an ad for a sex club advertising domination and submission offering a special introductory night tomorrow night for new members. I laugh to myself, as if I would ever visit a sex club. I can just see the headlines now: Billionaire Christian Grey visits sex club to get off.
I fall asleep rather quickly having slept minimally on the long flight over here and before I know it the phone is ringing with the wake up call. I quickly shower, eat breakfast and head to the meeting at the shipping yard. A couple hours later the meeting is resolved and the owners have agreed to sell for the two point five million we proposed. I believe they were just giving Ros a problem because she is female as she originally speculated because I was able to easily argue all of their points. The paperwork is signed, we share a couple drinks and I return to the hotel. As much as I try, I cannot stop thinking of the advertisement. Back in the states I know clubs like this exist but they don't advertise out in the open and admission is usually by invitation only. I have never known anyone involved in domination and submission and realize I know very little of lifestyle.
I spend the next couple of hours searching the internet for all the information I can find on BDSM as it is often referred to. The information on line highlights the roles of the two individuals involved in a scene; one acts as a dominate who takes control of everything while the other is the submissive who gives the dominate complete control over everything including her own pleasure. I find myself very intrigued by this; the thought of having complete control over the entire scene has me very excited. I realized early in my career that I need to have complete control over everything especially surrounding my company. It's the reason I refuse to delegate certain tasks and insist on working so many hours. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have complete control in the bedroom as well? I have had a few sexual experiences but most women would become upset when I asked them not to touch my chest or my back. I have several scars there from the abuse and I cannot stand to be touched in those areas. Typically I end up holding the woman's hands above their head while we are intimate but it rarely lasts and the woman becomes upset convinced it is her. Perhaps having control in the bedroom would resolve this issue, I think. I could tie their hands together or to a bed; then they wouldn't be able to touch me at all and they wouldn't think it was them since it was part of the scene.
The more I think about it and read online about it, the more I'm convinced that I need to try this. I look the club up online and it seems fairly reputable at least from their website. They typically require new perspective members to be accompanied by an existing member for several nights before they will be granted full admission. Twice a year they offer introductory nights in which they open their doors to the public for an admission price equal to $2,500 US dollars. The website explains this price is for admission only into the club and does not guarantee any sexual acts will occur. I decide it is worth checking out; how much harm can come for attending the club in a completely foreign country in which no one seems to know who I am? I find myself getting turned on the thought of what I might see.
I dress for casually for the evening in pair of jeans and a tight fitting t shirt before grabbing a cab to head to the club. I provide the driver with the address and he takes me to what looks like an old warehouse. I verify with him the address is correct and he advises me to enter through the door on the side which has a small red light above it. I cautiously walk over to the door and ring the doorbell; a large muscular man greets me at the door and tells me to step just inside. I step into a small barely lit hallway where he searches me for any weapons. I'm initially taken back by this but realize it's for everyone's safety including my own.
"You are not a member?" he asks.
"No, I am here for the introductory night" I answer.
"Come into the office and wait here" he says opening a door just off the hallway.
As I'm waiting I'm suddenly wondering if I made a mistake coming here. I realize how vulnerable I could be in a place like this and I know Taylor would have my ass if he knew I was here.
"Hello" a middle aged stunning woman dressed in a black says walking into the room. "I am Madam Serene, and you are?"
"Ummmm" I stumble; I hadn't thought about this.
"Relax darling" she says sitting down next to me. "Real name now, then you can come up with an alias for inside the club."
"Christian" I answer.
"Okay, Christian" she hands me a piece of paper. "These are the rules of the club; everything that occurs in here is strictly confidential so you will need to sign an NDA. Are you familiar with this type of document?"
"Yes" I answer signing it.
"I assume you are interested in domination, correct?" she asks.
"Yes, how can you tell?" I ask.
"My job is to read people darling" she smiles. "Here are rules for domination in my club. One absolutely key point is the safe words. Before any act can occur the dominate and submissive must agree on two safe words. One is meant to convey to the dominate the submissive's need to slow down and the other is to convey that the submissive as reached his or her limit. If either word is said the dominate absolutely must obey. We do not take this lightly; any violation of this rule will have you banned not only from this club but from every BDSM club including those in the US. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am" I answer.
"Good" she smiles again. "Now before you enter the club, I need to explain the bracelets. Black means dominate looking for submissive. Red means submissive looking for dominate. Grey means new dominate looking for submissive. Pink means new submissive looking for dominate. Yellow means someone looking to watch. Green means not looking at all. Only two people are allowed in a room at a time; anyone watching does so from a booth which contains access to a one way mirror. No one should enter the booth connected to the room without your permission, however I always advice the dominates to check to see that the blinds are drawn and switch is pushed to close by the mirror. Any questions?"
"I don't think so" I answer quietly.
"Is this your first time?" she asks.
"Yes," I answer. "Is it that obvious?"
"You seem a little nervous dear" she laughs. "I suggest you go to the bar first and get a drink or two to loosen yourself up. Once you find someone you might want to be in a scene with, you take them into your assigned room and before anything progresses you discuss limits. Take a moment to think of your hard and soft limits if you don't already have them drawn up. He/she will tell you their limits at which point you both can decide if you are compatible to go further. Also, since this is your first time I will remind you that not every scene needs to result in sexual intercourse. Some scenes are about exerting control over the submissive and the submissive giving up complete control."
"Thank you" I say attaching the grey bracelet she handed me.
"Good luck and enjoy your evening" she walks me out and I take a deep breath before she opens the next door.