Chapter 13

"Yes, Oh Christian! Yes!" Christian is enthusiastically thrusting behind me. I'm on all fours, on Christian's bed, as he is fucking me, I think. This is not lovemaking, that's for sure. This is as close to him dominating me, as he pulls my hair and slaps my ass a few times, thrusting deeply into me. I convinced him we had time for a quickie, and he is proving me right.

"You wanna be fucked, little girl?" I guess I was right. He runs his hand over the swell of my ass, teasing my hole. I can't help but clench around him with the unfamiliar sensation.

"Yes, Please!" I beg, wanting him to fuck me harder.

"Tell me!" He bites hard on my collarbone and licks the area in afterward, as his breath becomes ragged.

Fuck me, Christian! Fuck me hard! "Fuck me, Christian. Fuck me hard." I whisper. I grab his hair, pulling him to me, but he presses me back to the bed, sticking my ass out for him. He grabs my hips, sliding his cock in deep, pressing me further in the bed with every thrust. He reaches under my belly, between my legs, and circle my clit with my fingers.

"Uh! Yes! Fuck me, Christian! I've been a bad girl!" I pant, enjoying how big he feels from behind. He growls in response and flexes his hard erection inside me. I am shaking and can't hold the orgasm anymore as it rips through my body. My legs spasm, as I climax, feeling like I'm going to fall off the edge.

"I got you, sweetheart," Christian says, hugging me from behind as my body calms down from such a powerful orgasm. I collapse on the bed with Christian slipping out of me. I know he hasn't finished, so I weakly turn around and spread my legs for him to continue. "No sweetheart. I don't want to exhaust you…yet." He strokes his cock a few times and comes on my belly. I rub it all over myself, enjoying the warmth on my body. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. We just took a shower sweetheart." Christian says as he chuckles with my action. He leans over me and gives me a sweet kiss. "I guess a bath will have to do."

It is the night before Thanksgiving, and I'm at Christian's home. We are going to go to his family's house tonight. We plan to stay over their house Wednesday and Thursday night, leaving on Friday. We're supposed to wake up early on Thanksgiving to help cook. Grace typically cooks Thanksgiving dinner, making it more family oriented. She even lets her staff go home the whole week. Grace, Mia and I will be doing much of the cooking since we are the chefs in the house. I convinced Kate to help, even though she has burnt food in the microwave. Originally Kate and Elliot were not going to come, staying with her parents instead, but she had a bad experience with Elliot meeting them beforehand, which she will tell me the story later.

Carrick's and Grace's mothers will make homemade pumpkin and sweet potato pie. No pecan pies. Too many bad Elena memories.

Carrick's mother lives in Washington, so her trip didn't take too long. She arrived yesterday. Grace's parents arrived in Seattle from Michigan last weekend. This will be my first time meeting them. I'm nervous about the Thanksgiving dinner, not because of meeting the grandparents. I've talked to them over the phone with Christian last week, and they seem lovely.

And not because of the one terrible Sunday dinner, where I caused a serious argument with Elena. Since then, the Grey family has gotten closer, letting out their dirty laundry. Grace admits, she was happy Christian was getting better, ignoring he was uncomfortable. Carrick agreed, not really paying attention to the warning signs. Elliot admitted Elena came on to him when he was 16 and should've said something back then. He feels guilty, thinking if he said something, in the beginning, nothing bad would've happened to his younger brother. Christian assured him, it wasn't his fault. Christian also admitted he never felt like it was abuse, only coming to realize it a couple of years ago. He felt like he was in control of his life, but really Elena was, providing him subs throughout his life and investing in his company. That is why he wanted to disconnect from her. Mia promised to be a better sister, thinking she has been selfish.

Overall, the family has grown closer, showing their love and devotion to each other. I've seen it when we attend Sunday dinners.

One day, Grace asked me to lunch, requesting Kate to come along. Kate and I thought we were in trouble with the way we handled dinner with Elena. I had Grace come to my condo, so I can make lunch for us. The moment she entered, she greeted us with a hug, thanking us. She apologized for her behavior, but I assured her, she was doing the right thing at the time. We had a pleasant lunch, getting to know each other and better explaining ourselves. We told her about Elena's terrible behavior when we saw her at Neiman Marcus, leaving out the harassment. Grace was frustrated with herself not knowing the real Elena. We still had a lovely lunch and been friends ever since.

The reason I am nervous about the Thanksgiving dinner is I recently conducted an interview that will be aired on Nightly News tonight. The whole family will be watching the interview after dinner, and I think I said something I shouldn't have. Oh, you shouldn't have said it, that's for sure.

I was interviewed about what it was like being a businesswoman in Seattle, owning a successful franchise expanding the country. I didn't want to do it at first, but both Rachel and Kate insisted it would be great publicity for the company. Rachel also noted how there are not many female owners of large companies, and I could inspire other women. During the interview, I talked about how AMC started, what it's like managing it, and promoted AMC in general. I even had a cooking segment. I also said something about Christian that is going to make him mad. I hope he won't hate me.

We finish getting ready for our trip and head out to the foyer. Taylor had the weekend off with Gail, but he didn't like how things went down at the Grey's house. He decided for us to have 24-hour security, unsure what Elena will do to retaliate. Sawyer will be our security for the two days. I convinced Christian Sawyer should at least eat some Thanksgiving dinner, which he agreed to.

"Sawyer, we are ready to leave. Grab our bags...please" Christian commands. I never talked to him about being politer. I say please and thank you so much for his staff, I think it is catching on.

"Yes, sir." Sawyer picks up our bags in the foyer and heads to the elevator to open it. We follow him hand in hand.

"You have everything you need," Christian asks.

"Yep, sure do." I smile, but I am trying to hide my nerves.

"Don't be nervous about tonight. If my grandparents do not love you, I'm sure my mother will forcefully convince them." He chuckles.

"I'm not worried." I am just damn nervous about that interview. You should be, big mouth!

~oOo~

We quickly arrive at the Grey's house and are greeted by a happy Grace, with her security guard, Reynolds nearby. "Christian, Ana, I am so happy to see you." She says hugging Christian and I. Reynolds and Sawyer nod in greeting, as Sawyer grabs our bags.

"Happy Thanksgiving Mother."

"Happy Thanksgiving to you son." She says gratefully. I can see such appreciation in her eyes. I think Grace thought she was going to lose Christian after everything that happened. What she didn't know was he thought the same thing in reverse. They care for each other so much. As we walk to the door, Grace has something to tell Christian, "As much as I love that you're protecting us from that she-devil, it would be nice not to have our security tailing us like I'm planning to escape." Reynolds looks down, embarrassed at her comment.

"I'll make sure he'll ease up," Christian promises, kissing his mother on the cheek, "a little bit."

I forgot to grab my chefs bag and run back to the car. "I can grab your bag Ms.…Ana," Sawyer says reaching for my bag.

"No way, this is my special cooking bag. No one touches it except me." He quickly backs off. We enter the foyer, Grace telling him where to put our luggage.

"I'm excited for your stuffing, candy yams, and stream bean casserole. When you told me the recipes the other day, I was practically drooling thinking about the different ways you plan to make the dishes." Grace tells me. I wanted to surprise them by doing a twist on the classic Thanksgiving meal.

"Me too!" Mia says yelping, rushing into Christian arms to hug him. Luckily, he catches her, chuckling at her enthusiasm. She abruptly stops, staring at Sawyer as he walks past us to put our luggage away. She is checking him out. Once she is done, she hugs me. "Hey, boss!"

I officially hired Mia to be a sous chef at AMC Seattle. she is doing great already; a lot more determined to be promoted, instead of finding a better job somewhere else like my previous sous chefs. I can see her being a head chef in no time.

"Hey, chef," I respond. "How are you?" I ask as we walk into the family room. Christian and Grace have their own private conversation.

"I'm great. I just got off my shift. I really like Jacob, but I like you better when you are the head chef." Jacob is the head chef when I am not working.

"You're not sucking up to me, are you?" I ask as we get comfortable on the couch

"No, he tells me what to do. You actually teach me."

"Jacob can be a little tough, but great at his job. He's one of the people I'm afraid of leaving."

"Really, how come?" Mia asks curiously, but I have a feeling she heard these rumors.

"Well, I have some chef friends from college I still connect with, and they told me he has been interviewing at a few places."

"Oh Ana, I'm sorry."

"I would hate to work more hours there, wanting to focus on the business. That is why I'm teaching you so much. More than normal sous chefs."

"Wait, what?... Really?!"

"Yep, I wouldn't give you the head chef job right away. Not till I think you're ready. But I want you prepared for it."

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god! Thank you!" She squeals, jumping into a hug.

"Nothing was promised," I say, laughing at her excitement. "You still have to earn it."

"I will, I swear Ana. I will do everything you want me to do. I will be really good, I promise."

"What are you excited about, baby Mia?" An older woman says, walking slowly next to Christian.

"Grandma, I might get a promotion at my job," Mia says, walking to her grandmother, helping her sit down in a lounge chair.

"Grandma, please meet Anastasia Steele, my girlfriend." I know this sounds crazy, but I don't think I ever heard Christian refer to me as his girlfriend. We act like boyfriend and girlfriend, but he always says my name when he introduces me. This is big. "Ana, this is Betty Grey." I absolutely love her name.

"It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Grey," I say, standing up to shake her hand.

"Please call me Betty," she says as she extends her arms out for a hug. I replied, bending down to give her a gentle hug.

"Are you picking on the new girl yet Betty." An older gentlemen yell with another older woman next to him, arm around his arm, and Carrick behind them.

"Thomas, stop. Don't be messing with Christian's girlfriend." The older woman says.

"She is too sweet to mess around with," Betty says, with a gentle smile.

I walk towards them, with Christian at my side. "Grandmother, Grandfather, this is Anastasia Steele, my girlfriend. Ana, this is Doctors Thomas and Caroline Trevelyan." I reach out to shake their hand.

"It is very nice to meet you," said Dr. Trevelyan.

"Ana is an owner of the movie café we went to the other day." Carrick proudly explains, while pouring some drinks at the bar.

"What a beautiful theater. It reminded me of an old theater Thomas and I went to when we were teenagers," said Mrs. Trevelyan.

"Thank you, Mrs. Trevelyan. I'm glad you found it beautiful." I politely respond.

"Much too loud for my taste," said Dr. Trevelyan, as he sits in the sofa chair, getting comfortable.

"Dad, be nice," Grace warns.

"Ignore him. Please, call us Carol and Thom by the way." Mrs. Trevelyan tells me, as she sits next to her husband.

"As long as you call me Ana," I respond, with a nervous giggle.

"Don't you worry. I'm not going to drive this one away. I'm happy my grandsons finally met beautiful ladies." Thom explains. I sit next to Mia, while Christian gets us drinks from Carrick. "Remember the one redheaded women Elliot brought over. She kept yapping about clothes."

"Easy now, she was a model. She liked clothes." Elliot says as he walks in from the kitchen. "Hey, Ana Banana." He leans over to give me a side hug.

"Hey, El. Where's Kate, I thought she was with you?"

"She's in my room upstairs. We had…a disagreement."

"Woman troubles already grandson?" Thom chastises while laughing.

"Nothing serious pops. We're fine."

"I'll go check on her," I tell Elliot.

"Great, thanks, Ana. She's in my bedroom, first door on the left, upstairs." I go upstairs, following Elliot's directions. I knock on the door announcing my arrival. I enter, seeing Kate sitting on Elliot's bed, crying.

"Kate, what happened?" I rush over, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm being ridiculous."

"I never saw you cry. I doubt you're crying for no reason."

"It's just, Elliot. He's being so fucking understanding, I can't take it!" What? Ugh, women.

"You're going to have to help me understand." Kate clears her nose with her tissue and wipe away her tears before she explains.

"Last week, Elliot and I had dinner with my parents, and they were absolutely horrible towards him. My mother was acting like she didn't even want to be there, taking work calls the whole time. My father kept dismissing Elliot's construction company as not stable work, the fucking company that does work nationally and will be international when we begin work in Vancouver." That's right! We are opening an AMC in Canada. So exciting.

"I know, I know, but why are you mad at Elliot."

"Because he never got angry once. The whole time I was defending him, but he never interjected. He allowed them to insult him." She shakes her head in disbelief. "The worst is now, he thinks I should call my parents tomorrow, to at least say Happy Thanksgiving. He's insane!"

"Have you ever told him what it was like being Katherine Kavanagh?" She takes a moment to think about what I mean.

Kate has a weird combination of strict, but uninterested parents. Her father is an owner of several media companies in the country. Her mother is a famous fashion designer, working in New York most of the time in a year. Her father wanted her to be the best at everything. Her mother expected her to act perfectly. But they would send her away to boarding school and summer camp, never getting to know their daughter.

I knew what it is like to have a mother who didn't really care, but Kate's parents win the award for being the worst. They hated she went into business with me, thinking it was a waste of time and money. Now, they think she's not doing enough marketing the company.

One time, Kate had a pregnancy scare when she was 22. When they found out, they prepared to disown her, contacting their lawyer to change their will. Luckily for Kate, the results of the pregnancy test were a false positive.

Their son, Ethan Kavanagh, was the perfect child in their eyes, managing one of his father's media companies. He is handsome and charming, a sweet guy, but he spends his life working and impressing his father. Kate rarely sees him because he is working 70-hour work week. Kate doesn't want to be like him.

"No, I never told him what it's like," Kate admits.

"How come?"

"I don't know. Elliot had such a rough start, not having a mother who wanted him. He's so grateful for his parents adopting him. I'm afraid he'll think I'm overreacting. I still lived a privileged life-"

"That was completely lacking love. You should tell him. Let him get to know the ungrateful Katherine Kavanagh." I joke.

"The one who never met expectations." She laughs with me.

"The one who was never enough, and always wanted too much."

"Oh! I loved that 'compliment' coming from my mother." We laugh at the ridiculousness that is her parents. "I hope-"

(CRASH! CRASH!)

Kate and I stand up, hearing the broken glass. We run down the stairs and see the two front windows are broken. Large bricks lay on the floor.

"Be careful of the glass girls," Grace says. Betty, Carol, Grace, and Mia are standing in the foyer. "You two go back into the living room. I don't want you to get cut." She yells to Betty and Carol. Betty goes back to the living room, with Mia's help, but Carol is interrupted by her husband.

"Carol! Where's my shotgun?!" Thom asks from most likely the guest room.

"Thomas! Get back here, right now!" Carol demands, rushing to the guest room.

As Kate and I get closer, we see Carrick, Christian and Elliot are outside, talking to a young man, who is being held by Sawyer. Kate, Grace and I head outside to figure out what is going on. That is when I notice Reynolds outside, gun drawn, searching the front yard.

"Why did you break our windows?" Carrick asks.

"Go to hell!" The young man, who barely looks like he's 20, yells back.

"How about you go to jail for the next few nights, as we charge you for breaking and entering. Elliot, call the police." Elliot immediately gets out his phone.

"Bull shit! I never entered! Besides, it's that whore's fault. She brought this on you!" He spits out, looking straight at me. Sawyer twists his arm a little too tightly, resulting in him groaning in pain.

"What did you say?" Christian asks in an intense tone, moving between me and the crazy young man.

"You heard me! If your little slut kept her fucking mouth shut, nothing would've happened." The young man declares.

"We're now charging you for threatening my family." Carrick declares.

"Fuck you, old man! It'll never stick!"

"Try me. I'm one of the best lawyers in the country. I also have you for attempted assault, since you were trying to hurt my family."

"Did Elena tell you to do this?" I suddenly ask. His smirk says it all.

"Get this asshole off my property!" Carrick commands Sawyer.

"My pleasure, sir." He walks away with the young man to the sidewalk, waiting for the police.

"I'll wait for the cops to pick him up." Carrick states.

"Me too." Elliot declares.

"Me too," Kate says, walking to Elliot, grasping his hand. He seems pleased with her gesture. Christian wraps his arm around me, directing me back inside the house.

"I'm sorry. There must have been a better way for me to handle all this. I shouldn't antagonize her, made her so-" Christian abruptly stops me, grabbing my shoulders, and looking right at me sternly.

"What do you tell me every time I apologize for Elena's bad behavior?"

"Don't apologize for her, ever," I remember.

"Take your advice." He wraps his arms back around me walking into the foyer. "I'll get someone to fix the window tonight mom."

"Please, don't worry Christian. We can cover the window with some boards." Grace and Mia finish picking up all the glass.

"Reynolds!" Christian yells out. He quickly appears.

"Yes sir."

"Go out to the shed, in the backyard. We should have some wood in there. Board up the windows from the outside and inside. The tools should be in the shed as well."

"Yes sir." Reynolds rushes out to do his job. Christian gets on his phone.

"Taylor. Sorry to bother you but someone tried to break into my parents' house…. Yes, I want more security at their house tonight! Get some of GEH security over here then!... Fine! But I want full-time security here by Friday morning." Grace walks in watching Christian pace in the foyer. "Good. I'll talk to you Friday." He hangs up, only to call someone else. "Welch, I need anything and everything you can get on Elena Lincoln! All her associates, her business connections, any illegal activity, everything! I want it by Friday!... Good! I also want someone watching her immediately…. I don't care what you have to do, just do it!" He then hangs up on Welch. This is what Christian is like in the office, except he sounds much more worried.

"You think Elena did this?" Grace carefully asks.

"When Ana asked the assailant if Elena told him to do this, his face told me enough," Christian responds.

"How can I be such a fool." She shakes her head.

"Before you go there, I'm taking some very good advice," I tell her.

"That is?"

"Don't ever blame yourself for Elena Lincoln's behavior."

~oOo~

We finished a lovely dinner of steak and lobster with garlic mash potatoes and sautéed Brussel sprouts. The meal was perfect. We were all too full to start eating the dessert Carol and Betty made.

The incident from earlier luckily didn't ruin our night. Carrick talked to the police about the young man, Craig David. He will be sitting in jail until he can post bail, which will be most likely till Monday because of the Holiday.

"We better head into the movie room. Ana's interview is going to start soon." Grace points out, as we place the dishes in the kitchen. We'll finish cleaning up later, forcing me to no longer avoid this interview.

"I'm sleepy sweetie, but I'll watch the tape tomorrow morning," Betty promises to me. Thom and Carol also decide to head to bed, which I am grateful for. I don't want them to see my stupidity.

Thankfully, everyone had a few drinks, except for Christian. He seems to still be on high alert. Reynolds and two other security sent by Taylor are securing the house outside, while Sawyer made sure the inside is secure. I think everyone feels safe, but Christian still can't relax after what happened, which doesn't help me at all.

"Everyone doesn't have to watch, it's really nothing." I try to persuade, as we enter the movie room.

The room is set up with three large couches, each on different levels, all facing a large projection screen. This is going to be even more embarrassing seeing my big face on a large screen, but at least I don't have to see their reaction. Everyone ignores my comment, getting comfortable on the many couches in the movie room.

"Don't be ridiculous, this is going to be awesome." Mia excitedly tells me. I sit at the back of the room, with Christian. Carrick and Grace sit on the middle couch, with Mia next to them. Elliot and Kate are snuggling in the front, at the bottom level.

"Carrick, help me turn this on," Grace asks, as she struggles to push the remote buttons.

"Maybe it won't work." I hope.

"Got it!" Carrick says happily, looking back at me very pleased. "What channel will the Nightly News be on?"

"I don't remember." I lie.

"Channel 10," Kate says with no hesitation. Carrick changes the channel to 10, and commercials are still showing. I slump down on the couch, already feeling mortified, even though Christian has his arm around me. He looks pleased with himself. He finally looks relaxed.

"What?" I ask, confused by the change in his mood.

"Nothing, just remembering something Rachel Walker told me."

"What is it?" Suddenly feeling even more nervous.

"Nothing you need to worry about." He tells me, displaying his sexy grin. It doesn't turn me on as it usually does, feeling like he's going to hate me in less than 60 minutes.

"Oh Ana, there you are!" Grace points out, as the Nightly News begin showing a short clip of my interview that is to come. "Ana, you look so lovely."

"I picked that outfit. I was going for a strong businesswoman with a touch of cuteness." Kate explains.

"Good choice," said Grace.

We sit through thirty minutes of current news. We all comment about the topics, and Elliot makes an inappropriate joke about Putin's name. I'm sitting quietly becoming more nervous by the minute.

"Something wrong sweetheart?" Christian asks as I fiddle with my fingers, biting my lip. "Don't bite your lip, you know what I like to do with that lip." He whispers in my ear. I stop biting it, giggling at his dirty comments.

"Nothing wrong. Just remember, these shows edit things weirdly. Something I said, may not be what I actually meant."

"Oh? Should I be worried?" He asks.

"No, just don't hate me, ok?"

"I can't hate you, Ana, never." He kisses the side of my head. I hope what he says is true.

My segment is finally on, and I'm ready to throw up.

Announcer: This is Karen Walter, with a special report.

Karen Walter: Good evening. Tonight, I sit down with Anastasia Steele, the owner of the up and coming Annie's Movie Café, or AMC, one of the hottest spots to dine and watch movies. We discussed what it's like to be an owner of such a growing franchise, see her cook one of her delicious dishes and even discuss her love life.

Here we go. We all watch the segment, which shows clips of AMC inside and out, me describing what AMC is and how fantastic it is.

"This makes AMC look so cool. I love it!" Kate announces. It does make AMC look good. The questions are coming fast and are easy, thus far.

Karen Walter: What is it like to be a female owner of such a successful business.

Ana: I would like to think the same as being a man of a successful business. Maybe a little better. (Karen Walter and Ana laugh.)

Karen Walter: How could it be better?

Ana: Lot of people were surprised a woman like me could grow the company so quickly, but I believed in myself from the beginning. I had my doubts, like any normal person, but the moment I received the investment from Christian Grey, I knew I could make AMC successful. (Ana smiles gratefully.)

I look over at Christian, and he is watching the show with that sexy smirk still on his face. You will sadly be wiping off that smirk soon.

The show goes into the cooking segment. I walk into AMC Seattle's kitchen and show how the food is cooked. I demonstrate how to make potato skins chips, topped with red onion, fried bacon, red and yellow peppers, spicy jalapeno peppers, and an assortment of cheeses.

Karen Walter: So that's all it takes to make some delicious potato skins.

Ana: Yep, that is all it takes. My boyfriend, Christian loves them.

And so, it begins.

Karen Walter: Christian?

Ana: Yeah, Christian Grey. (Ana looks like she surprised he had to say his full name.) When I'm feeling extra sweet, I'll make them for him for lunch. They are extra good after a long night of lovemaking. It helps keeps the energy up. (Ana bends down to place the potato skins in the oven.)

Elliot laughs, hard. I groan, burying my face in my hands. The cameras were hidden in the loud, crowded kitchen, and I forgot I was wearing my microphone. I wasn't thinking this was all being recorded. Maybe you can blame the fumes for getting you high.

Karen Walter: Really? You and Christian?

Ana: Well, yeah. (Ana looks at Karen strangely.)

I forgot Christian and I have been keeping our relationship private. He constantly has the media's attention. I remember he told me once when he is with me, he doesn't have to worry about what the outside world thinks of him because he has me.

Karen Walter: What else do you and Christian like to do alone?

Ana: None I can tell you. (Ana winks.) Let's just say, I need a lot of potato skins after a night with Christian. (Ana giggles.)

Everyone gasps around the room. Hey, at least you didn't describe how you like to give him head.

"Oh Ana," Kate says, shaking her head, giggling at my remarks. El is the only one who is relentlessly laughing at me. I try to curl up in a ball, mortified, knowing I'm not done putting my foot in my mouth. Maybe if you become small, you will be able to roll right out of the room.

Karen Walter: It sounds like you're close to Christian.

Ana: We are. I love doing things with him. I love doing things to him. (Ana winks.) I love being with him. I love...him. (Ana pulls out the potato skins to check if they are done.)

"Holly shit?!" Kate yells.

Karen Walter: You love Christian Grey? (The reporter asks like she is having a private female talk, as both she and Ana consume a potato skin.)

Ana: I do. What can I say, when you have a great career and a great personal life, you can't help but announce it to the world? I love Christian Grey! (Ana announces playfully.)

"Awww." Both Mia, Kate and Grace say together. Elliot is crouched over, laughing.

"El, it's not funny." Kate chastises. I'm too afraid to look at Christian, still burying my face in my lap.

The cooking segment ends with a lovely wrap-up of the interview, almost finishing off my embarrassment.

Karen Walter: I had such a lovely time with Anastasia Steele. She knows how to put a good dinner and movie together.

Male Co-host: I've been wanting to go to a place that has both. I love a good meal with my movie.

Karen Walter: AMC is a perfect place for that. The potato skins were delicious.

Male Co-host: I will have to get some potato skins for my wife. (Both laugh at the corny joke.)

Karen Walter: Oh Thom, stop. (Karen turns to the camera.) And sorry ladies look like the most eligible billionaire in the world is finally taken by the lovely Anastasia Steele.

Male Co-host: I think I just heard several women groan in sadness when she said he was her boyfriend.

Karen Walter: More like groan in anger. (They both chuckle.)

Male Co-host: This is a lesson to all you women, the way to any man's heart is food...and something else. (Thom winks.)

Karen Walter: Oh Thom, seriously, stop. You're making us women blush. (They both continue to laugh.)

The reporters wrap up the newscast, say their goodbyes, and the show finally ends.

Everyone slowly turns towards me, looking shocked at what I said on national television. I hide my face in my shirt, embarrassed.

"I love you too." I slowly turn my head towards Christian, unsure if I heard him correctly.

"What?" I breathlessly ask.

"I love you, Anastasia Steele, with all my heart."

"You don't hate me?"

"Never. Now everyone knows you are mine. And… Rachel told me what you said beforehand in a meeting earlier this week. I already knew you acknowledged our relationship...and other things, on national news." He begins to chuckle at my reaction along with Elliot and Carrick.

"Christian! You could have helped me out here. I thought you were going to break up with me."

"Certainly not." He moves to wrap his arm around me, kisses my forehead and brushes his lips against my own. I move closer to kiss him back.

"Awww," the ladies sing, giggling afterward.

"Get a room!"

"Elliot, please!' Grace chastise El, once again.

I pull away from the kiss, when I feel my phone vibrate, practically ruining the moment. I look down at my phone to see who is calling. It's my mother. The moment is ruined.