Talk About Sex

"Christian," I whined, pushing his wandering hands off of my hips. "I'm sore."

He grinned, so damn proud of himself.

"Stamina, Ana, stamina," he chanted mockingly.

I rolled my eyes and pinched his nipple. "You were shit back then."

"You definitely were a machine to keep up with, but I blame it on my lack of skills. You're just so tight that I can't control myself even if I wanted to."

I glared at him but he didn't think I was serious. Pulling me even closer to him, he kissed me on my mouth deeply and passionately. It was exactly how he was yesterday night when he made good on his words and woke me up from my orgasm induced slumber to make love.

"You are still really tight, by the way. Just how I liked it."

He really was a monster in between the sheets, and there I thought I was hard to please in bed. Always the quiet ones that was the freak.

"I never asked," he grinned crookedly and I knew this douche now had some wicked thoughts running through his mind.

He was still the goofy, cute, and adorable guy that I met in college but there was a layer of dark mysteriousness shrouding him when I saw him yesterday at his workplace.

That was what attracted me to him again the most.

"How did you like the taste of me?"

I stared at him incredulously. I knew it would be nothing innocent but I didn't think it would be something this blunt.

"Meh, mediocre."

"Bullshit, you made me shoot my seed all over you with your mouth wide open, twice, after I shot them down your throat earlier."

I had already lost count how many times we did it last night, but I knew we never rested other than to catch out breath. I swear the guy was always hard.

We lost count of the times we climaxed but I knew he had worked me so hard and well that I had probably passed out more times than I cared to admit.

"I like to eat cum," I shrugged, failing to hide my grin behind my nonchalance.

"You had your mouth full of my cum yesterday."

"I'm a slut."

"My slut," he corrected. "It was a huge turn on seeing you play with it in your mouth."

I grinned, I had no idea that he was just as dirty as me.

"But, just to ease your pretty little head," I giggled, tapping the side of his head. "You taste the best. Slightly different than I remembered but still the most delicious."

That did the job. The man just needed a boost in the ego, I knew it.

Though, I wasn't lying when I said he tasted good because he knew how to do it. Unlike some of the guys I had been with were trying to reenact scenes from porn, and was failing miserably because porn was faker than masturbating with dildos.

"Did you like side ways?"

"You've asked me that before."

"Yes, but didn't you notice the difference?" Fuck, bastard could still read me. "Don't lie and don't play dumb, Anastasia."

I pursed my lips to stop myself from admitting it. He knew that he was slightly wider than before and he was totally taking advantage of my tightness. I hadn't been fucked side ways for so long, and the last time I felt so good in that position was ironically with him when we were in college after Spring Break.

"I'm thirsty, Christian."

He lifted a brow at me as if I was joking with him about my physical dehydrated status.

All of the water in my body leaked out from in between my thighs. I wasn't joking when I said I was literally drained from yesterday's activities and I could totally do with a day in bed.

"So, you're not going to answer me."

"You know the answer already."

"Humor me."

"No, you just want me to boost your ego."

"Possibly," he quipped shamelessly.

"I already did that."

"No, you didn't. You were simply placating me, or appeasing me, however you want to put it."

"I wasn't!" I protested.

His grin widened. Motherfucker.

"Get me something to drink. You didn't offer me any refreshments yesterday."

"I didn't? I thought you said you weren't thirsty."

I glared at him as he got out from under the cover and picked up the t-shirt he discarded so carelessly on the floor yesterday night, and pulled a pair of basketball shorts on.

I could see his boner from so far away.

"Don't get dressed," and with that, he disappeared.

I flipped on to my stomach and reached for my pants from the floor for my phone. I hope he didn't callously toss my phone somewhere, because he would definitely be paying for a new one if there was a single scratch on it.

"The fuck?" I muttered when my pockets were empty as I patted them down. I frowned when I heard my ringing tone from the nightstand.

"Morning," Kate chirped. The number one Christian supporter.

"Hey," I slumped back down in bed and snuggled with the soft duvet cover.

"Why are you still in bed?"

I took a deep cleansing breath to wake my brain up. It needed more oxygen and blood than my pussy right now, and for some reason my supplies just kept traveling south, leaving me deprived up here.

"You picked someone up?"

"I don't hook up with guys, Kate. You know that."

"Right," she hummed, ironically she was the one hooking up and picking up guys here and there in between boyfriends. "No one-night-stands. Who is he?"

"Christian."

"Who?"

I rolled my eyes, I knew she understood me perfectly fine and I wasn't going to repeat myself just to have her burst my eardrum with her screams and shrieks, because she had been rooting for Christian since I first told her about him. That surprisingly never changed over the decade, especially when he started to appear in public more and more, and Kate was always stocked with magazines.

"Ana Steele," she played the stern card but that wasn't going to work. "Are you at his place?"

"Yes. I'm currently in his bed trying to wake myself up."

"Oh you bitch, you now owe me so much."

"Right, not any time soon. I need to catch up on my sleep. Besides, it's a Tuesday morning, why aren't you working?"

"Check the time again."

I twisted my head and craned my neck, looking for a clock or something. He must've had an alarm clock somewhere, but dammit this guy didn't.

I pulled my phone away from my ear and checked the corner of the screen when it lit up.

"Shit…"

"Yeah, shit."

"It's fucking 11 already? So, why aren't you at work?"

"Lunch break, honey." I could hear her rolling her eyes at me.

"You don't have such thing as lunch breaks, girl. You don't even have work hours."

"Actually, I do. I've got a part time job."

"You're kidding. Where?"

"Nothing fancy, just discovered a small talent of mine and I'm going to use it to my advantage."

"What talent? You never told me you had any talents other than persuading guys to go home with you and do the walk of shame instead of you."

"Ouch, no. Nothing sexual. It's legit. The FBI recruited me as a freelance portrait painter."

"What do you mean?"

"It means," she drawled out and I knew she would tease me with it. "I need to draw a portrait of whoever was described to me from witnesses."

"Have you ever done that before?"

"Yes, once, and that was a fluke."

"So, you helped with the arrest of some robber?"

"Very funny, Steele, but no. Just a shoplifter."

"Damn woman," I whistled. I was going to give her a teaser of my night, or how my week was but a commotion had me on high alert.

It was then I realized that my water still hadn't arrived.

"Wait, Kate. I gotta go, I'll call you back."

"Deeds!"

"I promise," I vowed and hung up on her then went in search of my clothes.

I picked up the discarded camisole that belonged to me, I then remembered my comment about Kate's sex life, so I dropped it. I didn't want to do the walk of shame either, even though I agreed that this wasn't a one-time thing.

I stalked into his closet and picked out a plain white t-shirt that went all the way down that just covered my thigh. It wouldn't be enough; I couldn't even write it off as a fucking dress, so guess I also had to search for something to wear at the bottom.

I bunched up the loose hem and tied it into a knot so it would actually stop at my waist. I looked around the area. Other than my short denim jeans that I wore yesterday, I didn't know what else could be comfortable, cool for this weather, but also presentable.

I swear I heard other voices other than Christian's in the house.

"What're you looking for?"

I spun around in his walk-in closet, and his eyes landed on my bare below almost instantly.

"You're not going to wear any panties?" He stayed at the door, which was utterly unexpected, I thought with the primal look in his eyes, he'd be stalking at me like I was the prey he had been hunting till the early mornings.

"You kind of ripped it, and it was kind of wet, still…"

He smirked. Knew he'd be proud that he was the one who made me like this.

Could he be more of a red-blooded male?

"Wear one of mine," he walked over and pulled out a drawer that I now recognized as his underwear container.

"This is your shirt by the way," I went to pick out one that I thought would hide the fact that I was wearing a man's undergarment.

"Looks good on you," his eyes raked my upper body salaciously.

Fucking slut.

"I would've spanked you for not staying naked like I told you so, but since I want you to meet my family who barged in as my brother has a key, I'll let this one slide."

I bit my lip, this time out of nervousness. Not particularly because of meeting his family.

"I'm not a fan of role playing," I confessed, I didn't want a Dominant and I didn't want to be a submissive, I just wanted to play with everything at hand as we fuck.

"I know. We're just going to play for pleasure," he smiled.

So, he got the impression that I wasn't into full BDSM, especially not the power exchange part. I hope he didn't find me weird that I was only half a foot into the lifestyle.

"Do you like to be spanked?"

I shook my head slowly. "Not particularly," I admitted. "I don't mind being spanked during sex but not as a form of foreplay."

"Okay, so what is your fetish?"

That reminded me of something that I wanted to explore but never found the right person to do with. I never tried anal or breath play simply because I couldn't find anyone that I felt like I could fully trust.

But I thought Christian would be the perfect candidate for that.

"Nipple clamps, and some mild leather."

His smile widened. "We'll have a busy weekend."

I stared at him, cocking a brow in confusion.

"One night definitely won't suffice, Anastasia. It's already too bad that I had to go into the office this afternoon because I blew off this morning, but one night is just not enough time."

My mouth formed the shape of an O but no sound came out from my throat. My hand froze in the air with a pair of boxer briefs in my loose grasp.

"I'd like to try something with you," I blurted out since we were on this topic.

"What is it?"

"I want you to choke me next time you take me from behind," I told him because I wasn't a fan of anal at the moment so I wouldn't bring that up unless he broached the subject first.

"Breath play?" He raised an eyebrow at me, astonished.

I opened my mouth to speak again thinking that it would be a hard limit for him but he didn't let me.

"We will be talking a lot about everything before the weekend, Anastasia."

His eyes darkened and I knew this was a promise he was eager to keep.

"Oh, I cannot wait to play with you."

My nipples pebbled on their own and I couldn't even pretend like I wasn't just as eager and horny, like him.

"Put on a bra, Ana," he stared at my chest.

"Fuck," I cursed myself for being so careless.

"I'd prefer you without it if there're no guests in the house, but…"

"It's your family," I sighed ruefully, as if it just hit me that I was going to meet his immediate family officially for the first time since meeting this guy a decade ago.

I met his parents at his workplace yesterday morning but neither of them seemed to be in the mood to interrogate on my identity, or who I was to their son.

But I knew they were expecting an explanation this time around.

"Shit, I'm meeting your family," I hit my head against the delicately polished wooden board that was part of his huge designer closet.

"You'll be fine," he stepped closer to me and I was suddenly a bunch of nerves. "If it's any consolation to you, they already know about you."

I brought my head up and stared at him with utter helplessness, and shook my head slowly.

"It isn't."

He chuckled lightly. "Okay, but seriously, don't stress. My brother has been teasing me since that Spring Break, so it doesn't matter now."

"You were just horny."

"And missed you terribly."

"Missed the sex."

"No, more than that. I missed you in general."

I gawped at him, now wondering when did he catch a feeling for me because it certainly didn't register to me until long after we broke up, and I was probably somewhat dating other people.

"Come on, get dressed. I'll stall them to stop them from barging in here, which they usually would never, but since I told them you're here… well… just hurry up."

He stepped forward and pecked my lips chastely before retreating.

I numbly went to pick up my bra and slipped them on beneath the t-shirt, and suddenly thought that wearing this guy's underwear to meet his family wasn't at all appropriate.

I retied the knot at the hem of the long shirt and picked up my denim shorts. They were at least much more presentable like the boxer briefs that I had on earlier.

I walked into the bathroom, I needed to check my reflection, especially my bird nest hair.

It was an utter disaster, and I had half a mind to quickly wash it before meeting them. I didn't even have time to put on makeup, and it was then I noticed that I actually never removed them from last night.

God, what had I been doing?

I was a total fucking mess, right now!

There was no cosmetic around me, no perfume, nothing.

Nada.

Fuck…

It wasn't the first time to meet a boy's family for me, but it surely was the first time I met the parents of the one guy that I actually genuinely cared about more than I dared to admit.

I was always prepared when I met with the parents and the families, but this time, it was just sprang on me like a bucket of ice cold water.

"Fuck my life," I whispered to the ghost in the mirror that I could hardly recognize as myself.

I splashed some water on my face, and rubbed a little face wash over my face rapidly and roughly hoping it would remove the makeup since I didn't bring anything as I didn't exactly planning on staying the night.

Who was I kidding? I didn't even think twice about spending the night here, I was such a spontaneous bitch yesterday night; never once thought there'd be so many inconvenience with an impromptu sleepover.

Most of the makeup was gone, and at least my face looked clean. I dabbed the water droplets off and checked that I didn't leave any smudges on the tissue paper before throwing them away.

I had to triple check my reflection in the mirror to ensure that they wouldn't notice my freckles and my less than cleansed face, I hope no one noticed that I didn't remove my makeup properly.

God help me, let them be a family prone to hand-shaking and not a group of huggers.

Fingers crossed.

I quickly ran my hands through my fucked up hair, and instead of taming it, I only messed it up even worse.

"Fuck!" I growled at them and ended up just shoving them up in a bun, and then used some water to smooth over the top of my head.

The messy bun seemed to did the trick, and I hope it would last. I really needed a pen now, or a stick. Anything for me to stuff it in my hair so my bun wouldn't loosen up.

I knew I would be up for a treat when I finally let my hair down because of the way it was naturally curled and coarse, it could get tangled up so easily. One of the many reasons why I hated one-nighters.

I checked my phone and saw that I probably took just around five minutes, which I hope wasn't too long for them.

Then I left the room, and my heard pounded against my ribcage as the noise of my blood rushing to my head to save me from fainting due to a lack of oxygen deafened my hearings. I swore I was a thick skinned woman that rarely, or never, blushed let alone flush, but I felt like my entire body was turning crimson like a shrimp in boiling water.

Fuck, my blood was boiling me till I pass out because I was fully cooked.

"Ana," Christian stood up from the table and strode toward me in his big confident strides.

Why do I feel like this was me losing my virginity to this very same guy all over again? I was suddenly extremely self-conscious and hyperaware of everything around me, especially with how people were staring at me like a fish fresh out of water.

"Relax," he coaxed in my ear, but I could barely hear him.

Easy for him to fucking say. Wait till he met my dad, who would definitely not hold back on his vodka that night and probably cleaning his gun and cussing in every known Russian slangs when Christian was introduced as my boyfriend.

"Guys, my girlfriend, Anastasia Steele."

I shook hands with his parents again, offering them a polite smile. I hoped I nailed it and pulled out my big guns that I used when I was on set filming.

"Ana, my brother Elliot," he led me to a blond that I immediately knew would be Kate's type but I held back my tongue and settled for a simple hello.

"My sister, Mia."

"Omigod, omigod, she's your girlfriend?"

Mia bounded over me, her black locks bouncing on her shoulders. They looked rather unnatural to me since I had been dealing with my curls since I hit puberty. Although it got guys to turn their heads at me, it was a fucking a pain in the ass to maintain.

And, it wasn't helping that it was coarse, hence even harder to tame.

"Ahh! I've been dying to meet you," she squealed in my ear as she curled her arms behind my neck and threw herself on my. She could practically just jump and wrap her legs around me so she could clamber on me like I was some tree or her long lost lover.

Yup, she could definitely get along with Kate and her hyper friends in Paris.

"Mia, chill," Elliot laughed, half heartedly chastising their sister.

I glanced over at Christian, and damn him! The fucking bastard was laughing behind his fucking hand.

Ooh, I don't care how long we had been actually dating, that man would be in the doghouse for the foreseeable future.

"Ana, it's so nice to finally meet you in person," Elliot slid off his stool and rounded the table with his hand outstretched.

"I've heard a lot about you, too," I shook his hand and replied courteously. I needed to remain polite like I was with every stranger, so now wasn't the time to glare at my new boyfriend.

"Oh?" His eyes found Christian's, and I followed.

Christian shrugged, tucking his hands under opposite armpits and took a seat at one of the stools around the high-table that probably also served as a breakfast bar or something.

Tugging me over, I soon found myself in between his legs half perched on one of his thighs, and his chin resting atop my shoulder and his arms tightly locked around my hip.

"So, how did you two meet?" Grace, the mother asked, breaking the silence that I found awkward but apparently amusing to the siblings.

It was kind of reassuring and sweet that I was in his arms instead of seated somewhere in the crowd. I didn't know what to do if I was physically on my own among the group.

I was so out of my element.

I had never committed like this to anyone, and it was terrifying but I guess it was a step that I had to take sooner or later, so might as well just bite the bullet and do it now.

Get the horrible part over with before we could all skip off to get on with our own shit and hope that the next meeting would be more natural and smooth.

"Mom, she's the girl that Christian won't stop texting in Montreal." Elliot rolled his eyes and Mia did something along the line.

"You were texting a girl?" Mia mocked, doing a pretty accurate VoiceOver of the expression currently sported by their parents.

Christian chuckled, I guess they were also a tight-knitted family like mine. There could be perks but right now, I ain't seeing any.

"We met in the second semester of my sophomore year, she was a freshman."

"At his frat party," Elliot added.

"Were you part of a sorority?" Mia piped up, and her brothers shared a look over my shoulder.

"No," I shook my head I didn't know if I wanted to give them the impression that I partied a lot, and drink a hell lot more.

Mia pouted, but I didn't know why. I darted my eyes between the brothers seeking an explanation, and Christian spoke up.

"She was going to rush one but we didn't want her to."

"Why?" I blurted out but was shut up by his glare. "Oops," I whispered to myself, then glanced around the room, unsure if I had hit a sore spot.

"Because I was dating a frat boy," Mia rolled her eyes. "Both of them rushed some kind of frat and I'm not allowed to do the same?"

"Your boyfriend was shit," Christian argued.

"Christian," Grace admonished.

They weren't allowed to swear? Christian would probably love my family, because everyone cussed like a fucking sailor like true stereotypical Russians. We usually threw profanities around in Russian but that was mostly around my parents when my brother and I had to speak Russian.

Mia rolled her eyes again, but Elliot was nodding apparently in agreement with his brother.

"Ana's dating you, and you rushed the frat without telling mom and dad."

Oh, so this family wasn't so keen on Greek life?

Damn, my brother loved it and so did I, but I just wasn't into it enough to join one. I had other obligations.

"That's because Elliot ruined it for us. He just had to rush the one that hazed him."

I grinned at the banter and especially that last remark, but quickly hid it reminding myself that I was in the presence of their parents.

"Saw that," Christian teased, squeezing my midsection, making me giggle.

"You guys are so cute," Mia gushed.

"The pictures Christian showed us doesn't do you justice," Elliot added his two cents.

That guy stuck his nose everywhere. I wasn't surprised that Christian showed them pictures of me since he did stalk my Facebook after our first meeting.

"Ana, you have to follow me back on Ins," Mia patted my forearm rapidly, then reaching in her gigantic purse to fish out a phone.

I actually wanted to see what was in her purse because I could use some help with my physical appearance right now.

"Do you have a comb?" I blurted out but I knew I wasn't done meeting the parents yet because the siblings stole their thunder so they didn't get a single question in, other than how did I meet his son.

"Oh, yes, I do! I brought my makeup bag, do you want to go through it?"

I found myself nodding enthusiastically. I needed to refresh, badly.

No, desperately.

I looked like shit at the moment and I didn't know why hadn't anyone comment on it, maybe they were just being polite and discreet.

I damn near yelled thank god at Mia.

"I'm really sorry, this kind of caught me off guard and I wasn't prepared."

The parents waved me off but Christian wasn't a huge fan of letting me go.

"You look fine, Ana," he whined at me.

"Excuse me," I told the table and hopped off the table with Mia following behind me, leaving Christian pouting at me.

When I said this kind of caught me off guard, I meant this entire thing starting from seeing Christian in a sex club, then at his workplace, to meeting up for dinner then going back to his place for a fuckathon.

He probably still believed that we hadn't completely made up for the 10 years apart.

"I'm sorry, I literally just rolled out of bed," I apologized again, feeling self-conscious standing in front of the mirror with Mia looking like she just stepped off of a magazine shoot and me with a head of dishevelled hair.

"I bet my brother has been keeping you up late."

"He did," I didn't see the point of hiding it since his family appeared to be really close.

"I'll let you in on a secret," Mia whispered conspiratorially at me as if her brothers were eavesdropping nearby. I just humored her by leaning closer while picking out a tube of mascara and then some foundation.

We had vastly different tastes in our makeup color choices, so I could put on the basics. She told me to just rummage through since that was what she did anyway, and she never tidied them.

"He's been smitten with you since your first meeting."

"What makes you believe that?" I pulled out her foundation cream and tried a swatch on the back of my hand testing the color, and just with my luck, it wasn't the color that I was looking for.

Probably the complete opposite of the color scheme that I preferred.

She had paler skin than me; but then of course, I grew up in California.

I settled with only the mascara in the end. I couldn't believe I couldn't even choose something from her eyeliner collection. Her eyeshadow palette also didn't consist of any colors that I would normally use.

"He always has this stupid grin on his face when he checked his phone or when he was texting you."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Should I say something in response?

"But anyway, that's not the only reason I recognized you."

"No?" I pulled away from the mirror slightly. Dipping the mascara brush back into the tube for some more liquid ink, I stared at her.

"Shit, my brother wasn't joking," she gasped.

"What?" I returned to my task.

"He said you had the most beautiful, and the brightest pair of sapphire blue eyes."

I froze on my spot momentarily but resumed as if nothing happened.

"Your eyes do sparkle like he said. Oh, how I envy them," she said dreamily.

I risked a glance at her through the mirror.

"You need eyeshadow and a good eyeliner to bring your eyes out, and I can totally see that I unfortunately don't have the colors," she looked through her own bag with a defeated sigh.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your mascara though, it was better than nothing."

"Trust me, my brother wouldn't even notice if you weren't wearing makeup. I should've brought my makeup remover, too."

"Was it that obvious?" I blanched on the inside.

"No, not at all. I just assumed that you didn't have time to remove that given the way my brother also seems to have just gotten out of bed when we all barged in."

"Oh yeah, he was supposed to get me water."

Mia laughed, and I suppose they were laidback enough to tolerate my snarky remarks that were meant to be affectionate.

"We will get along splendidly," she skipped back to the living room clapping her hands and I trailed behind her, taking my time.

"Christian said you study in Paris," I began once I was nestled back in Christian's protective embrace, and his nose nuzzled deep in my hair.

I had let it down now that I got a chance to comb through it. I didn't think my hairline could sustain if I pulled my hair back into a bun or a pony tail one more time. I had been doing plenty of that on set for some stunt.

"Yes, and I forced him to learn French with me, he's a pro at flirting now."

"How successful were you?" I nudged him playfully knowing he was following our conversation as if he needed to spy on his sister so she wouldn't taint his image with me.

"I'll show you when I take you there."

I snickered at him. I wouldn't understand jack shit.

"Mia is a huge fan of your work apparently."

"Yes, do you know that she's a self-defense instructor?" Mia spewed out.

"No wonder you know to go for the thumb," Christian jested at me, recalling the time when we wrestled in bed with him trying to headlock me.

"Any smart cookie would think of it."

"I suspected that you probably did something similar when you keep pinning me down," he reminisced. "You told me you box."

"I do, that's my workout."

"Anyway," Mia drew the conversation back to her. "I've been on set before and saw you once."

Now it was my turn to be confused.

"I dated one of the co-stars once, so I visited him. He said you are probably the best stunt double he'd ever seen, but then again, you have the background."

"How long have you been into self-defense?" Christian asked in my ear.

"Too long ago. Since primary school, I think. Like, before first grade."

"Damn, now I'm worried."

I glanced at him but did nothing to assure him otherwise like he'd expected. I almost laughed at that joke turning real when sincere wariness flashed through his eyes. I just patted his cheek for a meaningless consolation that I'd bet he knew not to take to heart.

I didn't bother correcting Mia that I rarely take to Instagram or any social media platform now other than to promote a project or anything to do with publicity.

Under Kate, my brother, and Ethan's insistence one probably drunken night, I applied to get my social media accounts verified, so now I couldn't even bat off my followers even though my account was private.

"Elena has been asking about you, since you know, you were plastered all over the news recently.

"Mom," Christian groaned.

He told his siblings about what happened between him and the blonde that put him off of all blondes forever some time down the road one night when he was stressed out from work, and was hanging out with them.

"I mean, I get that she's kind of fake, and not so endearing but why are you three so opposed of her as a sheer acquaintance to the family. Not to mention she has some connections that might become useful to us one day."

"Mom, we won't be lacking connections. Look at your youngest son," Elliot quipped.

"Yeah, mom, Christian can do so much better than Elena. God knows how Elena gained her associates," Mia chirped.

All eyes turned in our direction, and I followed their gaze and landed on my boyfriend. Who didn't look at all comfortable in this situation.

I knew Elena in person, and she was the one with the audacity to insinuate that I would be a willing submissive for just about anyone who looked in my way in the sex club.

"Mom, she manages a sex club, what do you think? This is not us disrespecting her because quite frankly, she just never earned our respect."

Carrick frowned and I could tell that he had caught on something.

"She's in Seattle now, right? I mean, she kind of resides there," I said in an attempt to divert the attention from the pitiful blonde.

"I don't know actually. I'm not too interested in what she's up to but you know I do respond when she asks."

"So," Christian looked at his mother. "You told her about Ana?"

"Given that this is also my first time meeting your girlfriend, son, I'd say there really is nothing I can disclose to that woman. With that said, however," Grace seemed to have finally caught on the unanimous dislike toward the woman in question. "Since you all disapprove of any kind of friendship with Elena, I won't talk to her anymore. It's not like we mix in the same circle. She's just sometimes useful to have around."

Carrick nodded as if he was deep in thought, oblivious that his movements had somewhat caught the attention of the entire table.

"So, what do you say we get to know Ana better over a casual lunch?" Carrick spoke up for the first time, sensing the attention shifting on him.

I tensed up, this was happening too fast. Way too fast. Christian must've sensed it because he tightened his grasp around me and declined his parents offer.

"I would've taken you all out but I have to go to work, so maybe next week?"

I didn't like the idea of a raincheck. I didn't want to postpone it because it meant that it was still happening. I suddenly wasn't sure if I liked to get to know them better.

"Okay," Carrick conceded. I hope he didn't sense my discomfort from all the way over diagonally but I did sag in relief that it wasn't happening so soon. "Will you be joining us for dinner on Friday night?"

"Bring Ana, too," Grace chirped, beaming like a sunflower. They were apparently going to be staying down here for a few days longer and then fly back up. I hope that I would be prepared for Friday, and it was Tuesday already. Not too much time on my part.

"We'll see," Christian nodded at his parents. He was batting off attention for me, and I was grateful for it. He was still the sweet man that I remembered.

Guess he redeemed himself. No doghouse for him.

We finally bid farewell with the folks, and I wanted to just threw myself over the couch and just lay there like a pile of boneless flesh.

"What's your plan for work now?" He turned around and walked back to me, bringing me a glass of water. The long overdue drink.

"I'm still waiting for the decisions," I took a sip of the cold fluid, suddenly not craving for the tasteless liquid anymore. I thanked him and downed the glass, I still needed to rehydrate even if I didn't feel like drinking something so bland and dull.

"You can still accept the offer from Ros," he quipped nonchalantly but I knew he was trying to get me to work with him so he could just travel a few floors down to invade my privacy, and put on a show for the rest of his employees.

"I'll keep that as my last resort," I snorted. I would never allow myself to be forced into a corner and actually use my boyfriend to get a job.

"Where did you apply? Maybe my dad can help?"

"He's a lawyer, right…" I recalled our conversation that happened some time in between our fucking in college. "And, your mother's a doctor. What does your brother do again?"

"Architecture. Mia wants to go into fashion but she studied makeup."

"She will get along with my best friend so well," I blew out a breath. Kate was infamous for her makeup creations and imitations around the fashion circle in Paris, it was also her part time job when she studied.

That girl was truly talented.

"Aren't you good at makeup, too?"

"I'm more into drawing on myself than on other people, but I'm better at scary ones for Halloween. I took a makeup class in my second semester of my freshman year."

"You did?"

"Don't act like you actually know what I was studying back then."

"You never told me."

"You never asked."

"Fair enough. Still, we're getting off topic."

I laughed, that part was very true. I recalled with great difficulty what we were talking about before we were led into disarray.

"Thank you for your offer, for saying that your dad can help. I'll keep that in mind, but I think I'll find a job on my own."

"I'm sure you can, I just want you to keep in mind that I can help."

"I know," and I truly appreciated it.

"Okay, I'm here for you."

I smiled at him. He was still so damn kind and warm hearted, and adorably sweet. I ushered him to sit down next to me on the couch so I could curl up at his side.

"When do you have to go in?"

"After lunch, whenever. Just have to be on time for the meeting at 2."

I grinned wickedly at him, and of course he caught on. He'd never miss it when it was about sex.

"As tempted as I am to take you back to bed, we need to talk. To seriously catch up."

"I don't mind not being in bed," I batted my eyelashes at him seductively. I knew I was acting very much like a hustler that was just always horny, and I probably wasn't far from being called promiscuous.

But, who cares, we were in private.

He groaned at my suggestion. I got him there, I knew it.

"I told you you'd be a great actress," he said out of the blue.

"I remember you asking for a private show."

"Yes, and that request still stands."

"Well, my answer is still a no."

He pouted. "Fine, but we need to talk about the more pressing issues."

"Like?"

"Where are you currently staying?"

"I just bought a condo, well more like a small apartment compared to the league that yours is in," I waved my hand around his expensive but very fitting and personal bachelor pad.

"Have you moved in yet?"

"Somewhat, yes. Not fully."

"Is it too soon to ask you to move here instead?"

"With you?" I frowned, confused.

Perhaps I was mistaken with the depth of what this guy was feeling for me, but I didn't dare assume.

"Yes, with me. I've been waiting for you," he lowered his lips to mine.

"You can't sweet talk me into making a decision like that, Christian."

"I'm not," he protested, defending himself.

I didn't believe him.

"When does your current lease end?"

"Next month."

"That gives me a month to persuade you."

I sat up, pulling my legs away from under his hands. He was just trying to get under my skin, and damn if his cockiness wasn't working.

He just grinned at me arrogantly like he knew he would succeed.

Now this was an improvement from him. He oozed confidence and sexiness, rather than just a hidden egoistic male in college that was just cute on the face and sweet as a person.

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