Chapter 11:Christian's POV
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
"What do you have for me, Welch?" I asked as soon as he picked up. Never mind that it was 6 a.m. and Ana was still asleep in the bedroom of our hotel suite. I had been up for an hour now, had exercised in the hotel fitness center, and was ready for a security update.
Welch answered as if he had been up even longer than I had. In fact, I doubted he'd slept at all last night. "Confirmed ID on the 2013 black Mercedes E-350 sedan registered to Elena Lincoln. Once we were able to see her plates, we didn't even have to look it up, but we did anyway. With the vanity plates 'Esclava-9,' who else would it be? It was definitely Elena Lincoln that picked up Leila Williams when she left the hospital yesterday."
"So, did you find out where she took her?" I asked impatiently.
"Negative. We've narrowed it down to a 10-block radius. One traffic cam shows a passenger clearly, one that fits Ms. Williams' profile. The next two aren't clear shots. Can't say for sure if she's in there or not. Then, in the next one, it's clear the passenger seat is empty. She let her out somewhere in downtown Seattle. Pretty fucking close to both GEH and Escala, but the area is so densely populated, there could have been plenty of other targets. We've heightened security at both GEH and Escala, but I doubt she'll go to either place. She may have even taken a taxi or bus somewhere from wherever Lincoln let her out. It's impossible to say. We're still working on finding her."
"Shit!" I exclaimed angrily. "How the hell did she get into my penthouse? Did you figure that out?" I asked.
"Yes, sir," Welch answered in his usual calm demeanor, not paying any attention to my angry outburst. "A woman matching Elena Lincoln's description bribed a new security officer at Escala. Needless to say, he's no longer employed. Anyway, she convinced him she's your friend, showed him enough evidence to convince him that she had clearance to your penthouse, which she did up to just a few months ago, and slipped him a couple of Ben Franklins."
"Is that all?" I asked, disgusted that she could bribe a security officer at what was supposed to be the most secure residence in Seattle for a mere $200.
"It's all he admitted to," Welch answered. "No doubt there was more that he didn't admit. Anyway, there's no question that Lincoln got Williams into your home... And there's more. Sullivan's got her emails."
"Which one? Elena or Leila?" I clarified.
"Well, both," he answered. "More importantly, their correspondence with each other. It's confirmed that Lincoln put Williams up to this shit. She may as well have put out a hit on your girl. Her exact words to Williams were 'Mr. Grey will be all yours. All you have to do is get rid of that girl, and he will be all yours.'" Welch mimicked Elena's voice in a way that would have been humorous if this entire situation weren't so fucking insane.
"She preyed on her mental instability," I realized aloud.
"Clearly," Welch agreed. "That particular email was on Sunday. Ms. Williams was already in Seattle at that point. But their correspondence dates back for several months, when Williams was still up north in Everett. That's where she's lived for the past year or so, since she got married. Lincoln started emailing her soon after her husband was killed in a car accident. At first, it was condolences and that kind of shit, but then it became more focused on you. Reminding her about shit that probably never even happened, and building something up in her mind that will sound fucking crazy to you when you read it. The girl was convinced that you would want her again because of the lies she's been fed over the past several months. Lincoln's been setting this shit up for some time. Your media attention this weekend just gave her the opportunity to put it into motion."
"Shit!" I exclaimed again.
"We have a plan to bug Lincoln's phone today," Welch informed me. "Got a couple of really fucking good undercover agents. Ex-FBI chicks. Going in to get their faces peeled or some shit at Esclava Salon while Lincoln is at work. All either one of them needs is a couple of minutes alone with the bitch's phone, and it will be done."
I had to hand it to Welch, he was good, and he knew it. If any other employee spoke to me with the informality that he did, they'd be history. At least he remembered to address me properly, and he never seemed to give a shit when I lost my temper. More importantly, he was fucking good at his job, and hadn't blinked an eye when I'd asked him recently to conduct activity that was very obviously illegal, and he was extremely discreet, which was essential. He assured me that it would never be traced back to me, and he was one of very few people whom I trusted, so I believed him. I knew my surveillance of Elena Lincoln was dangerous territory for a man in my position, but it was the lesser of two evils. I needed to know what she was up to, because she was even more dangerous, and I couldn't risk any more surprises from her.
"Good. Keep me posted," I ordered Welch.
"Yes, sir. And Escala's all clear. It's a fortress with the heightened security we've added. Nobody's getting in or out without us knowing it. You can go home, sir."
"Great," I responded without feeling. I kind of liked it here at the Fairmont Olympic. I was in no rush to get back home. As long as Ana was with me, I didn't care where we were.
After I ended the call, I went back into the bedroom, where Ana was just rousing. "Christian?" she called out, once she realized I wasn't in bed with her.
"I'm here. Good morning, beautiful." I think I must have floated over to the bed because I don't remember walking there, but she was in my arms in the next moment. She turned her head just as I started to kiss her, so I ended up kissing her cheek instead of her lips.
"No, not yet. I have morning breath," she mumbled, not quite awake yet.
"So what? I'm still sweaty from the gym," I informed her. "That's not going to stop me from holding you."
"What? You worked out already? How long have you been awake? It's still early."
"Not long," I answered. "Just long enough to work out. Jason and I ran on the treadmills for about 45 minutes. I couldn't stay away from you longer than that."
She smiled her beautiful shy smile. "I like waking up with you," she said.
"I love waking up with you," I agreed. I hoped to wake up with her every morning for the rest of our lives. Would she agree to move in with me? Yes, it was early in our new relationship, but we knew each other so well already. And her old apartment wouldn't be safe for her anymore. I started formulating a plan in my mind for how to convince her to move in with me, but I knew better than to bring it up yet.
"So, how are you feeling?" I asked her.
She stretched like a cat before she answered me. "A little sore, but well rested. This bed is really comfortable."
Did I dare ask her? Yes, I did, but I couldn't help my silly smirk even though I tried to sound serious. "So… how's Matilda this morning?"
She snort giggled, which was a sound only Ana could make sexy, but coming from her it was so fucking sexy. "She's sore, too," Ana answered. "But needy," she added as she looked lustfully into my eyes. "So fucking needy."
"Is that right?" I asked her, and I could hear the lust in my own voice.
"Mmm hmm," she answered as she got out of bed and moved away from me. Wait, what? "And she wants some more quality time with Little Grey. Just as soon as I… umm… make sure she's… umm… ready."
Oh, I get it. That was Ana's way of saying she needed to pee. She was embarrassed about needing to pee? Why? I watched her perfect ass as she sashayed into the bathroom, as naked as the day she was born. As I'd known from the moment I first laid eyes on her in my office that day, she had the most perfect heart-shaped ass that I'd ever seen. What I hadn't known until now was that she had the cutest little birthmark on her right ass cheek. It was a reddish color and looked kind of like a strawberry. So fucking beautiful.
I gave her what felt like more than ample time to take a piss, and then I knocked lightly on the bathroom door and didn't wait for her to respond before I entered.
"I'm not done yet," she said with her mouth full of her toothbrush.
"I was thinking…" I paused briefly, ignoring her indignant comment for the moment, "How would you like to take a shower with me?"
She spit and rinsed her mouth before she looked up at me with an excited but nervous look. "Shower sex?"
I nodded as I stalked towards her, never breaking eye contact. "The way I see it…" I stopped to kiss her, while I lifted her and sat her on the vanity. She tasted like toothpaste and Ana, an addictive mix. "...I need to shower anyway. And you're already naked." Kiss. "And, as you've already made me aware…" Kiss. "…Matilda is ready." I kissed her again as I pushed my rock hard erection towards her, so that I was nudging her entrance through the thin fabric of my running shorts. "And as you can feel…" Kiss. "…Little Grey is ready." Long kiss.
As she recovered from our searing kisses, she panted, "The way I see it…" She kissed me again, as she tugged my sweaty t-shirt up. "You're wearing too many clothes, Mr. Grey."
She pulled my shirt over my head and threw it on the floor before she pulled me towards her and kissed me again as she pushed my running shorts down. I kicked them off without breaking our kiss. "And I'm not sure I can wait for the shower," she added.
Before the words were out of her mouth, she squeezed my ass with one hand while she used her other hand to grab my cock and line it up at her entrance. As I sheathed myself in her, she wrapped her legs around me and pulled me closer, deeper.
This was the first time that we made love that I wasn't looking in her beautiful eyes as she came. Instead, I had my head buried in her neck, kissing her there the way I knew by now drove her wild. All three times we'd made love in the bed the night before, we'd been unhurried. I'd tried to make it last before we reached our orgasms. But this time, we were both more frenzied than before. I knew that at this angle, I was hitting her g-spot from the get-go, and she was loving it. I felt her fingernails scratching my back and marveled again at how she could touch me where nobody ever had before. As her actions turned me on more than ever, I gave her a pounding like I'd been afraid to do before. For a moment, I was afraid I was hurting her.
"Harder, Christian. Harder!" She cried out, answering my unspoken question. Yes, she was loving this just as much as I was. I responded to her pleas by quickening my pace and reaching between her legs to rub her clit.
Just as she was reaching her climax, I sucked her earlobe into my mouth and gave it a nip with my teeth. At the same time, she squeezed her arms and legs around me as her walls tightened around me, and she shuddered as she screamed out my name.
I continued to hold her there as she recovered from her earth-shattering orgasm. She was panting like she'd just finished running a marathon, and I caressed the silky-smooth skin on her back as she came back down to earth.
When she was able to speak again, she leaned back, looked in my eyes, and said, "I love you, Christian Grey."
Only two months earlier, I'd doubted I even had a heart. Now, there was no doubt in my mind. That thing in my chest that was so clearly beating for her and her alone? It was about to explode. I would never tire of hearing those words spoken from her perfect lips.
"Not as much as I love you, Anastasia Steele," I responded, when I was able to find my own voice. I knew there were tears in my eyes, but I didn't give a fuck. "You are everything to me."
She smiled lovingly before she kissed me again. Then she leaned back again and said teasingly, "I thought you said we were going to have shower sex."
I caressed her folds as I asked, "You sure you're ready to go again so soon, baby? I know you've got to be sore."
"No, that feels good," she replied as she leaned into me. "It's sore, but not unbearable. And Little Grey is still hard." She wrapped her hand around my dick and started jerking him off. "Have I told you how much I love your dick? It's so… huge. Like, ginormous. I mean, even with my lack of experience, I know… this…" She gave my cock a harder tug. "This is not normal. You're a big boy, Mr. Grey."
I picked her up and carried her into the shower, only setting her on her feet so I could turn on the tap. And then, as we stood under the hot spray from the rain-shower over our heads, my lips were on hers again.
Between kisses and pants, Ana managed to tell me, "I wanted so much to have shower sex the last time we showered together. I was just… anyway, I'm glad we've done it. I love this."
"Want to try a new position?" I suggested.
"Of course," she replied eagerly. "I want to try it all. Tell me what to do."
Oh, baby. I loved nothing more than telling her what to do at a time like this. No, I wasn't a sexual Dominant, and I had been completely honest with her when I told her I didn't want any part of BDSM anymore. But I was still a controlling bastard, especially when it came to giving her pleasure. I relished having control, if she was willing to give it to me.
"Turn around and put your hands on the wall," I directed her. As she complied, I kissed her neck and kneaded her breasts. She responded by pushing her hips back and wiggling her ass, so that my dick was nestled in the crack of her ass. I wondered for a moment how she'd feel about me fucking her ass. Would that be something she'd consider at some point in the future? I knew it was too soon to broach the topic just yet. This was only the first time I was fucking her from behind, and we'd only even made love a handful of times so far.
Instead, I adjusted her hips towards me more so that she was leaning into the wall. I held her hips as my rock-hard erection found its home in her tight channel. I stilled and relished the feel of her perfect pussy as I asked her softly, "You like it hard, baby?"
She grunted out an affirmative reply. "Mmm… so much!"
"This is going to be harder than before. Think you can handle it?" I warned her. I was still worried I was pushing her too far too fast.
"Yes! Give me all you've got!" My girl was so fucking eager.
"OK, hold on tight, baby. Don't let go of the wall," I instructed. No, I wasn't going to give her all I had yet. I was still too worried about hurting her. But I did give it to her harder and faster than ever as I began to pound into her.
"Harder! Oh, God, Christian!" she cried out.
I quickened my pace, but I wasn't going to last much longer. Just as I was about to lose my load, Ana cried out, "I'm coming! Holy shit! I'm coming again! Oh, God! Christian!"
I stilled myself as my semen filled her at the same moment that her cries signaled her own climax. We'd done it again! We'd managed to come together. Holy shit! Was that fucking angels breaking through the clouds singing the Hallelujah Chorus?
Before she'd had time to catch her breath fully, I'd spun Ana around and pressed her against the shower wall, kissing her lips with all the passion I felt bursting from my heart. I wasn't even aware that I'd ended the kiss until I heard my own voice crying out, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!"
"Christian," she whispered. Between pants, she continued to cry, "Oh my God! I love you, too. Holy shit!"
I'm not sure how much time passed as we stood there, holding one another, panting words of love. This experience, making love with my precious Ana, was other-worldly. Nothing I'd ever experienced in my life even came close to comparison. And I knew from her whispered sentiments that she felt exactly the same way.
Eventually, our hands found their way to the body wash and shampoo, and we lovingly lathered one another's bodies and washed each other's hair. By this point, we were both too spent to go another round, but we took our time caressing one another. Then, as we finally stepped out of the shower, we toweled one another dry. No words were spoken. None were needed. Our eyes said it all. We were both in a state of bliss, and neither of us wanted to leave our bubble.
Finally, Ana spoke first. "Do we really have to go to work today? Can't we stay here for the rest of the day?"
"I'd love nothing better," I agreed.
"Well, you ARE the boss," she reminded me playfully. I knew that she knew plain well that I would not be able to take today off, even if I did have the authority to do so. There was just too much shit that had to be done at GEH. I was doing two second interviews for potential CFOs today, and it couldn't wait. The interviewees were flying in just for this, and besides, we needed to replace Hyde as soon as humanly possible. The other two interviews were scheduled for tomorrow, so I hoped by the end of the week that Ros and I would have made a decision.
I started to reply as I looked at her beautiful face, but then I noticed… Oh shit! Shit, shit, shit! She was going to kill me.
"Christian, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing the pained expression on my face.
"Umm… Please don't be angry," I said hurriedly. "I… umm… I marked you, Ana."
"What?" She looked confused. "What do you mean?" She turned to look in the mirror, but it was covered in steam, so she couldn't see anything.
As she turned back towards me, still with that adorable confused look, with that cute little crease between her eyebrows, I pulled her towards me and kissed that spot between her eyes before I traced her love bites with my fingers. "I marked you," I repeated ashamedly. "I left hickeys all over your neck. I'm so sorry, Angel."
She did her snort giggle thing again. "Oh, is that all?" she asked, but she walked back into the bedroom so she could look in the mirror there. "Wow, you did, didn't you," she commented as she got her first look at her neck, which was covered in red welts.
"I'm so sorry, Ana. I wasn't even thinking…" I apologized again.
She smiled at me lovingly. "Christian, I LOVE it when you kiss my neck like that. It drives me wild. Or haven't you noticed?"
"Umm… I might have… noticed," I admitted. She wasn't mad at me? Really?
She continued to study her reflection in the mirror. "Damn, look at us. Standing here naked together after… Wow! Did you ever see this day coming?"
"I've hoped for it every day since the day I met you," I told her honestly.
She turned towards me and embraced me, laying her head on my chest and sighing contentedly. "I love you, Christian. And I'm really glad it's late November. It's perfect scarf weather. All I need is… well, a scarf."
"Consider it done," I responded without hesitation. Was it really that simple?
Apparently yes, it was really that simple. Less than an hour later, we sat in the hotel restaurant eating gourmet French toast and fresh fruit. Gail had come through for me yet again, getting Ana the scarf she needed, which somehow managed to perfectly coordinate with the business attire that she'd already planned to wear to work today. She looked radiant, sitting there in her slate gray pantsuit with the lavender and gray scarf that completed her outfit, sipping her English breakfast tea.
"I've been wondering about something," Ana told me shyly. Why was she sometimes so shy, even now, after we'd shared so much together?
"What is it, Angel?" I asked her, giving her my full attention. The emails I'd been responding to on my phone earlier were completely forgotten.
"I was just wondering why you haven't responded to all the media attention. I figured you would have released some kind of statement about us by now."
"Is that what you want?" I asked her.
She shrugged. "I don't really care one way or another," she answered. "Whatever your publicity team thinks is best. I'm just surprised because you're usually on top of these things, and you haven't even mentioned it yet. It doesn't seem to bother you as much as I thought it would."
I answered earnestly, "Ana, nothing would make me happier than to proclaim to the world that you are mine. I just wanted to make sure you were OK with it before I made any kind of announcement, and we were so busy in the office yesterday I didn't really think about it. I have emails from my publicity team that I haven't responded to yet because it hasn't been a priority. Not that it's not important, but there were other things that came first. Besides, I've enjoyed our bubble. Plus, I know once the news is out there… well, even more than it already is… you're going to be an even bigger target for assholes who want to hurt me. That's why I've heightened your security already."
She shrugged her shoulders again and said, "Oh, OK. That makes sense."
But I wasn't convinced by the way she sipped her tea that she was really brushing it off that easily. I recalled what she'd told me about her own "mommy issues." She'd been concerned that I would lose interest after I had my way with her. Surely by now, she knew that would never happen, but I knew how insecure she was when it came to our relationship. Now that she'd given her innocence to me, I needed to make damn sure that she knew that my heart belonged entirely to her. Not just my heart. All of me was completely hers. And what better way could there be of assuring her of that than by announcing it to the world? The security threats were going to be there either way, and she now had two full-time bodyguards. It was worth the risk to make sure she knew that she owned me.
"Hey, I have an idea," I told her. "You know there will be pictures of us having breakfast here, leaving the hotel together. We can both guess the speculation that the vultures are going to print because we've seen it all before. Why don't we give them a little more this morning? Answer a couple of questions or some shit? Not too much, just enough to make it clear that we aren't hiding our relationship."
Ana looked at me like I'd grown a third head. "You're… serious. Really? When have you EVER talked to reporters?"
I took a moment to consider her question seriously, even though she probably meant it rhetorically. I sure as hell didn't want to bring up Katherine Kavanagh at the moment. But real reporters… not crazy bitches disguised as student reporters that I agreed to let interview me just to appease their daddies? Well, there was the Forbes article, when I'd been on the cover, but my publicity team had handled most of it, and it was completely focused on business. Nothing personal. My personal life was none of their fucking business. I had never talked to the paps at all. Not about anything. But this wasn't about them. It was about Ana.
"Umm… never. But hell, there's a first time for everything." I leaned towards her and added, under my breath and as seductively as I could, "As we've both learned… repeatedly… in the past few hours."
Ana blushed, just as I'd expected her to. But then she smiled at me, adorably. "This is probably a very bad idea," she told me. "But if you want to do it… I'm actually very interested in seeing you pull it off. Christian Grey talking to the paparazzi. You're going to shock the shit out of them."
She was right, I did shock the shit out of them, not just because I talked to them, but because of what I revealed to them.
They were yelling their annoying questions as soon as we stepped out the door. Nothing new there. What was new, however, was that I stopped right there, with my arm around Ana, and posed for a picture. I even smiled at her and leaned in for a kiss. Some moron was going to make a lot of money with these photos of us. You're welcome, assholes.
"Mr. Grey, are you and Ms. Steele in a relationship?" Seriously? Like I said, morons. How about asking a fucking question that wasn't already so fucking obvious?
"Yes," I answered before I kissed the top of Ana's head.
There was a collective gasp from the crowd of morons, but one spoke up shortly after that. "Did you spend the night together at the Fairmont Olympic last night?"
Seriously? Again, was this shit not obvious? I really wanted to give them an idiotic answer to match their idiotic question, but I restrained myself.
"Yes," I answered again. This time, I just smiled adoringly at Ana. She smiled back at me humorously. I was entertaining her. Good.
"Why did you spend the night at the Fairmont Olympic instead of your home?" one of them asked. OK, that was a slightly better question. Now I actually had to say more than one word.
"Some minor repairs at my penthouse," I explained in as few words as possible. Of course, I wasn't going to give them any real information, but they didn't know that. "We're going back home today." OK, I just gave them real information. Reel it in, Grey.
"Do you live together now?" one of them asked. OK, that was a somewhat intelligent question given what I'd just told them, but none of their fucking business.
"No," Ana quickly answered. She was blushing. I smiled at her, hopefully setting her at ease. I wanted to add, "Not yet," but I'd just reminded myself to reel it in, so I held back.
"How long have you been in a relationship?" one of them asked, and I thought that one deserved a gold star. Good fucking job, moron.
"Anastasia Steele has officially been my girlfriend for two days. She's been my best friend for… a few months now. And I haven't been able to live without her since the day I met her, the day I hired her… what's it been, eight or nine months now?" I glanced at Ana for an answer, even though I knew she wasn't going to reply. She smiled at me, but I knew I'd just shocked the hell out of her. Hopefully in a good way.
That drove the crowd to a frenzy, and we got a lot more questions thrown at us all at once.
"Ms. Steele, are you after him for his money?"
Of course, they had to go there. We'd been expecting that one. Fucking moronic vultures.
"So, Seattle's most eligible bachelor is officially off the market?"
I threw up a little in my mouth. Not only was it offensive to refer to me like that, but I had already answered the fucking question. Not that I'd ever been "on the market." Assholes.
"Are you engaged?"
What part of dating for two days did they not understand? Although, if I thought she'd say yes, I'd ask her now.
"Christian, do you make a habit of dating your assistants?"
None of your fucking business, shithead. And who gave you permission to address me by my first name? Mother-fucking asswipe.
"Ms. Steele, are you pregnant?"
Great, now she was going to think she looked fat. Hopefully, she knew they were just trying to get a rise from her. Nope, she was blushing again, and she looked a little shell-shocked. I needed to get her the fuck out of here.
"Why did you really fire Jack Hyde?"
Wait, what? I mentally kicked myself for not seeing that one coming. Of course, they'd go there. The general public knew that Hyde had been fired from GEH due to insubordination and mismanagement of funds. It pissed me off that this bastard was implying that there was more to it, even though there was.
"Is Ms. Steele really your first girlfriend?" OK, glad to have the attention focused back on Ana. I was not ready to make any kind of public statement about Hyde yet. The investigation was still ongoing, and probably would be for some time.
"Yes, the first and only, ever," I proclaimed just before Jason dragged us the rest of the way to the waiting SUV, which Sawyer was driving.
"A bit of warning would have been nice," Jason muttered at me as we got in the car. He was pissed off, and I couldn't say that I blamed him. I had never spoken to the media, in all the years he'd been my CPO. And I hadn't thought to give him a heads-up beforehand.
"Wow, you really did that," Ana commented as we drove away. She still looked a bit shell shocked.
"I did," I responded. "Surprised?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I didn't expect more than one word answers. You just told them…. Your 'first and only, ever'? Holy shit, Christian!"
"Was it too much?" I asked her. I thought my public proclamation would make her happy, but now I was doubting myself.
"No, no, I'm just surprised, that's all," she replied as she put her hand in mine and squeezed it reassuringly. "We only just… you know. It's a lot in a short time, that's all. So much for taking things slowly. They already have us engaged. And shit! Pregnant! Do I look pregnant?"
I couldn't stop myself from chuckling. "Ana, baby… No, you don't look pregnant, as you are well aware." I leaned over and spoke in her ear, so our security in the front seat couldn't hear us. "Remember, oh, about an hour ago? When you were looking at my love bites on your neck in the hotel mirror? And we were both standing there, naked? Did your perfect body look pregnant to you then? I don't think so. Don't let those assholes get to you, Angel. They just wanted to provoke us. That's what they do."
My words had their intended effect on her, as did the kiss that followed them. In fact, we kissed the rest of the way to Grey House. Thankfully, my SUV's tinted windows kept any of the vultures who might have been following us from getting any more candid shots of us.
Ana and I hadn't been in my office for five minutes, prepping for our first meeting, before Ros stormed through the door without even knocking. "You talked to the media?" She looked more amused than anything else, but I'm sure I'd shocked the hell out of her, too.
I gave her my best poker face. "Do you need something?" I asked.
She smirked at me. "Yeah, I've already heard from both Rita Hellin and Grant Lau in publicity. Apparently, you're not supposed to talk to the media without consulting your publicity team first. Rita threatened to quit, and Grant… well, he was more tactful as usual, but they aren't happy."
"You can remind them that they work for me, not vice versa. If Ms. Hellin wants to quit, she's free to go. There are a dozen other people waiting to fill her position. And as for Mr. Lau…" I considered my words for a moment, but decided it was the best course of action. "Tell Mr. Lau to email the press release that I'm sure he already has drafted… to Ms. Steele."
"Me?" Ana asked. I'd surprised her yet again.
I smiled at her reassuringly. "Who better to approve what's printed about us than you?" I asked her.
That settled, we focused our attention on work. The first meeting of the morning was with Ana's new CPO, Belinda Prescott. It was short, but then I dismissed Ana to spend a little more time getting to know Prescott while I sorted through emails and responded to the ones that couldn't wait.
Most of the day was going to be filled with interviews of potential CFOs. In fact, the same was true tomorrow. I was hoping that by Thanksgiving Day, Ros and I would have settled on one of these four people as our new CFO, who would be able to help us clean up all the shit Jack Hyde had left of our financial records.
That would truly give me something to be thankful for. Besides of course, the love of my life who had just given herself to me the night before, and proclaimed her own love for me. Yes, new CFO or not, I already had so much to be thankful for. Despite the nerves I felt about talking to my parents about Elena Lincoln and my mental health issues, I was looking forward to spending this Thanksgiving with my family, including, of course, my lovely Ana.