Chapter 19:Ana's POV
Friday, November 25, 2016
"So, what exactly is a 'First Dance Auction'? I mean, how does it work?" I asked Mia as soon as we'd ordered the appetizer that we were going to share while we waited for Christian to join us at the Mile High Club for a late lunch.
I wasn't sure why they'd chosen this particular restaurant, since Christian and I had certainly already seen our fair share of it this week with two business lunches here. The food was OK, but nothing to write home about. The view was spectacular, but that was the only thing about the place that impressed me, and I didn't consider myself difficult to impress, at least not when it came to restaurants. Even the name was tacky. But I'd never shared my views with Christian, and he obviously liked the place enough to have purchased it a few months ago. In fact, I'd just started working for him, temporarily filling in for Andrea during her maternity leave, when he'd decided to buy this place. I kept my opinion to myself back then, but now that Christian and I were together, if he kept bringing us here several times a week, I was going to need to say something.
Maybe my attitude towards the restaurant today was due to my feeling tired. It was only a little past 2:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, and I was already feeling more fatigued than I had all week, in spite of all that had happened. Or maybe it was all finally catching up with me. I was emotionally exhausted, which made me also feel physically exhausted.
Earlier this morning, Christian and I had had our joint session with Flynn, and he'd gotten us to open up about our deepest fears. Christian had given me the option of going first, but I wasn't ready to open up yet about something like that. So Christian went first, mainly focusing on all the awful things that had happened to us in the past few days. He shared how he'd felt when he found out that I'd gone into my apartment knowing that his mentally-unstable former submissive was there, probably wanting to hurt me. But that was nothing compared to how he felt when those shots rang out, and he saw me fall. Everything happened so fast, I don't even remember falling or seeing Christian fall. I'm sure we both fell, but I only remember seeing him lying there. Christian described the terror he felt, knowing how close he'd come to losing me. He didn't seem to realize how close he'd come to losing his own life. He said that if he lost me, his own life may as well be over. That scared me.
It was at that point that I began to open up about my own fear concerning Christian's dependency on me, and his own mental stability regarding my safety. Flynn revealed that it was a common topic of discussion during their therapy sessions, but that didn't ease my mind any. What if something did happen to me? If I were no longer in his life, would Christian try to kill himself again? Would he succeed next time? Even if I were no longer around to see it, I didn't want to think that such a thing were possible, but I was afraid that Christian would no longer have a reason to live without me. Christian assured me, he promised me, that he would never for any reason attempt to take his own life again. I had no doubt that he meant it... now. But what would the future hold? What if something, like losing me, pushed him over the edge again?
In addition to this fear of Christian being too dependent on me for his own purpose in life, I had to admit my other fear, that I was going to fall down off the pedestal that Christian was constantly putting me up on, and that he would at some point in our future just grow tired of me. How could I hold on to someone like him? This was a fear that I'd already been working through in my own therapy sessions in Europe, and I knew that my history of growing up with my mom moving from man to man had impacted me deeply. I didn't admit this to Christian or Flynn in this session, but this fear was the main reason that I was not sure about moving in with Christian. It was also the reason I wanted to take things slowly, even though I knew it was a losing battle to take things slowly with Christian; we were both too far into it to slow down now. But I did admit to him how much I also feared losing him, not only to death, but also to boredom.
It turned out that we had a lot in common, as Flynn pointed out. Christian was afraid that I'd get fed up with his past, particularly because people from his past were threatening me. I was afraid that Christian would get fed up with me for different reasons, mainly that I was boring and plain and not enough for him. Flynn encouraged us to always be open with one another when we were experiencing these fears, and to always take the time time listen to each other, not dismissing the fears as groundless. He said that even if we thought that the other person's fears were groundless, we needed to acknowledge them and assure each other of our unfailing love.
Voicing our fears had caused more than a few tears, not only mine but Christian's too. I felt like we ended things in a good place; Dr. Flynn had been very good at leading both of us to find the assurances we needed. I saw immediately how good Dr. Flynn is for Christian. But the result of that brutal session was that I was emotionally wrung out, like a smelly old dishrag.
And then, horror of horrors, I'd agreed to go dress shopping with Mia as we'd bonded over Thanksgiving dinner. Dress shopping on Black Friday! I hated clothes shopping on any day of the week, but especially Black Friday, when the shops were all more crowded than any other day of the year. I was shocked that Christian had agreed to it; it must have been a security nightmare. But as soon as Mia and I got to Nordstrom and met Christian's personal shopper, Caroline Acton, I realized that Christian had thought of everything. And so, instead of combing through racks upon racks of clothes and finding the best bargains, we were shown to a private dressing room that was larger than my old apartment. There were three racks of clothes ready for us, clothes that Christian had ordered. There were evening gowns, which is what Mia and I were shopping for, dresses for the Coping Together Ball tomorrow night. But there were also cocktail dresses and business suits to replace the ones that Leila Williams had destroyed. I tried on a few, and they all fit perfectly. How had Caroline gotten my measurements? Christian, of course.
Mia found a red mermaid-style dress with a plunging neckline that I knew was probably going to give Christian a heart attack because of the attention it was probably going to draw to his baby sister, but she loved it, and I had to admit that it did look fantastic on her, with her brunette bob and naturally pouty red lips. I found three dresses that I loved, and I had a hard time deciding which one would be best for the Ball. One was a midnight blue color in a similar style as Mia's, but with thinner shoulder straps. It showed more cleavage than I normally show, but it was still tasteful. Another was a beautiful shimmery champagne color, and it was covered in a lace overlay. I liked that it had sleeves, as it could be cold this time of year. The final one was a simpler design than the first two, but it was a deep plum color, which I knew would look great on me.
In the end, I didn't have to choose. It turned out that Christian had already purchased all of the clothes on two of the three racks, all for me. The third rack had clothes that he had given Caroline the authority to charge to his account, if we wanted them. That rack had outfits for both me and Mia. Mia ended up choosing everything on the rack that fit her. I choose just one, a black beaded cocktail dress that I knew Christian would love. But there were already a few cocktail dresses on the first two racks, which Christian had already purchased, so I didn't need any more.
I was overwhelmed by all these beautiful dresses that Christian had already purchased for me. Every outfit there was by a name-band designer that I never would have been able to afford myself. I'd always dressed nicely, but my clothes came mainly from Dress Barn and Macy's, the latter from which I never bought anything unless it was on sale. I didn't see price tags on any of these clothes, and I realized that Christian had ordered Caroline to remove the tags before letting me see them. But nobody had to tell me. I knew that the amount of money that Christian was spending on me in this one shopping spree was more than my annual salary. And Christian paid me quite well.
And the dresses weren't all. Of course there were also shoes, with matching accessaries. And undergarments. High-quality lace, satin, and silk bras and panties, as well as silk nylons. I got several pairs of thigh-high stockings, the kind that use a garter belt, as I knew Christian would find them sexy. Mia had wanted to shop for jewelry too, but I had to draw the line there. I was quickly turning into a bitch, and thankfully, it was nearly time to leave to meet Christian for lunch anyway.
Christian had asked for three hours to catch up on work, and then he promised to leave work alone until Monday. I knew how much pressure he was under to put everything at GEH back in order after the mess that Jack Hyde had made of things. Christian had worked wonders since his hasty return from England, and I was impressed. But then, everything about Christian Grey was impressive.
I'd called Christian from the car as Luke had driven Mia and me towards the Mile High Club. Pam was riding shotgun, and Mia's security followed behind us.
"I just need twenty more minutes," Christian had implored. "I'm sorry, baby, but I really need to finish this email and respond to another one. But then I'll be done, I promise."
"It's OK," I assured him. "Mia and I will share an appetizer while we wait for you. We're both starving. Should I order for you?"
He'd asked me to order the grilled salmon, so I'd already done that, at the same time we'd ordered our appetizer and our own entrees. The waiter would not bring our entrees until after Christian arrived.
So now, here I was, waiting for Mia to answer my question regarding the request she'd asked me in the elevator: to participate in this year's Coping Together Ball's First Dance Auction. It didn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what that was, but I'd been to enough fancy shindigs with Christian over the past few months to know that rich people sometimes did strange things. If a First Dance Auction was some kind of silent auction in which Christian pledged a certain amount of money to dance with me, I might be able to deal with that. But somehow, by the gleam in Mia's eyes, I knew it was more than that.
"It's so much fun, Ana," Mia said with her usual bubbly attitude. "All the single ladies get up on stage, and they get auctioned off, one by one. The emcee makes up really silly stuff about each girl, like 'she's fluent in five languages,' or 'she's a blackbelt in Tai Kwan Do,' or something like that. I've been participating since I was 16, but last year was the first year that Christian or Elliot didn't win me. And that was only because I threatened them. And also because they had already threatened my date. Poor Drew, that was the last date we went out on, probably because my brothers scared the shit out of him. Hopefully, they'll let Sean bid on me this year and not scare him away too."
I felt sorry for Mia for having two overprotective big brothers, but in spite of that, I had to address her request for my participation in this... auction. "Umm... Mia," I began carefully. "I'm sure that many girls find the idea of the First Dance Auction... umm... fun. But I... I don't think so. I'll pass." Hopefully she would accept my no and leave it at that.
Nope, no such luck. "But, Ana... it's for charity, and Christian is loaded. You know he won't let anyone else outbid him for you."
"Why not just let Christian donate the money he would have spent on the auction, and then I'll dance with him anyway?" I asked.
"What's the fun in that?" Mia asked. "The competition is fun. I remember the year I was 18, I got a couple of friends to bid on me just to piss Christian and Elliot off. And I ended up getting Christian to pay more than twice the amount he was probably planning on paying for that dance."
Mercifully, the server interrupted our conversation with our appetizer, which was artichoke dip with pita chips. I started eating it mindlessly, not really tasting it. I could see from the look of determination on Mia's face that she wasn't going to let this issue go easily. But no way in hell was I going to offer myself up in that meat market.
After a couple of minutes of pregnant silence during which I pretended to be busy eating, I finally looked up from the food and into Mia's brown eyes. "Mia... my answer is no. Absolutely not. Nothing you say is going to change my mind. There is no way that I am going to put myself on display so that a roomful of men can gawk at me and, God forbid, bid on me. Even for just a dance. It would make me feel... cheap. No matter how much money it would raise for charity."
Mia looked like she was going to object, but then she let out a breath, and then looked at me thoughtfully. She didn't speak, but instead, she took another bite of the appetizer. I could see that she was deep in thought as we continued to share the food.
When Mia finally did speak, she took me by surprise. Gone was her bubbliness, and in its place was a seriousness that revealed the depths of her feelings for her brother. "You're classy, Ana. And strong. You're really good for him. And I can see that you love him as much as he loves you."
I nodded. "Yes, I do. I love Christian with all my heart."
Her eyes were glistening now. Shit, I sure hoped she didn't make me cry. This day had already been emotional enough. "Take care of him, Ana," she asked me, and her expression was so sincere that I did feel my eyes watering in spite of myself.
"I intend to," I assured her.
She apparently felt the same that I did, that this conversation had gotten way too heavy. So I think she was trying to lighten things up a little when she added playfully, "And see if you can get him to lighten up about security, will you?"
I laughed at her playfulness. "I can't make any promises there," I told her.
"Shesh, I swear, I thought he'd get better about it after I got back on home soil, but it's only doubled! I already have one CPO in Paris, and Christian ordered him to stay put and guard my apartment there. I thought that meant I was going to have a little freedom here this week, but no, it's the opposite! Not only do I have Ryan, my temporary CPO for the week, but I also have a new permanent CPO who is going to go with me back to France next week, and then return with me next month. I'm sure you noticed her following us around earlier, along with your own entourage. And of course, they're all sitting right over there, where they can watch our every move."
I glanced over at the table left of us, where Mia was pointing. Luke and Pam, my own two CPOs, were sitting with a dark-haired, tattooed woman who looked around my age, and Ryan, whom I recognized from Christian's security team.
"That's Riley. My new CPO, sitting next to Ryan, my temporary CPO." Mia told me, but of course I'd already gathered as much.
"She looks pretty bad ass," I told Mia.
"I guess," Mia shrugged. "But seriously, Ana, how do you put up with all the security? I mean, I know the other two over there are yours, and they're glued to your hip too. It's exhausting! At least my old CPO in Paris is a hunky French guy. But I can't even get away from Riley when I need to use the facilities!"
"Mia, it's for your safety," I explained. "And yes, the others you noticed are Pam and Luke. She's my own new CPO, and he's my old one, at least for the week, until my other new one is recovered enough to come back to work."
"She's the one who got shot in the ass, right?" Mia asked. She'd been filled in on everything that had happened the night before she arrived.
"Yep, on her first day on the job. At first, I thought Christian was being overprotective assigning me two CPOs, but now, I get it. We need them, for our safety."
Mia rolled her eyes. "I get that you need protection, Ana. After what happened this week... of course, you do. But me? I'm just his little sister. Nobody wants to hurt me."
I was surprised at how naive Mia was being. "Mia, you're wrong," I told her. "I've been working closely with Christian for several months now, and long before anything happened romantically between us, anyone who was paying attention could see how much you mean to Christian. From the very first week, I knew how important you were to him. He loves you, Mia, deeply. And it would kill him if anything happened to you."
"But that's just it, Ana," Mia responded. "Nothing is going to happen to me."
I shook my head. "You don't know that. You may not realize this because the only side of Christian you've seen is the loving brother, but I've been in the boardroom with him during hostile business dealings, during aggressive take-overs. He is cut-throat when it comes to business; it's how he became a billionaire so quickly. He's a 'take-no-prisoners' kind of guy. And he's made a few enemies. I've been present for more than one death threat, and he gets more in the mail that I'm not made aware of."
"But Ana, none of those people know me," Mia objected again.
"Again, you don't know that either, Mia," I told her. "What about Jack Hyde? The biggest threat of all? Do I need to show you the bullet wound on my shoulder to prove to you what a threat he is? I'm sure you noticed the sling Christian's wearing on his arm this week, for the same reason. And Mia... Jack Hyde worked for GEH for years before he made his move. He was one of Christian's inside people. He was on the executive team, the CFO of the company, and before that, he worked in the Accounting department. He got to know Christian's weak spots, of which you are certainly one, and he wants to hurt Christian by any means possible. You are a target, Mia. Don't fool yourself that you're safe. Jack Hyde will come after you in a heartbeat if he thinks there's an opening to do so."
Mia stared at me with wide brown eyes, looking fearful for the first time during this conversation. Shit! I'd scared her. But maybe that's what needed to happen for her to take her security seriously.
When she spoke, it was clear that I'd taken the wind out of her sail. "Why does Jack Hyde want to hurt Christian?" she asked.
"That's the million dollar question," I replied. "I'd like to know that myself. But there's no question that he does. He was trying to destroy GEH, and he tried to kill both of us on Tuesday night. And now, he's in hiding. The police still haven't been able to find him, and neither have the people working for Christian. He's out there, Mia, and until he's found and locked up, we need to keep our CPOs close to us."
Before Mia could respond, Christian arrived. Even as I was finishing my sentence, I could feel his presence, and then he was there, sitting next to me, kissing me chastely on the lips.
"Hi, Meems! Sorry I'm late! You ordered already, right?" he asked as he turned to me.
I nodded. "We've demolished this appetizer, but I think they were just waiting for you to arrive before bringing the rest of the food out."
"How was shopping?" he asked.
I groaned, but Mia answered. "I've never seen anyone who dislikes shopping as much as Ana does. But the clothes you'd picked out for her were gorgeous, Christian."
"It was too much," I complained.
"Not too much," Christian argued. "You deserve all of it, and more. Let me spoil you, baby."
The server brought out our meals before I had a chance to respond to Christian. I'd gone with the salmon, like Christian, and Mia was having a chicken cobb salad. Christian ordered a bottle of wine to go with our meal, and it was served immediately. It complemented our meal perfectly. Of course, Christian would know which wine to order to go with our food.
"I see what you were saying, Christian," Mia said after we'd been eating for a few minutes. "The food here is OK. The salad is fresh. But I think this dressing is from a bottle, not house-made. I'm not impressed."
Christian nodded thoughtfully and replied, "The salmon is the best thing on the menu, and it's average. Think you can spruce things up, Mia?" I wasn't sure what they were talking about.
"I know I can. We might have to close for a couple of weeks though, just to remodel. These furnishings have to go, along with these hideous tablecloths. It's so 90s in here, I feel like I'm in a set of 'Friends.' Remember that plaid couch?"
OK, I didn't remember the couch, but I was catching on to their conversation. Christian had apparently asked Mia to work for him at the Mile High Club after she returns home from France. She was going to give the place a makeover. Good. It needed it.
"You're going to give the Mile High Club a makeover?" I asked Mia conversationally.
She nodded happily. "A new look, a new menu, and a new name. Ciel de Grey."
"Wow, that's fantastic. I always did think the Mile High Club was a stupid name for an upscale restaurant," I commented.
Christian looked at me in surprise. "You did? Why didn't you say anything?"
"I was just your employee," I reminded him.
Christian huffed, but he didn't sound angry as he pointed out, "You were never JUST my employee, Ana." Just to prove his words, he gave me a heated look that just about melted my panties. I felt my cheeks grow warm, so I'm sure my blush was telling.
"You two are just so damn cute," Mia muttered with a happy smile and glossy eyes. "Love looks good on you, Chrissy." Now that was cute. It had to be her childhood name for him.
It was obvious that Christian didn't know how to respond to Mia's words. "Umm... thanks? More wine, Meems?"
"Sure," she replied. "It feels weird for you to be offering. I haven't been legal drinking age very long."
Christian topped off both of our glasses before he steered us back to the conversation about remodeling the restaurant.
"So, now that you've seen it again, what changes do you envision for this place?" he asked.
Mia's eyes lit up. "First off, we need to brighten the place up. Make it feel like we're actually in the sky. Get rid of these dark walls, and the lack of lighting. I'm thinking we need to paint the walls light gray, the color of fluffy clouds. Maybe add a few nice light fixtures, but definitely add some recessed lighting throughout the dining area. Add artwork from my Parisian artist friend, and the place will already have an entirely different feel, some good ambiance. Then, we need new tables. Let's get rid of these hideous tablecloths, or any tablecloths for that matter. If we did marble-top tables, a darker shade of gray than the walls, but not too dark, they would look elegant and require fewer linens. Any linens we would need, napkins in particular, should be crisp white. I think we can keep the dark floor, though. It's probably the only thing that doesn't need to be changed. I mean, seriously, these linens are awful. Whose idea was this? The color should be in the food. These current linens make the food less appetizing."
"Wow, Meems, how long did it take you to come up with all these ideas?" Christian asked.
"I've just been taking things in as Ana and I have been talking," she answered. "We haven't even talked about the menu yet. We need some big changes there."
"No doubt," Christian replied. "Like I said yesterday, Mia. Carte blanc. I trust you."
Mia leaned over and said, discreetly, "You also agreed that this would stay between us, Christian. I mean, I'm totally fine with including Ana, but I want it to look like all the decisions are coming from you. I want it to look like I'm just a cook. The head cook, OK? I'm OK with that. Even the kitchen manager. But... I want to work here for at least a year before... anything else."
Christian nodded and leaned closer to me. "I'm giving this place to Mia once it's re-branded and succeeding so much under her leadership that she's confident enough to take it over officially. I told her yesterday that this place needs her."
"I agree, Mia," I said. "And your ideas sound fabulous. To be honest, I was dreading coming here today, after being here twice already this week. But with the right changes..."
"I want this place to be somewhere we'd want to come everyday," Christian insisted. "And it will be," he added confidently.
"Just keep in mind," Mia said hesitantly, "Undercover Boss. I don't want to be out front. I'm OK with making decisions, but I want you to be there to present them, to pitch them to the staff, or at least to whomever we put in charge, the new manager. At least at first. Can you do that, Christian?"
Christian nodded. "No problem."
"And about the menu..." Mia continued. "I want to go with four menus. I want to open six evenings a week, Monday through Saturday, with a dinner menu of high-end French cuisine. But I also want to open for lunch, Monday through Friday, with a simpler, more reasonably priced lunch menu for business people who work in the area, as well as a catering menu for business meetings like the two you had this week. And for the fourth menu, I want to open on Sundays for brunch."
"Sunday brunch, oh I love that idea," I told Mia wholeheartedly. "Wouldn't it be great if we made it a monthly tradition to come here as a family to support Mia," I said to Christian. "I bet Elliot and your parents will totally go for that idea."
Christian smiled at me again, that way that always melts my heart and wets my panties. He didn't say anything, just smiled lovingly. I could easily get lost in that smile.
"Yes, Ana, I love that idea," Mia answered after a pause. I glanced at her and noticed that teary look in her eyes again.
"What?" I asked. "What did I say? Why are you looking like that?"
Mia answered, "You included yourself as part of the family. I love that, Ana. All I ask is that when you and Christian get married, I want to make your wedding cake. I'm really good at wedding cakes. I mean, I can cater the entire wedding, but I understand if you'd want to go with someone else..."
"Mia," Christian interrupted in a warning tone. "We only just started dating."
Mia responded teasingly, "Oh, mark my words, Chrissy, you and Ana Banana are going to get married. It's just a matter of time."
In my heart, I knew she was right, and it would probably be sooner rather than later. I wasn't going to admit that to Christian, though, not yet. He'd probably have us on his private jet to Vegas within the hour if I even hinted at being ready to walk the aisle. No, first, I had to decide whether or not I was ready to move in with him. Marriage would come later, of that I had no doubt.
Christian was watching me too closely for my reaction to Mia's words, so it was time to change the subject. "Are we going to have dessert?" I asked.
Mia sniggered at me, both of them seeing through my act. But graciously, she responded, "I don't think they have anything good on their dessert menu. I can't wait to change that. But anyway, I should pass on dessert anyway. I drank two glasses of wine, and I had pancakes for breakfast this morning. That's enough sugar for one day."
I nodded in understanding. "So, I guess we'll see you tomorrow at the Coping Together Ball."
Mia smiled, "Yep, I'll be the one in the sexy red dress." At her words, Christian gave her the stink eye but wisely kept his trap shut.
I returned her smile, ignoring Christian for the moment. "And I'll be the one in the sexy midnight blue one," I said.
Now, Christian couldn't stop himself. "Umm... how sexy, babe? I don't want all those fuckers gawking at what's mine."
Mia laughed at her brother, but she addressed me. "I have a feeling you're going to be wearing the champagne one. But it looks amazing on you, so that will be OK, too."
It felt strange to leave the table without paying, but apparently the owner of the restaurant didn't have to pay. As we made our way to the elevator, we continued in our lighthearted conversation about what we were wearing to the ball tomorrow night. Our security discretely went ahead of and behind us. I knew there were already other security staff downstairs, keeping out the paparazzi. This was our lives now.
Christian was apparently also thinking about security as we got into the elevator. He turned to Mia and reminded her, "Please, Meems, keep your security close to you at all times."
Mia nodded with a resigned frown, "I know, Christian. I get it. I don't like it, but I get it."
Christian and I parted ways with Mia and headed back to Escala. I was looking forward to having an evening in, with some quality boyfriend time. I just wanted to relax with him, maybe watch a movie and then take a bath together.
When we walked into the penthouse, I looked around and realized... this really did feel like home to me. I wanted to make my life with Christian, and I needed to take Flynn's advice and address my own fears head-on, not let them dictate to me. Did I want to move in with Christian? If I took away the fear and insecurity I was feeling, other than that, did I think we were ready? Actually, yes. I felt ready. And I knew already that Christian felt ready. But if I made this move, would Christian stay committed to his ongoing therapy, and joint therapy with me? If he could agree to ongoing weekly appointments with Flynn, both individual and joint, then I think I could agree to move in. But was I ready to let him know it? God, why was I so nervous about telling him?
"You're deep in thought," Christian observed. He gently rubbed that space between my eyes, smoothing away the worry wrinkle I knew he'd seen there. Then he gave me a chaste kiss there, but stepped back and examined my face looking concerned.
I nodded. "Yeah, I have a lot on my mind," I admitted.
"Care to share what has you looking so worried?" he asked.
Shit, was I ready? Come on, Ana, take a chance on love. You know this is the real thing. You know it. Everything that Christian has done over the past two months, all of his actions and every word out of his mouth has pointed towards the genuineness of his feelings for me and his commitment to me. And the way he has continued to treat me after I gave him my virginity... that sealed it for me. I love him, pure and simple. And I have no doubt that he loves me too. And I believe he is the one for me, my happily ever after. I want to make my life with him. I know he is in this with me for the long haul; he has made that clear on a daily basis, from the moment he first declared his love, that night he almost died. And he's doing so well now, so focused on his own well-being. His therapy treatments have been life changing, and if he keeps them up, and me too, I think I can rest assured that we won't develop an unhealthy codependent relationship. I need to take this leap of faith that I want so much instead of letting my fears control me.
After giving myself that pep talk, I took a deep breath and looked at Christian, who was looking really worried now. I took his hand, led him to the sofa, sat down and motioned for him to sit beside me, and took another deep breath.
"Shit, baby, you're scaring me," he told me worriedly.
I smiled at him to try to relax him, but I was so nervous it probably looked more like a grimace. I took another deep breath and started talking. Fast. So fast, in fact, I wasn't sure he could keep up. But I needed to get it all out while I had the courage.
"OK, here goes. I want to move in with you. But I will only agree to move in with you if you promise that you'll keep seeing Dr. Flynn at least once a week by yourself, and that we also will keep seeing him in a joint session once a week. And I'm also going to schedule individual sessions with another therapist. I'm going to ask Dr. Flynn to recommend a female, because I need to continue this therapy thing too. So that means that we're both going to be in therapy twice a week, every week, once together and once alone. We need to commit to therapy sessions for at least six months as a couple, and I don't know how long we'll need individual therapy, but I'm sure it will need to be ongoing too, but we'll need to decide for ourselves how long."
I didn't pause long enough for Christian to respond before I moved on to the next thing.
"And I also think it would be good for me to have a space here in your penthouse that is completely mine, where I can be alone. And you need to have a space like that too, like your... what did you call it, your Zen room, the old playroom, that's completely yours, where I won't intrude unless you invite me. So when either of us needs to get away from the other, we'll be able to do that. Not that I want to get away from you, but we work together all day, at least for now, and I don't see that changing for a few months anyway, not until things settle down more at GEH and I have time to find a new assistant for you. We're together everyday, and we then come home together every night, and I'm afraid you're going to get tired of being together all the time and just need to have some space to yourself sometimes, and I probably will want that, too, sometimes."
Again, I didn't even pause long enough to catch my breath before I moved on to my final requirement for moving in with Christian. He was watching my lips carefully. I think he was keeping up, but I couldn't be sure.
"And I want to be able to invite friends over, like Kate, even though you don't like her, but she's still my best friend, and I want to invite her for dinner or at least an afternoon sometime. And my Dad, too, of course. If this is going to be my home, too, then I need to be able to invite people over who are important to me, who I want to spend time with. Yeah, that's it. If you can agree to these terms, then... I mean, if you still want me to... then, OK, I'll agree to move in with you. But if you've changed your mind, then I totally understand, and I..." Shit, had he changed his mind? What if he didn't want me to move in any more?
Christian cut off my rambling by pulling me into his arms and kissing me, hard. "Do you mean it?" he asked when he finally released my lips.
I nodded. "So, do you... you still want me to move in with you?"
Christian looked at me incredulously, like the question I was asking was totally ridiculous. "Ana, babe. I will ALWAYS want you as close to me as I can have you. I love you, Anastasia. Like really fucking love you. You know that."
"I know you do. I love you, too, Christian. That's why I am agreeing. That's why I'm taking a chance... on love."
As the reality of my words struck him, his face morphed into the most glorious smile, it lit up the entire room. "Oh, my God... you... you're agreeing to move in with me! You're moving in with me!? For real? Don't fuck with me, Ana? Do you mean it?"
I nodded, feeling tears coming to my eyes, this time tears of joy, mainly over his reaction. "I mean it. I've decided I'm not going to let my fear rule my life. I want to do this with you. Just, please..." I wanted to ask him not to hurt me, but it seemed ridiculous to make such a request. I knew Christian would rather pluck out his own eyeballs than to hurt me. I couldn't help the trepidation I felt, but I knew I was doing the right thing.
"Ana... I promise you, babe. I will never hurt you, at least not intentionally. If I ever unintentionally do or say anything that hurts you, I will make it right. I'm committed to you, to us. That's not going to change. Ever. And I heard you, babe, every word, every condition, and I wholeheartedly agree to it all." The promise, commitment, and determination I saw in his eyes were overwhelming; I could not stop the tears now.
"Please don't cry, baby," Christian begged me as he wiped my tears with his fingers and then kissed my face, kissing my tears away.
"They're tears of joy, Christian. I love you. I know we're doing the right thing."
Christian responded by kissing me tenderly. "Your lips are always so soft when you've been crying."
I did my unsexy giggle snort thing, but he only looked at me adoringly. And then, before I knew what was happening, I was in his arms, and he was carrying me over his good shoulder towards the bedroom. Well, as best he could with only one arm fully functional. He was using his injured shoulder too much right now.
"Christian, what are you doing?" I laughed. "Your shoulder..."
Christian didn't wait for me to finish. "I'm carrying my live-in girlfriend to OUR bedroom where I can fuck her senseless. No, scratch that, I'm going to make love to her to show her just how much she means to me. Fuck my shoulder. We have to celebrate, baby. You're moving in!"
I was totally down with that, and I started unbuttoning his shirt on the way there, not that it took long for us to arrive in the bedroom. We were making out like teenagers, when we were rudely interrupted by Christian's phone ringing in his pocket.
"Shit, that's my dad's ringtone," he said. But he didn't stop kissing me. "I'll call him back later," he added. By now, we were both topless and our bodies were pressed together.
A minute later, Christian's pants were off... and his phone was ringing again, from his pants' pocket, on the floor. "Christian...," I panted, "...you'd better get it. If he's calling back... it's probably important." I knew Carrick would not keep calling unless he had a good reason.
Instead, Christian latched onto my breast and sucked it, while he put his hands inside my panties and rubbed his fingers through my folds. Oh, God. Carrick who? "Christian, oh, God, yes, right there!" His talented fingers found my clit as his tongue teased my nipple, and I was in heaven.
But we were interrupted again by Christian's phone. Carrick again. "Shit!" Christian exclaimed. "I'm sorry, babe."
Damn it, Christian's tongue and fingers had come so close to bringing me to orgasm; just another minute or two and I would have been there. I didn't want him to stop, but I knew... it must be important if Carrick was continuing to call.
"Just answer, Christian," I told him. I lay there panting, coming down from my almost high, as I listened to the conversation. Even though Christian didn't put his dad on speaker-phone, I could hear the entire conversation.
It turned out, it was important, as expected. Carrick had been looking into the other boys that the pedo-bitch had molested, which Christian had filled me in on last night. After we'd come home from Thanksgiving at the Greys, Christian had told me that Grace had mentioned two boys that she'd introduced to the Evil One through Coping Together, and Grace was currently beating herself up over putting more innocent victims in addition to Christian into the hands of a predator. In fact, Grace had even quit her job as a doctor this week because of the harm she had caused.
Carrick was now calling Christian because Grace had talked with the mother of one of the boys earlier today, her friend Karen, and Grace had confessed everything to her. Then, after her conversation with Grace, Karen had confronted her son Isaac about the abuse, and he'd gone ballistic about it. Karen had called back and spoken with Carrick. Apparently, Isaac was now threatening to drop out of UCLA, with only one semester left before graduation, even though his grades were good. In fact, he was at the top of his class. But now, Isaac had confessed to his mother just how depressed he was, and that he had already attempted suicide twice without her knowledge, but friends had saved him both times. Now, he was threatening to kill himself instead of returning to Los Angeles. That was probably the main reason Carrick felt that time was of the essence. I knew he also felt a sense of urgency because of how close to home this was hitting.
Carrick had also learned from Karen that Isaac knew about Christian. As in, he knew everything that the Evil One had done to Christian. This was one of the reasons Carrick was calling, to inform Christian about their knowledge of his abuse. Carrick knew how private Christian was, and that he certainly didn't want this secret to get out. Carrick assured Christian that he believed Karen to be trustworthy and discrete. He also reminded Christian that as a victim himself, Isaac would not want to speak about Christian's abuse because doing so might require him to reveal his own. I could see that Christian was not completely satisfied with Carrick's logic, but this was not the main reason Carrick was calling. There was more.
Apparently, the Evil One had always made Isaac feel inferior to Christian, always comparing them and using Christian's success to not only belittle Isaac but also to control him. It turned out that Isaac was a business major at UCLA, and he wanted to emulate Christian in more ways than one, either in spite of the pedo-bitch's abuse, or because of it. Carrick believed that Isaac would listen to Christian, especially regarding his mental health issues that were so similar to Christian's. Carrick implored Christian, even though he realized how private Christian was, and how personal this particular issue was, to at least consider sharing his own mental health struggles with Isaac.
"Christian, I know it's not something you want people to know about, son, and if you aren't comfortable talking about it, especially with a stranger, then forget I said anything. I'm not trying to pressure you, son, not about that, anyway. Either way, I think you are somebody this kid will listen to, because he respects you. And as horrific as it is, he has this... this nightmare in common with you." Carrick was even hopeful that Christian would be able to convince Isaac to press charges against the Evil One.
"Dad... I... I need to talk to Ana before I agree to come with you," Christian responded to Carrick's request. "I'll call you back, OK?"
When they ended the call, Christian groaned. "I wish I hadn't answered. Fuck! What the hell is Dad thinking? I don't want to talk about this shit! I don't want to talk to some kid about what that bitch did to me, and I especially don't want to talk about how I nearly killed myself. I'd much rather be inside you right now. I fucking hate this."
"Christian, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. You don't have to talk to anybody about your private matters that you don't want to," I reminded him.
"I'm sure Dad wouldn't have asked me if he didn't think it was a life or death matter. Isaac might actually be seriously suicidal, right now. What if I can change his mind tonight, and save his life? What if I don't go, and he kills himself tonight? Will that be on me? I know exactly what he's going through. Hell, he is me, just a few years ago. I've got to go, Ana. I have to. I can't bear to think he might be dead tomorrow because I didn't at least try to talk to him. Shit! Why do I give a shit about this kid I don't even know? I'd much rather stay here and continue our celebration."
I knew we would not be celebrating, even if Christian didn't go now. "Christian, you care because you empathize with him, and because you're a good man. Besides, it sounds like you might be able to help this guy, Isaac, get his life back on track, go back to California and finish his degree and have a meaningful life."
Christian looked skeptical. "You think I should convince him to go back to college? I'm a Harvard drop-out, remember? I don't give a shit if he finishes college."
"Christian, you may not care about his college education, but you care about what's happened to him, and what's happening now. And I love you for caring about him."
"So what, now I'm supposed to tell this kid, who apparently looks up to me, that I nearly took my own life?"
"That's up to you," I told him. "But even if you don't, you can encourage him."
He nodded, but he was pouting about it. "I don't want to leave you right now. I would take you with me, but that probably wouldn't be best. Damn it, Ana, we were celebrating. You just agreed to fucking move in with me. Why did this have to happen now?"
"We can finish what we started when you get back," I promised him. Yes, I wanted him now, but I believed that Carrick wouldn't have kept calling if he didn't believe Christian was needed. And if Isaac was truly suicidal, tomorrow might be too late.
Christian sighed unhappily. "OK, I'll go. I'll call Dad back and make the arrangements. But, I want you to make a call, too."
I looked at him confusedly. "To whom?"
Christian explained, "I want you to call the Kavanagh girl and invite her over here for dinner this evening. Spend some girl time with her, if she's free this evening, doing whatever you chicks do when you get together. Paint your toenails, watch a chick flick, or whatever shit you want to do. This is your home now, Ana, and I heard every word you said, your stipulations. And yes, we're going to keep going to therapy too. Oh, and the library... that's your special room now. We will convert it into a home office for you, which you're going to need when you start your new job at SIP."
"Christian... wow, where do I start? Thank you. Yes, I'll call Kate." I smiled at his words and added, "That's her name, by the way, not 'the Kavanagh girl.' But I do appreciate that you're trying. And about the library... wow. Just wow. I love that room, and it doesn't need to be converted. It's perfect as it is. But those are all your books. Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, babe," he insisted. "You love books, and I love making you happy. I rarely used that room before. And about converting it, I simply mean that we need to move out the pool table and move in a reading table for you. We can move around the seating too, if you want, or replace it. Make it yours, Ana."
"But where will you move the pool table?" I asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know, we can covert another room into a game room. Elliot's been asking me to get an air hockey game, but it seemed like a waste of space. But if you want, we can convert one of the spare bedrooms into a game room and put whatever we want to in there. We can even knock out a wall and make a bigger game room. It's a big apartment, sweetheart, we have plenty of rooms to spare."
Wow, Christian's lifestyle was going to take some getting used to. Just one of these spare bedrooms that he was referring to was larger than my old studio apartment. You know, the one I was probably never returning to, even to collect my personal things. Christian was having the place cleaned, and then he'd take care of moving my furniture. My dad made that furniture, so I definitely wanted to keep it.
An hour later, Christian was somewhere on the other side of town meeting with Isaac Woods, hopefully saving his life and convincing him to press charges against the Evil One, and Kate was on her way to spend an evening with me. I'd been surprised that Kate had been free this evening. In fact, she was just as eager to spend some time with me as I was to catch up with her.
"Ana!" Kate called out as she exited the elevator and gave me a ginormous hug. "Oh, sorry! How's the shoulder? I forgot! Did I hurt you?"
"It's OK, it only hurts a little now," I replied. "Thanks for remembering. People tend to forget about it because I don't need a sling like Christian."
"How is Mr. Moneybags doing? Recovering OK? God, how terrifying that must have been, Ana!"
I ignored her nickname for him because of the real concern I heard in her voice. "He's healing. We're both doing well. Staying busy." I didn't want to say much more than that because I was respecting Christian's privacy, and I knew how he felt about Kate. But Kate wasn't being insensitive, other than the nickname. She was truly concerned.
"So... I brought sushi! Just like old times, right?" Kate had always been the one to order sushi for dinner when it was her turn to cook. And she was good at choosing the yummy stuff. I took the sushi from her, set it on the breakfast bar, and started opening the packages.
Kate looked around as I got the sushi out and grabbed us some plates and chopsticks. I even got out a bottle of white wine for us from the wine chiller.
As we sat down at the breakfast bar, Kate asked, "So, I assume Mr. Moneybags is not here, right? Does he know I'm here, in his penthouse? I was surprised that he'd be OK with that, but I don't think you would have invited me if he hadn't given you permission."
"It was his idea," I answered proudly. "And no, he's not here. He might be back before you go, but I'm not sure."
"Wait, what?" Kate looked shocked. "It was his idea for you to invite me to his penthouse?"
"Yep," I answered, popping my p. Then I took a large bite of sushi with just a tiny slice of pickled ginger on it and a hint of wasabi. Yummy, as usual.
"Ana... really?" she sounded skeptical. "He kicked me out of his building because I had the audacity to ask him if he was gay, and now he's telling you to invite me to his home? Why the change of heart? I mean, I'm happy, don't get me wrong. But I know he hates me."
Well, I was neither going to confirm or deny that fact. "You're my best friend, Kate. We've been through a lot together. Christian is going to have to just get used to you. And you'll have to get used to him, too."
"You guys must be serious if he's allowing you to bring your friends to his penthouse," Kate commented.
"We are serious. And... I agreed today to move in with him," I admitted. I knew she would have gotten it out of me at some point this evening anyway, so I decided to just go ahead and rip off the bandaid.
Kate's eyes just about popped out of her head. "You... what?! You... you moved in with him already? Ana... I'm... You know it takes a lot to shock me. You've only been back from Europe a few days. You only just started dating, officially. Are you sure...?"
"Kate... stop," I interrupted. "Yes, I'm sure. He's the one, Kate. There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind. I love Christian, with all my heart, and I know he loves me, too. This is right, for me."
Kate examined me critically with her eyes, but after a moment, her face lit up in a smile. "Well, holy shit! Little Annie Steele is in love, at long last. And Christian fucking Grey is not gay. I was afraid you were his beard, but no, this is for real. Damn, Ana. When you fall, you make a splash."
Her words made me giggle. "We have made quite a splash, haven't we," I agreed.
"So... I assume you've given him your v-card, right?" she pressed.
"Kate! We are so NOT having that conversation!" I felt my face heating, so I'm sure it was red as a beet.
"Did he make it good for you?" she pressed. "Did you come?"
"Kate! Stop it! I'm not going to have this conversation with you!"
"Come on, Ana, just throw me a bone, will you?" she teased. "Four fucking years I've been your friend, and all that time I never saw you even interested in a guy, other than the ones in the books you read. I knew you weren't a lesbian, because you didn't look at me like that. So now, come on, you've got to tell me something. After all we've been through together. And to think... it's Christian Grey. Please, tell me he made it good for you."
I sighed. "OK. Yes, he made it good. Amazing, actually. And yes, I came. Repeatedly. Now, that's all I'm telling you about my sex life. What about you, Kate?" I turned the tables. "Anybody special in your life these days?" Hopefully, that would get the attention off of me. I knew Kate always loved to talk about herself. I sure did hope she was over her celebrity crush on Christian. I had no doubt I would know before the night was over if she still had a thing for him. I also had no doubt that our friendship would probably not survive it if she and Christian couldn't get along, so I hoped for her sake and mine that she was over it.
And damn it all if she didn't blush at my question about a special guy in her life. What was this? "There might be," she hinted. "And no, it's not Elliot Grey."
She didn't have to tell me it wasn't Elliot, but it was only just a few days ago that she'd seen Elliot again and flirted with him once she'd known he was Christian's brother. I certainly hoped that if she had a new guy in her life, she wasn't cheating or considering cheating on him if someone "better" came along.
"OK, spill," I encouraged her.
Instead, Kate stalled by taking a bite of sushi and chewing it slowly. Finally, she looked up at me and answered. "I created an online profile. And I met a guy online. We've been talking for a few weeks now. And I really like him. Like really fucking like him, a lot."
Oh, shit! I certainly hoped it wasn't Elliot. But no, his picture was there. She would have recognized him. It was just a coincidence that they were both using a dating website.
"Really? So tell me about this guy," I encouraged her. "What's his name? What does he look like? What is he like?"
She smiled, and her eyes lit up. "His name is Sam. He's half Asian. He works out, so he's pretty muscular. Really nice looking, actually, but what really attracts me most is that he's just so dang smart. A genius actually. And we have a lot in common. Like a fucking lot in common. Down to the controlling parent thing. Except with him it's his mom, and with me, it's my dad. But I've given up on trying to please dear old dad. I just don't give a rat's ass any more. I really like Sam, and so what if he's 'just an accountant,'" she added finger quotes to make her point. "I like him. A lot."
"Accounting is a good career," I commented. "So... is Sam from Seattle?"
She shook her head. "No, but I just found out last night..." Her voice got high pitched with excitement as she finished, "He's moving here! This week! He just got a job in Seattle! And he didn't even know I was here until last night, after he had already gotten the job offer. We didn't tell each other shit like where we lived until last night. We've talked about so much other stuff, we already knew almost everything except where we lived and what we did for a living. I knew all about his childhood and his crazy-assed mother. But I didn't know he had been living in Chicago for the past couple of years, or that he was originally from California and was longing to move back to the West Coast. He didn't know I'm from Seattle, but he knew that my daddy is an asshole. But now... after last night, we know a lot more about each other. And I can't wait to find out more, after he gets here. We already have a date scheduled for next Friday night. One week, Ana. I have a really good feeling about Sam. He's just so sweet, and so good, and so smart. And the way we met is so different than my usual thing. We got to know each other before jumping in bed together. I'm nervous about that, but I really like him, Ana. I mean, we've Skyped now, so I feel like we've met in person, but we haven't even had phone sex. We've flirted, but that's all. There's definitely sexual chemistry between us. But I feel like he gets me, like really gets me, more than any other guy has ever taken the time to."
"Wow, Kate, I can't wait to meet this guy," I told her.
By this point, we were finished with our sushi, and so I threw away the packages and quickly washed our plates and chopsticks. I refilled our glasses of wine, and we moved to the library. My special room. I still couldn't believe Christian had designated this amazing room as mine.
We talked quite a bit about my experience in Europe, and about my dad's health. Kate has known my dad for a few years now, so she was happy to hear about his recovery.
Eventually, our conversation made it to Elliot Grey, not surprisingly.
"Seriously, Ana, I'm really not surprised that things happened the way they did. It was totally just a one-night-stand, and I'm not sure, in hindsight, if it ever would have been more than that even if I'd known who he was at the time. I mean... Elliot's the kind of guy, or at least he's from the kind of family, that my dad might approve of. But I'm so fucking tired of trying to make him happy. What about me, and my happiness?"
"But, Kate, I don't understand," I told her. "You seemed really interested in Elliot when you were at the hospital. But was Sam not already in the picture?"
She shook her head. "Not like he is now, no. I didn't know what was going to happen with Sam. I certainly didn't know he was moving to Seattle. In fact, I didn't know if I'd ever meet him in person. He was just a great person to talk to, who helped me see my own value. He really built up my self esteem. Anyway, when I saw Elliot, and I realized he was Christian Grey's brother, I did wonder if there could be something there. I thought it was worth pursuing, but I was thinking more about how to please my daddy than anything else. I'm not really interested in Elliot. I mean, don't get me wrong, he was a good fuck. He was a gentleman. And by that, I mean that he made me come before he did. Sometimes guys like him don't give a shit. Anyway, I went home after Elliot blew me off at the hospital and had a great conversation online with Sam. He made me feel so much better about myself. Honestly, Ana, I think I might be falling for him already."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. Kate had fallen for a lot of guys in the past four years. She was constantly falling in love and getting her heart broken. I thought it best to just wait and see what happened with this Sam guy.
"So, Kate, I just want to be sure... if you see Elliot again, do you think things will be awkward? I mean, he's Christian's brother, and Christian is in my life now. And so are you, so you're probably going to see him again at some point."
Kate shrugged as she answered, "Honestly, Ana, I see no reason why I couldn't be friends with Elliot. He seems like a friendly guy. I mean, not close friends, but friendly. I don't think he respects me as a person, but I've learned to be OK with that. Guys from families like his... you know, people with money, people like I come from myself... they often treat women like objects. Like the way my dad treats me, the way he's always treated my mom. I know that's the kind of man my dad would want me to end up with, but no thanks. But if Elliot and I aren't fucking, but we're only casual acquaintances, I can deal with that. I see no problem."
Kate was so wrong in her assessment of Elliot's character. Did she think that all men who come from affluent families were jackasses just because her own father was? Was she completely unaware of how she was coming across to guys like Elliot, who saw her in a bar and saw a one-night-stand? And did her assessment of Elliot's character extend to Christian, since he was from the same family? I couldn't let this go.
"Kate, I'm struggling to understand your thinking here. I mean, Christian's wealthy, but he doesn't treat me like that. I'm not an object to him. He respects me. And I've noticed how his dad treats his mom. He respects her. I think you're over-generalizing."
Kate shook her head. "I didn't mean any offense towards them, Ana. I guess I'm just jaded. I'm dealing with this shit. In fact, Sam has convinced me to get counseling. It's my issue, not theirs, so don't get upset with me, OK? The Greys are probably nice people. I'm trying to let go of my attitude after being kicked out of Grey House. I mean, I should get over it, right, after he invited me to come here to his own home."
"Yeah, and it was a long time ago," I reminded her. Nearly two years had passed since she had been a college student coming to Grey House to interview Christian Grey for our student newspaper.
Kate looked contemplative. She paused, deep in thought, before she responded sadly, "Back then, I couldn't wait to finish school and go to work for my daddy. My dream was to take over Kavanagh Media someday."
It was so unlike Kate to be this melancholy. "Are you saying that's no longer your dream?" I asked.
She shook her head. "I'm going to lose my fucking mind trying to please that man. It's impossible, Ana. Nothing I have ever done has ever been good enough. I graduated fucking summa cum laude, and I was a double-fucking major. And nothing I do is ever going to please him. I've worked my ass off this year. And for what? The assholes I work with still think I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but you know what? Fuck them! I am just so sick of all of it."
My eyes were wide now. "What are you going to do, Kate?" I asked.
"I'm going to go in there on Monday morning, and tell my dad to fuck off," she answered much more calmly than I expected.
She was shocking the shit out of me. I mean, I knew she was having a stressful year, but I didn't know she was ready to quit. "But, Kate... what will you do? Do you have another job I don't know about?"
She laughed humorlessly. "No, and if I quit, Daddy Dearest is going to cut off my funds. I know him, so I know he will. But I do have some savings. Enough to carry me a few months. And I'm smart, Ana. I graduated Summa Cum Laude. I have a fucking impressive resume. Plus, I've always wanted to travel the world. This will give me a chance to take up some travel journalism. I mean, I'm not talking about moving away from Seattle. I love this city, and you and Ethan are still here. But I can travel for a month or so at a time and always come back here."
"Wow, Kate," I said. I was still in shock.
"Yeah, I know, right?" she smirked back at me. "I'm done crying over this shit. It's time for me to do what I want to do, not what I think will make my daddy happy, even though nothing ever does."
For the entire time I'd known Kate, she had always stressed over pleasing her dad. This was a new Kate I was seeing today. And I had to admit, I was proud of her. "I guess I'm not the only one full of surprises today," I told her.
Kate burst out laughing. "Yeah, times they are a'changing, right? Little Annie Steele has moved in with her billionaire lover, and Kate Kavanagh is about to be kicked out on her ass by her asshole dipshit of a father."
"Kate, he's not going to kick you out, is he?" I asked surprisedly.
Kate snorted. "He owns my apartment, so yes, if I quit Kavanagh Media and step out from under his control, yes, he will. He'd rather let that place sit there empty than let me have my own way about anything."
Wow! Was Kate going to be homeless? Never, not on my watch. "Kate, my old studio is still available. It's being cleaned this week, but you're welcome to move in there. The rent is already paid through the end of the year. I paid for six months in advance."
Kate smiled at me. "Thanks, Ana. I might just take you up on that. I know the place is tiny, but I can hardly wait to be out from under my father's thumb."
Christian stepped though the door then after knocking lightly to get our attention, and I could tell by the look on his face that he'd heard part of our conversation. Christian first looked at me and asked, "Is it OK if I come in?"
"Of course," I welcomed him. Wow, he'd meant it when he said this was my room. He wouldn't even come into it without my permission.
Christian stepped into the room and looked at Kate. "Ms. Kavanagh, welcome."
Kate stared at Christian in shock before she collected herself and responded, "Umm... thank you, Mr. Grey. Thank you for... allowing me to visit Ana here. You... umm... you have a beautiful home."
Christian walked into the room and sat down next to me, giving me a chaste kiss. Then he turned back to Kate and said, "Call me Christian."
Kate's jaw dropped open for a fraction of a second, but she recovered quickly. "Only if you call me Kate."
"OK, Kate," Christian replied. "Listen... I couldn't help but hear part of your conversation as I was coming in. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
Kate looked embarrassed. "Please don't say anything, Christian. I know you know my dad, and..."
Christian interrupted Kate, "And I agree with you about him being... what was it you said, an 'asshole dipshit.' Between us, of course. Anyway, that doesn't matter. What I wanted to say... I heard Ana offer you her studio apartment, but I must object to that. The security in that building is shit. As Ana's best friend, you're going to need better security now."
"But Christian..." I objected, but he interrupted me.
"Just trust me, baby, I have a better idea," he assured me. He turned back to Kate and said, "I own several units here in Escala. There's a two-bedroom on the ninth floor that's empty now. It's yours, if you want it."
Kate stared at Christian in shock. "Umm... how much is the rent?"
Christian got that look in his eye that he always does in business meetings when he's about to move in for the kill. "Rent free. In exchange for your silence about anything related to my private life."
Kate huffed a little and looked offended. "Christian, that's not necessary. You already have my silence. I would never betray Ana that way. A free apartment, as nice as it sounds at this point in my life, is not necessary to buy my silence. I know..." she swallowed before she finished her thought. "I know what you think of me, but you're wrong. I'm happy to sign any confidentiality agreement you want me to, right now, with no questions asked. I don't need to be bought. I'm pretty fucking tired of men like you and my father controlling me by giving me shit. No, thank you. I think I'll take Ana's offer of her little studio instead."
I was so pissed at Christian, but before I had a chance to say anything, Kate stood. "Ana, thank you for inviting me over this evening. I've really enjoyed catching up with you, but it's getting late."
"Kate..." I wanted to apologize for Christian, but that didn't seem right either.
Kate glanced at Christian, who was studying her carefully. "I meant what I said, Christian. I will sign whatever you want me to before I leave here tonight. You have nothing to fear from me, I swear."
Christian nodded. "Thank you, Kate." He stood up and left the room. I knew where he was going, knowing him as I did. He was going to his office to get an NDA for Kate to sign. And I wanted to kick his ass for treating her this way.
"Kate, I'm sorry," I told her as we walked back towards the great room.
Kate hugged me and smiled sadly. "Ana... don't apologize. You've done nothing wrong. You're new to this lifestyle," she added as she motioned around the room. "But men like Christian are always thinking first about how to protect their assets. I get it. It's nothing personal." I could see that she wasn't convinced by her own words, and she saw that I saw it.
The next moment, Christian walked back into the room. "Thank you for your willingness to sign this, Kate. I hope you know... it's nothing personal."
Kate chuckled humorlessly, and I glared at Christian. How could he be so heartless right now? "That's exactly what I just explained to Ana. No problem, Christian." She signed the form without another word.
"Kate, let me know when you get home, OK?" I told her. "And let's do lunch one day next week, OK?"
Kate hugged me and promised to text me when she got home. She didn't even look in Christian's direction again as she got into the elevator. We waved goodbye as the doors closed.