Chpt. 16 APOV:

The next week passes by slowly; Christian continues to work long days, often leaving before I'm even awake in the morning and coming back to his apartment only to continue working until well into the night. He is more stressed out than usual but he not as stressed as he was last Friday when I was at his office. He mentions the possibility of having to return to Taiwan in the upcoming weeks which I can tell he is unhappy about. Just the mention of Taiwan has me instantly remember the wonderful two nights we spent together there, both of us discovering BDSM for the first time. It's truly amazing to think about how far we have come since then. We are having dinner with Christian's family tomorrow night which has me a little nervous but Christian has reassured me that I have nothing to worry about.

"Are you ready Ms. Steele?" Sawyer asks.

"Yes, we can head to the office now" I pick up my bag and head to the foyer.

The ride to SIP is relatively short; Stacy greats Sawyer and I as soon as we enter. As is customary, Sawyer checks my office before allowing me to enter declaring the office is now safe. It's been two weeks since Hyde destroyed my apartment and we still have no indication of his whereabouts. Taylor reports that my apartment should finally be restored to normal by the end of next week but Christian has told me I am staying with him until Hyde is caught. Honestly, I have no desire to return to my apartment right now; I don't know how I can walk in there and not see the damage he did or think he was hiding somewhere. Staying with Christian makes me feel much safer although I find myself wishing he wasn't working so much but I know this is the nature of owning your own business.

I'm sorting through the piles on my desk of various manuscripts that were submitted to me for approval yesterday when I find a thin brown envelope mixed in the pile. I know this wasn't here last night when I left because I put the pile of manuscripts in a specific order before leaving. Stacy had left long before me, but even if she hadn't she wouldn't rearrange a pile and stick an envelope in the middle. I rack my brain thinking of how everything looked last night before I left the office but I know for certain that this envelope was not in this pile. There is nothing on the front to indicate what it is so I open it and am shocked at the contents. There are several black and white photos of me; many of them appear as if they were taken while relatively close to me. I see a couple with me and Sawyer walking into or out of SIP. There is only one photo of me with Christian which appears to have been taken last week when we were leaving GEH. A note falls out from between the photos:

I am watching you

"Stacy?" I call through the intercom.

"Yes Ms. Steele?" she answers immediately.

"Please send Sawyer in" I say in a shaky voice.

"Ms. Steele?" Sawyer quickly walks through the door.

I can't say anything but point to the mess of pictures on my desk and the note which looks as if it was cut from a magazine. I vaguely hear Sawyer talking to whom I assume is Taylor on his phone, but I'm too stunned to comprehend what is going on. I don't understand how Hyde or someone could have gotten this close to me. How could Hyde have gotten in my office to deliver the envelope? I was here until well after seven last night and I know I was the last one to leave because Sawyer and I locked the doors as we left.

"Ms. Steele?" Sawyer calls pulling me from my thoughts.

"What?" I ask.

"Mr. Grey would like you to come to his office and finish working your day there" Sawyer says.

I sigh knowing there is no point in arguing with Christian when it comes to my safety and right now I don't feel very safe at SIP. I received Welsh's security report yesterday which outlined several key risk areas of our building highlighting the fact that SIP does not have any type of video surveillance system. I had reviewed the report last night, adding a few questions before returning it to Welsh. My intention was to have work started some of the area in the next couple of weeks but now I may need to increase the start date.

"Stacy, please take the rest of the day off" I tell her as I pack up my stuff.

"Ms. Steele?" she asks confused.

"I'm going to be leaving for the day, why don't you get a head start on your weekend" I suggest.

"Thank you that would be nice" she says before leaving my office.

"Taylor is on his way here, we will have a car waiting out front for us" Sawyer says.

"What about the car you drove?" I ask.

"We will pick it up this weekend, Taylor prefers we get directly to GEH where they can monitor everything more closely" Sawyer explains.

"Okay, I just want to gather up a few things" I say stacking my piles.

Sawyer helps me pack everything up, I have several manuscripts that I'm bringing with me to GEH in addition to my laptop. Sawyer packs up the pictures and the envelope, wearing gloves to preserve any fingerprints I assume although I doubt any will be found. Something tells me Hyde is too smart to leave fingerprints on the letter especially after taking the time to cut every individual letter out of a newspaper or magazine.

"Taylor is out front, are you ready?" Sawyer asks.

"Yes, please don't give any indication to Stacy that anything is going on" I request.

"She has already left" he explains.

Sawyer ushers me outside, keeping me close to him before ushering me into the awaiting black SUV that Taylor is driving. The ride to GEH is fast and quiet, neither Taylor nor Sawyer talking. I can't help but think of Hyde in my office and I'm disgusted at the thought of him being in my office, touching my desk, maybe even sitting in my chair.

"Ms. Steele, we have arrived" Sawyer pulls me from my thoughts.

Once again, Sawyer keeps me close to him until we enter the GEH lobby at which point he bypasses the receptionist immediately taking me to the elevator to Christian's office. As we exit the elevator, Andrea greets me telling me to make myself comfortable in Christian's office as he is in a meeting but should be done soon. I set up a work station on the table in Christian's office but find it difficult to concentrate without thinking of the pictures I found this morning.

"Shit!" I spill my tea as Christian startles me walking into his office.

"Here, let me get a towel" Christian walks into the bathroom before helping me clean up the mess.

"Thank you" I mumble quietly as I wipe the tea off my skirt.

"I can have Andrea get you another cup" he offers.

"No, it was cold anyway" I sigh.

"How are you?" Christian pulls me close to him.

"Scared" I admit. "He was in my office Christian…"

"I know baby" he rubs my back while holding me tighter.

"Why can't he leave me alone?" I ask.

"I will find him, I promise you" he vows.

"I don't know how he got in last night, Sawyer and I locked the doors before we left and set the alarm. I'm certain of it and Sawyer confirmed that we had everything set last night" I say.

"Did you change the alarm codes after you fired Hyde?" Christian asks.

"Yes, that day every code and password was changed" I answer.

"Interesting….maybe someone internally gave him the code? Or delivered the package for him?" he suggests.

"So now I can't trust anyone at SIP" I sigh.

"Shhhhh let's not jump to conclusions. Welsh and Taylor are going to access the alarm company records to see if the alarm was triggered or turned off last night and if so when" he explains.

"Thank you" I hug him tighter.

"Do you want to go back to Escala?" he asks.

"No, you have work to do and if I can figure out how to concentrate I have several things to take care of as well" I answer.

"What can I do to help you? What do you need?" he asks his eyes full of concern.

"Take my mind off of everything…please" I beg.

"Tell me how…what do you need?" he asks.

"I can think of something" I smile, rubbing my sex against him.

"Are you sure? With everything going on…" I interrupt Christian by kissing him deeply.

I understand Christian's hesitation; with everything going on you would think the last thing I wanted would be sex. When Hyde broke into my apartment, although I didn't realize it was what I needed, the time in the playroom took my mind off of everything long enough for me to be able to make sense of it later. When I had a nightmare that I found Hyde in my apartment, being intimate with Christian helped me forget everything even just momentarily.

"Please Christian….take my mind off of everything" I beg.

"Andrea, hold all my calls" Christian says into the intercom before locking the door.

Christian's lips find mine; he kisses me softly his tongue gently probing my mouth. Christian's hands caress my body, softly moving all over me. The feeling is exquisite, but right now I don't need soft, I need dom Christian to take control.

"Please…..sir….." I beg trying to tell Christian what I need.

"Take off your clothes, put them on the table" Christian says a few moments later in his dom voice.

I sigh in relief before complying with this request. This is what I need; I need to get lost in a scene, to have someone take control over my body so I don't have to think about anything but pleasing Christian right now. I stand before him completely naked as he walks around me, looking me up and down before his mouth comes against mine forcefully. He pulls me close to him; I moan feeling his erection against my sex.

"Take my clothes off" he says.

This is new, typical dom Christian always removes his own clothing but I immediately comply with his request. I loosen his tie, gently pulling it above his head to remove it. I run my hands up and down his firm abs, careful not to touch his chest before pulling the shirt over his head. I gently kiss his chest, causing him to gasp before I fall to my knees in front of him unbuttoning his pants. I gently remove his pants and underwear but do not move from the floor as I await Christian's next request.

"Suck me" he orders. "Clasp your hands behind your back."

I do as he commands; my hands are clasped together behind me as he guides my head to his awaiting erection. Christian takes a small step closer to me thrusting his erection deep into my throat, causing me to nearly gag at the sudden intrusion. I have no control right now, my hands remain behind my back; Christian guides me setting the pace he needs. He thrusts in and out of my mouth quickly, before plunging deep in my throat, hitting the back forcefully. I struggle but manage to swallow around him, earning a moan from him as he holds my head tight against him. I breathe through my nose, telling myself not to panic as he stays deep in my throat for several minutes. He pulls back against, as I suck on him and run my tongue around him as I feel his grip on my head tighten. I find myself getting turned on listening to the sounds of pleasure coming from Christian.

"Ahhhhhh….don't stop" he moans.

Christian thrusts in and out of my mouth quickly before forcefully hitting the back of my throat again. I swallow against him, taking him deeper as Christian pulls me even closer to him. I start to gag but Christian's grip on my head remains firm so I have no choice but to take him all in. He is deeper in me than ever before, I feel his balls against my chin as he holds me tightly against him.

"Breath" he reminds me.

I slowly inhale through my nose which makes it somewhat less uncomfortable. He remains deep inside of me for what feels like several minutes, but is likely only a few seconds before pulling back slightly. I take a deep breath but my relief is short lived as he thrusts into my mouth deeply again. He again pulls me closer to him, urging me to take him deeper. I struggle, but manage not to gag as he remains deep in my throat. This pattern continues for what feels like ages, but I can tell he is getting close as his breathing increases and his pace becomes more erratic. He thrusts hard into my mouth, catching me off guard but I quickly recover.

"Oh God Ana….I'm going to come" he moans as he pushes himself further against my throat.

Christian finds his release in what I believe is his new favorite spot, deep in my throat. With him so deep in me, I am left with no choice but to take everything he has to offer struggling to swallow as he remains lodged in my mouth. Finally he pulls back minimally, allowing me to breathe easier but his hand holds my head close to him so I continue to suck him. He pulls out of my mouth without a word and lays on the floor next to me.

"I want to taste you while your mouth is on me" he says.

The mere thought of what he is suggesting has my juices flowing as Christian guides me over to him. Christian urges me to straddle his face before I lower my body on his, moving my mouth to his now soft erection. I feel his hands grip my thighs tightly, pulling my sex closer to him so I can feel his breath on my core. His tongue slowly roams my sex, as if he is exploring it as I moan with pleasure.

"Suck me" he thrusts his hips towards my mouth. "If you stop, I stop."

I grasp his soft erection in my hand guiding him to my mouth. My tongue darts to his tip, tasting the come that drips out of him. With him this soft, I can easily take him entirely in my mouth however I know he won't be soft for very long. I moan against him as his tongue finds my clit and his finger slowly enters me. I struggle to follow his instructions, to continue sucking on him while my own orgasm quickly approaches. I try shameless to grind my sex against his hand, wanting more, needing him to enter me deeper but he holds me hips in place.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh" I moan as a second finger enters me.

Christian's softness is now gone, his rock hard erection once again appearing as I struggle to take him deeper in this position knowing he seems to enjoy that. His fingers continue to plunge in and out of my sex, he continues to suck hard on my clit and I quickly find myself teetering on the edge – needing a release.

"Hmmmmmmmmm" I moan loudly with Christian still in my mouth.

"Do you need to come?" Christian asks as his fingers curl to his that magical spot.

"Yes…" I moan.

"Tell me" he instructs.

"Please sir….please let me come" I beg.

"Take me all in" he instructs and I immediately comply, bringing him to the back of my throat. "Keep me there while you come."

"Hmmmmmmmmm" I moan around him as his fingers plunge deep inside of me again.

"COME ANA!" He commands.

"HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM" I scream around his erection, still deep in my throat as the orgasm rips through me.

I am vaguely aware of his tongue replacing his fingers in my core, bringing all my juices closer to him. I continue to ride out my orgasm, bucking my hips against him as I continue to hold him deep in my mouth.

"Go to the couch, bend over the arm" he instructs slowly removing his fingers from my throbbing core.

I awkwardly crawl off of Christian, before standing and walking to the couch as he instructed. I bend over the arm rest, my juices gushing at the thought of Christian taking me like this especially knowing that his assistant is right outside the door. I hear him fumble with this clothing before he walks towards me.

"I need to keep you quiet" he smiles. "We can't have the entire office hearing you scream in pleasure again."

Christian shows me the silver tie that he was wearing when I walked in; I remember thinking how good he looked in it before I took it off. I look at him confused but he quickly makes his intentions known as he puts the tie in my mouth tying it behind my head. He runs his hands along my back as he walks to the end of the couch where my body eagerly waits for him. I've never been gagged before but find myself turned on even more at the new feeling. Without warning Christian slams into me deeply and I moan against the tie. I can't talk or make a coherent sound; I bite the tie as the pleasure races through me. My body is on fire as Christian begins thrusting in and out of me, his hands firm on my hips allowing him to control the movements. He continues this pace for some time and I feel the orgasm building deep inside of me.

"You like that?" He grabs the back of the tie pulling my chest forcefully up off the couch.

"Hmmm Hmmm" I try to agree around his tie.

"You like it when I fuck you hard, don't you?" he asks pulling on the gag harder.

"Hmmmmmmm" I nod furiously.

He holds me up off the couch like this as he continues to thrust hard and deep into me. I'm moaning in ecstasy as the sensations threaten to overtake me. I don't know how much longer I can hold back the orgasm but I know I'm going to come hard soon regardless if Christian says I can.

"Come Ana!" He commands just as the orgasm rips through me.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmm!" I moan loudly as I feel him swell just before he finds his own release, deep inside of me.

He gently moves in and out of me, prolonging both of our orgasms. While still inside of me, he unties the gag and gently removes it from my mouth.

"Come clean me up" he says.

I pause for a minute, momentarily taken back by his request as he has never asked this of me before. It's not like I haven't sucked him after he was inside of me but never at the end of a scene. A quick slap to my ass reminds me that he is waiting and I immediately move from the couch to kneeling on the floor in front of him. His erection is still semi hard as I guide him into my mouth.

"Suck" he commands urging me to take him deeper.

I follow his request; sucking him, tasting both of our releases which coat his erection. After the last bit of come is released, Christian pulls me up kissing me deeply and holding me against him.

"Do you feel better?" he asks.

"Much…thank you" I smile against his bare chest.

"I wasn't sure…." He begins.

"That's what I needed" I interrupt. "I needed you to take control, I needed to not focus on anything other than you for a while."

"I didn't want it to seem like I was taking advantage of you" his voice full of worry.

"Christian, can we talk?" I ask.

"Please Ana, I want to know how you feel" he guides me to the couch.

"When Hyde broke into my apartment, that night you insisted we go to the playroom I thought you were crazy" I admit. "I thought it was the last thing I needed, but you proved me wrong. Being there, focusing on nothing but you took my mind off of everything just long enough. Having a clearer mind, I was able to look at it again later differently. It's like my world starts spinning out of control and whatever is causing it is the only thing I can think about. You manage to take my mind off of it and force me to focus on something else."

"If you ever think a scene is not what you need and you don't want to do it, please be sure to use your safe words Ana" he says. "We are both new to this and I just don't want to screw it up."

"Christian, I'm sure we're going to make mistakes…like you said we are both new to the lifestyle. I think it's one of the things that make me so comfortable with you; I don't have to worry about being perfect or acting like the perfect sub" I explain.

"Just promise me you will tell me if you're uncomfortable with anything or if I do something that bothers you" he looks me in the eyes and I can see the fear in his.

"I promise Christian" I vow.

"Now, I'd love for you to stay naked in my office all day but I wouldn't be able to get anything done" he laughs helping me off the couch.

We both get dressed before Christian tells Andrea she doesn't have to hold his calls any longer and he unlocks the door. Sitting at the table I find I am able to concentrate on the manuscripts in front me once again and while everything with Hyde is in the back of my mind it is no longer taking over. I'm vaguely aware of Christian talking on the phone, responding to emails and doing whatever he does as I get lost in the manuscript I'm reading.

"Ana?" Christian interrupts me some time later.

"Sorry" I say looking up.

"I'm having lunch delivered shortly but I have a meeting I need to get to. Andrea will bring in the lunch when it arrives, please don't wait for me to eat as my meeting may run long" he explains.

"Sure, thanks" I kiss him gently on the cheek.

"Mr. Grey, Ros is here to see you" Andrea interrupts through the intercom.

"Please send her in" Christian says.

"Christian – we need to review these numbers before the meeting…Oh! I'm sorry I didn't know you had someone in here" a tall, thin brunette walks into Christian's office.

"Ros, I would like you to meet my…girlfriend Anastasia" Christian introduces. "Ana, this is Ros my go to person at GEH."

"It's lovely to meet you" I shake her hand.

"Wow…I'm speechless" Ros says smiling. "Whatever you are doing, thank you."

"For?" I ask confused.

"For making him more bearable to be around" she laughs.

"Oh," I blush. "You're welcome."

"Enough Ros, let's review those numbers before the meeting starts" Christian walks over to his desk.

I tune Ros and Christian out trying to focus on the manuscript in front of me but I can't help but thinking about Christian calling me his girlfriend. We never talked about putting a title on what we're doing other than the dom/sub relationship we have in the bedroom which obviously we are not going to announce to the world. Thinking about it, he didn't introduce me to his mother with a specific title, maybe he has decided this is a fair description of what we are doing. I try not to focus on and it and return to my manuscript just before Andrea brings lunch in. The rest of the day goes my quickly, Christian remains in his meeting until well into the afternoon. I manage to get through the work I brought with me shutting down my laptop just as Christian announces that he is finished for the day as well.