Chpt. 24 APOV:

I wake the next morning to find my hands are secured above my head; I panic briefly before feeling a tongue on my sex. Without looking I know Christian is under the blanket between my legs; my head falls back as my body relaxes. I glance at the nightstand next to the bed to see how early it really is but to my surprise I see the butt plug sitting next to the clock. I quickly realize it is no longer inside of me yet I don't recall feeling Christian take it out at any point. I'm surprised and somewhat confused to see that it is on the nightstand given that my last punishment involved the plug for all night and a significant portion of the following day.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh" I moan as Christian sucks hard on my clit suddenly.

He doesn't say anything but pulls my thighs further apart so he can have better access to my drenched folds. His finger gently rubs against my sex, avoiding where I want to feel him the most. I try to arch my hips, desperate to feel him inside of me but Christian ignores my request. He continues to suck and nip my clit for several minutes before he finally slides a finger into me. It's not enough to send me over the edge, but it's enough to keep me there while his mouth continues to work it's magic on me. I'm moaning and squirming in pleasure; I tug at the restrains holding my hands in place wanting to touch Christian.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh God!" I moan as a second finger joins the first.

"Come when you can baby" he says, before latching onto my clit sucking with even more force.

"Don't stop…..please…..CHRISTIAN!" I scream as my back arches off the bed finally finding the release that I've needed for so long.

Christian doesn't stop; he continues sucking on my overly sensitive clit prolonging the orgasm so I barely have a chance to come down before the next one builds. I whimper in slight discomfort as the next orgasm builds quickly.

"Christian….it's too much….too sensitive" I whine as his tongue plunges inside of me.

He doesn't say anything; his tongue continues to thrust inside of me while his fingers play with my clit. Despite my orgasm moments ago, I feel the next rushing to the surface. My entire body feels like it's on fire, every time his fingers touch my clit or his tongue rubs against my throbbing walls I feel it throughout my body.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" I moan as Christian's mouth finds my clit once again.

"I want to taste you again" He says, blowing against my clit gently.

"FUCK!" I scream as he thrusts two fingers deep inside of me.

"Come Ana" He instructs.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" I yell as the orgasm hits me hard.

I'm vaguely aware of Christian's mouth on my sex, his tongue lapping the juices that I can now feel dripping down my ass. He tongue roams my entire sex as if he is looking for any evidence of my orgasm that he might have missed. Satisfied that he got it all, he slowly kisses his way up my entire body before finding my mouth. His tongue enters my mouth allowing me to taste myself on him, his erection is firm against my sex.

"Good Morning" he nips at my ear.

"I could get used to waking up like this" I smile.

"I'm so sorry for yesterday" he buries his head in my neck.

"For what?" I ask confused.

"I was too hard on you; I shouldn't have punished you like that" He admits quietly.

"Christian, you were right to" I sigh. "I could have embarrassed both of us in the cab…I should have told you before it got to that point."

"I should have realized" he says in frustration. "It's my fucking job as your dom to take care of you, to be aware of your needs and I didn't fucking do it."

"Christian" I kiss his forehead gently. "Untie my hands please."

He looks at me confused but complies with my request; moving up me slightly so he can unclip my hands from the fabric restraints that I realize I've never seen before. I can only assume they are attached to the bedframe or somewhere below the mattress and that he must have purchased them yesterday since I doubt he brought them along on our trip. As soon as my hands are free, I wrap them around his shoulders pulling me close to him.

"Baby, it's okay. I should have used my safe word or at least told you I was approaching my limit" I run my hands through his hair.

"No! It's my fault damn it! I didn't even think to remind you to use your safewords if it became too much" his voice full of disappointment.

"I think we both made mistakes yesterdays" I sigh after a few minutes of silence realizing we both are right. "Christian we're both very new to this; we're going to make mistakes."

"But I shouldn't punish you because of my oversight" he admits quietly.

"Christian it's done now, there's no point in dwelling on it" I say. "I'm not mad."

"Why not? You should be!" he says frustrated.

"Because I'm as much to blame as you are" I admit. "Please, can we move pass this?"

"I suppose" he sighs kissing my neck as I run my hands up and down his back.

"What time is our flight today?" I ask a few minutes later when I feel Christian's body relax into mine.

"Not until three" he says.

"Any plans for today before we leave?" I ask.

"No" he answers. "Is there anything you would like to do?"

"I'd like to find a gift to bring back for Kate if you don't mind" I say.

"Sure, let's take a shower and we can shop before we have to pack our stuff" he replies.

Our shower is quick, Christian washes my hair and my body but doesn't give me a chance to do the same to him before he gets out of the shower. We rarely take showers that quick, I think to myself. I can't help but wonder if he still feels guilt over the punishment last night. I finish my shower and return to the room to find that Christian is already in dressed and in the living room. I throw on a pair of skinny jeans and a fitting short sleeve top before joining Christian in the living room. He looks me up and down slowly before sighing and asking if I was ready to go. We have breakfast at a small café near the hotel before spending a couple hours going through several shops in the city. I find a key chain and picture frame for Kate that I think she will like. Christian doesn't buy anything but doesn't complain as I drag him into several different stores before head back to the hotel. Returning to the hotel I realize Christian has barely touched me since waking me up this morning. He's had his hand in mine or on my back the entire time we are out today but he hasn't touched me since this morning. I know he was aroused this morning, I could feel him against my sex when he was on top of me but he made no effort to satisfy his own needs. I can only assume that Christian is punishing himself by denying himself a release like he did with me yesterday because of his guilt. We still have two hours before we need to leave for the airport and packing our staff won't take very long so I quickly develop a plan and put it into action. While Christian is checking his email in the living room, I close the bedroom door behind me and take off my clothes before taking a deep breath and walking back into the living standing in front of Christian.

"Ana? What….Your clothes…." He stutters looking up at me.

"I want you" I whisper into his ear as I straddle him. "One more time here before we leave."

"But…I…." he tries to find the words as I grind my damp sex against his hard erection.

"Please baby….don't you want me?" I nip his ear.

"Always Ana….I always want you" his hands find my hips, pushing me against him.

I unbutton his shirt, slowly pulling it off of him as I kiss him deeply. My hands fall between us, struggling for a few minutes but eventually unbuttoning his pants. He lifts us both up so I can push his pants and underwear down which fall around to his ankles. I slide down him, kissing his chest and tight abs until I fall to the floor kneeling between his legs. I take his erection deep into my mouth causing him to gasp in surprise. I struggle but manage to take him pass my gag reflex and swallow around him earning me a loud groan from above me. His hand rests gently on my head, but he continues to allow me to control the movements. I continue to bob my head up and down slightly, holding him deep in my throat often as I know he enjoys this position. I can hear his breathing increase as he struggles to not come and I know my plan is working. He moans as I pull back completely but grabs me as I crawl over him again pulling me against him before his mouth finds mine. I slowly lower myself onto him, allowing him to slide into my drenched sex as my tongue thrusts into his mouth. I begin to ride him slowly before increasing the speed, slamming myself into him so he is deep inside of me. His hands are on my hips, urging me but allowing me to set my own pace. His breathing is heavy and his body is tense; it's obvious he is holding back his own orgasm.

"Christian…you feel so good" I moan and let my hands roam my own body before settling on my chest.

"Those are mine" he smirks, pushing my hands from my breasts his fingers pinching my hard nipples.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh Baby….I'm so close" I say.

"Come Ana, let me feel you" he moans as I slam into him again.

"I want to come with you….I want to feel you swell when you come….I want to come when you do" I say thrusting harder and faster than before.

"Ana…this is about you" he squints his eyes shut, obviously approaching his breaking point.

"And I want you to come….I want to feel you deep inside me….the way you get even bigger inside of me when you come turns me on even more….please baby" I beg

"Oh God! Baby….I'm….." Christian screams, my words clearly pushing him over the edge as I feel him swell inside of me.

"Yes baby….Please….let me feel you come….I want to feel you so bad….I'm so close" I moan.

"ANA!" He screams as I feel him burst hard inside of me.

"CHRISTIAN! Yes BABY!" I yell as his own orgasm triggers mine.

I continue riding him, slower this time but prolonging our orgasms before Christian's arms wrap tightly around my waist pulling me against his chest. I listen to his heart beating rapidly as I run my fingers through his hair trying to calm my own breathing. His hands rub my back up and down as his breathing finally returns to normal.

"Ana….that was…." He lets out a breath. "I've never heard you talk like that."

"You were punishing yourself" I tell him.

"Yes" he sighs.

"I thought we moved past yesterday?" I ask.

"It just still didn't seem right" he admits quietly.

"Please Christian….please don't dwell on it" I beg him. "We were both wrong, we need to learn from our mistakes."

"I felt I should be punished because I punished you" He whispers.

"Oh Christian" I say before kissing him deeply. "It's over. Let's leave this mistake in Taiwan."

"Okay" he sighs.

"Promise me" I say.

"I promise" he replies after a few moments of silence.

"We should pack our bags" I point out.

"Did you enjoy our time here?" He asks nervously.

"I did" I admit. "I think we both learned a lot about what we want and what we don't want from the lifestyle."

"That we did" he smiles.

"It was nice to tour the city, I didn't really have much time the last time I was here to sightsee" I say.

"As many times as I've been here, I've never once taken the time to see the city either. It was nice experiencing it with you" he replies.

We spend the next hour packing our bags; Christian decides against bringing any of the new toys home with us saying he can only imagine what customs will say when they scan our luggage. I laugh at the thought but it seems silly to throw away everything after he spent money on it. He shrugs it off before putting all the toys in a box to take to the trash in the hallway, obviously not wanting any of the staff to find the toys in our room and having it get back to the media. Christian explains that his public relations department had to issue a statement while we were gone about the Hyde incident as the media was calling them constantly. He showed me the statement which was very well written which basically stated that while Christian was visiting his girlfriend at the company she owned a disgruntled former employee entered the building with a gun. It goes onto to say that security quickly apprehended him; there is no reference of any injuries to Christian's security team, Elizabeth or Hyde. Reading the statement immediately brings me back to reality; I realize this trip pulled us both away from everything that was going on.

The trip back to the Seattle is long but uneventful; Christian and I are both unusually quiet. I think we are both concerned with returning to reality; the last several days have been wonderful getting away was exactly what I needed. Now with the thought of returning to Seattle, my mind immediately starts racing with the all the things that need to occur. I'm concerned with how I'm going to manage SIP and Seattle E books; I doubt that I can return to SIP without panicking every time I walk into the building. I think I need to give some serious consideration to Christian's offer to have SIP move into his building. I plan to at least try to go to SIP tomorrow even if it's only to gather items to work on at home. Perhaps it won't be as bad as I think; Christian had said everything was being replaced in several of the offices.

I must fall asleep on the plane because a short time later Christian is waking me telling me to put on my seatbelt as we are about to land in Seattle. I do as he instructs, stretching briefly in my seat as I watch the Seattle skyline come back into view. Even though I'm dreading returning to reality, I realize I have missed the city I have come to consider as my home. I hear Christian take a deep breath as we make our way off the plane as he guides me the baggage claim.

"Taylor!" I exclaim seeing him already collecting our luggage.

"Mr. Grey, Ana…how was your trip?" he asks.

"It was good…how are you feeling? Are you sure you should be lifting the bags?" I ask concerned.

"Ana, I'm fine….Mrs. Grey has returned me to full duty" he smiles.

"Good to have you back Taylor" Christian nods.

"Good to be back sir" he agrees.

Taylor has the car parked in short term parking and we quickly make our way to the awaiting SUV. I'm thankful that there are no reporters at the airport waiting for us as Taylor had mentioned they were around Escala earlier this week when the public relations statement was initially released. Taylor informs us that Sawyer has been released from the hospital and is recovering well from his injuries. He is expected to return to full duty within the next couple of weeks. Jack Hyde continues to hang on at the hospital although doctors still consider him in grave condition. He is on life support and they do not expect him to last much longer as his organs are beginning to shut down. Apparently he has no family who can make medical decisions therefore doctors will continue treating him until there is nothing more they can do. Elizabeth remains in prison, having been denied bail for her involvement with Hyde.

"Sir, ma'am we are here" Taylor pulls us both from our thoughts.

"Thank you Taylor" Christian says.

"Where shall I take the luggage to?" Taylor asks.

"I can take my bag to my apartment Taylor, thank you" I say after an awkward pause.

"As you wish" Taylor says handing me my small bag.

"Taylor I will meet you upstairs" Christian says as the elevator opens on my floor.

"Yes sir" Taylor agrees.

Christian walks me to my apartment, taking my bag from me as I open the door. We both walk in and immediately I realize how empty the apartment feels. It's going to be such an adjustment to be here every night, but it's something that I will obviously need to get used to. Once again I open my fridge to find it fully stocked despite there being next to nothing in it before we left. Christian gives me a small smile but offers no explanation; however I'm sure it's Gail that I need to thank.

"I should probably get some work done" Christian says as we just sort of stand in the middle of my apartment.

"As should I" I agree. "I'm sure I have several emails waiting for me."

"I guess….I will see you then" Christian says awkwardly.

"Bye Christian" I say kissing him before he opens the door.

I spend the rest of the day unpacking, washing my clothes and catching up on emails that I have neglected while we were gone. I heat up one of the many frozen meals in my freezer that Gail prepared while I was gone before heading to bed for the night. I know the time difference is going to hit me tomorrow so I try to fall asleep early but find myself tossing and turning most of the night. When the alarm goes off the next morning I realize how little sleep I truly got last night. I'm surprised the jet lag is hitting me so bad as the effects were minimal when we flew to Taiwan. I slowly make my way to the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee before heading to the shower. Although I don't typically drink coffee today is going to be an exemption given how exhausted I am. I take an extra-long shower, letting the water cascade over my body as I desperately try to find the energy to start my day. Thankfully there are only two days of work this week before the weekend; by then I hope the jet lag has eased and that I'm at least sleeping more soundly.

"Good Morning Ms. Steele" Stacy greets me as I walk into the office a short time later.

"Morning Stacy…how are things?" I ask.

"It's good to have you back" she says avoiding the question.

"Can you please come into my office so we can catch up?" I request.

"Yes Ms. Steele" Stacy follows me into my office.

"What's really going on Stacy?" I ask.

"Staff are very on edge ma'am" she admits. "Although everyone knows that Jack Hyde cannot get into the building there is obvious concern for their safety. I think people were just shocked with what happened and it's taking them some time to wrap their heads around it."

"I want you to know that I'm considering relocating the office" I take a deep breath.

"I think that might be a wise decision" she agrees. "I think staff might feel safer if security was better with this building…however with the building being so old and having multiple entrances it is difficult to find a security solution."

"I agree" I sigh. "The layout of this building is not very conducive to insuring safety measures are followed.

"Please let me know how I can assist you" Stacy says before leaving the office.

As uncertain as I was this morning, walking in here just now and talking with Stacy for the last few minutes I know without a doubt that I need to move SIP out of this office. It will put a temporary strain on our finances however the alternative of having numerous staff leave is not worth it.

Do you have time to meet today? –A

I can meet in an hour? If you need me earlier I can leave meeting I'm in now –C

No, one hour is fine –A

Is everything okay? –C

Yes -A

I'm very nervous about this but it has to be done. Even if I tried to find another building to rent it would take too much time and right now time is not on my side. Sitting behind my desk my mind immediately returns to the incident with Hyde only a few days ago. I watch the scene replaying over and over again; I see Hyde burst through my door, Sawyer getting shot, Hyde raising his gun at me and the sound of the many gun shots. I cringe when I think of everything that happened that day and how different it could have turned out. I can't blame the staff for not feeling safe here; I don't think I will ever be able to feel safe in this building. Glancing at my clock I realize I need to leave to meet Christian, really not knowing where the last hour went. I drive the short distance to GEH and meet Taylor in the lobby; Christian must have told him I would be arriving although I don't think it's necessary for him to meet me down here. Taylor escorts me to the elevator and once we arrive on the executive floor, directly into Christian's office.

"Is everything okay?" Christian kisses me as Taylor closes the door.

"Yes, I'm sorry if I worried you" I say hugging him close to me, feeling safe in his arms.

"Rough time?" he asks.

"Yes" I sigh. "About that…I would like to take you up on the offer if it still stands."

"Which offer is that?" he raises an eye brow.

"I would like to move SIP into the empty space you have if you would still consider renting it to me" I say taking a deep breath.

"Of course baby, I can have our legal department prepare a lease right now" he smiles.

"Thank you" I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding as relief comes over me.

"Are you okay?" he asks as we sit on the couch.

"Yes….no…I don't know" I admit. "I thought I was fine until I walked into the office this morning. Most of the staff feel unsafe at the office and there is no possible way to reorganize the office to increase security. I realized within minutes of being there that we needed to leave. Even if us renting this space is only temporary I think we need to move if I'm going to have any chance of keeping my staff."

"You can rent the space as long as you need it. Would you like to tour the space today?" he asks.

"I'd like to have Stacy and Mr. Roach join me, perhaps we can tour the space this afternoon?" I suggest.

"Sure that's fine; I may not be available but Andrea can show you the space. It's completely outfitted with phone and internet; it's fully furnished but obviously you will need to bring in any specific equipment you might have. I have a moving crew that I've worked with before that I can have Andrea give you the number to if you would like" he says quickly.

"That would be helpful" I agree typing an email to Stacy and Mr. Roach requesting they come here at 2pm today.

"When do you want the lease to start?" he asks.

"As soon as possible" I answer.

"The space is ready…is Monday too soon?" he suggests.

"No that's fine. I can close the office for the day and have everything moved in at that time" I agree.

"You will have a lease in your email by the end of today" he says sending off an email. "Let me know any modifications you would like done to the space and I will see that they are completed this weekend."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary" I say.

"Ana….I'm glad that you trust me enough to accept my offer" Christian pulls me close to him a few minutes later.

"Would you mind if I set up in the office I used last week and got a little work done?" I ask.

"Of course not, no one has been in there except you" he answers before walking me into the office next to him.

I spend the next couple of hours getting work done: responding to emails, reading reports and reviewing our financial statements. I send an email to all staff announcing a mandatory staff meeting for tomorrow morning at which point I plan to announce our move. Part of me feels guilty for going away for a few days but I know I probably would have been useless had I not spent some time away. There is no way I would have been able to concentrate on anything so soon after everything that happened.

Taylor informs me that Stacy and Mr. Roach are here; Andrea and I meet them in the lobby before going to the second and third floors. As Christian said both floors are completed empty and fully functional; offices and cubicle areas are set up throughout both floors as well as large storage rooms that we could easily use for our files. Stacy and Mr. Roach both agree that the space will work well; technically we only need one floor but having the second floor will allow us room for expansion or if we host large meetings as the one floor only has a small conference room. Andrea provides Stacy with the moving company's contact information and Stacy agrees to contact them as soon as she returns to SIP. I instruct her that no matter what the cost I want the move to occur Monday. Mr. Roach and I meet to review several key areas that will be effected by the move and any scheduling conflicts that might occur on Monday.

The remainder of the day is spent at GEH before I finally feel the exhaustion hitting me. I wanted to let Christian know that I was leaving but Andrea said he was in a meeting in the board room. I asked her to pass along the message that I was leaving but would be in contact with him tomorrow. The drive home is quick, I heat up another frozen dinner from Gail before retiring early to my bedroom. Unfortunately it's another long night of tossing and turning; another exhausted morning greats me as the alarm goes off.

"Good Morning Ms. Steele, everyone is waiting for your in the large conference room" Stacy says as I walk into SIP.

"Thank you," I say avoiding my office completely and walking directly to the conference room.

SIP doesn't have too many employees so we don't need much space for a staff meeting. Space only becomes an issue when we invite several author's to meet with a large group of editors; for those meetings the second floor at GEH will come be very helpful.

"Good Morning everyone" I greet and wait for everyone to take their seats before continuing. "Thank you all for meeting with me on such short notice this morning. I know things have been….hectic since the incident last week and for that I apologize for. The incident last week stood to remind us how insecure this building truly is. There are too many exits to have a proper security system in place; there is no main area for security to greet guests when they arrive. As you know this building is very old and it would be very costly to reconfigure the building to meet our needs. In light of everything that happened last week, I am announcing that as of Monday we will be relocating our office to just a couple of blocks from here. We will be leasing two floors in the Grey Enterprise Holdings building and will share their lobby and security. All employees will be issued a new badge that will be swiped before moving through the lobby. All guests will be announced and if necessary screened by the security team. Our office will close on Monday for the move to occur and will reopen at GEH on Tuesday. I am requesting that before you leave today you pack up your offices. Stacy has boxes available; be sure to mark your name on the box before you leave so we can insure it arrives at your office. Any questions?"

The room is silent, everyone is surprised but I also see relief in many eyes around the room. I meet with Roach and Stacy to discuss the packing of several main areas; Stacy informs me that the moving company is sending over a team today to help pack some of the areas I was concerned about. I take several boxes and spend the next couple of hours packing my office. As long as I keep busy I'm able to keep my mind off of everything that happened here only a matter of days ago. The remainder of the day is thankfully spent outside of my office assisting Stacy in packing different offices up and reviewing our needs with the moving company. I leave the office a little early and head back to the apartment as exhaustion once again finds me…I need to find a way to sleep through the night as the last two nights have killed me.