Chpt. 25 CPOV:
"Owwwwwwwwww!" I scream as he hits me again.
The mean man is holding my hands against my belly as he hits me with his belt; it hurts so bad. Mommy is on the couch next to me but I can't reach her since he is holding my hands. I call for her but she doesn't open her eyes. Can't she hear me? Why isn't she waking up?
"Mommy! Help me! Please Mommy!" I scream loud but the mean man keeps hitting me.
"I hurt Mommy" I cry as the man kicks me and throws me on the floor.
"Don't hurt my Mommy!" I yell as I see him moving Mommy on the couch.
"Shut up you bastard! If you don't want me to hurt you then shut the fuck up!" He screams.
He takes Mommy's clothes off but she isn't moving. Her eyes are closed; why doesn't she wake up?
I wake up screaming and covered in sweat from yet another nightmare; I make my way down to the great room and once again sit in front of the piano. It's now three in the morning; I managed to sleep for almost four hours which is more than I've slept the last couple of nights. Every night since we've come back from Taiwan I've had horrible nightmares; initially I chalked it up to jet lag but by now I'm usually adjusted to being back in Seattle. Flynn is away on vacation so I can't get into see him for at least another week but I know I will be miserable if I continue to not sleep every night until then. As I sit at the piano, my mind drifts back to Taiwan instantly remember the wonderful time I had there with Ana. We definitely had some bumps along the way with our trip including the club, the store and the punishment that I never should have given her but overall I think we both enjoyed the trip. I haven't seen Ana since Thursday when she came to my office to look at the vacant floors to move SIP into. I was never so happy then to hear her say that she wanted to take me up on the offer to rent the space. I'm obviously not thrilled with the reason she needs to rent the space, but knowing that she will be safe and in the same building every day as me just makes my heart swell. Yesterday I was in meetings and phone conferences all day and didn't get a chance to call Ana liked I had hoped. I'm going to wait until a more reasonable time to call her and see if she wants to get together this weekend. I'm surprised at how empty the apartment feels without her being here and even more so how empty my bed feels.
Can I see you today? –C
Finally around 8 I decide it's late enough to see if she wants to meet up today. Unfortunately a couple hours go by before she responds.
Just arrived at my dad's house…won't be back until tomorrow night. Sorry -A
Well at least she ended the text with a frown face, although I'm very disappointed that she left and didn't tell me she was leaving town. I have to remind myself that she doesn't owe me an explanation or have to clear her plans with me. The weekend slowly passes by; I spend most of the time in my office sorting through various reports that came through while we were away. Saturday night brings another sleepless night by Sunday afternoon I'm nearly falling asleep on the drive to my parents' house for dinner.
"Christian! Darling you look horrible!" Mom greets me at the door.
"Thanks Mom, you look wonderful too" I kiss her on the cheek before shaking hands with my dad.
"Have you not been sleeping again?" Mom asks before we head into the great room where everyone is gathered.
"I think it's just jet lag" I lie. "I'm sure I will adjust soon enough."
"You've been back since Wednesday though right?" she asks.
"Yes" I sigh.
"Your body should be adjusted by now" she points out. "Do you need something to help you sleep?"
"No, I'll be fine" I say.
Over the counter sleep aids have never helped me sleep and I end up just feeling worse in the morning, almost as if I have a horrible hang over. My mom knows I have nightmares and knows I don't like to talk about them so I'm sure she is seeing right through my lie. Walking into the great room I see Elliot, Kate, Mia, some guy and my dad. Mia quickly introduces me to 'Mark' who apparently she has been seeing for a couple of weeks now. I can tell she is nervous about introducing him to me; I haven't exactly been easy on her last few boyfriends. In my defense most of them have been low lives with no jobs and no possible future. I don't want someone like that for my baby sister, she deserves to be with someone who can give her everything she wants and Mia wants everything!
"So Mark, what do you do?" I ask as we sit down for dinner.
"I'm a student right now, majoring in business administration" He says nervously.
"What do you hope to do after college?" I inquire.
"I plan to continue on for an MBA and then my goal is to assist companies who are struggling in restructuring and organizing their businesses to become more marketable" he explains.
"That's not too different from what you do Christian" Mia points out.
"Well, there are some difference" I reluctantly agree.
"Christian dear, where is Ana tonight?" Mom asks.
"She is visiting her father in Portland for the weekend" I sigh.
"Did you have a nice time in Taiwan?" Dad asks.
"It was very nice; we were able to tour the city and see many sites that I didn't even know existed before this trip" I smile at the memory of walking through the gardens with Ana.
"I talked to Ana last night, she said she had a wonderful time" Kate speaks up.
Knowing that she told Kate she enjoyed our trip made me smile. I tune out the rest of the conversation at dinner; my thoughts once again surround Ana. I can't help but wonder if the reason my nightmares have increased in frequency and duration is because Ana is no longer sleeping in my bed. It doesn't seem like the answer could be that simple; all I know is when I sleep next to her I'm able to go back to sleep after a nightmare, I wake feeling rested and the nightmares according far less than they have been since she moved back into her apartment. I feel frustrated that Dr. Flynn is on vacation and can't meet with me, I desperately need to know what this means.
"You should bring Ana with you next Sunday" Mom walks me to the door.
"I'll ask her" I smile at the thought that my mother wants to see Ana.
"You look so happy when anyone talks about her, I can tell how much you love her" Mom kisses me on the cheek.
"How?" I ask stunned.
"I can tell by the look in your eyes, dear. You love her" Mom states matter of fact.
"I do" I sigh. "She just moved back to her apartment when we came back from Taiwan."
"Why?" she asks.
"With Hyde and Elizabeth in police custody there is no longer a threat" I explain.
"Was the only reason she was living with you for her safety?" she asks.
"That was the reason she moved in with me yes" I answer.
"So she slept in one of your guest rooms?" Mom smirks.
"Well, no of course not" I admit quietly.
"Then it doesn't sound like that was the only reason she stayed with you" Mom points out. "You could have easily put her up in a hotel and hired round the clock security for her."
"I could have" I admit.
"How did you sleep when you were Taiwan?" Mom asks.
"Very well" I sigh, wishing I could sleep like I did when we were there.
"And when she was living with you?" Mom asks.
"I still had nightmares of course, but not as often. Sometimes it would only be once a week and I was always able to go back to sleep afterwards" I answer.
"It sounds like she kept your nightmares away and made you feel safe" Mom says cautiously.
"She did" I smile sadly.
"When are you going to ask her to move back in with you?" Mom asks.
"I don't know" I pause. "What should I say? Please move in with me so my nightmares stay away?"
"Why don't you think about why she keeps your nightmares away and start there?" Mom suggests.
"I'll think about it" I take a deep breath. "But what if she says no?"
"What if she says yes?" Mom counters.
"I'll see you next Sunday" I give my Mom a quick hug before darting out the door leaving her stunned behind me.
On the way home I think about everything that happened over dinner and what my mom suggested. I can't help but think it's selfish of me to ask Ana to move back in just to keep my nightmares away. I need to be able to offer her something more, to give her a reason to want to move in with me. She just purchased an apartment of her own that I'm sure she plans on living in. When we came back from Taiwan I thought I would be satisfied with seeing her every weekend like we originally agreed to before all the Jack Hyde mess but it's only been a few days since I've seen her and I can't stand it. I find myself actually looking forward to going to work tomorrow because SIP is moving in which means Ana will be there. It takes everything in me to not go downstairs to her apartment right now; I don't know what I would say when she opens the door. I don't know what I want from her; I just know I want to see her.
Sunday night passes by just as the every night has since we came back from Taiwan; another nightmare which only ends with me drenched in sweat, panting heavily before finally calming down at the piano. I managed to sleep for about three hours before the nightmare found me, once again starting the day feeling exhausted. Thankfully I have a pretty light day scheduled, a few conference calls and one morning meeting is all that is scheduled besides Ana moving in.
"Taylor, I want to know the minute Ana arrives at GEH" I instruct as we arrive at the office.
"Yes sir" He agrees.
"Andrea!" I call as I get settled into my office.
"Yes Mr. Grey?" Andrea quickly appears at my door.
"Have coffee and donuts waiting on the second floor for the SIP staff when they arrive" I request.
"Yes….but…." she pauses.
"What is it?" I snap.
"I spoke with Stacy this morning, they are not scheduled to arrive until noon sir" Andrea mumbles.
"Okay" I sigh, hoping Ana would arrive in the morning. "Arrange for sandwiches and drinks to be delivered when they arrive."
"Yes Mr. Grey" Andrea leaves the office quickly.
How's moving going? –C
It's going –A
If you need more help let me know –C
We're okay, just loading the last in the truck now –A
The morning drags on, I barely pay attention in the meeting and find myself easily snapping at everyone. Even Ros comments about my mood; telling me to go back to whatever I was doing before I went to Taiwan because apparently I was a much easier person to deal with then.
"Mr. Grey?" Andrea calls me through the intercom.
"Yes Andrea" I answer.
"Mr. Taylor asked me to inform you that the moving truck from SIP has arrived and they are unloading now" Andrea says.
"Very well" I reply.
I find myself smiling at the fact that Ana is now only a few floors below me; I'm tempted to go down and see her but I know right now she is likely busy sorting out where everything goes. I decide to check on her in a couple of hours; hopefully by then she has some time to spare. The last thing I want to do is interfere with her company getting set up today as I know her goal is for them to be fully operational tomorrow morning. The afternoon passes by almost as slow as the morning did, I find myself struggling to stay awake and focus on the reports in front of me.
"Mr. Grey?" Andrea pulls me from the report that is making my eyes cross.
"Yes" I snap.
"Ms. Steele is here to-" Andrea says.
"Send her in" I bark.
"Ana" I rush to the door the moment she walks through and wrap my arms around her. I can only imagine how desperate I must look but right now I need to feel her in my arms.
"Christian" she gasps as I look up. "You look horrible."
"Thanks" I smirk.
"When was the last time you slept?" she asks.
"Last night" I answer.
"For how long?" she asks in an accusatory tone.
"Three hours" I admit.
"And the night before that?" she asks.
"Four" I answer quietly.
"Why?" her hands find my hair as she rests her forehead against mine.
"I've been having nightmares" I whisper.
"Oh baby" she kisses me gently on the lips. "Get your stuff."
"What?" I step back.
"We're leaving" she walks to my desk, picking up my cell phone and suit jacket.
"No, Ana it's not even three o'clock" I point out; my day is far from over.
"Andrea, please cancel Mr. Grey's appointments for the remainder of the day he will be leaving the office shortly" Ana says into my intercom.
"Yes ma'am" Andrea responds clearly startled.
"And ask Taylor to get the car ready" Ana requests.
"Ana, I can't…." I begin.
"Yes you can and you are. You need sleep and quite frankly so do I. We are going back to Escala where we are both going to get some sleep" She hands me my suit jacket which I reluctantly put on.
"Why do you need sleep?" I ask as Taylor drives us back to Escala a few minutes later.
"What?" she asks confused.
"In my office, you said that you need sleep too" I point out.
"Because I haven't been sleeping well either but at least I don't look like death warmed over me. I've been able to get more than a few hours of sleep at night" she replies.
"Why haven't you been sleeping?" I ask concerned.
"I don't know" she sighs. "I thought it was jet lag but…"
"Sir, ma'am we have arrived" Taylor announces as I realize that neither of us noticed the car even stopped.
"Thank you Taylor" Ana steps out of the car.
"Where to?" I ask as approach the elevator.
"Your place" she answers quickly. "The bed is bigger."
Taylor enters the code to the penthouse and Ana lays her head on my chest just as the doors close. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close to me realizing in this moment how much I have truly missed her over the last few days. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her upstairs to my bed where we both strip out of clothes and crawl into my bed. I immediately pull her close to me, her back against my chest and hold her tightly.
"I've missed this" she admits.
"Me too" I whisper.
I fall asleep moments later, for the first time in my life I fall asleep long before the sun goes down. I sleep soundly for the next several hours, waking only when I feel Ana leave the bed to use the bathroom. Glancing at the clock I realize just how long we have been asleep as it's after eight, I realize this is the longest I slept in several days without a nightmare.
"Did I wake you?" Ana asks as she comes back into the bedroom.
"Only when you got out of bed" I pull her back into bed next to me.
"Did you sleep?" she asks, lying back down next to me.
"I did," I admit. "Thank you."
"You shouldn't have gone so many days without sleeping like that" she points out.
"I know" I sigh. "But it wasn't something I could control."
"You should have called me" she says.
"You should have told me you weren't sleeping good either" I counter.
"You're right" she sighs. "I hope you didn't have anything important scheduled this afternoon."
"No, my meetings were in the morning…I think it was one conference call I still had on my calendar" I say. "It was kind of hot though."
"What was?" she asks confused.
"You taking control like that" I smirk.
"Ah yes…my CEO mode that you think is hot" she giggles.
"Very hot" I nip her ear as I pull her against my hard erection showing her just how hot I think it was.
"So hot" she moans moments before her lips find mine.
"I need you….I'm not going to last long" I admit.
"Please Christian" she begs, grinding herself against me.
I flip her over quickly and thrust into her causing her to call out in surprise. Her legs wrap around my waist, her fingers dig into my ass holding me deep inside of her as my lips crush against her. I can feel her walls trembling around me, gripping me tight and I know we are both going to come fast. I struggle to pull back from her but finally manage to before thrusting hard back into her; I'm rewarded with a loud moan as she clenches around me again.
"Oh God!" Ana screams as I pull her thighs back and thrust hard into her.
I can feel she is getting close; her walls are clenching me so tight I can barely move, her fingernails are digging into my ass desperately trying to control my pace and she is breathing rapidly. I move my body up slightly, changing the angle so that I'm rubbing against her clit every time I slam into her.
"Christian! Please….Oh God…..Don't stop…." She moans.
Not wanting to disappoint, I continue pulling out of her nearly completely before slamming back into her and quickly feel my balls tighten as my orgasm approaches. She clamps down on me and squeezes the orgasm from me just as she screams my name finding her own release. She pulls me into her, pushing me deeper inside of her as I spill myself into her.
"Wow…that was…." She runs her hands up and down my back as I lay on top of her.
"An appetizer baby" I smirk.
"Huh?" she looks at me confused.
"That was an appetizer…I'm going to feed you dinner and then we are coming back for round two" I smile. "It's been too many days since I've been inside of you."
"It's only been four days Christian" she points out.
"Four days is too many, I need you at least that many times in a day" I tell her.
"Christian!" She smacks my ass, clearly thinking I'm joking but I'm not so sure. I never can seem to get enough of her.
"Will you stay with me tonight?" I ask as we get dressed so we can head downstairs for a late dinner.
"Yes" she smiles.
I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and take her hand, leading her downstairs. Gail left a note on the counter indicating there are several items in the fridge that we can eat including reheating instructions. Ana chooses to heat up the macaroni and cheese; her eyes gleaming when she says it's her favorite comfort food. We laugh as I admit this is one of my favorite foods as well. We eat our dinner, making small talk about the office move and plans for the remainder of the week. I'm so close to asking her to move in with me but I want to first see if it's a fluke that I was able to sleep just now without a nightmare. I need to know that we both need to sleep next to each other to sleep soundly at night; then I need to figure out how to ask her to move in with me. I take our dishes to the kitchen as Ana finishes her glass of wine; I quickly grab a bottle of whip cream out of the fridge before returning to the dining room.
"What's that for?" Ana asks.
"My desert" I smirk.
"What are you having for desert Mr. Grey?" she asks innocently.
"You" I grab her hand, leading her quickly up the stairs back to my room.
The door is barely closed before her lips crush against mine as she pushes me against the wall. The can of whip cream falls to the floor as we struggle to take each other's clothes off fast enough. She grinds herself against my now hard erection as her tongue thrusts in my mouth. I lift her up by her ass, carrying her to the bed before picking the can of whip cream up from the floor. She smirks at me as I put the can next to her and crawl over her beautiful body.
"Now don't move" I instruct her as I open the can and spray a small amount of whip cream on her nipples.
"Oh God that's cold!" She exclaims, nearly jumping off the bed.
"Don't move…you don't want to be sleeping in whip cream tonight" I warn.
I gently nibble and suck the whip cream off her nipples before applying more, this time leaving it on her hard nipples. She moans as the coolness sets in and I continue on my mission, kissing and nipping her skin until I reach my destination. She yelps loudly as I spray a small amount of whip cream just above her clit, clearly she was not expecting that. I pull her thighs far apart before putting whip cream on the crease between her thigh and her sex. Glancing up I can tell she is having trouble controlling her movements; the whip cream from her breasts now slowly sliding down soon to end up on my sheets.
"Look at the mess you made" I reach up scooping up some whip cream with my tongue from her nipple.
"Maybe you should clean me up" she smirks.
"Oh I fully intend to" I smile.
Ignoring her nipples, I slowly make my way back to her sex where the whip cream is starting to drip just onto her clit. I start with crease of her thighs; kissing, sucking and occasionally biting as I clean away the whip cream. She is moaning loudly above me as she grips the sheets; I can smell her arousal which motivates me even further knowing how hot this is making her. I move to the other thigh, repeating the same movements as moments ago; Ana's hands grip my head urging me closer to her sex. I chuckle but continue on task as she moans in disappointment. After cleaning the last bit of whip cream off her thigh, I run my tongue up her sex finally reaching her clit where I can taste both the whip cream and Ana. The taste is wonderful and only gets better as she continues to move allowing the whip cream to slide onto her clit.
"OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" She moans loudly as I flick her clit hard with my tongue.
Running my fingers along her sex I can feel just how aroused she is right now; her folds are drenched in excitement, her hands are gripping my head tight against her clit as she moans above me.
"Christian….please…..I…" she begs.
"What do you need baby?" I pull back slightly from her.
"You…I need you" she moans.
"I'm right here…you need to be more specific" I tease.
"Oh God!" she yells as I pull her clit gently with my teeth. "I need you to fuck me! Please Christian!"
"Tell me how you want me to fuck you" I instruct.
"Hard and fast….please Christian! I need you!" she screams.
"Turn over" I pull away from her sex completely causing her to moan at the loss of contact.
She quickly complies with my request, rolling over and kneeling up on all fours. Her sex and perfect ass are on full display for me; I take a moment to just admire her beautiful body grateful that it's all mine. I run my fingers up her sex coating them in her juices before bringing them up further to her perfect tight hole. She moans at my touch as she tries to push back against me; I repeat the process two more times before plunging into her now dripping sex.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She screams as her walls grip me tightly.
"Don't come yet" I push gently against her tight rear entrance with my finger as my erection is deep inside of her.
"Oh God! Christian! Too much…..I need to come!" she moans bucking against me.
"Not yet….hold it baby" I tell her.
With my finger sliding in and out of her tight ass, I begin fucking her hard and fast as she wanted. Her moans and screams only motivate me further as I struggle to hold back my own orgasm not wanting this to end. Her head falls to the bed; as the need becomes more desperate and she begins to thrust her hips against me, meeting me thrust for thrust.
"CHRISTIAN! PLEASE!" she screams.
"Now Ana….COME!" I push a second finger into her, pushing her over the edge as I feel her walls grip me tightly.
"Don't stop….God…..Don't Stop! OHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" she screams as the orgasm finally hits.
I don't let up on my movements; I fight the urge to find my own release as her walls nearly hold me in place. I continue thrusting into her hard and deep, not letting her orgasm end as my fingers now mimic my actions on her sex.
"Christian….please…." she moans.
"What baby?" I thrust into her deep, hitting her cervix as I plunge my fingers deeper into her ass.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh….too…..much…." She screams.
"Do you want me to stop?" I ask.
"No…..yes….." she moans.
"I want to feel you come again" I tell her, increasing the pace in both holes.
"CHRISTIAN! I can't…." she lies as I can feel her body responding, preparing to come again.
"Yes you can….you're so close, I can feel it. The way you grip me when I'm deep inside of you; not only my dick but you're also gripping my fingers so tight I can barely move them" I say, knowing that she has a hard time holding back when I talk dirty to her.
"NOoooooooooooooo" she moans as I just move my fingers in and out of her as her ass grips me tighter.
"Yes…feel it….God your pussy is tightening around me too… I can barely move" I thrust into her deeper.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" she moans loudly.
"Your pussy is throbbing against me…You're so tight….tell me you can come again baby, I love the way you feel when you come while I'm deep inside you" I whisper in her ear as I push deeper into both her holes.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….don't stop…." She moans.
I lay across her back, reaching my other hand under her to rub her clit as I thrust deeper into her.
"That's it baby….Oh you feel so good" I nip her ear.
"I'm so close….Oh God…..You're so deep like this" she says; her words nearly pushing me over the edge.
"Come with me Ana" I pinch her clit which is all it takes as I feel her detonate around me.
"ANA!" I scream as my balls tight and I explode inside of her.
"We made a mess on your bed" she giggles as we both finally come down from our orgasms.
"So we did" I agree, seeing the whip cream from her breasts all over the sheets.
"Let's get washed up and then we can change the bedding" she suggests.
I gently move myself back and forth inside of her before pulling completely out, I watch as a small amount of our juices slip from her sex and slide down her leg. There's something about this site that is very arousing, I feel my dick twitch from the site alone despite the intense orgasm just minutes ago. I take her hand and lead her to the bathroom, where I take a warm washcloth and clean the evidence of our orgasms from her thighs and her sex. She blushes deeply at this action, but allows me to continue. Once we are both washed up, we change the sheets and crawl into the bed quickly falling asleep wrapped in each other's arms.