Chpt. 42 APOV:
Monday morning arrives quickly with no further contact from the person who stole my journal; I was hoping that we would have heard something by now by Taylor reminds us that this person likely wants to see us on edge. I've tried racking my brain around who else besides the blond bitch would be capable of this but I always find myself going back to her. For the life me though I can't figure out how she would even know that I had a journal; the only thing I can think of is she bribed someone at one of the shelters I stayed at for anything on me and they must have told her about it. I never shared with anyone there anything about the nightmares but I'm sure some of them saw me write in it after a nightmare or whenever the memories overwhelmed me.
"I wish I could stay in bed with you all day" Christian pulls me close to him, kissing my neck.
"If you do that you won't get anything done today" I smile.
"Well….I would get a few things done" I feel him smirk against me.
"I meant work stuff" I giggle.
"What are your plans today?" Christian asks over breakfast a little while later.
"I have physical therapy this morning, then a doctor's appointment both are at the hospital but that's about it" I explain.
"Your finals have all been submitted right?" he asks.
"Yes, my professors have confirmed they received everything so now I just wait I guess" I answer.
"Be sure to stay with Sawyer today" Christian warns before he leaves.
"I will" I kiss him goodbye.
Physical therapy goes pretty well, we are focusing on climbing steps and maintaining my balance which is proving more difficult than I thought it would be. After an hour there I leave feeling physically exhausted and I practically fall asleep in the elevator on the way to the doctor's appointment. After a couple new x rays, the orthopedic doctor confirms that I am healing as I should be and he recommends just using an air cast while I'm walking long distances with a cane for support as needed. I'm pleased to be done with the boot as it was getting really annoying to take on and off several times a day. The air cast really just supports my ankle but he feels it will be sufficient with the progress I'm making. He is pleased with the physical therapy reports and removes most limitations I've had however cautioning me to be careful as my leg can tire easily. On the way home I'm tempted to ask Sawyer to stop for something to eat but then I remember that Christian took my bank card so I have no access to my own money. I don't feel comfortable using his American Express card, especially when it's something for myself as opposed to something for us.
When we finally reach Escala, I'm starving as it is the middle of the afternoon and I haven't had a chance to eat between all the appointments this morning. Thankfully Gail prepares me a quick sandwich and a glass of wine while we wait for Christian to come home.
"How is the wedding plans coming Ana?" Gail asks as I watch her begin to prepare dinner.
"Good I guess" I sigh. "I know so little about planning a wedding, I really have no idea what I'm doing."
"Why don't you hire a wedding planner?" she suggests.
"Christian suggested that too but I don't like the idea of a stranger planning my wedding. Grace and Mia are going to help though" I explain.
"Oh that's lovely. They both have planned several events" she says.
"We've decided on the first of October with an outdoor wedding just as the sun sets over the water at the Grey's" I explain.
"That sounds…breath taking" she whispers.
"I hope so….we want it to be simple though. Only about a hundred guests and nothing to over the top" I reply.
"Be sure to keep reminding Mia of that" she laughs.
"I know! She is so over the top with everything but Christian has instructed her to run everything past us first" I giggle.
"If you need any help or ideas, I had a pretty small wedding but I'm wouldn't have changed anything about it" she says a few minutes later.
"Did you have sides for the guests to sit at for the ceremony?" I ask hesitantly.
"No" she pauses. "Neither of us came from large families so most of our guests were friends or neighbors. We grew up down in the same neighborhood so we knew everyone and everyone knew us. It didn't seem right to ask people to decide which side to sit on so we asked them to sit wherever they wanted."
"That's what Christian suggested as well" I say. "I won't have many guests at the wedding so it will mostly be Christian's family, friends and a few business associates I'm sure. I keep picturing our ceremony with only a few people on my side and Christian's side packed."
"I wouldn't worry about that dear" she rubs my shoulders gently. "If you have ushers at the wedding they could seat people on both sides evenly. That would insure that everyone doesn't end up on one side."
"That's a wonderful idea" I say in appreciation. "I'm so afraid people will naturally go to one side, and all I can do is picture an empty side at my wedding."
"The side won't be empty, you may not have family but you have plenty of people who care about you" she assures me.
"Thank you Gail" I whisper as I hear Christian and Taylor coming in.
"Gail" Christian greets her sharply as he walks in.
"Mr. Grey, dinner will be done shortly" she says.
"Thank you…Ana can I speak with you in my office?" he leads me to his office without waiting for a response.
"Christian? Is everything okay?" I ask worried.
"We've received another email from whoever took your journal" he explains as we sit on the couch in his office.
"And?" I take a deep breath.
"They're asking for ten million dollars in exchange for the journal" he explains. "They're also threatening to expose my….past."
"So it's someone who knows about…what you used to do?" I ask.
"It seems so" he says.
"What are we going to do?" I ask.
"Taylor, Welsh and Barney all agree that we should continue with the original plan…that is we call their bluff" he answers.
"But you're not so sure" I observe.
"No" he runs his hands through his hair roughly. "What if they find a reporter who decides to sell the story of my past instead of taking us up on the offer? It could not only ruin me with my business but then you would always be associated with it. People would assume that you were my submissive-"
"Christian" I interrupt. "I don't care what people will think about me. This is only about you and me, no one else."
I move to his lap, so I'm straddling his legs holding his against him. He buries his face in my neck, wrapping his arms around me tightly. We sit like this for several minutes before I feel his body start to relax against me.
"Is there any proof that Elena would have about your involvement in that….lifestyle?" I ask.
"She took pictures…of me…in her playroom" he whispers.
"I see" I pause for a few minutes. "But that would expose her as well, do you think she would risk that?"
"Probably not," Christian finally looks up, as he begins to process it all. "She wouldn't risk ruining her name plus it would ruin her business I'm sure."
"Could she be working with one of your ex…subs?" I ask. "Would they have any proof?"
"They would have a copy of the signed contract, I always provided them with one" he answers. "But they were also provided with a signed copy of the NDA."
"Could one of them risk outing themselves?" I ask hesitantly.
"I'm sure a few of them would….This is an interesting angle we didn't think of before. I can have Taylor track down all of my ex subs and see if anything looks suspicious" he says, his voice full of hope.
"I still think Elena is involved somehow" I sigh. "You said she would refer these women to you right?"
"Yes, she knew all of them" his voice full of anger.
"Is it possible they are working together?" I suggest.
"Very possible" he says through gritted teeth.
"In the meantime we call their bluff right? I mean if they out you, they out themselves but still risk outing Elena" I ask.
"Yes…we continue as planned" he sighs.
"It'll be okay…" I say as his body is tense below me.
"You don't know that! This could fucking ruin me" he screams.
"I know" I whisper.
I've never seen Christian this angry before; I'm not sure how to help him right now. He's practically pulling his hair as he runs his hands through it; you can feel the tension radiating from him.
"I'm sorry" he lets out a breath. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"It's okay, I know you're scared" I rest my head on his shoulder as he wraps his arms around me.
"I don't do good just waiting for other people" he sighs.
"We will get them…whoever is doing this" I assure him.
"We will" he repeats, trying to convince himself.
A couple of days later Christian asks Sawyer to bring me to GEH to discuss the latest developments with the journal thief as I have now decided to call her. Christian has been very distant the last few days and although I wish he would talk more I know he is worried that us calling the person's bluff will back fire on us. He has been on edge all week, working longer hours than normal most nights coming to bed well after I am asleep. On the ride to GEH I can't help but worry about what the latest development is and why it couldn't wait until Christian comes home later.
"Ms. Steele" Taylor greets me in the lobby.
"Mr. Taylor" I tease.
"Ana," he smirks. "Mr. Grey is waiting in the board room for you."
"Taylor, is everything okay?" I ask as the elevator doors close behind us.
"It will be" he assures me without directly answering my question.
I walk into the board room and am surprised that Taylor follows me, sitting on the opposite end of the table. Christian quickly introduces me to Barney and Welsh as I sit down at the large oak table.
"Ana, the woman who has the journal has contacted The Seattle Times" Christian begins. "There is a date and time set for her to meet with one of the senior members of their management team who will pose as a reporter."
"Okay" I say still confused as to why I'm here and why this couldn't wait until Christian came home.
"The meeting is scheduled to begin in a few minutes" Taylor cuts to the chase.
"I see" I say nervously.
"We have a security crew already set up at the café where they are going to meet, we would like you to remain here to watch the footage of the meeting" Taylor explains.
"For what?" I ask.
"We want to know if you recognize the person who is meeting the undercover reporter" Christian says. "Just in case it's not who we think it is."
"Okay" I reply.
"It's also safer for you to be here in case this is a set up and someone is trying to get to you" Welsh explains.
"Oh, I see" now it's making sense why they brought me here. This building is far more secure then Escala is.
"We have several cameras set up, if you look at the screen in a few minutes we will have all the angles up at once" Barney explains.
"How far away are they?" I ask.
"Across the street" Barney answers.
"What's the plan once the person arrives?" I ask.
"In theory, we expect the person to hand over the journal to the undercover reporter who has been given strict instructions to not open it under any circumstances. They will engage in small talk regarding what is in the journal and then they will go their separate ways" Welsh explains.
"Wait…" I interrupt. "We're going to let them get away?"
"No, but we need to first confirm this is the actual journal which is where you come in again" Taylor describes. "The reporter will drive around the block before circling back to our garage and will meet me in the lobby to hand over the journal. In the meantime Sawyer will be following the person and upon confirmation from you that this is the journal he will pick them up and bring them in for a discussion."
"I want to speak to them when you bring them in" I say a few minutes later.
"What? No!" Christian exclaims.
"I want to know why I'm being targeted…why they took my journal…why they want to share with the public what happened" I say angrily.
"It's not safe! You can't!" he yells.
"I will…and you can't stop me" I glare at him.
"Anastasia" he runs his hands through his hair forcefully.
"You can be in here with me but this is something I need to do" I say firmly.
"Fine" he reluctantly agrees. "But Taylor and Sawyer will also be in here and you are not to go near her."
"I have no desire to be near her…I just want to ask why" I point out.
"Our reporter has arrived" Barney says as he clicks a few buttons on the screen to share the multiple views on the wall in front of us.
I recognize the café across the street, the hidden cameras they set up are at the perfect angles to cover the table where the reporter is sitting. Several minutes pass by and I begin to worry that the person isn't going to show up.
"It seems like our thief has arrived" Welsh says pointing to the woman who is now joining the reporter.
The woman on the screen is wearing a long trench coat, floppy hat and dark sunglasses clearly trying to disguise her identity.
"I can't get a good look at her face" I sigh.
"Barney…can you zoom in on her ankle?" Christian asks a few minutes later.
"Yes Mr. Grey" Barney clicks a few buttons and the camera zooms in on the ankle complete with a rose tattoo.
"Damn it!" Christian screams.
"Who is it?" Taylor demands.
"Leila" Christian replies angrily.
"Sawyer…be prepared to follow her when she leaves. It is Leila Williams" Taylor says into his phone.
I sit back quietly, watching the interaction on the wall but also watching Christian. I can only assume this Leila person is one of Christian's ex subs which explains his reaction and his knowledge of her tattoo. The thought of this woman knowing him as intimately as I do sickens me; it's one thing to know that he has been with other women but it's another to have her practically show up on our doorstep. On the screen in front of us, Leila provides the reporter with my journal and leaves the table.
"I'm going downstairs to meet our contact" Taylor says. "Ana I will return shortly with the journal."
"Thank you Taylor" I reply.
"Mr. Grey if you need us further…" Welsh says as he and Barney leave the room.
"So Leila….was your…." I stutter trying to ask the question I already know the answer to.
"Yes" he confirms.
"How long ago?" I ask.
"I terminated our contract about two years before we met" he answers.
"Why did you end it with her?" I ask.
"I could tell she was developing feelings for me" he sighs. "Our arrangement was supposed to only be about sex, emotions were not supposed to be involved. Eventually she started requesting to see me outside of our arranged times; the final straw was when she showed up announced here. That night I terminated our contract."
"Elena sent her to you?" I whisper.
"Yes" he admits.
"Have you spoken to her recently?" I ask hesitantly.
"No! I haven't spoken to her since the day our contract was terminated" he assures me.
"Mr. Grey, Ana" Taylor enters the room and hands me the journal.
"This is it" I confirm and sigh in relief that I finally have it back.
"We will arrange to pick up Ms. Williams" Taylor leaves the room.
"What are you going to do?" I ask.
"I don't know" he sighs. "I need to know why she is doing this and if Elena is involved. I need to know if she knows anything about your accident."
"Do you think Elena told her something?" I ask.
"Maybe" he says. "Maybe not, but we need to find out."
"I want to know how she found out about my journal to begin with" I say as the anger returns.
"Ana…" he sighs. "I don't know that I want you in here when she gets here."
"Tough Christian, I am staying in here. I want answers too!" I exclaim.
"Ana….I don't want you to see me when I'm with her" his face is full of shame.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I may have to resort to acting like a dom with her" he answers sadly.
"I don't care…that's not who you are with me" I assure him.
"I never wanted you to see that" he frowns.
"Christian, it's fine. I know that's not who you are anymore" I kiss him on the cheek.
"You know I love you right baby? You and only you" he pulls me tight against him so I'm sitting on his lap.
"And I love you…nothing that happens today will change that" I tell him.
"Mr. Grey, Sawyer will be here in ten minutes with Ms. Williams" Taylor interrupts us again.
"Where was she when he picked her up?" Christian asks.
"She was about to enter a grocery store" Taylor answers.
"Thank you" Christian replies as Taylor leaves the room again.
Christian continues to hold me close to him, not making any effort to move while we wait for Sawyer to bring Leila to us. I would be lying if I said I was not nervous about what is about to happen; it's one thing to know Christian had a BDSM relationship with Leila, but it's another thing to have to see it. As much as I don't want to see it, I know this is something I have to do if I'm going to get answers. I'm not going to sit back and do nothing while hoping she gives Christian the answers I want. I need to know why I was targeted, why she took my journal, who she gave it to, who might have read it and most importantly if she knows who was behind my accident.
"I love you" Christian whispers as Taylor knocks on the door.
"I love you too" I kiss him passionately on the lips before returning to my seat next to him.
"Mr. Grey, Ms. Steele" Taylor enters the room with a very disheveled, thin brunette.
"Ms. Williams" Christian says coldly.
"Mr….Grey….sir" she stutters a response.
"Sit down" Christian instructs her.
Taylor and Sawyer position themselves on very close to Leila, one behind her and one next to her prepared for anything. This is not the woman I expected to see under the trench coat, floppy hat and sunglasses; she is more of a shell of a person. Her face is so pale, her hair looks like it hasn't been brushed in ages and the bags under her eyes are a giveaway that she hasn't slept recently. I don't know what I was expecting but I always thought of Christian's ex's being these drop dead model looking women which is nothing like the woman sitting in front of us. Her hands are flat on her legs which are open slightly, her eyes are glued to the floor and her head is down as if she is afraid to look at anyone. Christian stands tall in front of her, his shoulders back in clear authority; I see the person now that all of his employees see and I am thankful that this is not the man I see on a daily basis. This man looks cold, stern and unfriendly which is the exact opposite of the man I know.
"You provided a reporter for the Seattle Times with Ms. Steele's journal today" Christian states.
She doesn't respond or look up; it's as if she didn't hear him.
"Answer me!" He says sternly.
"Yes sir" she admits, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Did you break into her apartment?" He asks.
"No sir" she answers.
"How did you come about the journal then?" he accuses her.
"It was given to me sir" she answers.
"By who?" he asks.
"I am not at liberty to say sir" she replies.
"You will answer me!" he demands.
"Sir…please…I can't" she sobs.
"Tell me who gave you the journal now Ms. Williams!" he orders.
"It….I…." she stutters. "Mrs. Lincoln."
"Elena Lincoln gave you the journal?" he asks.
"Yes sir" she whispers.
"Have you been in contact with Mrs. Lincoln lately?" he asks.
"Yes sir…" she admits.
"What did Mrs. Lincoln promise you in return for meeting the reporter today?" he demands.
"Five thousand dollars" she says.
"And?" he asks.
"To train me to be a dom" she whispers.
"You're going to be a dom?" he smirks.
"Yes sir" she answers.
"Do you know that Ms. Steele was hit by a car a few months ago and was seriously injured?" he changes the subject.
"Yes sir" she admits.
"How do you know this?" he asks.
"I saw you pushing her in a wheelchair and asked Mrs. Lincoln about it" she answers.
"Where did you see us?" he asks.
"I don't remember" she lies, her voice is shaky and uncertain.
"Have you been following us?" he yells.
"No sir….only sometimes" she whispers.
"Why?" he demands.
"I wanted to know what she had that I didn't" she replies after a few minutes of silence. "You're different with her."
"When we terminated our contract you were instructed to never contact me again, you are currently in direct violation of our contract!" he screams.
"Yes sir" she admits.
"What did Mrs. Lincoln tell you about Ms. Steele's accident?" he asks.
"That someone ran her over when she was leaving work" she replies.
"Did she tell you why someone did that?" he asks cautiously.
"She….she said it was because that bitch was only after your money and someone wanted to be sure she didn't ruin you" Lila admits.
I gasp in shock…I always knew Elena thought I was after Christian's money, especially after she confronted me at Christmas but I never thought that she would use that as a reason to try to kill me. Christian glances at me to make sure I'm okay; I nod slightly urging him to continue.
"Did she tell you who caused the accident?" Christian asks.
"No sir" she answers quickly.
"Ms. Williams, right now I have several police officers waiting to arrest you-" Christian says.
"For what? I haven't done anything!" she panics.
"Trying to sell Ms. Steele's journal to a reporter constitutes defamation of character which is a punishable offense resulting in jail time" Christian informs her, though I'm pretty sure he is lying.
"Please sir….please….I'll do anything, I can't go back to jail" she begs.
"Back?" he asks surprised. "When were you in jail?"
"A few months ago sir" Leila answers. "I ran out of money after my boyfriend broke up with me and wrote a lot of bad checks. Mrs. Lincoln bailed me out, hired me a good lawyer and helped me get my life back on track."
"In exchange for you helping her with whatever she needed" Christian realizes.
"Yes sir…" she admits.
"What else did you do for Mrs. Lincoln?" he asks.
"Sir….please….if she finds out I'm telling you this much…she will be so angry!" Leila begs.
"Tell me now!" he yells.
"I went to all the places that she stayed at" for the first time Leila glares at me with pure hatred.
"Eyes where they belong!" Christian demands; her eyes immediately fall to the floor. "Why did you go there?"
"Mrs. Lincoln wanted me to find anything out about her from the people who worked and stayed there" she admits.
"That's where you learned about her journal" Christian says.
"Yes sir" Leila replies.
"When did you try to kill yourself?" I ask.
Christian and Leila both looked at me shocked; I guess Christian missed the bandage wrapped around both of her wrists, one still covered with dried blood. Leila doesn't respond but her eyes immediately fall back to the floor.
"Answer her" Christian requests.
"Last week" she whispers.
"Leila, I'm going to make you a deal" I announce moving next to Christian. I place my hand on the center of his back, begging him to let me continue. Her eyes look up and I immediately see the surprise in them, clearly not expecting me to be allowed to touch Christian.
"A deal?" she asks worried.
"You're going to help us get Elena to confess to having someone hit me with a car-" I begin.
"No! I can't!" she interrupts.
"You can or you will go to jail" I say simply. "In exchange for your assistance, Christian is going to arrange for you to go to a place where they can help you."
"I don't need help-" she whines.
"You do," I interrupt. "You tried to kill yourself last week and I bet if we were to look at your wrists we would see older scars where you have attempted suicide before, isn't that right?"
She doesn't reply but looks back to the floor essentially confirming my suspicions.
"Now you can either help us or go to jail but it's your choice" I explain.
"What do you want me to do?" she asks after several minutes of silence.
Crap! I hadn't thought exactly how she would help us…I glance at Taylor, begging him for some help.
"Ms. Williams, you will contact Mrs. Lincoln and with a written script you will ask her specific details of the accident. Essentially you are going to blackmail her for the information saying this is the only way you will turn over the money that the reporter gave you" Taylor says. "We will record the conversation and once you get her to admit her involvement in the accident we will arrange for Dr. Flynn, a respected psychiatrist, to admit you into a facility."
"Okay" she says tearfully.
"You will sit here with Sawyer, you will not move until I return" Christian orders.
"Yes sir" she replies.
"Make one move and the police will come in and arrest you on the spot; our deal will be off the table" he points out.
"Yes sir" she repeats.
Christian takes my hand leading me back to his office where Taylor follows us. He goes to his desk, pulls out a bottle of bourbon and several small glasses. He pours me, Taylor and himself a glass; we all take a large drink before sitting at the small table.
"Thank you Taylor…I hadn't thought of how she would help" I begin.
"It was a great suggestion Ana…you should be proud of yourself for coming up with it under pressure like that" Christian squeezes my hand.
"Agreed Ana," Taylor says.
"What now?" I ask.
"I'm having Barney arrange for recording equipment to be brought up that we can use to record the conversation" Taylor explains.
"We need to write a script for her to follow" Christian says.
For the next half an hour the three of us work on a script for the conversation between Leila and Elena with several contingencies built in based upon possible answers that Elena might provide. Christian contacts Dr. Flynn, explaining the situation to him and requests that he arrange for her admission into a facility preferably out of state. Dr. Flynn agrees to begin the process, stating he will arrive at GEH within the next hour to transport her to such a facility. I'm thankful that Christian and Taylor both agreed to this part of the plan; when I saw the bandages on her wrists I knew that we had to do something to help her. Hopefully wherever Dr. Flynn arranges for her to be admitted to, can help her work through whatever she is going through so she no longer thinks the answer to her problems is to take her own life.
We walk back the board room, most of GEH is now empty I realize and Christian quickly dismisses Andrea for the evening. Up until now I hadn't realized how long we have been here today or how long we were meeting with Leila for. Entering the board room, I'm surprised to find that she followed Christian's orders exactly; she appears to have literally not moved a muscle since we left the room. Sawyer explains the equipment that Barney connected to Leila's phone which will record the entire conversation with Elena. We show Leila the index cards with the script written out, explaining that as the conversation progresses we will improvise with the next card so she always knows what to say. Christian gives her a bottle of water and tries to reassure her that she can do this; this is the first and only time I have seen him gentle with her since she first walked through the door.
"Leila! Where the hell are you? You were supposed to call me as soon as the meeting with the reporter was over! Don't tell me it lasted two hours!" Elena screams the moment she answers the phone.
"No, Ms. Elena….I went to the store to do some shopping because I had no food in the apartment. I lost track of time, I'm sorry Ms. Elena" Leila says fearfully.
"We will deal with you not following the rules later" Elena threatens. "Now tell me what happened with the reporter. Did you give her the bitch's journal?"
"Yes, I gave her the journal" Leila looks to Christian who nods his head. "She gave me a check that is made payable to me for fifteen grand."
"Great" Elena sighs in relief. "You sign the check over to me as we discussed and I will give the five that we agreed to."
"About that" Leila takes a deep breath. "How do I know you're not going to turn me in?"
"I gave you my word" Elena says, her voice trying to remain strong.
"I don't know that I trust your word any longer…this is my future, I can't go back to jail if you decide to rat me out to the cops, Mrs. Lincoln" Leila explains.
"What do you want? How much?" Elena sighs.
"I don't want more of your money" Leila says.
"Then what?" Elena screams.
"I want something on you, this way I know you won't go to the cops" Leila reads the card with a shaky voice.
"What do you want on me" Elena laughs.
"I want to know what happened to her" Leila says. "About the accident."
"I told you already, that bitch was after Christian's money and I had to stop her from ruining everything he has worked so hard for" Elena says; my hand covers my mouth as I try not to gasp at her admission of at least being involved.
"Who did it?" Leila asks.
"Is this really important? This is what you want?" Elena says.
"Yes! I want to know the details so I know you will never go to the cops about what I did with the journal" Leila repeats.
"Josh did it….you know he will do anything I tell him" Elena says proudly.
"Josh, our submissive is the one who ran her over?" Leila asks shocked, this information not on any card as we all stare at each other.
"He is not our submissive, he is my submissive! I'm just letting you practice on him, he will always belong to me!" Elena screams.
"Yes….your submissive….I'm sorry Ms. Elena" Leila stutters, the news clearly catching her off guard.
"You have your answers, now I expect you to turn over the check to me!" Elena demands.
"But why did you have Josh try to kill Anastasia?" Leila asks.
"I already told you!" Elena screams. "That bitch was trying to steal his money; trying to ruin everything I made him into! You wouldn't want to see Christian lose everything, now would you? I had to put an end to it. Damn worthless piece of shit couldn't even follow through and do as I asked; he wasn't going fast enough so she survived. Don't you worry, he was punished severely for not listening to me."
"Is he the one who got the journal from her apartment?" Leila asks.
"No, after his failure at the first task I couldn't leave this one up to him. I had to take care of it myself; you wouldn't trust him after he fucked up would you?" Elena asks.
"No, you're right Ms. Elena" Leila answers.
"Is there anything else you need to know or can I expect my money tonight?" Elena asks. "Josh is ready for a session with you; he is downstairs in position waiting for you to take the lead tonight."
"I will be there in a few minutes…keep him waiting for me" she smiles before disconnecting the call.
"You did very well, Ms. Williams" Christian says sternly. "Dr. Flynn is waiting outside, we are going to let you two talk privately for a few minutes but he has arranged for your admission into a psychiatric facility in Northern California. He will accompany you there this evening; Sawyer will drive you when you are finished meeting with Dr. Flynn. You will agree to the admission and follow the rules of the facility, understood?"
"Yes sir" Leila bows her head.
"If we need assistance legally, you will be compensated for any travel that will be required as well as for your time" Christian explains.
"Thank you sir" Leila says.
As Christian said Dr. Flynn is waiting outside the board room; we are introduced briefly before he proceeds to meet with Leila. Taylor is taking all the evidence directly to the detective in charge of my case as soon as we are dropped off at Escala. I thought I would feel some sort of relief knowing who caused my accident and why but I don't feel that much different than I did this morning. I think I will feel more relief when Elena and this Joshua person are arrested, at least then I know they won't be able to come after me again. Christian is very quiet, barely saying a word all the way back to Escala; he holds my hand tightly leading me to the bedroom as soon as we arrive back at our apartment.
"I'm so sorry baby" he holds me tight against him, his back against the bedroom door.
"For what Christian?" I ask confused.
"For everything…for what Elena did, for the accident, for her stealing your journal, for what you had to see tonight. For all of it" Christian buries his head into my neck, his arms wrapped tightly around.
"None of this is your fault Christian" I assure him. "That bitch is delusional if she thought that I was ever after your money or that I was trying to ruin you. I could care less how much money you have!"
"I know baby, it's one of the many things I love about you" he says.
"This is not your fault….She is a crazy sick pedophile, but you did nothing wrong" I pull his head up so I can see him, his eyes are full of fear.
"But if it wasn't for me-" he begins.
"STOP!" I interrupt. "We've had this discussion countless times, Christian. This is not your fault, no matter what you think this is not because of you. I'm not going to sit back and let my future husband blame himself for the actions of some sick old lady!"
"Say it again" he whispers.
"Say what again?" I ask.
"What you just called me" he requests.
"Oh" thinking back through what I just said I realize what he is referring to. "My future husband."
"You've never called me that" he smiles.
"Well, in a matter of months you will be my husband" I kiss him, running my fingers through his hair.
"We should fly to Vegas tonight and get married" he moans as I kiss him deeply.
"Your family would be disappointed" I point out. "They want to see us get married."
"I know" he sighs. "I just wish it wasn't so far away."
"It will be here before you know it baby; I'm looking forward to telling everyone we love that I am spending the rest of my life with you" I gush.
"I love you Ana" he kisses me passionately, his tongue probing my lips requesting entry.
"I love you" I moan as he lifts me up, carrying me to the bed.
"I need to show you I'm not the man you saw today" he begs.
"Christian I know you're not that person" I assure him.
"I want to show you how much I love you" he pulls my dress above my head, before taking his clothes off and joining me on the bed.
"Yes…make love to me Christian" his fingers rub against my wet panties.
"You're the only woman I've ever made love to and there will never be anyone else" he says.
"Only you Christian" I grasp his hard erection as he gasps into my mouth.
He gently pushes me onto my back after he unclasps my bra; his mouth immediately finds my nipples as soon as my bra is taken off. His hands explore my body, touching me everywhere as he gently kisses and sucks at my nipples. He repeats the process on my other nipple before slowly kissing his way down my body. I can feel the arousal growing as his slowly kisses his way down my stomach, he completely bypasses my sex much to my disappointment and kisses the inside of my thigh. He follows my leg down, before gently sucking on my toes nearly sending me over the edge in the process. I moan as he slowly repeats the same process on my other foot, placing light kisses all the way back up my leg as I struggle desperate with need.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh" I moan as his lips finally find my sex.
His openly kisses my sex, exploring me thoroughly with his tongue as he holds my hips urging me not to move. I'm on the edge but as much as I want a release, I want to feel him inside of me when I do. His actions show me how much he loves me, I have never doubted that but right now I need to feel him closer to me.
"Christian….please…" I beg.
"I've got you" he gently slides a finger into me.
"No, Christian….I want you…please make love to me" I moan.
He stops and just looks at me, clearly surprised at my boldness. Within seconds he crawls up my body, his lips finding mine. His tongue joins mine just as he slides himself into me; I can taste the evidence of my arousal on him which is strangely arousing. Opening my eyes, I immediately find his…I can see the love in his eyes but I can also see the guilt in them. I don't know that I will ever be able to convince Christian that everything that happened was not his fault.
"Oh God….You feel so good" he thrusts into me deeply, rubbing against my clit.
"Christian…." I moan.
Sensing my need, he increases his pace thrusting into me harder and deeper as he pinches my nipple but the entire time his eyes don't leave mine. Tonight is different; it's as if I can feel him showing me how much he loves with every touch. With every movement, with every kiss it's as if our connection grows deeper. With our eyes still on each other, moments later we find our release together.