Despite my best efforts, I cannot persuade Anna to spend her time learning German on her magical language app. The morning that we arrive in Frankfurt, we check-in to our hotel. Ana's room is not ready so I offer for her to come to my suite until such time.
"Why, Mr. Grey," she feigns in mock disbelief. "It wouldn't be proper, visiting my boss's hotel room. Whatever would they say about me?"
I raise an eyebrow.
"Just kidding. I'm totally down for crashing on your sofa. Does the room come with a butler or do we have to slum it and call room service ourselves?" She gives my arm a pat and rolls her suitcase onto the elevator.
"Chop, chop, Grey," she claps her hands. "Come show me the secret button for your floor." I grab her hand and pull her out of the lift. I leave her suitcase with the bellhop and lead her around the corner to a hidden alcove. Taylor waves a card in front of a small panel and the doors open to the private elevator.
"An elevator with no buttons? Now this is the life," Ana giggles as we ascend to the presidential floor.
My assistant is stunned speechless when we enter my suite and her luggage is awaiting her.
"I…um…they…how did they do that?" She keeps looking back and forth from the rolling suitcase that she just left on the first floor to the door of my room.
"This is the life," I tease her back, tapping my nose.
I offer Ana the use of one of the smaller bedrooms to shower and change. When Taylor and I return from our workout, I find her lounging on the sofa in a hotel robe.
"You look right at home, Ms. Steele."
"What can I say," she shrugs. "Luxury is my natural habitat." She pops a grape in her mouth. "Go wash up, Grey. Lunch is on the way."
I leave my little brown-haired pixie to grab my own quick shower. When I return, Ana is dressed in black skinny jeans, a white tank, and a fitted red blazer with the sleeves rolled up. She looks cute as fuck in her on-point ensemble with her bare feet. What I wouldn't do to suck on those sweet little toes…
Ana has already set up our laptops and several folders alongside our lunch on the dining room table. She effortlessly switches gears from playful Ana to business Ms. Steele. She has even added some lipgloss and mascara.
We eat our lunch while reviewing the most recent quarter's figures from our German office. Ana is efficient and well-prepared. She refers me to data that needs some focus during our meetings with my German executives. Ana clears our dishes and we take over the table with our charts and spreadsheets. The afternoon passes quickly as we go through mountains of data. Ana takes notes on key points. By dinner, we have covered a vast amount of work. Ana is an excellent assistant. No wonder Andrea picked her as her replacement. I wonder how Andrea would feel about extending her maternity leave a few more months than planned?
I am disappointed when the front desk phones that Ana's room is ready. She packs up her suitcase and returns to the living room wearing red patent leather stilettos. And just like that business Ana transitions into sexy-as-fuck nightlife Anastasia. Not wanting to let her amazing legs perched in her sinful heels go to waist, I suggest that we meet in the lobby and go in search of some dinner. Ana agrees. While she settles into her room, I send Taylor down to the concierge for restaurant recommendations.
—
After a delicious dinner of wiener-schnitzel-wurst, or something like that, Ana surprises me. She directs Taylor to drop us at a pedestrian alley in some sort of reconstructed historic district. We wind our way down a cobblestone street past biergartens and taverns. Ana is killing it in her red heels. She grabs my hand to keep from getting separated in the throngs spilling out from the pubs. She leads me down a questionably uneven stone stairway. We enter a well lit brick and stone bunker filled with traditional German music rife with accordion and harmonica. Long wooden tables with plank benches invite patrons to have a seat and to soak up the atmosphere. Gone are the college-age tourists that flank the alley above us. This is the type of place where the people of Frankfurt come to relax.
A barmaid brings us a stone pitcher of drink and two pint glasses. The pint glasses are made of a simple cut glass pattern that reflects the golden ale that Ana pours for us. The drink is darker than Chardonnay but lighter than beer.
"It's apfelwein," Ana explains. "It's an apple cider that the tavern brews right here." We raise our glasses and clink before taking sips. We keep eye contact to gage each other's reaction.
"Tart," I say.
Ana takes another sip, "I like it. It's different." She smiles. And just like that nightlife Anastasia and I enjoy our first apfelwein together.
"How did you know about this place?"
"I'm still in a group chat from my semester in London. I put out the word that I was looking for something to do in Frankfurt. Someone responded that we should come here."
"And here we are," I laugh. God, she is so beautiful when she is relaxed. "Do you always avoid tourist traps when you travel?"
Ana shakes her head. "Not always. I like to do the big stuff, too, like museums and historical stuff. I mean, there's a reason that stuff is popular. I never really traveled before my semester in London. Some of my best memories are from doing the things that typical Londoners do, like visiting little parks, finding local book shops, eating from food trucks. Those are the things that made me fall in love with traveling." She gets a glassy look in her eyes as she runs through her memories. I find her to be a fascinating creature.
"Do you travel a lot now?" I want to know everything there is to know about Ms. Steele.
"Not as much as I would like to. Thomas's family was so great taking me on tons of weekend excursions while we were in London and inviting me to Taipei, of course. Other than that, I haven't really had much of a chance. Up until now, my resources all went towards finishing my degree. How about you? You seem well traveled."
I nod and take another sip of my apfelwein. The taste is growing on me. "Growing up, my parents took us on vacations to some cool places. Of course, I travel a great deal for work, but that's different."
"How so?"
"Usually I don't get to see much on work trips. It's the hotel and meetings. Every now and then I'll get the opportunity to eat in a local restaurant, but other than that I never get to explore the places that I go."
Ana frowns for a second. She refills my cider. We drink and enjoy the ambiance. With Ana, silence is comfortable. I enjoy watching her as she soaks up the merriment all around us.
An older gentlemen comes by to invite Ana to dance. He pulls her to a cleared spot and teaches her some sort of silly dance that looks like a cross between a polka and the chicken dance. Soon, other locals get up to join them. I pull out my phone to make a video of Ana. She is linked into a big circle formation. The dancers go right and left with kicks and whoops in time to the traditional beer hall music. Ana tries her best to follow along. I capture a stunning shot of her. Her eyes twinkle in delight and her mouth is open in the laughter that accompanies pure glee. She has her face turned to one side as she is dancing in time with the group. The picture focuses on her face. Everything around her is a blurry representation of the lights and movement of the tavern. The picture could be on an advert for a German holiday. It is perfect. She is perfect.
After another apfelwein, Ana manages to pull me up to the dance floor. The locals have a blast teaching us their dances. It feels like a square dance with a distinctly German flare. At some point, Ana gets hot and sheds her red blazer. Her white tank top clings to her curves. A little bit later, she piles her long brown curls in a messy bun on top of her head. The gas light from the wall sconces glitters across her sweaty neck. I will the bulge in my pants to settle down. I find myself once again wondering what type of lingerie she is wearing. Her tank top is thick enough to hide all but a faint silhouette of her bra. Is it lace? Do her panties match? I mentally slap myself. Don't fuck the staff, Grey.
After hours of dancing and laughing and drinking, Ana taps her watch and signals that it is time to wrap up our night. I pay the tab and we head up the stairs into the refreshingly cool night air. Ana links my arm for support. She isn't wobbling yet, but I can tell she is working to navigate the cobblestones.
"Did you have fun?"
"Absolutely!" She giggles with enthusiasm. "How about you, Grey?"
"The most. This is turning out to be quite the business trip," I laugh.
"You know what they say, all work and no play, makes for a dull Mr. Grey," she laughs at her little rhyme.
We exit the alley and wait on the sidewalk for Taylor to arrive. A large group passes us. Ana gets nudged and loses her balance. Before she can go down, I catch her around the waist. Instinctively, I pull her upright until our chests are pressed together. In her heels, Ana's lips meet my chin. We stand like this, pressed together. I can't help myself, I tilt my lips to hers. Just as we are about to kiss, Taylor pulls up and the moment is gone.
We climb into the car. I think about what almost happened on the street corner. Did Ana want me to kiss her? She is unlike any woman I have ever met. She is naturally stunning, self assured, and does not come at me like a horny toad. She is easy to be around, light without being overly flirty. Everything about her says she is enjoying herself without trying. With Ana, I am enjoying myself. Gone is tense, regimented billionaire businessman Mr. Grey. I feel like a regular twenty-seven year old out with a friend.
Ana leans back in her seat. She closes her eyes and gives a little hum of contentment.
"Relaxed?" I ask her.
"I will be when I get these shoes off," she giggles.
I suppress the urge to pull her feet into my lap for a massage. I have to remember that she is my assistant. I don't want to put her in any situation that makes her uncomfortable or pressures her. The last thing that I need to do is misread her and lose a great assistant. I tuck my feelings away. I vow to keep things professional for her sake. Christ Grey, she's a twenty-one year old college grad just starting her first real job. She doesn't need her older boss chasing her skirt around his desk like some creepy stereotype.
Taylor clears his throat, "Sir, we have arrived back at the hotel." Ana perks up. He opens her door and I follow her out of the SUV. She links my arm and we walk to the elevator. I take it as a good sign that she doesn't take off her shoes before the lift arrives. I see her onto her elevator. The doors close before I can muster any sort of good byet. I head around the corner where Taylor has my elevator waiting. When the door to my suite clicks shut, I feel a sudden pang of emptiness wash over me.
I take a quick shower and arrange for an early morning run with Taylor. I need to work through some of this unsettled energy that lingers after our night. Just as I place my cell on the charger, the hotel phone rings on the nightstand. That's odd.
"Hello?"
"Christian?"
"Anastasia, is something wrong?" I get out of bed and begin to look for some clothes to throw on.
"No," she giggles. I sit down. "I just didn't really get a chance to say good night and to thank you for tonight. I, um, guess now I've said it so, um…" She sounds nervous. I picture her biting her lower lip.
"I had a lot of fun. I'm glad you found the tavern…"
"And the apfelwein," she adds, sounding more like herself.
"And the apfelwein," I smile. "You are most welcome. Good night, Ana. Sleep well."
"Good night, Christian," she whispers. Neither of us hang up. After a pause of silence, I hear the phone click on her end. Did she want to say something else? I lie down on the bed unable to fall asleep. I replay the night in the tavern over and over. I'm feeling something new and different. I can't quite put my finger on what it is.