Chapter fourteen
Four weeks later
Christian POV
The last few weeks passed by in a blur. I don't remember many details, I went through the motions as if I was on autopilot. For a long time after my father's death, I felt like my arm had been amputated. They say that an amputee will keep looking for in the missing limb in the place it should be, attached to the body and then experience the shock of realizing it was no longer there long after the operation. In the same way, I kept looking for dad everywhere I turned, my eyes refusing to believe he was no longer there. Four weeks later, I still experienced the phantom pain of missing my father just like the day he passed.
If it hadn't been for Ana, I don't know how I could have survived the past few weeks. She was always there, by my side, offering comforting words. In my hour of pain, I felt our souls connecting in a way I'd never experienced before. She showed me how much by making love to me every night like it was both our first and last time. Although she'd never actually said the words: I love you, I felt loved by her. Being loved by her like this made coping with my grief a lot easier. Paradoxically, I'd never been this happy and also grief-stricken at the same time.
The loss of my father also meant a grandchild was no longer needed. As time went by, I found myself resenting more and more this baby growing inside my Ana. A nagging voice inside of mine kept reminding me it wasn't mine. It will never be mine. Before long, Ana and I found ourselves once again discussing the possibility of adoption. She told me my happiness came first, and I knew she was trying to reassure me she wanted no further ties to her ex-lover.
"I went on the internet and called an adoption agency. Apparently, the process is not as complicated as I thought, and I-we can even choose the adoptive parents," she told me matter-of-factly.
I nodded in agreement. I'm a big believer in adoption; after all, adoption saved my life. I would simply not be where I am today without it. I'm the CEO of GEH, a company my father built from the ground up. I took over the business when dad fell ill, and I will formally become the sole owner of the company in addition to his other properties at the reading of my father's will next week.
I don't know much about my birth parents, except I'm so much better off without them. I was an unwanted child. My mother was barely eighteen when she had me. She was a drug addict whose parents had kicked her out of their home because of her addiction. While I lived with her, there was never a father in the picture, just different men that weaved in and out of her life. I was lucky that Grace was working that night when I was brought into the hospital the night of Ella's drug overdose. Although I don't remember much about those early years, I was told I was malnourished and in a state of neglect. Because of Grace and her kindness, I found a home and two loving adoptive parents instead of being lost to the foster care system, shuffled around for years from home to home, my future uncertain.
"I do believe every child has the right to live a home where he or she is wanted," I told Ana. She immediately agreed. I was very pleased we were in complete agreement regarding this.
Ana POV
Christian has been through so much; his father's death was truly devastating. The first week was the hardest; he barely ate or slept, his normally clean-shaven face was replaced by rough facial hair. It pained me to see him like this; his well-being became my top priority. Every night we slept wrapped around one another like a pretzel until he was ready to resume our love life where we left off. I didn't have to wait very long; Christian was the master of sensuality. Every day, I looked forward to him coming home and making love to me. And we usually did, right after dinner, sometimes more than once a night. Tonight, I didn't even want to wait for dinner, I playfully lured him to our bed the minute he walked in the door.
I watched him with hooded eyes as he lowered his mouth to my breast and dampened the fabric of my bra with his tongue. I pulled off the garment and he resumed his caresses exactly where he left off. I felt my nipple thicken under his caress and let out a small murmur of pleasure. I ran my fingers through his hair, encouraging him, as he licked and sucked one breast and then the other.
While he stripped down, I pulled off my panties in one swift motion. Smiling, he pulled me underneath him, and I wrapped my arms around him, relishing our nakedness. His mouth slowly traveled down to the apex between my thighs which I kept cleanly shaven just for him. I gasped as his fingers separated my pussy lips which melted like honey at the lightest of touches. And held me like that wide open, knowing this made me wetter, enjoying the show, slow kneading the swollen nub between his fingers, driving me wild with desire.
"Always so ready, Mrs. Grey," he smirked at me before thrusting his tongue inside, exploring every crevice. My pussy muscles desperately tried to catch his tongue and hold it there deeper. AWW. Sensing my urgency, he flicked my clit with his tongue, my juices filling his mouth. Suddenly, he pulled the string and removed the weighted ball I've been wearing for the better part of the day. AWW. Lately, he's been having me wear the ball at least a couple hours in advance of our sexual encounters. He usually calls me on the home phone to remind me ( he hasn't given me another cell phone since he broke the last one). By the time he comes home from work, I'm so ready and needy I can barely stand it.
He continued his merciless assault, biting my clit gently between his teeth. My fervor escalated, I began to move my hips against his mouth and I exploded. A loud moan escaped my throat as his lips lapped my pussy for what seemed like hours building up to a second orgasm. My body rocked, my pussy throbbed.
I wanted him so desperately to fill me, I made an attempt to reach for his cock but he slapped my hand away. "Please come inside!" I begged.
His cock entered me half-way, I arched my back to meet his dominance, but he pulled it out midstroke only to start massaging the area surrounding my pussy lips. Then, he slowly moved to flick my pulsating clit, sending a shock of vibration. I was in agony. He was such a tease! Delicious and intense and ALL MINE! He pushed a finger inside me and started rocking my world, in and out, but I wanted his big cock to fill me. Once again, he repeated the same performance until my moans became unbearable to my own ears. Only then did he enter me in one merciless stroke. I clutched him in my arms like he was the owner of my last breath.
I relished the feel of his powerful physique, it felt no heavier than the comforter, enveloping me in its warmth. He kept stroking me at different speeds and intensities. Then, he flipped me on my stomach and placed a pillow under me. He entered me from behind and rode me slowly at first, and then abruptly switching to vigorous frenzy. My inner walls were clamping down on his cock as he was buried in me balls deep.
"You feel fantastic," he murmured and I made some sound I didn't recognize as a word. I couldn't speak, much less formulate a coherent sentence.
He lifted me again and flipped me onto my back and told me to close my eyes, absolutely no peeking.
I blinked, not questioning anything. Then, he got up and retrieved several articles of clothing and tied me to the two corners of the bed. By the time he told me to open my eyes, he was already stroking me in LONG satisfying strokes until I screamed his name in orgasmic intensity.
…
Five days later
We went to the lawyer's office for the reading of the will. After we were seated, Elena went came into the room, dressed up in a fur coat. She gave us a long condescending look before taking a seat on the opposite side of the room along with her lawyer. Just like at the funeral, Christian protested her presence and demanded she leave. Except that this time, we were told that Elena was a party to this reading as her name was in Carrick's Last Will and Testament.
After reading a few personal words from father to son, the lawyer read the Marriage clause to Christian: "You must be married and with a child by age thirty or Grey Enterprises and Holdings will be turned over to charity."
I was in shock. I expected to see a look of surprise on Christian's face but there was none. Did Christian somehow know about this?
Christian POV
Yes, I knew about the marriage clause but that doesn't mean I wasn't trying to fulfill my father's wishes when I decided to look for a mail-order-bride. One truth doesn't negate the other. I held Ana's gaze and squeezed her hand to reassure her this marriage clause did not mean anything. I loved her; being married to her was the best thing that had ever happened to me in my entire adult life.
Ana POV
Unfortunately, there were more surprises in store. The lawyer kept reading: An exception to this rule: if my daughter turns up anytime, regardless of whether or not the clause is fulfilled, she will be entitled to exactly half of my estate."
I blinked several times at that one. Wow. Greed. So that was the reason why Christian didn't want to find his sister, he wanted his father's entire fortune for himself. My opinion of him came down a few notches.
Suddenly, the lawyer representing Elena stood up and brought a paper over to the desk, claiming this was the most recent copy of Carrick's will and as such, it trumped the copy that was just read. Both lawyers compared the dates and argued the authenticity of each copy.
Christian POV
"Just read the damn copy," I said, wanting to get it over with, shooting daggers at Elena. In response, she rolled her eyes at me and looked away with a huff. Judging by Steinberg's reaction, whatever it said was highly controversial and I couldn't take the suspense.
Henry Steinberg cleared his throat before continuing. "I hereby leave all my assets to my wife Elena, including Grey Enterprises & Holdings."
There was a collective gasp in the room. In shock, I turned my head. My eyes instantly connected with Elena's. The bitch smiled a sly smile. Beside me, Ana met my gaze and lovingly squeezed my hand in hers.
"WIFE? She's not his wife!" I exclaimed, outraged.
Steinberg adjusted his glasses. "Christian, I have a marriage certificate here between Ms. Lincoln and your father."
"W-hat? What is the date of this document? Did my father sign this?" I fired at Steinberg, my voice as hard as steel, holding him partially responsible. "This has got to be fake!
My lawyer shook his head no. "I'm afraid it's legit."
I couldn't believe Elena had duped my father into marrying her. I really hoped this was NOT what my dad had been trying to tell me in his dying breath. I'd spent many sleepless nights thinking, wondering about what he'd wanted to tell me. "When did this happen?"
Steinberg handed me the document. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it. This was dated three days prior to my marriage to Anastasia. So, Elena had planned this out in advance, wanting to rob me of my rightful inheritance. Who knew, how on earth had she had convinced him to marry her? Shame on her for taking advantage of a man on his death bed. I wanted to grab the woman by the throat and choke the life out her!
I grabbed the second document, supposedly the latest copy of my father's Last Will and Testament. It had the same date as the marriage certificate. The more I stared at it, the more I came to believe that Elena had manipulated my father into signing both documents.
"I don't believe my father was in full possession of his mental faculties when he signed these documents," I told Steinberg, ignoring the other lawyer's objections. There was no way I was accepting this without a good fight. I turned toward Elena and her lawyer, how I wished to wipe that evil smirk off their faces! "You're not getting away with this!" I believed I had more than enough grounds to contest this, and if Elena Lincoln thought I was about to give up, she had another thing coming.