Chapter 14 - The College Diaries Part 2

Christian's POV

Ana and I were all packed up for Thanksgiving break in Seattle. Jerry and his family were going to Santa Barbara to spend the holiday at their family ranch.

I still had to tell my parents that I dropped out of Harvard, and more importantly, I had to tell them that I was going to propose to Ana soon.

Line break

"Ugh, I hate flying commercial," Ana complained as our flight was delayed 3 hours.

I did have to agree with her though, as pretentious as that sounded. The only problem with us flying commercial was having to deal with the masses of people around us. While sitting at our gate, Ana and I had both noticed people aiming their phones at us, obviously taking pictures. It was very intrusive.

Also, Ana must have been terribly uncomfortable. Although I told her to wear something more casual for the airport, she didn't listen to me. She must be dying to get out of those heels right now, but she would never admit it. And Anastasia Steele would never be caught dead in public wearing sweatpants.

It was comical really. She was wearing a Gucci dress with matching heels, and I was wearing sweatpants and a crewneck. Okay, so maybe my lounging clothes were still designer, but at least they were way more comfortable than Ana's ensemble. And it looked like my choice of clothes was the right one, as we were going to be stuck at this gate for quite some time.

When we finally boarded the plane and got seated, Ana kicked off her shoes and used me as her personal pillow. It was lights out for her.

Her engagement ring was safely tucked into my carry on bag. I was probably going to have to talk to my parents first and get their opinion. However, if they didn't support the engagement, I would ask her anyway.

But something told me Grace was definitely going to be supportive. My father… Well, that was a different story.

I had the best proposal idea. I would do it at sunset. Hopefully, it won't rain. I would set up the boathouse with an explosion of flowers and candles, much like on our first date.

I wouldn't do anything too cliche. I wouldn't get a string quartet or hire a skywriter. I'd simply get down on one knee in the place where we had our first real date. I would write some long speech about how much I loved her, about how much she had changed me for the better, about how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. But that all would be forgotten once I looked into her beautiful brown eyes.

I'd forget everything I had written and rehearsed, and I would just speak from the heart. I'd ask her to marry me, and she'd say yes. I'd slip the ring onto her finger, and we would make love in the boathouse under the stars.

I looked at the angel sleeping on my shoulder, and immediately, I could vividly picture our wedding day. We were outside in a vast meadow. There were white roses lining the pews. Ana was walking down the aisle. Her hair was down, just the way I liked it. She was wearing an elegant pure white ball gown. She looked like a princess… And the next thing I knew, I was falling asleep with my sleeping beauty.

"Oh, my dear Ana!" my mother screamed when she saw Ana and me.

In typical Seattle fashion, it was pouring rain. Ana was prepared and brought an umbrella big enough for both of us. I was stuck carrying the bags while Ana ran to give my mother a big hug.

"Oh, Grace!" she exclaimed, "I missed you." Grace really had become a mother figure for Ana.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" I snarked.

Ana rolled her eyes at me, and Grace said, "Oh, ignore him, sweetie."

Ana giggled and responded, "I fully intend to."

Ana went back to her apartment to make sure everything was clean and ready for her father's arrival tomorrow.

Mia was out with her friends and was coming home later tonight. Elliot's flight would come in tomorrow night, and my dad was still at work.

I guess I'd drop the college dropout bomb on my mother first.

"How's school been, darling?" Grace asked, "You really need to call your mother more."

"I'm sorry mother. Things have been busy."

"More schoolwork than you're used to?"

"Actually, no," I said, skirting around the issue at hand.

"Then what have you been busy with? You better not be distracting Ana from her work. Unlike you, she calls me regularly and updates me on how she's doing."

I felt a tinge of guilt. I really should call my mother more.

"No, I'm not distracting, Ana," I replied, "But there's actually something I need to speak to you about."

"What is it, darling?"

"Promise you won't get upset," I said nervously.

"What did you do?" she raises an eyebrow at me.

"I might have dropped out of college," I spit out as fast as I could.

My mom's eyes went wide, a shocked expression donning her face. "You did what?"

"I mean," I stuttered, "I didn't just drop out with no thought. I started a company."

"Christian!" she screamed, "You dropped out of Harvard! What were you thinking."

I ran over to my backpack to get all of He's financial statements to show my mom that this business venture was legitimate.

"Christian Trevelyan Grey!" I heard her shout, "We are not done talking."

I rushed back and said, "I know mom. I just wanted to show you this."

I handed her the financial statements and her eyes scanned the page. "What am I looking at, Christian?"

"The number at the bottom," I explained, "That's the company's profit. Mom, I really hope you know I didn't drop out of Harvard on a whim. I started my business and things kind of got crazy juggling school and work. Something had to give. And people go to college to become successful later in life. But with these numbers… I don't need to waste four years of my life in classes."

I saw a tear fall down her cheek, and for the first time since I was adopted, I gave my mother a real hug.

"I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm not upset, darling. Look at what you've accomplished. My successful son. I'm a bit disappointed that you're not going to be graduating from college. But upset? Far from it."

I felt relieved that Grace was on my side, but God only knew what my father was going to say.

"Thank you, mom," I said as I broke away from our embrace.

"I don't think your father is going to be happy though," she stated.

"I figured," I replied, "There's also something else I need to talk to you about."

I pulled out Ana's engagement ring from my pocket, opened the box, and showed it to my mother.

She gasped, completely astonished. "Is that what I think it is?"

"If you were thinking an engagement ring, then yes," I smiled.

"Oh, darling." There were more tears streaming down her face now. "I… I… don't know what to say. I'm so happy for you. It's beautiful. Ana's going to love it."

"You aren't concerned that we're too young?" I asked, surprised at her reaction. Hmmm, I thought she would have been a bit more reluctant to offer her support.

"I know you, darling. You don't make decisions lightly. And I know there's no way in hell that anything I say will change your mind. Plus, Ana is a fabulous young lady. She makes you happy, and that's all any mother can ask for."

"YOU WHAT?!" Carrick screamed at me from inside his study.

After talking to my mom, I felt on top of the world. She supported me dropping out of Harvard. She was supportive of the business. She was so damn excited that I was going to ask Ana to be my wife. But my high had come crashing down now that I was talking to my father.

"I dropped out, Dad," I said as calmly as I can, "And I started my company. Mergers & acquisitions. Grandfather has been advising me."

I showed him the financial statements for GEH. He didn't need an explanation as to what all the numbers meant, as he had dealt with spreadsheets like this before.

"CHRISTIAN TREVELYAN GREY! You can't drop out of college without telling your parents first! And this little business venture. Sure, it looks promising now, but you know how volatile holding companies are. You could crash and burn within the next couple of days."

"I'm sorry, father," I raised my voice, "But I'm an adult now. I don't need your permission. And I've been making the right investments."

"How can you be so sure? Christian, what the hell would happen if this little business would fail tomorrow? You'd be unemployed and uneducated! How could you be so stupid?!" he screamed.

"It's not going to fail," I growled.

"I didn't raise my son to be stupid! This is all play money. What $4 million? It's nothing. What are you thinking? That if you fail you'll just come running back home?"

Great, now I just felt belittled and unimportant. Gotta thank Carrick for that.

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way, but I don't need your money," I responded, not wanting to continue this screaming match.

"Is it because of her?"

Oh, no, no, no. Did he just bring up Ana? Oh, I didn't think so. Insult me all you want, but if you came after my girl, I would not stand for it.

"Are you accusing Ana of something?"

"Did she encourage you to do this? Dropout of college to follow your dreams. That's the kind of advice only dumb girls will give you."

"You know what? FUCK YOU!" I shouted, "Don't you ever speak that way about Ana ever again. She's the smartest, most hardworking girl I know. And you know what? Yeah, she encouraged me to start GEH. And it's the best fucking advice she ever gave me."

I wanted to leave the conversation there and storm out of my father's study. I headed for the door and he shouted, "Christian Grey! This conversation is not over. If you don't drop this silly business idea and head back to college, we're cutting you off."

I scoffed at his empty threat. Like Grace would ever let him do that.

"Then do it," I taunted him, "I couldn't care less."

I slammed the door to Carrick's study shut. Dammit, I had a fucking headache. All I wanted to do right now was bury myself inside of Ana. I needed her like I needed air to breathe.

After the upsetting conversation with my father, I headed to my room. I was supposed to be staying with my parents this week, but fuck it. Carrick was such a fucking asshole. I gathered my things and took a suitcase downstairs with me, prepared to crash at Ana's place.

Grace obviously heard the commotion from upstairs only a few minutes ago and was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs.

She gave me a sympathetic look and said, "Darling, your father just needs some time to cool down. You know how short-tempered he can get."

"Well, you didn't hear some of the things he said to me. I'm going to Ana's."

I brushed past her and walked towards the garage. She came after me and said, "He didn't mean it, Christian."

"Mom, he tried to blame Ana for me dropping out of college. It was my choice, not hers. All she did was support me and offer me advice. And also he belittled me and made me feel like worthless," I ranted, "I'm not staying here. And I'm not even sure I'm going to bring Ana here for Thanksgiving judging by the way Carrick spoke of her and treated me."

"Darling, it's Thanksgiving. You have to be home," she insisted.

"Not if Carrick is going to act like that." I knew I was being petulant, but you would have thought that your father would've been a little more supportive of you after you showed him an income statement with $4 million in profits. Fuck him.

I slammed the garage door shut and hopped into my R8, putting my suitcase in the trunk. Damn, I missed driving this baby. I pulled out of the driveway as quickly as I could and slammed my foot on the accelerator, wanting to get to Ana's as soon as possible.

You know what? I didn't fucking need Carrick's approval. I was going to work 10 times as hard to prove him wrong. I was going to be a fucking billionaire by the time I was 25. You just fucking watch.

Ana's POV

I was in the kitchen making dinner when I heard the elevator ding, signaling someone's arrival. I saw Christian schlep into the foyer with a suitcase. I thought he was going to stay at his parent's house tonight. He looked tense, upset even.

"Hey baby," he said sauntering towards me.

I could tell something was wrong by the look on his face. "I thought you were supposed to be at your parent's tonight."

He didn't answer me and started picking at the food. "Baby, what's wrong?" I pressed, looking at him straight in the eye.

"My father," he grunted.

I put the knife down that I was using to cut onions and walked to the other side of the counter. I maneuvered his arms around me and brought my hands to his face.

"Tell me what happened," I said softly, encouraging him.

"I told them about dropping out of college," he admitted.

"And they didn't take it too well?" I guessed.

He huffed and replied, "Grace was a bit disappointed at first. But then I showed her the statements for GEH's earnings and she cried. She was proud of me."

"And your father? Was he supportive as well?"

"Quite the opposite actually. He screamed at me. Told me I made a huge mistake dropping out of Harvard. He thinks the business is going to fail."

He had worked so hard these past couple of months, I knew hearing his own father predict his failure must have been devastating. But I knew Carrick was probably just lashing out at hearing Christian dropped out. Once he realized how amazing Christian's business venture was, he would come around eventually.

"Baby, I'm sure your father didn't mean it. He said it in the heat of the moment. He'll come to see you made a good choice."

He rolled his eyes and responded, "Do you know what he said to me, Ana? He had the audacity to blame you for me dropping out. And he even gave me an ultimatum. It's either find a way back into college or he's going to cut me off."

"Christian your father would never do that to you."

"Well he might try, but Grace would never allow it. I'm so fucking angry was because he had the audacity to bring you into this."

I could see him tense up in my arms, and I felt his heart rate going up. I stood on my tip-toes to press my lips to his cheek in an attempt to subdue him.

"I'm so fucking angry right now."

"I know baby," I say, running my hands along his arms.

"You're the best fucking thing that's ever happened to me. My dad has no fucking idea. He still sees me as that troubled teen he was about to ship off to military school."

"Then prove him wrong," I stated.

Christian was silent all throughout dinner. I even made his favorite mac & cheese, but it did nothing to lift his spirits.

I knew just what he needed. His dad made him feel like he didn't matter, made him feel small. He needed control. He craved it. And that was precisely what I was going to give to him tonight.

Like the good boyfriend he was, Christian helped me clear the table and wash the dishes. I quickly ran up to my room to retrieve a pair of handcuffs Kate bought me as a gag gift one year. The cool metal brushed against my warm skin, and I got excited imagining how Christian would use these.

When I went back downstairs, Christian was finishing up the dishes. He gave me a half-hearted smile when he saw me. As I walked towards him, I kept the handcuffs behind my back, prepared to surprise him.

"Would this please you, sir," I said, playing the role of the perfect submissive. I kept my eyes downcast and held out the handcuffs for him.

"Ana, baby. What are you doing?"

I momentarily broke the role of a submissive and looked into his eyes. "You need the control, Christian. I know you. Take it. I'm yours."

I saw his eyes change from its usual stormy grey to pitch black, and I knew my confident and dominant Christian was back.

He took the cuffs from me then commanded, "Turn around."

I did as I was told, and Christian unzipped my dress.

"Go upstairs and wait for me on the bed." His voice boomed through the apartment.

"Yes sir," I murmured, giving him a sly smile before rushing upstairs.

I kicked off my heels and waited in anticipation on the bed. I waited a few minutes, but Christian still wasn't here. That bastard. He was purposely making me wait. Well, I would show him.

I decided that I needed to take matters into my own hands. I slowly lowered my right hand into the waistband of my panties. I was already soaking wet. I boldly dipped two fingers into my pussy. Mmmmm, it felt heavenly. I leaned back onto the bed and let out a soft moan.

I wanted Christian to find me like this. I wanted him to punish me. With my other hand, I pinched my nipple through the soft lace of my bra. I started pumping two of my fingers in and out of me. I moaned louder this time, hoping to catch Christian's attention.

It worked because moments later, I heard footsteps approaching. Christian opened the door to find me with my head thrown back and my fingers not stopping their movement inside of me.

"Well, well, well," he remarked, "Look what we have here."

I opened my eyes and saw him leering over me. His shirt had been thrown to the side of the room, and he was sporting a very visible boner. I grinned and bit my lip.

"What are you going to do about it, sir?" I taunted. I removed my fingers from my center, brought them to my mouth, and sucked. I tasted sweet and salty.

Oooh, it looked like I made him upset. I couldn't wait for him to take it out on my body.

"Stand up," he commanded, and I obeyed.

He produced the handcuffs and gave me another order, "Hands behind your back."

He secured the cuffs on my wrist and whispered, "Are you comfortable, baby?"

I tried to move my arms, but they barely moved an inch. I felt totally at Christian's mercy, and I felt sexy, wanted, and loved. "Yes," I gasped.

"Good," he said then smirked, "I want to be very rough with you."

"Then be rough with me."

"On your knees," he ordered, and I quickly complied.

He pulled down his pants, freeing his erection.

"Suck." Gladly.

Without hands, it made things much more difficult, but I'd find a way. I opened my mouth wide to accommodate his girth and he helped me by thrusting his pelvis towards me.

I felt his hands grab the back of my head, pushing his erection to the back of my throat. Ever since Christian found out that I didn't have a gag reflex, he'd been taking advantage of it. And I had been more than happy to let him.

"Fuck," he moaned, and a stream of wetness ran down my thigh. I loved pleasing my man.

He slowly thrusted in and out of my mouth, hitting the back of my throat every time. When he pulled back, I hollowed my cheeks and swirled my tongue around the tip, earning a deeper moan from him every time.

When he finally pulled out of my mouth, he stared at me intently and whispered, "I think you need to be punished for playing with yourself? What do you think, baby?"

"I think sir should do whatever he pleases."

"Good answer baby," he said, bringing me up from my knees and crashing his lips to mine.

He fell on top of me on the bed and started pulling down my panties. At this point, I was desperate for his touch.

"Please sir," I mewed.

"Impatient, Anastasia," he said gruffly.

He quickly made work of my panties and tossed them to the side.

"Open up, baby," he said while diving his head between my legs.

His tongue made contact with my clit, and I shuddered. I wanted to run my hands through his hair and push him closer to my core, but I was a bit tied up at the moment.

"Please," I moaned, not knowing what I was begging for.

"I don't think bad girls deserve to cum," he murmured, then went back to lapping at my juices.

"Ohhh, please, sir. I'll be a good girl for you." He pushed one, then two, then three fingers into me, and I felt dizzy with need.

"Please, please," I cried out.

"Don't you dare cum until I say so," he grunted, continuing his assault on my pussy.

"Chris… Christian… I don't think I can hold it sir."

He curled his fingers forward, hitting my g-spot, and I knew I was a goner. My body started to shudder and for a moment, my whole world temporarily went black.

"Hmmm. First you play with yourself without my permission, then you cum when I explicitly told you not to." His eyes were pitch black, and his gaze was intense.

"I'm sorry sir," I mumbled.

"Across my lap," he demanded, and I already knew I was in for one hell of a spanking. My inner goddess was on cloud nine.

"I'm going to spank you 20 times, Anastasia. 10 for each infraction. If you make a sound, it's 5 more. Understood?"

"Understood sir."

Smack! The first strike stung, and I could feel the vibrations run throughout my whole body. I wiggled my ass, in an attempt to ease the pain, but the second strike came fast.

I felt his erection dig into my stomach while Christian doled out the next few strikes. I was trying hard to be quiet. Right now, I just wanted to scream. And I didn't know if it was pain or pleasure.

Each spank got gradually harder, and I could feel myself shaking in his arms. By the 15th hit, I was wanton. I could already tell my ass was bright red, and my whole body felt like it was on fire.

Christian dipped two fingers into my core, and I combusted. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and I saw stars. Shit! Did I just cum?

"Fuck baby," Christian grunted, "I think that's enough for now. I need to fuck you."

My body was like jello in his arms. I felt like a feather. Christian removed the handcuffs, and it gave me a chance to stretch my arms and to touch his beautiful skin.

"Can I make love to you now baby?" he asked, oh so sweetly.

"Yes, yes, yes," I chanted like it was my mantra.

"Are you feeling okay, baby?" Christian asked while we were cuddling in bed, "I was quite rough with you. I didn't hurt you, right?"

"I'm more than okay," I smiled, "I love when you're rough with me. But more importantly, how are you doing?"

"Honestly?"

I nodded and rested my hand on his cheek.

"Angry. Hurt. Determined."

"Your father will come around, baby," I tried to convince him.

"You didn't see his face, Anastasia. It's like my accomplishments didn't even matter to him."

"Well they matter to me," I declared, "And they matter to your mother, and your sister, and your brother, and even your father. Just give him some time, baby. Work hard, show your father that you made the right decision dropping out of college."

"I plan on it, baby."

Christian's POV

I decided against Thanksgiving dinner with my family. My mother was having a fit, but no matter how much she apologized for my father's words, I wanted to hear it from him, not her. Like every year, my extended family came, so since I refused to go home, Mia and Elliot had to entertain our cousins.

The only disappointing part of not going to my parent's was the fact that I couldn't set up the proper proposal for Ana. Now, I wasn't sure when I was going to propose. I really didn't have a special, romance on steroids idea, so I really needed to brainstorm with Jerry.

Thursday night was a very small affair with only Ana and Ray. Ana made a delicious dinner with all the classics. I even showed her father the ring.

Flashback

Thanksgiving Day

Ana banned both me and her father from the kitchen. Apparently we were terrible helpers, and we had to get out of the kitchen because we kept eating the food before it was done.

After being banished, Ray asked me quietly, "Can I see the ring, son?"

I ran up to the bedroom and dug the carefully hidden ring out of my suitcase.

I brought it down to Ray and he immediately commented, "Cartier. Good man."

I opened the box and handed it to Ray. "What do you think?"

When I gave him the ring, the oddest thing happened. For lack of a better term, the usual steel exterior of Raymond Steele was gone. His stance and eyes softened as he gazed at the sparkler. It must have really been hitting him that his little girl wasn't so little anymore. And I was just so grateful that he approved of me.

"You did great, son. Ana's going to love it."

Back at Harvard

Ana's POV

Ever since Christian had that falling out with his dad, he had been working harder than ever. He had five deals on his plate just this week. He refused to hire help, which I thought he was insane for. He couldn't do it all by himself.

I kept telling him to bring in Ros. I thought she was brilliant and would be a good right-hand for him. But of course, his hard head and his control freak tendencies weren't listening to me. I knew he would give in sooner rather than later.

Christian's POV

"Did you do it?" Jerry screamed at me the moment I walked into his room.

"Nah," I replied.

"What the hell man? Why not? Did you chicken out?"

"I had a fallout with my dad," I explained.

"Shit. I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal," I said, trying to convince myself, "But I just didn't want to see him, so I had to scratch my original proposal idea. Any ideas?"

"You could take her to a Celtics game and get you guys on the jumbotron. At least then she'd have to say yes," he chuckled.

"Ana and sports?" I laughed.

"Good point. Ummm, how about hiding the ring in a champagne glass?"

"How many rom-coms do you watch, dude?" I laughed.

"Shut up. Karen makes me. But I guess I wasn't much help…"

"Nope. Not at all."

Finals week

Christian's POV

The business was going really well. Exceedingly well. I couldn't have fathomed this kind of success this fast in my wildest dreams. After refusing to hire anyone, Ana finally got me to bring Ros on board. She was now my COO. She was still pursuing college, but I would have to convince her to take up GEH as her full time job soon.

Ros had been a godsend. She didn't take any of my shit (much like Ana) and was an extremely hard worker to boot. I didn't think GEH would function without her anymore. Plus, Ana hasn't had to pitch in as much with all the boring managerial work and had much more time to focus on school.

GEH had netted upwards of 50 million dollars with just Ros and I. I knew I needed to expand quickly. I was going to start looking for office space soon. And I needed to start hiring people fast. I needed to start by hiring a few lawyers first. I had been using my grandfather's contacts for lawyers up to this point, but GEH definitely needed their own. I also really needed to get an IT guy. I wanted GEH to be as technologically advanced as possible, so I was going to need to start by setting up an internal GEH server for future employees. Christ, this was absolutely crazy.

Billionaire by 25, try billionaire by 21. That'll prove you wrong, Carrick.

The Seattle Nooz

Well, well, well readers. I know all of you have been dying for more information on the hunky Christian Grey and the beautiful Anastasia Steele. Ever since both of them started college at Harvard University, they've been slipping under our radar. But sources have confirmed that Christian Grey has dropped out of college.

Now, I know what you're all thinking. Who in their right mind would drop out of a prestigious university like Harvard? Well, Christian Grey did. And you know why? Seattle's own Christian Grey started his own company, Grey Enterprises Holdings, in mergers and acquisitions. Now, we have no idea what kind of business Mr. Grey is involved in, but it's estimated to be worth $50 million already.

We here at the Nooz are all dying to see more of this sexy CEO. And we'd love to know what Miss Anastasia Steele thinks of her boyfriend's recent success. We think there's a new power couple on the rise.

That's all for today…

Bloomberg Businessweek

Grey Enterprises Holdings (GEH), the new M&A firm, headed by teenager Christian Grey is on track to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Christian Grey, the 19-year-old Harvard dropout, headquarters his business in Boston out of a small apartment. It's hard to believe that Grey, at such a young age, is America's next up-and-coming businessman.

Grey is from Bellevue, Washington. His father, Carrick Grey is the founding partner of Grey & Associates, one of the leading law firms on the west coast. His mother, Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey is the head of surgery at Seattle Grace, one of the best hospitals in the United States. It is also important to note that Christian Grey was adopted at the age of 4 out of foster care.

Currently, GEH only has two full-time employees, but word is that the company is looking to expand and are hiring, and hiring fast.

We reached out to Christian Grey for an interview, but he declined. We also asked if he would comment on this article, but he also refused.

Ana's POV

I woke up this morning wrapped in Christian's arms. We were in the tiny apartment that was home for my overflow of clothes and GEH. Christian was finally able to let go of some of the reigns, and brought Ros in as his COO.

The company was growing really fast. It went from working on a few acquisitions a week to dozens of them. And every time, Christian kept getting richer. He was definitely going to have to hire a team of people soon, and I was excited to help him search for the best.

On the other hand, it was a shame Christian hadn't talked to his father in a month. I knew Carrick would be so proud of his son. He was just irrational and upset that Christian dropped out of college, but now that he could see how successful his son has become, he would be so proud and supportive. But both of them were so stubborn, they didn't want to be the first one to pick up the phone.

Oh that reminded me, Christian and I decided to spend Christmas with Jerry in Washington D.C. Grace was not happy that we weren't going to be home for Christmas, but Christian really didn't want to face his father. Mia was really upset that her brother wasn't coming home for Christian, so she guilted Christian into inviting her to D.C. with us. And it was perfect because Mia and Karen could spend time together. Elliot had to stay in New Haven for football, so Grace and Carrick were going to be on their own this Christmas.

Christian's phone disrupted me from my thoughts. I rolled over to look at the caller ID and saw that his dad was calling him. They really needed to talk.

I grabbed his phone off the nightstand and attempted to wake him up.

"Baby," I said, lightly brushing his face with my hand, "Wake up."

He opened his beautiful grey eyes and smiled at me. It was almost a sweet moment before his eyes went straight to my uncovered breasts.

"Christian!" I chastised, "Get your mind out of the gutter. Your father's calling you."

He slumped back on the bed and sighed, "I don't want to talk to him."

"Christian! Please. You can't not talk to your parents. I know he hurt you, but he's sorry."

Instead of responding, he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, avoiding the situation. Ugh, the stubbornness of this man!

I decided to pick up the phone instead, "Hi, Mr. Grey!"

"Ana," he said sounding surprised, "How are you?"

"I'm well. And you?"

"Disappointed that you and Christian won't be coming home for Christmas. Grace is very upset too."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Grey…" I said, not knowing how else to respond.

"It's not your fault Ana. Is my son there. I really want to speak to him."

"Hold on."

I walked to the bathroom where Christian is hiding and in a whisper I demanded, "Talk to him. Now."

Begrudgingly he took the phone from my hand, and I went back to the bedroom to give them some privacy. God, I hope this turned out alright.