My dear little broccolis💚💚💚

💚 NEW CHAPTERS FROM NOW ON

💚 So, I want to put this reminder here. This story contains DIRTY TALKING. If it's not your kink, don't read, or at least don't complain about it. It's not going to be heavy, but it's still going to be there.

💚 Now, let's see why Ana bolted

💚 How Much💚

Christian has some singular taste when it comes to his sexual preferences, but he's never dared voice them. He never manages to climax because of that, and it leaves him frustrated. One night, he decides to try the last solution that comes to his mind …

‼️Rated M - {Out Of Characters/All Human/Alternate Universe}‼️

‼️Romance/Family/Drama/Lemons‼️

‼️AS/CG/Carrick Grey/Raymond Steele/Elliott/Gia‼️

💚 READ & REVIEW, DON'T BE A SILENT READER 💚

💚 Now, let's see what's up with Ana and Elliott

Chapter 9: How Much For Your Presence? (2,2K)

Christian's Pov

For two days I refrained from trying to call Ana. She said not to call, and so I respected her wish. It's not what I necessarily wanted, but I still did as asked. So she would have no excuse to call me clingy or needy. And she did not contact me either. Which I think is what is infuriating. I mean, wasn't it implied that if I didn't call her, she would be the one doing the calling? But nope. Nothing. Not even a text.

On the third day, I have enough of this nonsense and so I pick up the phone and press the little icon of her face. I mean, I have been patient enough. And she should try to see things from my perspective. The day I finally take her to my place, she bolts in the middle of the night and she goes MIA. How is that not weird? How does that not look like she feels she's committing more into our relationship than she's actually willing to do?

So here I am, calling her, despite the fact that she didn't want me to, in the first place. But I don't even have the time to wonder if she's going to pick up or not. I am sent straight to voicemail. I check the time and maybe it is a bit early. It's barely seven in the morning. So I go to the office and decide to try around ten. Ana is an early bird, but she usually exercises in the morning and she doesn't always have her phone around. Maybe the battery died and it's charging.

I don't go to the office that often. Some of the newest people there don't even know who I am. I don't really care about the whole business aspect of my company. I trust Ros to not screw me over and make me more money than I can spend. But I need to keep myself busy. And it's been a while since I've been. Maybe being in my actual office will give me some inspiration for a new app and therefore pull my focus away from Ana and her sudden disappearance.

Around ten, I try to call again, but I am once again sent straight to voicemail. Okay, I think that now I am entitled to worry. I mean, yes, I could be in the middle of being ghosted. But I know Ana enough to know that if she wanted nothing to do with me anymore, she would tell me to my face. Ana doesn't look like the ghosting type of girl. So I called Elliott. ii and gave her two days. It's more than enough.

His phone does not send me straight to voicemail, but it is not Elliott who answers, but his secretary. Which is odd. Elliott always has his phone on him. She explains to me that Elliott left his phone at his office two days ago and that he took off without any sort of explanation. And just as I hang up, a cold shiver travels down my spine. What if Ana lied and Elliott is not her cousin?

I do my best to not think of the worst for a whole week after that. Ana has always been honest. Why would she lie? And Elliott has called her mushroom. A lover wouldn't use that sort of nickname. No, there had to be another explanation. Maybe they went to visit her parents together. After all, the only time Ana has bailed on me in the past was because she went to see her parents. So maybe this is what happened again. But in that case, why not tell me? Why not wake me up before leaving? Why am I sent straight to voicemail and why hasn't she called me back since?

And finally, I have some sort of answer. Elliott calls me back ten days after Ana has disappeared from my bed. He calls me late on a Monday night and just by his voice, I can tell that he is tired. I'd even say, he's drained.

"Hey, Chris. Cynthia said that you tried to call. Sorry to get back to you only now. What's up?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah … just … I didn't have the best week. But ... nevermind. What's up?"

I'm tempted to dig a bit deeper but two things. First I know Elliott. He likes to process whatever he is going through on his own before letting other people in. Whether it is good or bad, he deals with it on his own for a little while before expanding to his close ones. Second, I am too anxious to hear about Ana. All sorts of scenarios have run through my mind.

"I can't get a hold of ana. And .. she said that you were cousins so …"

I don't know what I was expecting, but not that. There is a heavy silence suddenly, full of something that I feel I am missing. I am not sure what I should do or say. But then, Elliott clears his throat, and I frown. For a second, it almost sounded like a sob,

"Yeah. She said she turned off her phone. To be fair, I left my phone here. She should be back in Seattle tomorrow. Try then. And if you still can't get a hold of her, tell me then. I'll kick her ass for you."

"Are you sure you're okay, Elliott?" I still insist. I might be overly concerned with Ana, but Elliott is still my best friend. I know how he works, but he can still count on me, no matter what.

"Yeah. just a rough week as I said. And I'm knackered. Can I call you back later though? I still have loads to do before going to bed."

"Of course."

We hang up, though I am not fully convinced by his words. I have known Elliott running on ten hours of sleep for a whole week. There is something else, but he is just not ready yet to share it.

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Tuesday, I do my best to not call Ana during the day. Elliott said that she had her phone turned off and that she would be back today. He didn't say when though. I don't want to be disappointed perpetually if I can't reach her. So I go to the office to keep my mind occupied. Which is good. I have been working on a new app with a guy from creative and I'm rather interested in that and how it can turn out. A sort of Zillow reverse where people looking for a place put their profile up and then landlords are the ones contacting them. It's still in the early work but I have faith in it.

I get home around nine that night, with no news from ana. I vow to try to call her in the morning or call Elliott if I can't. After all, maybe her plane was really late. And if neither gives me an answer, I know where she lives.

But what I was not expecting was to find her in my living room as I enter it. I'm surprised Mrs Jones let her in, but then, maybe she already saw her when Ana slipped without saying a word to me. She didn't even bother to switch on the lights. So I do, finding her sitting on the couch, her knees to her chest and her chin to her knees.

When the lights brighten, Ana sits straighter and smiles at me, but it looks strange on her face;

"Sorry," she says as I walk closer and sit next to her. I study her face, trying to decipher why her smile seems so … odd when she gets up and sits on my lap, undoing the first buttons on my shirt, kissing my neck,

"How can I make it up to you? I've been a bad girl."

Okay, my body immediately responds to that. Can you blame me? It's been ten days. And I am an addict when it comes to ana. Still, my mind is not there. Mostly because she's acting so strangely. She … she hasn't looked at me in the eyes since seeing me. And her touch is different than usual. Almost mechanical. Even her tone is different.

"Ana …" I say, but she doesn't stop, undoing the rest of my buttons and reaching for my belt. She doesn't stop, and so I grab her by the shoulders and force her back, trying to catch her eyes,

"What's wrong? What happened to you? Where were you?"

"You don't want to fuck me?" she asks back, ignoring my questions and the distance in her tone cools down any desire I could have had for her.

"No. Not right now."

"Very well. In that case, I should go home."

She swiftly gets up and I immediately do the same, taking her arm in my hand to prevent her from leaving. I left her chin up, but she keeps her eyes down.

"Ana … what's wrong?"

There is a small silence during which I keep waiting for her answer, and finally, she says, her voice breaking, "My mom died last week."

Okay, I was not expecting that. Not at all. And I have no idea what to say. When I lost my mom, I didn't want the empty word people would tell me about my loss. So I do what I wanted to have when it was me who lost my mother. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry her eyes out, letting her know that I am here for her and that she can cry all she wants.

"I'm here, baby."

.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

Ana cried for a long time until she fell asleep in my arms and so I took her to my bed, snuggling her against me. She didn't do anything except cry in my arms and I only held her, taking in her pain. I barely sleep, only dozing until I wake up with a jolt when I feel that the bed next to me is empty. I don't even have time to step out of bed when Ana appears in the doorframe, a glass of water in hand and she apologetically smiles before coming back to bed with me.

I take her in my arms, throwing the covers over us and after a few minutes of silence, she tells me, "Mom was a beautiful woman. But Dad fell in love with her voice. She was an opera singer. Even after I was born, she kept singing and we travelled a bit until she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's."

Her voice dies and I can't help but look down at her head laying on my chest. How old was her mother? Because this is something that only affects the elderly. I open my mouth, trying to find a polite way to ask, but she sniffles and looks up before she explains,

"Mom was one of the unlucky ones. One of the rare few who have it early. She was diagnosed at thirty-two when I was five. And by the time I was sixteen, she barely recognised me. That's why I enjoy life as much as I can. In case I have it too. I want to have had as many experiences as possible, with as many pictures as I can. Is that bad?"

I shake my head, gently tightening my arms around her and she gives me a sad smile. I caress her face with my thumb, drowning in her beautiful blue eyes and let her know, "Baby … I would have been there for you. Grief is always hard. But it's always harder when you do it alone."

I should probably call Elliott too to present my condolences. It must have been hard on him and his father.

"I tried to wake you, to be honest. But you were sleeping like a log. And then I thought … It's a family matter. I didn't want to put that on you."

"So you can be my girlfriend, but I can't be your boyfriend? I would have been there for you, ana. This is more than just sexual … I thought you knew."

She nods with a weak smile and tearful eyes and then she buries her face in my chest, mumbling, "Please; hold me, Christian."

I do and she kisses me, starting to grind against me. I still, not sure if we should have sex when she's still grieving her mother, but it feels like she needs it. So I give in, kissing her back, touching her delectable body and only focusing on giving her what she needs right now. There are no words exchanged between us. Just passion and sweetness on my part, and when we are done, I stay buried inside of her, just moving my upper body so I don't crash her and I whisper to her one last time, "I'm here for you, baby. No matter what."

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.~°~. .~°~. .~°~.

💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

💚 So, bless her heart. Ana just HAD to leave.

💚 And it seems that their relationship just changed ... or did it?

💚Well, let me know what you thought of this chapter. What was your favourite part? What do you think will happen next?

💚 E L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, Everything else is mine (including the mistakes and grammar errors).

Love, Mina 💚💚💚