4 months later
Christian
"I'll give you call when I am leaving, Taylor." I mutter and get out of the car.
The last four months have been hell. I've spent 90 days in fucking rehab and hated every single second of it. Between therapy and stupid group activities I've nearly gone insane thinking about Ana finding someone else. She didn't, I had security on her and so far she never had anyone staying over, which also means that the fucking friends with benefits deal she had is over. I wanted to yell at when she told me about it, but the sad truth is that I had and still have no right to do so. She has every right to move on and find someone who is treating her right or even engage in the casual sex life, if that is what she wants.
Still, I fucking hate to know that some other guy touched her. She is mine and if it is up to me she will be again soon. Which is why after dealing with GEH for the last month, I am now in New York. Ros did a perfect job and Cross helped her out quite a bit. So, now I owe him, which is one of the reasons why I am here to see him and not Ana. The other reason would be that he is her brother and if I want to have any hope in hell to make it up to her, I need more information about the life she is leading now and how she was when they met.
Since it is only 7:30 am I am positive that he is home and after the guy on the front desk made a call I am cleared to go up to the penthouse. The elevator opens and I see Cross leaning in the door frame to his penthouse wearing nothing but pajama pants.
"I had no idea you are such an early bird, Grey."
"I figured you would be home around this time."
"So, are you better?" he asks still not making any attempt to allow me in. Fucker is up to something I just know it.
"Better than ever" I answer and before I see it coming he has landed one hell of a punch right in my face sending my ass to the floor.
"What the fuck?" I hiss rubbing my jaw.
"That's for treating my sister like dirt, now get your ass off the floor and come in" and with that the fucker turns around and disappears into his penthouse while leaving the door open for me.
Well, that could have gone worse, I think to myself get up and find him in the kitchen.
"Coffee or ice pack?" Cross asks with a smirk and I glare at him.
"Careful Grey, there's more where that last punch came from, you don't want me to modify that pretty mug of yours permanently, plus Ana would have my ass if I did, so wipe that glare of your face!"
"Is that how you treat your guests?" I mutter and he snorts.
"Only the ones who treat one of my sisters poorly. And don't tell me that you would act any differently if some fucker would sent Mia through hell and back." Fuck, he is right I would kill any guy who would hurt my sister.
"Fine, I guess that punch was justified."
"Good" he says and places a cup of coffee in front of me. "So, let me guess you need my help with Ana?"
"A little inside into her life here in New York would be helpful."
"Are you still into that BDSM shit?" he asks and my still aching jaw nearly hits the floor.
"Don't worry, Ana didn't tell me. I saw you about five or six years ago disappearing into one of the dungeons with one of the subs at Dark Passion."
Damn it, Dark Passion is a BDSM club here in New York. I went there a couple of times when I had to stay here for eight weeks to get the New York office of GEH running.
"No, Ana isn't into it, so I can't be either." I answer truthfully, I need her more than the control the lifestyle was giving me.
"Good, because if I ever find out that you debase, beat or humiliate her I will kill you and make it look like an accident. I don't get along well with most of my family, but I love my sisters and I will do what ever I deem necessary to protect them."
"Fair enough, but just out of curiosity, are you in the lifestyle?"
"I like control, but I do not care for any aspects of the lifestyle that go beyond bondage or spanking. So, what exactly do you want to know?"
"How does Ana live now, what does she like?"
"Well, she is on the board of the Crossroads Foundation and has her own charity project called Safe Haven, it's a home for abused children. She devotes most of her time to charity work. Other than that she is just a normal young woman who likes to go out with her friends, she likes to cook for her friends and she, just like my other sister Ireland, is obsessed with The Big Bang Theory."
What the hell? "Since when is Ana into evolution?" I ask slightly confused and the fucker is laughing at me.
"Christ Grey, have you been living under a rock? It's a TV Show about a girl who moves into an apartment and becomes friends with a group of scientists, it's fun."
"I don't care for any TV shows. Watching TV is a waste of time."
"You better change that, because Ana loves that show and once every two weeks we have a TBBT marathon and watch as many episodes as possible in one night. She loves that."
I guess it won't kill me to look into it. If Ana enjoys it that much. I make a mental note to go online and look what that shit is about.
"What about that fucker she was seeing?" I ask and now he glares at me.
"If you are referring to my good friend Arnaldo, they are no longer in a sexual relationship, but they are still good friends and hang out."
That has to end, no way I want her to have a friend that once was in a sexual relationship with her.
"Look Grey, I don't mind to give you some hints, but why don't you just go down to the fifteenth floor and talk to Ana?"
"Because I have a lot to make up to her and I am still working on a plan to do so."
"I see, and is the guy you have following my sister around helping you to come up with a plan?" he asks and takes a sip of his coffee. Arrogant bastard I hope you choke on it!
"No, he is here to make sure that Ana is safe. And how do you know that anyway?"
At that Cross squirms making me feel slightly better. Looks like he has someone who follows Ana, too.
"Look Grey, when I first met Ana she was a mess. She was all alone, so fucking thin that I was sure she was suffering from some sort of eating disorder, but even worse was to see how a beautiful and intelligent young woman like Ana had no self-confidence, she was so insecure it was painful to witness. It took nearly a year to get her into a really good place, she enrolled in self-defense classes, I helped her to meet new people and little by little she grew into the confident and strong woman she is today. I want her to feel like there is nothing she can't handle and I am most certain that she can handle just about anything. Still, there is always the possibility that something happens to her and she is out numbered or not able to defend herself, which is why I have someone following her from a distance. She doesn't know, because it would only make her feel insecure again. Bottom line is however, my guy noticed your guy within a day."
"I am not going to tell her, but don't you think she would be safer if she had close protection?"
"No, my guy is close enough to make sure she is safe at all time. And she would hate it to have someone following her and tell her what to do anyway."
I decide to leave it be, once Ana is mine again I will have Sawyer follow her openly, for now knowing that there are two security guys following her from a distance has to be enough.
Suddenly there is a knock on the front door and Cross smirks. "Now, that should be interesting." he says and I raise a questioning brow.
"The front desk calls me to let me know if someone is coming up, even if the person is on the list of approved visitors. Which means the person who has just knocked is living in the building. My sister Ireland doesn't get up before nine on the weekend, so that would leave Ana as the only option." he explains and I curse inwardly. This is not how I want our first meeting to be.
"Over there is my study" Cross says and he moves toward the door; like a fucking coward I find myself hiding in his study just in time for him to let Ana in. I leave the door ajar so I can at least see her and what I see has my dick twitching.
She is dressed in a white top and the shortest fucking denim shorts I have ever seen, in fact they are so short if she bends forward just a bit I am sure everyone who is looking at her can get a nice view off her buttocks.
I watch her walking around the kitchen as if she owns the place, which just shows how comfortable she is around her brother. Damn, her legs look a mile long in this outfit and I imagine those legs wrapped around my neck. Shit, down boy, not now!
"So, Ana how come you are here this early?" Cross asks and I grown inwardly when Ana leans a little forward on the kitchen counter revealing just an inch of her perfect bare ass to my to my view. Mental note to myself, once Ana is mine I need to find those shorts and burn them, no way she can wear them once she is mine again.
"I need to ask you a favor. I had to take my car to a service station, because my check engine light was blinking all the time."
"How very Penny of you" Cross chuckles and my breath catches when I hear Ana giggle. Fuck, I love that sound.
"I know, right? Anyway, they called me ten minutes ago and told me that apparently the engine is fine, but there is a major issue with the electronic and they need to order some things to fix it, so I won't get my car back until late Monday evening or Tuesday morning. But I really wanted to drive around a little today and buy some things on the farmer's market."
"No problem, Carlos can drive you around."
"Yeah, well... actually I would love to drive myself and..."
Cross holds one hand up, disappears out of view for a moment and re-appears throwing car keys to Ana.
"The DB-9 is parked in spot 5, have fun."
"I will, thanks" Ana answers all excited and I want to barge in and take the keys from her. Has Cross lost his fucking mind? She can't handle that car, has he not seen her drive before? Calm down, Grey, there is nothing you can do about it now without storming out and demanding for her to give the keys back, which in turn will take away what little chance you have to win her back.
I close my eyes and count to ten, but when I open them I nearly forget how to breathe, because Ana is staring directly in my direction.
"Something wrong, Ana?" Cross asks and she shakes her head.
"It's nothing... just this weird feeling as if... doesn't matter. I'll bring the keys back later tonight. I would ask if you want to join us tonight to have some drinks at the club Arnaldo is going on and on about, but I know you have better things to do" she says with a huge grin on her face and his face shows the same grin.
"I sure have."
"Well, then don't let me keep you from anything. See you tomorrow" she says plants a kiss on his cheeks and leaves. I wait until I hear the door close and storm out.
"What the hell, Cross? She can't drive a fucking DB-9, it's too much for her to handle!" I snap and he snorts.
"Are we talking about the same girl here, Grey? Because my sister, both of them actually, are excellent drivers. And it's not like this is the first time I let her drive my DB-9, so chill, Christ, if you keep that temper up you'll give yourself a heart attack before you turn 40. Her driving skills are the last thing you need to worry about."
"And what pray tell are the things I need to worry about?"
"For one, how you are going to win her back if all you can offer her is a long distance relationship." he says arrogantly and now it's my turn to smirk.
"She will move back to Seattle, of course."
"Grey, be real here. Ana has a life here and not just that, she has responsibilities. Safe Haven her charity project, she can't just leave that behind. I can't see her leaving the board of the Crossroads Foundation either and of course she has her family here."
"Her father lives in Montesano, much closer to Seattle" I counter and his mouth pops open.
"Well, at least you didn't mention that in front of her. Ray died almost a year and half ago."
Fuck, I should have run a new background check on Ana, but I wanted to do it right this time, no background checks or extreme stalking. Sure she has her work here, but she has to realize that my job is much more important than hers, if we want to have a relationship she has to move back to Seattle.
"I had no idea, how is she dealing with it?"
"She is good now, she takes comfort in the fact that she's spend the weekend before he died with him. So, at least he wasn't alone in the house when it happened."
I am just about to reply when I hear a door open, followed by a very familiar face.
"Why are you up this early, I wanted to wake you up with a blow job" I hear the voice of my sister and sure enough a second later she comes into view only dressed in her panties. I turn around immediately while Mia screams and hides behind Cross. So, I take my sweater off and throw it in her direction without looking. Fuck, what guy wants to see his sister almost naked and talking about giving head. This is a nightmare.
"Okay, I'm decent, you can look now" I hear her say a second later and turn around to glare at her.
"Forgot to tell me something?" I ask and she just smiles.
"Had I known that you would show up here, I would have told you that Gideon is my boyfriend, but I thought I'd wait for a better time. You hated every boyfriend I had so far and Gideon is Ana's brother so I didn't want you to storm in here and give him the big brother talk."
"I see, just when exactly did this happen?"
"While you were in rehab and Gideon came to Seattle a couple of times to help Ros with GEH. Since Ana couldn't come with him she asked me to show him Seattle."
"And you think that a long distances relationship is what you want?"
"No, that's why I am moving to New York next month." she says and I close my eyes and count to ten. Fucking Gideon Cross, damned hypocrite tells me that I can't make Ana move to Seattle, yet my sister can move to New York. True, Mia can work anywhere where she has space to draw and work on her newest fashion collection, but still I want my sister live close by. We just reconnected while I was in rehab and I hate the thought that she is moving to New York now.
"Please be happy for me?" She begs and I sigh.
"I am Mia, I just think that you need to really think this through."
"I know what I am doing, I was never so sure about anything in my life" and then she does it, she is giving me that look of hers, wide-eyed and pleading and like always I melt. Damn it, she knows I can't say no to her if she is giving me that look.
At least Cross is not the kind of guy she usually goes for. I still shudder thinking about her and that Kavanagh boy. She met him through Kate and he fucking used her. She ended up heart-broken and I wanted to kill the bastard. Cross on the other hand seems to be caring and the way he looks at her shows his affection for her.
"Do mom and dad know?"
"Yes, I've told them last week and they are fine with it. Well... mom more than dad, but you know how he is when it comes to me." she giggles.
"Much like your older brothers, huh?" I joke and she laughs.
"Just like them, so you two continue to talk, I'll take a shower. Turn around so I can give you your sweater back."
"Keep it." I mutter and watch her disappear into the direction she came from.
"Remember when you told me that you would kill me if I ever hurt, Ana? The same goes for my sister, Cross." I threaten him, because if he thinks I am going to sit back and watch when he fucks things up with my sisters he is in for a surprise.
"I am fully aware of that, Grey. Just know that your sister means a lot to me, I've never met anyone like her and I am not going to fuck this up. So, I don't want to be rude, but if you don't have anything else you need to know I would ask you to leave now."
Sure, so he can fuck my sister. Damn it, get your shit together, Grey. You came here not just because of Ana, now say it!
"Just one more thing, then I'll leave. I came here to thank you, for helping Ros getting GEH back on track. I know how busy you are and I really appreciate your help, so if there is anything I can do for you, just let me know."
"No big deal, I had some business in Seattle anyway. But if you want, let's just say you owe me one."
"Fair enough, so I'll better leave now." I walk towards the door and press the button for the elevator once I am outside.
"Oh and Grey, the club Ana and her friends are going to tonight is called Cain Club." Cross says just as the elevator arrives.
"I'll keep that in mind" I mutter get into the elevator and as soon as the doors are closed I take my phone and call Taylor. Looks like tonight I have to go to a night club, and maybe then I have figured out which way is the best to start mission: Get Ana back...
The next chapter will be up on Tuesday or Wednesday, I really need some time to update my other stories... and for those of you who were wondering about Mia's profession, I changed it, in the books she studied cookery in Paris, but I always thought something to do with fashion would be a better pick for her, so she is fashion designer now...
And I wanted to thank all of you for reading/reviewing this story. I have to say I am a little overwhelmed with the amount of reviews that come in with each chapter, but I love to read your thoughts as they help me to develop the story :-)
I hope you all have a great weekend
Sunny
