I haven't finished all the remaining chapters yet because I got sidetracked by another idea for a story which I've turned into a short story that is called Breaking Down The Walls half of it has been already published here. But now that that's out of the way I have just finished chapter 17 and should have the remaining chapters ready this week... so for now the next update will be on Wednesday...
Christian Grey watched his sister and Ana dance while he had remained at their table. He didn't like crowds and right now the dance floor was packed. Still, he enjoyed just watching Ana who was lost in the music, her face slightly flushed and her eyes shining while she swayed to the rhythm of the music.
It was a joy and a torture at the same time. He wanted to dance with her, but wasn't sure she would want that. Clearly, she didn't want to dance with someone else because three times some fuckers had attempted to dance with... or really hump her, but she had told them off before he could even get to her. His sister, however, was currently in a bump and grind sandwich, soaking up all the attention. He wanted to punch those little assholes too, but Mia was in her mid-twenties and he couldn't stop her from dancing with men if that was what she wanted.
For a moment he lost Ana out of sight and then she suddenly appeared by the table.
„No more dancing?" He asked.
„Mia said it isn't too crowded here, but now her bump and grind sandwich is getting sandwiched and that is my cue to leave the dancefloor." She said and went to the bar to get herself a drink and a beer for Christian, which made him look at her in surprise when she handed it to him.
„I haven't even touched mine yet."
„Doesn't matter, because you've been watching the dancefloor and not the drinks." She said and put the drinks on the table aside.
„Ana, I highly doubt someone would drug me."
„Maybe, but how is anyone supposed to know which drink is yours and which one is mine or Mia's..." She said as she took a sip of her drink.
„Fair point... so, do you go dancing a lot?"
„Not that much, but with Gideon owning multiple clubs in New York and around the world I have learned to enjoy it... and it's hard to say no to Mia, but I'm sure you've known that already."
„Yes, she is impossible to say no to sometimes. So, have you already started to clear a weekend for me when you lose?" He changed the subject and she laughed.
„No, but I have already taken the first steps to win the wager." She replied smugly.
„When?"
„In the car on the way here... you snooze you lose, Grey." She giggled and that made him laugh. She really thought she could ruin a well-run company within a month. He knew it was possible, but Ana had admitted that her passion was not for the business side, but for the books, so he doubted she could do any real harm, still, he liked the confidence he saw in her.
„Did you really choose Escala because it is safe?" He asked.
„Why else would I choose it?" She asked back with a smile.
„I don't know, you tell me." He said but she changed the subject and he was yet again left with the feeling that she wanted to say much more but didn't allow herself to do so.
It was driving him insane, because all he wanted was to protect her, but he couldn't when he didn't even know what to protect her from. So, he decided to go for more information instead.
„So... is your job in Seattle permanent or are you going to move and build more branches of Cross Publishing soon?"
„No, I'll remain with this branch of the company. I don't want to move all the time, so I told Gideon that I would like to stay and he agreed."
„How did you meet him anyway?"
„We met at the Crossfire building... where he then continued to stalk me, which turned out to be a blessing, because on my way home a junkie wanted to steal my purse and stupid me tried holding on to it, so the kid got aggressive and Gideon saved the day... I figured soon that he was just trying to get laid, so I told him very clearly that I'm not interested, he pouted for a week and then asked me to hang out as friends..."
„Why didn't you have sex with him?" He asked but she just shrugged, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it any more.
„My parents are holding there annual Coping Together Gala in two weeks on the 30th." He said wondering if she would agree to go with him.
„I know, Gideon asked me to accompany him." She said and that was too much for him and he stormed away. The memory of that evening with her... and the night at that followed were so precious to him, just hearing that she was planning on attending with someone else hurt like hell.
„Christian wait!" Ana called out as she chased after him and finally caught up with him right outside the club.
„I think it is best for me to leave." He said clipped.
„I never said I agreed to go with Gideon." She said and bit down on her lip which had him inwardly groan.
„You didn't?"
„No, I told him I would accompany him, but that he needed a back up plus one."
„Why, do you plan on getting sick?" He asked pissed.
„No, I... I was hoping you would ask me." She confessed and he stared at her.
„Wait... you told him if I was to ask you, you would choose me over him?"
„Yes." She admitted and he smiled.
„So, Ana St... Lambert, will you do me the honor to be my date for the gala?"
„Yes." She said this time with a smile.
„You wouldn't be willing to call Cross right now and tell him that he is dateless?" Christian smirked and Ana raised an eyebrow.
„Yeah, I thought so." He murmured still grinning from ear to ear.
„Besides, he might not be dateless."
„Does he have a girlfriend?"
„No, but... ok, hear me out first before you get mad..."
„Ana..." He warned.
„Over the last four years I've discovered that I'm great at matchmaking, all people I've introduced to each other of whom I thought they would be a great match are either dating now or have gotten married in the meantime and I really feel that Gideon and Mia would be a perfect match."
„No! Do you hear me, absolutely not, Cross is bossy, arrogant and comes across like a cold-hearted bastard."
„Funny, that sounds oddly familiar to someone else I know." Ana said and Christian glared at her.
„Look Christian, you don't even know the real Gideon, he is kind and caring and protective and he is also not afraid to say no if someone is acting stupid... that is just what Mia needs and..."
„Oh for the love of God, Ana! Do what you have to do, but don't ask me for my blessing in getting my sister laid!" Christian exclaimed and ran both of his hands through his hair. This was not a topic he wanted to discuss.
„Great, I'll see what I can do to set them up." Ana smirked and then remembered something.
„Can you give your mother my phone number?"
„Of course, why?"
„I want to donate something to auction at the event."
„What do you want to donate." He asked intrigued?
„A year ago an author I have worked with from the beginning passed away, he was also a serious collector of first editions and he left me part of his collection, there are some books that he had more than once, I would like to donate those, they are in excellent condition and can bring a lot if someone who is interested is attending." She said.
„Ana you don't have to do that."
„I know, but it's a good cause and now that I am able to give back I want to do just that. We all have to work together to make this world a better place." She said with a shrug.
„I've heard you also work with Cross's charity... what's it called again?"
„The Crossroads Foundation, and yes, I help out whenever I can." She said not completely comfortable with the topic, because her work there didn't just stem from the wish to help others but also from guilt, which was something she wasn't ready to discuss with Christian, but thankfully Mia came outside just then.
„Urgh... I hate men, they are all gross, disgusting pigs." She muttered.
„You know what Ana... ask her now if she wants to go out with Cross." Christian grinned and Ana gave him the stink eye.
„Can we go somewhere else, I'm done clubbing for today ." Mia announced.
„Sure, any ideas where to go now?" Christian asked and Ana smiled. „Yes, I know just the place." She grinned.
Christian had expected a lot, but not this. Because the place Ana had wanted to go to was a small diner and he was horrified by the plate of grease dripping cheese fries Ana was eating.
„That's not real food." He muttered.
„Yes it is... see it like this, fries are made from potatoes and the cheese is made from milk so this meal is just veggies and protein." She said amused and he rolled his eyes.
„Did you just roll your eyes at me."
„Ana, no matter how you look at it, this is unhealthy as fuck." He said.
„It's also delicious as fuck." She said and held a fry out to him, but he shook his head.
„There is no way I'm..." He started but Ana had the guts to just shove the fry into his mouth making Mia laugh and him glare at her while he begrudgingly chewed and swallowed.
„Tasty right?" She asked and he said nothing, because he did not want to admit that it was good.
„Want some more?" She continued and with the most adorable pout he took some more fries from her plate.
„I can't believe you made me eat this." He finally muttered.
„See it as a treat, I wouldn't eat this every day either, because yes, it's unhealthy as hell, but sometimes it's nice to just indulge in things..."
„Well, it's good to see you eat and enjoy it either way." He said and watched her face fall.
„What is it, Ana?" He asked and she decided that this was something she could admit.
„When I first started to live in New York... I stopped eating for a while... a long while, so much so that it became a serious issues and I needed professional help to fix it."
„You starved yourself?"
„I just couldn't face food and then I realized that my food intake was something I could control, the less I ate the better I felt mentally... it really was terrible, but at the time I couldn't stop myself."
„How did you stop?" Christian asked horrified.
„Friends... work colleagues, therapy... definitively Arnoldo."
„Who?" He asked.
„Arnoldo Richie, he is a friend of Gideon's, he owns a famous restaurant in New York and has his own show on the Food Network... when he heard that I was struggling he would cook for me each day and had someone delivery the food to my apartment and work."
„Did you... date him?"
„No, he is now married to my former roommate Marissa, we are just friends and his food is to die for."
„And you met him through Gideon?"
„Yes, Gideon is amazing at gathering genuine and caring people around him, his friends became my friends in the blink of an eye, but none of them ever became more to me."
„Are you fine now... with your eating disorder... do you need help?"
„I'm good, I don't think I have missed a meal in over two years now. I had to start working out though because with eating like a normal person and sometimes indulging in something sweet or greasy came some extra padding I didn't like too much." She admitted.
„You look great, Ana... honestly, I would kill for your butt." Mia piped in making her laugh.
„Yeah well... I don't get to see it that often, but I know it's there whenever I try to squeeze into some skinny jeans." She giggled and Christian was happy to see her this happy and relaxed, though he made a mental note to look further into eating disorders, so he knew the signs he had to look out for in case Ana was ever to relapse back into one. Still, even with this confession, he had to admit, that this had been a great evening.