Summary: Ana Steele is a successful marketing agent in NYC, but after coming back from a months-long sabbatical in Georgia, she learns her job has been taken over by a cocky jerk named Christian Grey. Their boss doesn't want to lose either of them, so Ana now has to share an office with a guy she can't stand. How's she going to deal with this unfortunate development? AU
Warning: This chapter mentions the death of a parent. Viewer discretion advised.
Hate the Player, Love the Game
By Strawberry Pajamas
Chapter 1: Making Changes
The concept of 'home' had always fascinated Ana. Of course, she had had a home growing up – well, technically two, since her parents had divorced when she was young and she had to divide her time amongst them, like kids of divorce often did. However, as an adult, she found herself thinking about what exactly made a place a home. She'd had multiple 'homes' throughout her life: first it was in Portland with her dad, and then in various cities with her mom and whatever husband she had at the time, and then it was Boston when she went to college…
And now, it was New York City.
New York was definitely a cool place to be, which was initially what drew Ana to accept a job here after graduation three years ago. But, until this moment, as she stared out at the iconic New York City skyline from her plane's window seat, Ana had never really considered this city to be her 'home'. A warm feeling of excited anticipation filled her as the plane began to descend toward JFK airport, and she realized that this was what coming home truly felt like.
Having been away from this city for two months seemed to have made Ana more sentimental. Georgia, where she had been staying with her sick mother for the past nine weeks, hadn't been a bad place by any means, however, the circumstances in which she went to Georgia made her eager to not go back anytime soon.
A small wave of melancholy came over Ana at the thought of her mother, who, only a few short weeks ago, succumbed to the cancer that had been plaguing her for the past five years. She was now buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Atlanta, but Ana quickly tried to push thoughts of it out of her mind as the plane taxied on the runway and pulled up to the terminal.
She was finally back home, and so there was no use dwelling on the past.
It was another twenty minutes or so until Ana was finally able to grab her carry-on bag and file out of the plane with the other passengers. Once inside the airport, Ana moved with the crowds of people, who were swarming all around her as they made their way to their various destinations. Ana had only been inside JFK a handful of times, but she was able to navigate through the sprawling airport while following the signs toward Baggage Claim.
After about ten minutes of walking, she finally found the carousel where her baggage was meant to turn up… and standing nearby was a guy she recognized.
"Jose!" Ana exclaimed excitedly at her boyfriend standing near the doors. Jose had promised to pick her up once her flight got in, but she hadn't expected to see him so soon.
"Hey beautiful," Jose grinned, moving toward her. Jose Rodriguez, Ana's boyfriend of nearly 2 years, was a good-looking Latino guy of medium build, and he was looking casual and handsome today in a pair of dark wash jeans, sneakers, and a flannel shirt. "I got in a bit early, so I parked in the nearby lot. I wanted to wait for you inside so I could give you a proper welcome."
"That's so sweet," Ana smiled as she and Jose embraced. They kissed, having not seen each other since Jose last visited her in Georgia over a month ago. Once again, Ana felt that overwhelming sense of home as they embraced.
"What can I say? I'm a sweet guy," Jose smirked, pulling away slightly as he smiled at her. "So are we just waiting for your luggage then?"
"Yup. It should be coming in over here," Ana said, leading them over to the baggage carousel. "Do you have to go back to work after this?"
Jose worked at a small art studio on the East Side, and he often had to go in at odd hours. He checked his watch. "Yeah I do. Lou is letting me take a long lunch, but I should be getting back at around three."
Ana glanced at her own watch and saw that it was a little after one o'clock. "Perfect. After you take me to my apartment, do you think you could drop me off at the office?"
Ana worked at a marketing company called Kavanaugh Media, and it was a pretty typical high-brow New York corporate office at the heart of the city. Despite the cutthroat nature of the corporate marketing industry, Kavanaugh Media had been very good to her. Her boss had been kind enough to allow her an extended leave of absence when her mother got sick, and he even kept her on the payroll even though any other company probably would have let her go.
Jose seemed a bit surprised at her request. "You want to go to work? But you just got back."
"I know. I just want to say hi to everyone and let Max know that I'll be coming back on Monday," Ana explained. "I think it'll be a nice surprise to pop in and tell everyone how I've been doing."
"I s'pose you're right," Jose smiled, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. "How have you been doing, babe? I've been worried about you. I still feel bad that I couldn't get time off work to be with you for the funeral."
Ana smiled sadly back. Even though she and Carla never really had a close relationship, Ana had still made the decision to fly down to Atlanta and take care of her mother when she was in her final days. The funeral and everything following her death still felt a bit surreal, but in these past couple weeks, Ana felt that she had been doing a bit better.
"It's alright," Ana said truthfully. "And I've been doing okay, all things considered. I think going back to work will be a good distraction."
"Yeah, for sure," Jose nodded, smiling encouragingly at her. "And I'm sure all your coworkers will be glad to have you back too."
"I hope so," Ana said, feeling warm at the thought of seeing her work friends again.
The luggage finally started arriving, and Ana soon saw her suitcase come through the chute. Once she grabbed it, she and Jose headed out the doors toward the lot where he was parked, and Ana, now being surrounded by the bustling yet familiar New York City, couldn't help but smile to herself.
~/~
Once Ana had dropped her luggage off at her apartment (and making sure nothing had gone missing in her absence), she changed out of her airport clothes, which were leggings and an old college sweatshirt. She decided to wear something a bit more presentable: a crew neck purple blouse with black skinny jeans and ankle boots. It was a bit more casual than her usual work attire, but since she was just popping in for a visit, she figured she didn't need to get too glammed up.
Ana was just touching up her makeup when Jose called her from the living room: "Ana, hurry up! I gotta get back to work soon!"
"I'm almost done!" Ana called back, finishing the application of her berry-colored lipstick before smacking her lips together, smiling at herself in the mirror. Perfect.
"Finally," Jose said, giving Ana an exasperated smirk when she finally came out of the bathroom. "Y'know, being your personal driver comes with a lot of stress."
"Hey, if you didn't want to give me rides everywhere, you shouldn't have gotten a car," Ana grinned, slipping on her shoes and grabbing her purse. "But don't worry – I'll make it up to you later."
"You better," Jose growled sensually, grasping her around her waist when she got close enough. He pulled her toward him and kissed her on the lips, and Ana smiled against him as she placed her hands against his chest. "C'mon let's go."
The drive to the office was thankfully pretty short: the Kavanaugh Media building was a couple subway stops away from Ana's building, but with Jose driving it took less time. They arrived at the front of the building, and Ana kissed Jose goodbye before assuring him she would be able to find her own way back home later. She then hurried up the steps toward the glass front doors, feeling both excited and nervous to see all her work friends again.
Kavanaugh Media was a 30-story building right on the outskirts of midtown Manhattan, in a bustling area full of other office buildings, restaurants, and retail stores. Ana's department was at the top floor, and her office had a beautiful view overlooking the city. It had been over two months since Ana had last been here, and she couldn't help but smile at her familiar surroundings as she showed her security card to the front desk clerk and headed with the crowd toward the elevators.
The elevator sped up to the top floor, and the doors finally dinged open. Ana stepped out into the spacious foyer where the receptionist and Ana's friend, Nadia, sat. This place hadn't changed a bit, right down to the waterfall fountain wall on the opposite side of the foyer.
Nadia glanced up from her computer, and immediately her face lit up with a delighted smile.
"Oh my God!" she squealed in excitement, hopping to her feet and running around the desk. "Ana, I can't believe you're here!"
"Hey girl!" Ana grinned widely, and the two women embraced. Nadia Martin was one of Ana's best friends in the office, as well as her other best friend, Jessica, who worked in public relations. Ana was looking forward to seeing all of her coworkers today, but she couldn't deny being much more excited to see her two work besties again.
"Oh my God, how have you been?" Nadia asked, finally pulling away and holding Ana at arm's length, giving her a onceover. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! Are you coming back to work soon?"
"Hopefully Monday," Ana smiled. "My flight just got in today, so I decided to stop by the office to talk to Max. And say hi to you guys, of course."
"Of course. I would've been offended if you didn't," Nadia laughed, hooking her arm through Ana's before leading her into the office. "You coming by has definitely made my day better. I feel like so much has happened since you were last here…"
Nadia began to fill Ana in on some stuff that went on when she was gone: a couple old clients had left while some new bigger accounts had just been signed on, the break room on the fifteenth floor had gotten renovated, and Bill Grant from the executive team was going through a nasty divorce.
"…Oh, and there's a new marketing agent too," Nadia said as they walked down the main corridor. "Max hired him like three weeks ago. Christian-something."
"Oh, okay. Good to know," Ana said, smiling and waving at a group of her coworkers who had spotted her. They grinned and waved back. "Do you know where Max is right now?"
"Not sure. Let's look around."
The two women walked around the office, chatting with each other while greeting some of their other office friends. It had been so long since Ana had been here, but everything and everyone felt so wonderfully familiar. She couldn't wait to come back to work.
"ANA!" Jessica Enez, Ana's other work bestie, spotted Ana and Nadia walking toward her desk. The olive-skinned brunette practically leapt up from her seat and tackled Ana in a hug. "Ohmigod I can't believe you're back!"
"It's good to see you too," Ana laughed, hugging her friend back. "But I'm technically not back yet. I still need to talk to Max. Have you seen him anywhere?"
"No I haven't," Jessica said, pulling away from Ana. "Though did Max tell you about the new guy?"
"Nadia mentioned him," Ana said. "I should probably introduce myself, though, if he's new to the team."
Jessica was about to say something, but a male voice spoke up from behind her. "Ana?"
Ana, Nadia, and Jessica turned to see Max approach the three of them. Walking beside him was a tall guy with reddish-brown hair and a well-fitted gray suit.
Wow… Ana couldn't help but stare at the other guy. He was ridiculously handsome, and appeared to be about Ana's age; his silvery gray eyes and excellent bone structure made him look almost like a male model walking off a runway.
"Hey, Ana. It's great to see you," Max smiled at her. Max Wilcox was an older guy with salt-and-pepper hair and kind brown eyes that crinkled when he smiled. "I didn't realize you were coming in today."
"My flight got in this afternoon, so I thought I would pop in to say hello," Ana smiled, and the two of them embraced. "It's great to see everyone again."
"That's wonderful. And how have you been doing?" Max asked, his eyes filling with fatherly concern as he pulled away. Most of the people here knew that she had gone to Georgia to take care of her sick mother, but no one had asked her yet how she had been doing. Ana honestly didn't want to talk about her mother, but she gave Max a small smile nonetheless.
"I'm doing well," she said, nodding. Max nodded back, understanding.
"Ana, this is one of our new marketing agents," he said, turning to the handsome man beside him. "Christian Grey, this is Anastasia Steele. Christian has been taking over some of your job duties while you've been away, Ana."
Ana smiled politely at the other guy, feeling her heart pound a little faster upon seeing his handsome face up close. She held out her hand for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Christian."
Christian didn't so much as smile as he shook Ana's hand. "Yeah, you too. And congratulations."
Ana blinked, pulling her hand away and frowning in confusion. "Er… congratulations for what?"
"On having a baby," Christian said, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets. "Weren't you on maternity leave? I thought that's why you were gone for two months."
Jessica and Nadia both cleared their throats, both of them clearly trying to hide their reactions to his absurd assumption. "Oh, um… no, I wasn't on maternity leave," Ana said stiffly.
"Oh... extended vacation?" Christian asked, quirking an eyebrow as he gave Ana a onceover. He still hadn't smiled, and his rude assumptions about her leave of absence was starting to piss her off.
"No. I was down in Georgia with my sick mother, if you must know," Ana stated, glaring at him. "She died and I had to arrange the funeral."
She didn't really feel comfortable speaking so bluntly about her mother's death, but this Christian guy was starting to seriously piss her off. She hoped he felt bad about his comment now.
Instead of looking embarrassed, however, Christian simply raised his eyebrows at her. He then glanced over at Max before leaning in and saying quietly (but still audibly) to him: "...She got two whole months off just for a funeral?"
Ana's mouth popped open in disbelief. Did he seriously just say that in front of her? Ana desperately wanted to tear him a new one, but Max, sensing Ana's burgeoning anger, quickly placed a hand on her arm.
"Ana, can I have a quick word?" he asked, steering her away. "Christian, we have that meeting with Truman Corps in fifteen minutes. I'll meet you in the conference room downstairs."
"Sure thing," Christian nodded, turning and heading the other direction. Nadia and Jessica exchanged a glance with each other before turning and heading back toward their respective desks.
"What the hell was that about, Max?" Ana burst out once they were out of earshot. "Why did you hire that asshole?"
"I'm sorry about that," Max said apologetically. "Christian can be a bit brusque at times, but he's much nicer once you get to know him. And he's one of the best marketing agents we've ever hired."
Ana snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure he's very nice to the guy who signs his paychecks," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She then cleared her throat, remembering who she was speaking to. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."
"No, it's alright," Max smirked with mild amusement. "And I'll have a word with Christian about being a bit more tactful in the future, especially if you're planning on coming back to work soon."
"Yeah, I actually wanted to talk with you about that," Ana said. "I was hoping I would be able to come back to work on Monday, if that would be alright with you?"
"That would be perfect," Max smiled brightly. "I'll email HR after my meeting today to let them know. We'll all be happy to have you back, Ana."
"I'm happy to be back," Ana said, smiling sincerely. "And once again, I can't thank you enough for being so understanding about the situation with my mom. I appreciate you guys sticking your neck out for me."
"We were happy to do it," Max said kindly, but after a moment his smile faded. "But, I think you should know that… well, we had to make some adjustments when you were gone."
"Yeah, you mentioned earlier that Christian had taken over some of my job duties when I was away," Ana nodded.
"Actually, he took over most of your job duties," Max stated. "And with you coming back now, the two of you are likely going to be splitting the work about 50/50."
Ana tried not to show her reaction on her face, but the thought of having to work with that jerk more than she had to didn't sit well with her. She forced a smile on her face nonetheless. "Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense. Thanks for letting me know."
"Ana, I know that your first impression of Christian wasn't that great, and you probably don't love the idea of working alongside him more than you have to," Max went on awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. "So I really don't relish giving you information that might make you upset…"
"Max," Ana frowned at him. "What is it? Just tell me."
Max sighed. "With the lack of available office space, Christian has had to work out of your office since he started here. And until we get some extra space… you're going to have to share an office with him for the foreseeable future."
Ana could only stare at Max, suddenly wishing for the first time that she was back in Georgia.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my story! If you liked it, please leave a review :)
Next chapter, Ana struggles to adjust to her new office-mate.