A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
A POV
"Julia, have you heard from Will, your bookstore guy?", Kate asks as she and I along with Julia shop at Neiman Marcus after work.
"We've been texting here and there, and we're going to dinner tomorrow night. He offered to pick me up, but I told him I'd meet him there." She picks up a red sequined top. "This would look cute with some jeans and heels."
"It sure would.", I tell her.
"Ana, I meant to ask how your meeting with Victoria Lewis went this afternoon?" Today was the day I gave my presentation for the Clothing Palette ad campaign.
"It went great. She loved my "Times May Change, but You Can Always Count on Us" tagline." I browse through a rack of dresses, pulling out a one shoulder, sky blue dress. "Her mother and grandmother were there along with her daughter who was out school for the day so I took a photo which I'm going to use in the ads. They'll start running in newspapers next week."
"Didn't you say the boutique is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary soon?", Kate asks.
"The Tuesday after next is the official anniversary, but they're holding a celebratory party next Saturday and have invited me."
"I hope I have as much success with the Rawlings Motors account.", Julia sighs. "We had a productive meeting this morning though. Mr. Rawlings is a nice and simple guy who's determined to get his dealership back on track. He doesn't want the ads to be over the top. He wants simplicity. Christian wasn't at today's meeting, but Mr. Rawlings said he was going to fill him in." I'm about to place the dress in my hand back on the rack when Julia pushes it back at me. "You should try that one."
"Julia's right. You'll look hot in it.", Kate chimes in.
"Fine. I'll try it on.", I murmur as I head to the dressing room. I take off my clothes and slip into the dress. I turn and look in the mirror. I like how the dress is flowy and falls just above the knee, but I want Kate and Julia's opinion on it. "I'm eager to get an opinion on this." I open the dressing room door and walk out expecting to see Kate and Julia, but instead I'm met by gray eyes which are raking up and down my body.
"My opinion is you should definitely get that.", he smirks. "Although I'm more partial to you not wearing anything at all."
"Two questions. The first is how did you know I was here? I only told you I was going shopping."
"I placed a call to Sawyer. Now what's the second question?"
"Where did Kate and Julia go?", I ask, finding my friends no where to be found.
"They said they were going to head to the department store across the street. Don't worry though. I told them I'd give you a ride home."
"How considerate of you. Do you really like this dress?" I run my hands down the sides of the dress. He steps closer and touches my face.
"I love that dress." I respond to his compliment by kissing him. We stand by the dressing room and maul each others mouths until he pulls away. "I'm so fucking hard right now." I bite my lip and scan around us, making sure no one sees me when I pull him into the dressing room with me. "What are you doing?" With the dress still on, I drop to my knees and unbuckle his belt. "Ana, you don't have to."
"Just because I'm not able to have sex doesn't mean I can't fuck you with my mouth.", I say as I pull his pants and boxers down in one swoop. I lean forward and lick a drop of precum off his tip. I wrap my hands around his base. I alternate between stroking him with my hand and licking the sides of his cock.
"Oh.", he moans. I slide him in my mouth and start sucking him. I glance up and see him watching my every move. My right hand is on his leg, keeping him in place as his hips jerk. "I'm going to come." I keep my mouth wrapped around him as his release slides down my throat. He pants while recovering. "You amaze me."
"Is that one of the reasons you love me?" I bat my eyes playfully at the mentioning of his confession from last night. After he said he was in love with me, I told him I felt the same which couldn't be more true.
"It's one of the many reasons.", he nods. "The dress didn't get anything on it, did it?"
"No." He helps me to my feet, and I reach for a packet of tissue from my purse. I hand him one so he can clean himself up a little. "What time is your dinner with Gil Hanson?" It's been two days since Christian and Gil Hanson came to an agreement on their deal, but Gil Hanson's remained in Seattle, spending some time exploring the city. He and Christian are having dinner tonight before he returns to London tomorrow.
"It's at seven so I figured I could spend a little time with you first." I take off the dress and start putting my clothes back on. "You're more than welcome to join us."
"Thank you for the offer, but I've already told my mom that I'd come over to her place. My dad's having a bowling night with some friends so she wanted to know if I'd like to have dinner with her." I grab my purse and slowly follow Christian to the door. "Let me go out first and make sure no one sees both of us walking out."
"You're worried about that now?", he laughs. I stick my head out and see the coast is clear.
"Come on." He's still laughing as he walks out behind me. Sitting on a bench beside the far wall are Sawyer and Taylor. "Have you decided on my secondary CPO yet?"
"I'm still working on it in addition to the mound of work I've got at the office. There's also the Leila thing that's not finished." Sawyer and Taylor stand and trail us towards the front of the store. Before getting to the checkout, I turn to Christian.
"If at any point, you feel like I'm taking too much of your time, please let me know. I don't want to interfere with anything."
"You're not. My life used to consist of work, work, and more work. I had no motivation for anything else, but you changed that. Ana, I can't tell you enough how important you are to me. I love you."
"I love you too."
"Your dad was excited about bowling. It's been a while since he's been, but he said it's like riding a bike. You never forget.", my mom says as she and I eat dinner.
"Who's he bowling with?"
"Mike McCord, Larry Tanner, and Walter Spence. Your dad is going to be on Mike's team which is fine with him. Unlike Larry and Walter, your dad and Mike aren't so competitive. They play for the fun of it. Larry and Walter, though, are extreme when it comes to bowling."
"I remember watching them play once. They had matching shirts and bowling bags."
"And they made sure they were careful with their hands before the game.", my mom replies as she takes a bite of her food. "They didn't want anythig to happen to their precious hands before playing. It's one of the main reasons your dad hasn't played with them in a while. Mike called the other day and said Larry and Walter wanted to play. Apparently they've been having trouble finding opponents."
"Imagine that.", I murmur. "By the way, the dressing on the salad is delicious."
"Thank you. I may it myself. You said Christian's out a dinner tonight?"
"He's having dinner with a client before the guy heads back to London." I feel myself smiling as I continue eating.
"Your face tells me things are good between the two of you.", she says.
"Things are great. Last night I told him I'm in love with him."
"Really? Oh sweetheart. That's wonderful."
"He actually told me the same thing first. We've been making sure to be honest with each other. It's kind of scary how fast and hard I've fallen in such a short amount of time." My mom wipes the corner of her mouth with a napkin and sighs.
"You can't put a time frame on it. Sometimes people spend years trying to make a relationship work whiile other relationships fall into place just like that." She snaps her fingers and smiles. "When it's right it's right."
C POV
"How did your sightseeing of the city go?", I ask Gil Hanson. We're in the middle of our dinner at Canlis.
"I had a great time. Seattle is definitely a wonderful city. I had seen several photos of the Space Needle before, but to see it in person is unlike anything else. My favorite spot was Waterfront Park though. I was having a rough afternoon yesterday. I had both my mom and dad on my mind, and I ended up at Waterfront Park. It had the most incredible view. I sat down on one of the benches and felt so at peace. I finally looked at my watch and realized I had been there almost two hours, but those were two of the most needed hours."
"I've been to Waterfront Park many times, and it's definitely one of the best places to go when you just want to relax.", I tell him as he takes a drink of his wine.
"This wine is perfect. Christian, thank you for inviting me to dinner. I really appreciate it."
"You're more than welcome."
"I'll return the favor whenever you're in London."
"Interestingly enough, a trip to London might be on the horizon.", I say while swirling my wine around in my glass. "I'd like to take my girlfriend on a trip, and I think she'd like London." I've yet to mention going away to Ana, yet I feel like it could be a good thing since we've been dealing with all kinds of shit lately.
"I'm sure she'd enjoy it.", he says. "Dating is something I haven't done much of lately. My mother used to tell me I worked too much. She was worried about me being alone. I told her I wasn't alone. I had her." His eyes drop to the table. "She'd want me to be happy."
"Yes she would. Your mother sounds a lot like mine. I still work a lot and will continue to do so, but I'm following my mother's advice and enjoying life. I'm dating an an amazing woman who makes me happier than I ever thought was possible. The same can happen to you."
Once dinner is over, I say goodbye to Gil and head home. Only the lamp in the living room is on, adding to the solace of the apartment. I texted Ana on the drive to Escala, but she's yet to text me back. Given that it's already after ten, she might be asleep. I pad into the bedroom and change into a pair of pajama pants and a white tee shirt.
I'm about to climb into bed when the phone starts ringing. A rush of excitement passes through me when I see it's Ana.
"Hey. I was hoping I'd hear from you.", I say. I go ahead and get into the bed.
"I'm sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I got home from dinner and went downstairs to wash some clothes in the laundry room. I had my phone charging in the apartment."
"How was dinner with your mom?"
"Great. My dad came home not long before I left. He and his friend Mike won their bowling match. The other two guys congratulated them, but my dad said their words weren't very sincere.", she giggles. "And how was your dinner?"
"It went great as well. Gil talked about seeing all the attractions in Seattle. He brought up the subject of taking me to dinner the next time I'm in London. I've been there several times, but I'm thinking a trip in the not too distant future." I lean back on the pillow. "Have you ever thought about going there?"
"Sure. I've always wanted to go there. I've just never really had the chance."
"But you'd go if you had the chance?", I ask, hoping she says yes.
"I suppose. Why are you asking?"
"Because I want you to go to London with me. I had already been pondering us going away for a while. Wouldn't it be nice to leave all the crap behind for a while?"
"It would be nice, but I'm not sure when I can go. I can't just drop everything. I've got to give an advanced notice at work."
"I understand. I guess I go so excited that I forgot some details.", I say.
"We'll go sometime though.", she says as I yawn. "You sound like me in needing sleep. I'm going to turn in for the night. I love you."
"I love you too."
"You said you've got good news.", Tom Rawlings says as we talk on the phone.
"Remember how I put in a bid for the police department to purchase their new vehicles from Rawlings Motors? Well, I got a call a few minutes ago, and they've accepted our bid. Rawlings Motors is going to provide the department with ten new vehicles.", I say while balancing the call and looking over my work.
"That's fantastic news and will definitely be a boost to the dealership."
"That it will. Details about what they want need to be worked out, but the biggest obstacle has been passed. Of course people will hear where the cars were bought, and that'll help sales. Tom, we're turning that corner where good things await." I keep mum on one concern of mine. Samual Donovan had provided the Seattle Police Department with vehicles the last few years so I'm left wondering how he'll react to not losing out.
"It's raining outside, but you've certainly brightened my day with this news. Thank you."
Following the call, I start to resume my work, only to be interrupted when Taylor opens the door. He smiles apologetically and walks into the office.
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but there's a man downstairs who wants to see you. He doesn't have an appointment, yet he insists you'll want to hear what he has to say. It's about Leila Williams."
"I'll see him.", I tell Taylor. He leaves the room as I prepare to listen to this mystery guy. I know Leila's lying about being attacked, but I need proof."
"Right in here.", I hear Taylor say. I see him and a tall, dark brown haired guy step inside my office. "Mr. Grey, this is Mark Chambers." Barney came by yesterday and showed me the footage of Leila and the mystery guy, and now I'm staring directly at the guy.
"Thank you for agreeing to see me.", Chambers says.
"Have a seat." He follows my order and sits down across from me. "What do you have to tell me about Leila Williams."
"The biggest thing is she's a liar." He's right about that.
"Explain."
"Leila and I live in the same apartment building." That would explain why he wasn't seen leaving the building. "We would pass each other in the hallway and flirt. I was attracted to her, and she was to me or so I thought. A couple of weeks ago she invited me to her apartment. I immediately said yes. I was interested in getting to know her, but she seemed more intent on us just getting it on. My guard fell, and we fell into bed. We continued to hook up in both of our places. A week ago she told me she needed a favor. She wanted me to hit her and make it appear she had been attacked. I wasn't about to do it, but she told me she'd pay me ten thousand dollars. A guy like you may see ten thousand dollars as pocket chnage, but not me. I've got student loans and other expenses that keep adding up. I've been barely able to make rent which I told Leila about. She said she'd give me five thousand before I did the deed and the rest afterwards."
"And you accepted her offer?"
"Foolishly, yes. I thought I could trust her."
"Did she tell you why she wanted you to hit her?", I ask as I try to decipher what the hell the guy was thinking when he agreed to Leila's request.
"She said her mother always dismissed her so she needed a sure fire way to get her attention. She saw being beaten up as that way." I burst into laughter. "What's so funny?"
"Do you really have to ask? I just met you, yet I already know you're not a bright guy."
"Anyway, she and I went out for drinks and went to back to her place where I hit her. It wasn't my proudest moment, and I immediately regretted it afterward. I saw Leila in pain, and I apologized. She merely told me to leave. The next day I called her to find out when I was going to get the other half of my money. She said I misunderstood how much she was going to pay me, and I wouldn't be getting the other day. I felt betrayed which I told her. She laughed and said I needed to get over my silly crush since there's only one guy for her. Christian Grey. She then had the nerve to thank me for helping in her plan to get you. I was smart enough to put two and two together."
"She told me a guy she met at a bar had beaten her up although there were several holes in her story."
"I've slowly learned if Leilas mouth is moving she's lying.", he sighs.
A POV
"I still can't believe that guy agreed to hit her.", I tell Christian as we're awaiting Leila's arrival at his apartment. After he told me about Mark Chambers's story, he called Leila and asked her to meet him.
"He was desperate for money and blinded by his feelings for her.", I murmur. Taylor appears in the living room doorway and nods. Leila soon saunters inside the room, giving Christian her usual fuck me eyes before barely smiling at me.
"Ana, I didn't know you were going to be here." I arch a brow. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you." Liar! "It's just when Christian said he wanted to see me I thought it was only going to be us. It's good to see you though."
"Thanks." I can't say it's good to see her.
"Leila, please have a seat." Christian motions to the arm chair that's directly opposite the love seat where he and I are sitting. She struts across the rug and slinks down in the chair. "I've got some wonderful news."
"You do?", she asks curiously.
"I found the guy who beat you up." All the color drains from her face.
"You found him?", she stammers. "How?"
"Well, I was making progress by the camera footage I got from your building. It showed you and a guy walking into the building. What he didn't show was the guy leaving. I was stumped, trying to make sense of how he could almost vanish. Even though I decided to keep looking, I was surprised when he showed up at my office today. His full name is Mark Chambers, but you probably already knew that."
"What do you mean? I told you I only knew his first name."
"You mean the lie you told?", I scoff. "You sat in this same room and told us you had been attacked by a guy you met a bar, but we now have proof you lied. You hired him to beat you up. What kind of a person does that?"
"So you've deemed what that guy said as proof?", she snarls, looking directly at Christian. "I can't say I'm not shocked Ana believed the story, but Christian, I'm hurt that you did. We've known each other for a long time, and it hurts that you think I'm capable of such a thing."
"Leila, the old you might not have done something like that, but you're no longer that person. Who knows maybe the person sitting in front of me is who you've been the entire time, and I'm just now seeing it. Regardless, your story didn't add up from the beginning." She glares at me.
"You put those ideas in Christian's head.", she says as she glares at me. "Are you really that threatened by me that you have to make up lies?"
"I'm not threatened by you, and I'm certainly not the one making up lies. You're the one who will do whatever it takes to keep even the slightest hold on Christian. He's already told you that he's interested. What more does he have to say?" Christian places his hand on my knee in an effort to calm me, but my temper is flaring too much. "Get it through your thick skull and move the fuck on!"
"I suppose he told you about visiting my hotel room?"
"Don't even think you're going to make me believe something happened. Taylor was in the room the entire time."
"You're right. Taylor was there the entire time but not because Christian didn't trust me. It was because he didn't trust himself. He was afraid what might happen if the two of us were alone in that hotel room."
"Bull shit!", Christian hisses. "Nothing was going to happen because I don't want to be with you. In fact, I don't want anything to do with you."
"You don't mean that. We can still be friends, right?" Christian shakes his head.
"No. I don't want negative people in my life. I'd like for you to leave." Leila remains seated. "Have some dignity and leave on your own before I have you tossed out by security." She slowly brings herself to her feet, pushing her hair back and looking at us. "Go."
"You're making a big mistake.", she mutters before stomping out of the room.
"I was thinking I could stay here tonight.", I tell Christian while we're recouping from the Leila confrontation. "I'll have to leave early in the morning so I can get a change of clothes for work. I don't have anything to wear to bed though."
"You can sleep in nothing or you can sleep in one of my tee shirts.", he smiles.
"I do like the idea of sleeping in one of your shirts. Last night you mentioned us going to London. Did you really want us to go there?" I kiss the corners of his mouth.
"I meant it although I should've been more considerate to your work schedule."
"Will you still be wanting to go in let's say a month?" He cocks his head to the side. "I asked Mr. Nelson about taking some time off next month, and he said ok. Oh geez. Here I am not being considerate of your work schedule. You could have something going on next month."
"Ana, the only thing I have going on next month is our trip which I'm excited about."