A/N-

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Enjoy chapter 3!
CHAPTER 3 – Christian Grey Has a Crush?!

CHRISTIAN'S POV – Saturday, May 4

"I don't see why you insist on dragging me to this place when I have a private fucking gym at Escala," I complain to Elliot as we walk into the gym. First my reaction to Anastasia yesterday and now letting Elliot drag me to the gym? I must be turning into a pushover – I'll have to fix that.

"It's good to get out, dude. This gym is great, and it has more options than Escala," Elliot points out as we head through the lobby, Taylor literally less than three feet behind us. I guess Elliot does have a point, but it's definitely not my thing to do things like this public. No doubt the press will be all over me as soon as some asshole here recognizes me.

As we're almost at the elevator, Elliot suddenly turns away from me, clearly seeing someone he recognizes.

TAYLOR'S POV

"Hey, Ana!" calls Elliot, and waves someone over. She's a young, very petite, brunette woman, probably only just over five feet in height. She smiles at Elliot, walking over, and it seems as though they know each other. When I get a better look at her face as she comes closer, I see she's extremely attractive. There's something about her smile and eyes that makes her seem sweet and charming, and she's absolutely gorgeous. The boss looks up and freezes when he sees her. That's strange. Does he know her?

I think he's about to say something, but then stops. This is so weird to see- the boss speechless?

The expression of the woman – Ana, I think Elliot called her, matches Christian's when she reaches them and sees him. What is going on?

"Anastasia, it's nice to see you again," Christian says.
"You as well, Mr. Grey," she replies, looking shy. I wonder how she knows both of them.

"Oh please, call him Christian," Elliot says humorously with a grin. I listen for Christian's usual response, telling her that Mr. Grey is how she should address him, but he doesn't say anything. Okay, something is weird here.

"You two know each other?" Elliot questions. Christian nods, and I see his gaze travelling back to Anastasia, who looks like she just came from a workout. Elliot glances back at me, an expression I can't place on his face, but then it dawns on me. Elliot looks smug, eyeing Christian. Does the boss have a crush on this woman?

Ha – I doubt it. The boss doesn't do romance, or anything like it. He's straight as a pole, but I know for a fact he's never wanted a girlfriend. He's a one – night stand kind of guy, but I don't entirely know why. He probably just wants her in bed. Who wouldn't? From what I can see, she's gorgeous. Anastasia clears her throat and smiles brightly at Elliot, lighting up her whole face.

"I interviewed Mr. Grey – I mean Christian, on Wednesday," she explains to him. "Are you two friends?" she asks, and I almost laugh. Not friends, just brothers. The boss doesn't have friends, not even Elliot.

"Brothers," Mr. Grey replies, finally speaking. Wow, I've never in my four years of being his personal bodyguard, seen him like this. He seems awestruck by her.

"Ana teaches here, Christian," Elliot says, raising an eyebrow knowingly at him and fighting back a grin. The fucker can totally tell that the boss likes her. I guess that proves itself that Elliot and Ana are just friends. But it looks like Christian doesn't know that, because he keeps glancing between them. Who fucking knew Christian fucking Grey could have a crush?
"What do you teach?" he asks.

"Pilates, I have a women's class," she replies shyly. Pilates. Hot. I wonder if she's attracted to him too. Hell, she probably is. All the women in Seattle are.

"Hey, Ana, you're still coming tonight, right?" Elliot asks, and the boss's gaze shoots to Elliot, a mix of disappointment and jealousy. He thinks they're together.

"Yeah, I'm bringing my friend Kate," she replies. They must be talking about Elliot's party he's throwing tonight. Elliot invited his brother, but as usual, he declined. Elliot looks at him and I can tell he's fighting back a shit - eating grin. He's probably never seen his brother like this either.

"That's great. Maybe Kate and I can canoodle," Elliot says looking pointedly at his brother and all but nudging him. Good old Elliot – he's trying to make it clear that Ana is single. Mr. Grey realizes this and looks up again.

"Canoodle?" Ana questions, and they all laugh.

"Is this your party tonight?" Mr. Grey asks, and Elliot nods. "I forgot to tell you, I can make it," the boss says, and I can't believe my ears. He never goes to these things. He's totally tripping over his fucking balls for this girl! This is crazy.

She smiles at Christian, and he fucking smiles back at her. She has no idea how weird this is for him, holy hell. I have to work extremely hard to keep my composure. I thought I'd never see the day. This Anastasia must be pretty special. I hope it turns into something, because I want the boss to be happy. And seeing him happy talking to her was almost unbelievable. Who the hell is this goddess?

ANA'S POV

I'm wearing a classic, really pretty, strapless 'little black dress' to Elliot's party thing tonight. Elliot Grey is his name, I've found out. I had no idea they were brothers; it didn't even occur to me. They don't look anything alike, although they're both very attractive. Elliot is blond and has blue eyes, and Christian has brown hair and… those eyes. I haven't been able to get them out of my head.

I leave my hair natural, as usual, because I don't like to straighten it often: it damages my hair. I pin the sides of my hair out of my face and leave my hair to cascade over my shoulders. Kate leant me a pair of her nude coloured high heels to wear. They're too small for her, so they fit my small feet well enough. I let Kate put a little bit of mascara on, but nothing else. I don't wear makeup, and fear it might make me look too different. On the other hand, Kate has a face full of expertly applied makeup, making her look gorgeous. Maybe I should wear more, more often…

Kate finishes and stands up. While I'm wearing her five inch heels, I'm almost as tall as her, but then she steps into her own heels and is back to towering over me.

Kate and I take a taxi to the venue. We arrive and walk in to the impressive place, already filled with booming, deafening dance music and people bustling about, some already clearly drunk. It's only ten. I tuck my hair behind my ear, uncomfortable. Kate's a natural at this stuff, but she stays by my side, for now.

"And she finally shows up!" Elliot appears in front of us suddenly, his grin wide as he smiles at me before turning his attention on Kate. She smiles and I can tell she likes what she sees. Oh, Kate… Elliot's a nice guy; I hope she doesn't use him or anything.

"Kate, this is Elliot. Elliot, Kate," I yell over the music, and they say something to each other I can't quite hear.

Then, Christian appears next to Elliot. I didn't see him coming, but then the booming music and mob of people would make it hard. He's wearing a white button down shirt with the top button undone and dress pants. I haven't seen him wear anything different, but tonight, he looks… extra hot. He looks a little more relaxed, but nevertheless I straighten a little when he looks at me. I feel my blush creeping into my expression, but hope he can't see me too well.

"Ms. Steele," he greets me with a smile, and my cheeks heat up even more. Ugh, I wish I didn't blush so often.

"Mr. Grey." He smiles at me and we hold eye contact for what seems like a long time, until Kate clears her throat.

"Oh, um, Mr. Grey. I mean Christian, this is Kate," I stutter nervously.

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Kate yells over the music, clearly ecstatic to be meeting him. We're all now standing in a circle, Elliot and Christian holding drinks. I can't help but wonder why they're sticking around. Do they both like Kate?

"I'm assuming you're the reporter Anastasia had to fill in for?" Christian asks, coming across as joking but I swear I hear the hint of a demeaning tone in his voice. Kate just nods, not catching it.

"That's me!" Christian raises an eyebrow but doesn't reply. Elliot starts talking animatedly to Kate about something, and I recognize his flirty demeanour. Hm, I did think they would be a good match. I guess we'll see how the night plays out. I'm standing awkwardly when Christian turns his attention back to me, and I feel self -conscious under his intense gaze again.

"Would you like a drink, Anastasia?" A friendly gesture. That's what this is, but my heart still leaps.

"I'd love one. I'll go with you and we can get some together," I reply, but he shakes his head.

"On me." His tone sounds definitive. He's already struck me as someone who makes up his mind and sticks to it, so I just blush and thank him. He tells me he'll be right back and leaves me alone by the wall, away from all the dancing, crazy drunk people. Elliot and Kate have disappeared. I'm startled when a clearly drunk man, probably my age, appears next to me and smiles. He seems friendly enough, but also flirty. I stiffen.

"Hi, sweetheart. Is Christian Grey your boyfriend?" he asks, slurring his words.

"No," I say simply, turning away from him, but he touches my arm, causing me to freeze.

"We should dance." Suddenly, he touches my waist and pulls me closer, but I hit his arm, causing him to drop it. It doesn't seem to faze him, and he just leans against the wall next to me.

"Okay, we can just stay here then, I guess." Who is this guy? He inches closer to me yet again, and my heart rate has already picked up. Please no, please no. I'm just about to turn around and leave when he grabs my arm yet again.

"Just one dance, baby."
"Let go of me." He grips me tighter, and I'm getting more and more nervous. Suddenly, he pulls me right up to his chest and leans in, and I'm not strong enough to fight against him. He grabs my waist and I'm frantically pushing against him, telling him to get off when all of the sudden he's gone.

I look up, leaning against the wall, and Christian has pulled him off of me. I can't hear what he's saying from here, but he pushes him one more time, and it looks like he's speaking sternly. Suddenly, a really big guy appears out of nowhere, takes the guy by the arm and dragging him away, towards the exit. Huh?

My heart is racing. I hate that I can't handle these situations myself; I hate it. Christian turns back and walks over to me, concern etched all over his face. He reaches me and sighs out; looking at me to make sure I'm okay. Then his expression turns to… anger?

"Who was that?" I ask, trying to seem like I'm not bothered.

"Unfortunately, my cousin. Kyle Lambert. I'm sorry Anastasia, are you okay?" He's so sweet…

"I'm okay, it's not a big deal." Yes it is. "Thank you for helping me."

He nods. "Taylor took care of it." I smile a little, which makes him smile, looking confused.

"Is Taylor the guy who is always standing behind you? Yesterday at the gym he was, I mean." He laughs.
"Yes, my personal bodyguard. Security." Personal bodyguard… How famous is he? Had I been living under a rock not to have heard of him?

"Fancy," I comment, making him chuckle.

"Yep, fancy." He hands me my drink and I thank him. "So," he starts. "You said you're a literary translator at SIP?"
I nod. "Yes, I love what I do. I have a passion for languages; always have."

"How many did you say you speak? Four?" He looks extremely impressed.
I giggle a little. "Six, actually." His jaw drops, and I laugh again, taking a sip of my drink as he leans against the wall.

"Six languages? You're joking."

"I'm not."
"Okay, list them," he challenges. I laugh, caught off guard by how nice he is being, especially since apparently the media sees him as stiff and cold. He seems to genuinely want to be hanging out with me right now, and the thought makes me giddy.

"Okay. So English, obviously. Italian I learned the same time I learned English as you know – my mother taught me both when she taught me to talk. Then when I was fourteen I moved in with my dad – well technically my stepdad – in Québec and lived there for two years, which resulted in my fluency in French. I also took Spanish from grades ten to twelve, so I'm fluent in that as well, although it's not my strongest."
He scoffs at that, clearly impressed that I'm bilingual in the first place. I giggle.

"Okay, so what about numbers five and six?" He takes a sip of his drink, amused.

"I started taking classes in Mandarin Chinese when I was eighteen and discovered I wanted to work in translation. When I had just about received my certificate in that, I started working on my German."
"Wow. That is so impressive. What's your favourite language to speak?"
"Italian," I say, smiling, but then I feel my expression grow serious. "It reminds me of when I was little. Before things got complicated, ya know?" He nods, and for once in my life I get the strange feeling that maybe he understands.

"Do you know any other languages?" I ask, tilting my head.

He takes a sip of his drink. "French. That's it. Sad, I know."
I laugh. "Hardly. I doubt you have anything to be ashamed of with a successful career like yours, Mr. Grey," I joke, but he just shrugs, laughing.

"Je suis impressionné par votre intelligence, mademoiselle Steele," he says. He speaks French beautifully.

"Très bien, monsieur Grey!" I say, clapping my hands.

"Okay, say something in Italian," he says, chuckling at me.
I think for a moment. Hm… he doesn't know Italian, so I can say whatever I want. "Grazie per la bevanda Christian, sei molto dolce," I say, blushing even though he can't understand me. I said 'thank you for the drink Christian, you are very sweet'. He stares at me, not understanding, and he looks adorable. So different than photos Kate has showed me of him. He's not stern, or mean, or harsh. He is sweet.

"I don't know what you just said, but it sounded beautiful," he says, and I giggle.

We spend the next hour talking about just random stuff. My family, his family, more about my job, his career, our interests. He hasn't left my side all night, and maybe it's just the drink setting in, but I'm starting to become optimistic. Could it be possible that he does like me?
He doesn't say directly that he was adopted, but I figure it out. He has an adopted brother; Elliot, and an adopted sister named Mia. His mother and father live in Seattle. He doesn't seem to feel comfortable talking about his family for some reason, although it seems as though they're very loving. I don't want to talk much about my mother, but I tell him she lives in Georgia and doesn't contact me much.

Before I know it, I've grown tired and have yawned twice in the past minute. Christian smiles at me, an expression on his face that I can't place.

"Tired?" he asks me, and I nod, a little embarrassed. It's only eleven – thirty.

"We'll drive you home." He turns and motions for me to walk with him, but I'm stunned. Much to my delight, he grabs my hand as we head towards the exit.

"You don't have to-" I start, but he interrupts me, smiling.

"It's okay, I don't mind." He texts something quickly on his phone, and then we walk out into the brisk evening air. A very expensive looking car pulls up within a minute, and Christian opens the back door for me. I climb in and he gets next to me.

Suddenly, I get a sinking feeling of realization in my stomach. Is he expecting me to sleep with him? My heart starts accelerating. I can't do this.

I tell Christian's bodyguard – Taylor, my address, and he starts driving. Christian asks me about Kate and I tell him about her.

"My brother seemed to like her," he says with a raise of his eyebrow, and I smile.
"She seemed to like him too. I thought they would make a good match when I met Elliot."
"How did you meet him, by the way?" Christian asks immediately. Is that… jealousy in his voice?

"Oh, well you know I teach my Pilates class at the gym. We kept running into each other in the hallways and lobby, so we sort of made a joke out of it," I say. He doesn't smile. Does he think I'm interested in his brother or something? Does he care? Does that mean he's interested in me?
We reach my apartment. Oh, this is it. I'm going to be embarrassed, having to refuse him to come up with me. He gets out and walks around to open my door. What a gentleman. I hold my breath, but he just stands facing me.

"Would you like me to walk you up?" he asks. Oh, so he wasn't planning on sleeping with me. I'm both relieved, and… not, at the same time. I feel strange – I don't feel like myself.

"No, I'm okay. Thank you so much for driving me, though. Thank you Taylor," I call, flashing Taylor a smile. He just nods plainly. He's so serious.

"Thank you for keeping me company tonight," Christian says, smiling down at me, and I blush.

"Thank you," I reply, too awestruck to say anything clever. I turn to walk into the lobby, but he calls my name.

"Oh and Anastasia." I turn. "You look beautiful." With a smile, he gets back in the car and Taylor drives away.

And I'm left standing alone on the sidewalk, grinning like an idiot.

A/N-

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