Okay, this took way longer than necessary, and I'm very sorry for that. My muse kind of fled the scene right when I was only a little over a thousand words in, and between its ditching and college, I just didn't have the chance to work on this as soon as I wanted to. Again, my apologies! In all the while I wasn't able to write, though, I revised my outline for this story to make it more apt at being a multi-chapter fic. I also changed its summary. Yay!

Alright, enough with my rambling. This chapter is pretty long, and I hope you like it! I would really love to hear what you think.

Ana blinks at him before recovering her equilibrium. "Oh. Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry, Mr. Grey. I don't really know how I could possibly miss that." God, could she feel any more embarrassed? She's pretty sure her face just turned to a shade of a tomato right now.

He waves a hand dismissively. "It's quite alright. I would hate to sound arrogant, Miss Steele, but I'm afraid such reaction is not new to me." He's still smiling at her, and Ana has to remind herself to breathe. This man could really qualify as a god. He's just so...perfect, really. With unruly, dark copper hair, a structured face, and a defined body. The navy blue V-neck and dark pants he's wearing hug him just enough to make him look devastatingly handsome. And his gray eyes are like nothing she's seen before. His looks almost have her keeling over.

"Of course," she says, not knowing what else to say. She's completely out of sorts. Christian Grey has caught her completely off-guard.

"Now, about that coffee . . ." His tone begins to carry an edge of impatience.

"Oh yes, sorry, excuse me for a moment, Mr. Grey," she mumbles hastily. "I have to get rid of this tray and, um, ask Mrs. Thompson if it would be okay for me to share a drink with you." She starts to walk back towards Allison's counter, anxious to escape the intoxicating feeling that seems to have developed in her close proximity with Mr. Grey. His presence just makes her forget everything, and disables her to think straight. Honestly, you'd think a girl like her perceived to be intelligent would have the ability to hold herself together in front of some man.

But then again, some man probably isn't as magnificent as Mr. Grey is.

"Ana! What took you so long?" Allison hisses as she reaches the counter and puts the tray down, inhaling deeply. She feels like she's run a marathon. Her co-worker is fixing a cup of latte as she continues to speak. "Mrs. Thompson caught a glimpse of you chatting with a customer, and she was not pleased. Are you trying to get yourself fired on your first day?!" Allison then proceeds to place the latte on a tray with waffles. "You haven't even met everyone else yet."

Ana releases a sigh, unsure of where to begin. "I'm sorry, Ally," she offers. Wow, she's not sure how many times she's said that today. "I, um – the customer, he wanted . . . He said his name is Christian Grey," she states, shrugging uncertainly. She doesn't know how to explain the whole scenario.

Probably because she's not sure of what really happened herself.

Allison, who's just about to hand her the tray, almost drops it in time with her jaw. "Wh – What? Ana, did you just say Christian Grey?" she asks disbelievingly. She begins fiddling with her hair, then her apron. "Where is he? Oh my god! If he really is here, I hope I look presentable."

Ana stares at her, completely befuddled by her friend's reaction.

They're interrupted by a male's harsh whisper. "Ally, can you keep your voice down? I can't hear the kind lady's order." Another co-worker glares at Allison, obviously frustrated by her sudden outburst. Ana remains silent, still at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, James, but Ana said Mr. Grey is here!" Allison gushes.

The man – James, as Allison called him – gasps as his eyes widen. Not the most manly reaction, really. He and Ally finish fetching the orders of the people in line before James replies, "Are you serious? Christian Grey? Where? I didn't notice him enter the café. Oh god, I hope we didn't make him wait too long for his order . . ." He looks thoughtful for a moment, like he's recalling a previous experience. An unpleasant one, Ana thinks, as his expression hints a bit of panic.

Hmm, seems like Mr. Grey is right. One drop of his name and people seem to respond with recognition. Though she shouldn't be surprised; he is the owner's brother, after all. Still, she doesn't understand the sheer fascination in their voices. It's almost as if he's something more than just being Ms. Grey's brother.

Oh, shit! Suddenly, a light bulb seems to flash in her brain, triggering a memory, and she remembers Kate mentioning his name before. He's also Elliot Grey's brother! The same man Kate asked her if she knew, which she really didn't. Should she know him? Is he some kind of a celebrity? He's so good-looking Ana wouldn't be surprised if he were.

Mrs. Thompson comes striding toward the three of them with a frown on her face. Oh dear, she's definitely not happy. "I believe you are employed to work, and not to gossip in your workplace," she says disapprovingly, eyeing them with a look akin to pure distaste.

Ana's about to open her mouth to apologize but Ally beats her to it. "Our apologies, Ma'am, but Ana just told us that Mr. Grey is here."

Mrs. Thompson's head snaps to her. "He is? Where is he?" Her eyes quickly scan the room for any sign of him.

"Um, he's right over there in the corner, table no. 7, Ma'am," Ana interrupts shyly, subtly pointing her finger in his direction. He's on his phone, but his eyes are intense on Ana's. She shivers slightly.

"I don't understand." Mrs. Thompson's voice snaps her out of her reverie. "Usually he calls before he drops by so that his order's ready by the time he arrives." The older woman shakes her head, then without another word, makes her way towards Mr. Grey's table.

The influx of customers in the shop has gone timid, buying them time for some conversation. Ally and James simultaneously turn to Ana. "So, what did Mr. Grey tell you? Fuck, I hope you didn't spend all that time talking with him having to hear him bitch about our service," Ally says, shuddering.

"Um, no . . ."

"So what did he say?" James cuts in curiously. "I'm James, by the way. Me and Ally work this counter," he says with a friendly smile, holding out his hand. "I hope you've met the rest. We'd hate to make you feel unwelcome on your first day. Everybody here is nice."

"Ana, and no, I'm afraid I haven't met them yet," she says in reply, taking his outstretched hand. "Mr. Grey just, uh . . . He asked me to have a cup of coffee with him." She smiles sheepishly at the two of them. She isn't quite sure of the protocol on how to act around your boss's brother, but she's pretty sure drinking coffee – or tea, for that matter because she just hates the taste of coffee – and chatting with him like long-lost friends isn't it.

"What?" Again, both her first friends in her workplace speak with incredulity in their voices.

Before Ana could reply, Mrs. Thompson is already walking towards them, and she braces herself for yet another reprimand that's sure to come their way but –

It doesn't. "Ana, Mr. Grey has requested for you," the older woman tells her. Poor Mrs. Thompson looks as bewildered as Ana feels. "He says to bring your drink with you. Espresso, I think. Fix it now and remove your apron. He doesn't like waiting. Get someone else to take care of orders from this counter." And with that, she heads back inside the kitchen.

She asks Ally for Twining's English Breakfast tea instead of an espresso, and her friend makes quick work of everything, and before she knows it, she's out of her apron and standing in front of Mr. Grey.

"Anastasia, please, sit," Mr. Grey says, gesturing to the seat in front of him. Ana puts her drink down carefully on the table, then plops herself down primly in front of him. She looks down and fixes her eyes on her tea. If she looks him straight in the eye, she'll embarrass herself again. "You didn't get yourself coffee?" he asks, and when she finally looks up, he seems genuinely surprised. He furrows his brows immediately, though. "I thought I asked Mrs. Thompson to have you fixed a cup of espresso," he continues. "That's about the only thing I like here in Mia's café. Everything else is just too sweet."

Before she knows any better, she finds her lips moving. "Well, it must be called Sweets & Treats for a reason." Her eyes roll a little then widen instantly. Oh, crap. Did she really just say that? To her boss's boss's brother?

Yes, she did.

Did she say that with an eye-roll?

Yes, she did.

Double crap.

She is so getting fired today. There's not even a doubt about it.

"Touché, Miss Steele."

She sees the corner of his lips twitch up, his eyes dancing with humor. Perhaps courtesy of the horrified expression she's sure she's wearing. "Oh god, I'm so sorry." She feels the heat of her blush creep up her neck before it settles on her cheeks. "I am so going to lose my job today."

To her sheer amazement, he only laughs at her. She was already so prepared to be on the receiving end of his wrath.

Today is just full of surprises, isn't it? Her subconscious tells her. She mentally agrees.

"I think you've apologized to me enough to last me a day."

She feels herself flush an even deeper shade of red, and she does her best to avoid looking at him again. "I just – I'm not . . ."

She feels a finger tip her chin upwards…until blue eyes meet gray. "Breathe, baby," he murmurs, and her insides do that floppy thing they did earlier. Right. How is she supposed to breathe when he's right there looking all god-like? "You seem nervous."

That's because she is. She wonders if she could just tell him that. Unsure, she says instead, "It's not every day that an employee gets to share breakfast with her boss's boss's brother." What the hell, she's going to lose her job anyway, so she might as well speak her mind.

"You've got quite the smart mouth, Miss Steele," he comments, brushing his index finger back and forth on his chin, his eyes narrowing into slits before relaxing again. "But I suppose you have a point, though I'd hardly call this breakfast."

No, she feels so intimidated by him that she's pretty sure she'll categorize this as an important business meeting.

"I hope I'm not scaring you away. Mia would never let me hear the end of it, otherwise." He takes his drink and brings it up to his lips, sipping the dark liquid deliberately.

She finds herself mesmerized by the simple action. What is it about him that makes it look so...sensual?

"It's not that, not exactly," she says. She struggles to find the right words. She's just not sure where she stands with this man. "It's just that I'm not entirely sure for the purpose of this…situation right here, what we're doing," she admits quietly. "And please, call me Ana."

He raises an eyebrow. "I'm not allowed to get to know my sister's employees, Ana?"

"That's not what I was trying to say, Mr. Grey." She's not even sure what she's trying to say. She mentally shakes her head at herself, remembering to wallow in self-pity later, after she completely makes a fool of herself in front of the most handsome man she has ever laid eyes on. "Oh well, never-mind."

"If you say so," he says. He tilts his head slightly upwards, keeping his eyes on her, and he looks so very hot Ana feels an unfamiliar tightening feeling below her belly and... Wow. His effect on her is alien but…it feels oh so…good. "I'd like to know more about you." His voice is a rich, seductive tone.

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "More? What do you already know?"

"Well, for one, you like being called Ana, rather than Anastasia or by your last name." His grin is boyish and youthful. "And," he gestures to her drink, "By your choice of beverage, I'd dare conclude that you prefer tea over coffee."

She feels herself finally mirror his smile, the nerves and anxiety she's feeling starting to ebb away. "That would be right, good sir." At her words, she notices something in his expression change. His eyes seem to darken a few shades…why, she doesn't know.

But uh-oh. His look could only mean trouble.

She thinks of possible ways to get rid of the sexual tension that's starting to linger between them. Because if this perfection of a man showed any interest in her at all, she's pretty damn sure she'll jump at any chance he throws her way.

Wow, when did you become a whore that flung herself at random men? It's her subconscious again, and Ana chooses to pay no attention to her this time.

Christian Grey is no random man.

"I have to be honest with you, Mr. Grey," she says in an attempt to steer their conversation elsewhere, "I really have no idea who you are. Not before now, anyway. And even as I sit here with you, I'm pretty sure all the other people in the room looking at our table right now know more about you than I do."

He smiles, almost shyly, his eyes twinkling. And Ana may hardly know him, but she thinks she could fall for him because of this smile alone. "I kind of figured that out on my own awhile ago, when I had to tell you who I am."

"Oh."

"I like that you didn't actually."

"Huh?" Great, now she's reduced to monosyllabic replies.

Jeez, she should really try to get herself together.

"Recognize me," he clarifies. "It feels…new." Oh. She hopes that's a good thing.

She decides to ask anyway. "Good new or bad new?"

"Good, I think. Because you get to have a real chance of truly knowing me. A rare opportunity, if I get to say so myself."

His words hold an indication of promise.

Christian's POV

His sister's new employee is attractive.

Scratch that, she's probably the most beautiful woman Christian has seen for a long time. The only women he's ever really considered beautiful ever since he was a kid were his mother and Mia.

And now, Anastasia Steele made the list. Rather effortlessly if he may add.

He has to admit, though, that when he saw a new face working when he entered his sister's café, his first instinct was to mess with her. Test her competence and ability to bear with a customer like him.

Except when her eyes locked on his, all thoughts of giving her a hard time flew out the window. Her blue orbs triggered every single part of his body and soul in a way that he wouldn't even dare to understand.

Including his dick, of course.

The honesty and vulnerability he saw in them made him forget of his plan to make her suffer on her first day, and he just got the sudden feeling that he wanted to know her. Not just as Mia's employee, but the real her. Every. Single. Thing. About. Her.

Whoa. What the fuck? When the fuck did that happen? Christian wasn't ever the type to get involved with women and all their drama. He's always kept as much distance to that as possible. Hence his lifestyle – BDSM doesn't require all that shit. It doesn't have to involve real feelings. And it calls for the only kind of commitment Christian can provide – the written kind. It's all about a contract, sex, and nothing else. Most of his subs were just in it for the experience and naturally, his money.

Most of them except for the last one he contracted, whom he had to let go just a month prior. Leila had wanted more and he refused to provide her that. He made it a rule that feelings could never be laid on the table, and that's exactly what she did. She laid it all out for him, begging for him to reciprocate her affection, and what did she get instead? His goodbye. And he doesn't even regret it.

Honestly, she should have known better.

Christian Grey never gets himself in a real relationship, where he has to make an effort of knowing a woman outside of contract. Where other things are discussed besides soft limits and hard limits and rules and punishments.

He doesn't do love. Hell, he doesn't even do feelings.

And yet one look at Anastasia Steele and his world turns upside-down? What the actual fucking fuck?

Fuck, he'd dwell on all that later. Right now, he's just keen on holding a conversation with her for as long as he could. Originally, he was planning for a quick stop here before he went to work, but he supposes that it could wait. He's never had a day-off since forever, anyway.

Now he has to make sure if Miss Steele is worth the choice to forgo a day of work.

"But not today," he continues speaking, and shit, he feels eager to discover more about her. He's beyond puzzled by himself. "Today is about Mia's new employee. How's the experience so far?"

"It's great, Mr. Grey. I like it. Though I haven't really done much before you whisked me away," she admits shyly.

"You're lucky my sister isn't here. She has a tendency to go insane whenever a large number of people barge in all at the same time." He pauses. "More insane than she already is when she's in her normal state, anyway."

She lets out a nervous giggle that ends up sounding breathy, and damn if that doesn't have a direct effect on his dick. He shifts slightly to find some comfort. "I'm sure she's wonderful, though you're the expert on her so-called tendencies, of course."

"You haven't met her yet?"

She flushes again. Her alabaster skin turns a pretty shade of pink. Hmm… "Um, no. Mrs. Thompson was the one who hired me," she says.

"I see, yes, Mia does trust Mrs. Thompson with a lot of things," he replies thoughtfully. "Well, if you had met her on the day you sought for the job, you probably wouldn't have accepted it anymore."

"You know, Mr. Grey, you aren't painting on me such a good impression of my boss," she says teasingly. She seems more comfortable now, no longer intimidated by him. Though she won't meet his gaze.

Hmm, maybe still a little intimidated.

"I just like to state things the way they are, Miss Steele," he shoots back with another smile.

That's another thing – he couldn't seem to stop himself from smiling around her. Fuck fuck fuck! He's never smiled so much at a person before. Maybe he should just run far, far away from this woman.

Maybe he'd just ask Mia to fire her. Yes, yes, he could do that. He would do that. He'd brush off how disgustingly ruthless the idea is if it means it would save him from all the confusion and mind-fuck he's having right now.

But then she meets his gaze and says honestly, "That may be, but I'm pretty sure I would have accepted the job regardless, Mr. Grey. I don't want to get too personal, but I do need it at the moment." Her expression holds an emotion that Christian couldn't place.

Well, there goes his cruel idea flying out the window.

How can he have Mia fire her now? Fuck, after hearing her say that, if he still continues on with his plan to take her job from her, he'd have an instant gate pass to hell.

Plus, he doesn't think he could ever bear the thought of causing her any suffering, not now.

Holy shit where did that thought come from? Since when did he care?

He takes his cup and takes a generous sip of his coffee this time. He decides to maneuver the conversation again. "Tell me about yourself, Miss Steele."

"Ana, please."

"Then I suppose you must call me Christian, if you insist on being called Ana." Another new thing. Besides his family, his shrink, and probably Ros, he's never allowed anyone to call him by his first name.

Her eyebrows shoot up before she laughs slightly. It's a beautiful sound. "There's really not much to know about me, Christian." Oh, he likes the way his name rolls off her lips.

"I highly doubt it. Everybody has secrets." He certainly does. Deep, dark, dirty secrets.

The slight tension her body seems to adapt at his words doesn't go unnoticed by him, though he doesn't call her out on it.

"That they do," she agrees in a rather forced teasing tone, her attempt to keep light the atmosphere between them obvious. "Though secrets aren't supposed to be told, are they?" She seems to have recovered, plastering a smile across her face.

"I suppose not," he acquiesces. "Unless we're friends. Which we are."

She laughs now, no longer holding back. "Christian, we hardly know each other."

"But our progress is promising, isn't it?" He flashes her another playful smile, which she returns.

"I guess so," she says. "But I'm still not telling you those secrets you're so keen on knowing about. Maybe one day."

"I'll hold you to that."

"That you do," she retorts.

"So?"

"So, what?" she asks.

"Tell me at least something."

She giggles adorably. Fuck, she's beautiful and cute. He doesn't recall ever thinking somebody as cute. "Okay, um. You know my name, I'm twenty-four, and uh . . . I live just a few blocks from this café, but I'm from Portland. I used to work at a local hardware store there. But Kate, my best friend, she started working for her father and had to move here for that. I tagged along. And now, here I am." She shrugs a shoulder delicately. Damn, she talks fast.

"What inspired you to move here with her?" He's genuinely curious to hear about it.

"Um . . . I studied English Lit, Kate – she took journalism, and we graduated two years ago. I really always wanted to work in publishing, but had to make that dream wait for some…reasons." She's holding something back, and hell if that doesn't tempt him to push her for more information.

But he refrains himself from doing so. Baby steps, Grey. Don't scare her away. "I see. And you feel like now's that right time to pursue it again?" he concludes gently, careful not to insinuate any tone to his voice that could cause misunderstanding.

"Yes," she confirms shyly. "And I like Seattle," she continues.

"Better than Portland?"

"Oh, yes," there's an odd conviction in her voice, "Way, way better than Portland." Her face wears a casual mask, but he can just sense something there, an underlying meaning to her simple statement.

He's always been good at telling whether or not a person is telling him everything or if they're hiding something from him. It's part of what made him who he is today. CEO . . . Master of his universe.

He smirks at her. "Hmm, I would have to agree, seeing as Seattle now has something Portland once had."

She furrows her eyebrows, befuddled, and bites her bottom lip. But she says nothing in response.

Fuck. He wants to lean over the table and bite her lip, too. He feels his dick go harder than it's even been before. Damn, it's almost painful to bear.

Nevertheless, he manages to croak out a husky word.

"You."

Holy shit, Grey. Where did that come from?

Hell if he knows. Crazy how one day, one conversation, one girl can just fucking tilt your world until you're out of balance.

And what's crazier? He couldn't bring himself to care about righting it.

Fuck.

Ana's POV

She takes yet another deep breath as she fishes her apartment keys out of her purse, pushing it into the keyhole and turning it until she hears the lock click. Today wore her out, which is crazy to say seeing as she barely even really got to do any real work, because Mr. Grey – Christian refused to leave the café until about two-thirty in the afternoon, managing to keep their conversation lasting for hours after repeatedly reassuring her that she won't get fired for talking with him for that long.

"I'll explain everything to Mrs. Thompson before I leave," he had said.

And true to his word, he did talk to the older woman, and though Ana still doesn't have any idea what he told her, Mrs. Thompson didn't say anything except for a simple, "Get back to work now, Ana," after Christian exited the café. She attended tables until her shift ended at 6 PM, after promising Ally and James a summary of what just really happened as soon as she got her head wrapped around it herself.

All in all, she got to do her job for about half an afternoon. But still, she considers this day rather…eventful. She's never talked about herself so much in one sitting. But Christian has the ability to rib people for information without them realizing it.

She's fallen victim to the man's charm. And she couldn't even will herself to be rueful. She likes Christian. A lot. Which is insane, because all they had was a few hours of conversation, and who knows if she's ever going to see him again after today? He seems like a busy man, not the type to laze around coffee shops on a regular basis.

She has to admit, though, that she wants to see him again. Boy does she want to. Despite how their conversation had ended.

She cringes at the memory.

As she enters the apartment, she hears the sound of the television from the living room, along with Kate's muttering and releasing of some rather bland criticism. Ana realizes that she's watching some kind of fashion show as she shifts her gaze to see what's gotten Kate in such a worked up state.

"Hey, Kate," she greets carelessly, toeing off her shoes and placing them carefully on the rack by the door. She walks further inside the apartment and puts her purse on top of the coffee table before walking into her room.

Kate follows her. "How was your first day?" she asks, beaming at her.

Ana ponders for a moment, searching for the right words as she sits on the edge of her bed as she does so. "Um, it went well, very…remarkable," she says.

"Remarkable?" Kate raises an eyebrow, her expression equal parts confused and apprehensive.

Ana hesitates. "I, um, I met…" She sighs. "I met Christian Grey."

Kate's other eyebrow joins the one that was already raised. "Billionaire, handsome and sexy as hell, Christian Grey?" she exclaims, and Ana suspects excitement in her voice.

Billionaire? Ana's eyes widen for a second. "Well, I don't know about the billionaire thing, but I can attest to the handsome and sexy comment," she admits, and she can't help it; she giggles merrily.

A grin begins to form in Kate's mouth. "Ana Steele, did you just giggle at the thought of a man?" She laughs vigorously when Ana blushes, obviously overjoyed that she's finally showing interest in a man.

"Um…"

Kate's grin only gets bigger. "Anyway," the blonde starts, "The billionaire part is factual. The guy's very, very rich."

"Really? Well, I kind of figured he's rich, since the owner of the café I work at is his sister, and he was dressed impeccably in what had to be designer clothes."

"Yes, Ana, really. He's one of the richest bachelors in America."

What the actual hell? She knew he had to be wealthy, smart, too, but she didn't know that he was that wealthy.

"I'm assuming from your dumbfounded look that you didn't know any of that," Kate says, visibly amused. "You should have Googled him that night I introduced you to Elliot."

"I know," she says. "But he didn't even tell me…"

"Wait. You two talked?" Kate's voice now borders on shrieking.

"Um, yes…"

"For how long?"

"Hours . . . He even, uh, took me to lunch before we went back to the café." She was kind of hoping to forget about that.

Lunch was a bit of an awkward affair, filled with her nervous mumbling and Christian's onslaught of questions. He took her to an Italian deli just across the café, practically going ballistic when she told him around noon on the middle of their chat that she actually hasn't eaten anything for breakfast. He had ordered for her, engaged in small talk, watched her eat, and paid for their meal after they've finished. He kind of forced her to finish all the food that was on her plate.

"Eat, Anastasia, or we'll never leave this restaurant," he had threatened, and she had immediately caved, intimidated, and had eaten up all of her food. By the time they walked back to the café, she was uncomfortably full, but he had seemed oddly pleased.

"What?!" Okay, definitely shrieking now. "Ana! He must like you!"

"I don't know, Kate…"

"Jeez, Steele, you know I love you, but just how imperceptive are you for not thinking that very real possibility?" Kate exclaims. "I mean, are you sure we're talking about the same Christian Grey? How in hell did you even get him to talk for hours? That in itself is telling," she's stood up now, leaving the room without waiting for her to reply, then walks back in with her phone pressed to her ear.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Elliot," Kate states simply.

"What? Why?"

"If you aren't going to find out what's up with Mr. Billionaire, then I am."

"Kate, I barely even know the guy. Who knows if I'm ever going to see him again?"

That gets her an elaborate eye roll. "Trust me, Ana, if he liked you enough to talk with you for hours, you're definitely going to see him again. For goodness' sake, you work for her sister, and his brother is my boyfriend."

Boyfriend? That's what Elliot is? Since when did Kate allow someone to be her real, honest to God boyfriend? Ana supposes things between them got pretty serious real fast, and tries her best to resist the urge to smile teasingly at Kate.

"Damn, he's not answering his phone," Kate mutters, then dials again.

"I still don't understand why you're calling Elliot right now." Her eyes widen. "You aren't planning to set me up to meet with Christian, are you?"

"First name basis? Just how friendly did you get?" Kate's eyes narrow into questioning slits. "I'm just going to see if Elliot has any idea about Christian's intentions. I met the guy last Saturday when Elliot forced him to go for drinks with us, and he said, like, two words before he excused himself and left."

"Oh…" He did give off the mysterious vibe, but he wasn't silent. Granted, it was her who did most of the talking, as he's had so many questions during the time they were together today.

"Oh dammit, I'll just call him later. I'll send him a text for now; get him to ask Christian about his…endeavors today." Kate sounds a bit annoyed, probably because she's anxious to hear about Christian's side of the story from Elliot.

If she were to be honest, she's anxious to hear it, too.

"But if he's as silent as you claim him to be, how would Elliot possibly grill anything from him?"

"Elliot's a nosy bastard, and he told me that if he irritates Christian enough, the guy relents and talks."

"Oh…" That's her go-to expression when she's unsure of what else to say in response.

"So, what did you and the hot-shot talk about?" Kate asks, and the excitement is back in her voice.

"Me, mostly," she mumbles.

"You?" Kate stares at her like she's grown another head.

"Yes, me," Ana repeats. "He, um, wanted to get to know his sister's new employee."

Kate's smirk takes its place once more. "Mhmm, I'm sure he did."

"Kate, it wasn't like that . . ."

"Oh for Pete's sake, Ana, when would you give yourself enough credit?" her best friend admonishes. "You're beautiful, and hot, and he was attracted so of course he wanted to meet you – simple as that."

She sighs heavily. "I don't know, but…well, he got me talking. About myself. For hours. I don't even know how, he didn't force me, but I felt myself kind of opening up. You know how much I hate being the center of attention, or being the topic of discussion, but with him, I didn't mind so much. Crazy, right? I only just met him and he managed to have me answering all of his questions."

"Probably why he's so good in business, being CEO to his own company and all . . ." Kate murmurs absently.

"CEO to his own company?" Holy hell. She had no idea. He must really be a known figure. That explains all the stares they received awhile ago.

"Oh, Ana, you should really find the time to Google the man. I mean, who doesn't have any idea who Christian Grey is? Only you, probably."

"Um…later, I will. I'll borrow your laptop," she says.

"Okay, now tell me more about your conversation," Kate prods impatiently.

"It wasn't even all that interesting. We mostly just talked about me. Nothing too personal, though…and you know why. But every time I asked him something about himself, he would give me a vague answer, then steer the focus back to me." She kind of felt weird about that when he did it, but she brushed it off.

"Did he kiss you before you parted ways?" Kate asks nonchalantly, as if she's asking about the weather.

"What? Of course not!" she exclaims in response, incredulous. "That would be too straight-forward."

"Getting you to talk about yourself for such a long time was a big step, and you don't seem to mind." The blonde shrugs. "So I wouldn't be surprised if you let him kiss you."

Ana rolls her eyes. Honestly, Kate is just – impossible. "We didn't kiss. In fact, our conversation ended rather…awkwardly."

"Oh?"

She hesitates, looking down at her hands knotted at her lap. "Yes, I kind of just, um…shut-down."

"Ana, what happened?" Kate's gone to motherly mode, her voice a sound of pure concern.

"He – um, he asked me," she starts quietly, feeling a bit uneasy. "Things were going fine, smoothly, but then he, uh… He asked me about my parents, and why I don't talk about them that much. He didn't even push me to say anything. It was just a simple question, and I wasn't mad or anything. But I – I panicked, sort of. And I just kind of shut down in front of him. He looked apologetic, if a little intrigued."

"Oh, Ana . . . You can't blame the guy. I'm sure he wasn't meaning to make you feel bad. He was probably genuinely interested to know more about you." Kate defending a man... Ana never thought she'd ever see the day.

"I know," she murmurs. "As I have said, I wasn't – and am not mad at him. I was more embarrassed by my behavior. I mean, you'd think I'd have moved on by now –"

"Oh no, Steele, we are not going through this again." Kate interrupts, reprimanding. "I told you not to rush yourself into anything. You've been through a lot, and it's okay to take your time moving on from all that crap the universe threw your way."

She sighs heavily, feeling tears finally sting her eyes. No. No she will absolutely not cry over this again. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure that put him off enough to never want to see me again. I didn't even bid him a proper acknowledgement when he was leaving." Is that sadness in her voice? She's saddened by the possibility of not seeing Christian Grey again? Oh, she's got it bad.

There's a gleam in Kate's green eyes. "Oh, Ana, believe me when I say that he will find a way to see you and talk to you again." That smirk once more.

"Huh?"

"You've got him intrigued. Of course he'll come back. And if I may say, Christian Grey might just be what you need… Or you might be what he needs. After all, you both got each other talking," Kate teases with a shrug, before her voice adapts a more serious tone. "I won't force you into seeing a man, Ana, and after how your conversation ended, it would be understandable if you want to distance yourself from Christian. But…"

"What? Just spit it out, Kate."

"Ana, if Mr. Billionaire was the first person to get you to open up willingly, he might just be what's good for you right now. And, oh! If it works out, we might be future sisters-in-law!"

A review would be much appreciated! :)