A/N: Uncovering Mr. Grey contains characters, places and plots from the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy. All rights belong to E.L. James, not us. Thanks!
Chapter Three
Tuesday, March 14th, 2017
Later that evening, Kate and I are sitting at the kitchen table, drinking herbal tea and discussing her first day of work. After she came home, she told me all of the details about O'briens office and her new position. Apparently, everything went extremely well today and she was even assigned to shadow his secretary, Sherry, after orientation, which gives her the perfect opportunity to investigate. She is gushing with excitement and, of course, she can't stop smiling.
"I'm telling you Ana, this is going to be great! I can follow them around all day, taking notes and they won't suspect a thing!"
I give her the biggest grin I can.
"That is so wonderful, Kate! I'm glad you're doing so well with this case. I knew you would. How is Jose doing?"
She frowns.
"He can't get an internship. I think O'brien only hires women. There are like twelve women on his floor and two males. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was sleeping with all of them. He seems the type. But anyway, I told Jose to keep trying, but honestly, he's better off working a different case. I don't think O'brien will hire another intern unless it's the blonde with the giant boobs, Lacey something or other. "
"Oh no. Okay I will check tomorrow morning to see which case to assign him next. Probably the Thompson case. I think that one is our next top priority and he'd be perfect for it. He's investigating his son about some stolen property that has gone missing from his mother's antique collection."
"You're right. That's perfect for him."
I stand, rinse my teacup and place it in the dishwasher. When I turn around Kate is staring at me.
"What?" I ask, a little self-consciously.
"Oh nothing. I was just curious about your case. Have you come up with any solutions yet?"
I want to roll my eyes at her. I know what she's getting at. She's dying to know if I'm taking her suggestion.
"Actually, you wouldn't believe who called me again today..."
Her eyebrows narrow.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me… That asshole called you again?"
"Yup."
"What the hell did he say now?"
I sigh and lean against the counter.
"Oh, the usual. At first he was polite, but then when I told him there was nothing new since last night, he threatened to break the contract."
"The balls on that guy! I swear… I wish you would tell me his name. I'd love to give him a piece of my mind. I hate how controlling he is. Doesn't he realize that cases like these take time?"
"Well, I tried explaining that to him. He doesn't care. He wants results by next week."
Kates eyes widen in surprise.
"Or what?"
"He didn't say, but I'm sure it won't be good. He sounded serious enough to frighten me, though."
"Holy fuck, Ana! Why didn't you tell me?"
She stands and walks towards me, disappointment and anger in her stance.
"Well you were so happy when you came home and I didn't want to ruin that for you... and you know I'm not really supposed to say anything about it."
I look down, guiltily. She grabs my shoulders and looks at me sternly.
"Next time he threatens you, you will tell me! This is not okay, Ana. If it keeps getting worse, then maybe you should terminate the contract."
"I don't think that would make things better though. It doesn't sound like I want to be on this guy's bad side. Right now we are on the same team. I don't want to make him angry and become his new target for destruction."
Her mouth tightens and it looks like she wants to say more on the subject, but she drops it and exhales.
"Okay, you're right." She releases my shoulders and pulls me into a hug. "Just please promise me you will be careful… and if you need me, don't hesitate."
We pull apart, but I take hold of her hands instead, not wanting to break our connection.
"I promise Kate and thank you. I swear you and Jose are the only people I can count on."
She smiles, clearly touched by my words. "Anytime, Steele. You know I'm always here for you."
"Of course... Now come on Kate. Let's go get comfy on the couch. I have to tell you something."
She raises an eyebrow, curiosity displayed all over her face, but she turns and walks into the living room, surprisingly, without hammering me with thousands of questions. We take a seat on the sofa and she turns to face me.
"Okay, now what's going on?"
"Well…okay, so you know how we were talking about my case, and you asked me if I came up with any solutions?"
"Yes…?" Her eyes turn wild with excitement.
"Well like I said, after that call I was scared what would happen if I didn't start making some progress. So, I sat in my office and tried to think of a solution to get more information without physically inserting myself into his life…"
"Uh-huh…. And?"
"Well, I couldn't come up with anything. I was frustrated, pissed and afraid. I just couldn't think straight…"
"So….?"
She pulls her legs underneath her body and sits up on her knees, unable to control herself. She knows exactly where I'm going with this and it's driving her crazy that I am dragging it out.
"Well…" I pause, egging her on.
She growls at me and smacks the couch, making a loud THWACK! "Oh, come on, Ana! Just tell me already!"
I giggle and bite my lip.
"Ok fine! I decided I'm going to discreetly follow him, learn his routine, and if the opportunity presents itself, I will try to accidentally bump into him."
"Really?!" She claps her hands together and grins so wide I can see her gums.
I can't help but grin equally as wide. Her elation is contagious and I actually find myself thrilled to ask for her styling expertise.
"Yes… and guess what else?"
"What?!"
"I'm going to need your help dressing and styling myself if I'm going to have any chance at getting this man's attention."
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" she shrieks so loud I have to plug my ears before I go deaf.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhmahhhhhgodddd! Ana I'm so happy! I can't wait! When can we start?! Tonight? Tomorrow morning!? No wait.. I have to work tomorrow morning… Damn! Well maybe after work…"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Kate! Slow down!" I laugh so hard, I almost wet myself. "First things, first... I need to trail him and learn more- otherwise I have no chance of this plan even working."
"Yeah but, what if he sees you while you're trailing him?! Don't you want his jaw to drop?"
Of course, I do. Who wouldn't?
"Kate, obviously, I'll have different disguises on while following him."
"Oh yeah… Well still! Can we start soon? I've been dying to dress you for years!"
"Okay fine…Tomorrow after work, we can start with something simple. Maybe shopping or something."
"Okay!"
She sits back down, smiling like she won the lottery. In an attempt to calm herself, she picks up her phone from the coffee table, no doubt to pin all different kinds of hairstyles and makeup tips to use on me. I grab the remote and check my watch to avoid the hour long conversation I know she's dying to have about my split ends.
"New Girl starts in five minutes!" I squeal as a preemptive strike.
"Turn it on!" she says excitedly and I smirk, knowing that I've just avoided that conversation for the time being.
Wednesday, March 15th, 2017
The office is quiet this morning. Kate is out working on her new case and Jose just left about half an hour ago to start his. I want to say that I'm just checking up on things, but honestly I am avoiding the inevitable. I need to start some major research on Christian Grey if I am ever going to get the chance to "accidentally" meet him... and by that I mean I need to start following him today. I have decided that I'm going to scope out his home at Escala. I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of him on his way to work, but I have been dreading it. Something about this man has me so nervous I am sweating bullets every time I think about him. But I'm sure it has nothing to do with him and everything to do with the massive CPO he has in every single one of his candid shots. The guy looks like a freaking tank.
After organizing my already neat desk for the third time this morning, I check the time. 6:30 AM. Alright Ana, time to get going. I grab a dark red wig from the closet in my office and pin it perfectly to my scalp. After donning a generic pair of jeans and a plain sweater, I grab a pair of black sunglasses and switch my wallet to an older, less expensive purse. The goal is to look as inconspicuous as possible today and I think I have succeeded well.
I lock up the office and get into the old Volkswagen Beetle Ray bought me for my 16th birthday. The license plate is registered to one of my many alias', so if anyone gets suspicious I won't have anything to worry about.
By the time I arrive, it's 7 AM and the sun is still hidden behind a cluster of thick, dark clouds. I know that a rainy day is unavoidable in Seattle, but I can't help thinking that this is a terrible omen for what's to come. I pull into the parking lot of a coffee shop across the street from his building and take off my sunglasses. I wait patiently and fiddle with my phone attempting to make it look like I am lost and looking for directions, just in case.
According to my notes, Mr. Grey owns a fleet of Audi vehicles in all shapes and sizes, so I am on the lookout for one of those. I researched all the different versions that he owns yesterday and studied them very meticulously. I wouldn't be someone they call a "car enthusiast" per se, so let's just say the studying was definitely necessary.
I'm waiting about half an hour, before I see a Black Audi SUV emerge from the parking garage of Escala. I quickly scan the windows, but the tint is so dark that I have no way of knowing if it's really him or someone else. I grab a pair of magnifying glasses and catch the license plate as it slowly pulls up to the stop sign ahead. CGQ 1138. I scroll through the notes on my phone and sure enough, the license plate matches one of his on file. I put my phone on hands free and pull into oncoming traffic two cars behind his SUV.
The light turns green and the car moves ahead at a reasonable pace. I wonder if he is driving himself or if he has a driver to take him here and there. I follow closely behind, but not close enough to raise suspicion and turn left and right as the SUV does, while idly thinking "it sure must be nice to be rich."
Finally 15 minutes later, I arrive at Grey Enterprises Holdings, or more commonly referred to as "Grey House," and watch as the SUV disappears into the building's parking center. I make a right at the next intersection and park in a spot out of view. When I get out, I walk back to survey the area. Surprise, surprise. Another coffee shop… and a gourmet deli and cafe right next door. A hot dog stand and clothing stores. How predictable.
However, a little further South, I am surprised to find a pathway with an archway of lush, green trees and a beautiful fountain at the end. I take a seat on the nearest bench and find that Grey House is still in view. This area is beautiful and I think I just found my new spot to observe GEH from. I take a book out of my bag and begin to read and watch from a distance, perfectly obscured by the trees.
Before I know it, three hours have passed and it is almost 11 AM. Not much has happened. Grey is still inside his building, working his fingers to the bone, I assume. I decide to walk back toward the cafe and order some brunch, while I watch and wait for Kate to call.
At 3 pm, I get back in my car and make my way towards Northgate, a high end mall that specializes in exactly what I need, or so I am told.
When I finally reach Nordstrom's, I am greeted by a much too excited Kate. She is practically bouncing in a chair, waiting impatiently for me.
"Finally, what took you so long, Steele?"
"Sorry, Kate. I hit a bit of traffic."
"Never mind all that… Come on, we have a bunch to get through."
I narrow my eyes at the giant pile of dresses she has stacked to the right of her. There must be at least thirty dresses for me to try on.
"Holy hell, Kate! Why do you have so many picked out? I only need one for now."
"Silly Ana… you need to have options. Now get your ass in that dressing room and try on these first six.
Two hours later, I still haven't found anything I like. I hate shopping to begin with, but all these dresses are way too fancy for my liking and make me feel extremely uncomfortable. The blue Gucci dress with little rabbits on it that Kate picked out looked like a pajama top my grandmother would wear and costs over $1000. It was horrifying!
"Kate, I really don't think any of these are my style…"
"Well, Anastasia… they aren't supposed to be your style… you're going undercover so they aren't supposed to match your tastes…. Which alias are you using by the way?"
"I decided to go with the one my dad set up for me years ago when I started college. I figure I need the oldest, most pure identity I can use. I've never used it, so it's clean as a whistle. I'll need that for this guy. He'll probably run a full background check, a twenty panel drug test and demand to see copies of my birth certificates and medical records," I say as I start looking through a new rack of "cheaper" dresses.
"Jesus, Ana, who is this guy? The President of the United States?"
I giggle. "You would think, right?"
But, when she doesn't respond, I turn around to find her ogling something across the store.
"Oh my God, Ana. I found it... the perfect dress."
I follow as she slowly walks toward the red dress hanging on the mannequin at the other end of the store.
"Ana… this is it. This is the Lipstick Red Herve Leger bandage dress."
I stare at her without saying anything for a few moments… it is a beautiful dress… but I have no idea what she's just said to me.
"Um...Okay?"
"Okay?! Ana this dress should be in a hall of fame. Oh. My. GOD… and it's on SALE. This is meant to be. Go try this dress on now!"
I do as she says and take the dress into the fitting room. The dress is comfortable and form fitting. Not itchy like all the others and it pulls and bunches in all the right areas. It doesn't have any sleeves and it only reaches mid-thigh, but it is much longer than most of the other dresses that Kate has been forcing me into. When I walk outside to show Kate, her jaw literally drops to the top of her chest.
"What do you think?" I ask as I slowly spin around to give her every angle of the dress.
"Holy fuck, Steele!… Where have you been hiding that body?"
"Apparently, behind much more affordable clothing… Have you seen the price tag on this thing?"
"Oh, Ana! Don't worry about the price. You can expense it and it's only $629. Now, do you like it?"
"Of course I like it. I love it, actually. It's the first thing I've felt comfortable in all day since my jeans and sweater."
"I told you it was perfect."
"Do you think he'll like it?" I bite my lip nervously.
"Honey, he won't be able to pick his jaw up off the floor after he gets a load of you in this dress."
"Thanks, Kate! Now, can we go home. I'm getting really tired."
"We're almost done! We just need accessories and shoes."
"But, Kate. Come on… I have a ton of shoes and jewelry that will match."
"Ana, seriously! Go pay for that dress and meet me at Jimmy Choo's."
She adjusts her purse strap angrily and walks out of the store. I turn around to change back into my clothes and pay for the dress, all while rolling my eyes and muttering under my breath.
A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Sorry it took so long to update. I have had such a hectic couple of weeks. We are hoping to be able to update a chapter at least every two weeks, but sometimes real life gets in the way. :( The good news is is Chapter four is almost done! :) We will update as soon as possible. Also, Carol and I are working on a Pinterest board for this story so as soon as that is up and running we will post the link for you all! Thanks again!
