CHRISTIAN

He was still at a loss. Hours later, and he was still at a complete loss about what could have been happening in Kennedy's office this morning. There had to be some reasonable explanation, didn't there?

Ana was on her knees. While Kennedy worked, nonchalantly doing business on the phone, she was on her knees at the side of his desk, head down, completely motionless. It was seriously one of the most unsettling things he'd ever witnessed. He felt like an intruder. Like he'd witnesses some very personal moment that he was never meant to see. It made him feel almost guilty for having made himself privy to whatever was happening in the room.

But then again, it was during work hours. Company time. His company's time. Whatever they were doing, it certainly didn't seem appropriate for work. He didn't want to ever hear that a boss was making an employee… wait on their knees? Fuck! What the hell was she doing? He was having trouble trying to figure out how he felt about what he saw, because he wasn't sure what the fuck he had seen.

Was it some kind of punishment? Like… like he was making Ana grovel on her knees? If that was the case, he should have been fired on the spot. There was no way he was going to let an employee get away with mistreatment of a subordinate like that. Every single employee at GEH was to be treated with equal respect by all staff at all times. From himself to the janitorial staff, everyone kept GEH running, so they all held a valuable place.

He knew there was something weird about Scott and Ana's relationship. He was so harsh with her over nothing. So this kind of made sense. It made sense that he was mistreating her.

But obviously she was willing to cover it up for him. She could easily have come clean to Christian at any time that Scott was acting less than professionally with her. But she'd given him that long speech at the old office about how much she and everyone else loved working for him. And she obviously didn't hesitate to go along with the pen story to cover up whatever it was that had happened today.

He needed to talk to her. He needed to tell her that he suspected she was being mistreated by Kennedy and see if he could get her to agree to file a formal complaint so they could get Kennedy terminated. He hated to lose Kennedy's mind, but he wouldn't hesitate to put him out on his ass if what he suspected was true. And Kennedy's contract had a termination clause if he was ever to be found guilty of inappropriate conduct under the GEH rules. This surely applied to that.

Now more than ever Christian was determined to get Ana to open up to him, to trust him. He wanted to help her, protect her. But he definitely needed to get her alone to do it. And he couldn't let this go on one more day. Tonight, after work, he would go to her apartment and talk to her. He would find out if she was afraid of Kennedy and promise to protect her. He would surely be vengeful of losing his job, but that was no matter to Christian. He wouldn't get within ten yards of GEH once he was terminated, and if need be, he could have Taylor put someone on Ana to make sure there was no threat against her. He wasn't even sure how bad this whole thing was. Was Kennedy looking at more than being fired? Could he have possibly done something to warrant jail time? Christian was inclined to think he'd have to at the very least threatened Ana in the past to get her to react the way she did to him…

Regardless, it would stop. Come hell or high water, Christian would make sure of that.

XxX

"Miss Steele's car is leaving the Grey House garage, Mr. Grey," Taylor said from the front seat of the Audi. They'd been sitting in her apartment parking lot for a half hour now. Christian left right when Ana's shift normally ended, intending to meet her at her place, a safe place for her, away from anywhere Kennedy could catch them talking, and see if he could get her to talk about what was happening between them.

But it turns out Ana didn't leave on time today, and so he'd been sitting out here waiting for her to come home. Assuming she was even coming straight home and not grocery shopping or doing some other mundane task regular people who didn't have staff did.

Another twenty minutes passed until he saw her car round the corner and pull into her assigned space in the apartment lot. He caught Taylor's eye in the mirror, giving him a nod to let him know he was going to head out after her. But before he could even get a hand on the door handle to exit the car, he watched another car pull around the corner and park in the spot next to hers. He watched Ana get out of her car at the same time as Scott Kennedy stepped out of the silver Mercedes next to her BMW. Without a word to each other, Ana walked toward the building with Kennedy following a small distance behind her, his eyes trained intently on her the whole way.

What the fuck was this? Why was Kennedy going into her apartment? Christian had a sinking feeling that this was worse than he'd feared. As soon as they crossed the threshold into the building, he was throwing the car door open and exiting to follow after them.

"Mr. Grey, sir," Taylor called after him. "I don't like the idea of you going in there alone. I don't know what is happening between Mr. Kennedy and Miss Steele, but you mentioned being concerned for her safety. And if your concern is at the hands of Mr. Kennedy, then I have to insist that you don't go in after them for your own safety."

"I'm going in, Taylor," Christian said with finality. There was no way he wasn't going to make sure Ana was okay. And there was no way he could even resist the temptation of getting answers to his quickly mounting pile of questions.

"Then I must insist on going in with you sir."

"Fine," Christian said, not even waiting for Taylor to turn off the car before heading toward the building. Taylor caught up quickly, though, and the two entered the building together. Approaching the elevator, it was obvious that something wasn't right with it. Both the up and down buttons were lit up and the elevator showed no signs of life when Christian attempted to call for it anyway. The floor indicator was stuck on the third floor.

With a huff, Christian took to the stairs, ascending the eight flights to Ana's floor, according to the address listed in her file. When he got to the door for the eighth floor, he opened it quietly, checking the halls for any signs of people before pushing it open all the way. What should he do now? Listen at her apartment door? And for what? …Screaming? His eyes shifted to Taylor, who was looking at him like he might have knocked a few screws loose. Hell, maybe he had. But at the moment he didn't care. He wanted to make sure Ana was okay.

So he closed the distance between him and her apartment door, 8D. Tentatively he pressed his fingers to the sleek wood, slowly leaning in so his ear was just inches away. But he didn't hear anything. Not even talking, let alone something as obvious as screaming. He closed the little distance that was left between him and the door, pressing his ear fully against the wood. He strained to hear something- anything. But nothing.

"Sir," Taylor interrupted. Christian batted a hand at him. He needed it to be completely silent. "Sir," he insisted again. "The elevator appears to have started again and I'd bet Mr. Kennedy and Miss Steele will be the ones to step off of it in about twenty seconds."

Christian's eyes snapped to the elevator, the panel displaying that it was ascending and now on the sixth floor.

A wash of panic ran through him as he looked around, seeing that Taylor was pointing to an alcove in the hallway that was out of view from both the elevator and Ana's apartment door. "There sir," he said, though both were already heading toward the spot.

The elevator doors dinged just as they rounded the short wall. Peeking around the wall so he could see, Christian knew it was a risk, but he couldn't help himself. And just as Taylor suspected, Kennedy and Ana stepped off from the elevator. He looked his usual self, sharp and put together. Ana, however, looked slightly mussed, her clothes a little askew, her hair slightly awry.

As they walked to the door, he watched Scott bring his hand to his lips, slowly dragging his middle finger across his bottom lip before sliding it all the way into his mouth, drawing it slowly back out, and releasing it with a pop.

Christian felt himself grimace. There seemed to be only two reasons Christian could think of that a man would suck on his own finger like that. The first was if he was eating and had food on it. Though he likely wouldn't slowly suck the whole thing in the way Scott just had. Also, he wasn't eating any food. He'd just gotten off an elevator that was evidently halted with the emergency button. An elevator that also contained a young woman who looked slightly disheveled. So that make scenario number two seem more likely- that his finger had just been somewhere much more wicked than in some food.

It took just moments for them to cross the hall, unlock Ana's door and both enter the apartment. And then just a few more moments for Christian to be back in front of her door again to listen. He could sense Taylor's tension, his complete disapproval of them being here right now. But reason was lost on Christian at the moment.

He pressed his ear to the door, surprised to hear the voices right on the other side. Their speech was clear as day without even needing to strain to hear them.

"On your knees," Scott said, his voice harsh and strong, brokering no argument.

"Yes sir," came Ana's soft, feminine voice.

Shit. On her knees? Were they doing the knee thing again? She was going to have to sit there motionless again on her knees, but this time in her own apartment? What the-

"Open your mouth." Christian felt his stomach turn. Oh. No, this was worse than whatever she was on her knees for in Kennedy's office. This was a very different 'on your knees'. "Good girl."

Good girl? What was she, a dog?

An unmistakably grunt filtered through the door, and even the solid oak seemed to do nothing to deafen the hollow wet sounds emanating from the other side. Christian had had numerous blow jobs in his life. Most could be placed into two broad categories. There were the ones where the woman was making love to one's manhood with her mouth, where the soft sounds licking and sucking could be heard. Then there were the harsh ones, the ones where the woman's mouth was simply another orifice to fuck, where the deep, hollow noises could be heard from her throat while the man fucked her mouth with abandon. This was without a doubt the latter.

Unable to listen to anymore, Christian pulled back from the door, turned on heel and headed for the staircase. He felt so out of control. He was angry, frustrated, and honestly shocked by the information he'd just learned. Ana was blowing her boss. Which meant she was likely fucking her boss. He felt like he'd been lied to, like she'd deceived him this whole time. It was a sick feeling in his gut. But—why? Why did he feel that way? She hadn't told him she was seeing Kennedy, but she'd also hadn't minced words about his chances with her. She'd flat out turned him down. Technically she didn't owe him an explanation as to why. She hadn't led him on. So why did he feel so betrayed? It was like he was… jealous. Shit, he was. He was envious of Kennedy. He wanted Ana. He wanted to get to know her, to date her, to kiss her, to take her to bed. And instead Scott fucking Kennedy was getting to do those things.

Or… was he? Was he dating her? He seemed so harsh with her all the time. And under GEH rules, they were allowed to date, so why keep it a secret? Christian certainly wouldn't keep dating Ana a secret. He would happily claim her as his to the world. So maybe… what? Was he right all along, and Kennedy was mistreating her? Maybe he was using his position to strong-arm her into sleeping with him. Maybe she was worried about her job, maybe he'd threatened to fire her if she didn't fuck him. She was so young, and was even younger when she'd started working for him, just eighteen. Maybe he'd used her naiveté to take advantage of her.

Or… maybe she wasn't what Christian thought she was. Maybe she was using Kennedy, fucking him in return for the nice things he could give her. She had a BMW, a very nice place, nice clothes, shoes, jewelry… Maybe she was fucking her boss for the perks. Certainly wouldn't be the first woman to do so. He tried to push that thought down. He really didn't want to believe that she was that type of person. But the truth was, he barely knew her. She could be…

But if she was, wouldn't she have jumped on the chance to get with him? He was Christian Grey, a multi-billionaire. If she was after money and luxuries, wouldn't she have jumped at the chance to upgrade to someone of his stature? Hell, he'd offered her the Tess books and she'd tried to insist on returning them. That didn't seem like the actions of a gold digger. He took a deep breath, ruling out that theory for the most part.

So if she wasn't looking for superfluities and money, that left just the other two options. She and Kennedy were dating but keeping it low profile for some reason, or he was forcing her into a sexual relationship due to his position of authority over her. Both were big fucking problems for him. Because one meant he really didn't have a chance with her because she was happy with someone else, and the other meant she was being manipulated and coerced into consenting, which wasn't the same thing as true consent.

He knew he should be assuming it was the first option seeing as it was the most likely, because it was typical. Two attractive people who work close together end up together- it was completely sensible and very common. But Christian just had this feeling that that wasn't what was happening in this situation, though. He prided himself on reading people, and through he admittedly had a hard time reading Ana for some reason, he just didn't see any hint of anything that could be considered romantic between them. What he did perceive, however, was something unsettling. He'd always sensed something disconcerting between them, always felt a vibe that he couldn't explain, but surely didn't translate to 'secret boyfriend and girlfriend'. There was something… for lack of a better word, weird about them. Something that just didn't sit right in his gut. And if there was something Christian knew about himself, it was that his gut rarely steered him wrong.

So truly, there was only one thing he could do. He needed to confront Ana. Because if she was being pressured into a sexual relationship with Kennedy, there was no way he was going to let him get away with it. Forget the idea that he was now doing this under the GEH name and what that could do to his company's image if it became public knowledge. This wasn't about anything other than a sweet girl being taken advantage of. Christian didn't always claim to be a gentleman, but he knew right from wrong, and this was certainly a wrong he would not tolerate. He would not stand for the intimidation of any woman by any man anywhere. If Kennedy was forcing her into this, Christian was going to get her out.

ANA

Ana closed the door gently, her body relaxing the moment the lock clicked into place. As much as she normally enjoyed her time with Scott, and as much as she usually trusted him with everything in her life, lately there was a release of tension whenever he left and she was finally alone in her apartment. Ever since the arrival of Christian Grey, there was a shift of intensity had to occur in their sessions. For so long she'd walked into their scenes comfortably knowing exactly what to expect. When before, Scott had just been occasionally strict, he was now ultra-strict seemingly all of the time. Every minor infraction led to punishments, which were now harsher than ever. So now she was always tense, trying to anticipate what might occur. She was naturally clumsy, and even though she'd come far from the ungainly girl she was in high school, it still sometimes managed to seep through, especially when she as nervous, which was how she seemed to stay in Scott's presence ever since the speech he gave outside his office when she got the flowers. She'd recently become hyper-aware of every move she made, trying to be perfect for him. But she seemed to always fail him somehow or another. So it just was nice when he left to not have to worry about doing something that might incur a punishment.

Scott had been in her apartment for the last two hours this evening. He'd originally assured her that today was intended to be simply about drawing out her pleasure as an apology for what had happened with her arm, but after her oversight of leaving his office door unlocked, resulting in Mr. Grey walking in while she was in the sub position at the side of his desk, he'd prefaced it with a forceful blow job as means of menial punishment.

But after that, he had stayed true to his word. He'd proceeded to methodically light her body on fire with a combination of spanking, flogging and a Wartenburg wheel. When she was hot pink from her neck down, he'd tied her up tightly with some heavy rope, her good wrist bound to her ankle and then her ankles bound to her kitchen table on her back. Spread wide open and vulnerable, he'd laved her most intimate parts with his tongue over and over until she was practically delirious with pleasure. He'd cut short of her reaching orgasm, leaving her spread wide on the table while he'd gone fully naked into the kitchen and assembled himself a plate of fresh fruit. Pulling a chair up to the head of the table, a place she didn't even sit when she was home alone because it was his spot, he'd indulged in the naturally sweet treat less than a foot from her wide open core, more often than not dunking the fruit in her flooding juices before taking a bite. Finally he'd finished, stood, aligned himself with her entrance, and proceeded to fuck her deep and slow until they both finally came.

He'd left her on the table while he'd gone and showered, dressing himself back up in his suit pants and dress shirt but forgoing the tie and jacket. He'd finally untied her, given her the pain medicine she'd been prescribed for her shoulder, then wrapped her up in her silk robe while placing a soft kiss on her forehead before he left her apartment.

She grimaced as even the soft silk agitated her still over-sensitized skin. She'd tried everything Scott had ever recommended to her as aftercare, from soaking in cool, lukewarm, and hot baths with various essential oils, to rubbing her whole body down with various creams and lotions. Nothing worked as well as a little time. After a while, she'd probably bathe and put on some moisturizer, but not yet. Normally she'd change into some comfy sweats, but the effort was too much with her arm in the condition it was, so the robe would have to suffice. Then she remembered that the pain meds would likely kick in soon and that would probably solve the whole issue anyway.

She was debating on going through the effort of making dinner with one arm verses just snacking on some crackers in front of the television, when she heard a knock on the door. Assuming it was Scott and that he'd forgotten something, she quickly rushed to open it, hoping that he hadn't changed his mind and decided he wasn't done with her yet. She wasn't sure she could take any more today. He'd been very conscious of her shoulder and the pain it was causing her, but it still ended up very achy due to the tension her body had been under during the long scene.

Pulling open the door, she was surprised to see Mr. Grey, not Scott. A feeling of dread washed over her. This is the last thing she needed. She should have checked the peephole. Damn her for just assuming it was Scott and not checking first!

"Are you fucking your boss?" Ana's mouth dropped open the second the words left Christian's mouth. Immediately he hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he exhaled a harsh breath. "Dating. I meant to ask if you were dating Kennedy," he restated, his voice conveying his embarrassment but edged with blunt curiosity.

"No," she said strongly. And truthfully too, because she wasn't. "Not that it's any of your business, as you so arrogantly and rudely come to my door demanding answers to questions that have nothing to do with you. But no, Mr. Grey, I am not dating Mr. Kennedy."

"Then is he abusing his authority and using it to force a sexual relationship with you? Is he threatening your job or your safety in exchange for sex?" he asked immediately, his eyes locked on hers, not an ounce of embarrassment in his tone to show he knew how inappropriate his questions were.

His voice was booming like he was yelling. Was he yelling? It sounded deafening to her ears. Ana's eyes went wide, her mouth dry as she realized the weight of her current situation. What he was asking her… it could ruin everything. He was asking because he suspected something. But how? Why? She and Scott had been at this for years and never once had anyone questioned a thing between them. Why the second Christian Grey stepped onto the scene was he able to start unraveling things?

"No," she said, her dry voice coming out hoarsely. Shit. She should have lied and said it was a relationship. That would have been so much easier to deal with than the truth. Had she known Mr. Grey suspected something more sinister, she would have lied. Ah, if only she could reverse the last thirty seconds of her life.

"Then what is going on between you two? If it's not a relationship, and it's not coercion, then what it is?" he demanded angrily, as if he was mad that it wasn't some sort of relationship built from intimidation on Scott's part.

She was at a total loss, standing there, her mouth agape, floundering. She had no idea what to say. Her mind was completely void of any excuse to explain away her and Scott's relationship, especially to their mutual boss. A man who seemed to be, if you could believe it (and she hardly could) pursuing her with some sort of… romantic intent.

He was in her apartment now, the door closed. She only realized it when he had her backed up against her end table, in the exactly same spot he'd backed her up the night he showed up at her place pressing her to keep the first edition Tess books.

"Tell me what's going on Ana," he said, his voice low and gravely. "If it's not a relationship, and it's not coercion, then what is it? Are you fucking him for money? Does he give you pretty things in exchange for time between your thighs? Are you fucking your boss who is old enough to be your father for some monetary perks?" he seethed through his teeth, his harsh words kindling a fire in her chest.

She straightened her back, her face tilting up to match his as best she could with their height difference. "No," she seethed just as angrily at the implication that she could be bought so easily. "I am not a whore. You have no idea what is going on so just shut the hell up."

She saw his face fall a little then, his anger ebbing slightly. "I didn't mean—"

"That's exactly what you meant. Suggesting I would exchange sex for materialistic things, for money. That's the goddamn definition of a whore, Mr. Grey."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, backing away a step, running his fingers through his hair. "I just don't understand…" She took a breath, trying to regain her calm control. Good. His guilt about accusing her of being a whore got him to back off, now she just needed to get him the fuck out of here before he started asking more questions.

"There's nothing to understand, Mr. Grey. Mr. Kennedy is my boss, nothing more."

His eyes narrowed, studying her face. "That's not true. I know it's not true. I may not understand what is going on, but I do know that something is."

"Mr. Grey—"

"I heard you sucking him off in your apartment just hours ago, Ana."

Ana felt her gut plummet to her feet, felt the blood drain from her face, her whole body go numb. No. No he couldn't have.

"You're lying," she said, but her voice betrayed her belief in her own statement.

"On your knees. Open your mouth. Good girl," Christian mocked, the look on his face appalled.

Ana stumbled back, luckily caught by the table one again. Her butt landed on the hard surface, saving her from falling any further. Her chest constricted. She felt flush and cold at the same time. Private. That was so private and Mr. Grey knew about it. How could she deny it? What excuse could she possibly use? Her good hand flew to her head, rubbing her forehead roughly.

"Jesus Christ," Mr. Grey breathed, taking her forearm in his hand and pulling it from her head. She looked at his face, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looked at her wrist.

She didn't know it was possible for her stomach to wrench the way it did in that moment. She watched his face frozen in stunned horror as he gripped her forearm, her loose robe sleeve pushed up just enough to reveal the fresh red marks embedded there from the biting filament rope Scott had used to tie her to the table.

She let out something akin to a pained squeak, desperately trying to pull her arm from his firm hold.

"What does he do to you, Ana?" he asked, his voice pleading for an answer. He sounded lost, so confused, and physically pained as he fought to understand things he could never understand.

"Please, Mr. Grey," she begged, still struggling to pull her arm from his grasp, tears beginning to well in her eyes. He looked at her face then, seeing her anguish and released her. She immediately shook the sleeve of her robe down to cover her wrist.

"Talk to me," he said, his eyes roaming her body like he was looking for more evidence to support his growing suspicions against Scott. She watched them land on her sling, his eyes narrowing. "Did he do this to you too?" She felt the panic rise within her. There was no way she could let him know Scott did this. He would never understand.

"No. I fell," she defended quickly. She was sure he going to see right through that lie. She was surprised, however, when he seemed to believe her. She chalked it up to his being too focused on finding out what was really going on between her and Scott, which he clearly wasn't giving up on, when he continued to push her to open up to him.

"Talk to me," he urged.

"I can't. You wouldn't understand—couldn't!" she said, shaking her head. He needed to turn around and pretend he'd never heard or seen the things he had. There was no explanation she could make up to explain this all away. So she needed him to just walk away and forgot all of it.

"Try me!"

"No, Mr. Grey. No. I can't."

"Is he… raping you?" he said the word on a breath, like even voicing it caused him great pain.

"No," she said, shaking her head, feeling panicky now. God, if he approached Scott and accused him of rape? Scott would keep her ass black and blue for years. Or—shit- he could even go to the police. Fuck!

"Talk to me, Ana," he insisted, grabbing her by her right bicep and squeezing her gently. "Please." She knew she was falling apart right now. All the control over herself that Scott had taught her had vanished as he pushed and pushed and pushed.

"He's my Dom," she blurted out, and in an instant realized her mistake. If there was ever one thing she could take back, one thing in her life she regretted, it was that moment. How, how as she let that out? What was she thinking?

"Dom? What does that mean?" he asked, the fact that his mind was racing to understand her words was written clear as day across his face. She'd never told anyone. Anyone. But his grey eyes, so intense, bore into hers, urging her to explain herself. He was accusing Scott of things that weren't true and… and it all started to come out like verbal diarrhea.

"He is my Dominant and I am his submissive."

A/N: I know a lot of you are pushing for this to get to a point where Christian gets Ana out of this whole situation, and obviously that's the main, broad spectrum point of the story, right? But it's not going to be as easy as I think some of you are hoping. Woo-hoo—Christian knows! …Now what? I have reiterated time and again to various people and in various reviews how I am not a fan of the -–problem for a few chapters, HEA by chapter 4- storyline. So if anyone out there thinks that now that the secret has been revealed that they will be falling into each other's arms in the next chapter, well, sorry not sorry, but nope. To me, it reads extremely unrealistic that someone as brainwashed as this Ana would be so easily turned to the other side. And I think I've made it pretty clear with her reactions so far that I was not building a character that would be easily swayed. That all being said, we're at least getting somewhere right? Now that he at least has an idea of what's happening, he can start to fit some pieces together and work on finding a way to help her. So hopefully this piece of the story pleases some of you guys. But we still have a lot of work to do.