ANA

When Scott returned from his impromptu meeting with Mr. Camden, Ana was working diligently at her desk. He caught her eye, nodding toward his office door as he walked past her. She stood immediately, grabbing her iPad, quickly following him and closing the door behind her. She had been anticipating an influx of work as soon as he arrived, as long as things went well, so she'd been trying to catch up on everything else in the meantime, while simultaneously trying not to let her previous night nor her conversation with Christian affect her here at work.

"I was able to get Camden on board, so we have a lot to do in the next coming days. I need you to schedule flights for tomorrow morning to Bakersfield. Before you leave today, I need you to make these adjustments," he said holding out a piece of paper with his scratchy writing all over it, "to the contracts we prepared and have hard copies printed and digital copies ready in case anything else comes up. Liza and Jerry will be accompanying me for the trip, so set up flights and accommodations for all three of us. I'm going to have you work alongside Shelley while I'm going, assisting with anything extra I send Leslie's way as well as anything I send you personally. Anything need-to-know you can send me, the rest leave to Les."

"Yes, sir," Ana nodded, leaning forward to take the paper from his hand. Scott continued to list off things he needed done, and she quickly took notes and started making the plans. It was a saving grace, truly, that he wasn't asking her to accompany him. She really needed the time to think.

X Three Days Later X

Taking a sip of the fruity wine, Ana wondering if she would even need it. Not because she could do this without it, no, she definitely needed it for that. But because she didn't know if Scott would even show to begin with. She knew his plane was due back to Seattle over an hour ago. It was late, almost midnight, and a work night, but she still knew there was a good chance he would show up at her place since he'd been gone for multiple days in a row. She sort of hoped that he wouldn't, though. Because, even though she'd spend the last three days building up the determination to tell him something she never imagined she'd say- that she wasn't sure she wanted to be his submissive anymore- and she was still very nervous about actually doing it. She knew she needed to, but didn't physically want to. Hence the 'liquid encouragement' she'd heard mentioned on TV and in movies. And it seemed like real thing, seeing as it had given her encouragement enough to straddle Christian Grey in his Audi a week ago. She just had to hope it also gave her enough courage to do this.

Finishing the once full glass of wine in her hand, she stared at the clock, the silence in the house seemingly deafening as she waited for the clicking of her front door, announcing her visitor. It was exhausting to be on such high alert. And even more so since she'd been mentally taxed to the limit the last few days debating the merits of the various paths she could take in her life from this point forward. She'd stared at Dr. Flynn's card so much she knew the phone number by heart.

And yet, she hadn't called. Instead, she'd come to the conclusion that she wanted to just be honest with Scott. After all they'd been through, after all he'd done for her over the years, she decided that she at least owed that to him. This may have gone off the rails as of late, but before that, things has always been so good. She'd truly been happy in their arrangement for years, and Scott didn't deserve for her to walk away without an explanation.

Not that she could, since he held the keys to everything in her life right now anyway. Everything in her life was tied to him, so it was in her best interests to end things with him on good terms. So her plan was to tell him she wasn't sure she wanted their relationship to continue down this particular path anymore. And if she could just keep her job, if he would allow her that, she could slowly pay him back for all the things in her life. She would pay him rent, make payments toward her car. Eventually she could own these things free and clear, and everything would be okay.

So lost in the circle of thoughts that had plagued her for days, coupled with the now swimmy feeling that the second full glass of wine had given her, she missed the telltale click she'd been waiting to hear, and didn't notice Scott had arrived until he was standing in her doorway, shedding himself of his jacket. He flicked on a lamp, bathing her room in a soft glow, startling her back into the here and now.

"Sir," she said out of sheer habit as she sat up quickly, "I didn't hear you come in."

"I'm sure you expected me though, right?" he asked cheekily. He was in a good mood, so that was a plus.

"I wasn't sure.." she trailed off, watching him slide his t-shirt over his head, leaving him bare-chested.

"I'll be quick tonight. Just to take the edge off," he explained. "On your knees. Naked."

"Scott," she hesitated, using his given name due to the topic she was about to broach. She pulled her arms tightly around herself, not making any move to leave the bed. "We need to talk." She felt sick to her stomach now that the moment had arrived. But she needed to do this. She needed to get it out now. Like tearing off a bandaid, she needed to just get the idea out there.

He raised an eyebrow, his face clearly displaying his displeasure and irritation at her not immediately heeding his command. "Ana," he warned. She flinched, so unused to defying him. She inherently hated to displease him.

"No," she said, albeit weakly, shaking her head. "We need to talk."

"What's this about?" he asked, his face hard and his body tensing with anger as the seconds ticked by.

"I'm not sure I-" she started.

"You're not sure you what?" he jumped in before she could finish.

She could hear the blood whirring in her ears, feel the wine how churning in her otherwise empty stomach. It's now or never, Ana. Just say it.

"I'm not sure I want to be… a submissive… anymore," she finally pushed out. Her eyes instinctively fell to her lap, so she missed when his eyes caught sight of the half empty bottle of wine on her bedside table. There, she'd said it. She'd actually managed to do it.

She waited, expecting anger, but as the seconds ticked by, nothing came. No yelling or demanding or anything. Just a long silence. She was too nervous to be the one to break it. She was hyper aware of every small movement she made, every breath she took into her lungs, every everything as she waited for him to respond in some way. She kept her eyes down and locked on her hands in her lap, willing her palms to not shake, willing herself to breath normal and not freak out.

"Ana, baby, look at me," he finally said, his voice calm and his tone low. She did, and was met with gentle, understanding eyes. "Ana, I can honestly say I'm shocked. I had no idea you were questioning what we have. And I'd be lying if I said it didn't cut me to the bone. You mean a great deal to me. May I ask, why are you questioning us now, after all this time?"

Taking a deep breath, Ana searched deep for courage enough to be honest and stand up for herself. "You made me feel unsafe the other night. With the-" strangling, "breath play. I was terrified and you couldn't even tell. That or… you didn't want to see it," she finished softly, surprising herself that she'd actually been able to be so open.

"Ana," her name left his lips in a harsh whisper, one that forced her to look at his face in surprise, seeing it twisted in regret and upset. "I had no idea," he said, sounding truly horrified. "Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you safeword? I would never want you to feel unsafe or, God forbid, terrified, at my hand! Never!"

She sat there, worrying her fingers over her thighs now, twisting them together, spreading them back out, again and again.

"When have I ever done that to you before?" he probed, taking her hands in his and grasping them tightly.

"Never," she admitted with a shake of her head. She'd always felt safe with him in the past. That was just another reason that night had culminated into such a disaster, because it was so blindsiding for her.

"I didn't ask you to break your hard limit, did I?" he urged.

"No," she said in a quick, tight release of breath. It was true. He'd pushed her limits, but never once insinuated her wanted her to break them. Everything had always been at her discretion.

"And I asked you before hand if you were sure? I told you I need to know you were doing this for the right reasons, and you assured me that you were. What am I supposed to do if I can't trust you, Ana? How can you fault me when you were the one who was dishonest, who didn't safeword when she felt unsafe?"

"I-" she broke off, confused now. She hadn't thought of it that way. Trust was a two way street, and Scott did trust her to safeword when she needed to. She should have safeworded, she knew that. She knew that the moment it had ended and she was left feeling hollow and broken. But she just hadn't been able to. She hadn't- she didn't know what had happened but she had been out of her mind and hadn't managed to do it. But… was that Scott's fault? Not really, no.

"Ana, I don't ever want to cause you emotional pain or physical harm past what you can take. I wish I could take it back so much. I wish I'd known how you were feeling and I would have stopped."

Mulling over everything he's just said to her, Ana knew he was right about her role in this. She still wished he'd been able to read her better, to take cues from her that screamed how awful she'd felt at the time even if she didn't safeword. But ultimately, that was the catch. She hadn't, and that was on her. She nodded slowly, accepting that he genuinely felt remorseful.

"I don't want this one bad experience to taint the years of bliss we've shared," he said, his voice imploring. "Think of the amazing scenes we've shared. Think of every good moment before you use the one bad to overrule them all. I understand why this incident has you questioning us, but you shouldn't let it. We're perfect together. You and me, we're a phenomenal team. And not just in scenes, but in life. You're the person in my life who I'm closest to, who I share most of my time, my body, my success in my career. You've been the best part of me for so long. Losing you would be like losing a huge part of myself."

Ana watched in surprise as Scott smoothly slid off the bed and down onto his knees in front of her. Her thighs automatically spread to make room for him as he kneeled before her. He was pulled straight, not sitting back on his haunches, so with his height he reached just a little shorter than her own seated height. His fingers reached for her hair, twisting the ends between his fingers before slipping through the strands at her scalp. She closed her eyes, still conflicted, but felt her body surrender to him of it's own volition, like a natural reaction. His lips caught hers gently, coaxing her mouth to open so they should share an intimate, meaningful kiss.

God, she was so sure that she knew what she wanted before he came here. So sure that she wanted to be done with this. But Scott had brought up some good points. And at the end of the day, what would life be like without him? He was all she'd known for so long, and facing a world without his guidance seemed like an insurmountable task. But still, that night loomed large in her mind. They'd had their hiccups in the playroom before, but never anything like that night. Twenty minutes ago she was willing to give up everything just to make sure she never felt like that again. But now... Why was this so hard? She felt her gut flipping at the tug of war going on in her mind. What was she supposed to do?

"You are so beautiful, Ana. So strong," he whispered against her mouth, his right hand leaving her hair to travel lightly down the outline of her body. His lips continued to massage hers, his tongue twisting and dipping against hers in a slow, sensual way. Despite her severely clashing thoughts, her body reacted in the way it had been meticulously trained to do. It surrendered.

"You never questioned us before because we've always felt right to you," he said, trailing kisses across her skin. "You know we're good together. You've told me you love what we are countless times. I never forced you to do any of this. You were always willing, always wanting. I'm the only person who has ever been here for you, the only one who understands you. You have given me great pleasure over the years by freely giving me the greatest gift in the world- your submission. You have all the power between us Ana, not me. You always have. Haven't I told you that all along? How many times did I tell you that when we were just starting out?"

"Countless," she admitted.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Ana. Let me show you how sorry I am." His lips pressed to her knee as he looked up at her, asking. Scott never asked. He always took, as was his right as her Dom. "Please," he asked, pressing a kiss to her other leg, this time just inside of her thigh. "Please," he whispered again, huskier, his lips back to the other leg, further up. And they continued the pattern, back and forth, leg to leg, closer and closer until she was wide open and his lips were pressing against her core.

SCOTT

She'd been drinking.

He knew it. She was a little unsteady, her speech a little unclear. And of course, there was a half empty bottle of wine by her bed. He wanted to be furious- he was furious. But that wasn't going to do him any good here. No, what he needed to be was kind and understanding and caring. He needed to lure her back in with the false sense of security that had kept her in her place all of these years.

He wasn't sure what was going in between Ana and Christian Grey, but he'd be willing to bet that whatever was going on with her, had been going on with her, had to do with him. It was no coincidence that she was with him alone in his office and when Scott came back from California, suddenly Ana was questioning her entire life. Maybe he'd been a little overzealous during their scene the other night, but nothing about it warranted this sudden change of mind for her. Somehow, someway, Christian Grey had wormed his way into Ana's mind and was infecting her. He needed to put a stop to it if he was going to keep his strong hold on her.

Starting with eating her pussy until she was delirious.

Sex was one of the biggest tools he had at his disposal to use against her. He'd groomed her just the way he liked her from the start. Using her own body against her was something he'd been doing since day one. And it would serve him well tonight. The more they sat here and talked, the more intoxicated she seemed to become, leading him to believe she'd consumed a lot in a small time frame right before he'd shown up at her door. And as angry as he was that she was drinking, it would actually help him tonight. Ana didn't drink, so she had no tolerance, no filter crafted from experience. He could use her intoxicated state against her.

He needed a plan. And in order to form one properly, he needed to find out what secrets Ana was hiding, especially in regard to Christian Grey. With slow precision, he worked his tongue and his lips over her soft, wet flesh. Giving her a quick orgasm wouldn't work here. He wanted to give her a long, slow, drawn out experience, one that, coupled with the wine, could knock her out so he could snoop around and gather information. He took brief breaks from his ministrations every few minutes to tell her things to keep urging her to change her mind about them

"I enjoy taking care of you."

The build up was torturous, and he had to stop himself multiple times from lowering his pants and impaling her tight little pussy with his cock.

"I want to make you happy. It pleases me so much. Just like it has always pleased you to make me happy."

It had been four long fucking days and he desperately wanted to bury himself in her. But this wasn't about him. Un-fucking-fortunately.

"There's nothing wrong with us enjoying pleasing each other in the privacy of our own homes. Don't let anything take that away from us."

At that point, her hand snuck into his hair, holding tight at the roots and pushing his mouth against her as her hips began to gyrate against him, something he never had allowed and something she never would have done sober. He growled, using all of his self-restraint not to punish her for it. Fuck, he wanted to, wanted her, but this wasn't about that, not right now. So he stayed the course, his fingers rubbing against her g-spot and his tongue massaging her clit, her nails scratched at his scalp, her hips seeking his deep attention.

Finally, she seized up and released for him.

Tenderly he brought her down, hoping to lull her into a deep sleep. His fingers slowly brushed her skin, calming her, relaxing her body and her mind. Her watched a few long blinks before her eyes closed, her breath evening out as the moments ticked by. His lips placed gentle, tender kisses on her thighs, her hips, her shoulders, her face. His fingers brushed through her hair, pulling it back from her face and she hummed lightly in appreciation. And when he was sure she'd turned the corner into slumber, watched her. So peaceful.

"I won't lose you, Ana," he whispered, pressing his lips to her ear.

"Mmm," she moaned softly.

"You are mine," he continued, his fingertips trailing down her sternum, swirling around a nipple. Her chest arched to his touch, and he smiled to himself. He moved so he hovered half over her, his tongue darting out to touch the very tip of her nipple. She moaned again and he grinned, wrapping his lips around the little bud and sucking it lightly. Maybe he could fuck her. Just a quick fuck. He was rock hard and- No. Fuck, no. As much as he wanted to, there was a more pressing matter at hand. After one last kiss to her breast, he pulled back, picking up the blanket off the end of the bed to cover her up. He saw her iPod docked on a stereo on her dresser and the idea struck to put on some soft music to help cover up any noise he might make while looking around. He found a softer artist and hit play before turning his attention to her room.

Now. To find some evidence.

He started with her dresser, sifting carefully through her lingerie, her socks, her bed clothes, looking for anything shoved into back corners. He found a pamphlet for a local college shoved under a neatly laid out stack of bras, huffing in frustration as he looked at it. Was she still on the college thing? Fuck, what was it going to take to get her to let that go? Forcing himself to put it back, he moved on. Her collegiate dreams weren't what he needed to focus on right now.

He checked her closet, under her bed, in her bedside table. There, he found a lone photo of her and her stepfather Raymond Steele, taken when she was in her cap and gown at her high school graduation. Scott placed his thumb over the face of the smiling, proud father's face and looked at Ana, tracing a fingertip down the edge of her face and into her hair, He hadn't aged much since the photo was taken, but there was some differences. He remembered when he'd gone up and offered to take this photo of the two of them. Ray was the only person there for Ana the day of her graduation, her mother being the deadbeat that she was. But Ray had been busting at the seams with pride for his step-daughter. Scott had gotten a twisted sense of pleasure out of approaching him, commenting on how sweet and smart his little girl was. How much of a pleasure it was having her… in class, of course. He shook his hand. He'd looked the man in the eye, the man whose daughter he'd been fucking secretly for years, who he would be fucking later on that night while Ray though Ana was at a graduation party.

Scott took a deep breath, returning to the moment after reliving the thrill of that day. Focus.

Wandering out of her room, he continued his search in the living room. He checked desk drawers, end tables, sifted through a stack of papers on the kitchen counter. He even found her purse and inspected its contents, but found nothing of consequence. He was frustrated and getting angrier as the minutes piled up and still he had nothing.

He threw himself down onto the couch, releasing an annoyed growl from the back of his throat. He forewent fucking her in favor of this search and it had yielded nothing. What a waste. He thought about cutting his losses and going back into her room. He was sure she wouldn't resist him, if she even really woke up at this point. She was already naked…

That was when his eyes caught her bookshelf.

Narrowing his gaze he noticed a book that seemed very out of place, though it was inconspicuously shoved in with the rest.

Getting back up, he walked over, pulling it off the shelf.

Tess of d'Urbervilles

Holy shit. It was a first edition! Where the fuck did she get first editions of-

Christian-Motherfucking-Grey. He was instantly sure of it. It was the only answer that made sense.

He debated for a moment on what to do. A very real part of him wanted to tear every single page out of the damn thing. Ana was bolder than he'd realized. She'd been keeping things from him. And for how long? And what else? And Christian Grey- he wanted to put the book in the shredder and mail it back to him in scraps.

Shoving it angrily back into it's place on the shelf, it hit something, preventing it from going back all the way. He pulled it back out, reaching into the space and grabbing the offending object.

A phone.

A goddamn motherfucking phone.

He was seething.

It was powered down, so he held the button, waiting impatiently for it to start up. As soon as it did, Scott saw the notification about misses text messages from the contact boldly glaring back at him.

'Christian'.

He gripped the phone tightly using all of his willpower not to simultaneously scream and throw the phone through the fucking window. He wanted so badly to read through the messages.

But that was too impulsive. If he read them, Ana would know that he knew this phone existed. But he needed to handle this properly. He needed to find out what exactly Mr. Grey knew before he did anything. He needed to be prepared in the event that Ana told him details about their personal life. Would she have? Could she have really told him about them? Everything? Some things? Did Grey know that Scott spent his nights inside of Ana's sweet little cunt? If he did, did he know about the BDSM? Did he know about Ana's age when it all started? There were statues of limitations that protected him from that- hell, he'd even celebrated the day when it could no longer come back to bite him in the ass. But it could ruin his business… Which was now technically Grey's business too. One he'd wanted and needed. Would he risk it for some pussy?

Following that line of thought, what were Grey's motives where Ana was concerned? Was it purely sexual? He was a rich, attractive man. He could have anyone he wanted. Was Ana about the hunt? If Scott loaned her out for a night, would Grey back off? He really didn't like to share, but maybe just this once, he could do it to keep his work life flowing easily. He could order Ana to give Grey one night, no holds barred, to get out anything and everything he wanted to do to her, and then they could all move on. But what if that wasn't what Grey was looking for? It could be dangerous to offer it to him. It could backfire.

Carefully placing the phone back up flat against the back of the shelf, he put the book back just the way he had found it.

More information. That was what was needed.