***TWO CHAPTERS HAVE BEEN UPLOADED. MAKE SURE TO READ CHAPTER 18 BEFORE CHAPTER 19!***

Scott

"He agreed," he said, placing the phone down on the coffee table in front of him. Ana didn't move, didn't look up at him, just continued to hold her position immobile on the couch to his left. "This is a good thing, Ana. This will fix so many of the messes you've gotten us into by communicating with him behind my back." The comment was said softly, but the undertone was biting, and he saw her flinch as a result, her fingers tensing, the tips flexing into the skin of her thighs.

He knew she was tired. Afterall, he'd kept her up all night long. When he'd gotten to her place last night, he'd wordlessly led her into her room and bound her arms and legs to the four poster bed. He'd built up the tension, remaining silent as he'd secured her tightly to the bed, tearing off her clothing, walking around her, teasing her body. He'd brought her to the brink of orgasm with a vibrator, and that was when he finally spoke, asking her just how much contact she'd had with Christian Grey.

Slowly he tortured her, bringing her to near-orgasm after near-orgasm, always denying her as he asked her about the books, the phone, and just how much she'd shared with him about the true nature of their 'relationship'. In the end, she'd told him the truth- everything. Grey knew everything. It was the worst case scenario, but Scott was prepared for it. He'd already come up with various plans of attack, based off what Ana might have shared.

So he spent the rest of the night fucking her into oblivion, setting alarms to allow him small reprieves and keep her tired and disoriented. He alternated fucking her with his own cock and with a dildo. He fucked her pussy so long and so hard until she was inflamed and sore, and then he treated her to tender sessions of cunnilingus, only to continue to deny her orgasms. By sunrise, she was a shaking, horrible mess- her skin covered in sweat, her hair matted to her face and neck, her muscles twitching every other second. But she took her punishment, knowing she deserved it more than any punishment she'd ever deserved in the past. Which was perfect, considering this punishment served dual functions for his plan.

By the third rough fuck, the tears were gone and she was completely void of any reaction, and only then, when he was sure her spirit was completely snapped, did he finally let her finish out the last two hours of the night in a fitful sleep. Her being sore and uncomfortable was vital, because when she did what he planned for her to do, when she went to Christian Grey's home to fuck him, he wanted it to be painful for her. He wanted Grey to finally get a chance to stick his greedy cock in her, and have her miserable. He wanted Ana to hate every second of it, and he wanted Grey to see the woman he'd been pining for squirm in discomfort underneath him. He wanted them to fuck, and he wanted it to be miserable for both of them. With any luck, it would be so bad Grey would be completely turned off and leave Ana the fuck alone.

A fake meeting in their calendar allowed him to keep her home for the first part of their morning instead of being at the office. He woke her around eight to explain his plan to her. She barely made a sound, seemingly on autopilot while he ordered her up and into the shower before telling her to meet him in the living room.

She came out fifteen minutes later in a robe with her wet hair combed and hanging down her back. He'd ordered her remove the robe so she had nothing to shield her, no sense of privacy or protection. She'd obediently done so, her eyes never leaving the ground, and took her seat, her posture tight and alert. Normally he valued her silence and absolute obedience. But he was still so furious at her that he was looking to force a rise out of her while telling her his plan. He was thriving on the idea of systematically breaking her over and over again. She would never forget the implications of these actions, he would make sure of it. She would never dare defy him again.

She'd reacted as he hoped. She came back to life. And she was horrified.

"I can't- how can you ask me to do this? I can't…"

"We have no choice here. Don't you want him out of your life, of our lives? He's prying, sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. This is the reality check he needs."

"But sir-"

"This isn't a request, Ana. This is a demand."

"I have a hard limit against sharing, sir," she said, indignant tears in her eyes.

"This isn't as simple as sharing, Anastasia. Sharing would be me passing you off like a cup of sugar, willingly handing you over to another man for you to be fucked over and over again and returned to me when he's had his fill, for no other reason than because I own you, so I can. This is about protecting ourselves, our reputation. Nothing good can come from Christian Grey pursuing you. We need to get him off our backs, and this is the quickest, most efficient way to do so."

"I just don't think I can. How can I-"

"You just do it. Don't think about it. Just do it." He paused. "And… If you agree," he said, pulling a piece of paper off of the coffee table and handed it to her. He watched her look over the application he'd already filled out for her before looking up at him in disbelief.

He saw the spark of hope in her eyes. "School, sir?"

"Yes. But only if you do this."

She looked greatly conflicted, like a war was waging on the inside, and slowly he saw sadness seep further and further into her features, her resolve to say no to this slipping away until she finally gave him one simple, tight nod.

She'd shut back down again after that, completely withdrawing into herself, head down, motionless, silent.

He'd used college to sweeten the pot, and gotten her to agree in the end. It irritated him that she'd agreed only in exchange for school. It was selfish on her part. She should have agreed because he was her master and she should always agree to his bidding because that was her role. Not that it mattered, since he had no intention of actually allowing her to attend school. He'd 'considered' it before, too, and the answer was always the same. He'd obviously let her off her leash enough as it was, having entirely too much faith in her to remain loyal to him. He'd expanded her world by joining his company with GEH, and immediately she'd made connections outside of what he allowed for her. She couldn't be trusted. The last thing he would do is allow her even more freedoms.

Truthfully, he was livid with her. It gave him a deep sense of pleasure to force her to do this. She'd admitted to him that she had an attraction to Christian Grey. He'd been able to keep up the impassive facade as she'd admitted this, but inside he was furious. While he thought his little submissive was quietly tucked away at home, she'd been interacting with another man. And he could see from her undeleted calls and texts on her cellphone that, though most of the communication seemed to originate from Grey, it wasn't entirely one sided. It seemed his sub still had some lessons to learn about her role in this world. It was almost funny how she thought she could have a say in this, after all she'd done. She'd gone behind his back and she thought she was entitled to a choice?

She was in for quite a wake up call once this was all over. Her continued punishment for this was going to be something she wouldn't forget for the rest of her life. He'd already put in the week's vacation time for both of them, which she would spend secured in his dungeon at home. The fact that she thought she deserved to go to school after so royally fucking everything up was unfathomable. But all in due time. He'd make her pay for the error of her ways. But first, he needed her to do this to get Christian Grey out of the picture.

"So tomorrow, eight PM sharp. You'll arrive at his home. Don't let him get you talking. You don't want him asking questions. He wants you Ana. He's wanted you since you first stepped into his office at that meeting. He's wanted what's mine, and he's tried to go behind my back to take it." He leaned forward, his voice dropping an octave to something more sensual as he eyed her bare legs. "And I can't blame him. You are, after all, a very beautiful, very sexy young woman," he said, running a fingertip along the outer swell of her breast. But she just flinched, which pissed him off, even though he knew it was because of his deliberate all-night fuck-a-thon that she did so. He glowered at her, though she wasn't looking at him to see it, and leaned back, his voice returning to its calculated, businesslike tone. "Men can be so weak when it comes to the female form. Christian Grey is no different. It's pathetic that he can't control himself where you're concerned. Sometimes I wish you weren't so beautiful, so you didn't draw the attention of other men so often," he scoffed, anger leaving as quickly as it had come as he continued, "But then I wouldn't have it to enjoy myself, would I? Maybe I should just keep you locked up in my basement where no one can ever try to steal you away from me again," he mused, laughing a deep, hearty laugh.

He tilted back his tumbler of bourbon, eyeing her as she still sat unmoving on the couch. "You'll go there and you'll fuck him, Ana. You'll have to initiate it, because I have a feeling he won't do it himself. He sees himself as your valiant white knight," he spits condescendingly. "But I'd bet my company that if you initiate sexual contact, he will crumble and give in like any other warm blooded male. As soon as he does, you need to let him take over. Let him do whatever it is he wants to do to you. No holds barred. Let him satisfy every urge he has where you're concerned. Once he gets that out of his system, I'm positive he will back off. He's confusing lust with feelings. He doesn't want to 'save' you. Why would anyone want to take on that much baggage, especially someone as attractive, rich, and powerful as Christian Grey. He can have any woman in any capacity he wishes. Why would he want to waste emotional energy on someone as damaged as you are when he can have someone better?"

He smirked to himself as he watched a blush spread across her bare skin. It had actually been a while since he'd used humiliation as a punishment. He'd add that to the running list of things he'd subject her to during their week long stay in his basement.

He checked his watch, deciding it was time they head into work. He did have meeting this afternoon, despite the fact that they were the last thing he wanted to expend mental energy on. He so wished he would be there tonight to see how this all played out. Would Ana's reaction be so bad, would the sex be so terrible that Christian Grey would turn, tail tucked between his legs and run? If he did, Scott anticipated Christian would be the one to remove himself from their lives. But, maybe he would be so eager to take advantage of finally having little Miss Steele in his bed, that he would ignore her discomfort and fuck her into oblivion. If that was the case, then Ana would see that her white knight was no better than any other man who just thought with his cock. Then she would come crawling back to him herself. Either case, it was a win for Scott. He just wished he could he there to see how it all played out.

Christian

I understand. I forgive you. -A

He sat behind his desk at Grey House, staring at the message on his phone. This was the last thing he'd expected, honestly. But there it was. He reread her response for the dozenth time, unable to believe he was seeing the two simple sentences correctly.

He'd spent last night being absolutely miserable. All of that time, all of the slowly crafted effort he'd taken to try and help pull Ana out of her situation and make her realize what Kennedy was had been blown apart in fifteen minutes because he couldn't keep his goddamn temper in check. He'd stayed up all night, not sleeping for even a moment as he bemoaned his actions over and over again in his head. He'd texted her, but there had been no response to his apologies and pleas for forgiveness.

Until now.

You do? -C

He waited with bated breath.

I do. I just want to move on from all of this. -A

And then:

Can I see you tonight? -A

He felt a frisson of adrenaline shoot through him. She was forgiving him, and what's more, she wanted to see him! She was initiating a meeting between them. That was a huge, positive step for her. He always felt like he was the one chasing after her. Maybe last night, although overly harsh on his end, had sparked something in her. Maybe it actually did make her rethink letting Kennedy back in.

Of course. Your place? Mine? What time? -C

It was a little eager. But fuck it, he was eager.

Yours. 8 PM. -A

I'll send a car for you at 7:30 -C

I'll drive myself, thank you. -A

You'll need codes to access my apartment. The code for the underground garage is 126856. The code for my penthouse is 144668. Park in bay six. -C

I'll be there. 8 sharp. -A

He cycled back through the thread of messages, rereading them to make sure he wasn't imagining the conversation that had just taken place. But there it all was. By some stroke of luck, she was forgiving him. He needed to seize this opportunity tonight. He needed to make a bigger push. Something to show her she deserved better. Something to show that there was more out there for her than just Kennedy. Maybe… maybe even making her see that he was out here. Flicking his thumb across the screen, he read the messages he'd sent her last night.

Ana, I'm so sorry for how I behaved. I should have never said those things to you -C

Talk to me. I feel terribly. I wasn't angry at you, but I took it out on you, which was wrong. None of this is your fault. -C

Please, Ana. Don't shut me out. -C

Running his hands through his hair, he willed his heart rate to slow. He was a ball of emotion and anxiety, both from remembering last night and the desperation he'd felt while typing those messages to her, as well as from relief and anticipation for tonight. Why did she want to see him? Was she going to tell him that she ended things with Kennedy? Or finally ask him for help to do so? It had to be something in that vein. Whether last night pushed her to end things with Kennedy herself, or she was going to ask him for help doing it. Either way, he was sure that this was the turning point he'd been waiting for. What else could it be? Why else would she want to see him? It was the only thing that made sense.

And now his mind was reeling with possibilities, cranking out various idea and solutions to her problems. With his vast resources, he could have her out of Kennedy's clutches in a heartbeat if she just said the word. He could have her in an apartment and a new car, get her set up with Flynn and help work out a college course schedule that she was comfortable with...

He suspected she wouldn't want the free ride, though. But he could easily find her a new position at GEH that would work around her pending school schedule. That way she was still working and earning her own way. Either way. Whatever she wanted. He would do whatever needed to be done to help her.

The rest of his work day was tedious. He was basically going through the motions as he ambled back and forth from conference room meeting to his office, office to conference room. He had little time to spare today, but he plugged away through the busy but monotonous day until he finally wrapped it up by signing a few papers and leaving them in an envelope on Andrea's desk on his way to the elevator.

Taylor rode down with him, likely sensing his tension, but surely understanding it since he'd been made aware of this evening's plans already. He knew to expect Ana at 8, and that she already had the codes to access the penthouse. "After we get home, you can have the rest of the evening off," Christian said, receiving a nod in response. Whatever happened tonight, he wanted Ana to be comfortable, and that meant not having Taylor around.

He sighed inwardly, thinking about yet another spur of the moment, fucked up thing he'd done during this whole situation- informing Taylor of Ana's personal business without consulting her on it. It could easily have cost him her trust. Hopefully she would forgive him for it in time. Christian didn't necessarily regret it, because Taylor's advice and knowledge had been beyond helpful in navigating this whole thing so far. But that didn't mean Ana would understand that, or ever agree with him on it, and so he knew it would probably be a bad idea to allow Taylor to greet her at the door, making her face a man she doesn't even know, knowing that he already knew her darkest secret.

Gail was in the kitchen when they arrived home, throwing together a quick dinner, just in case Ana was hungry. Christian wanted to have all of the bases covered.

He was ripe with tension, surges of adrenaline rushing through causing severe highs and lows- the epitome of an emotional rollercoaster. It was making him sick to his stomach.

He decided to pass a little time and try to calm his nerves by freshening up- taking a calming shower before changing into some casual clothes. But it did little for his mental state and only got him as far as seven o'clock with passing the time. He could do some work, but working sounded like the worst idea, so he found himself milling aimlessly around his apartment, looking at decorative touches he'd honestly never even stopped to notice before.

His home was very streamlined. There was little in the way of decoration, as he was never done for clutter. His furntiture was sleek and modern. A few works of art hung on the walls and a vase of flowers was by the door, but that was about it. His study was much more homey, though. That was where he spent most of his time, so that was where he hung pictures of his family- various photos of combinations of Grace, Carrick, Elliot and Mia, even his grandparents adorned the walls, mostly from large events, like Mia's high school graduation and his parent's 30th wedding anniversary. The warmth of that room was far superior to the rest of the house. Maybe it was time to consider redecorating.

The ding of the arriving elevator obliterated all of his thoughts about his home decor, whipping his mind back to the here and now, his body resurging with the temporarily forgotten angst and multiplying it. He immediately focused on the widening gap between the two steel doors, his eyes burning at the intensity of his stare.

He felt his breath hold in his chest as Ana stepped tentatively out of the elevator and into his foyer, her hair falling in it's usual soft waves down and around her shoulders. She was dressed in a casual jade green dress, the click of her shoes against the marble floors resounding off the walls in the otherwise quiet space.

She slowly closed the gap between them, stopping five or six feet in front of him. Her expression gave nothing away. She didn't look happy, sad or upset. But he did notice a hint in her eyes, a little question, a little confusion, before they left his to stare down at her hands.

"Hi," he found himself saying, his voice soft and searching. He didn't want to push her right away. He'd done enough of that yesterday.

"Hello," she responded just as softly.

"Would you like a drink?" he asked, years of ingrained etiquette coupling with uncertainty and nervousness leaving him little other option but to offer.

She shook her head slowly back and forth, her eyes darkening as he tried to read her, tried to understand what she needed, what he could do, what he should do. He watched her take a step forward, the distance between them closing as she took another, and then a third. He was frozen to the spot, his mind a numb mix of confusion and desperation that left him bereft of any chance to react at all as she leaned forward, closing the gap between them.

She placed her hands lightly on his hips, steadying herself as she pushed up onto her tip toes. He automatically reached for her, placing his big hands on her tiny waist, tentatively holding her. He moaned as as her lips pressed to the underside of his jaw- once, twice. After the third time, her tongue caught the edge of his bottom lip, pressing lightly, asking entrance to his mouth which he granted without thought. Her lips and tongue brushed against his, he tightening his grip on her in response.

This kiss was nothing like their last one. That one had been frenzied and fierce, while this one was tender and slow and utterly passionate. That one had lit him on fire, while this one melted him into a puddle on the floor. That one had made him hyper aware while this one seemed to short circuit his thoughts all together. For that one, he'd still been conscious of his surroundings, of her, of what the implications of 'them' could be. For this one, he was lost in the moment, completely and utterly consumed by her.

He felt her grip tighten on his hips, her finger tips digging harder into his sides as her lips and tongue continued their slow and deliberate exploration of his mouth. He couldn't hold back the moan that escaped when her thin, warm index finger grazed his skin just under the hem of his shirt. He felt his cock jerk and swell.

Holy shit. She was really here, after everything, and she was kissing him.

The primal instincts of his body took complete control as she continued to ravage his mouth with her own. All of his worry and frustration and upset disintegrated and disappeared as his senses were consumed by everything Ana. He started imagining her under him, on top of him, bent over before him. He wanted to touch her, to taste her, to smell her skin and feel its softness stretched out below the length of him. His hands twitched, suddenly eager to reach for her, to grab her, to feel her.

Gently his hands slid up her arms, her shoulders, in search of her face, gently cupping her cheeks, then sinking his fingers into her hair. He kissed her, this time, taking control, letting her know how he felt- how she made him feel. She willingly ceded control to him immediately, following his lead as he teased her lips and tongue with his.

"I'm so attracted to you, Ana. I'm drawn to you. So completely captivated by you," he admitted against her lips. Her eyes widened a bit, almost as if she was surprised by the things he'd said, before they gave way to shyness, and he felt his heart speed up. She was so sweet.

He knew she was damaged and needed his support, his strength by way of friendship right now. He wished he knew how to put his feelings aside and be that for her. But right here, right now, he just didn't. He felt like a weak man around her. She was his weakness.

Yesterday, an hour ago, tomorrow… he knew and would know clearly that sleeping with her was not the answer to any of her issues, or their issues. It could only do more harm than good in the long run. But in this moment, here and now, it seemed like the perfect idea. It felt like the ideal culmination of his stress and concern over her melding with his intense feelings and temptation for her.

"Can I take you to bed?" he asked in barely a whisper.

He watched that shy happiness zap from her big blue eyes, the light dulling behind them. A reserved smile followed as she nodded, and he took a step back to assess her. Had he read it wrong?

"Ana if you don't want-" he started, but cut himself off when she shook her head.

"No. I do, Mr. Grey," she interrupted. "I'm just nervous."

He felt his gut plummet a little as she addressed him as ' .'.

"Christian, Ana. Please, just Christian."

"Christian," she confirmed.

He took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth while he looked into her eyes. He places a quick kiss to the flat area between the knuckles of each of her fingers before gently tugging her toward his bedroom.

He couldn't explain it, not even to himself, what it was that Ana did to him. On one hand he barely knew her, on another he felt like he knew her better than anyone else in the world. He didn't know her favorite food or the names of her childhood pets, but he felt a connection to her heart and soul. And that was a driving force in him, propelling his desire to protect her, to care for her, to show her what life could be and inspire her to get away from Kennedy and move on.

And he could admit to himself, especially now, that he wanted her to want to move on with him.

She dutifully followed him, down the hallway, past the threshold of his bedroom door. He stopped short of his bed, once again taking her into his arms and cupping her face with his hands. Each time, it felt more and more like this was exactly where she belonged- with him, in his arms, protected in his hands, and captivated by his mouth on hers.

"I've wanted you for so long, Ana. Since the moment I first met you. I've tried to fight it, but I can't anymore. I want you so badly," he whispered against the shell of her ear, pressing his nose against her soft, thick hair and inhaling the scent of her shampoo.

Their lips met once again, deep, chest clenching kisses spurring him on. His fingers traced the nape of her neck, grabbing it it, pressing against her pale skin before lightly trailing further down to her shoulders. He slipped them under the fabric of her simple maxi dress, feeling the heated skin of her back. Before he could think twice, his fingers hooked the fabric, finding it had enough give to pull toward her chest, past the rounds of her shoulders. He released it, and the whole thing fluttered down to hang at her hips, leaving her in nothing but a blush pink bra from the waist up.

His lips abandoned hers in exchange for the newly uncovered skin, pressing down to her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. He trailed his nose gently down her chest along the line of her bra, his tongue darting out to feel the swell of her breast.

"Mmm, Ana," he hummed against her sweet smelling skin, his fingers moving back to play with her bra straps, pulling them so they fell down off her shoulders. "Can I?" he asked between tender kisses across her other breast, his fingers playing with the hook closure to her bra.

"Mmhm," she hummed softly, his fingers deftly unhooking it the moment she gave the okay. He carefully pulled it from her chest, down her arms, before tossing it absently aside. With his large hands wrapped around her tiny biceps, he pulled back to get a good look at her. Her breasts were full and perky, but not so large as to overpower her slight frame. Her nipples were tight, dark pink buds perched atop flawless, pale skin that extended across every visual inch of her body. She didn't have so much as a tan line to blemish her beautiful skin.

Finally he managed to tear his eyes away and look back up to her face. Her head was down, her eyes closed, and he felt a wash of guilt at the way he's been standing there, shamelessly ogling her, obviously embarrassing her. "You're so beautiful, Ana," he crooned softly.

"Thank you, S- Christian. Thank you, Christian," she attempted to amended quickly, but he'd caught her almost slip up. Scott?! Was she about to call him Scott?! It sent a flash of anger through him, though not necessarily at her. However it frustrated him to no end that she could possibly have been thinking of Scott in this moment with him, while at the same time he also knew that her mind was so deeply indoctrinated by Scott that it really wasn't her fault. Scott was her beginning and end to practically every single aspect of her life. It was only natural that he stayed on her mind all the time. And that thought had Christian instantly determined to wipe Scott Kennedy from Ana's brain, at least for tonight.

Luckily her eyes were still closed, so he was able to hide his angry reaction and quell it before she realized it had existed. And as soon as it passed and his determination to keep her in this moment with him surged, he placed his index and middle fingers under her chin and gently urged it up so he could look into those beautiful blue eyes. "Look at me, baby," he said, and she did, snapping her eyes up to meet his immediately. He let his thumbs creep forward until they were tracing the lines where her breasts shifted from pale to pink, avoiding her actual nipples as he spoke, "You are breathtaking."

"Thank you," she said softly, standing up straight and still as his fingers absentmindedly caressed her.

Her demeanor was calm and collected, but her nipples had perked up with his gentle touches, letting him know she was physically affected. He felt a small seed of doubt bloom in the back of his mind as he thought about how unresponsive she seemed emotionally. She seemed so… guarded. No sighs or moans when they kissed, no wandering hands grabbing and pulling at his clothes or his hair. She's probably just nervous, he thought. After all, she'd only ever been with Kennedy since she was-ugh- fifteen. She had every right to be nervous sharing her body with someone else for the first time. It was his job to make her comfortable enough to let go with him. If he wanted her reactive, wanted her in this moment with him, he would have to find a way to relax her himself. He almost smiled. Lord knew he had plenty of tools in his arsenal to use on her. He'd have her uninhibited in no time.

He placed a kiss to her cheek before letting his mouth take the path it had before, only this time he didn't have a bra in the way to stop him. He let his hot breath tease over her left nipple before slowly dragging the flat of his tongue up over the bottom edge. His hands held her body in place, and underneath them he could feel her ribcage expand as she took in a deep breath. With supreme tenderness, he wrapped his lips around the little bud, kissing it, sucking lightly, pulling back to stroke it with his tongue.

He took his time, working one breast, then the other and back again. His fingers teased down her abdomen, feeling the soft, smooth skin until they reached where her dress was pooled around her waist. Inching his fingers beneath the fabric, he stretched it past the swell of her hips until they tapered off and the dress was left to float to the floor. His hands greedily explored the newly exposed skin, caressing her hips and thighs before finally grabbing the soft flesh of her ass.

Wanting to feel her skin against his, he quickly shed himself of his t-shirt before taking her back in his arms. The feel of her on him was thrilling and had his mind racing with what it would feel like once he was actually inside of her.

His lips met hers again as he hoisted her up, carrying her the ten or so feet to his bed where he kneeled down, placing her in the center, urging her flat on her back as he continued to kiss her. The more he kissed and fondled her beautiful body, the more urgent he became to really open her up and please her. That's what had him moving down, past all the enticing parts of her torso until he was tracing his tongue over the edge of her panties.

He maneuvered his tongue, lips and fingers around her lower half, touching and kissing her lower belly, hips and thighs. He let his nose travel the crease of her thigh before burying it between her legs and inhaling deeply, The move was so utterly satisfying, because she smelled delicious. His strong hands grabbed at the hem of her panties and slowly dragged the material away from her body, tossing it behind him.

As soon as he'd revealed the last hidden part of her body, he found himself unable to look away. It had been a little while since he'd had sex with someone, but the idea of being here, now, with Ana of all people had him worked up so badly he wasn't sure he'd ever been so turned on. And to see her pretty little pussy inches away from his mouth…

He savored the moment when his tongue descended onto her wet, pink flesh, easing it against the slippery skin, gently coaxing her folds apart. He slipped one hand under her ass, tilting her to allow better access. He let his mouth explore her the way he had been all evening- with slow, determined strokes meant to wind her up and leave her begging.

Only-

She wasn't begging.

His eyes darted to look at her face and she was just lying back, hands at her sides, eyes closed, chest rising and falling evenly. He faltered for a moment, his tongue halting all movement the moment he realize that his well-practiced routine to rile her up was doing no such thing.

He felt a wash of self-consciousness before deciding that maybe he just needed to double his efforts. With skilled confidence, he trailed two fingers down through her wetness before flipping and hooking them up inside of her. His tongue, focused on just her clit now, went to work as his fingers pulsated against the area inside of her, located directly behind where his tongue was now busy.

With eager authority, he worked her body, alternating between soft, firm and everything in between, trying to figure out what she liked, trying to find what affected her personally.

But he was failing.

For all his efforts, she wasn't writhing, wasn't begging, wasn't the least bit desperate. In fact, her body was rigid, her muscles bunched, fingers, toes and jaw all clenched tightly. That was the moment the real heat of embarrassment started creeping in.

He'd pleasured many women and never had any doubts about his sexual prowess. And Ana had only had one sexual partner, if he understood hers and Kennedy's arrangement properly, so he shouldn't be intimidated by her. But he was. Because though the quantity of sexual partners might be greatly mismatched, the things she had done? She'd probably done things he'd never even heard of. What if what he did was boring to her? She got off on all kinds of kinky shit. Had she ever even had just regular sex before? He'd done some kind of kinky things- some spanking, light bondage, messed around with vibrators and even a cock ring a few times. But nothing like what she did…

Thoughts like that aren't helping, he scolded himself. Figure out what the fuck you're doing wrong and figure it out quickly.

He made a last ditch effort with his fingers to find a spot that made her react favorably, and immediately regretted it as he watched a grimace cross her face. The humiliation was starting to boil over inside of him.

"Does that feel okay?" he asked, the heat of mortification on his cheeks at having to ask.

"Yes," she replied quickly, her voice cracking ever so slightly at the end, like she was pained. He cringed, halting his ministrations immediately. With a sigh, he sat up, running his hand through his hair. She opened her eyes and looked at him, her face still stoic but her eyes pleading with him. "What's wrong?"

"Ana," he began hesitantly. "This is…"

"What?" she asked, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment as she brought her hand up to cover her bare breasts defensively.

"You're not enjoying this," he said sadly.

"I am," she rushed to correct him quickly- too quickly.

"But you're not… you're just lying there and you're so quiet."

Her cheeks glowed even redder at his words, her eyes shifting down in utter humiliation. She grabbed the blanket, using it to cover herself.

"If you don't want to do this…" he led.

"I-" she said, but didn't get any further than that as her voice cracked with what sounded like impending tears.

"No no," he whispered coming to her side. Fuck! He'd hurt her feelings and embarrassed her. "Please don't cry, baby," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.

She buried her face into his chest, where he felt the hot tears slide down his sternum.

Fuck!

It was too soon for this. He fucking knew that. He should never have let anything sexual happen between them tonight. He knew that- earlier he knew that. But all logic had been lost to him once she'd kissed him. Once again, he's let his emotions get the better of him, only this time it was lust instead of anger. He should have stepped back from the situation and realized the implications of doing something like this too soon.

He wanted to tell her, wanted to explain to her that this was all his fault, that he should have never let it get this far, but he couldn't think of a way to word it without it coming out like, 'This was a mistake.' And he didn't want to further damage her feelings or her pride by making her think he thought it was a mistake in that way.

So he opted to comfort her the best way he could think of- he held her tightly against him, combing his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner. Somehow, someway they would get through these rough patches. They were adrift in a sea of a very precarious situation right now, but eventually the waters would calm, and he just knew they'd come out stronger in the end.

He rubbed her back and stroked her hair until she calmed down, and as he felt his own body relax with hers.

"Stay with me tonight, Ana?" he asked.

She didn't answer, only nodded, but that was good enough to allow him to drift off to sleep with her wrapped in his arms.