Hello everyone, thanks for all the follows, faves and reviews! I have planned this story so far up to chapter 15, it is written up to chapter 6. That means that something things that don't yet make sense to you will be revealed in time. I just hope you don't get frustrated waiting! I received a guest review that I could'n't reply to asking about Christian's subs, all will be revealed in time. I think it's chapter 5 that you can find out what's going on there.

I was told there was a problem with pinterest. The link is now on my fanfiction profile :)

Chapter 4

It had been a long and hard morning. Ana had been so distracted remembering the evening that she had shared with Christian at the charity dinner that she had completely slipped behind schedule and was now working over her lunch to make up for it before she got in trouble.

She hated her job as a proof reader, it was the first step on the ladder to becoming an editor. She had already put in an application to Seattle Independent Publishing to be an assistant to an editor but until they started interviewing she had no idea how much longer she could possibly be at Seattle Publishing House.

She was just in the middle of marking some errors when her computer pinged. It was her email alert and she hoped it wasn't one of the higher ups who had noticed she hadn't yet left her cubicle to go for some lunch like the other girls had.

Her surprised registered on the Richter scale when she saw the name of the email sender. It was Christian Grey, emailing her to her work address.

From: Christian Grey
To: Anastasia Steele

I have been texting you all morning, it's now the afternoon. Check your phone and text me back.

Christian Grey
CEO Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc.

He'd been texting her? Damn this man was a stalker because she certainly didn't remember giving him her email or her cell number.

She took her phone from the drawer in her desk and true enough there were many text messages from the one and only Christian Grey. A dozen messages to be exact. The last few were just her name and a question mark. The half a dozen before those was him telling her to reply immediately so he could let his mother know and when she found the first one she understood them.

Sender: Christian Grey

Ana, my mother has asked us for dinner. She wouldn't take my answer that you were busy and demanded that you be present. Please join me. Don't tell the agency, I'll pay you $2000 direct.

He wanted to pay her two thousand dollars to go for dinner at his parents' house?! She would do it for free and he was going to pay her two thousand dollars?! She was in complete shock.

To: Christian Grey

Ok. I'll join you for dinner.

Ana x

She placed the phone beside her on the desk while she got back to work, she kept glancing at it, waiting for a reply and when it finally came she grabbed the phone as fast as she possibly could.

From: Christian Grey

There will be an outfit at your apartment when you get home. Taylor will collect you at 6.30. And braid your hair.

He sounded quite rude and demanding but Ana simply replied.

To: Christian Grey

Ok. See you then. X

When Ana arrived home at five thirty, she knew she only had an hour to be ready to go. As Christian had said, outside her apartment door had been a package and she knew it would be her outfit for the evening. Once inside, she poured a glass of wine for courage and opened the box.

The dress she would be wearing that evening was green, not as dark as the emerald one from the charity event but not bright either. It was satin and looked wet to the touch. It was V neck with some lace on it. The pleating made it appear a little like a wrap dress though it wasn't. It had lace short sleeves and a faux belt around the waist. It only came to her knees and was all fitted. She loved it, not too much and very sophisticated. Again had she the money it would have been the type of thing she would have bought herself.

The shoes and purse in the box made Ana nearly fall to her knees. She knew brands thanks to Kate and she knew these, they were Yves Saint Laurent. It was a clutch bag in nude with YSV in gold monogram and a gold chain for the shoulder strap and the shoes were just like the nude ones she'd worn the first night with Christian except these were YVS too! The shoes made her think he'd either chosen these or been specific about them, it couldn't be just a coincidence right?

At 6.30 Ana was ready to go and when Taylor knocked she was quick to get to the door.

"Hi Taylor." She beamed, there was no denying she was actually looking forward to this evening.

"Good evening Miss Steele." He replied as Ana stepped out of the door, rearing to go.

She joined Christian in the car, giving him a nervous smile as she pulled on her seatbelt.

"Good day?" He asked her, his voice quiet and almost seductive in sound though Ana knew otherwise.

"Your email was a nice surprise… and text… how…"

"Hacked the servers at Seattle Publishing House, that was easily done, your number was in there too." Christian replied making Ana shake her head and laugh, she shouldn't have asked!

"So dinner with the parents huh?" Ana asked teasingly, she couldn't believe Christian had asked her to join though she knew it was at his mother's insistence.

"Yup." He replied quietly. "My mother wouldn't take no for an answer… she likes you."

"Mother's usually like me." Ana said wondering why his mood seemed to have changed suddenly. "So any special requests? Except the hair? Which I hope is ok…"

"No request… be yourself." Christian replied scowling while he spoke. "And your hair… yes, lovely." He stared at the young brunette. Yeah her hair was just right and he was already regretting making the request.

"Be myself?" Ana asked.

"Yeah, just be Anastasia Steele, be a little more honest about yourself. You can tell them you work at the publishing house as a proof reader and things. They're wonderful people Anastasia."

"Can I ask something of you please Mr. Grey?"

Christian stared at her. He could see she was about to make some special request now and he couldn't bear the thought, at the end of the day he hired her, he was paying her for her company though he did fulfil her request for fun at the last event and danced with her like he did at the first gala… that was strange enough too, he never danced at those events unless it was with his mother or Mia.

"Ask." He replied, almost growling. Ana worried she'd upset or offended him in some way and feared how this was going to go.

"Would you please call me Ana? I've always been just Ana." She stated quietly, afraid it would annoy him or make him even more miserable than he was already being.

"Ana? Why not Anastasia?" Christian asked. Piercing gray eyes burned her almost.

"I just have never liked it." Ana shrugged. There was no real reason, she'd simply always been plain Ana.

"It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl, I will call you Anastasia."

And that was the end of that discussion. Hold on, he'd just called her beautiful. First her name then her, beautiful. Christian Grey had just called her beautiful!

She would never have expected the glee she felt at those words passing his lips. He wasn't the first to call her beautiful. Many of her clients had called her beautiful before and her mother and step-dad. However, this was the first time it felt real without it being family saying it. He hadn't said it just because he had to but he said it because he meant it and in not some superficial way either.

Arriving at the house in Bellevue Ana's nerves hit her full force. She wasn't even sure she was going to be able to get out of the car she was so nervous.

"You have nothing to be nervous about." Christian stated as though he had just read her mind.

"On the contrary, you're taking an escort home to meet the parents for dinner. I have a lot to be nervous about." Anastasia replied, her voice sounding breathless.

"Does your job as an escort define you?" Christian asked, blowing Anastasia sideways, she hadn't expected that.

"Of course not." She replied, trying not to sound as winded as she felt.

"Then re-think that sentence you said to me. I am taking home a beautiful young woman to meet my parents for dinner. She has met them before and has nothing to be nervous about."

There was that word again. Beautiful. Christian Grey had called her beautiful twice in about twenty minutes. She blushed and dropped her eyes, she didn't feel beautiful.

"Anastasia." Fingers brushed under her chin, a gentle pushing for her to lift her head. Blue doe eyes met Christian's piercing gray. He couldn't see it in her eyes that she didn't agree with him, she didn't think she was beautiful.

He knew it was a big mistake, he knew that this girl was already becoming more than just an escort to him and he quietly hoped that she would fulfil a certain desire inside him. But while she looked at him, like a lost little girl with no belief in herself or her beauty, Christian Grey made a vow for the time that they spent together he would try to make her feel beautiful and to believe she was beautiful.

"Come on, my parents are waiting at the door." He said, distracting her from staring at him. He felt as though her eyes could look into his soul and he didn't want anyone, even an escort, seeing how dark his soul was.

Ana was met with enthusiasm by Christian's parents who she was firmly told to call Grace and Carrick. As soon as the duo stepped into the sitting room, Mia pounced.

"Oh Christian, I'm so glad you came and you bought Ana too. Oh goodness you're wearing green, did Christian get you that, I told him green was your color." She barely took a breath for a good few minutes until Elliot entered the room telling her to shut up and that her mother needed her help.

"Hello Anastasia, Christian." Elliot greeted as he flopped himself down on the couch. Ana barely got to say hi before Christian sat down beside his brother and started talking business or sport… whatever it was it didn't interest Ana.

Ana took the moment alone to look around the room. It was the kind of room she would have expected Grace and Carrick to spend the majority of their time. It wasn't old fashioned but it wasn't completely modern either. The wallpaper was floral and the floor was carpeted. The lighting was low without being too dark, the drapes were drawn and they were plain so not to overpower the room with patterns.

Along the walls were many photos of Mia, Elliot and Christian with their parents and other people whom Ana didn't know. She smiled at them, loving seeing a younger Christian though she quietly realized he didn't look carefree even as a little boy.

"Quite the trio aren't they?" Carrick asked coming to Ana's side.

"Yes." Ana replied with a smile.

"Here, some wine. Dinner won't be too long." He handed her a glass of white wine and she took it, thanking him as she did. "So, if I know my son, he will have had you sign an NDA."

"NDA?" Ana asked confused.

"Non-disclosure…"

"Ah yes." Carrick didn't need to finish saying it for Ana to remember the document she had signed.

"My son is quite taken with you Anastasia." Carrick said, making Ana's eyebrows shoot towards the ceiling.

"He is?"

"Anastasia, I'm only telling you this because I know you've signed the document. But, you are the first girl other than Katherine that he has ever bought home and Katherine was only ever to events, never to dinner. If anything, Christian doesn't come to dinner mid-week."

Anastasia didn't know what to say. She obviously couldn't tell Carrick she was being paid $2000 dollars to be there that evening. She was also surprised to hear what he said about Christian. According to his father, he was taken with her. That was news.

"Anastasia, I ask as a caring father. Don't hurt my boy. He's had a hard enough life already." Carrick said quietly just as a hand fell onto Anastasia shoulder.

"Ana, dinner is ready." Ana turned and beamed. He'd just called her Ana… it was a start.

"It was nice talking Mr. Grey." Ana said to Carrick, he just smiled and nodded. He knew Ana wouldn't say anything to anyone, not even Christian unless time called for it.