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God damn merger agreement. The day had not started out as he had hoped. Instead of spending time with Ana, he had been making deals with South Korean businessmen. He had wanted to announce their engagement to the entire family at once, but he could understand that Ana had needed to tell Kate. Christian might not have many friends, but he could appreciate the bonds that were important to Ana.

What he would not tolerate was her disregard for his need to contact her. Furthermore, her insistence on keeping her own cell phone plan made him grit his teeth. Stubborn woman.

It had taken a little less than an hour to wrap things up at the office and get to Kate's apartment. It had riled him to know that Ethan had stopped by the house before going to the airport, but at least Kate (and likely Elliot) had been there.

When he reached the front door he realized that it was cracked open. Silently he scolded himself for letting security get so lax. With Leila in the hospital he had been having Taylor stationed at home, but if Ana was going to be this careless that was going to have to change.

He let himself in and locked the door behind him, testing it for good measure. "Ana?" he called out. He could hear some rustling down the hallway once he called her name. Slowly, Ana emerged from her bedroom and their eyes met. Instantly, he knew that something was not right.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked, rushing to where she was. Her eyes were slightly pink, maybe from crying and she had the look of a person who had received a considerable fright.

Ana tried to smile at him and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine, baby. Just, you know, kind of emotional about everything. Besides, I think that I might not be over what had me sick on Thursday and Friday."

Christian scowled. "You look like you have seen a ghost and you are going to tell me that it was nothing? Does it have anything to do with your door being left open? Ana, I thought we were going to try communicating more." He held her at arm's length to get a better look at her. "And if you are getting sick again, god help me, I am taking you back to Escala this very minute. I can't look after you as well when you are living so far away."

"The drive is all but ten minutes, Mr. Grey and it is a moot point because I'm fine now. I just had an uneasy stomach. It has been coming and going, but it was probably just something I ate."

Not deterred, Christian pulled her back into his arms. "I am worried about you. Maybe we should make an appointment to see if you need antibiotics or something. I can't very well punish you the way you deserve if you are unhealthy." The last part of his sentence had a sensual vibe to it that made Ana smile.

"As much as I appreciate your concern, Mr. Grey, I feel fine, so punish away." Christian picked her up and carried her down the hall.

"With pleasure, Ms. Steele."

Ana smiled as she thought about how this had been their first time together as an engaged couple. True, she had accepted his proposal before their encounter last night, but this time the ring was on her finger: signed, sealed and delivered. All of Christian's anger had made the sex all the more hot. Give her a "punishment" any day, Mr. Grey.

She had been worried earlier that sex was going to be out of the question. Her stomach had turned on her, reminding her of last Thursday evening. Thankfully, she had managed to keep everything down and it had not taken long before the queasiness had passed.

Now, in the wake of their lovemaking, she twirled Christian's hair with her fingers and thought again about the events that had occurred before his arrival. Leaving the front door open had been stupid, she would give him that, but the note and pictures had been enough to override any other thoughts.

It still gave her shivers to think that someone had been able to take such pictures of her and Ethan. There had been a few of them at the bar the night they had gone drinking and one from the fraternity party when she had been playing karaoke. There had been two of her asleep in Ethan's arms, in the big bed in the fraternity house, and one other of the two of them last night, playing cards and laughing. Plus, there were several from the week before, some of the two of them in the apartment, talking, and some while they had been hanging out in the city. The ones of them in the apartment looked as though they had been taken through one of the kitchen windows. How could someone be in all of these places?

All in all, there were 32 pictures. While most were just them hanging out in various locations around Seattle, a few seemed more intimate. Although Ana knew that nothing inappropriate had happened, it was obvious to her what Christian would think if he saw them.

The note that was attached made it all worse. She had stared at it for what had seemed like an eternity and even now, as she thought about it, she didn't know what to do. It was typed out on regular printer paper and had read "I bet Christian would want a copy of these."

I bet he would, too. Her first instinct was to tell him and show him the pictures herself, but he already hated Ethan for taking her out that night and she didn't want to have to fight for that friendship the way she had to fight for Jose. Ethan was always going to be her best friend's brother and it would put Kate and Christian even more at odds with each other if the pictures got out.

Besides, what was she going to tell him? That she didn't sleep with Ethan? He had never questioned her about it, so bringing it up out of the blue would sound so…incriminating. It seemed like her only option was to wait it out.

She had hidden the photos and the note in her bedside drawer. Ana knew that it was a shitty hiding place, but she had been pacing around and looking at them when Christian had called out to her and she had been worried that he was going to walk into the room. She had gotten so emotional about the ordeal that she had started crying, which must have given Christian the hint that something was up.

Damn, she hated lying to him. They were doing so well about being honest with one another and now this had to happen. And this was totally on her, not something that she could even blame on his fucked up past.

Ana had done all she could by trying to think of who would do this to her. Given the nature and length of her life before Christian, there were not too many people who hated her on her short list. The only person she could really think of was Elena. Somewhere deep inside, she even hoped that it was Mrs. Robinson because if things got out of hand Christian might be able to see her for what she really was: a predator.

On the other hand, if Elena were to show the pictures to Christian it might make him vulnerable to her. It could even drive him back into her leather-clad arms. Ana tried to rid herself of the image, but it persisted.

Christian stirred beneath her hands. He had come to love her messing with his hair and it had apparently made him dose off in her lap this time. "Ana?" he mumbled, and stilled again.

Ana had to smile a little at the sleeping man-child. Yes, her Fifty was worth fighting for, even if it meant going head to head with Elena the child molester.