Chapter 24

(Time Jump)

Ana PoV

I was freaking out. Seriously having a fit. Mammaw's Diner was set to open in less than 12 hours. Mia and I had worked painstakingly for weeks hammering out every detail. The building was designed and built, favors were called in, contracts made, vendors paid, suppliers hired, wait-staff interviewed and thoroughly background checked (Christian's doing of course), and finally the day was here.

Grey Construction and Steele Designs advertised a joint project in building the restaurant and between the two companies and financial backing also coming from Grey Enterprise Holdings, the paparazzi in the area were going crazy. They all wanted to know how we were connected. Since Jack Hyde took those photos of Christian and I that day, and Christian thoroughly screwed over that little gossip mag, the attention has been negligible. His and my lawyers made sure that the incident at Steele Designs, and his shooting were also not publicized anywhere.

The last thing he and I wanted was to have our already fragile relationship further affected by incessant shutterbugs. But it was hard to keep the press from finding out about a joint construction project from the two most popular construction companies in Seattle, and with that came the news that Grey Enterprise Holdings had a part in it, too. Paparazzi were constantly following us around, asking us questions, some far more personal than we wanted to answer.

"Mr. Grey, can you tell us why you're wearing a sling?" or "Did the little old lady hurt you, Sir?" or my personal favorite, "Ms. Steele, what can you say to us about domestic abuse? We're told you beat Christian Grey, yet he stays with you."

We were specifically told not to engage any of them, act as if they weren't even there. Even if we gave them an answer, they had a way of twisting words around to make us out to be monsters. It took every ounce of control I possessed to keep from decking the one that asked that last question. I paused minutely, fighting making eye contact with the snake. Christian noted my pause, ripped his sling off, throwing it towards the bushes where the shutterbugs were "hiding," grabbed me roughly, dipped me down low and planted a hell of a kiss on me. He held me there for a while, allowing the cameras to go off crazily for some time.

His lips took possession of mine, he growled lightly as he nipped and licked my mouth. His tongue fought mine for dominance, one hand was fisted in my hair, pulling on it roughly while the other was gripping my hip almost painfully. But it was amazing. He hadn't been able to hold me like this yet. The last few weeks our love making had been wonderful, but very simple. Me on top or any position in which he didn't have to do much of the work. He hated that; hated not being in control, not being able to take me the way he needed to.

"That should give them enough fuel for now," he said into my ear as he lifted me back up. "And now I'm going to fuck you into next week," he added. I panted heavily as he half-dragged me into the house. I knew he was taking his frustrations with all the attention out on my body, but it was in such a delicious way, I could hardly complain. He wasn't going to punish me, but it would be angry sex. I was angry with the paparazzi for insinuating that I was beating him, and he was angry for the same reason, but more at the one who suggested he was weak and naïve for staying in an abusive relationship.

We both had to let go of a lot of that anger and it was going to be so much fun doing it. "Strip," he commanded. I complied immediately, excited to see Christian the Dom come out to play. We hadn't had much experience with him yet, and I was interested to see what he would do. He was always so afraid that he'd push me too far or that I wouldn't like it too rough, but I assured him that because of him, I was getting over my fears and wanting to try new things in bed. And apparently, that day, mere hours before the Grand Opening of Mammaw's Diner, was the day he would start.

Once I was naked, he instructed me to kneel next to the bed with my hands on my thighs. "Keep your eyes on me, though, baby," he told me when I'd dropped my gaze to the floor. "You're not my sub; I'm not going to treat you like one. You're free to keep your eyes on me, touch me, talk to me, and especially scream my name." Just his words had wetness dripping out of me and down my thighs. He was using his authoritative Dom voice that had never been directed at me before, and it was so fucking sexy.

"God I can smell you from here," he said, an intoxicated expression on his face. "You smell so fucking delicious, Anastasia."

He instructed me to stand on my feet and undress him. I did so carefully and quickly, as I could tell he wasn't interested in slow and sensual. "On your knees," he commanded once I got him completely naked. I knew what that meant. But he hadn't told me to do anything other than get on my knees, so I sat there eye level with his impressive manhood and licked my lips.

His hands came up on either side of my head and held it steady. "I'm going to fuck your mouth, Anastasia," he told me. "If it gets to be too much, reach up and remove my hands from your head and I will stop. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Christian," I replied. He positioned himself right in front of my mouth and rubbed the velvet tip across my lips for a few seconds before pushing his way in. I opened my mouth as wide as it would go and took him in as far as I could. I relaxed my throat and took him deeper, my lips touching the base of his shaft.

"Jesus Christ, Ana!" he cried. "You can take all of me?!" I wanted to smile, but my mouth was otherwise occupied. He pulled himself out of my mouth slowly and then thrust back in, not going as far. He held my head tightly in place while his hips did all the work. I tried to suck hard as he pulled out and lick the tip before he thrust back in. The grunts and groans he was making told me I was doing a good job.

He gripped my hair tightly, pulling it slightly, but it didn't bother me. I liked it. I liked that he was taking possession of me like this; taking what he needed from me. "Oh Ana, I'm going to come. Unless you want it in your mouth, you need to move," he grunted. I shook my head as much as I could as he continued to thrust relentlessly into my mouth.

"Aaagghhh!" he yelled, releasing his seed into me. I took it all in to my mouth and down my throat. "Ana, baby," he cooed as he pulled himself from my mouth. I swallowed down every delicious drop of him. It was the hottest thing ever. "You are the most spectacular and amazing woman on the planet." He picked me up off the floor and tossed me unceremoniously onto the bed.

"I see you've got your strength back," I said.

"Oh, I've got a lot more than that back." He climbed up the bed and nestled in between my thighs. "I've been craving this for weeks." Diving in, he devoured my core, licking up every last drop of my arousal as he drove me insane with pleasure. I could feel the familiar tightening deep in my belly, telling me I was about to come and come hard. "Ah, ah, ah, Ana. Don't come yet. I'm not done with my meal."

"Oh please Christian," I begged. I was writhing beneath him, lifting my hips to press myself into his face.

"You're greedy today, baby," he teased.

"God, baby, I just want you so bad," I replied. He chuckled against me, his laughter reverberating against my core.

"We've made love almost every day, Ana. You're insatiable."

"Yes, we've made love. Gently, carefully, and oh so lovingly, and it's been amazing," I panted. "But we haven't fucked." He paused. His head rose from between my legs and eyed me curiously.

"You want that?" he asked. I smiled shyly at him, bit my lip, and nodded. He climbed up my body and pressed his lips to mine, claiming them. "You want me to fuck you, baby?"

"God yes," I replied, squirming. He was teasing my entrance with the head of his brand-new erection. "As hard as you possibly can."

Christian PoV

I could hardly believe my ears. We'd been rough with each other before, but this was something new. Carnal, animalistic desire rolled off of my love in waves. "I'm all too pleased to do so," I replied as I plunged into her. She yelled out in pleasure as I pulled out and rammed back into her.

"More!" she begged. "Harder, Christian!" She grasped my hips and pulled me towards her, harder and faster. Her legs were spread wide, allowing me deeper access into her sex. "God, yes!" she screamed. I could feel her fingers digging into my skin; there would surely be bruising, but I didn't have it in me to care. In fact, I wanted her to mark me.

I slammed into her with as much force and speed as I could. I wasn't going to last much longer, but I could feel her muscles contracting around me, she wasn't far off either. Her hands roamed up my back and dug into my shoulder blades. She growled and screamed and moaned with each and every thrust of my hips. Deciding I wanted to truly show her how fast and hard it could be, I pulled out abruptly, flipped her over and pulled her up on her knees.

I drove into her again, gripping her hips. Her face was smashed into a pillow and she screamed into it with abandon. Her tight little pussy was milking me for all I had, but she hadn't quite come yet, and I wasn't about to before she did. "Yes, Ana! God, so good, baby!" I grunted.

"Christian, I'm going to come," she cried, turning her head out of the pillow enough for me to hear her.

"I know, baby, I can feel you. Give it to me," I told her. I slammed into her harder and faster, feeling her climax tighten around me, squeezing my own from me. "Annnaaaa!" I yelled as my climax took over. Thrusting erratically into her, I spilled my seed inside her in several long spurts. Slowing down, I let us both climb down slowly from the peak and I collapsed on her back, us both falling onto the mattress.

"That was in-fucking-credible," she breathed.

"Agreed," I replied. "I think we both needed that."

"Very much, so, Mr. Grey." I rolled off of her and pulled her into my arms. We fell asleep within a few moments, and woke to the sound of both of our cell phones going off. Ana wrenched herself into a sitting position. "Shit! We're late!" she exclaimed. She called Mia back, apologizing profusely, stating we were hiding from paparazzi, which wasn't an outright lie.

She hopped off the bed and ran into the bathroom. I watched her for a moment as she showered faster than the speed of light and even had time to yell at me to "get my ass out of bed and in the shower." I did just that and within twenty minutes, we were on the road to the restaurant. She was curling her hair in the car, having brought a plugin-car charger adapter with. Before long, her hair fell in wide curls down her left shoulder. She pinned it behind her ear with a large flower pin that looked like a rose with both red and black petals. Each petal was rimmed with glitter and feathers adorned the background.

Ana was wearing a crimson dress made of luxurious shakira satin. It featured a faux wrap front and tulips skirt, attached wrap belt, and gorgeous plunging neckline. I read the description on the dress when she ordered it from online. She looked simply stunning. After applying a thicker line of black eyeliner than normal, mascara and red lipstick that matched her dress, she looked like the picture of a 1950s socialite.

As we pulled into the lot, we could already see cameramen, news crews and customers lining up outside, ready to get their first taste of this well-advertised diner. "Are you ready, baby?" I asked. She shook her head, but got out of the car. We went in through the back door so as to avoid the shutterbugs as much as possible, and met up with our families inside.

"Ana, you look lovely!" My mother greeted, pulling Ana in for a hug, and pulling me in with her. "I'm so excited for this! The first official merger of our families. Many more to come, I think." Ana agreed wholeheartedly and then went to greet everyone.

"Okay!" Mia exclaimed. "It's time. Ready Ana?" She grasped Ana's hand and together they went to unlock the doors and invite everyone in. I realized then that Mia was wearing the exact same dress as Ana only in a dark plum color, and her hair was styled the same. I wondered if they planned that or if they just had similar taste.

"Welcome to Mammaw's Diner," Ana greeted the first family that arrived. "How many?"

"Just the four of us," the woman in the family answered. "We were so excited to read about this place." Ana grabbed four menus, two of which were kids' menus with a handful of crayons and led them to the first table to be filled for the evening.

"I'm so glad!" Ana replied. "Mia and I worked hard for a long time to put this place together, so I certainly hope you approve. Becky here will be your server. Enjoy!" She patted Becky on the back before returning to the entrance to escort more parties to their tables. The rest of us watched from behind the kitchen as Ana, Mia, and the hired hosts greeted everyone and took them all to their tables. A few people asked for autographs and photos, which Ana was happy to provide. I think there was even a shot of her kissing a baby. She could go into politics with that kind of rapport.

Within the next few minutes, everything was in full-swing. The chefs were busy creating the meals the customers ordered, exactly following the recipes as provided by Ana and Mia. I even made a few rounds at tables, greeting people and taking pictures. Only if Ana posed in them with me, of course.

Throughout the dinner, Elliot and Kate were feverishly checking on Facebook and Twitter to see how the diners were reacting to the meals. So far, nothing but good reviews and press. "Mammaw's Diner is fantastic!" one person tweeted. "Best meal I've had at a restaurant in a long time," another said. Many people were checking in on Facebook, tagging their friends to tell them to come and check it out.

The place was packed to capacity with more people outside waiting for a chance to come in. Ana had a stroke of genius and had one of the cooks plate a platter of meatloaf and mac n' cheese samples in mini paper ramekins that she would give out to those waiting in line. She went out with the tray, greeting the newcomers and ensuring that they stayed in line, rather than giving up and going somewhere else.

I took a moment to look around the place at the genius that came out of my love and my sister. There was a countertop that followed along two walls where diners could eat right at the bar. The surface was adorned with retro napkin holders, display cases that showcased many of the desserts and other menu items, and mini juke boxes that the customers could play at their leisure.

In three of the corners, large booths were constructed that could seat seven adults comfortably. Booths also lined the walls in between, and then the rest of the room was filled with tables. Each table had a white paper table cloth, with crayons provided so the kids and adults could draw. Mia said she saw it at a restaurant once and thought it was a really neat idea. We had to make sure that said restaurant hadn't copyrighted that idea so we could use it, too. Luckily, it was a free-to-use idea and we put it into effect.

We had considered having a traditional checkerboard floor, but Ana and Mia decided they didn't want to go full-on fifty's diner. They wanted it to be more modern, but with a fifty's twist. The floor was a dark cherry wood with a slip-proof varnish on it. The booths were a similar burgundy color, while each table was teal granite. The chairs that surrounded each table were stainless steel with a chrome finish and leather cushions with an intricately embroidered pattern on each. No two were exactly the same.

The waitresses each had their hair done in a vintage style, some with pin curls, other with victory rolls, and some had the classic Marilyn Monroe style. They each wore a vintage repro dress with full circle-skirts that Ana had special ordered from her friend Micheline that designed such dresses.

I remember when we went through the hiring phase; Ana advertised that visible tattoos were welcome but not required. There was no end to the young women that wanted to work at this diner, stating they loved the tattooed pin-up fashion and were so excited to work at a place that embraced and encouraged body art.

By the end of the evening, we'd served no fewer than three hundred diners. Each waitress walked away with at least two hundred dollars in tips, and happy faces on all of them. Ana and Mia had given each waitress three dresses to rotate through, and dry-cleaning cards they could use, so they wouldn't spend a fortune keeping their uniforms clean.

"Do you think people will find it sexist that we don't have any male wait-staff?" Ana asked me after we left that night. "I didn't think of it until now. But we only had a handful of men even apply, and none of them had the right kind of experience."

"Someone might make note of it, but I wouldn't worry about it. You can always hire some later, when one of the girls leaves or something. Hospitality seems to have a high turn-around, so I wouldn't be surprised if you were going to be hiring again soon."

"Okay," she replied. Once we were home, we snuggled up in bed, made love slowly and fell into the sweet escape of sleep. We'd read the official reviews in the morning.