*Disclaimer: Although I own the rights to this fanfiction, I do not own the characters (even though I truly wished I owned Christian Grey lol) and I do not own the books, etc.

*Synopsis: (AU) – Anastasia Steele (24) is swamped in student loans and college costs and is at the verge of being dropped out of her classes, nearly graduating. Her long time friend, Jose Rodriguez (27) suggests his aunt Elena's exotic BDSM themed night club and helps Ana to get the job as a bartender. When one of the main show girls, Leila Williams (25) gets fired, Christian Grey (26), is left without a partner. Elena is then forced to approach Ana to take the slot. Will Ana take Elena's offer? Or will she run for the hills? OOC/HEA.

A/N: Wow! Just, wow! Thank you to all who reviewed and PM'd me. You guys are pretty great! I was so shocked by all of the amazing responses, and how quickly they came. A lot of you have some awesome theories as to what will happen next. Loved reading all of your thoughts. Christian POV will hardly be in this chapter. I hope that's okay? This story has about 4-5 more chapters left with an epilogue, and I am planning on writing another story soon after lol. Maybe not exactly right away, but I will write another. Again, thank you all for your amazing support. Please, excuse any errors that I may have missed. I truly appreciate all of you! XOXO!

(Second A/N at the end)

-Chapter 16—Sealing Fate-

Ana POV

They say that love can make you do crazy things. So crazy, that it makes you wonder if you were ever sane in the first place.

I'm wondering that now as I lie here next to a sleeping Christian in his bed. I've been awake for probably five minutes tops, just lying here, staring at his naked body.

He truly is a beautiful man. With his long, dark lashes that kiss the tops of his cheeks, a straight nose, and the way his jaw is perfectly shaped, shadowed in a light sheet of stubble. His lips look soft. The perfect disguise for how rough they truly can be. And his body is carved to perfection.

His biceps are thick, not too thick, but thicker than most men. Bulging muscles crawl all the way down his arms. Now I don't know how you feel about bulging, visible veins running down a man's arms and hands. But to me, I think it's completely sexy as hell. Especially on Christian. His hands are large. Way larger, and more muscular than mine with long manly fingers that are perfect for fucking. But I know these hands intimately well. Just the thought alone of how gentle or how rough such hands can be, makes my insides ache with arousal.

A dust of hair can be seen in between two amazingly muscular pecs. My eyes roam further down to his washboard abs, that trail of dark hair below his belly button, and that sexy V that goes down, down, down to hide the rest of his amazing body underneath the white sheet, which is tented by his long, thick erection.

This man. Is complete. Perfection...

I find myself biting my lower lip by the sight of him. I want nothing more than to hop on top of him, and ride him until his ever loving brains fall out. But he looks so peaceful right now, that I just can't seem to force myself to disturb him.

Quietly getting out of the bed naked, I search his dresser for a pair of his underwear, finding a white pair of briefs. After putting them on, I step inside of his walk-in closet, where I find one of his plain white button up shirts, slipping my arms into the sleeves. I would have put my own clothes back on, but, well...

I pause as flashes of last night invade my thoughts.

We could barely keep our hands off each other in the elevator. Holding me up against the wall of it with his hips, he ripped the leotard completely off of me, right down the front, exposing my breasts. I would have yelped, but he shoved his tongue deep into my mouth, absorbing my cries.

I snap back into reality when my stomach growls, buttoning up my shirt. I only glance towards Christian a few seconds while I tip-toe across the room to the door. Exiting, I silently shut the door, and make my way downstairs.

I raid through several cabinets and the fridge—not knowing where everything is yet—and finally come up with ingredients to make pancakes.

Grabbing a large mixing bowl, I sit it down onto the kitchen island, along with flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, salt, the milk, eggs, a bottle of vanilla extract, and the bottle of vegetable oil. Leaving the ingredients, I sprint into the foyer to grab a hair tie from my purse. While Christian and I were on our way here, he phoned Taylor and asked him to pick up my things—including my car—from the club and bring them back to Escala.

Finding what I need, I pin my hair up into a messy bun, leaving my bangs and little tendrils of hair loose here and there. Another flashback comes to mind as I stand and gaze at the rug in the floor, right in front of the elevator.

The moment we arrived last night, we were both deprived of our clothing, completely naked, tumbling together into the floor.

On top of that black plush rug. Mmmm...

Christian had landed directly on top of me, still kissing me as if he were taking his last breath. Both of us were panting and moaning as we devoured each others mouth. He slowly rose up to his full height on his knees, roughly grabbing my ankles. Spreading my legs apart, both bent at the knee, he dangled them over the bend of his elbows. Our eyes locked. Blue to gray. His eyes were nearly black as night with wild hunger. Mine were fully dilated, the color of midnight blue. His mouth was agape and his chest rose and fell with the rapid beat of his heart; from the force of his crazed breathing. That's when the air completely left my lungs by the force of him entering me. Hard and oh-so fast.

Right there on the fucking floor...

And I loved every minute of it.

I smile at the memory, returning back into the kitchen to finish what I had started. Grabbing a few measuring spoons and cups, I grab the flour, putting 1 ½ cups of it into the bowl. I spot the iPod dock and wipe my hands off onto a dish towel. Scanning the iPod, I finally hit play on Wicked Games by The Weekend.

Returning once again to the task of breakfast, I dip out two tablespoons of sugar, dashing them into the bowl. Next is two tablespoons of baking powder, then a ½ teaspoon of baking soda. I toss in a pinch of salt, then mix the dry ingredients together with a fork, making a small opened circle in the middle. I grab the milk next, and measure out 1 ¼ cups of it, pouring it into a small separate bowl, then crack open two eggs over the bowl of milk, tossing the shells into the trash can.

I grab a whisk, and blend the eggs and milk together. The vegetable oil and vanilla extract are next, using only two teaspoons of oil, and one teaspoon of the extract. Some people have judged me for not putting the milk and eggs into the flour before adding the oil and extract, but I do what works for me. It's my dad, Ray's, recipe. Probably the only recipe he truly knows how to cook, but oh well. It stook to me like glue ever since we made pancakes together almost every Sunday morning.

Which reminds me. I need to call and check on him. He was pretty hoarse and coughing a lot when I visited him. He had promised to go to the doctor to have it checked out if he became worse, and now I feel so horrible for not checking in with him.

First things first.

I place a frying pan onto one of the burners, setting the heat on medium-high. The pan is non-stick, so I don't need any butter. The wet ingredients are now poured into the middle of the dry contents, and I begin whisking when my phone rings. I can hear it plum in the foyer. I sigh, sitting the bowl back onto the counter, and remove the pan from the burner, taking off towards where my purse sits.

Lifting up my phone, I finally answer it without seeing who it is, making my way back to the kitchen. "Hello?"

"Anabelle. Darling. Sweetie. Dumpling."

I roll my eyes at Jose's sing song voice filled with various pet names. "Yes?" I drag the pan back onto the burner, picking up the bowl of batter as I hold my phone between my ear and shoulder.

"Where the hell have you been? I worried about you last night after that ahh-mazing kiss you had with Mr. Sexiness on stage. All of us were talking about you both last night over drinks. Speaking of which, Elena sends her thanks for the super hot ending to the performance. She was pretty booked upstairs, if you know what I—"

"I'm at Christian's." I whisper yell into the phone, spooning the first two pancakes into the pan. They whisper a sizzle.

"I'm sorry. But it sounded like you just said that you were at Christian's."

"I did. I'm at Christian's penthouse. I figured you already knew considering I left with him last night. Taylor even picked up my stuff." I flip the pancakes over. God, they smell so good.

"So, did you get laid? Because I swear woman, you've been like Ursula from the Little Mermaid lately. As if you've been living in a perpetual PMS stage. It's not a good look for you, darling."

Laughing, I shake my head. Jose continues on about a man he met at the club last night and how wonderful their night had went after they left the club.

I try to busy myself, so, I walk over to the fridge and scan it's contents again. Seems like I remember seeing some fresh fruit in here. Aha! Strawberries.

Taking the lid off of the container, I pull out several strawberries, rinse them under the water, then place them into a separate bowl. But I'm interrupted when a pair of hands squeeze, first my ass, then my hips. "Mmm... Good morning, beautiful." Christian's deep voice murmurs into the dip between my shoulder and neck. He wraps his arms around me, pulling my back plush against his front, placing a kiss onto my jaw. My mouth instantly goes dry.

Holy Mother of God...

The things this man does to me.

My mouth breaks into a huge smile as my eyes close, leaning back into his chest. His kisses continue up my neck, to my ear where he nibbles the lobe. And I'm not talking about the simple sweet pecks neither. No, he's brushing the tip of his tongue each time his mouth touches my flesh to kiss me.

He wraps his arms tighter around me from behind, and I turn and tilt my head back so that our eyes meet. Brushing his nose against mine, he smiles, then takes my mouth in a slow, heated kiss with his lips. My body turns the rest of the way, and he chuckles against my lips as my arms slide around his neck. And in the process, I drop my phone.

Shit!

I completely forgot that I was talking to Jose. Pulling away from Christian, I pick up my phone, raising my index finger up at Christian. "I'll call you back, Jose. Bye."

"Wait! Anabel—" Beep!

I turn back around to face the beautiful Adonis, still standing in front of me. Only, now, he has a cup of steaming coffee and is leaning back on the kitchen island, a huge grin plastered on his face and his eyes are fixed on mine. "Sleep well?" he raises a brow before taking a sip of his coffee.

I return to my now burnt pancakes, ignoring his question at the moment, and toss them onto a plate to cool before even thinking about throwing them away. I whisk the batter again, then spoon two more dollops onto the freshly wiped down pan.

"You and Jose are trying to ruin my breakfast." I shoot back with a giggle. I try to clean up the kitchen a bit before returning my attention to cutting the tops off of the strawberries. "And to answer your question," I say, spinning around to face him, grabbing his coffee mug and taking a sip with a satisfied moan. This coffee tastes so good. "Yes, I did." I add in a whisper. My eyes gazing at him from over the rim of the cup.

He growls, taking the mug out of my hands, sitting it onto the counter behind him. He splays his hands at my hips, sliding them down until he reaches my backside. Gently, he traces the hem of the briefs along the swell of my ass cheeks with his fingertips, forcing goosebumps to pop up all over my body. His forehead is pressed against mine and his nose is brushing my cheek. "Have I ever told you," he rasps, swallowing hard as he closes his eyes, popping them back open to gaze at me, "how fucking sexy you look in my clothing?"

"Has anyone told you that you're extremely full of shit?" I roll my eyes, giggling as I lightly push him back. I turn back towards the strawberries.

Smack!

Jump-yelp!

"Ow! Dick!" I shout, spinning around and smacking him in the shoulder playfully.

"Bitch." he laughs.

I narrow my eyes at him with a very detailed eye roll, just for him. Turning back to tend to my pancakes, Christian reaches past my head, switching the stove off.

Asshole!

"Christian! I'm trying to make us breakfast." I scoff, tossing the spatula onto the kitchen island, my hands going up in the air in frustration. But as I turn around to face him, my eyes widen when I see the hunger in his gaze. His eyes are now three shades darker. I know that look.

I am sooooo screwed.

I take a step back, and he matches me by taking a step forward. "There is only one thing I'm interested in eating, Anastasia." he growls, low and deep.

Fuuuuuck. Me!

"Oh, no..." I whisper, taking yet another step back, shaking my head. I'm too sore for any type of sex this morning, all special thanks to the five rounds of hardcore fucking we did last night. The first being in the foyer when we first arrived. The second time I rode him in the living room on his couch. The third and fourth time we rolled around in the sheets on his bed. And lastly, he took me from behind in the shower.

Each time we fucked last night, he pounded my pussy raw.

"Oh, yes!" he hisses, lunging at me.

And in a split second, I bolt for the stairs—and nearly make it, too—when he catches up to me. I yelp and laugh as he grabs me around the waist with his strong, muscular arms, slinging me over his shoulder like a caveman while walking towards the dining table. I writhe, kick and scream. Beating my fists against his firm ass while laughing my ass off. When that doesn't work, I yank his briefs down to his knees, swatting at his naked ass in the hopes of him losing his balance. Instead, he grips my body tighter, steps out of his briefs and lays me down onto the table.

Oh, God... This is really turning me on.

Wrapping each of his hands around my wrists, he slides my hands up the table above my head, using his hips to spread my legs apart, barely rubbing his hard cock up against me. His intense, hungry gaze burns into mine. And I just can't help myself.

Raising my head, I press my lips against his in a soft, gentle kiss. He groans when my tongue rubs across his lips, then he rubs his cock against me again. His grip on my wrists are even tighter now. His breaths frantic.

He pulls away from me, pulling his briefs back up. My eyes widen in shock. I can't believe he's going to leave me hanging like this. "This is strictly for your pleasure." he reassures me, returning with the bowl of strawberries I had rinsed and cut for the pancakes.

Plucking a plump berry from the bowl, he extends it in front of my lips. "Bite it." he says, nearly a whisper.

I do as I'm told, touching the red heart shaped berry with my tongue before biting into half of it. Instantly, the juices from the strawberry escape the corners of my mouth, sliding down to my neck. But not for long, because Christian swoops down licking every bit of it off, kissing my lips until they're bruised, then licking his way down to my neck.

"Mmmm... so sweet." he groans, popping the rest of the berry into his mouth.

Oh, God. This is so hot!

He grabs another berry from the bowl. When I bite into it this time, he takes the other half of the berry, rubbing the juices down my neck to the top swells of my breasts. I gasp at the cold, gushy feeling of it against my heated skin.

Again he pops the rest of the berry into his mouth, then leans down to lick and suck all of the juices from my skin. My body trembles as my eyes close. A long, lingering moan escapes me as my fingers gently run through his hair. I press my legs together to try to relieve the pulsing ache, but to no avail.

"Christian..." I whisper, my eyes opening at the same time to meet his. He unbuttons his shirt that I'm wearing. Very. Fucking. Slowly. Then opens it up, exposing my bare breasts. My nipples become hard the moment the cool air hits them.

He grabs another berry, looking up and down my exposed body hungrily. Again, he holds the strawberry up to my lips. I bite into it without taking my gaze off his. He licks his lips, cursing under his breath. Then he holds the wet fruit above my left breast. I arch my back when the berry makes contact with my left nipple. Noises I never knew I could make are forced out of my mouth.

"You want to know what I love about you, Anastasia?" he asks, rubbing the berry in a circular motion around my nipple, then lifts it.

"Mmmm—yes!" I shout moan when he starts rubbing my right nipple with the cold, wet berry. "Do tell." I add in a whisper.

He moves the berry all over my breasts, then down lower, leaving a wet, sticky trail towards my belly button where he deposits the strawberry. He begins kissing me right above my belly button, licking up the juices left behind. I tremble in my skin by how gentle and loving he's being. "I love how smart and independent you are." he whispers against my skin. I shiver from how cold his breath feels on my wet skin, closing my eyes in ecstasy.

He moves his wet kisses up, and I moan the moment his tongue touches my sticky skin. "I love the way you dance."

Kiss...

"I love how beautiful you are."

Kiss... Suck...

"I love the way you smile and laugh."

Lick... Kiss.

"I love how your eyes dilate every time you look at me."

Kiss... Lick... Suck... I moan. "Fuuuuuck!" I whisper, grasping his hair.

"I love the way your body responds to my touch."

Bite... Suck...

"Christian!" I nearly scream. I swear I'm about to come, and he doesn't even have to penetrate me.

"I love the way you touch me..."

Kiss... Lick... Bite...

"And most of all..." Lick... Suck... Kiss... "I love being inside of you, hearing you scream my name, and the way you look at me in pure bliss when you come."

I'm... So... Dead...

"Your body was made for me, Anastasia. Only. Me."

My body bursts into flames the moment he takes my left nipple into his mouth, sucking and licking it gently. I raise up off the table as the orgasm detonates from the tips of my toes, running liquid fire all the way through my veins.

I forcefully wrap my arms tightly around Christian's neck as I writhe and shake from the force of the orgasm, screaming out my release. The moment he takes my right nipple into his mouth, though, my body explodes all over again, leaving me completely sated and weak.

During my climax, I thought I heard Christian say that he loves me. But I'm sure I probably imagined it, considering he's never said it before, and, the obvious fact that my mind is not fully here at the moment due to being so high from the whole-body orgasm. Besides, Christian doesn't know how to love. He's said so himself before. And I feel very sad for him because of it.

He lifts my body up, cradling me in his arms, as he carries me upstairs to his bathroom. My eyes are barely able to stay open as he lowers the lid to the toilet, sitting me on top of it. He turns around, and I can hear a heavy flow of water running. From the force of the flow, it sounds like the bath, rather than the shower.

He turns back towards me, removing his briefs. A softness is within his gaze, and he smiles lovingly at me. "Come on, baby."

He removes my shirt the rest of the way, as if I were a child, removing one arm at a time. Kneeling down in front of me, I can't help but lean my head onto this shoulder as he pulls down my soaked briefs. He smiles when he realizes how soaked they are and why.

Bastard!

But I'm too damn weak to say anything about it.

Once naked, he tucks his arms under my limp body, cradling me in his arms as he comes to a full stand. On instinct, by how tired my body currently feels, my head rolls over onto his chest. He sits with me on his lap into the hot water of the tub and I hiss as my body hums in pleasure by how good the warmth feels. My muscles and joints instantly relax.

But, that last orgasm was a complete KO. Because within seconds, I fall into a deep sleep.

In the arms of the man I love so dearly.

What hurts is the fact that this is all it ever will be.

Christian POV

Looking down at Anastasia, sleeping in my arms, I can't help but feel pained that she didn't respond to me when I said that I loved her.

Yes... I actually said those three little words aloud for the first time since I was four years old.

I don't know what made me finally take the leap of faith, but I did. And the ending results were heart breaking. Now I know how she felt the first time she ever said it to me.

There is also the possibility that she never heard me, too, because of the state of orgasmic bliss she was in. But it still hurts. Deep down, it really truly hurts.

I reach beside me and grab the bath sponge in one hand, leaning further up to grab the body wash with my other one. I squeeze the soap onto the sponge, when I feel a nudge against my chest, followed by a low sighing moan.

Looking down, my heart clenches at the sight that awaits me. Even though Ana is sleeping, she's the most beautiful woman in the world. To put it simply, as I have many times before, she completely takes my breath away.

I press a light kiss to her forehead, lathering up the soap on the sponge, then begin washing her delicate, soft body.

"Mmmm... I love you, Christian Grey." she whispers in her sleep. I freeze all movements, gazing at her.

I kiss both eyelids, the tip of her nose, then her lips as I respond. "I love you, too." I mutter with a shaky breath. "More than you even realize, Anastasia. I love you."

Ana POV

I love you, too. More than you even realize, Anastasia. I love you...

He always seems to say the words I so desperately crave to hear when I'm sleeping. In my dreams, he's completely mine. Heart. Mind. And soul.

Mine...

When I wake up, I find myself dressed in a pair of Christian's black sweatpants and one of his white V-neck T-shirts. No panties. No bra. And I'm in Christian's bed. I look over towards the window and notice that the sun is starting to go down.

Sitting up, I realize that I'm alone. "Christian?" I call out.

No answer.

Hm...

I pull out my hair tie, run my fingers through my hair, and pin it all on top of my hair again in a messy bun. I get out of the bed, make it up, then head to the bathroom to pee.

After, I tighten up the strings on the pants I'm wearing so that they don't fall off, then make my way downstairs into the kitchen. I'm greeted by a beautiful woman, leaning back against the counter, sipping on a cup of coffee.

She's short, maybe even shorter than me by a couple of inches. You can tell by the tiny, semi-muscular figure she has, that she stays completely fit. Sun kissed skin. Long, dark brown hair with copper and blond highlights. Big emerald green eyes. A wide smile with plump lips and straight, perfect white teeth. She looks amazing in her black knit blouse with semi-long sleeves, teal green short flowy skirt, black tights with black sandal pumps. She even has a plush leopard print scarf.

"Oh!" she says. Her eyes widen in surprise as she sits her mug down onto the counter. She spins back around, thrusting out her hand to shake with mine. "Dear God! Hello! And who might this little beauty be, dear brother?"

I finally look over to my right, and instantly see Christian with the biggest smile on his face. He looks edible right about now. His messy hair dangles in that oh-so-sexy way over his brow. He's wearing black slacks with a white button up dress shirt, the top three buttons undone, and the sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, showing off his amazing muscular forearms. And the veins...

Dammit. To. Hell!

He saunters over to me, placing a chaste kiss onto my cheek. "Sleep well, my love?"

Wait... Hold up...

What's he playing at? My love?

"Uhm, yes. Thank you." I smile, nervously.

Am I still dreaming?

He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me flush against him. His eyes, when I look up at him, show something I've never seen before.

Pride.

Love.

Warmth.

"Mia," he says while still looking into my eyes, "this is Anastasia Steele. My girlfriend."

My eyes go wide, mouth agape, and my breath catches in my throat as I gasp the moment the words slip from his lips.

My girlfriend...

"Ana, this is my baby sister, Mia. She stopped by to remind me of dinner tonight with my parents. It's something that we normally do on Saturday's. The reasons she's still here, annoying as usual—"

"I heard that, asshole!" Mia chimes in.

"—is because I haven't told her whether or not I'm going. I wanted to ask you if you would like to come with me, first."

I'm speechless.

Mentally and verbally speechless.

Mia must think I have mental issues with the awkward expression on my face right now. I glance towards her, then back to Christian. Both are looking at me, hopeful.

When I don't respond, Mia speaks up. "I personally think it would be lovely to have you join us. Plus, you get to meet our nympho brother, Elliot with his wife Kate."

I smile a knowing smile, as does Christian.

"She already knows El and Kate. She works at Floggers, too. That's how we met."

Mia startles back, opening her mouth wide as she sticks her index in the middle of her gaped mouth, pretending to make herself sick. "Ugh! How sweet, yet sickening at the same time." she rolls her eyes.

"Mia!" Christian warns, and I laugh.

She crosses her arms, leaning back onto the counter. "I'm sorry. You know how I feel about that place. I don't even know why you even work there when you're a CEO of a mergers/acquisitions palace. Not to mention, you're a billionaire. What's the fucking point?"

"Because, I can. It's not like I pay myself to work there. Ever hear of free labor? And sometimes I like to relax a little. Take time away from being the rich bastard who bites people's heads off. It's not easy being a dick, you know."

She narrows her eyes, grabbing her cup of coffee off the counter, taking a huge sip. "Anyways, back to Anastasia. Would you like to come?"

I shake my head. A nervous laugh escapes me as my cheeks heat up. "I couldn't possibly impose on your family dinner. It would be completely rude of me."

"Nice, big brother. She's sweet and has manners." Mia giggles. Then turns to me. "It's not imposing if you're invited. And you are totally invited. Besides, mom and dad would love the extra company. Oh, please, Ana. Please?"

"I don't have any clothes to wear. My hair is a mess. I currently look like a bum—"

"Ana." Christian interrupts my rant. He takes my hands into his, interlocking our fingers together. "Don't worry about how you look. You'd look hot in a trash bag, bald. Besides, there's plenty of time to get ready. It's only a quarter til six. I can run you by your apartment."

Oh, my heart strings!

Cupping my chin with his right hand, forcing me to meet his eyes, he continues. "Come with me, baby. Please." he says, pleading with me using those beautiful gray orbs of his.

Goner.

My heart is swooning so hard, that I just can't say no. "Okay." I whisper. "I'll go."

He smiles and all mega-watt smile, showing his perfect white teeth. I've never seen this man so happy the entire time that I've known him. He bends forward, taking my lips with his. The kiss is slow and sweet at first, but it soon turns into something more passionate with our tongues practically down each others throats.

We're interrupted by a clearing of throat. "Well... I'll see myself out." Mia sighs, with a smile. "I will see you two love birds at dinner at eight."

Christian POV

"So, Ana. Tell me a little about yourself." my father, Carrick, says, popping a fork-full of steak into his mouth.

The drive over was quite intense. Both of us were completely nervous. She was nervous at first because of her clothes, which she had no reason to be at all. She's dressed casual, yet really nice in a black spaghetti-strap tank, a sheer black long-sleeve button up over-shirt with pink floral prints, dark skinny blue jeans an a pair of simple flat sandals. She even put a little make-up on and scrunched her hair, pulling it all over one shoulder.

Then she became nervous because she didn't know how they would feel about her. But I reassured her that they would absolutely adore her, like I do.

In the car, it was something else. And then my nerves became a little off because I didn't know how they would act towards her. Or if they would do something to scare her away.

The moment we arrived, we had to straighten our clothes so that no one suspected anything. We sort of had a little quicky in my car on the way.

Mia was the first to burst out of the door, her arms stretched upward and outward, squealing like a fan-girl. I rolled my eyes.

She hugged Ana, told her how beautiful she looked, then guided her towards the entrance of the house where my very eager parents were waiting just inside of the door.

My mother's eyes lit up the moment she spotted Anastasia. She smiled, hugging Ana in greeting.

"So nice to meet you, Mrs. Grey."

"Please. Mrs. Grey is my mother-in-law. Call me Grace." my mother smiled. Mia had already made her way further into the house, disappearing probably into the kitchen.

My father was next, smiling like the cat who caught the canary. He was completely thrilled to meet my new girlfriend. And just knowing that my parents approved of Ana made all of my pent up nerves disappear. It was quite a relief.

Kate and Elliot, too, greeted Ana with a hug. Of course, Kate was more dramatic about it, and squealed the moment she saw Ana in my parent's foyer.

"Well..." Ana giggles, bringing me back to the now.

I can't help but gaze at her, sitting next next to me while she talks. It's like her voice has faded, even though her lips are still moving. The things I would do to be able to kiss those semi-plump lips right about now.

Her hand gestures are adorable when she speaks. My heart clenches when the love and pride just oozes off her tongue when talking about Ray, her stepfather. Her eyes sparkle with passion when she speaks of her English Major that she just graduated with yesterday. Her teeth shine bright white, when she smiles at my family. And her laugh places this warmth inside of me; inside of my heart that I just cannot explain to you.

She looks beautiful. Confident, and radiant right now. When she glances in my direction, my breath hitches and my dick twitches. The way she looks at me, every single fucking time, turns me on so badly. I just want to take her to a quiet corner and ravish her body into oblivion. In fact, I've wanted to fuck her brains out since the moment I laid her sprawled out on my dining table this morning. Not just a quickly in the drivers seat of my car.

But all of those thoughts are forced aside when my mother stands. "Who wants dessert?" she asks, then takes off towards the kitchen. Carrick, too, takes off for the kitchen to assist my mother with whatever she's come up with for dessert, and my attention turns to my left where the beautiful, sexy goddess sits, sipping on a glass of wine.

A mischievous grin slowly comes to life on my face as I place a hand down onto her knee. It's not a tight grip, but my fingers are possessively wrapped around her leg. I give it a slight squeeze. Seductively. My dark, sensual gaze is burning into Ana's dilated ocean blue one's.

She licks her lips, sucking the bottom one in between her teeth. Her eyes are reflecting her want. Her need. Her unmistakable desire for me. But she pushes my hand away, before protesting. "Christian." It's a whisper. "Don't." she adds, shivering into my touch as I place my hand back onto her leg.

My grip becomes tighter, rubbing my hand from the outside of her thigh, towards the inside; moving it slowly up, up, up around her upper thigh, barely below my target. She gasps, closing her eyes slowly as if fighting her own emotions.

Dammit... I want her so badly.

And just the thought of it has officially made my dick harder than a fucking rock.

My hand moves more up, closer to the apex of her thighs. And I almost make it there, too. But my mother has other plans, forcing me to remove my hand with an irritated groan. "It's not much, but I made pancakes with a strawberry glaze on top and cut strawberries."

Ana is taking a sip of her wine when my mother says this, and the moment pancakes and strawberry is brought into the conversation, Ana chokes and splutters on her wine. I can't help myself. I lean onto my arms on the table and fucking start laughing.

"Oh! Ana, darling. Are you quite alright?" my mother asks, concerned. She sits the plate of stacked up pancakes onto the table, more towards my side.

"Yes." Ana coughs, patting her chest. "Wrong pipe." she wheezes, glaring at me.

Ana POV

That night, when we finally make it back to the penthouse around ten, Christian makes love to me.

Long.

Sweet.

Passionate.

Love.

Before I can fall asleep, I'm startled by the soft echo of my ringing phone on the end table beside me. Looking at the red digital numbers on the alarm clock next to my phone, I groan when I see that it's one in the morning.

I pick up my phone, glancing towards Christian to see that he's still in a deep sleep. He only stirs to turn over on his side facing away from me. The muscles in his back twist and pull tightly when doing so. I sigh when I see the evidence of our love making in several deep red welts, streaking down his back and shoulders.

Grabbing his white shirt, I wrap it around me, making my way towards the bathroom, closing the door softly behind me. When I look down, my phone is still ringing. It's Jack, my new boss.

Shit! Shit! SHIT!

I'd completely forgotten all about my new job in New York. And now, Jack's probably calling me to make sure that I'm still coming. But it's strange that he's calling right now because it's barely Sunday in the wee hours of the morning.

"Hello?" I answer, softly and low.

"Ah, yes. Miss Steele. My apologies for calling you so late in the night. I was actually calling you because it seems that I had made a major mix up with the departure time on your ticket. You see, my boss is currently in the city and she would love nothing more than to meet you. She was extremely impressed with your resume. Your flight, if you are still intending on coming, has been changed for Sunday afternoon at two rather than on Monday morning."

"That's this afternoon." I gasp.

"Yes," he drawls. "This afternoon. Is that going to be a problem, Miss Steele?"

I pause, cracking the door to the bathroom, gazing with tears filling my eyes at Christian's still sleeping form.

From the looks of it, his body sensed when I left the bed because he's turned over onto his stomach, his right arm extended out to my side of the bed, palm flat and sprawled onto the silk covered mattress. His face looks so relaxed. A soft expression on his face.

A silent tear falls down my left cheek.

Can I go to New York after everything that's happened this weekend? Can I seriously leave the man I love?

I realize that yes I can. As much fun as it's been being with Christian this weekend, meeting his family over dinner and making love to him, it's just not enough to keep me here.

I want all of him, not partial.

I want love, not casual sex.

I want... I want more, and he just can't give it to me.

"Miss Steele? Are you there?" Jack interrupts my thoughts. I realize that I've made my decision.

"Yes." I sniffle, wiping away my tears, closing the door to the bathroom.

"So, you'll come?"

I squeeze my eyes closed as I lean back against the door. My heart is cracking more and more with what I'm about to do. "Yes." I mutter. "I'll be there."

And with those words, I realize that I have sealed my fate.

**Soooooo, don't kill me! I promise, it's not what it looks like. LOL! Just bare with me and I will try to get the next chapter up ASAP! Just depends on my week. I had some spare time during the weekend and went ahead and wrote this chapter. I hope you all liked it? If not, you will totally like the next one better with what I have planned. The pins are up, but I've edited a few of them last night. So, if you've already seen the pins, re-check them just in case I may have changed chapters or used them in different scenes lol. Thank you all for your support.**