Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades Trilogy
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PART 2 of this short story.
(In this tale, Ana is 34 years old & Christian 35)
PART 2
The eight o'clock meeting
...
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As the sound of the alarm on his phone chimed annoyingly, Christian grabbed the covers of his bed, and pulled it over his face. He so wanted to stay in bed a bit longer, but guess that was something his employee didn't tolerate from him.
From afar, Christian heard the soft knock on his bedroom door, making him sit up with a start." Go away, Gail... I wanna sleep in today" he shouted, and lied down on the bed again.
However, his employee was determined and said." Sir, are you sure you want to miss your eight o'clock meeting?"
In response, Christian groaned aloud and sat up on his bed once more, eyes landing on the clock." Gail, it's 5:10 AM. Will you please leave me alone?"
"Sir, a reminder for your first meeting of the day," he heard her say from the other side of the master bedroom door." Last evening you told me that it was very important and that you wanted to be there early"
"Gail, what are you on about?! Today my meetings begin at 10 AM" He countered, still under the covers." I wanna sleep in today"
As those words reached her ears, Gail sighed deeply, feeling a bit sad for Christian. Her boss had been sleeping in a lot lately. He had done so almost every single day for the past two months, since his divorce. The rest of the world doesn't know it, but her and Taylor have noticed Christian's change in demeanor and that their boss had lost interest in all of his hobbies and sports. Usually, those were the signs of an upcoming depression. Gail had been holding her breath these past months, afraid that her boss would succumb to it. Christian used to be so full of life, already up at 4:30 AM, doing his morning work-out first, then having a substantial breakfast, sometimes joined by Gia, always in a good mood, and then he changed for work so he could be there early. The past few months, however, she and Taylor caught him being sad, he slept much longer than necessary and barely had an appetite. So, when their boss told them the evening before, in such an enthusiastic manner about this brunette named Ana, who had the most kind and beautiful eyes, Gail and Taylor were ecstatic! Finally! The woman Christian met at the diner could be the one to help their boss move on and be his old self again.
'This Ana could be his savior' were the words that swirled around in Gail's head right then. So, even though her employer might get angry with her, Gail pushed forward and kept on trying to make him get out of bed." No sleeping in today, Sir. This meeting of yours begins a little early..."
"Gail, GET. LOST!" She heard him say.
However, she was determined and said." What if I give you two hints, Mr. Grey. PIE andddddnd the name ANA,"
As those words tumbled from his employee's lips, Christian sat up with a start in bed." Ana" he uttered, and remembered the gorgeous brunette with her beautiful, kind blue eyes. In a flash, he jumped out of bed and unlocked the bedroom door.
As the door swung open, and she saw her employer, she felt a tug at her heart. His eyes sparkled happily, when he said." Please, Gail. Help me out with my outfit?"
"What do you wanna wear, Sir?" she asked with a smile on her face.
"Something nice... no, something very nice," He answered in an enthusiastic manner." I want to look good especially for her"
" Will do, Sir" Gail stated, and that's when he strode towards his huge walk-in closet.
"What are you going to do now, Mr. Grey?"
From the closet, he shouted." I'm grabbing my work-out clothes. See you in forty-five minutes" And then he hastily walked in the direction of his private gym downstairs.
Gail still had a smile on her face, when Taylor came to check on her.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" he questioned, brows scrunched together." Is everything Okay with our boss?"
In response, she looked up at him and grabbed his hand." Yes, Jason. It seems that everything's okay with Mr. Grey... let's make sure he'll be on time for his first meeting of the day." Gail answered." The one that begins at 8 this morning"
At hearing that, Taylor nodded." Oooh, that meeting. Don't worry, I'll make sure of it," he told his fiancée, and walked towards the private gym.
While busy with one of his work-out routines, Christian felt so excited about the new day. He wanted to share his excitement and made a call via his air pods.
"Bro, seriously? Do you know what time it is?" He heard Elliot say from the other side of the line.
"I know! It's very early," Christian answered without feeling guilty about waking up his big brother.
"What are you doing, Christian?"
"Doing one of my work-out routines," He answered, while doing a series of push-ups, his breathing labored.
"Seriously?" Elliot questioned." I was told that lately you didn't do work-outs anymore?"
Christian breathed loudly and wiped the sweat from his face." Yeah, that's true but I'm motivated to workout again,"
"Why? Are we talking about a special lady? Where did you meet her?"
Christian chuckled in response." At the small diner, the one I go to almost every day"
"Seriously? Bro, when did you meet this woman?"
"Last evening," Elliot heard his younger brother say.
"Last evening? Did you ask Taylor to do a background-check on her?" Christian heard his brother ask.
In response, Christian chuckled." No, and I'm not gonna."
"And why not? If he doesn't, I will." Elliot announced.
"Bro, you will do no such a thing... I'm getting to know her. I will see her again... today at eight,"
"Huh? So early?" Elliot questioned.
"Yes, that early... I'm going to treat her with a piece of pie." Christian declared oh so proudly.
"Bro, you really think she'll be impressed by you treating her with a piece of pie?" Elliot asked.
"I don't know... I really don't know what kind of person she is. That's why I want to get to know her better." Christian explained with a smile on his handsome face." Our interaction was cut short... we talked only for ten minutes or so"
As Elliot heard his little brother talk, he realized that Christian sounded so different, so optimistic. And he liked it.
"You're working out with a nerdy grin on your face, huh?" Elliot asked.
"How do you know?!" Christian questioned, surprised that his big bro knew that.
"I can hear it in your voice,"
"Seriously?" Christian said.
"Yes, I do," Elliot replied." I still think that you need to ask Taylor to do a background check, but I respect it if you don't want to. And, I'm glad that you are looking forward to buying this special lady a piece of pie,"
Elliot said what he said. In his opinion this woman must be special, if she was able to get his brother out of this temporarily gloom by interacting with him.( Cause he tried setting up his younger brother on dates with multiple women, but he just wasn't interested in them)
Christian laughed in response, while walking towards the treadmill." Thanks for the support, big bro"
"I'm here when you need me... always" He heard Elliot say.
"I know..." Christian uttered, thankful that he had a big brother who he could count on." Talk to you later, bro"
"Later," Elliot said from the other side of the line, and then ended the phone conversation.
After his forty-five minute work-out session, Christian walked towards the master bathroom with a satisfied look on his face.
"Did you have a good work-out, Sir?" Taylor asked, when he saw him in the large hall.
"Yes, Taylor," he replied." Very satisfying indeed"
"Good to hear," his employee said and nodded.
"Taylor, you can send Sawyer to tag along with me today," Christian told the head of his security detail.
"Are you sure, sir?"
"I am... he's a good bodyguard," Christian told him." You've trained him well"
"Thank you, Sir" Taylor said, happy with the compliment from his employer.
"So, I'm going to freshen up and then I'll be going to the diner." Christian told him, and went on inside the master bedroom.
It has been a long time, since he sang in the shower. As the lyrics tumbled from Christian's lips, even he was surprised that he knew that song. (Well, Gail loved playing this song, when she cleaned his house, and has played it everyday for months now) That's where he knew this song from.
It was 'Last thing I'll ever need' by Loren Allred.
"From the bottom of my heart," he sang and walked out of the shower.
As he hummed the song, and walked into the walk-in closet, Christian's eyes landed on the outfit that Gail had chosen for him to wear.
He smiled widely in response." Perfect." he whispered and got dressed.
Christian then looked at his own reflection in the large mirror, after combing his hair the way he liked it." Good," he said. After inspecting his appearance one last time, he grabbed his phone, sun glasses, wallet, briefcase and walked towards the balcony of his luxurious house.
Gail had served him a simple breakfast consisting of various fruits, sandwiches and coffee.
"I'm so glad he's enjoying breakfast again," she whispered in Taylor's ear, making him smile.
After breakfast, Christian thanked her for it and walked towards his Audi R8.
"Here goes nothing." he said softly, and waved back at Gail who stood in the entrance of the mansion with Taylor.
"Good luck, Sir" he heard her say, as he drove towards the large gate.
It was still early in the morning, when Christian parked his shiny car in the parking lot near the diner.
"7:21 AM" He whispered, his eyes fixed on his watch.
And yet, he decided to walk towards the cozy diner, cause he really couldn't wait any longer.
As he stepped inside, the smell of fresh baked pie invaded his nostrils, making him sigh contently.
"Good morning, Michelle" he greeted, and took a seat in one of the stools." A cup of coffee, please?"
The older waitress smiled, and brought him his order right away.
As she placed the cup right in front of him, she said." Here you go, sir. Enjoy"
"Thank you" he said, and that's when a chime sounded from the entrance of the diner.
'It's her' were the words that bounced inside his head, and so he turned around.
Ana...
The corners of Christian's mouth curled upwards into a smile, the second their eyes locked.
She reciprocated his smile, her eyes twinkling in the process." Hi, are you here for the pie?"
"Hi Ana" He said, and offered her a seat." Yes, and not exactly."
As she was seated in the stool, Christian grabbed something from his brief case." I think this is yours?" he told her.
"Oh my GOD! Thank you! I've been looking all over for this," She said, and inspected the contents of the small, silver-colored purse.
"Anything missing?" Christian questioned, and drank his coffee.
"No, everything's still in here," She said, and smiled at him." Thank you, uhmm... I don't know your name,"
In response, Christian extended his hand and said." Hi, Ana... my name is Christian,"
She shook his hand, and as their hands connected, he felt the warmth she was radiating, making his heart skip a beat.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" he offered.
"Yes, please" Ana answered, and so Christian called Michelle and ordered a cup of tea for her.
As they enjoyed their warm drinks and each a piece of pie, they talked the morning away. Christian liked listening to her.
Ana was a physician and had joined DOCTOR WITHOUT BORDERS. She has worked in El Salvador and Guatemala, helping a lot of people in the last six years... it was her passion, helping sick people to get better, especially the ones who couldn't afford the simplest medicines.
Christian looked at her in awe, as she poured her heart out, telling him all about her work and all the people that she had met/ helped over the years.
'Ana, such an amazing human being you are' he thought, as he listened with a wide smile on his handsome face.
"It must be extremely hard, Ana... apart from working in such poor conditions, it must be hard to leave a village, after helping the people you've gotten used to?" Christian asked at one point.
In response, she nodded. It was then, when tears pooled in her pretty eyes." It is... especially when I lose my patients," Ana confessed.
"I'm sorry," he said, and grabbed her hand to comfort her.
"It's in those moments that I feel like I've failed them," Ana explained, and wiped away her tears.
As her eyes landed on Christian's, while he comforted her with the touch of his hand, the look on his face full of concern for her, Ana felt a tug at her heart.
'He was a stranger to me, and yet he's so understanding... and Gosh, nobody in my family or circle of friends has been so interested in my job' She thought, and all of a sudden felt this connection with this handsome man.
Her friends, especially Kate, forbade Ana to talk about her work. The reason?
Well, in Kate's words: "Let me enjoy my life, Ana... I don't need to know about all the misery that's happening around the God damn world"
Well, after that Ana never spoke to her about 'Doctors without borders' again.
"I get it, I do... but sweet Ana, I don't think anyone would ever accuse you of failing them." he said in such a convincing manner, eyes locked onto hers, while she felt as if the world around them faded, only the two of them present." The work that you do is so admirable, and has anyone ever told you how unselfish you are?"
As those words tumbled from his lips, Christian himself was taken aback by them. He was really surprised how he reacted to Ana, feeling as he had no control over his actions and words.
"My work is my passion, Christian," she confessed.
He nodded in response, a smile gracing his face." I love mine too," he told her and as she broke eye contact for a moment, Christian already missed that connection.
"Now that we're talking about you, tell me more about what you do for a living?"
Christian was just about to tell Ana about his job, when a phone rang aloud. Well, that annoying sound broke the 'spell' that Ana and Christian were in, the rest of the world invading their bubble.
"It's yours, Ana" he told her, eyes still locked on one another.
In response, she cleared her throat and grabbed her phone." Sorry, I have to take this... it's my bestie Kate"
"Yeah, of course" Christian said, and nodded.
"Hello, what's wrong now?" Ana said into the phone.
As he waited for her to finish the call, Sawyer walked over to Christian." Sir, it's almost time for your ten O'clock meeting," he said." Shall we?"
Christian knew that his 10 AM meeting was important, but he didn't want to leave Ana now... well, not yet he didn't.
And just as he was about to say something to Sawyer, he heard that Ana was in distress.
"Kate! Don't do it! Wait for me," he heard her say, her voice trembling heavily.
In a flash, Christian was at Ana's side, and placed a hand on her upper arm." Something wrong?" he asked in a worried tone.
"Yes, it's Kate... she's panicking right now and I'm afraid that she's going to do something... I gotta go," Ana explained, stumbling over her own words.
Christian gripped her lightly on her arm, locked eyes with her and said." I'm coming with you, Ana... I wanna help."
Sawyer came between them and cleared his throat." Sorry Mr. Grey, but you're needed at the office, Sir."
In response, Ana grabbed her small purse, while pushing back the tears with all her might. "It's okay, Christian... go to work. I'm going to help Kate" she said, and was already walking towards the exit of the diner.
And although he knew that he was needed at the meeting, he decided then and there that he was going to assist Ana... because right now, she needed him more.
"Ana, no... I'm coming along with you." Christian announced and paid for the warm drinks and delicious pie.
"Sir? Your meeting?" he heard Sawyer say, so Christian hurriedly opened his briefcase and shoved a jump drive in his employee's hand.
"Tell Ros to take over for me, and let her do the presentation" Christian ordered.
Sawyer watched with open mouth how his boss and the gorgeous brunette jumped inside the Spyder( Christian's car) and sped away... with the jump drive still in his hand.
"Fuck" he uttered, while calling Taylor." Man, he's so gonna fire me because of this."
Note: Awww, I hope Taylor won't be too hard on Sawyer.
Thanks for reading my work, all.
Reviews of support are much appreciated.
Till the next,
J
