Chapter 22:
"Well I for one loved it. Maybe we could christen all the elevators in Seattle." I look at him and smile. "I was joking Ana."
"I'm not!" He laughs again, I love that sound more than anything. We fix our clothing and I press the stop button again and we start moving. When we get to his office he turns to the woman at the desk.
"Andrea." Her head snaps up immediately. Christ she's obedient.
"Yes sir?"
"Sarah and Maya have been fired. I need you to get two new secretary's for me ASAP." Andrea's eyes widen and she nods. When we get into his office my phone rings.
"One second." I answer it after a few rings. "Hello?"
"You didn't tell me you were going public!" Kate screams through the phone. God, news travels fast.
"You already know?" I say, shocked. She scoffs.
"Duh? You're the talk of America!" Kate's always been one to exaggerate. "Everyone on campus is talking about it." Oh shit.
"Yeah well, not my fault. It was Christian." I look at him sitting at his desk filing some papers completely oblivious to my staring and I smile.
"I tell you though that was one hell of a kiss. You guys are really in love." She giggles and he looks up at me, we catch eyes and he grins at me. I sigh and smile back.
"Yeah."
"Wait, has he told you yet?" She shouts again, she really need to control that.
"In front of his parents and his brother." She squeals and I can't help but be super excited about it all as well. "Speaking of his brother, I hear you two hit it off?" She then starts going off on one about how great he is and that she wants to meet him and that she gave him her number and they talked all night. I'm not listening to her as soon as Christian walks up to me and starts kissing my neck, pushing me backwards until my back hits the wall. He bites my neck gently and I squeal. "Christian!" Then I remember Kate's on the phone.
"Please don't tell me you're doing stuff. Not again." She moans and I laugh.
"Sorry Kate. It all sounds very exciting but I have to go ok?" She huffs and tuts at me.
"Ok. Have fun with Mr Big Dick." She hangs up and I gasp. I cannot believe she just said that. Christian obviously heard and looks at me skeptically.
"Did you tell Kate that I had a big dick?" He asks. I just look at him and he starts laughing. Really laughing, so much so that he's doubled over on the floor soon. I just stand staring at him confused at his outburst. "Oh man, that's funny." He says, standing and wiping tears from his eyes.
"What's funny?" I'm so confused right now and he can see it on my face so he kisses my forehead.
"It's just that, a couple of weeks ago I had nothing to do with women apart from sex. No emotions. And now, I've got a girlfriend, I've told her I love her, I've made love to her and she's met my family. And now I have a reputation with her best friend for having a big dick. It's just, surprising that's all." He chuckles again and pulls me into his arms.
When he's finished with work we make our way to his apartment. We park in an underground parking lot and we walk past loads of expensive looking cars. "Wow." I say. "You have some rich neighbours."
"They're all mine Ana." I gasp and look at him, he has an arrogant look on his face that I giggle at.
"Holy shit you're so rich!" He laughs and pulls my hand so that we're walking faster to the elevator. Once the doors close I inch closer to him.
"Don't even think about it. This one has CCTV." He chuckles, knowing exactly what I was about to suggest. "Oh I forgot to tell you my parents are having a barbecue tomorrow."
"Oh really? For what occasion?" I ask, leaning into him.
"No occasion, really it's an excuse to show you off to the rest of my family." I giggle.
"Ahh, I get you." The doors ping open and I gasp at how beautiful his apartment is. It immediately opens out into floor to ceiling windows and everything looks very sleek and modern. There is a grand piano up on the upper level of the room and a white leather sofa facing the view on the lower level. There are wooden spiral stairs lesson to the bedroom I assume, I look to my left and see a kitchen bigger than my apartment, with an island in the middle and shiny marble cabinets lining it. "Christian this is. Wow." I've been saying that a lot today. I didn't realise the world of Christian Grey was so - out of this world. It's like he's up in his ivory tower, looking down on the world with a magnifying glass. I walk to the piano. "Do you play?" He walks forward.
"Why else would I have a piano in my main room?"
"Yeah that was a stupid question I apologise." I giggle. I open the lid to the keys and play the first few notes of Mozart's Marche Turque. I look up at Christian and his eyes are wide open.
"Ana, did you mean to play that?" He says, in shock. I smirk and sit down, then start playing the full song. When I'm done with the piece he stares at me with his mouth wide open.
"Got me all figured out eh, Grey?" He sits down next to me.
"What else can you play?" He looks at me with such interest that I nearly cry. I click my fingers together and roll my neck out.
"Ok. This is my favourite. Bare with me I'm a little rusty." I start to play Ave Maria. It gets to the singing and I start to hum.
"Sing." Christian whispers and I start to sing. He stares at me the whole time and when I reach the end of the song I feel tears trickling down my cheeks.
You are my heaven on earth
You are my last, my first
And then I hear this voice inside
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
Ave Maria
I finish and Christian pulls me into his arms. "That was incredible. The way you hit those high notes at the end. Ana, how did you learn to sing like that? How did you learn to play like that?" I think of when I first moved to Montesano and smile.
"It was after my dad, my real dad, had died when I was six, when my mom met Ray and we moved to Montesano. I remember not liking Ray at first because I didn't understand where my dad had gone and why my mom replaced him with a different guy. Then I remember my first Christmas with Ray he bought me a keyboard. A pink barbie one with flowers on it. I was so in love with it, so one day he took me to a piano shop, and he told me "When you're a little older, I'm going to teach you to play one of these." I couldn't get my mind off of it so he started teaching me how to read music and how to play chords on my little keyboard. Then he bought me a professional keyboard and taught me how to play basic tunes and I had that for a few years. Then, for my tenth birthday I came home after school to find a huge grand piano in our living room. He taught me how to play all sorts of things, from The Beatles songs to Bach, my grand piano was my pride and joy. That's why I threw a hissy fit when I had to leave it when my mom met number three. I think at the time I was more upset about leaving the piano than Ray, but that was probably because I got to know and love him through the piano. When everything happened and I came home, the piano was the only thing that could calm me down when I had panic attacks. Music was my savour, I can't believe I haven't played in so long." He looks at me in awe and with admiration.
"Why? When was the last time you properly played before now?" I think for a while.
"Just before I went to college." He raise his eyebrows.
"So you haven't played in three years and you just whack out one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever heard? Shit Ana! Why didn't you go to Juliard or or something?" He says, pulling me closer to him. I shrug.
"I guess that I knew the piano as mine and Ray's thing. I didn't want to share it with anyone else."
"You're sharing it with me." I smile and hold his face.
"That's because I love you." He smiles and kisses my hair. I yawn and lean into him.
"Well, I think we should get some dinner then go to bed." I nod, feeling sleepy. "Or do you just want to go to bed now?" I look up at him.
"Bed now please. But don't you want me to eat?" He leans in and kisses me.
"Not if you can't hold your head up properly. You'll just have to have a huge breakfast in the morning." I nod and he picks me up. I can't even remember him undressing me and pulling me closer under the covers. I just remember the words, "Goodnight my beautiful Ana. I love you." Before I am completely out cold.
A/N - Hey guys! Sorry this was so short, I was super busy today. I know that it was Beyoncé's version of Ave Maria, and I know that Pavarotti or Bocelli's versions kick ass but I didn't think it would be realistic for Ana to sing a song like a male opera singer. Plus it's Queen B so ;) And that is my favourite ever piece of music. That and Nessun Dorma of course :) Thank you for all your support and see you next update!
Sophie x