A/N: Thank you for the readers following my story and also for the reviews.

Hope you like this chapter.

Important: I do not own the Fifty Shades Trilogy or the characters. They belong to the very talented E.L. James.

Ana POV:

Before I have time to contemplate what Christian wants to discuss, Elena walks up to me with a smile, but visibly upset.

"Anastasia, it's so nice to see you again," she says with an air kiss to each cheek.

"Hello, Elena. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience today. It seems like you are very busy."

"Oh darling, I never complain about being busy. I do have something I need to take care of real quick as one of the hairdressers made a bit of a mistake, actually a big one. Would you mind letting Franco do your hair first and then we can talk for a bit afterwards?" she asks, already summonsing who I assume is Franco.

"Not a problem. You do what you need to do. I have no plans for this morning."

"Then everything will work out. This is Franco and he will be looking after you. You don't need to worry, he doesn't make mistakes." She points to the obviously gay man next to her. He is observing me like I'm a painting, look at me from the right, then from the left. One hand is on his hip and the other holding a comb and tapping it against his lips.

"Ana, what shall we do with you today?" he asks with his hands now in my hair.

"I thought that maybe just a trim and perhaps some layers, but definitely not too short." I say, but he seems deep in thought.

"What about a shade darker, Anastasia? You know that to color your hair makes you feel like a new person, even better than buying a pair of new shoes."

We decide to go with the darker color and layers and two hours later I'm looking at a new me in the mirror. Okay, still me, just a whole of a lot prettier. As we finish up, Elena comes to get me and we go to her office.

"Ana, I'm so sorry for keeping you waiting. I could just kill that hairdresser who screwed up what she was supposed to do. Women are sensitive about their hair and don't take kindly to getting anything other than what they asked for. I don't know how many times I have to tell these people. But enough about that, how are you doing today?" she asks while indicating for me to take a seat.

"I'm doing well, thank you. Had a bit of a rough week, but it will get better next week since I have nothing to do other than handing in my assignment and to graduate. How are you doing?" I ask and she looks taken back with the sincerity of my question.

"Good. This week was… interesting. Did some thinking, but haven't decided on anything yet. Apart from that, it was just work and sleep. What would you like to discuss today? I do have a lunch meeting, but there is still plenty of time."

We spent the next hour going over the exact relationship between the Dominant and the Submissive. The fact that the Submissive receives "gifts" and are "taken care of" makes me think of them as high end sex workers. Surely they see that they provide sex in return for something. No wonder these relationships are kept secret. It is not done in a committed, romantic relationship with the person they love… or at least like, and one partner is awarded gifts and money.

She tells me about the different forms of punishment and what the reason will be for selecting the correct punishment. When she speaks about orgasm denial, I draw a blank. I mean, the best way to refuse an orgasm to me will be to just not have sex at all, but that's just me. Apparently it is a form of punishment and used quite often. The word anal fisting immediately made me flinch and the description made me nauseous. Who the hell would do that and why?

Then she gets to the correct way to address the Dominant if you're a Submissive and I had to smile. I mean 'Yes, Sir', 'Please, Sir' my ass. When she mentioned 'Master' and 'Mistress', I burst out laughing and she actually laughed with me. It just seems so ridiculous to me and I can't get why woman would agree to this shit. It must be damn expensive gifts that are bestowed upon them.

The best, or worst, part for me was when Elena explained the body language of the Submissive. She is not to look the Dominant in the eye and keep her head down… and get this… kneel at the damn door. What the hell?

"Elena that just seems… I don't know… degrading."

"Ana, for the ladies' that enjoys this, it's quite a turn on to submit to the Dominant. Everything they do is to please their Dom and they like it." She waves her hand and smiles that rare smile of hers, "Oh, don't look so appalled, it's really not as bad as you imagine it to be and definitely not degrading. Let me show you that it's not degrading, uncomfortable or bad. Kneel beside the door." She says and at first I want to say no, but it's just us so why not? I walk over and kneel beside the door. "Good. Now sit up straight and put your hands on your knees with your head bowed." I do what she says and just as I bow my head, the door opens and I close my eyes, praying that it's not my dad who called while I was getting my hair done to ask me to lunch.

It doesn't take long however to know exactly who is standing next to me. Apart from the fact that I would know that smell anywhere after having it on my body for hours, I can literally feel his presence close to me. I think I would have preferred it to be Ray. I'm still thinking of what to do next when he bends down next to me.

"Practicing, Ms. Steele?" he asks and I don't have to look up to know that he's smiling. Bastard. At least he has the decency to extend a hand to help me up, and when I'm up, I look him in the eye and sure enough, the bastard thinks this is funny.

"In your dreams, Mr. Grey." I walk past him to grab my purse and then walk over to Elena to say bye.

"Elena, thank you so much for your time. I see your lunch date is here and I already have everything I need. Please let me take you to lunch tomorrow to properly thank you." I say while trying to ignore the presence of Christian. Leave it to me to embarrass myself in front of him again.

"Uhm… that would be great, thank you. You have my number, just let me know where and what time. I will be free from about twelve. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, Ana." With a kiss to my cheek, I turn to leave and all trace of humour is gone from Christian's face.

"Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Grey." I say with a sweet smile and just before I reach the door, I get a greeting from him.

"Goodbye, Anastasia." This man has more mood swings than a pregnant woman. I mean seriously, he was joking when he came in and now he is all moody.

Christian POV:

I think Taylor is still recovering from this morning. After my little run in with Anastasia, I think I tried to run her out of my system. It didn't feel like I was running for almost an hour and a half, but that's what I did and afterwards I still didn't feel better.

She knows now that I'm practicing BDSM and obviously she knows more than I would have wanted her to. The question is what does she think of me now? I thought I would be fine with simply running into her from time to time, but that's not true. I'm not sure what my reaction would be if I were to run into her weeks from now with someone else in her life.

Bottom line is that I want her. Even after the disastrous Thursday night, I still want her… if not more now.

John is coming over before my lunch with Elena. If I'm going to have a talk with Ms. Steele tonight, I need to know what the hell to do and Elena needs to tell me exactly what she has been telling her. I don't want to be caught off guard and let her slip through my fingers. Losing her to someone else is just not an option for me.

"Christian, you seem better than the last time I saw you. How are you doing?" he asks sitting on the other side of my desk at Escala.

"Worse, John. Is it possible to want to kill someone, and I really do mean kill, and protect her at the same time?" Even though I want her, thinking about that night still makes me upset.

"For people in loving relationships, yes. A relationship consists of two people with very different personalities, backgrounds and believes. You know the saying that opposites attract? That is entirely true. Most relationships consist of two people who are direct opposites from each other. If you for instance were to meet your opposite, and I think you might just have, she will drive you insane until both of you learn to compromise. I am curious though, what could Anastasia have done to bring such strong emotions out of you?" he asks with the tablet out already to make notes. He rarely does that with me as the past couple of years have been the same ongoing issues, so it makes for a nice change. Just another sign that Anastasia is in fact changing my life.

"Do you want the short version or the long version?" I ask.

"Since it's Saturday, why don't you just give me a quick rundown?" Even the short version won't be quick, but since I pay him by the hour, I can take as much time as I need.

"As I told you on Thursday, I went to Portland with Elliot and naturally ran into Anastasia while they were having dinner. It was her with four of her friends. Elliot and I joined them and dinner was very pleasant, surprisingly so. I've never had a casual dinner before, with the exception of family dinners. Anyway, after dinner we went to the club across the street, which just happened to be owned by GEH. We had some drinks and I told her about my family, that I was adopted and general things. She in turn told me that her father died and that she has her stepfathers' name because it's the only father she knows. That blood relation is not what defines family. She wants to become a social worker. Her mother has been married four times, I'm no relationship expert, but that's a lot of marriages in one lifetime. She doesn't read newspapers because it only contains things that already happened and can't be changed, business and sport. Therefore, she had no idea who I am. When I asked her the next morning if she really has no idea who I am, she told me the facts about myself that has nothing to do with what I do for a living, it was… refreshing and it also got me thinking. But it was that happened during the night that almost drove me to homicide." I didn't even realize that I started pacing until John pointed it out.

"Christian, you are going to ruin your carpet at this rate. That is a lot of information and I can see why it would be refreshing for someone to see you for who you are and not for what you do. What did she do during the course of the night?" he asks and I'm sure that he already has the wrong picture in his head.

"Well, after we talked, we danced and it was kind of intimate, so intimate that I just grabbed Elliot and stormed out. I drove out of Portland before Elliot told me to stop and then we went back to the hotel. I went to bed after I checked in on Anastasia. She was still at the club and I told the manager to take her some water and to look after her. My phone rang at three in the morning and I immediately thought something was wrong and was I right. It was Anastasia. I forgot my jacket at the club and she found a business card in my wallet. She was talking to me on the phone, John… while driving… drunk. I wanted to punish her for that alone, but then she proceeded tell me that I was rude and that money obviously don't buy manners." I look towards John and as I thought, I shocked the good doctor. I don't allow anyone to talk to me like that and if they do, they certainly don't get away with it.

"I can see why she would tell you that you were rude. You left so quickly that you forgot your jacket. She must have thought that she did something wrong."

"I haven't thought of it like that, but we were dancing? What could she think she did wrong?" I ask him as I can't see how she could think that.

"Christian, you were both having a great time from what I understand and then you left without even a poor excuse for doing so. It would be natural for her to assume that she was the problem. I'm proud of her for standing up to you. You do come across as rude, especially when you are stressed or upset and no one ever calls you out on it."

"John, she told me I was rude in the same conversation that she told me to go fuck myself. They were lost, due to their condition and I told her to stay where they were and we will come and get them, to which she told me to leave her alone they will get home themselves. We tracked them to where they were sitting beside the road, trying to read a map on their phones. I went up to her window and bend down to tell them that neither of them is in any condition to drive and she slapped me… across my face. Then she got out and asked me if I was fucking insane for scaring her and almost giving her a heart attack. I asked her to calm down and she said that she wanted an apology first. At three in the morning, I would have given anything to get back into bed as I was exhausted. I told her I was sorry and then she asked what I was sorry for and I lost it. I asked her to please get into the car and she actually tried to get back into her car. I was at that stage already planning my outfit for her funeral. I was beyond furious. She turned around and apologized to herself on my behalf and then accepted the apology. That was sort of funny and I would have laughed if I was not so upset. I got fed up and picked her up to carry her to my car and then she threw up on me. All over my back. I've never been so frustrated and irritated, not to mention pissed off. I took her back to the hotel and cleaned her up before putting her in my bed. I got into the bed with her and stared at her as I fell asleep. My hand was between us and she put her hand over mine and even in her sleep there was a spark between us. I got to get some sleep just as the sun came up." I finish with my head in my hands. I'm exhausted just thinking about it again.

"That was quite an interesting chain of events. I'm proud of you for keeping calm and looking after her instead of killing or punishing her." I can hear in his voice that he is struggling not to laugh, so I look up and sure enough, he thinks this is funning. "It is clear that you care about this girl. If she was a sub, she would not have been able to sit for a week or her contract would have been terminated. The fact that you still took care of her, when you were that angry at her, says a lot. You will have to decide where to go from here, Christian. She will clearly not be your submissive. If that wasn't clear before Thursday, it should be now. Taking that into consideration, the only other alternative is a normal relationship unless you don't want any relationship at all. Have you considered telling her about your preferences?" At that I want to laugh.

"She knows. She figured it out herself and made vague comments about it this morning and I confirmed it for her. Not directly, but still a confirmation."

"Well, then you are halfway there already. Whatever you tell her won't be a surprise and all that's left is for you to decide what you want and for her to decide if she wants the same. Talk to her and see if you can compromise. I know you are used to getting your way in all things, but you will not get that with Anastasia." He gets up as if to leave. I pay him over two hundred dollars an hour to tell me what I already know?

"Is that it?" I'm not sure what more I want, but I don't feel that he should leave yet.

"Christian, relax and enjoy spending time with her. See what happens and call me when you lose control or feel overwhelmed." With that he leaves and I'm left on my own. Lunch with Elena will be in a couple of hours only, so I go to the study for work.

After getting Anastasia to join me for dinner, I start to do some work on the shipping yard in Europe as well as look at some of the finer details of the shipping yard in Taiwan. If we could get both, it will be great for GEH. If I had to pick one, I will have to say that the best one is the one in Taiwan. It seems to be less red tape as well. When Taylor knocks at the door, I know it's time to go see Elena. Whatever she says won't have any effect on my decision. I know Elena and she will start with her love is for fools speech that I've been hearing since I was fifteen. She will then continue with showing me all the reasons why my current life is perfect and end with suggesting that I take a new sub as soon as possible.

When I get to Esclava, I walk right to the back as Bonnie is busy with a customer. I'm certainly not waiting for her to finish helping anyone. I open the door and realize that Anastasia's goal in life is indeed to kill me and I should stay away from her if I want to have a long life, even if it will be boring after meeting her.

She is kneeling at the door in the same position that my submissives are always waiting for me in the playroom. The only exception is that Anastasia is fully clothed. Her hair was cut a bit shorter, but to my relieve not too short. It is definitely a shade or two darker and will bring out those beautiful blue eyes even more. It was blow dried and is falling straight over her shoulders without the slight curl it usually has. I must say that I do approve.

Telling myself that she is not a submissive, makes no difference to the fact that I am extremely turned on right now. It would be unfair to expect me not to be with her looking like that. The only thing to make this perfect is if she were to look up to me from that position, even though it's not allowed for subs, it will please me. I imagine her in the same position and naked, sucking on my dick with her hands tied behind her back. I can see Elena watching me carefully in the corner of my eye. I'm never taken off guard, ever, but for a second or two I'm not sure of what to do.

But Anastasia is not a sub and should not be kneeling on the floor. I've gone soft, I know, but this just looks all wrong. I decide to go for teasing her to break the tension I see in her shoulders, so I bend down and extend a hand to help her up.

"Practicing, Ms. Steele?" I ask when I get closer to her level. She gets up and looks me straight in the eye as always, if she is embarrassed, she is surely not showing it. I would like to know from Elena how showing her this shit is useful for her paper.

"In your dreams, Mr. Grey." Oh, Ms. Steele, you have no idea what I dream about doing to you.

She walks past me to get her things and then back to Elena. I watch in shock as she thanks Elena for her time and how Elena agrees to have lunch with her tomorrow. Elena only has lunch with a handful of people and two of them are Grace and I. Surely Anastasia has not gotten to Elena that much. I wonder what they will discuss during lunch as Anastasia should have enough information for her paper already.

"Enjoy your lunch, Mr. Grey." I hear her sweet voice and it takes me another couple of seconds to try and work out what happened with the Elena I know.

"Goodbye, Anastasia." I say absentmindedly to at least say something before she leaves, but my eyes are focused on Elena.

When Anastasia closes the door behind her, I sit down where she would have sat and lock my hands together.

"Hello, Elena. I apologize for interrupting your appointment with Anastasia. Did everything go as planned?" I ask. Elena pulls herself together and sits back down.

"Christian, I weren't expecting you yet. We were finished long ago and were just discussing some things that were not actually meant for her paper. She could not wrap her head around the mannerism of a submissive and I was trying to show her that it's not as bad as she thinks it is. But enough about that, I'm ready to go if you are." She says as she gets up. I did not miss the fondness in her eyes when she was talking about Anastasia.

I ordered lunch in advance as we usually have the same meals and it arrives shortly after we sit down. During the meal, I try not to think or discuss Anastasia as I would prefer to have her full attention.

"I released Clifford," Elena says matter-of-factly and my head snaps up.

"Did he do something wrong? It's not like you to release a sub after such a short time. It's been what? A month?" This makes no sense and when she simply shrugs I lean forward with narrow eyes. "What has gotten into you lately?"

"Nothing. He simply did not do it for me anymore so I decided that maybe it was time to take a break. I have some things to take care of at the moment and don't really have much time anyway. So, where did you go on Thursday? Andrea mentioned that you left Seattle, but would not say anything else." Andrea knows better than to discuss my whereabouts with anyone, including my family.

"I went to Portland," I say taking my wine glass and sitting back.

"Portland?"

"That's what I said, Elena. I went there with Elliot, who had business to attend to and ended up spending some time with Anastasia on Thursday evening." I say and wait for her response. Elena continues to drink her wine and avoiding eye contact, so I continue, "She spent the night with me at the Heathman." Well, not in the way she must be thinking, but I wanted a response and that certainly did the trick.

"Ana… Anastasia Steele… spent the night with you at the hotel… in your room?" For the first time I cannot figure out if she is angry or surprised, maybe a little bit of both.

"Actually, it was in my bed, but yes… in my room." I prefer dealing with people showing emotions that I can relate to and anger is one emotion I'm very familiar with and angry Elena is easy to deal with. I'm starting to suspect that there is more to Elena's 'protection' of Anastasia, than the fact that she likes her.

"How could you do that after I asked you not to? I told you she was not in the lifestyle. I told you that you cannot have her. Why didn't you just listen? Why do you have to be so stubborn? Do you know how close I am to getting back at that bastard? I've spent years… years Christian… trying to get information on him and now you… I did not come this far just to lose again Christian." She practically screams and I'm suddenly very glad for Taylor's foresight to ensure a private dining area. She confirmed my suspicion that there is more to this thing with Anastasia than I thought.

"What are you talking about, Elena? What do you want with Anastasia?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned about. I had to provide Ana with information on BDSM and in return, her father will provide me with information on a man I have been looking for." She says calmly again, but I can see she is starting to lose her cool when she starts to talk about Ana again. "You will not get Ana involved in BDSM. You will leave her alone and forget she ever existed. Take a new sub. Do whatever you have to do, but leave Ana alone. Do you understand me?"

"Elena, I am not the one involving her in anything. I'm not the one showing her how to be fucking sub. That girl doesn't have a submissive bone in her delectable body. I don't even think she knows the definition of the word. Now will you listen to me?" I ask her calmly, but that just pisses her off more.

"Then why? Why are you perusing her if you know she does not have the same preferences as you? Why don't you just get a new girl? Just leave her alone. I'm not playing games, Christian. Leave. Anastasia. Alone." She stands and slams on the table.

"Why are you trying to keep her from me?" I'm screaming back now because she is not even willing to listen to me.

"Because she is too good for you!"

A/N: Please review.