APOV

I know he's on top of me because I can feel his cheek on my sternum and I'm sweating under the solid weight of his frame and as much as I'd like to lay here with his body against mine, I've got to go to the bathroom. I crack one eye open slowly and am greeted by the copper top of Christians head. The small amount of light streaming in from the open curtain is enough to start up the dull ache behind my eyes so I close them and will the urge to pee away.

How exactly did I get here? I can remember him putting me to bed last night, even though it's a bit foggy, but I don't recall him getting in with me. Did we…? I reach down with my right arm since he's lying on my left and am relieved to find that I'm still wearing his shirt and my panties. The small movement causes his body to shift and the arm he has thrown across my belly tightens and pulls me closer as his head nuzzles against my chest.

Mmmm. His shirt. Taken off of his body. I was cheering in my head each time he'd slip one of those buttons out, each one showing more of his skin until he stood shirtless in front of me. Perfectly symmetrical pecs, sculpted abs and that holy grail of all things male, the V that leads the way to his...penis. I snicker, how juvenile. He could have taken me right then and there but he was a gentleman, damn him. Did I offer myself to him or was that just in my head? Oh my god, please just let that have been in my head.

I take a quick stock of my body, my head sort of hurts and I'm thirsty as all hell but otherwise, I feel pretty good. His arm is across my belly and his lower leg is resting on both of my ankles but mind over matter is not working and I really need to use the bathroom. I'd also like to shower before he can see me like this so I carefully untangle myself from his very warm body and slowly stand up. OK, I'm a bit nauseous as well. He reaches for my pillow and curls himself around it but stays asleep and I take a moment to stare at him. He looks carefree and young, not at all like the CEO I see regularly now. I resist the urge to push the hair off of his face and tip toe towards the bathroom.

It's already 9am so I open the curtains a bit and then take the other two Advil that he's left for me along with the glass of water he's put on the night table. When I walk into the bathroom I can't help but look twice at my reflection. My hair is a mess, my eyes are puffy and dull and my skin a sallow gray. I am never drinking again.

"Gross. Way to keep it classy, Steele." I strip and jump in the shower. The steady stream of hot water feels good and by the time I've brushed my teeth and combed my hair I feel pretty damn good for drinking the way I did last night. I've got no choice but to wear his shirt again and I cringe when I realize I'm going to have to do the walk of shame in a cocktail dress at 10am on a Sunday morning through the high end lobby of the Fairmont. You are such a cliché.

I'm not the least bit surprised that when I walk out he's awake and has ordered us coffees and pastries. He's standing in his tuxedo pants, shirtless and barefoot on his phone but he smiles and puts it down when he sees me. I give him a shy smile and a tiny wave.

"Good morning, how are you feeling?"

I blush a bit, I know he's referring to my hangover but his attentiveness has already taken care of it.

"I feel better than I should, thanks to you. I'll give you your shirt back, just let me get my dress on." I make my way over to the closet but he laughs and tells me to wear it, he's getting in the shower and Taylor is on his way with an outfit for me because we're meeting his brother and Kate for brunch. She is going to go bull shit when she gets me alone. I'm going to need more Advil.

"Oh, right, I had forgotten. Did he stop by my apartment?"

"No, I sent him to Neimans to pick something up. Drink some more juice and have some coffee with a pastry, the caffeine and sugar will help. I'll be right out." Taylors buying me clothes? Does this mean he guessed on my bra size? Oh god.

I watch him walk to the bathroom, his back flexing with each graceful step. I wonder how many morning he's woken up like this, with a woman in his bed. The question depresses me. Only when I hear the water running do I move again towards the room service tray.

I happily comply with his orders and grab a cherry Danish from the tray, these aren't Entemanns, before climbing back under the covers with my coffee. I've got no pants on so the sheets provide some modesty and my face blazes when I think of sleeping in my thongs next to him last night. I'm happily finishing my coffee when he walks out with the pants back on and his hair wet and hanging in his face. He offers me a grin that can only be categorized as goofy and grabs himself a coffee and Danish before sitting on top of the bed with me. There is a couch, two chairs and three other rooms for him to eat in but the intimacy of our morning feels so cozy that neither of us wants to pop the bubble we're in. I shift to make room and readjust the sheets around my waist and legs.

"Last night was fun, thank you for inviting me. I'm just embarrassed that you had to take care of me, I hope I didn't cause you any trouble."

He's looking at me like I've got an extra head. "I had a good time! I never stay at those type of things as long as we did and I've never sat in a bar and had drinks like that with anyone except Elliot. It was nice." He takes a bite and that's when I notice his scars. I try not to stare but he sees where my eyes have landed anyway and gives me a stern look before stating, "Don't ask, it's not something I like discussing."

I swallow before answering him, "I won't ask then. But if someone hurt you, I'll kill them."

He looks surprised and then laughs at me, his abdominal muscles rippling under his smooth skin. "You'd do that for me?"

I'm not laughing, I know what those scars are. His laughter slows and then stops when he sees my face. "Yes, I would."

His entire face lights up and relaxes all at the same time. His voice is soft and humbled, "Thank you, Anastasia. I'm fine though it's nice to know I've got my very own welter weight in my corner. As long as no one touches my chest or my upper back, everything is fine." Wow. Whatever happened is still affecting him, it makes me sad and angry but I smile back at him, if he doesn't want to talk about it, I won't push him.

"OK, no touching your chest or upper back. Got it." He leans back, closes his eyes and sighs, affording me the view of that V leading from his abs to his groin. It does something to me and I shift under the sheets trying to get more comfortable.

"So, you never did answer my last question." His eyes are still closed but I don't respond. "I'm waiting, Ms. Steele. We were interrupted before you could answer or do you not remember?"

Shit! I was hoping he'd have forgotten, no way in hell was I telling this Adonis that I was a virgin. Especially while we're sitting in a bed together. I'm not ashamed to be a virgin but talking about it with him is embarrassing, he's probably had sex with a thousand women.

"Ah, yes. Saved by Kate. That's a bit too intimate for just having met you two weeks ago." I'm giggling with embarrassment and I can feel the burn of my blush but he keeps his eyes focused on me. He's waiting for an answer but I'm actually getting a bit pissed. What business is it of his? We work together for god's sake! Yea, and you're in his shirt, braless, in the bed you slept with him in last night. "I'll tell you what, when you're ready to talk to me about those, I'll answer you." I point to his chest and instantly regret my words.

He's not at all happy with that and I watch with fascination as his eyes turn dark and distant.

"That's not really fair now, is it?" It's not but I'm not telling him, it's none of his business! I can see the battle behind his eyes. Is it fair to ask something so personal when he himself is unwilling to go there? After a long pause he takes pity on me and sighs again, smiling and closing his eyes. "Alright, I'll just have to assume the worst then."

I crack up, the hilarious irony of his words lightening my mood instantly. He's assuming the 'worst' and I'd rather him think that than know the truth. He opens one eye and looks at me confused. A harsh rap at the door startles us both and he jumps up to answer it. His hand pauses on the doorknob and he turns and looks at me.

"Pull the sheet up." What? I was covered enough when we were sitting here before but I obey anyway, the tone of his voice didn't seem like one to argue with. He comes back with a duffle bag and a shopping back from Neimans which he hands to me.

With a debonair wave of his arm he allows me to change first in the bathroom and I'm pleasantly surprised by Taylors choices. The pale sky blue lace bra and panty set are beautiful but I'm mortified that Taylor has picked these out for me and even more mortified that he's gotten me the correct sizes. How did he know?

The jeans are fitted but look good with the brown ballerina flats and loose brown scoop neck t-shirt. He's even purchased an oversized bronze necklace to go with it. I wonder if he'll do all my shopping for me. I loathe it and the only reason I don't look like a bag lady is because Kate forces me along every now and then and forces me to buy things she's picked out.

I head out to the bedroom and Christian is dressed in jeans and a white button down with, most surprisingly, Converse sneakers. The casual nature of his appearance makes him somehow more appealing as evidenced by the piranhas in the lobby who stop and stare at him. I'm throwing daggers left and right but not one of them is looking at me. I wish to God I was doing the walk of shame in last nights dress with him right now. Damn Taylor!

We're a few minutes early and order our breakfast, scrambled eggs for me and an omelet for him. We didn't have sex last night, I'm sure of that, but we did sleep in the same bed and I can't help but feel slightly awkward at this turn of events.

"Christian, I hope it wasn't too much of a hassle to have to stay at the hotel last night, I'm sorry I put you in that position."

He pulls a steaming croissant apart and looks at me thoughtfully before answering.

"I wish you'd stop apologizing, I've already said that I had a good time and staying with you at the hotel was not an inconvenience for me. In fact, I slept better last night than I ever have which is surprising since I've never shared a bed with anyone." He's lost in thought again and I don't want to be annoying but I can't help asking him one more question.

"You've never slept with anyone? Not even a girlfriend?"

"I don't do the girlfriend thing, Ana." I'm surprised, how could a guy that looks like him and has his life not have a girlfriend at some point?

"You've never had a girlfriend?" I'm incredulous and he looks….nervous.

He hands me half of the croissant and lowers his voice,"No, Ana. I've never had a girlfriend." His eyes are boring into mine and I feel like he's got something more to say but he's choosing not to. Yet another mystery to unravel. He can't possibly be celibate or a virgin like me. Can he? I almost laugh at the prospect of it.

"So, you're celibate then?" He laughs and then challenges me head on.

"You can ask about my sexual history but I can't ask about yours? A bit of a double standard, no?" He's smiling and I'm duly chastised but I still want to know so I don't answer him. "No, Ana, I'm not celibate."

"Touché, Mr. Grey." I giggle at the rhyme but inside I'm upset. He's one of those guys, the type who have one night stands or friends with benefits but offer no commitment and no emotions. Is that what he wants from me? We've got the friends part covered but is he looking for the benefits part now? The thought saddens me. Is he sleeping with someone currently? The possibility of it sickens me.

Before my mood can sink further I hear Kate's voice and quickly remind myself that not only does he not owe me anything but that we are, in fact, just friends. One deep breath and a few kisses later we're all sitting at the table and Elliot is teasing Christian. It seems to be their main form of communication if you could call it that.

"No tie little brother, I didn't know you could function so casually."

"Fuck off, Elliot."

"Ana, how are you feeling? I've never seen you like that before!" Kate is exuberant; she's been trying to get me to loosen up for years and I know she's dying to find out if we had sex. I give her a slight nod no and she squints her eyes at me in disbelief.

"Thanks to Christian, I feel great." I give him an appreciative smile and he grins back but Elliot can't help himself and I hear him mutter as quietly as he can.

"Finally popped your cherry? If you need pointers, I'd be more than happy to help bro." He thinks Christian is a virgin? I'm so confused.

But Christian ignores him and pours more coffee into his mug and mine, offering me a small apologetic shrug. I roll my eyes towards Elliot and he grins in a show of solidarity.

We're all on the other side of a night of drinking but we manage to have an easy flow of conversation. Elliot is hilarious and can probably handle any social situation. Even Christian laughs at a few of his more ridiculous statements. All is going well until Kate decides to drop a bomb in the middle of our table.

"Ana, that quarterback was so into you last night, after you left he approached Mia and asked if he could get your number but she, of course, didn't have it. I didn't want to offer it to him without asking you first, I figured you'd be able to get in touch with him if you wanted to." She looks proud of herself and I'm dying of embarrassment. I know exactly what she's doing, classic Katherine Kavanagh.

"Well thank you for your discretion." I feel Christian tense up next to me, his displeasure at Matt Ryans advances were evident the second we left the ballroom when he took the card with his number from my hand and tossed it in the nearest garbage can without so much as a glance at me.

"Grace said she asked you to come to the Coping Together Event in June. Are you going to be able to go?" I've got to be as red as a tomato at this point. I was going to tell Christian but I forgot she had asked me and I also didn't want him to feel obligated to 'bring' me so I had politely told her I'd need to check my schedule but that I'd like to contribute either way. I throw Kate a warning look but she's happier than a pig in shit right now.

"Why didn't you tell me she had invited you, Ana?" He's pissed and trying to hide it but I know him well enough now to see it. Apparently so does Elliot because he tries in vain to deflect the obvious annoyance in Christians voice.

"I'm sure Ana forgot. She did have quite a few drinks last night and I'm sure you weren't talking when you went back to the room." He gives a chuckle but the mood sits, heavy and awkward.

"Geez, yeah, she asked if I'd like to attend and I told her the truth. I don't know what my schedule looks like for that night but I said I'd get back to her and that either way I'd like to donate. I'd forgotten about it until just now, I'm sorry." Now I'm pissed. Why the hell do I need to answer to him? I look at him straight on, challenging him to continue with the bullshit.

Just then the waitress comes and clears our plates but the mood has been effectively killed, even Kate is quiet so I stand to go, unsure of who's taking me back to my apartment. Christian stands and takes my elbow, steering me towards the door but Kate clears her throat and announces the plan.

"Ana, I drove here so I'll take you home. Christian, would you mind dropping Elliot off at his place?"

He stills and nods tightly at her before moving me again. When we're outside he runs his hands through his hair before turning his burning gaze on me.

"Stop biting your lip, Anastasia." Oh, I'm Anastasia again.

"Why are you so mad about this, Christian? She was being polite. I also didn't intentionally not tell you, I just didn't even think about it." I seriously do not see the big deal.

"I know, I'm sorry for my reaction. I'll be out of town that weekend so I can't attend with you and I know that fucker Matt Ryan is going to be there. I just don't like the idea of him around you if you're not protected."

What? Protected? From Matt Ryan who was nothing but nice and whom I have no interest in whatsoever and oh yeah, I'll also be at a black tie charity event. What exactly is he afraid of?

"Oh, ok. I didn't realize I needed protection." I have no idea what to say to him right now and I can see Kate's coral pants out of the corner of my eye.

"Are you going to go?" He wants to know, clearly this is an issue for him but now, more than ever I want to go. I hadn't even considered it until this moment but just to piss him off, I say yes.

"I'd like to. I'd prefer it if you were there, I'm not entirely comfortable not knowing anyone but I guess if Kate and Elliot are there I'll be fine. Mia seems like someone I could hang out with too."

"Oh god, no. You cannot start hanging out with Mia, she'll turn you off of the whole family." He's trying to lighten the mood so I throw him a bone and giggle.

"Alright, I'll let you know what I decide to do by Tuesday, I know your mom wants to finalize the guest list by then. In the meantime, thank you again for taking good care of me and also for the clothes. I'd like to repay you for them though." I already know what he's going to say but I have to at least offer.

"Absolutely not. Taylor did a good job though, you look as pretty as ever. Thank you for a fun night, I enjoyed myself." He gives me a kiss on my cheek before he walks me to the car and shuts the door. It's just me and Kate in the car. Here we go.

"Don't lie to me, Anastasia Rose Steele. Did you fuck him? Please tell me you did."

"No, Kate! Not even a kiss, I told you, we are just friends. Why can't you accept that and stop with this every time we're together?"

"Are you kidding me, Steele? He's crazy over you, any fool can see that. He practically hangs on your every word and holy shit the way he went nuts when he found out you were invited to his moms thing? He wants you and in a bad way! Did you like how I threw that Ryan guy in there? I'm telling you, I thought he was going to stroke out."

I don't have the energy to argue with her, dealing with Christian has left me tired so I lean back and close my eyes while she drives us home. I want nothing more than to read, prepare for my week and hit the Pilates studio but she needs to be called out on her behavior.

"Actually, Kate, I didn't like it. You're goading him and it's unfair. We work together and he did me a massive favor last night. Firing him up was mean."

She shrugs, "If he didn't care about you, Ana, he wouldn't care about Matt Ryan either. Just sayin'."

God I HATE that saying!

On Monday I'm back at GEH but Christian is gone most of the day. It's Memorial Day so it's a skeleton crew outside of those deemed important enough to have at this meeting. I have my first official call with the Chinese at 4pm and I know he'll be here for that which gives me the boost of confidence that I need right now. I speak Mandarin well but only an actual Mandarin speaker can attest to that and today is my first unofficial test. I listened to as many cd's as I could last night and even now, sitting in my office I have my online radio tuned to the local news station in Beijing.

I head into Christians private conference room five minutes ahead of schedule and he rises to greet me, a knowing smile playing around the corner of his lips. Ros is looking at him like he's gone crazy but I know he's feeling contrite about yesterday. Good.

When we begin the call I hastily introduce myself and the rest of the GEH staff members in the room before the heavy negotiations take place. This is the first of many calls over the next few months, all culminating with a sit down physical meeting at a still to be determined locale. There is not one woman on the other end of this call and there are three in this room. It makes me appreciate Christian as a business owner that much more.

I listen carefully to the men on the other end and catch their speaking rhythm and natural dialects and am quickly at ease with my abilities. The call lasts for a mind numbing two hours, the entire time of which I need to be carefully listening and taking notes at the same time. By the time we end the call I'm fried but the GEH staff are doing what's called a 'wrap up' and my input is crucial so I'm stuck for another half hour.

Christian catches me on the way out, holding me back until the last of the staff have left.

"If you have time on Wednesday, I'd like to go out for lunch again. I think we should make that a habit so that we can keep on top of this project. Does 1pm work for you?"

"Yes, I'll schedule that on my calendar. Kate told me that Elliot is coming over for dinner tomorrow night, if you want to join us, I think it'd be fun. I like watching you with Elliot." He grins wolfishly and shoves his hands in his pockets while I wait for him to answer.

"You do now, I wonder why? Who's cooking?"

"Me, of course! If it was Kate we'd be having takeout or macaroni and cheese from a box."

"I love macaroni and cheese!"

"From a box? That's sacrilegious! Not to mention unhealthy. If you come, I'll make it from scratch, not from a box."

"I'd come if you were ordering take out, sounds great. Can I bring the wine?" Is he being an ass or just polite? He's already made fun of my wine selection once. He's probably just being polite.

Tuesday is an office day for me and Missy and I tunnel through four different contract proposals that have come my way this week alone. I know it's because of my work with GEH that I was approached by two of them but I don't speak Hindi or Japanese so I delegate the Japanese one to Missy and start to look for a competent Hindi speaker that I can hire as a freelancer. The other two deals are easy, they're both Spanish translations for written word and I can easily do them at night or on my days off.

Once we've got our game plan in motion I hit the Pilates studio and then the grocery store to get a few last minute additions. I plan on making grilled flank steak with roasted fennel and beets. The gruyere macaroni and cheese is decadent but I'm out to impress.

One shower and an hour of prepping and cooking later Kate strolls in with a box of cannoli's and pignoli cookies as her dessert contribution.

"You look good in the kitchen like that, all barefoot and sexy. He's going to love this look on you, Ana."

I turn, carefully and slowly, meeting her eyes straight on. "Kate. Enough. Stop with the me and Christian bull shit, I'm sick of hearing about it."

"Alright, alright. I get it, done. He's bringing the wine you said, right? I've got Elliot bringing some beer for afterwards, there's a Mariners game on I'm pretty sure he wants to watch. Are you cool if he spends the night?"

"Of course. Now, can you please set the table, they're going to be here any minute." Exactly one minute later there's a loud knock on the door and Kate answers it letting in Christian. Elliot is a few minutes behind him.

While the two of them greet each other's tonsils, Christian opens the wine and leans against the counter to watch me put the finishing touches on the side dishes. He offers to help but at this point, it's all but done. I just need to flip the steak on the grill so he does that, rather proudly, and resumes his lean. There's no lingering awkwardness from our impromptu sleepover or subsequent argument which I'm grateful for.

A few minutes later we sit down to eat and by the noises coming from the guys, I know they're enjoying their meal. When Christian tastes the mac and cheese he moans and proclaims it the best he's ever had. Elliot is again staring at him, a lost look on his face but he hides it as quickly as he can.

It's a nice dinner, the wine is excellent, no surprise there, and everyone participates in the conversation and laughter. Even Kate and Christian are bantering back and forth which eases my mind. I don't get the impression that he likes her that much but I'm not willing to have that conversation, she's my best friend so he's going to have to deal with her if we're going to be hanging out.

Everyone helps to clean up while Kate plates her dessert and pulls a few beers out of the fridge. The game has started and while I don't care at all about baseball, I'm willing to watch it if it means being with Christian. The men are discussing the game and the players with an animation that baffles me while Kate reads an US Weekly. For the first time since I've known him, Christian looks and is acting his age. He's beautiful. I could watch him all day long.

Kate and I are on the couch while Christian is on the wingback chair next to me and Elliot is in the one next to Kate. After an hour or so the dessert is gone and the guys have had a few beers each. I'm tired but it would be rude to go to sleep with everyone still here so I lean back with my head on the armrest and a few minutes later I feel Christian twirling my hair mindlessly. It's relaxing and soothing and before I know what's happening he's carrying me bridal style to my room where he sits me on my bed and hands me the pajamas that are folded by my pillow.

I change when he turns his back and am only a little surprised when he takes off his shirt, shoes and socks and gets in next to me. I raise my eyebrows but he just shrugs, "Do you mind? I've had a few beers and I really don't want to hear my brother and your roommate from the couch." The fact that we have a guest room seems irrelevant to both of us so I just slide over and lay down.

"Not at all, do you need me to set the alarm for a specific time?"

"Aren't you going into GEH tomorrow too? We can just go in together, this way you don't have to drive, I'll drop you home after work." I like the sound of this but the reality of arriving and leaving with the boss is not something that sits well with me.

"Well, as much as I'd like that, I think that while I'm working for you, we should arrive and leave separately. Do you really want your employees talking about it and starting rumors?"

He looks confused at first but quickly switches to anger. "I don't give a fuck." And I realize a moment too late that he really doesn't care what people think. His eyes are dark silver, swirling with anger. He feels rejected.

"Well, I do and anyway I have a Pilates class I'm teaching at 5:30 so I'll need my own car. I own a new company, Christian. I want people to think I got hired for the right reasons, not for a conclusion they're sure to draw if they see me arriving and leaving with the boss."

I think he understands because his gaze softens and he lets out a sigh and smiles.

"Point taken, Ms. Steele, I need to leave here by 8 but I haven't needed an alarm since high school."

Just then my phone rings and his eyebrows rise fractionally.

"Are you going to answer that? And who calls you so late at night?" Angry Christian is back.

"No, and it's a guy I met a few weeks ago who just isn't getting the hint." I neglect to tell Christian that I'm starting to get worried that this guy is becoming obsessed. I haven't spoken to him in almost two weeks yet he calls at least twice a day and today he called four times, each message getting a little more sharp in its tone.

Christian sits up immediately and grabs my phone from the night table. I want to tell him not to answer it but I can't speak that quickly and before I'm fully sitting he's barking into the phone.

"Who the fuck is this? Asshole, take the fucking hint, she's not interested. Stop calling her or I'm going to make you stop." He's quiet for a few seconds before he says in a low and scary growl, "I'm a man answering her phone at 11:30 at night. Who do you think I am, dickwad? Stop. Calling. Her." He hangs up and puts the phone on his side of the bed. His jaw is tense, his eyes filled with fury but he calms down when I ask him what was said.

"You should have told me that someone was bothering you, Anastasia. Your safety is a priority, I could have had that asshole leave you alone a few weeks ago." I can tell he's barely suppressing his anger so I reach out and touch his hand, the effect instantaneous. His jaw slackens and his eyes focus on my fingers.

"I barely knew you when he started calling and I didn't even think to ask for help. I'm not really worried about him, if I get to that point, I'll let you know but for now, I'm sure he's gotten the latest message loud and clear."

"Fuck, Ana." He gets up and is pacing, his hands again tugging at his wild hair. "Why would you not think to ask me for help? This guy could be a real threat to you and no one even knew he existed until just now." He comes back to the bed and sits down eyeing me sternly. "You will alert me if he contacts you again and you will accept any and all help I give you. Understood?"

"Yes, I agree and accept. Thank you." I'm not arguing with him on this and the truth of the matter is, I am getting a little anxious with the progression of Jack Hyde's communications.

CPOV

Ana fell asleep pretty quickly so I have the luxury of watching her again. Her black tank top and little boy shorts do little to hide her amazing body but I'm more focused on her face. Every time I see her I find her more and more beautiful. When I walked in tonight and saw her cooking away in her little white and black sundress with her bare feet I couldn't help but picture her in my kitchen, cooking me dinner.

I can't sleep, I'm wound too tight from that phone call. Did she sleep with this guy? Is she in danger? Should I get her a body guard? Fuck! If she was a sub this would all be a non-issue. I'd tell her what to do and she'd comply. But not my little Ana as evidenced by our little spat at breakfast Sunday morning.

I tried, I really did try to not get upset but it pisses me off that Matt fucking Ryan will see her all dressed up and undoubtedly ask her to dance. Him and every other hot blooded male, I'm not the only one who notices how sexy she is. To my utter shock I liked how she came back at me, no fear, no hesitation; she just stood her ground unapologetically. It was hot and so like Ana.

I grin at the memory of her coming out of the bathroom Sunday morning and the way her long wet hair hung straight down her back. She didn't have her normal shampoo or conditioner or perfume but she still smelled amazing, still had that scent of hers that filters through my brain and calms me. I could have sat on that bed with her all day talking and eating. I knew she'd see my scars but it was a decision I made consciously. I want her and no matter how many times I promise myself that I won't try to be with her I know that she belongs to me. I know it.

Flynn finally got me to make a decision at our last session and my new 'acquisition' plan is to little by little feed her information about myself and let her process it. She makes me want to change, makes me hopeful that one day I can be free of the nightmares and secrets that have kept me captive my entire life. Flynn pulled and pulled until I was yelling in his face but when the words, "I'll do anything to be with her!" came bellowing out they rang in my ears for hours. Would I? Do anything to be with this sweet soft woman lying so trustingly next to me? Facing my issues and working through them head on versus a life without Ana is a no brainer. I have to have her.

Even now as I watch her sleep, her perfect skin reflecting the moonlight and her chestnut hair fanned across the pillow I wonder who else has lain in this spot that I'm now in. I'm still reeling from my nightmare free night with her. I have always had night terrors and there has not been one night, not one in my entire life, that I've gone free of them. Yet the night I spent with Ana I not only had no nightmares but I slept deeply and uninterrupted. I haven't slept past 6am since I was 18 and try as I might to rationalize the night, I know it was because Ana was with me.

I chuckle softly, Taylor could easily pick me up here but I want, really want, to stay with Ana. I want to hold her against me but I know I can't so instead I twist a curl around my finger, just like I did on the couch. I couldn't hold myself back anymore, her soft shiny hair was just….there…and I wanted to touch something, anything of hers.

My phone buzzes with an email from Welch. I've forwarded the number that asshole called from and demanded a full background check immediately. Within 10 minutes I know his name is Jack Hyde, he's 34 and is a senior editor at Seattle Independent Publishing. He's never been married, has a squeaky clean driving record and no prior arrests. But that mother fucker is going to pay dearly if he scares her again.

I reach over and softly brush the hair off of her face. She makes a sound of contentment in the back of her throat and I watch as her lips upturn slightly into a smile. I settle for my hand lying between us where I can feel her breathing and close my eyes, replaying the night in my mind but in my fantasy, we go to bed together and fuck until dawn.

I'm awakened by an annoying screeching sound and it takes me a minute to remember where I am and to realize that the sound beating my brain is an alarm. I haven't used one in years. Ana is stirring underneath me and reaching blindly to shut it off.

Shit! I roll off of her as quickly as I can and hop up to shower before she can see my morning wood. In her shower I smell the few toiletries she's got but nothing matches the scent I love on her. I have never known a woman with so few toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, soap, lotion and toothbrush. I grin and use her toothbrush; this is becoming a habit between us. It's so typical Ana to not have a lot, she's such a natural beauty but more than that, she's not at all caught up in her appearance like some of these other women. It's almost as if she's unaware of it.

I wake her when I'm out and watch her stumble into the bathroom giving me a half wave and a lopsided heavy lidded smile mumbling about coffee and cherry danishes before I leave. Her cute little boy shorts are killing me. Elliot is leaving at the same time, a shit eating grin on his face but my stare shuts him up before he even starts.

"Sleep well?" With a shock, I realize that I did. Seven full hours of uninterrupted nightmareless sleep.

"Yes. And it was just sleeping before you ask or insinuate."

"Whatever, bro."

I arrive at GEH a little before 8am and immediately start my day once I see the pile of bull shit that's accumulated over night. We're having delivery problems with a cargo ship I've sent to Congo and it's pissing me off that finding someone who can do their fucking job is so difficult.

It was a damn pleasure watching Ana work on Monday. She sounds so unbelievably sexy speaking any language that I had to refocus more than a few times on what was actually being said. I did notice that Mark Forsythe from accounting and David Mendington from mergers were eye fucking her so that will be the last time they're privileged to be in her company.

By mid-afternoon I'm yelling and snapping at anyone who dares come into my office or calls my phone and when the door opens at 1pm I don't look up before I growl, "What the fuck now?"

"Umm, I'm sorry, sir." Shit.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I didn't realize it was you. You're probably the only person who I'm not pissed at. Ready for lunch?" I'm embarrassed to have snapped at her, the last thing I want to do is make her afraid to approach me but she's definitely on the defensive.

"Are you sure, I can just get something and bring it back. We can do this another day or I can send you my bullet points from the call to catch you up." Fuck! She's timid and I'm about to grovel, which I don't do, so I take a deep breath and guide her out.

"Ana, right now, a lunch out of this building with you sounds wonderful. I'm sorry I was an ass just then, I thought you were someone else. I want to go to lunch so long as you do too." She smiles and I know I've got her so I steer her towards the elevator.

Once we've been served I start in on what information I'm missing from this Hyde character. Part of my sour mood is the anxiety I have over her safety. His background check and the picture I had taken of him going into SIP this morning can only tell me so much. I need the rest from Anastasia.

"Ana, I want to know everything about this Jack Hyde guy. I'm nervous for your safety and I can't have that. You being safe has got to be a priority of yours so tell me how you met, what your relationship entailed and what happened to get him to this point. Please."

She is not surprised at all by my question, she knows me well enough to have known that I was going to ask.

"Christian, how did you know his name? I never told you that and you said he didn't either." Oh shit.

"I had my security team trace the number and pull a back ground check on him." I shrug, this is standard procedure in my world but I know it's somewhat of a shock to her.

"Do you pull back ground checks that easily all of the time?" I know exactly where this is going and there is no where I can go to avoid it but this all falls in line with my slow feeding of personal information so I continue on.

"Yes, Ana. In my line of business and with the amount of money I have, it's routine."

"So, then you pulled one on me?" Please don't ask if it was before I hired you.

"Yes, I did. It told me very little but I had met you at that point and had spent some time with you so to be perfectly honest, it was unnecessary in your case." She leans back and I think I've dodged that bullet. Well played, Grey.

"There's not much to tell, really. He hired me about a month ago to translate a manuscript from English to Italian and French, I worked beside him for three days on and off and then emailed him the rest of the work. I always felt like he was checking me out, leering at me if you will. It was a small manuscript so the work took about a week and a half. When it was finished he asked me to go out to dinner with him. I politely declined, like I said, he gave me the creeps. He was clearly not happy with my denial of him but he accepted it after telling me that, 'A girl that looks like you should take every date offered to her'." She looks down at her hands and bites her bottom lip.

What the fuck? She has got to know that's utter bullshit.

"You do know that's bullshit, right? You're stunningly pretty, Ana, any man would be lucky to have you, not the other way around." I speak quickly and honestly and my reward is a smile that stretches from ear to ear. I love that smile.

"Thank you, Christian. I considered the source but words like that still sting." What an asshole, making her doubt herself. I add SIP to my interest list so that I can purchase it and fire him. Then I'll blackball his name and buy any company that does hire him so that I can fire him again.

"Please, continue."

"He called later that night to apologize and I accepted his apology and that was it. Then he called the next day to ask me out again and I again told him no. Same thing the next day except this time I asked him, nicely, not to call me ever again. I knew it was bad for business but at that point, I didn't care. He called again that same night so I changed my number. He somehow got the new number so I changed it again and he got that one. He's called every day, at least twice a day for two weeks but yesterday he called four times."

The more she talks, the more fear I feel. This is not good and alarm bells are going off in my head. He's stalking her. She's gone to the police but until something happens, they can't do anything but talk to him, which they've done already.

I've got to figure out how to protect her without her knowing. The minute I get back to GEH I go right to Taylors office.

"Sir."

"I want you to get Anastasia personal protection, covert. I don't want her knowing she's being watched, she's reject the idea immediately. I have reason to believe that the man who called her last night is a threat to her safety. I'd like to interview candidates in the morning. Only the best."

"Yes, sir. I have someone in mind already, I'll call him now." I give him a nod and walk to Ros' office next.

"Ros."

"Sir, is everything alright?" She's worried, I think I may have personally visited her unannounced twice in five years.

"Fine. I want you to get the wheels in motion to acquire Seattle Independent Publishing immediately. Hostile or not, I want it. I want to own it by this time next week."

I can't wait to fire the fucker myself.