CPOV
"Sir, a Mr. Carvello is here to see you. He said you, oh, wow." Andrea stops in mid-sentence when she notices the pictures of Anastasia hung prominently on the wall opposite my desk. "Sorry, um, he said you were expecting him but I don't have him in the schedule. Lisa at the front desk said Taylor told her to send him up."
"Yes, send him in, he's with the SEC and will need immediate access to me whenever he calls or shows up."
"Also, you received a letter from Elena Lincoln's attorney this morning. It was couriered over just now." My blood pressure shoots through the roof and I stand, striding to the door to take the letter and to usher in the SEC representative.
"Mr. Carvello, please come in." Andrea hands me the envelope and offers both Carvello and myself drinks. "Where is Ms. Steele?" She blinks, still fazed by the pictures and undoubtedly blown away by the change in me over the last few months, and turns to Jacqueline who turns in her chair and answers.
"In her office meeting with Debra from PR about the pictures released over the weekend. She's got a call with Mr. Shinzu's rep at 10. Do you need me to get her for you?"
Fucking paparazzi scum was all over her on Friday night. We've determined that someone in the club took pictures of her drinking and dancing and then sold them so that the big story on Sunday was, 'Ana Steele, Worst Mother of the Year Award'.
"No, thank you." I just want to know where she is to ensure that Elena hasn't reached her. "If she leaves the building for any reason, I want to know about it." As an afterthought I remind them that all mail and all deliveries to Ana go through Welch first.
"Yes, Sir."
"Mr. Grey, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. You understand that time is of the utmost importance right now."
"I do. What can I do for you outside of hand you the files we've already had audited?" Just then Andrea buzzes through to let me know that Burt Whalen and my father have arrived. When they enter they sit quietly and listen to the requirements that the SEC has laid out for GEH.
The truth of the matter is that despite the fact that my company was another victim in this scheme, any mention of GEH in association with this scandal is bad news. My PR team has been working for weeks on preventing any premature leaks and is now working on keeping this contained.
"The SEC will be formally charging Mr. James and his known associates, including Agnes Perkins, later today. You having had Ms. Perkins files audited is a big help with my end of the investigation and I appreciate it. I'll look over the reports you've provided and let you know if they're sufficient or if we'll need to bring in our own team. As to your own criminal case against her, you are free to proceed with it once she's been arrested by the SEC. Our expectation is that she'll be processed, interrogated and returned home within 48 hours."
He sips the coffee Andrea has brought him and leans back, shrugging and holding out his hands in defeat. "As to recovering any of the funds stolen from GEH, it's a long shot, I'm going to be honest."
"No matter, recovering the funds isn't my main focus, making Ms. Perkins an example is." He nods and stands to go, shaking our hands and graciously accepting the audit box Burt hands to him.
Once he leaves I order Whalen to file charges against Agnes Perkins and then strategize with my legal team until lunch. The envelope sits in my desk drawer but I won't risk reading it with my father here. When the men stand to go I reach for it, shoving it back in when my dad walks back in.
"Lunch, son? I could use a drink."
"Can I meet you at Aqua in 30 minutes? I need to attend to something first."
"I'm going to peek in and say hello to Anastasia and then I'll head over there. Down the hall to the right?"
"Fifth door on the right. She's most likely on a call though." He holds up his hand in acknowledgement and shuts the door behind him. The second the latch clicks I open the envelope and find one lone piece of folded paper with her handwriting scrawled across it.
My Dearest Christian,
I fear that the wonderful and mutually enriching relationship we've so carefully cultivated over the last few years has been compromised by someone posing as a woman in love. Love, Christian? What are you thinking? You know better because I've taught you better. And now I learn that she has trapped you into a lifetime of bondage with a baby. Just the thought of you as a father has me retching. Surely you know you're not cut out to be a father.
As your friend and the only person who really knows you and understands you, I am ignoring your request at no contact because, frankly, nobody else has the balls to try to step in and keep you from making a colossal mistake.
If that woman insists on continuing this pregnancy, then I would urge you to pay her off and stay as far out of hers and her spawn's life as possible. You can only bring irreparable damage. You know it, I know it.
My words are harsh but the reality of the situation she has trapped you in is harsher. I'm still here when you come to your senses, I always will be.
Forever Yours,
Elena
"Andrea! Get me Welch now!" My hands are shaking and my head is spinning. There it is, in black and white. I would cause irreparable damage to any child I might interact with. I may hate the messenger but the message rings true. I would make a shitty father. For reasons unknown to me, my heart sinks at the realization.
"Sir?" He blusters in, phone in each hand with Taylor hot on his heels.
"I want to move on Lincoln. I don't care what we have, I want to move on it." Welch and Taylor breathe a collective sigh of relief and settle in the chairs in front of my desk. "What do we have?"
"If you insist on moving today, she'll most likely be charged with four counts of identity theft and according to Tony Lain the cash in those accounts hasn't been reported on her taxes so she can also be charged with tax evasion. The problem is the system doesn't move at the pace you want it to unless they have something huge. Like the underage boy in the picture."
"Fucking use that then!"
"Sir, we still don't know anything about him. No facial recognition software can match him; there are no identifying marks, no reports of missing kids that fit his description. It may open an investigation but unless we can prove that he's underage, she can claim that he was 18 and consenting."
"Fuck!" My mind whirls a million miles a minute and I can't slow it down enough to complete a thought. Spinning on my heels, hands on my hips, suite jacket flaring behind me I make a decision. "Go to the police on the identity theft and the IRS on the tax evasion and do it today. I need the ball to start rolling here. Taylor, we need to ready Ana for that meeting with Lillian. Welch, have you heard from Ray Steele's guy yet?"
"No. But my office knows to put him through the minute he calls." My voice lowers to a growl, frustration and rage infused in each syllable.
"I want Lincoln tied up, stripped, flayed and left for dead. No matter what it takes. You have my permission to do anything necessary, short of murder, to get what you need but this financial shit, I want it in the hands of the IRS in the next two hours. Get Tony Lain in your office and have him organize a file with everything you've uncovered on those four accounts and the cash in them. Alert them to the existence of her Swiss account too, maybe they can push through some red tape and nail her with that as well."
"And put heat on this Pamela Wincher she's palling around with now. Every angle, every single angle needs to be covered. I want her so far buried in trying to save her ass that she can't see the sky. Got it?"
Both men nod and rise, barking into their phones before the door closes behind them.
"Jacqueline, where's the shredder?" She stands, walks to me and stretches out her hand.
"I'll take care of it, Mr. Grey."
"I want to do this one myself." Her brows knit in confusion but she walks me to the small alcove in the back and reaches down to hit the power button.
"Just stick it in that slot right there." I'm tempted to read it one more time but deny myself. Fuck her, she's had enough of my time. The sound of shredding is satisfying and reminds me of the medical documents I never took care of despite telling Ana I would. I simply forgot so to rectify, I grab them from the bottom locked drawer of my desk and shove them in the shredder as well.
My dad is waiting but I need to see Ana before I go. She's on the phone, head bent over papers on her desk arguing in Mandarin to someone on the phone. Her concentration is so great that she doesn't notice me leaning in the doorway for close to two minutes. By the time she sees me I've got an erection for the record books. Her speaking in foreign languages is the most erotic sound in the world. Well, outside of her moans. And the way it sounds when I pound into her. And the way she says 'I love you'. And my name, the way she says my name in bed drives me wild.
"You ok?" she mouths and I just smile at her and walk to her, kissing the top of her head when she answers the man on the other end.
"Are you guys arguing?" Her face scrunches and she shakes her head with a smile.
"No, that's just how Mandarin sounds to a lot of non-speakers. He's actually quite pleasant compared to the other guys I've had to work with." She turns back to the phone dock and shoos me out to concentrate, picking up a document with what looks like chicken scratch on it, totally unaware of any behind the scenes drama taking place.
"I ordered for us."
"I can see that. Is this lunch or your last meal? For fucks sake, dad." He laughs and breaks a king crab leg in half, pulling out the meat and dunking it in butter.
"It's a celebratory lunch."
"What are we celebrating?" I join him, skipping the butter and ordering a gin and tonic.
"You and Ana. I know you haven't asked yet but you will, she'll say yes and you'll live happily ever after." I almost choke. These heart to hearts with my parents are so uncomfortable for me but either they don't notice or they don't care because it's all we seem to be doing lately.
"Happily ever after. Life is not a fairytale, dad."
"No, it's not. But there are moments, weeks, months, even years when it can be. Not everybody gets to experience what your mom and I have. You and Ana are part of a lucky few. That girl adores you, it's written plain as day on her face. And you?" He scoffs and cracks a claw. "You're a goner. I have never seen anyone so smitten."
He winces. "Except maybe Ethan Kavanagh. Ugh, the way he looks at your sister makes me want to punch his lights out and thank god she found someone so devoted all at the same time." I have to laugh. He's right. When I watched them at dinner escape upstairs for a few minutes I had to grip the seat I was in to avoid chasing after them and beating the shit out of him. I want to hate him but I can't. The way he looks at her is annoying and reassuring.
"He's a good kid."
"He's a great kid. Smart as hell too. But if he asks to marry her before she turns 23, I'm going to rip his balls off."
"I wonder if Ray felt the same way." He grins and chews.
"Doubt it. Ana is way more mature than Mia is and anybody can see that you're ready to settle down for good, move to the suburbs, give me some grandkids." He winks but he's asking the question, not making a statement.
"Dad."
"Your mom told me what you said about being a father, Christian." Elena's letter flashes in my mind but I follow it up with the vision of the shredder. "Does Ana want children?" Am I really going to have this conversation with him? Right now over crab and cheddar biscuits?
"She does. I think. But not for a while at least." I answer slowly, thinking about each word before I release it. He whistles low and wipes his fingers on a napkin, sipping his scotch.
"And you don't?" The waitress brings me another gin and I stare at it long and hard, trying to verbalize what it is I'm feeling.
"I don't think I do. To be honest, I'd never thought about it, it just seemed totally implausible to me with my lifestyle and the fact that marriage was never an option either. I mean, the idea of creating a life with her is appealing. The idea of seeing what a child would look like if it was half of her and half of me is appealing. But the reality is, I'd be running the risk of screwing up a kid the way I was by my birth mother. What the hell do I know about being a dad?"
He guffaws and swigs his drink, motioning for another.
"Anyone can screw up a kid. What the hell do any of us know about raising a kid until you have one? The idea of being a parent and the reality of it are two totally different things." I say nothing because I'm not really sure what there is to say. I can see the appeal of having a child but I simply don't trust myself.
"Children are a non-negotiable, Christian. If she wants them and you don't, she will forever be resentful that you denied her that dream. Answer me this. Do you not want them because you really just don't want them? Or is this all fear driven? Surely you had to have thought a little about it if you were sexually active." How is it possible that I'm having this conversation right now?
"I'd never given it much thought outside of ensuring that my…partners were on reliable birth control. And even then I played it safe around the time in their cycle that they could conceive." He looks at me funny and pauses, mid-chew.
"How the hell would you know that?"
"Because I made it my business to know everything. I'm not a fool, dad, being tied to anyone for life was not an option. So I trusted them as much as I could and put my own safeguards in place when I felt it was necessary." Please drop it.
"Huh. These pregnancy rumors surrounding Ana right now, I know you said they're false but was there any truth to them?"
"No. She's got a lot going on with Hyde and between us, her mom has been a real issue of late, not to mention the chaotic whirlwind that is my life." I roll my eyes and he sits still watching, processing the underlying message just as he's always done.
"I won't hound you about the kid issue, Christian. I can't make the same promise for your mother, she's already asking me if we should clear out the guest room on the second floor to make a nursery, but I will say this. Do not let the actions of someone else dictate what you get out of life. Do not let someone sick in the head, like your birth mom, her pimp, or Elena Lincoln, define who you are. Only you get to do that."
"You're a good man, you may not see it yet but you will. I don't want you to wake up one day and realize that the words and actions of others robbed you out of what has been the biggest blessings of my life. You, Elliot and Mia. The three of you are mine and your mother's world."
He sniffs into his tumbler and shoots it back. My own mouth is dry as fuck and glued shut. I have no idea what to say to that. I'm a 'blessing'?
"All I'm saying is think about it. From your point of view, not others point of view of you." He takes one last bite and pushes his plate away, leaning back in his chair to level at me. "And for what it's worth, I'm with your mother. You'd make a great father."
"Thank you for coming to this dinner tonight, I know you gave up a night with the girls and I appreciate it." Ana grins up at me looking sexy as all fuck in her fitted cream colored cocktail dress. The satin feels good under my fingers and I stroke her from hip to nape over and over while we listen to our hosts rattle on about tax shelters and ledger entries and blah blah blah. Me? I'm looking around for a closet that I can get a quick fuck in.
"Anastasia, I understand you'll be working with Liam Halen now as well." My whole body stiffens with jealousy at the mention of his name but Ana just squeezes my hand and dabs at the corners of her mouth.
"I am. Or, more accurately, my company is."
Old Man Winter decides to speak up just then, his face covered in a beard that I would have a fit about if he worked for me. With a net worth of over a billion, you'd think he could afford a razor.
"Those are two sharks you landed in your first year. That's mighty impressive for a first year business, especially one run by a young woman." Oh shit. I feel her tense and watch her sit up a bit straighter as all eyes focus on her.
"A young woman, Mr. Duncan, or a young entrepreneur? Surely you're not impressed simply because of my gender." Duncan wipes his disgusting beard with a napkin and raises his eyebrows.
"No, I meant as a woman." Oh fuck this is not going to end well. I'm trying to do business with this guy and the money I could make off of purchasing his cell tower company is substantial but I'm also not going to sit back and watch my woman get insulted, no matter how well meaning it was. Just as I go to speak, she interrupts me, the flash of heat I felt dissipating as she puts him in his place.
"Well," she says softly, "maybe when you were young that was impressive but in case you haven't kept up with technology and the latest ways of gathering statistics, you should know that we 'women' are taking over. It's old men who are in the minority of growing businesses now. Men much like yourself." She takes the chicken off her fork with those red lips and chews but not once does she take her eyes off of him.
The table is silent, even I don't know what to say. After a solid minute he grabs his wine glass and sputters out a laugh.
"She's perfect for you, Grey! And touché, Ms. Steele, your name implies what you're made of. I salute you and every woman out there currently pushing me off my throne." To her credit she lifts her own wine glass and tips it towards him, sipping it before smiling back at him.
"If I ever run across the need for your services, I will most certainly look you up." Her lips turn to a sneer, he thinks he's smoothed her over but I know better.
"Look me up? Do you still use the yellow pages?" He laughs, fully and heartily, holding his huge belly until he chokes.
"You got me. I'll have my secretary look you up on that fancy thing they call a computer. I still use a pencil." She tuts at him and smiles, forgiving him with a grin that makes me so fucking proud I want to jump in the middle of the table and beat my chest like a gorilla. Somehow she's managed to defend herself, put him in his place and still he likes her.
"Better figure out a way to keep her around, Grey. Something tells me you've met your match with this one."
An hour or so later I drag her as inconspicuously as possible towards the coat room and hand the woman there a $100, telling her to disappear for 10 minutes. Ana is as bright red as they come but nothing she can do is going to stop me.
"That scene back there with Harold Duncan? I almost came watching you verbally assault him. Fuck you are so fucking sexy when you go into Domme mode."
"Domme?"
"Later, I'll explain later. Right now I just need to fuck you. Here. Hard. Fast." With shaky hands I reach up and rip her panties off, covering her mouth just in time with my own when she goes to gasp. "Shhh. There are people 20 feet away."
There's not much in the way of coats in here since it's August but the far left corner is private enough so long as we keep it quiet. My fingers reach between her silky thighs and as I lick against her tongue, I mimic the movement of my middle finger against her clit.
"Shit." She whispers against my mouth. "Christian, what if someone"
My mouth covers hers again and I lift her, her bent knees supported in the crux of my elbows and sink into her, sheathing myself entirely. I want to growl, yell, groan in ecstasy but behind this wall is a table of eight business associates and a restaurant full of people. Truth be told, I don't give a fuck if they know we're screwing right now, I want them and everybody else to know that this incredible woman is mine. What I don't want are any ideas of her having sex running through their perverted little minds.
"Mine. All fucking mine." My whisper is harsh and edgy and she answers it with slitted eyes and a long lick of her tongue against my neck. "Reach down and touch yourself, Ana." Her head falls back, eyes wide and uncertain. "Go ahead, baby. I need you to, this has to be quick."
"No. Not here." She looks afraid so I try again.
"Just a few circles around your clit and you'll come around me, washing my cock with that cream I want so badly." Her moan is low but I cover her mouth anyway.
"Not here, Christian, please, not here. I don't need to come right now. I can't." What the fuck? Can't come? There's no time for a discussion now and I would have reached down to do it myself but then she clenches her pussy around me and bites my earlobe. "Give it to me, I want to sit at that table with your cum dripping out of me. Come on, baby, come for me."
"Holy fuck!" The spasms start in my balls before she finishes speaking. Her teeth bite down again with a groan and my cock shoots off into her depths, baptizing her pussy with my semen. At the end my arms give way a bit, too overcome with pleasure to remember to hold her up and I release her a beat too soon and get a small bit of liquid on her dress.
She looks down, reaches up, cups my face and then shrugs.
"Time for dessert, baby." And with one finger she wipes the small bead of cum and licks it off, closing her red lips around one pink manicured nail. Fuck me sideways I'm hard again.
The second we get back to the apartment, and I do mean the second, I rip both of our clothes off and fuck her up against the wall in the foyer. With each thrust into her I stake my claim.
"You. Will. Come. When. I. Say. To. Come." She whimpers in my ear, her hot breath tickling the hair on my neck. When I fuck her like this her size becomes a real advantage. Besides weighing next to nothing I can pin her, with just my hands behind her knees to the wall and plow into her.
When she comes she covers me, both of our juices mixing and sliding down my legs and onto my suit pants bunched up around my knees. Primal. She makes me feel primal. For the first time in months I feel a need to get into the playroom and dominate her sexually. Not for pain, not for punishment, but for pleasure.
In the shower she blushes when I mention our little romp in the coat room.
"Why were you so afraid to touch yourself?" If I have any hope of ever getting her in the playroom, I need to get her totally comfortable with herself.
"I wasn't afraid. I was…I don't know. I've never done it before and you wanted me to do it in a crowded restaurant. Call it performance anxiety."
"But you're not afraid?" She scoffs haughtily but it's a show. My baby is being shy. "Ana?" She stomps one little foot and turns to wash the conditioner out of her hair before turning her red tinted face towards me.
"I don't know if afraid is the right word." This will never do. Once we've brushed our teeth I follow her out to the bedroom where she reaches for a night shirt.
"No, baby. Not tonight. Get on the bed, on your back, legs bent and wide." Her eyes bug out of her head but she obeys and I watch mesmerized as her hair leaves trails of wetness down her back and over her breasts. I'm painfully hard, already imagining the scene I have ready for her right now. Once she's situated I remove the pillows from the bed and stare at her, running my hands up and down her spread thighs while she waits for instructions.
"Feel how soft your skin is, Anastasia. Glide your hands over your stomach, your hips, your legs. Do you feel how soft you are, how desirable you are to me?" Her nipples are tight, the moonlight casting shadows so that they look even longer than they are. "Do you want to touch your breasts, Ana?" She bites her bottom lip to stay quiet but I tug it out and stare into her eyes. She's turned on but she's also hesitant.
My mouth moves down and hovers over a nipple, blowing cool air over the pointed peak while she arches beneath me. "Touch them, Ana. Feel how heavy and soft they are." She does, unable to resist the urges her body is craving. She pinches her nipples immediately, groaning and arching as she does.
This is erotica at its best. Inside I'm torn. I want to see this, be witness to her total sexual awakening but at the same time, I like owning all of her pleasure. I like being her sole source of orgasms.
But one look down and I know that ship has sailed. Like the woman that she is she owns her sexuality and I watch with wonder as she takes over her own arousal. With her eyes glued to mine she reaches down with one hand and slides a lone finger over her slit from top to bottom to top again. Her eyes flutter closed, her mouth opens and her head turns to the side. I could come just by watching her.
"Do you feel how wet you are? Do you know what it does to me when I feel you like that?" Her hips begin to gyrate in small circles as she runs that finger up and down, working her way in between the lips of her sex. When she hits her clit for the first time she cries out and reaches for me with her other hand. I watch as she makes small circles over the top of her slit, each rotation ending on a small moan.
My cock is aching, literally throbbing so much so that it bobs up and down with each of my heartbeats. "I want you inside me, Christian." As much as I want that, there is nothing on this earth that I'll let stop this show right now.
"Your finger, slide your finger in and out for me. Oh fuck yeah. Do you feel how tight you are, Ana? How silky soft and wet you are? As good as you feel around your finger, you feel a million times better around my cock." My own hand is stroking up and down while I watch, eager to slide into that perfect body but unwilling to stop watching.
"Please, please, please." Those softly said words, moaned as she moves her head from side to side obliterates my self-control and I lift her hips to mine, sliding in slowly while I hold her hand in place.
"Don't stop touching yourself. I'm not going to move, I want to watch you make yourself come." She grunts and circles her clit again, pressing harder and moving faster and as much as I want to push, I don't. My toes curl under the weight of my body but still I remain motionless, buried balls deep inside of her, and watch.
Inside she's burning up, heat and liquid fire raining down on my cock with each clench of her muscles. I can feel each ridge as she tightens, her finger moving fast, her other hand twisting her nipple. I'm going to come and I haven't moved once.
"Come for me, Ana. I want to feel you." Her head thrashes from side to side, the walls around me getting so tight that I have to grit my teeth to stop the orgasm fighting for release. She screams and her hand slows, the velvet grip of her clutching and releasing me as her body arches against the mattress. The sight, the sounds and the feel of her, god the mother fucking perfect feel of her, milks me for everything I have and I come, buried inside of her without so much as one thrust.
When she comes down I collapse on her and stay there, still buried, still unmoving and relish in the tiny tremors and spasms of her pussy. When I pull back and brush the hair from her face she smiles, bright and beaming.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Bad? That was amazing. Ah ma zing." I chuckle against the swell of her breast and pull out, the chill of the air in direct contrast to the heat I was so comfortable in.
"Yeah, well don't get used to it. When I'm away you can do that again but I'm the center of your pleasure." She grins and wraps her arms around me to kiss me. "I mean it, Anastasia. You want to get off, you come to me first."
"I will, I promise." She rolls her eyes and kisses my nose before pulling away and giggling. "But that was pretty fucking good."
APOV
"Ms. Steele, what a pleasure to finally meet you." Caroline Acton is the epitome of put together. Tall with a perfect blond French twist, flawless skin and a tailored white pantsuit, she looks as if she stepped straight off of the runway.
"You as well. This is my friend, Kate. I'm not much for fashion so between the two of you I thought I'd be best served."
"Would either of you like some champagne? Wine? Tea?" Kate asks for two glasses of champagne and then follows Ms. Acton into the private area of the store.
"Whoa. Even I've never seen anything like this." Kate and I gape at the racks and racks of clothing, organized by type and by trip. On the front of each rack is a placard; Rome, Africa, Cocktail dresses, casual, night wear, work, gowns. The racks seem endless and while this is a fantasy come true for Kate, it only causes me to break out in a sweat.
"Mr. Grey was very specific about his requirements and he let me know that you weren't exactly thrilled to be shopping so I've chosen a few pieces I thought would work. We'll take your measurements and then you can browse through the racks and eliminate anything you don't care for. The rest we'll alter as needed and have delivered to Escala. We will need to have you try on the gowns and some of the lingerie but the rest we can alter based on your measurements. May I suggest we start on the Africa rack since you'll be leaving in two days though?"
Two young women usher me to the raised circle in front of the mirrors and strip me down to my bra and panties before measuring me in ways I didn't even know possible.
"Your body is sick, Ana. Sex definitely agrees with you." Kate watches with pride as the two assistants slip off yet another evening gown to hand to the seamstress. "Are you sure you're ok watching Sophie and Max alone tonight? I feel terrible but Elliot really wants to go to the game and he basically gave me an ultimatum. Go to the game or go camping with him when we get back from Barbados."
"You? Camping? Has he totally lost his mind or has he just not met you?" Kate stands in front of me, hands on her hips, eyes taking me in from head to toe.
"Are your tits even real? My god! No wonder Christian's convinced everybody wants to sleep with you. Damn, even I do now!" Her hand reaches out but I swat it away and pull another dress over my head. "Would you and Christian go camping? I know Elliot wants to hang out with him more and maybe we could have fun if we got drunk enough."
"Are you out of your head? I'm not camping with you. I'm still not over the great nature hike of 2009."
Kate rolls her eyes and reaches for a strawberry. "I had my period and there were bears around. Bears, Ana. I could have died." I have heard this line, said seriously by Kate, at least 20 times. It makes no matter that we were in a group of 10 people or that there hadn't been a bear sighting in the area in over 60 years.
"I'm not camping with you. How about we plan a trip to Aspen instead?" This idea is much more up Kate's alley and she bounces up and down before shooting Elliot a text telling him to plan it. When she shows me his response, I have to laugh.
-No. You plan it. That's a chicks job. You're a chick.-
"So you're convinced he's the one, huh?" Her eyes go all dreamy and she falls onto the oversized loveseat with a sigh.
"Oh, he's the one alright. I've dated around enough to know too. There's something about him that I've never met in anyone else. He's gorgeous and rich and smart and funny but those things don't define him at all. Like, he knows all of those things about himself but what he values about himself is his loyalty, his honesty, his generosity, his empathy. He's just a good guy. Plain and simple."
"I'd love to marry him. Maybe in a year or so, I don't know. I do know that I don't want my parent's marriage. I'm dreading this trip to Barbados you know. Our last family vacation ever probably and I'm dreading it." Caroline Acton sweeps in just then and pushes the two racks of clothing I've agreed to over to the side, handing me a biscotti and a cappuccino.
"Mr. Grey said you were a coffee fan so I thought this might give you a push through this last 30 minutes. Nobody likes to try on lingerie but he was very specific that you had a wide range of things." Kate snickers and crosses her legs, graciously accepting her own cappuccino and settling in for the show.
By 5:30 I've had enough. I can't take one more fitting, one more draping, one more offering of a beverage. I need to get the hell out of here and put on sweats like normal people. Kate gives me a big hug goodbye before getting in her car.
"Try to have fun in Barbados, Kate. Hey, at least Elliot, Ethan and Mia will be there." She snorts and puts the car into gear looking over her shoulder as she reverses.
"I hope the walls aren't thin. Elliot's a screamer!"
"Sophie, everybody likes pizza." Her arms remain crossed, her face in a scowl at being left behind by her parents for the first time in two months. Christian looks at me across the table, eyebrows raised, mid-bite into his fourth slice.
"Don't look at me!" He says, mouth full. "I love pizza!" She just turns her scowl on him but he ignores her entirely.
"She needs to eat dinner. Sophie, you've got to eat something."
"Mommy." Ugh. I am not, absolutely not calling her mother 20 minutes in to her night out. But this kid has to eat.
"Sweetie, aren't you hungry?"
"Mommy." Her bottom lip begins to tremble, the slight movement ratcheting the anxiety in this small kitchen up tenfold. Christian's eyes go wide and he swallows, wipes his mouth with a napkin and reaches for her plate.
"What about if we cut it? Will you eat it then?" She just stares at him like she always does, eyes wide and fearful. He mutters something about the Exorcist under his breath and cuts her slice into small pieces, offering her a fork but she refuses that as well. Just as I'm about to call Karen her tiny hand darts out and grabs a piece, stuffing it her mouth. Christian freezes, halfway sitting in his chair and watches, satisfied and triumphant.
When she's finished he cuts a few more pieces but she resumes her scowl, ignoring the food and turning her body away from him, arms crossed. "If she's not going to eat it, I am." On his own he's eaten almost an entire pie and somehow still has room for the cannoli's I insisted he pick up.
"When was the last time you had pizza? God, you're like a vacuum!" Tall and somehow still lean he stands, stretches and groans, ignoring Sophie when she darts out of the room.
"Probably at Elliot's Super Bowl party. I usually stay for an hour or so, eat the crappiest food known to man and leave. Some of his friends are ok but overall they're annoying as shit."
"So you never have Gail just order a pie for dinner?"
"I've never even thought to ask. I pay her to cook so having her order junk food seems a bit stupid." His eyes grow wide and he freezes when the baby starts to whine in his bouncy seat. "If you told me six months ago I'd be babysitting with my girlfriend, I'd have called you a liar. This is unreal."
"If you told me six months ago I'd be dating a billionaire and living in the penthouse at Escala I'd have called you a liar too." Christian isn't listening though, he's just staring at the screaming two month old next to him. "Can't pay for that to stop you know. You need to feed him or pick him up or something." He laughs.
"You need to feed him or pick him up or something. I'm just here for the hot babysitter." With a roll of my eyes I pick up Max and hum while I heat up a bag of breast milk like Karen showed me. Christian stands next to me, trying very hard to act nonchalant.
"So that's her boob juice?" Ugh.
"It's her breast milk. Nourishment for her child. Not boob juice." When the bag warms I pour it in the bottle and show it to him. "See?" His hand flies up and he walks to the doorway without turning around.
"If it isn't yours, I don't want to see it. I'm going to make some calls."
In the living room Sophie is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while Christian sits on the couch barking orders to someone in Miami about a shipping transfer station he's currently in the middle of acquiring. Sophie turns and watches him while I give Max the bottle and then, out of nowhere, she starts to cry.
His eyes snap up and he sputters the last few sentences out before hanging up the call and asking, without taking his eyes off of her, "Ah, what's going on?" She points to him and scoots back towards my legs, finger pointed.
"Scary." He looks at me in shock.
"You were yelling and swearing." His gaze swings back to her, his phone ringing again.
"What do I do?"
"Don't yell. I'm sure you can manage it." He nods once and answers the phone, eyes trained on Sophie's. To his credit, his words are harsh but the delivery is not. I don't know who is on the other end but I'm sure they're confused by his tone. Almost five minutes later he hangs up the call and gives Sophie a creepy thin lipped smile.
"See? Not scary. I'm awesome." She turns and looks at me.
"He is pretty awesome. Are you ready for a bath, Ms. Sophie?" She stands and runs to the bathroom. "Will you take him while I give her a bath? You need to pat his back and keep him upright until he burps. If he needs his diaper changed his room is the second on the left." His chin disappears into his neck and he shakes his head.
"No. No way. I'll bring that vibrating seat thing into the bathroom but there is no way I'm watching him alone. And the chances of me changing his diaper is zero. Nil. Nada. How do you say no fucking way in Russian?" I figured it was a long shot so instead of arguing I follow Sophie down the hall and set her up in the tub with one hand, burping Max and then strapping him in the seat. Within a minute I can hear Christian yelling into his phone again so I shut the door and wash Sophie while bouncing the chair with one foot. This sucks.
30 minutes later both kids are dressed in pajamas and ready for bed. I've been here for two hours and I'm exhausted. Christian is working on his laptop, phone between his ear and shoulder but he mutes the call and waits expectantly for me to say something. Max is crying in my ear, Sophie is pulling on my leg asking for a story and the kitchen is still messy. This will be the last time I babysit ever again.
"I need your help. Either read to her or hold him but I need to get them both to bed and I can't do it at the same time." He looks as if I just told him to choose between a firing squad or the guillotine.
"Karen does it all the time." No he did not just say that to me.
"Karen knows how to do it. She's the mom. I don't know what I'm doing!" Sophie is yelling now, pulling so hard on my jeans that they're sliding down my hip. He looks from Sophie to Max and stands.
"I'm getting that seat thing, stay right there." He sets up the bouncy seat and I strap Max in, grab Sophie, and take her to her room to read a few stories. 10 minutes later she's asleep, thank god, so I head out to the living room where Christian is on the phone, speaking in a whisper, lap top on his knees. His left foot is bouncing the seat Max is in who somehow now has a pacifier and a blanket and is fast asleep. He hangs up his call and looks down, surprise registering on his face.
"Look at that. It's like I've got the Midas touch or something." I snort and sit next to him, head back in exhaustion. His phone rings but he ignores it and takes my feet onto his lap, squeezing and rubbing them.
"How was Caroline Acton?"
"Overwhelming. I've never seen anything like that. She's really very nice and I appreciate everything but it's still really strange for you to be buying me clothes like that. I feel guilty."
"Ana, I like to buy you things. I like to look at you and know that I'm taking care of you. I like giving you things, it makes me happy." I sigh with contentment.
"You make me happy, Christian. If you were dirt poor I'd love you just the same." He grins.
"I know you would which makes me want to give you even more. But I'm not dirt poor so you'll get diamonds and clothes and cars and houses." My head lifts and I watch him, tapping his foot on the bouncy seat, rubbing my feet in his big hands.
"Houses?"
"We can't stay in Escala forever. Eventually we'll build a place on the Sound, I've always wanted to live there." He swings his gaze to mine and as an afterthought asks, "Would you want that? A house on the Sound?"
"With you? I'd live anywhere."
"What's all this?" There are bags and boxes everywhere when I emerge from the bedroom the next morning. Gail places my breakfast in front of me and looks over to the piles with a smile.
"Your purchases from Neimans. Well, some of it anyway. I need to get you packed for your trip today while you're at work so they worked through the night to get everything altered and ironed." She pours me a coffee and makes a note on a list on the counter. "Do you want anything specific to eat on the flight or at the hotel? I'm going to pack you up and then shop for Mr. Grey's requests so that I can get everything over to Regina tonight."
I'm living in an alternate reality where I go shopping for $700 jeans and take private jets stocked by a housekeeper to have dinner with a president and Prince. I bet I could ask for beluga caviar for breakfast every day and nobody would bat an eye.
"I'm fine, thanks. Actually, Reece's cups. I haven't had them in too long. Where is Christian anyway?"
"He left at six this morning with Taylor for a run and then went straight to the office. Anytime he's away from GEH for any length of time the days leading up to and the days he first gets home are packed with business that needs attending to. I'm sure he'll be working late tonight as well and he's already told me that he won't be home for dinner so I can make whatever you'd like."
"You know, I'm good. I'll call a friend and do dinner out, I haven't done that in a while." On the way to the office I make plans to go out with Heather after Krav. I'm dying to get the scoop on her and Sawyer.
"Steele Translations today, Ms. Steele?"
"Yes, thank you, Sawyer. By the way, I'm going out with Heather tonight for dinner. Would you mind arranging a private area for us at the Mile High Club?" I watch closely but he gives nothing away and answers with a curt yes.
Normally on Wednesdays I'm at GEH but because of the impending trip to Africa, I need to get my business in order first. In the last month, our revenue is up 60% and our contract closures are up 35% which means that my stress level is up 100%. I'm simply not prepared for the rapid growth of this company as it's not something I expected. When I started, I submitted a five year business plan to the bank. In eight months, I've surpassed my five year projection by 22%. It's exhilarating and terrifying all in one.
"We need to hire someone else just for office stuff. I can handle the translations coming in and Matt's been great so far but I can't do the translations and the office effectively. And you being out of the office three days a week is really starting to take a toll on things around here so maybe we could get another person on staff to handle the European languages."
"And you're going to be gone for two weeks for the wedding and your honeymoon so let's get the ball rolling on hiring an office manager today. I also think we should find someone who can work freelance on translations specific to Asia since Matt is going to be consumed by Halen Industries but I agree, we definitely need another translator for Western Europe. I intend on working while I'm in Africa but there's no way I can get through this back log for the French Embassy project."
"Speaking of Halen Industries," Missy stands and walks to the front table and hands me a card attached to a huge flower arrangement. "this came yesterday. For you, not the company."
Looking forward to working with you and seeing you in action. Liam.
I play it cool and push the card in my pocket to show Christian later and then text him about lunch. No matter how busy we are, we've made our weekly lunch a priority. I always look forward to it but knowing I have to show him this and knowing how he's going to react just has me nervous.
"He also had this messengered over. Most of it is intact but he redlined a few things, most notably your availability to him." Her chin lowers and she looks at me with pursed lips. "Matt didn't seem surprised to see the amendments. He's there now meeting with the project manager but he's marked his response on each page."
In my office I take a deep breath and flip through the 48 page contract. Halen has already made the first payment via wire transfer, effectively attempting to hold on to the upper hand but I don't play games. Not in life and certainly not in business so I make concessions where I'm comfortable and hand my notes to Missy who contacts our attorney.
"You aren't compromising on the availability at all?" She doesn't seem surprised.
"Nope. He's a business owner and the fact that he thinks he can tell me how to run my company is bullshit. He knows it too. If he balks, we return the wire and move on. I'm not bending for Liam Halen or anybody for that matter. My company, my rules. How long until the lawyers can send him the revised contract?"
She flips through it and shrugs. "Not long, it's just a few words here and there. By end of day I'm sure."
"Good, I want this taken care of before I leave. Make sure Matt isn't there when he gets the new copy though, I don't want him having to deal with it."
"I missed you this morning, baby." God he is so unbelievably hot. So hot!
"You look good, Christian. I do love you in a suit and tie. And in jeans and a t-shirt. And in your underwear. And naked. Basically I love the way you look." He laughs and orders lunch, Ceaser salads with shrimp and pumpernickel bread, and then reaches across the table to hold my hand.
His attention is focused solely on me and my rundown of all the mundane things going on in my life. He has no awareness, whatsoever, to the horde of women in this restaurant staring at him nor does he notice the waitress who grazes his shoulder every time she comes over. But I do.
"I need to use the restroom, I'll be right back." I time my trip to coincide with the woman's return to refill our waters and just as his good manners dictate, he rises as I do. She blinks, stills and stares, for a brief second thinking it's her he's standing for. Her joy is short lived though when I slink up to him and adjust his tie, brushing my hands over his shoulders and down his back as I lightly kiss him. He's confused but aroused. She looks forlorn. My job here is done.
When I return he raises his brows and half stands when I sit.
"Ana, you can't be doing that in public to me. I've got a hard on I can't get rid of and I'm working late and after last night…" His hands tug on his hair and he smiles tightly and pauses when the waitress places his salad in front of him. "I need to have sex with you daily. Hourly."
"You should have woken me up when you came in last night then." He blows out a puff of air and discreetly adjusts himself under the table.
"I tried but you just sat up, smiled and laid back down." I laugh.
"What time did you come in?"
"Three."
"Christian! Gail said you were out by six this morning too! You can't do this to yourself. You're going to bed early tonight." He snorts and chews, rolling his eyes and waving his fork around.
"Yes, mom. Too bad I'll be in the office until three again. I'll sleep on the plane." There is no point in arguing with him when I know he has things he has to get done.
"If you get sick again I am not taking care of you." He cocks his head and smiles salaciously.
"Yes you will. And if I get another one of those massages, it'll be worth it. That, by the way, was fucking amazeballs." I burst out laughing at his use of the word and toast to him and his expounded vocabulary.
"Switching gears, Halen sent me this yesterday but I just got it today." He drops his fork with a clatter and snatches the small card from my hand, reading it and tearing it in two.
"Fuck nut. I told you he wasn't going to accept what you said easily." He takes another bite and closes his eyes, thinking through his next sentence. "Did he get you back the contract with the clause I asked you to put in?"
"He did and he attempted to amend it. He wants me to meet with him weekly to go over the bullet points of the previous week and to assess Matt's performance. He also wants me to commit to attending the face to face in Taiwan with Matt even though there is no reason, at all, for there to be two of us."
His jaw is ticking and it's not because he's chewing. Those soft grey eyes are blazing and implacable right now, boring into mine with barely concealed anger.
"And? What was your response?"
"I gave him any point that didn't include contact, including a new time line and a new payment schedule but I refused to adjust any other points. He's probably getting the revised contract within the next hour. If he can't abide by it or he pushes back, then I'll return his initial deposit and wipe my hands clean. If he concedes, then we'll move forward as agreed upon."
"You are never, and I mean never, to be alone with him. He's aggressive and cocky and while I don't doubt your fidelity, I can't abide by him having you to himself on any level, even for five minutes."
"Christian," I reach across the table and rest my hand on his which has the added benefit of being timed to the bill being presented to us by the waitress, "He gets no part of me, period. He can't, I'm all yours."
"Good." He says, rising and lifting me by my elbow. "I'll have Sawyer drive you back to your office but I'm fucking you in my office first. Let's go." I only hope the waitress heard that but I'm too busy being dragged out to turn and look.