APOV
"But is his last name Grey?"
"Yes, Gavin Grey." Lisa sits back and folds her napkin primly over her lap with a shit eating grin on her face.
"Well praise be to Jesus I'm going to bag me a Grey boy after all." Devin rolls his eyes and dabs at the corners of his mouth.
"Mmmhmm. Says the woman who hasn't seen a wax in four months or a tanning booth in six. You're a hairy Dracula, no man wants that."
"Spa day you old kill joy. I'll call ahead for a wax." He snorts.
"Spa day, I hope you brought your weed wacker and a GPS, that particular neighborhood hasn't seen a car in...god, forever!"
Of the entire day breakfast was what I was most looking forward to. To sit at a table surrounded by the core group of family and friends in our lives is not something I want to take forgranted so I don't. I'd met Christian's cousin Gavin over the summer at the pool party but other than that, I'd not met any of his other cousins or Uncles. Grace's sister Melody is here and will spend the day with us along with Carricks sister in law Laura and her daughter Alison.
Only Ray is here from my side. My mom's sister, my Aunt Brenna, hasn't ever really been in my life so when she and my cousin Scarlett fished for an invitation their intentions were crystal clear. Had I been marrying a garbage man I never would have even heard from them. Ray's sister Lauren has been more of an aunt to me over the years but she lives in New Jersey with her new husband and will fly out for the wedding.
Sometimes, in moments like these I ache for a sibling or someone who shares my blood line. Just someone I can look at and see a trace of myself in or someone, other than Ray who can contribute to the many memories being thrown about during the conversation. Even Christian who has admittedly been far more isolated than me has cousins who can chide him about stupid shenanigans he partook in as a kid.
"You ok?" He asks, leaning over to kiss that spot behind my ear he always seems to gravitate to.
"Great," I answer because I really am happy. "This is just so surreal. To be sitting here with all of these people who would never mix in real life. Sharing mimosa's and waffles!" He smiles, kisses me again and squeezes my knee.
"We'd have wound up together somehow so they would have all met at some point." I cock my head to the side.
"You think so? That we'd have met anyway?" He lifts his mimosa and tips it to his lips.
"Absolutely." And because he's so sure, I believe him.
When we part I struggle with it. As the wedding gets closer I find myself needier of his time and his presence in my life. Hem says it's natural, this drawing together of souls but I feel almost out of control and whiney when he's not around. And when he is, I just want to climb on his lap and curl up. Basically, I want to live in a bubble with my fiancé.
"Say your goodbyes you love birds." I wait anxiously for Kate to bait him by mentioning men or strippers or something but she behaves and gives us a moment to ourselves. I swear, you'd think we were leaving each other for a month by the way that I feel.
"Be safe. Don't dick around with stupid shit no matter how much she rides you on it. I want you back in one piece tonight so I can fuck you until you fall into a million pieces and then hold you until you're all put back together." I smile and sigh, resting my forehead on his chest.
"Have fun with the guys. I'll miss you." He wraps his arms around me and kisses the top of my head with a chuckle.
"It's a party, Ana, not an execution. But I won't lie, I love that you're all bent out of shape about not being with me." He pulls back, gets all serious and says, "And no men. I don't want you around guys at all today." His mouth covers mine with the searing passion of well versed lovers. Both of his hands tangle in my hair, his knee slips between my legs so that he can press me against his thigh and he tongues me like he'll die of starvation if he doesn't. When he pulls back I'm breathless and dazed not to mention wet.
"Laters," he whispers, tapping my nose with one finger.
He's as smug as they come until Elliot walks over and smirks. "Way to go, bro. Get her all horned up and then leave her for the day." He turns to me and I smile, waving at him with my fingers before slipping into the limo waiting for me.
Mia and Kate flank me in the car and take my phone and my wallet. "No calls to he who shall not be named. Speaking of which," Mia starts, pulling out a water bottle in the shape of a penis. Oh my god. "Every time you say his name, you will have to take a suck out of this." My face must be on fire with embarrassment.
"Your grandmother and mother are sitting right there, Mia!"
"They've born children, Ana, they know all about penis's." I'm going to die today. I know it. Mia Grey is going to embarrass me to death.
"Well technically I didn't have to interact with a penis to have my children but I have seen a few in my day. Not to mention having two sons who constantly had their hands down their pants or were running around naked."
"Oh my, Grace do you remember when Elliot was about eight and Christian was six and you found them on the couch inspecting themselves?" Grace starts laughing and nods furiously.
"Oh it was precious. Christian had just started talking a few weeks earlier so he was still pretty quiet but he'd talk plenty to his siblings. I had just put Mia down for a nap and I came out and there they were, staring at their…"
"Junk!" Lisa offers.
"Junk. That works! Anyway, little Christian says, 'I know Lelliot but what are they for?' and Elliot, bless his heart told him they were called testicles and that they were there just for fun."
"He still thinks that!" Kate blurts, the car laughing along with her. "I say to him all the time, 'Elliot, stop holding them, they're not going to fall off'!"
"Lalalala!" Christian's cousin Alison chants covering her ears. "I'm still scarred from the time they all sat in the mud and then left ball stamps as they called them on the swings. What is it with men and their balls? They're ugly as sin and hurt like the dickens if hit. Where's the fascination?"
"Logan says they look like peach pits in a wet paper bag but it doesn't stop him from touching them or talking about them or wanting me to do the same." Oh my god oh my god oh my god. I sneak a peek at Grace but she's laughing along with everyone else.
"All of your children are adopted then?" Heather asks, shuffling around on her knees to pour champagne for everyone.
"Yes. Speaking of balls, Carrick was in an accident when he was 19 that left him pretty much sterile. I mean, we still tried since they said he had a small chance, like, minutely small chance of fathering a child but it never happened. Not even a missed period in 36 years."
Grandma Trevelyan pats her knee and looks out the window. "Turned out just fine though didn't it?"
"Oh goodness yes. I wouldn't trade my three for anything."
"How did they all come to you if you don't mind me asking. Elliot doesn't really know much and I've always wondered."
"I don't mind at all! I love talking about it. To me, sharing the process is like how I imagine most women share their pregnancy stories. We became foster parents in Detroit during my residency there and after we were approved, within a day we had a little girl placed with us. Dorothy was her name. Her mother wound up getting herself cleaned up and took her back and as happy as I was for her, it gutted me. To take care of another being so intimately for three months only to have to relinquish that and hope they're cared for, I just couldn't do it again."
"So we applied for adoption and a few months later received a phone call from our agency. A young unwed mother wanted to give her son up but she wanted to know all about us so we put together what was essentially a scrap book of our lives at the time. Doctor, lawyer, married, happy, well off, the whole nine. We put in pictures and notes about how we wanted our kids to grow up and she liked it enough to meet with us so one Saturday we met her. Prettiest little thing you ever saw. Elliot looks just like her, spitting image of his birth mother."
Hearing her say that just kills me. To know that your son, whom you raised and loved has a mother out there who looks just like him, that has to be hard on some level.
"No father, parents were unwilling to help her and she was pretty frank about it. She loved this little baby but had no desire to care for it and no means to do it anyway. Three months later she gave birth and we got Elliot. She never held him or looked at him but boy did she cry. Heart wrenching, guttural tears that to this day I feel on his birthday. She loved him enough to do what was best for him even though it shredded her."
"What was her name?" Grandma Trevelyan sucks in a breath and looks at Grace and then at Kate.
"Katherine."
"Wow," Kate whispers. Suddenly there isn't enough champagne in the world. "Does he know that?"
She shrugs. "I have no idea. None of my children have ever expressed any interest in finding out about their birth parents." I shift my gaze to Mia who offers a weak smile.
"I know my birth mom was 15 and I know her name was Katelyn. Other than that, I know nothing and I'm fine with that."
"Of all of them Christian probably knows the most but he also lived with his mother so he would know more than the other two. He's also the only one who we didn't get to name." She waves her hands around, "I guess we could have changed his name when he became ours officially but the last thing that child needed was something else taken from him. I think it suits him too."
I expect someone to ask about his past but nobody does, not even Lisa who has zero ability to read a room. Instead the topic shifts to kids and the expected timeline before I wind up pregnant. Try as I might I can't avoid the conversation, partly because the only people who aren't gunning for us to have a baby are Lisa and Missy but those two are in their own corner discussing the best way to get Lisa her Grey.
"There is no rush for Ana to get pregnant. She's only 23," Grace begins and for a minute I think maybe I've got an ally but then she clasps her hands and sweetly smiles at me. "But Christian is almost 30 so that has to be taken into consideration of course."
"When was the last time we did this?"
"Never," Lisa offers, reaching over to pick a cornichon off of the massive antipasto spread out before us. "Always wanted to, could never afford it."
"I feel so grown-up out here." Around me are lush vineyards of fat purple grapes flanked by two sprawling white mansions that look like something straight out of 'Gone with the Wind'. The sommelier pours me a bit more and proceeds to explain the tannins and anthocyanin's of whatever it is that's giving me this pleasant buzz. "Thank you. Where is everyone? Are we the only ones here?"
Andrea laughs and shakes her head. "It's been closed since five yesterday for security purposes. Everywhere we go today is going to be just us."
"Everywhere you go for the rest of your life is what she really means," Mia offers cheerily.
"So Christian knows where I am? Where is he then?"
"Oh! Uh uh, you need to partake," Kate chides, whipping out the huge pink penis filled with straight vodka. I humor her with a small sip. "Can't tell you where he is, I promised Elliot I wouldn't say anything plus, I've got a little surprise planned that I didn't tell anyone about and making him tell me every detail would mean I'd have to tell him every detail."
"Did you at least tell Welch or Sawyer what the surprise is?" Am I seriously asking for security? Have I become so damn paranoid that I feel the need to be surrounded 24/7?
"No way! I gave them the name of the person delivering the secret and that's all they needed to know." My stomach plummets.
"Katherine Kavanagh if you have a stripper coming I will freak out on you." She laughs along with Missy who I know has to be in on the surprise. "I mean it! I will be so pissed off!"
"Calm down, Steele. Damn that man is rubbing off on you. Pump your brakes, there's no stripper. Geez, Prescott knows everything so just chill out. Better yet, take another pull on that dick." She inhales the crisp air and zeroes in on me. "Speaking of dicks, word on the street is that the paps have figured out the date of the wedding." She sits up and looks around. "In fact, I'm pretty sure I saw a few at Americana's taking pictures of breakfast this morning."
I wave her off and reach for a chunk of parmesan cheese. "It wasn't hard to figure out. I mean, everything we do is watched, analyzed and picked over. Far as I know they don't know where it is but even if they find out, what can they do about it? Christian somehow rented the airspace for the day and according to Taylor he's got four patrol boats that will guard the radius."
"Drink up, Steele. You said his name."
"Kate, I was answering you." Heather sits back and hands me the penis.
"Makes no difference, suck it up and this time, let me see you hollow those cheeks."
"Grandpa Trevelyan said he'd buy me a car if I'd give him a blow job. Back in my day only the bad girls did that."
"Mom!" Grace exclaims, covering her mouth to hide her laugh.
"What? How do you think I got the latest model every year?"
Our leisurely time at the vineyard winds down an hour or so later, all of us feeling relaxed as we get into the limo to head to our next destination. Sawyer and Prescott load the three boxes of wine I purchased into the Audi while I watch guiltily. I've never spent more than $20 on a bottle of wine and I just spent over $2k. But it was really good wine…
"Ladies, if you'll please pick a phallus and attach it firmly to the plate in front of you we can get started." Thank you Lord that Grace, Aunt Melody, Grandma and Aunt Laura have opted to rest in their room for the hour before we hit the spa. "Now, face it towards you, balls down. We're going to start with hand jobs and move on to blow jobs."
"Where in the hell did you find this chick?" I mumble to Kate as we learn the 'basket weave' and the 'lasso twist'. I can't take my eyes off of Lisa whose intensity is hilarious considering studying is so not her thing. She showed up to exactly nine classes our senior year of college and slept through them all. But this? A class on pleasuring a man, she is definitely getting an A.
"What?" Kate grumbles back, her hands covered in oil.
"I said, where did you find this...instructor?"
"Craigs List," she deadpans.
"Kate!" I hiss, my blood pressure about to hit the roof. She just laughs and slides her hand up the fake black penis suctioned to the beautiful china plate in front of her.
"Kidding! She's an entrepreneur here in Washington. This is what she does for a living, calm down."
"OK, now as women we tend to focus on the head when in reality, if you've ever watched a man jerk himself off, he focuses primarily on the shaft…Good, Ana, just bring your pinkie finger down, we're not drinking tea here!" Oh my god. "Perfect, ladies. Now alternate between the two moves you feel most comfortable with...wonderful, you are all doing so well."
"She teaches women how to jerk off fake dicks for a living? Please tell me you had her sign an NDA."
"Would you calm down? Prescott knew all about it, she ran her back ground, got her to sign the NDA and will pay her double to ensure her silence. Besides," she continues as I watch mesmerized at the speed in which she moves her hands, "it's not like any of the guys are going to complain that we took a sex class on how to pleasure them."
"Kate, I was a virgin four months ago. Four months! And now you've got me jerking off a…a…dildo attached to a plate!" She just laughs and leans over to kiss my cheek affectionately.
"You're so great, Ana. You may have been a virgin four months ago but I bet you've had more introductory lessons in that time than anyone else in this room. Hell, I bet you could run this class!"
Missy chirps in, her hands covered in lube and massaging a foot long white penis like it was the most normal thing in the world. "You know who would have loved this class?"
"Devin," we all say in unison before breaking into a fit of giggles.
"I can't even look in Mia's direction I'm so disgusted that she'll be applying this to Ethan. I should have thought this one through a bit more before I asked her to join us. Ugh, so fucking foul." I look over and giggle at Mia's face as she focuses on the phallus in front of her.
"Bet she got straight A's in school, she sure knows how to stroke dick!" Heather chokes out, trying her best to get under Kate's skin. "Besides, you're going to be doing the same thing to her brother so the feeling is probably mutual. Oh my god! You guys are going to be doing the same exact thing to each other's brothers later!" We all break into a fit of laughter, Mia hesitantly joining in when Missy repeats the conversation to her.
"OK, ladies. Now one thing I think we as women tend to neglect is the testicles. Now that you've got your man all worked up," I look down at the fake dick in front of me, "we're going to focus on extending that pleasure and adding layers to it. One of the ways to do that is to fondle perhaps his second most favorite piece of anatomy. The balls." I cannot take this seriously. I just can't.
She stands and walks around as if she were a professor in a lecture hall and demonstrates how to stroke, massage, pull and suck. I try very hard to not laugh but I can't help it. In fact, none of us can take it seriously despite how intense the instructor is. Prescott stands in the corner doing her best to remain professional but we catch each other's eye every few minutes and break out in suppressed giggles.
"Where is Sawyer?" I ask Heather, just happy that he's not here.
"On his break. He's in the security suite with instructions not to leave until I come to get him. If he saw this, he'd be scarred for life."
"Does he know what we're doing?" Please god no.
"Yes," she laughs, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "He's all for it, can't wait to reap the benefits but has no desire to actually see it." Kate looks over and winks.
"Ten incher, huh?" Heather nods, slides her hands up and grins.
"Lisa took the foot long so I had to adjust."
"How was your rest?" Heather smiles sweetly at Grandma Trevelyan while we sit in our plush white robes waiting for our massages to begin.
"Oh just fine, dear. At my age, a fake penis would probably put me in the hospital though after 60 years of marriage I'm sure Theo would welcome a few new techniques."
"Mom!" Grace exclaims while a furious blush creeps up my face.
"Oh stop. I'm sure Cary wouldn't have minded if you had sat in on that either." Dying. I am dying inside. The room becomes a cacophony of laughter and snorts until a group of women enter to escort each of us to our treatment rooms.
The spa at the Fairmont is, in a word, unbelievable. There are flowers and greenery everywhere so that you feel like you're in the middle of nature. On little tables throughout the main room are pitchers of water, one filled with lemons, another with cucumbers, another with melon balls. Naturally we're the only ones here and our therapists have been handpicked so that the one servicing myself and the other Grey women have been the most thoroughly vetted.
"Ms. Steele, my name is Chloe and I'll be your therapist for any bodywork you'll have done today. Can I offer you a drink before we get started?" I politely decline and call for her when I'm flat on the table and covered. She places her hands on my back and speaks softly. "I understand you're a Pilates instructor so I'd like to work on some gentle stretching with you as well as the massage."
On the table I relax and let go, making a conscious effort to just enjoy the next ninety minutes instead of letting my mind run like it usually does. Once I'm limbered up and half asleep Chloe flips me again to my back and hangs my head over edge of the table to drip warm oil over my scalp for a head massage and hair treatment.
I have avoided this for many years simply because I didn't want to answer questions about my scar but with the confidence I've gained in the last few months I feel ready to face the inevitable. When her fingers run over the raised line I wait but she says nothing and continues on with soothing strokes.
While she works on my scalp and hair a second woman walks in and sits at my feet, gently explaining to me that she's doing some reflexology on me to help align my chakra's and clear out toxins in my system. I have no idea if any of it works but it feels amazing. If I had had any hesitancy about becoming the wife of one of the wealthiest men in the world, I just gave up caring. A girl could get used to this.
My facial is a bit more entertaining since I'm sharing a treatment room with Grace per our request. I rarely get time to be alone with her and despite her prim and proper exterior, she's quite a randy woman underneath all that professionalism.
Our conversation is somewhat limited by the strangers in the room but I so want to ask her about Christian's beginnings; how he came to her, what made him different from the other kids she saw, what was he like? When the women leave us to let the masks set I do just that, fishing for information that he seems reluctant to give.
"This paraffin feels amazing," she croons, lifting up the mitts over our hands.
"It's making me hot," I laugh, looking for the best way to bring up the sensitive topic of his early years before determining that I just have to ask. "Grace, can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, sweetie. You're going to be my daughter in a week, you can ask me anything." My eyes sting with tears at the casual way she embraces me as family. It feels good.
"If you don't want to answer, I don't want you to feel like you have to but I really want to know more about Christian's life with you as a young child. He doesn't like talking about it and I don't want to force him to relive anything painful but...well I'm not being nosy I just..."
"Ana. You're marrying him. It's completely normal to want to know about him as a child. I'll warn you though, it's not an easy thing to hear."
"I know," I say softly.
"To hear about how the man you loved was abused, neglected and all but forgotten isn't exactly fun and this day is about fun for you. You sure you want to hear about it today?"
"So long as you're ok talking about it." I rush to add, "I don't want to ruin your day either." She snorts.
"If he wasn't the man he is today I'd have a hard time recounting it. But to see him with you so...free and happy," her breath catches. "It was a normal Tuesday afternoon, nothing out of the ordinary. Being in Detroit, or any inner city really, it wasn't unusual to have neglected children come in. There were a few that stood out to me, some so incredibly sad at such a young age that your heart can't help but tuck them away inside of it. I got called to the pediatric trauma unit and there he was, dirty as any kid I'd seen, skinny with a bloated belly from malnutrition and hair past his shoulders."
"He was just like the others in that he was wary of everyone and hesitant to allow anyone near him but when he looked at me," she sucks in a quick breath, "Ana, I knew he was mine. Mine. I didn't even know he was an orphan, yet, he was mine. In an instant I saw him playing with Elliot, sleeping in a room with sail boats and books and before the professional in me could stop it, I'd read his name, tacked Grey to the end of it and that was that."
"Why though? What about him was so different?"
"He was made for our family. Ella had him for a few years but he was always meant to be ours. Ever hear the saying, 'You were born in my heart'? Well that boy was born in my heart long before I set eyes on him. When I walked in the exam room and he looked up at me...it was like my entire world clicked into place." She's quiet for a minute and I wonder if that's as much as I'll get from her but then she continues, her voice strong and sure.
"So anyway, he wouldn't let anyone bathe him or brush his hair which was absolutely filthy but he would let me sit in the room as he played in the tub. And when I say play, I mean he sat still and stared at me for a good twenty minutes before he'd start doing what I said. His movements were robotic, 'Dunk your head under the water', 'Rub this white stuff in with your fingertips', 'Lean back into the water'. I swear, I don't think he'd ever seen soap bubbles before because he sat there and popped each one with the wonder of someone who was being shown a new thing. It took almost an hour but he finally was clean enough to properly inspect. I thought he was about two and a half, maybe three but his records from Child Protective had him at just having turned four. It was when I read through the police report an hour or so later that I saw he was orphaned and had no known next of kin. So I called Cary and had him file a petition to take foster custody of him as soon as he could be released from the hospital."
"Of course, things are never as easy as they should be so after a six day stay in the hospital to treat his malnutrition and dehydration he was sent to a foster family in a small town right outside of Detroit. We had the paperwork already in the system so we were allowed to visit with him and we did. Everyday. As often as we could we'd have dinner with him or we'd go early and have breakfast. Anything to stay in his day to day life. With kids like that, consistency is paramount." She sighs and even though I can't see her, I know she's smiling.
"He was beautiful even then. When we got him home two months later he let Carrick shave his head which was remarkable since the only touch he could tolerate was mine and even then it was minimal. He ate as much as an adult and made himself sick after every meal for almost a month because he was so afraid we'd take away the food. Cary wound up making sandwiches every night and plating them up to leave by his bed with a glass of milk and an apple just so Christian would get the message that he'd never go hungry again."
"Was it hard? For you guys? For Elliot?"
"Hard? Yes. I loved that kid and he was struggling just to be around people let alone interact with them. He'd spend hours sitting at my dad's feet being read to but other than that, he was pretty much a loner. With the exception of Elliot of course. Nothing's changed on that front. That kid was as charismatic as they come from day one and Christian fell right under that spell same as everyone else. Elliot was good to him, protected him, understood him, never pushed him or berated him. Christian wouldn't play with Elliot but he'd sit in the same vicinity and watch and Elliot, God bless him," her voice chokes up, "he'd just go about his playing acting like Christian was a part of it and then one day I came in from the garden and they were playing army men together." She takes a minute to compose herself as do I, two tears running down my temples into my hair.
"That was it. From then on, Elliot ran the show and Christian went along with it. Then Mia came along and everything changed. God the three of them ran me ragged. I swear Cary didn't start drinking until Elliot was about 14 and then when Christian started his pre-teen attitude, I started too. Christian has always thought he was the one we worried about the most and we did but I'd long ago accepted that his teen years would be full of angst. He was just...intense. If the neighborhood kids played a pickup game of baseball and he struck out, he'd dwell on it for the rest of the day. If he was learning a new piece and got caught up on a particular section, he'd sit there for hours until he got it right and then start from the beginning until he could play it perfectly. But it was Elliot we worried about the most. That boy could charm the pants off any female without fail. So we had one we were begging to stop being physical and one we were begging to try."
The estheticians reenter then and we cease speaking but I doubt she'd go on past that anyway. Both of us know about his teen years and what happened and neither of us wants to dwell on it. Not today, not tomorrow, not in a hundred years.
"I'm on fire. Like, literally on fire." Lisa pats at her arms, bright red from the salt scrub we all got and then feels her face, bright red from what appears to be an allergic reaction to a clay mask. "I'm a red head with alabaster skin. Now I look like a freaking Oompa Loompa."
"Seriously. You had better hope the lights are low at the club later because you look stupid." Devin dabs some blueberry lip gloss on and drops one shoulder her way. "And I happen to have fielded a few questions about you from one Gavin Grey, age 26, build athletic, eyes green, hair dirty blond, attitude…childish."
"You did not!"
"Did too, he noticed you over a plate of huevos rancheros. Well, that and you're the only single people here so, you know, you've got that whole default thing going."
"Default or not, I'm bagging me a Grey." Grace raises her brows and points with her chopsticks towards Lisa.
"I love my nephew but he is a hot head like none I've ever seen. Were you at our pool party in June when the doctor hit on Anastasia and then hurt Christian?" She shakes her head. "It was embarrassing how off the wall Gavin went. Yelling out threats, tossing a few punches. Just embarrassing."
"Sounds hot as fuck to me," Lisa whispers, eliciting a giggle from Heather. "So what did the guys do today, Dev?"
"Never mind what the guys did. I want to know why nobody told me the illustrious Mistress Sasha was going to be here. My god, I could have taught her a thing or two had I been given the chance. Instead I was catapulted off a bridge towards raging waters below. You know how they say you see your life flash before your eyes? Well I can attest that it's true. Every poor fashion decision I've ever made, played out in Technicolor as I fell to certain death."
"Wait. You guys went bungee jumping?" I screech, Grace all but drops her sake and Missy turns ashen.
"Oh damn. Guy code. I forgot about it." He shrugs, "Yes they jumped, even Logan and he's just fine so just pinch those cheeks Melissa because putrid does not work with that crimson dress."
"What else?" I ask, happy to hear any details about Christian's day.
"Well, when I left Elliot and Dale had just put in midget porn to watch on the car ride to their next destination."
"Midget porn," Grandma Trevelyan repeats.
"Oh yes," Devin answers, gently laying his hand over hers as if they were old friends. "Apparently it's quite popular with the heteros. One…actress in particular. Bridget the Midget, have you heard of her?" I swear to all things holy I choke on my own spit right then and there convinced that the Grey's are going to host a 'Don't Marry Ana' intervention after today.
"Oh no, haven't heard of her. Back in my day the men had pictures of Marilyn Monroe that they used to beat off to." OH MY GOD! Devin waves his hand.
"Oh they still do that sweet heart except now her name is Kate Upton."
"So Ana," Alison starts, thankfully leading the conversation onto safer ground, "have you been able to figure out anymore on the honeymoon?" I shoot a withering look to Andrea who huddles in front of her plate of sushi acting like she didn't just hear that.
"Well I know I need my passport and I know it's a long flight but other than that, I know nothing. However, there is someone at this very table that knows not only where I'm going but every single detail down to the clothes I need to pack." I cough and point at a red faced Andrea who, kudos to her, shakes her shoulders, sits up and juts out her chin.
"I have a job to do and if you think I want to work for a pissed of Christian Grey again, you're nuts. These last five months have been enjoyable. He's finally human! You think I'm going to jeopardize this tenuous hold on happiness that he has? No way. Now pass me the wasabi please."
Spread out before us in the dining room of our suite at the Fairmont is a sushi table to die for. A private sushi chef and his apprentice have been hired to cater to our every whim and appetite and so far, have wowed us with culinary artwork that makes our Friday sushi lunches look like child's play.
"This is so much better than the place we order from on Friday's," Eliza says to me, echoing my inner thoughts while I chew on a delicious unagi. I was sad when she was unable to join us for the day but having her here now makes the circle of women around me feel complete. I'm aware, acutely aware actually, of my missing mother and of Hem's absence but something tells me the sexual shenanigans today would have been met with motherly disdain had Hemwatee been able to make it. My mother though, hers is an absence I don't focus on.
Today and tomorrow will be a glimpse into what the wedding will be like without her. I know Grace asked Christian if she should invite her to the shower she's hosting tomorrow at Bellevue and I appreciate the gesture even if Christian responded with a, "Fuck no!" into the phone. He didn't know I could hear the conversation and as hurtful as her absence is, his desire to protect me does help to soften the blow.
After dinner we part ways with the older women and crank the music in the suite. Franco and two members of his team are here to do hair and make up for a night out on the town and help to add to the party atmosphere by singing and dancing along with us as we get ready to go out.
Kate has picked out a short but not indecent gold sequined dress for me to wear that has an open back and a sweet bow at the back of the neck to keep it in place. Devin is ecstatic that I'll be sporting his color and proceeds to rub that lotion of his with the gold dust in it from nape to toes.
"Too much, Devin! Geez, I look like one of those Oscar statues now!"
"Oh stop. You look magnificent!" He steers me to a man named Balthazaar, who had to have made that name up for curb appeal, and directs him in 'gayspeak' as he calls it. "Make it shine at the top, smoke at the bottom, no cats, flip edge, extra curl, white to line, highlight the bones but draw to the eye and for the love of God do not line her with feathers." Balthazaar nods once and gets to work.
"What did he just tell you to do?"
"Make you look like a sex goddess. Not hard to do when you've got a face like yours. We're going for trampy girl next door tonight." Twenty minutes later, after a whole lot of clucking, a few MmmHmm's and one sassy snort from Devin I'm ready to go. Balthazaar walks me to the floor length mirror and steps back, brush clutched in his hands against his chest.
"Ho-ly." It's all I can say when I see myself. Missy slides next to me, glammed out and looking every bit the sex goddess herself and whistles.
"Ain't nothing about that look that says holy. You look like sex on legs."
"Eliza!" I yell when she walks into the living room in a short, and I mean short, leather skirt and light pink cut off t-shirt. "Look at you!" She blushes from head to toe and slowly turns.
"MmmMmmMmm. Sex does you good, girl!" Devin walks around each of us and inspects us all one last time, lingering on Eliza for a few extra seconds. "I shall crown you my masterpiece."
"You think Barney will like it?" Andrea bursts out laughing behind her and puts one hand on her hip.
"Eliza, I give him less than ten seconds before you're pinned up against some wall with a Bugs Bunny tie wrapped around your wrists." She blinks, blushes and looks down. Andrea clears her throat and looks pleadingly at me. "Sorry, I'm just saying that you look really good and he's going to be thrilled. If a little inner cave man shines through, well, don't say I didn't warn you. It's the quiet ones you need to watch out for!"
Kate wiggles her way between us to the mirror and dabs on a bit more lip gloss. "Ugh. Or the loud and obnoxious ones. Elliot's always trying to tie me to something." She winks. "Wait until he sees the tattoo I'm about to get. Come on, they're waiting for us!"
In the limo Andrea is on the phone with Elliot coordinating the time we'll be meeting up with them since Kate and Elliot had an argument on the phone before we left and she now refuses to speak with him. From what I gather Christian doesn't know I'll be at the club so I'm excited to get there to surprise him. The last time we went clubbing we weren't a couple so to be able to dance with him the way I want to…I can't wait.
But first we stop at a tattoo parlor, a place I've never been to in my entire life and I highly doubt most girls in the limo have ever been to. Inside are three men, all fully covered in tattoos and if I'm honest, super hot. Sawyer does not look too happy to be here and whether it's because of the establishement and his boss's sure response to it or the way the men are staring at all of us, I'm not sure.
"Ms. Steele, I'm Jace Stone, the owner here and I'll be working on any ink you may choose to get."
"No ink for her or this one," Sawyer says sternly, pointing to Heather who lights up at his attention. "There are three women who will be getting work done and one who will be getting a piercing. But these two, no one comes near them. We clear gentlemen?" The three of them sneer, Jace holding up his hands in acquiescence.
"Crystal." He steps forward and reaches for Kate who smiles wickedly at me, grabbing my hand.
"Sit with me, I'm so nervous."
"Kate, Elliot is going to freak out if you do this." She shrugs and tosses her shoulders back in typical Kate Kavanagh defiance.
"So what? It's my body. He can freak all he wants. Now," she says, turning back towards Jace who is waiting patiently outside of his station, "I'm ready. You got the design I emailed to you?"
"I did, I've worked up a sketch so when you're ready, just lie down on the table and lift your dress up past your hip so that I can trace it on. There's a blanket on that chair there if you'd like to cover yourself."
Now I saw the panties that Kate put on back at the hotel and I will be covering her up. They're no more than dental floss held together with a gum wrapper so after she's hoisted herself up I hold the blanket up and cover her as best I can.
"Katherine youwillregretthislater Kavanagh get your abouttobespanked ass off that table immediately and stop this foolishness!" Devin stands between her and Jace, hands on the hips of his gold matted pants. "I swear to all things Cher that I will call your boyfriend and give him the directions to this shop if this man behind me so much as turns on the machine." Behind him the machine buzzes. Devin is not amused.
Slowly he turns and stares down the very good looking, very tattooed, very built alpha male. "You think because you're so hot and manly and god damn you are really hot…" he fans himself, "No! You will not woo my girl into doing something that is so…you need to stop staring at me with those amber eyes so that I can properly tell you off so if you'd please close them…oh never mind," he turns back to Kate, "Katherine, you are on your own."
Without another word he settles himself in the chair, crosses his legs and stares. "What? You think I'm going to miss even a second of this? Hellstotheno, tattoo away Mr. Hot Pants. I hope you cry, Katie but if you ruin your eye makeup don't come crawling back to me for sympathy or touch ups!"
But she doesn't cry, not even when Jace goes back to shade the space in between the E and the G he's hidden in the small tattoo on her hip bone. It takes less than 45 minutes for her to be permanently drawn on for life and while I believe she and Elliot will make a commitment, getting anyone's name or initials tattooed on them is just stupid.
Devin struts over, one arm folded across his abdomen, the other resting on his forearm, finger pointed towards his mouth. "Foolishness."
She stands and looks at it in the mirror while Jace squats and rubs on an ointment. "You better watch those fingers, Hottie, her boyfriend will be mad enough that you've touched her with a needle. If I have to tell him you touched her beaver he's going to kill you." Kate and I choke and laugh as does a red-faced Jace but Devin stands, walks to us and gets down to inspect it.
"Well, Katie girl, you've made it very difficult for him to be angry about this. He'll tan your ass for sure, don't get me wrong but maybe he'll forgive you eventually. Now, it's about me right now so come, my nipple piercing awaits."
Another of the men, a man who introduces himself as JQ greets us and helps Devin to lie down on the table in his room. Everyone has gathered around with the exception of Andrea who is still getting her tattoo worked on. Devin is all bravado until JQ turns around and uncorks the needle he'll be using.
"Holy mother of Cher and Lady GaGa." Blindly he reaches out for my hand which I give to him. "Judy Garland don't fail me now." He grimaces and starts to clench and unclench his fingers, sweat causing his mascara to run.
"Your makeup is running," Lisa whispers, dabbing at his face with a paper towel.
"What?! This is Shiseido! I paid over HOLY LIZA MINELLI that hurts!" He pants and squeezes his eyes shut.
"It's just the iodine dude, relax." JQ hides his laugh and rolls his eyes, circling the white gauze around Devin's surprisingly well developed pec until he's satisfied it's clean.
"Damn Dev, you look good without a shirt on. When did that happen?" Heather jokes trying to lighten the mood and alleviate the fear but he just waves his free hand and kicks his feet to work out some of his nervous energy. She looks around and lays her hand on his knee. "Why are you doing this if you're so nervous?"
"Because Kate and Ana aren't the only ones who like a little spank with their spunk. This should piss Casey off enough for a good month or so."
"Nah," JQ interjects, clamping the nipple and pulling it so that even I feel faint, "he'll love it. If you wanted to piss him off," he pauses and pushes the needle through. "You should have gotten a nose ring, there's nothing sexual about that."
"Mariah Carey I'm gonna die!" His feet continue to kick long after the needle is replaced with a small silver hoop and even after a Band-Aid is put into place. When it's over he looks around sheepishly and offers us all a small grin. "You saw that? How manly I was just then?"
"Uh, Devin you called out for Mariah Carey." He hops off the table and rolls his eyes.
"Before her stupid butterfly/glitter days." Sawyer catches Heather's eye and laughs, escorting us back into the limo all a bit worse for the wear. I myself need a good hard drink to erase the visual of that piercing so Alison busies herself pouring some cocktail that she's whipped up while Devin sprawls out along the backseat and demands that we fan him so that he doesn't faint.
At the club we're escorted straight past the velvet rope and right into the VIP section where the manager waits for us, a bottle of champagne in his hands. I know that Christian now owns this place so besides the usual ass kissing I experience just by being with him, it'll now be way over the top due to the fact that by default, I'm also the boss.
"Ms. Steele," Bradley Scott, the manager extends his hand and then pops the cork high into the air, "Welcome back and congratulations!" Two girls dressed in next to nothing appear and hand out glasses of champagne and circle around Devin hoping to get the party started. As usual, he doesn't disappoint.
"You have five minutes to acclimate and then your ass is mine on the floor." He points up towards the ceiling and bops his head to the music, "You hear that, even GaGa wants you to 'Just Dance'. Now hop to it, Steele and come shake that booty."
Mr. Scott approaches and motions for me to go and dance, leaning down to tell me that there will be bottle service free of charge (duh) and that he'll be available at a moment's notice should I need him. Before he can stand up Sawyer is pulling him back and telling him, loudly, that he's to maintain at least a foot perimeter from me at all times. I'd be embarrassed if I wasn't so tipsy. Or drunk. I'm pretty sure I'm drunk at this point.
"Someone needs to sit Eliza down with some Jennifer Lopez video's," Missy yells into my ear. When I turn to look I can't help but laugh as I watch Eliza do what can only be described of as 'The Elaine'. "She's going to hurt someone out there, geez, look at her. What is that?"
As we watch and dance together I notice a few guys out of my peripheral staring at us and doing what they can to get closer. There are four security guards with us at this point since Sawyer brought on two guys just for the club. One is stationed in the VIP section, I guess to ensure that nobody spikes our drinks or steals our bags but the other three are on the floor with us.
Prescott is decidedly uneasy about the men to my left and constantly shifts her position so that their view is blocked but the press of the crowd and the sway of the music makes it impossible for her to stand in one place. Sawyer stands on the other side, just at arms length away from me and even though he's doing his job, I notice his eyes wandering to a sexily clad and heavily made up Heather. She's getting checked out as much as I am and if Sawyer's pressed jaw is any indication, he isn't happy about it.
"Ms. Steele," he says harshly after a few songs, "We need to move this back to the VIP section where I can better keep an eye on things." Behind me I feel the press of a few bodies and turn to see the men from earlier doing what they can to dance up to us. The other guy that Sawyer hired, I think his name is Paul or something, moves himself in the middle so that we can safely exit the main floor and catch a breather in our little cordoned off spot.
The energy difference between the dance floor and our VIP section is palpable and instantaneous.
"I love you girls and all but this a party does not make. I want to be with people. Come on, let's dance!" Devin pulls at my arm and I resist for a minute but he's right. Dancing in a club is fun because you're a part of something, in the middle of a ball of moving energy that motivates and inspires you and standing here with my friends is fun but I want to dance. So even though Sawyer asks me not to and even though the crowd has grown in the fifteen minutes we've been standing here, I go out anyway dragging Prescott behind me.
"I love this song!" Eliza shouts, bouncing up and down to Nicki Minaj's 'Pound the Alarm'. She grabs my arm and whips me forward to the center of the room laughing and following with our group minus Andrea who's tattoo is hurting too much.
Again I notice the group of guys watching us but again I see the three CPO's assigned to us doing a good job of keeping them away so I'm a bit surprised when I get violently pushed to my right, grabbed by Prescott and then righted. When I turn I see Sawyer hauling off two of the guys by their arms, all but dragging them to God knows where. Prescott presses her hand to her face and pulls it away, a small bit of red covering one finger.
"Are you alright?" I question. She nods, points at the other CPO and waves him over as she holds her nose.
"Do not move from this spot. Ms. Steele, if you would please follow me while I get this to stop, I'd appreciate it. I'm not comfortable leaving you without Luke here."
I move to follow her only to be jumped on by an overly excited and very drunk Kate. "Elliot's going to flip out when he sees what I've done!" She's laughing and dancing like an idiot, twirling around so that I temporarily lose sight of Prescott. Her dark hand grabs my wrist and pulls me forward but Kate is totally oblivious to the bleeding woman behind her and spins, her arm hitting Prescott right in the shoulder. Her hand drops from me and that's when I feel a pair of hands, large hands that I know do not belong to my fiancé grab my butt.
I whirl as fast as I can, my hands up in the defensive ready position and brace myself to deliver a blow to the fuckers groin but there's no need. Because somehow, in the middle of this mayhem Christian has not only appeared but is hovering over a blond giant on the floor. The fury radiating off of him is terrifying and while the music doesn't stop and half the crowd has no idea what's going on, it's as if everything just faded away and it's just the three of us.
Me. My fiancé and a man with a death wish.
In slow motion I take it all in, the CPO's coming at us, the blood dripping down the side of the guys face, the way Christian is standing half over him with his hands still in fists. He's breathing heavy and harshly as if he's trying very hard to not haul off and hit the guy again.
Prescott reaches for me but I press myself against Christian and wrap my arms around his left arm, burying my face into his sleeve. He tenses and looks down at me as if he's just now realizing I'm there.
"Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" He asks me, eyes intense on mine.
"No, I'm fine, let's just go," I plead, afraid of what ramifications may rain down from this.
"What the fuck man!" Blond idiot stands with his hand still over his nose. Elliot has pulled Kate behind him and Christian mimics the move, pushing me back less than gently.
"Get the fuck out now, bro," Elliot fires off, angry but also a bit afraid of what his brother might do. When Blonde idiot opens his mouth again Christian's entire body tenses.
"I was just being friendly asshole, what the fuck is wrong with you?"
In a low voice somehow still loud enough to be heard over the music Christian growls, "If you ever come within a mile of my wife again, I will personally ensure that your body is never found. Now get the fuck out of my club." Elliot and I both grimace. If he didn't know who Christian was before, he does now.
"Your club? Your club? Oh this is perfect. I've always wanted to own a place like this." He turns to walk away, Ryan and Reynolds flanking him and then shouts back, "You messed with the wrong guy, asshole!" I snort. He has no idea what he's talking about.
When he's out of sight Christian rounds on me, takes my face in both of his hands and looks at me for a moment before the love shutters out of his eyes and a raw fury replaces it.
"How the fuck did he get close enough to touch her?" He screams it to Prescott, Sawyer and CPO's one and two. He points at Sawyer who motions for him to follow him. Christian grabs my hand and drags me along, pressing a firm kiss to my temple. "I'm not leaving you alone for a second out there." Despite the drama of the last few minutes, I'm just happy to have him with me again.
"You've got one minute, Luke and then you're fired." To his credit Sawyer takes a deep breath to steady himself and widens his stance. Behind us Prescott is standing, blood now coagulating on her face.
"What the fuck happened to you?" Christian demands.
"Right before you arrived I was hit in the face. I believe my nose is broken, Sir. As I was exiting the floor, Ms. Steele was in my care and was exiting with me to ensure her safety when the gentleman assaulted her."
"Gentleman," he snorts. "You were leaving with her?" He looks at me to confirm.
"Yes, she was adamant that I not stay out there without her since Sawyer was disposing of two guys who were being aggressive as well." His eyes fly open at that terrible choice of words. I grimace and quickly correct myself. "Nobody else touched us because Sawyer stopped them before they could even get close." He turns to Luke who nods once.
"Clean yourself up, Cottie and go to the hospital. We'll have a full debriefing in the morning but as of now, I want you taken care of. Where's the other CPO's you hired, Sawyer?"
"Behind you, Sir." Christian turns, fury returning and points.
"Who was guarding the VIP section?" One guy raises his hand. "Go back and continue. You," he points at Paul, "get out. You're fired." And with that he grabs my hand again, pulls me towards a back area and tells Sawyer not to move from that position.
I don't need to ask what he's doing because I already know and I can't begin to explain how much it turns me on.
Once in the privacy of a back office of some sort he kicks the door shut, presses me against the wall and pins me with his hips. His face searches mine for a moment and then he kisses me. Brutal, harsh, demanding. He doesn't coax my mouth open, he forces it. He doesn't feel my breasts over my dress, he grabs them.
"I need you," he hoarsely whispers into my mouth. It's not a question but I nod anyway and shake my hips to help him when he reaches up to pull down my panties. "Turn around," he demands, his hands reaching for his zipper as I face the wall.
His left hand glides down my bare back and then lifts my dress with a flick while his right hand positions me. "Bend over." He carefully glides the head of his cock over my slit and lingers on my clit, rubbing it just long enough for me to open my legs wider and begin to beg.
"Mine, Anastasia," he grunts, sheathing himself all the way. "Nobody touches this body except me." Both of his hands grab my hips and pull me roughly to him in quick succession, the only sound heard over the bass of the music is my moans and cries of ecstasy.
"All day I wanted to bury myself in you. All day I was waiting to get just five minutes alone with you so I could coat myself in your cream and feel that tight wetness around my cock." He slams hard once more and stills, "Fuck!" He cries, grabbing my hair and pulling me up so that he can bite my neck. "You feel so good, baby. Tell me you want me."
"I want you. Oh my god I want you so much, fuck me, please, Christian!" His hand wraps around my hair tighter, my body bowing and arching to meet his thrusts.
"Wrap your hands around my neck and hold on, baby. I'm going to make you come now." I do as he says and gasp when both of his hands reach between my legs. One pulls my lips open while the other circles my clit with firm pressure. Not once does the rhythm of his thrusts relent. "Now, Ana, come now."
Within seconds I cry out and fall forward, my hands bracing me up against the wall while he pummels me from behind emptying inside of me with a harsh groan. He trembles and stills, pulling me up against him so that my back is flush with his chest and holds me there with both arms wrapped around my waist. He shivers and buries his face in my hair pulling me as close as he can until it's a struggle for me to breathe.
We recover slowly, both of us enjoying the feel of the other's body too much to want to move. He moves my hair to one side and kisses my shoulder, electric shocks coursing through my body at the loving gesture.
"I missed you today," he whispers and then slumps behind me, the tension finally leaving his body in a rush of emotion. My arms lift and hold his neck again, the movement causing him to slip out of me.
"I missed you too. You were right about sleeping at Kate's, I don't want to be away from you at all." Surprisingly he withdraws completely from me, reaches for a tissue on the desk and cleans himself before zipping back up.
"No, you should stay at Kate and Elliot's that night." He hands me a few tissues so I can clean myself up and picks up my discarded panties, handing them to me when I'm finished.
"What?"
"She has a whole night planned and you're going there in the morning to get ready anyway. You should do it." I'm flabbergasted. He looks at my face and laughs. "You don't think I can come to reason on my own? It's a night, Ana and one you should spend with your girlfriends. We'll have a lifetime of nights together to make up for it but Kate's right, you should go home with her after the rehearsal dinner."
"What about you?" He shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Elliot will stay at Escala with me."
"You're sure?" We stand facing each other, smiling like idiots in love, cheeks flushed with sexual energy, a peace between us that binds us.
"I'm sure. Now come on, I want to dance with you so that every fucker out there knows not to come near you again." At the door he turns and takes my face in his hands again. "I didn't upset you did I? When I hit that guy? I was just so pissed."
"It was a bit frightening to see you so angry but I wasn't fearful of you or what you'd do to me. I just didn't want you to get in trouble. And I'd have liked to use some of my self defense on him but you didn't give me the chance!" I tease, pulling him close to me.
"So long as you're with me you'll never need those self defense lessons. I will always protect you."
"I know. Thank you for that." His brows raise in question. "For always protectinge and putting my needs as a priority. You make me feel loved." I can't tell for sure but I think he's blushing.
"Now come on, you owe me a dance. Last time we were here you accused me of sleeping with someone else!" He grimaces and shuts the door behind him, dutifully waiting outside of the ladies room so I can properly clean up. When I come out I hear Elliot yelling at Kate in some corner. Christian's eyes are slitted and angry, focused on me while we listen.
"What the…did he see these! Mother fucker, Kate! They're less than a g-string!...he touched you in these? I am so mad, you had better pray I fall asleep drunk or I swear to God I will take your ass so hard tonight you'll pray…what?"
"I said look at it you big buffoon!" Christian is still staring me down.
"Does that…shit, does that say EG?" She must have nodded because I hear nothing else after that, just the thud of someone hitting the wall and a feminine moan I've heard plenty of times having lived with her for four years.
"Anastasia Rose I swear to God if you have ink on your body or if someone touched you," he steps back and pulls at his hair, "I swear to God…"
"Relax, the only thing I did was cover Kate with a blanket and hold Devin's hand." His face relaxes and then his lips purse out in confusion.
"Devin? I thought he hated tattoos."
"He does. He got his nipple pierced." Christian laughs and wraps his arms around me.
"He would. Did he pray to Cher?"
"Mariah Carey." Christian throws his head back and laughs heartily.
"Shit, he must have been desperate!"