APOV
"So you guys really didn't see each other at all? Not even once?" Missy furrows her brow at me and Heather over her wine glass and watches as I chop the spicy sausage into tiny pieces.
"Nope. Christian told Luke before they even got there that they wouldn't really need him so it was Gail, Luke, Taylor and me except for the two times lover boy and his conquest left the resort to site see and required the presence of their security team. I would have liked to have seen her though." Heather leans against the refrigerator and rolls her eyes but she can complain all she wants, it was my honeymoon.
"I guess that makes sense, it being your honeymoon and all," Missy shrugs. "Did he really not let you wear clothes?" When I shoot her a questioning glare she shrugs again and pops an olive into her mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Kate and I had dinner on Wednesday night."
"I had clothes, just not a lot of them." With a wink I butter the bread and smear crushed garlic and parmesan cheese all over it, waving at Gail when she pops her head in to see if I need anything.
"Mrs. Grey? I've got the linens ironed and organized for you. When you're ready I'll help you set the table unless you want me to do it now."
"No thank you, Gail. And call me Ana. Always Ana. Even if we have company." I wink because I know us having a dinner party makes her feel the need to be formal. "I'll set the table in a bit, why don't you take off for the night?"
"Let me at least fold the laundry in the dryer and then I'll head out."
"Gail," I start, the knife waving in my hand as I turn to speak to her. "I do not want you doing my laundry. I get that you want to do Christian's and Lord knows the man can't turn on the spin cycle without someone helping him but when it comes to my personal dirty clothes, I'd rather do them myself. But thank you."
With a grin and a waive she excuses herself for the night and takes off for her apartment.
"Did you and Gail spend a lot of time together?" Missy questions, clearly not getting the picture that the Maldives, while beautiful, was nothing more than a den of iniquity while we were all there. Heather laughs and fills a pot with water to boil.
"Mis, I hardly saw anyone but Luke. And when I say I saw Luke, I mean we were having sex. Repeatedly. Often. Constantly."
"How constant?" I ask.
"Let me put it to you this way. I asked him for anal just to give my vagina a break." Missy snorts out a laugh, spitting her wine from one end of the counter to the other while my face turns the brightest shade of red. Please don't ask me if we did that too.
"Did you do that, Ana?" Well shit. Missy looks at me with wide eyes, clearly off put at the idea. Can't say I blame her, I felt the same way until I tried it with the man I love.
"Um, we did so many things I don't remember…" They both laugh at that.
"Right. So that's a yes. Not so bad, right? I mean, we only did it twice but the second time I actually kind of enjoyed it. Doesn't hurt that the man is seriously talented in bed and had me half delirious by the time we got to it." Heather pauses and slowly turns to Missy, "Are you saying you haven't done it? I mean, the way you just reacted indicates that perhaps you and Logan haven't tapped the well yet." I can't help it, I laugh.
"I am not having this conversation with you or Ana or anyone for the matter. I won't even discuss it with Logan and I married the man!"
"Yes you are! You asked Ana so spill it." With a resigned groan Missy leans over the counter she just wiped clean and rolls her eyes.
"No I've not done it nor am I going to do it. Not happening, not ever. Logan must ask weekly and I'm pretty sure he thought that once he put a ring on it I'd give it up but you have got to be half crazy to let someone fuck your butt. No damn way am I doing that."
"Not even for his birthday?" Heather asks while Missy shakes her head. "Anniversary?" Another shake. "Christmas? New Years? Easter?" At that we burst out laughing.
"Easter anal! Oh my god, I've heard it all now." When we finally calm down Missy launches right back into the interrogation portion of the evening.
"So for real you did it the entire week, Heather?"
"Oh my god, yes! We barely see each other as it is so when we do get some uninterrupted time, we take full advantage of it." Heather hands me the peppers with a wink, clearly trying to goad Missy into giving up some information. "Are you looking for an average or something?"
Missy bounces her head back and forth as she thinks it over before smiling and cocking her head to the side. "Yes, what was a typical day like for you and Luke?"
"Well he still had to do the security briefing with Taylor and Welch every morning at seven and then he and Taylor would usually go for a run or hit the resort's gym while I slept. Then he'd come back, order us room service and then he'd wake me up with his mouth or his fingers. We'd eat. Laze on the beach or on our private deck and have sex again. He'd get another briefing at noon, order us lunch, have sex. We'd usually take a nap in the hammock, wake up, have sex. Order dinner or go out with the Taylors, he'd get his security briefing at six either before or after. Then we'd end the night with sex. Loud, sweaty, balls to the wall sex. What was your time like, Ana?"
"Pretty much the same minus the security briefings. That was heaven actually, not having Christian tied to his phone or his security team. I know Taylor shot him an email each morning with anything he needed to know about but Andrea was really good about not sending him anything that wasn't urgent and even then she was able to hold some things off until he got back into the office on Monday."
Heather leans forward, fanning herself. "Two words for you Steele. Hammock. Sex. Am I right?"
"So right. Took us a few minutes to figure out how to not fall out of the thing but once we got the hang of it, no pun intended, it was awesome. Under the stars, azure water lapping at the dock beneath you, warm breeze floating around your naked bodies." Shit, now I'm turned on. "We pretty much lived in those hammocks while we were there," I say, clearing my throat.
"I must say, Anastasia Rose, you have become quite the hussy since meeting your husband." I blush and purse my lips out in an attempt to stop the smile forming on my face.
"I know, it's shameful how often I want him. He doesn't seem to think so of course but I don't know…I feel almost…obsessed or something. And not just with the sex but with him." Turning to face them I'm not surprised I have their absolute attention. Girl time has become more of a rarity these days so I'll take it while I can and attempt to figure some things out while I don't have Christian's all-consuming presence looming large.
"Go on," Heather encourages as she hands me a glass of wine.
"OK, so New Zealand was amazing. Over the top adventure, we were constantly doing things, almost always on the go. Fantastic."
"And sex daily of course," she finishes for me. I grin.
"Yes, Heather, sex daily. More like a minimum three times daily although there were two days we only did it once. I had to give myself a break." Heather raises her glass to me in a salute of solidarity. "But each day that passed made me a tad more anxious about coming home. Like things were going to drastically change when we landed back in Seattle. So I was really happy to have that one extra week in the Maldives but all that did was make me even more attached."
"I got like that with Logan on our honeymoon too. And I'll be honest, he got kind of like that too. It was strange, we both got super needy of the other person. Almost like the realities of life were waiting to take us down or something when we got back."
"Yes! Exactly. Christian is involved with so many things in his office and is needed by so many freaking people and I've been fine with that so far. I get it, he's a hot shot businessman and his presence is required by a lot of individuals. So when I finally got him all to myself for three weeks, the notion of giving him back to everyone else, it made me freak the fuck out."
"What made you freak out, Annie girl?" Devin waltzes in and hands me the dessert I tasked him with bringing, kissing both of my cheeks before greeting the girls and pouring himself a glass of Sancerre. "You talking about the big fight on the flight home? Or the one from this morning?"
"What fight?"
"Big fight?"
"Why are you fighting?"
"Already?"
Devin pauses mid sip and gives me a small smile. "Sorry, girl, I thought you were dishing." Both women wait expectantly for me to elaborate while I shoot Devin with daggers. It's not like Christian hasn't already had this conversation with his brother and apparently his parents. That little bit of news slipped out on the flight home much to my annoyance.
"Christian wants a baby. Like, tomorrow." Both of their eyes grow wide while Devin rolls his.
"He's stupid then. You need to break that shit down into small pieces so that he can understand. I know he's all brilliant and super hot and way smart and shit but he is still a man and therefore still needs his shit explained to him like a child." Devin reaches for the grapes and pops one in his mouth with a flair only he can deliver. "Babies mean less sex. That's all you need to tell him. That man is so singularly focused on being with you that if you spell it out, real plain and simple; babies...equal...less...sex...with...me, he'll change his tune. Trust."
"I told him that. He says he doesn't care nor does he believe that. Christian thinks babies give women the excuse to have less sex with husbands who don't know, and I quote, 'how to fuck them'." Devin just slaps his hand on the countertop and howls out a laugh.
"Fool. So he thinks because he's so amazeballs in the sack that you will be the exception to the rule?" I nod. "He actually thinks that women around the world just aren't having good enough sex and therefore are using children as an excuse to avoid doing it?"
"Yup."
"Bring him around babies then." Missy says it so easily that the suggestion stops me in my tracks. "If he thinks he's ready, bring him around a few kids. And not just for a few hours. Make it like, a weekend. And put him in charge."
"But he can't know you're putting him in charge because then he'll just see it as a challenge. You need to make the situation as true to life as you can. Who do we know with kids? Small ones, preferably annoying ones." Heather starts to stretch, something she always does when she's thinking. The life of a yoga instructor.
"What about your neighbors from your old apartment? Karen or something. She has two small kids. I bet the girl is at potty training age."
Devin hoots, smacks his knee and give Heather a high five. "That is perfect. That should freak him out enough to make him give you some breathing room at least. And Heather's right, it can't be presented to him as if it were a challenge. He's far too competitive for that. It needs to seem totally organic even if you're masterminding the entire thing. Oh oh oh! Get them on a weekend they're both sick, that will seal the deal for sure."
"I don't know, it sounds like manipulation if you ask me."
"Annie. The man hasn't been around kids like, ever. It's not manipulation, it's a life lesson. He has no idea what it is he's asking for. If you want to talk about manipulation, we can talk about the fact that he's planning this little China trip for when you're scheduled for your next shot." Sometimes, it sucks that Devin is so involved in my life.
"Oh stop, that's just a timing issue. And I called Dr. Brodsky, she said I could come in the day we're leaving and do it then."
"Oh please, how much do you want to bet something will suddenly come up and you'll have to leave early that day? You're a smart girl, Annie baby, you'll know what to do and when to do it so I'll drop the issue for now but let me say this. Baby now or baby in five years, either way, that man is in dire need of child rearing 101."
"So good, Ana. When did you learn to cook like this? And why the hell didn't you teach Katie?" Elliot grabs his arm where Kate has hit him and has the good manners to look hurt.
"I know how to cook!"
"Of course you do, Katie. And you are the best grilled cheese maker there is." He smiles at her, "And damn can you whip up a pot of boiling water and damn if you don't look hot as shit twisting open that jar of sauce either. Mmm, makes my mouth water just thinking about it."
Christian looks at me with a goofy grin on his face and taps his foot against mine. "It's very good baby."
Gone is the brooding man that left me in a frustrated pout after breakfast and in his place is my husband, casual in gray trouser pants and a white button down. It was my idea to host a little party to say farewell to Rachel since she's leaving for assignment on Sunday but Christian was the one who had been the most excited about it since it would be the first time we had our friends over since we got back a few days ago.
He'd said our friends. Not my friends. Ours. It had warmed my heart right up and had me dancing around the closet as I found something to wear but then he'd ruined the moment by asking if Missy and Logan were going to start a family soon. And like everything child related, one question led to the next which led to the next which ended with him asking when I'd be ready.
Which is a fair question except he's asked me the same thing at least 10 times in the month we've been married. Emotional responses are a completely foreign concept to Christian as is the response, 'I don't know' so to say that his patience has run thin would be an understatement. To say that my tolerance level for his badgering has hit an all-time low would also be an understatement.
"So, the Maldives, what'd you guys do there besides, you know, be newlyweds?" Casey asks, thankfully pulling me from my spiraled thoughts on 'BabyGate'. Christian leans back and takes my hand in his with a smile, kissing my knuckles before he gives a quick wink.
"Well, we did charter a yacht and go snorkeling one day and we did go into town, if that's what you could classify it as, for drinks and dinner one night but other than that…we newlywedded."
Around us the table breaks out in laughter, the men actually high fiving each other like idiots while I blush my face off surprised by his sudden oversharing.
"Let me tell you," Heather starts, "Getting there was a freaking bitch. Not that I'm complaining because it was the trip of a lifetime but it took a full day to fly there and another three hours to get to the island the resort was on. It was well worth it in the end but damn, you have to really want to go there."
"Ana, were the beaches there topless?" Mia giggles like an adolescent while Ethan rolls his eyes next to her.
"Um, I have no idea. We didn't actually see anyone where we were. It was just us. I mean, we had a beach of course but nobody was on it except Christian and me."
"So were you topless?" Ethan asks with a laugh, clearly joking. But to Christian, that crossed the line because his mood goes from jovial to murderous in no time flat.
"That's my wife you're talking to, Kavanagh." The entire table goes still and waits except for Elliot who is obviously trying to figure out a way to diffuse the situation.
"Christian," Ethan offers carefully, "I'm joking. I didn't expect an answer, it was just a joke."
"Joke or not, you're dating my sister and speaking to my wife. I'd appreciate it if you could keep your grade school humor to yourself."
"Oh come on, C. You were just saying how you 'newlywedded' the entire time. You set the tone so stop with the dramatics." I can feel Christian tense up next to me but he manages to calm himself enough to excuse himself for a moment. As soon as he's out of the room Elliot looks around, lifts his fork and knife and looks right at me. "So, were you?"
And thank God for Elliot because the mood immediately lifts and everyone starts to laugh again. I join in, sure that Christian will be right back out but after three minutes I quietly excuse myself to find him. I'm not at all surprised to find him in his office nursing a glass of scotch. Closing the door behind me I go to him and run my hand over his jaw, the intensity of his eyes immediately lessening.
"I hate that shit, Ana. Hate it. I know you say he's just a friend and I know he's dating Mia but for fucks sake that guy has to have wanted you at some point. And what the hell was he thinking asking you if you went topless?"
"Uh, he was probably thinking the same thing you were when you joked about us having constant sex. You can't have it both ways. They, those people out there, those are our friends. They like you, they want to get to know you but you make it hard to know where the lines are sometimes when you act like a frat boy one minute and a seventy year old grandfather the next."
"Seventy year old grandfather?" he deadpans.
"Yes," I snort. "You need to lighten up sometimes. You're not exactly a jokester so when you let your guard down and fool around, people jump on it. They want to encourage it in you because it makes you so much fun. It's the real you they get to see in those moments. That's all that was with Ethan."
As if on cue his hand runs through his hair and tugs before reaching out to pull my lip from my teeth. With a heavy sigh he puts the tumbler down, picks me up in his arms and kisses my collarbone.
"You're right. I need to lighten up. And I should never have made that joke about what we did. It was crass of me and for that I apologize." His brows rise up and down a few times, "Though we did fuck an awful lot in the Maldives. I thought we were doing well in New Zealand but damn, baby, you were a fucking champ that last week."
And just like that he swings back into host mode, walking me back out to the table where he carries on as if nothing had happened. Thankfully, everyone plays along and follows suit, the night salvaged by Elliot's humor and Christian's determination to make me happy.
After dinner and dessert the men make their way to the entertainment room to watch the last few innings of game two of the World Series while the women, including Devin, head upstairs to the new Pilates studio for an impromptu class.
"Wow Ana, I didn't realize he'd created an entire studio for you. My god! You've got everything in here down to the SPX Reformer!" Kate stands in awe of the old submissive bedroom and walks around with Mia to examine the various machines and smaller pieces of equipment Christian furnished this room with.
"Isn't it awesome? When things fell apart with Jared I was kinda left in the lurch as far as workouts go so this was his way of trying to keep my life as normal as possible."
"How are you coping with all that by the way?" Mia asks, bending to stretch after changing into one of the many workout outfits I have in the closet. "I mean, I love my brother and all but along with his mood swings and his overbearing grip on everything in his life, he comes with his very own paparazzi entourage."
"It's par for the course I guess," I shrug. "They annoy me far less than they annoy him but they're still annoying nonetheless. The other day when we were leaving Le Pichet for lunch, one of the newer guys actually reached out to grab my arm so that he could turn me for a better shot."
"Is that why Taylor's got a brace on his hand?" Missy asks from the floor where she's started her breathing exercises.
"Yup, cracked the guy right in the eye socket. Christian said it was going to cost us but he didn't seem to care. I'm pretty sure he gave Taylor a raise for it too," I laugh. "What I hate is the constant speculation about everything. First it was who I was, then it was what I was after, then it was about the wedding, now it's about a baby. Give it a rest already."
"Yeah, well we're all waiting for the baby sweet heart."
"I'm not pregnant, I'm not trying to get pregnant anytime soon and if one more person asks me about it, I'm going to legitimately lose my shit. We clear?" Around me heads bob in unison. "Good, now on your mats, face me. Devin, if you're going to start complaining already hit the door and go watch baseball."
The appalled look on his face is enough to make me want to laugh but it's the sky blue Chanel yoga gear he's got on that ultimately does me in.
"You look ridiculous," Lisa says flatly when she finally takes him in.
"You mean fabulous."
"No, I mean ridiculous. Where did you even find a mans one piece yoga outfit?" Devin puts one hand on his hip and leans forward.
"OK sweet cheeks. You want to play the avoidance game? Because you will lose."
"I'm not avoiding anything," she denies, starting her 100's with exaggerated effort.
"No? I've asked you three times what was going on and you ignore me like I'm not even talking to you and all the sudden you want to know about my fabulous workout gear? Answer me this. How's Gavin?" At that we all grow silent, anxiously anticipating what Lisa has to say. I was hoping she'd bring him tonight but he lives a few hours away and since she's so tightlipped sometimes, no one's sure what's ok to ask and what's not.
"You play dirty," she sneers at him.
"Not in Chanel I don't. But if you want to tell me I look ridiculous when you're the one wearing that pout all night, I'm gonna call your flat white ass out on it. Now where is the illustrious Gavin Grey?"
Lisa looks at me and holds out a hand to me. "Aren't you going to teach? What the fuck? How did this become about me?"
"Oh shut it and dish. We're all dying to know, Devin's just got the biggest balls here."
"Damn right I do," he counters.
"That's easy when you're the only dude in the room, Dev," Kate shoots out on a huff as she struggles to keep up with the rest of us.
"Do not ever, for the rest of your life and even beyond that, call me a dude."
"Do your one hundred's while you talk, everyone on your back and start if you haven't already." When I get to fifty and Lisa still hasn't said a word I threaten to make them do three more reps which of course gets her going.
"He's cool. I like him, like, a lot. We have insane sexual chemistry, I mean, the first time we did it I fucking squirted…oh, sorry, Mia. I'm sure you don't want to hear about this."
"It's fine," Mia grunts out, her body unused to physical exertion of any sort. "That happened with me and Ethan a few weeks ago. He was ecstatic, I was mortified."
"Uh! Like I am now! I don't ever want to hear about your sex life so long as you're doing my brother. So freaking gross!" Kate sounds truly disgusted but Mia either doesn't care or can't tell because she makes no apologies.
"Sorry, Kate but your brother is a stud in bed. The other night we"
"The other night," Kate yells over her, "your brother bent me over the coffee table in your living room while you and Ethan ran out to get more wine!" Mia groans and covers her face but Kate's not finished making her point. "And on the way over here tonight I sucked him off while he was driving."
"Good grief you girls are worse than whore's in a brothel. Just shut up already or I'll start talking about how Casey likes the strawberry lube over the raspberry."
"Fine, fine. You win, Katherine. We avoid brother talk when it comes to the bedroom."
"Agreed," Kate says with finality, happy to have won that argument.
"Turn over into your Superman pose. I want twenty reps done twice. Lisa, please continue."
"Shit, I thought you'd all forget. Anyway, so we hit it off, had insane sex the weekend of the wedding, remind me to thank Christian for the five star accommodations by the way, and then we went our separate ways on Monday. Fine, right? It was a wedding fling, happens all the time. Except he called me on Tuesday to see how I was and then again on Thursday to tell me he was coming back to Seattle for some bullshit party on Saturday that never happened so he wound up spending the weekend at my house. Except I had my period and kinky as I may be, that shit just ain't happening."
"So you gave him lots of head?" Missy asks while I laugh at how crass we can all be when we're together.
"Duh. And a hand job for the damn record books. I swear to Christ I need to write that lady who instructed us a thank you card because that boy's ass lifted right off the chair when he popped. I could have told him to paint the outside of my house in the nude and he'd have done it. Talk about the hour of power."
"Oh my God, I know. Logan used to think hand jobs were for high schoolers only but now? Shit, I think he'd choose a tug job over a blow job. She was seriously a genius."
Devin shrugs and rest his head in his hand while he wait for everyone else to finish. "I still say you could have paid me. I'm the mother fucking Tiger Woods of hand jobs."
CPOV
"So," Elliot says, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and making himself way too comfortable in my home, "how's your first real week of married life?"
"Dickface, we've been married a month almost."
"Yeah," Jose starts, shoulders sliding right while he and Logan play Grand Theft Auto, "but you were on your honeymoon. That doesn't count."
"Exactly. No real life shit going on," Ethan offers as if he knows anything. Elliot shoots him a nasty look which Ethan doesn't see but that's mainly because Ethan isn't looking anywhere but at me.
"You guys plan on working this out anytime soon?" I ask with a frustrated sigh. I have no idea what happened but the entire night they've been shooting verbal and ocular daggers at each other and frankly, as much as other people's tension has never bothered me, discourse in my family bugs the shit out of me.
"Tell Christian why I'm pissed at you, E. Dare ya."
Casey stands, pretends to be interested in the bottle of whiskey being passed around and then makes some lame excuse to get a water. I don't bother pointing out the crystal pitcher right next to the Glenlivit.
Ethan turns to me and raises his brows defiantly. "I took Mia, my girlfriend, whom I love, below deck at your wedding after you guys had left." I'm on my feet in a flash, ready to knock the fucker on his ass but Jose decides that's the exact time to be a voice of reason.
"OK, OK. I get it. She's your sister but guys? She's almost 22 and they're in love." He turns to Ethan, "Do you plan on marrying her one day?" I see Ethan blanch a bit but credit due him, he recovers quickly.
"Actually, I was hoping to ask her to marry me sometime in the next year. I've not spoken to your father about it but I know he'd approve." What?
"You're going to marry Mia?" Elliot spits out, standing with his fists curled. I've seen this look before a bunch of times and it never ends well for the person he's pissed at. "I don't think so pretty boy. You haven't even started seeing patients yet. Your income is soley from your trust fund! You really think you're ready ask my sister to marry you?"
Ethan stands right in front of him and meets him eye to eye. "Yes. I do. And I may not have a thriving practice yet but at least she doesn't have to run into some chick I've fucked every time we go out." Elliot looks wounded but furious. "What? Did you forget that you're dating my little sister? Did you think she didn't confide in me? For Christ's sake, Elliot, did you know some bitch approached her on Tuesday at Target and described your dick, down to the freckle on your balls? Or how about the two girls, not one but two women who interrupted her dinner with our mother to ask that she tell you that they had such a good time with him 'that night' that they'd love to do it again?" Ethan stops and crosses his arms looking totally, and rightfully so, disgusted.
"Two women?" Elliot repeats in shock. "Your mom was there too?" Oh shit.
"Yeah, mom loved that. What? She didn't tell you all that? There's a shit ton more incidents too. Want me to list them? Or should we talk about the fact that you were down below deck a few hours before us?"
Elliot, pale and suddenly weak looking blinks and exhales, the square of his shoulder sagging under the weight of what Ethan just said. Around us the room is empty, Jose and Logan opting to join Casey in a quest for water.
"She never mentioned any of it," he says blankly, the pain evident in his strained voice. With a whoosh of air he sits heavily back into the couch and covers his face with his hands, shaking his head slowly as if to process whatever it is Ethan just dumped on him. "Was this last Monday?"
"It was the night mom and Kate met up at that new Italian restaurant in Kirkland."
"Monday last week." His hand covers his mouth as he remembers. "She came home crying, said something about her period and pms and then took a sleeping pill. Fuck! Why wouldn't she have said anything?"
Ethan scoffs and sits across from him, crossing one ankle over a knee before steepling his fingers. He'll make a good psychiatrist, he's already got the appropriate stance.
"Because she's embarrassed. Look, you can't possibly think you're going to sleep with half of Seattle and not have that come back to bite you at some point. How many women have you been with anyway?" He asks the question cuttingly, obviously pissed off for his sister. I can't say I blame him right now either especially if she's being attacked by Elliot's ex-conquests.
"None of your fucking business you pissant. How many have you been with?"
"Four," he grins, obviously satisfied to have taken the rug out from under both of us.
"Four?" I repeat, incredulous. "How? You went to college and don't get any ideas but you're not an ugly guy."
"I value women and sex differently than you do," he says casually towards Elliot. Ethan is still in the camp that thought I was celibate which right now is just fine with me. I don't need a guilt trip over my past sex life, I'm good enough at giving it to myself.
"Oh, and that makes you better than me I see."
Ethan shrugs, "If you weren't dating my sister, no. I wouldn't care at all. But since you are and she's the one dealing with your fallout, yeah, I'd much rather have her dating someone with more discretion and a bit more self-control." He must sense Elliot's distress because his tone softens as does his body as he takes a deep breath in.
"You're in the public eye. Everything you do for some reason is fodder for the paparazzi so the fact that you've now been seen with her for a few months and seem to be dedicated to her has the women you've scorned coming out of the woodwork. That and you've been with some nasty whore's who find amusement in hurting another woman. So forgive me if I'm upset that your previous inability to keep your dick zipped up is now affecting my sister and her self-esteem. Furthermore, and you can consider this a favor, our father is the most pathetic, inconsiderate, misogynistic philanderer so to have other women coming up to Kate to talk about their time with you hits a bit too close to home." He holds his hands up as Elliot starts to defend himself. "I'm not saying you're cheating or that you would. I actually don't think you're the type but you have to understand why this is going to be a problem for her and by extension, a problem for me."
We all sit for a few minutes in silence. This is why you keep your sex life private. Right here. I really want to get the hell out of here but I'm afraid one of them is going to haul off and hit the other so I sit tight and wait it out.
"Yeah," Elliot sighs, "Katie's told me how bad he is. I've not seen that shit when I've been around him but I can see the effect it's had on your mom. Why she puts up with him is beyond me." At that Ethan scoffs and leans forward.
"Me and you both. I've been trying to get her to leave him since I was six. I'm pretty sure her inability to see the good in herself is the reason I've gone into the mental health field." He pauses and looks Elliot right in the eye. "I get that you're protective over Mia. I'm glad you are, she's worth protecting. But I love that woman and you need to see her as that. A woman. Not a little girl, not your baby sister who needs her big bad brothers to protect her. She's a full grown woman. So if her boyfriend," he points to himself, "wants to love her in private, she can do that without fear of repercussions from her brother."
"He's right, man," I say, surprised that I spoke it out loud. "Mia's old enough to know what she wants."
"Easy for you to say, you married a girl only a year older than her."
"And you're about to ask a girl only a year older than her to marry you. So shut it." Elliot glares at me before I realize what I just said, grimacing and huffing out a gruff, "Sorry."
"You're going to ask Kate to marry you?" Ethan asks with a touch of surprise.
"I was," Elliot leans back again and runs his hands over his face, "until you told me all this shit that's been going on that I didn't even know about. I don't know how to make that go away you know? I can't undue my past or who was in it no matter how much I'd like to."
"She'll say yes."
Elliot and I snap out of our funk to look at Ethan who has a smug little smile on his pretty face.
"You think?"
"Yeah, I do. She said so much to me at breakfast after the wedding. Of course, that was before these last two incidents but I don't think it matters much in the long run to her so long as she's the one who gets to marry you." He pauses uncomfortably. "Did you get a ring or talk to my dad yet?"
"I have the ring. Wasn't planning on talking to your dad considering Katie hates him but I think maybe I should anyway. I know I need to talk to your mom now, make sure she knows I'd never hurt her daughter by being unfaithful to her." He groans and stands to pour a whiskey for him and Ethan, handing me another one as an afterthought. "Man, this is the easy shit too. Wait until kids come."
At that my gut does what it always does and twists a bit as hope ignites. I know Ana spoke with Dr. Brodsky and asked to move her birth control shot up to the day we depart for China so that she's not even a day past due which leaves me ten days to persuade her that we're ready to get pregnant. Though, I've got to admit, the last 26 days didn't exactly lend themselves to a lot of hope for my immediate success.
"Mia doesn't want kids for at least five years which is fine with me. Gives me a good amount of time to get my practice up and running and gives us some time to travel."
"Christian over there wants a baby like, two days ago." I throw him a look that should cut him in half but since it's Elliot he just smiles and chugs back his drink.
"Fuck you, E."
"What? You can disclose that I want to pop the question but I can't drop that little bomb?" He points to Ethan, "He's safe, bro. He's going to be family anyway you slice it apparently."
"Does Ana want a baby now?" Ethan has the balls to ask.
"I am not discussing this with anyone other than my wife."
"That's my cue. I've got to hit the head anyway." Ethan stands in front of Elliot and extends his hand to which Elliot takes it and shakes it, both men a bit less hostile than when we first walked in here.
"Hey, Ethan," I call out as his hand touches the door handle. "If you ever take my sister below deck on my boat or in my home, you won't have to worry about having kids. Understood?" He laughs and opens the door.
"Got it, Christian."
"Did that fucker just laugh at me?" I ask incredulously.
I look over at Elliot who rolls his eyes and kicks his feet back up. "You're not nearly as scary as you used to be now that you're married. Everyone knows it's Ana who wears the pants 'round here now." He laughs at my scowl. "I told you she wasn't going to jump at the idea of getting knocked up right away."
"How the hell do you know anything about what she wants?"
"Her best friend is my girlfriend and oh, I don't know, she's only 23, just got married and was a virgin until a few months ago. Wild guess." He takes a deep breath and gets serious with me for a moment. "She's not anymore willing to discuss a timeline with you yet?"
"Oh she's got a timeline. It just isn't one that I like so I'm doing all I can to change her mind. I swear, if she doesn't get pregnant after the last three weeks, I'd be surprised. No birth control can combat all the times I…loved her."
"Dude, you can whitewash her womb all you want. If she's on that shot, you ain't getting a baby anytime soon."
"Elliot," I start but he holds his hands up in mock apology and then sighs again, no doubt still reeling from his conversation with Ethan.
"Sorry. I'm just saying that you need to be realistic. If she's not ready and she's on birth control, you can't live in this constant state of trying to get her pregnant or begging her so much that you wear her down. Imagine the resentment she'd have for you."
"She'd love that baby like nothing else and she'd forgive me eventually." Slowly Elliot sits up and rests his elbows on his knees.
"Bro, you're not seriously talking about doing something to get her pregnant without her knowing? Because that, my friend, is some fucked up shit right there."
"No you asshole. I'm talking about hoping the shot fails."
"Don't do that to yourself. Don't be waiting for that because if it doesn't happen, and statistically it won't, then you're setting yourself up for constant frustration and eventually you'll become obsessed. And you obsessed is like the Hulk on steroids. A really bad mix."
"I'm ready, Elliot. I know it sounds crazy considering what I was doing just six months ago but I'm ready. All those things I never wanted out of life? I want them all and I want them now and forgive me for being frank but I get what I want when I want it."
"That's not true. You waited for Ana."
"For a few weeks. But she was worth waiting for."
"And you don't think a kid is? Listen to yourself, bro. You just said that only six months ago you were in a totally different head space. You've come a long way in that short amount of time and I think of anybody in your life I know that the best. But you are nowhere near ready to have a kid, Christian. Case in point, you're angry that Ana wants to wait so that she can be the best mom she can be. You want what you want when you want it at the risk of upsetting others." He points at me with one finger, "Not ready to be a selfless father."
"Hello, pot? Meet kettle." He laughs at my joke and picks up the remote, setting up a new game before handing me the other controller.
"I know I'm not ready which is why I'm not rushing to have a kid. Besides, don't you just want to be married? Travel, sleep in, have lazy Sundays where you do nothing but fuck. And speaking of fucking, if you think your sex life isn't going to change after a kid, you're out of your mind. Ask ANY guy out there." He pauses, stutters and waves a hand as he tries to make a convincing argument. "Don't believe me? Ask Claude Bastille. He's a stand up guy and he'll tell you the truth."
"I am not asking Bastille about his sex life you moron. God you're an idiot sometimes. I don't buy into the hype about that anyway. If anything she'd need it more to help her relax and feel sexy." I'm inordinately proud of myself for that argument but Elliot just laughs at me and kills the guy I'm playing on the screen.
"Right. And I'm the idiot. Do yourself a favor, C, back off the baby issue or at least talk to a guy who has had a kid so that you at least know what you're trying to get yourself into."
"I know what I'm getting myself into. You think I just one day woke up and was like, 'hey, let's have a kid'!" At that he gets up and drops the controller onto couch next to me essentially letting me win the game.
"You're ready. She's not. Get that through your thick skull. I realize you're used to getting your way and wearing down anyone who opposes you but this isn't a compromise issue. You need to chill the fuck out about it or you're going to just prolong the wait because your petulant attitude will do nothing except reinforce the idea that you're not ready to be a dad!"
Why he's so upset about this I don't know but I'm finished talking about it with him that's for damn sure.
"Whatever, Elliot. Seems to me you've got bigger problems than my procreation." Take that hit you pompous asshole. "What's your plan about that? I told you, I fucking told you to stop parading those women around like you were a rock star."
"Like I was going to listen to you," he snaps back.
"Right." I stand and cross my arms in front of me, tapping one foot restlessly. "Why are you so upset about the kid thing? Is it possible you've got one out there?"
At that he starts to laugh and then claps me on the shoulder with a shake of his head. "No chance, bro. I always wrapped my shit up. Every single time. I even double bagged it a few times when the woman was…questionable." I can't help but chuckle at that. "See, I'm smart, Christian. I know better than to have a baby when both parties aren't in agreement." He taps his temple. "Genius. You just got all the glory."
"You're saying that you and Kate use condoms? Because I call bull shit on that."
"We did in the beginning until she started getting the shot and we both got tested. I mean, she wasn't nearly as promiscuous as I was but she wasn't a choir girl either."
I hold up my hand, "I do not want to know anything about Katherine Kavanagh's sex life." With a poke to the chest on our way out the door I growl, "And don't take her below deck on my boat or in my house either."
The men have all congregated around the pool table in the library, shooting the breeze about football and the upcoming holidays. Jose seems a bit subdued but I guess if my girlfriend was about to pose as an underage sex worker I'd be pretty damn beside myself too. Logan is doing his best to pull him out of the funk he's in but nothing seems to work.
"When does Rachel leave, Jose?" May as well address the elephant in the room. Why people pussyfoot around hard topics is beyond me.
"Sunday. We'll fly to Dublin so she can visit with her family for five days and then she and I are holing up in a hotel in Paris for two days until she has to meet Wendy and their boss for their assignment."
Casey puffs out a long breath and slowly shakes his head. "I don't know how she does it but God bless her for it."
"What are you going to do then? After…you know, she has to go?" Elliot, for all of his aloofness and crass behavior is actually one of the most emotional guys I know. One look at him and I can see that he's feeling for Jose in the worst way and while I feel bad for him, I'm not like Elliot. I want to be one day but I'm not sure I have that deep empathy for anyone except my immediate family and Ana.
Jose sighs and crosses his arms, hanging his head in resignation. "I'll fly back here. Best case scenario she's out of there in six weeks and gets another few weeks of sabbatical. Likely case is she's in deep cover for four months and I hear from her weekly by email or phone and once in a while through her superiors who will pass along messages."
We all just stare at him, completely at a loss for words. "Yup, it's not just in the movies. That shit is real life," he finishes with a shrug.
"Has she ever talked to you about getting out of it?" Ethan asks, one hand gently patting Jose's shoulder. I forget that they've been friends for five years now.
"Eventually. But she's really good at her job and she's really got the language and the lifestyle down so she slips under the radar. Plus she looks far younger than she is so they want to use her as often as they can. When we get married," he looks up and winks, "because that is going to happen sooner rather than later, she's promised to quit. So, I've got to get my ass in gear, get some cash to buy a ring and a house and then get on my knee because fuck if I can do this more than once."
His voice catches at the end and amazingly enough I feel it in my own chest. Fear and sadness and…desperation. There has to be something I can do. Has to be. Is lack of funds all that's holding him back? Because that's easy as shit for me to solve.
"In the meantime, you'll spend the next few days with her, you'll fly home and get drunk on the plane and we'll pick you up when you land," Logan gestures to all of us much to my surprise, "and we'll get you to the closest bar where we'll get you so hammered you won't wake up for two days."
"Sounds like a plan," Jose smiles at him sadly before looking around. "Where did they go off to anyway? The girls?"
"Pilates," Casey answers with a yawn. "They used to take two classes a week together and I know they miss it so they went upstairs to the studio Christian had put in for Ana and are working out."
"Top floor?" Jose asks, clearly wanting to see Rachel if only because right now she's available to him. I nod and swallow back the flash of panic I have at the vision of him opening the wrong door. I know the playroom is locked, I made sure of it myself not ten minutes before everyone got here but still, the last thing I need is to explain that shit right now.
Jose heads up with Logan, Rhianna's 'Stay' coming down the stairs when he opens the door to the studio. For a minute or so I hear nothing but the music and Ana's voice as she instructs the class to work on their extensions. Whatever the hell that means.
"You put in a Pilates studio?" Elliot asks with an eye roll.
"Of course I did. What am I going to do with four guest bedrooms anyway?"
"Yeah," he scoffs, "and having a studio here keeps her here. I know how you operate little brother. Don't make this apartment a golden cage because Ana, her wings are far too big for that life."
"Shut the hell up would you? I've already got a father and a shrink." He laughs at that and follows me up the stairs after asking to see the room. As the music gets louder I notice that Jose and Logan are frozen in the doorway and it's not until I push through that I see why.
Six women, all in spandex work out gear are on their backs, shoulders on the ground and hips high in the air while they balance on one leg and 'gently pulse upwards' as Ana has instructed. Six women and one guy who, judging by Casey who's now joined the rest of us neanderthal's staring with our tongues out, are looking pretty damn sexy without even trying.
But it's the one in the front of the group in the tight white pants and sports bra that's got all my attention. With each thrust upwards of her hips my dick throbs and my fingers tingle. Must touch her now.
"Go right into a V sit, one minute hold," Ana says with a bit of effort. Somehow all of them manage to balance on nothing but their asses as they sit with their legs in the air. I'm not even sure I could do that and I'm in top physical shape. So far, none of them has noticed the group of men eyeing them up as if they were steaks on a grill.
Even Sawyer's made his way up, no doubt to check up on his girlfriend since he's officially off duty now that it's after ten. After a minute the song ends and clicks over to Sophie B Hawkins 'Damn I Wish I was Your Lover' at which point Ana calls out for everyone to remain in the V sit position and grab their ankles to open wider.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
"Damn, bro, I didn't"
"Get out," I whisper, my eyes not leaving Ana for even a second.
"What?"
"Get. Out." I repeat a bit louder. "All of you, go home. Now." Ana looks up then and gives me a confused smile but I'm not at all confused as to what I want right now. Sawyer calls for Heather who turns her head and finds all of us staring at our prospective lovers, a quirky smile spreading on her face before she stands and takes his hand.
"Be back in the morning, Sir," he says but I don't care if he never comes back right now. I just care that he's leaving.
"Oh good Lord you people and your significant others, it's so annoying," Lisa cracks as she rolls up her mat and dumps it in the basket by the door. "Thanks for dinner, Christian," she says, reaching up to kiss my cheek, "It was good to see you guys again."
"Mmmhmm, you too. Bye now." Get out get out get out!
"Katie, let's go practice that particular move at home." Kate giggles and wipes her hands on her legs.
"I don't have a mat or anything at home."
"I'll buy you one tomorrow ok sweet cheeks. Until then, you can use our bed. I'll help you balance." She squeals when Elliot slaps her butt on the way out, a shrill, 'Elliot Carrick Grey!' renting through the air.
"Christian will you be at Bellevue on Sunday? I was hoping"
"Out, Mia." She blinks while Ethan does his best to steer her towards the door. My eyes still haven't left Ana.
"But I wanted to ask you"
"Goodnight. I love you. I will call you tomorrow but right now, you have to leave. Now." She looks at me stunned, tears gathering in her eyes. For a beat I feel bad but then I realize it's because I said I love you, not because I'm kicking her out.
"I love you too," she croaks out before running for the door.
"Show yourselves out!" I yell, shutting the door to the Pilates studio and flicking the lock. Twenty feet away Ana's eyes are unreadable.
"I didn't get to finish my class," she starts, crossing her arms over her ample chest which just pushes those lush tits together as if on display. Which they soon will be.
"Finish it now," I say huskily as I stalk towards her, loosening my shirt before shucking it off into the corner.
"I…you don't know Pilates," she stammers, her eyes focused on my chest. I flex. She inhales and then groans, her head rolling from side to side. "Really, Christian? You're going to do that when I'm trying to be mad at you?"
"Don't be mad at me for ending your class early," I say, taking her in my arms, sweaty and flushed from an intense workout. I plan on making her sore in other ways right about now. "That's not what you should be mad about."
"Oh? Then what should I be mad about?"
She gasps and almost screams when I reach down and rip the material of her pants straight up the middle so that my prize is now bared to me. "That."
"Christian Trevelyan-Grey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"
I laugh and do the same to her top, her accompanying tirade of swear words no match for the lust I see in her eyes. Much as she wants to fight me on it sometimes, my girl likes it a little rough every now and then. Well tonight, she'll get rough, that much I know.
"You are a barbarian!" I nod slowly and unbuckle my belt.
"Go back into that last pose you were doing. The V sit or whatever it is you called it."
"No," she answers, her chin in the air. But I know her and I know this is turning her on.
"Now, Mrs. Grey," I finger the belt, my threat clear even if she knows I'd never hit her with it.
"Yes, Sir," she stammers, sitting quickly. I strip out of my jeans and boxers and sit in front of her, a wry grin on my face that I can't wipe off no matter how hard I try.
"Now take hold of your ankles and hold them open keeping your balance just like you were doing before." She does slowly and God damn if the sight doesn't kill me. "You went to the spa today, Mrs. Grey."
"Yes," she bites her lip nervously. "I left a bit this time though since you seemed to like it…The lady called it a landing strip...I can go back of course if you want but I…"
"Leave it," I murmur, eyes focused on the exposed pink slit between her thighs. "I love it. I don't care what you do so long as you let me look."
"Well in that case, I'm never getting a wax again," she says lightly.
"Fine. Like I said, I'll take you anyway you'll give yourself to me." I move, positioning myself closer and touch the hard flatness of her belly. "Your body is seriously hot."
She smiles and blushes, her eyes dropping to my hard on as it bobs back and forth between my legs.
"Thank you. So is yours. I'd like to touch it actually," she says playfully but I already know what I want right now. I knew within the first few seconds how this was going to play out.
"In a bit. But first," I breath, my fingers ghosting down the inside of those soft legs, "I want you to put yourself in that position you were in when we came in. The one before this."
For a few seconds she thinks, her eyes widening when she realizes what I'm asking of her.
"The bridge?" she asks quietly. I have no idea what it was called but that sounds about right so I nod. "OK."
Damn right it's ok. I'm good, enjoying this little game we've got going until she raises up onto her shoulders, legs spread, hips up and begins to pulse ever so slightly. She wins, I give up. I was going to do an entire seduction sequence but fuck that, I want her on my tongue and then around my cock.
"Fuck, baby you look good." I lean in and kiss each of her thighs as she mewls above me, the sound both a turn on and funny all at the same time. "Keep moving your hips like that. I want you to fuck my face until you come." When my mouth seals over the seam of her sex she says my name and then does exactly what I told her to do.
"Please," I hear her beg as my tongue swipes in long strokes over clit. "Please make me come, Christian, please...oh god please...yes...yes...like that...god that feels so good..." By the time I gently bite down on her she's incoherent, the words and moans blending together to form some strange sort of language. "I'm...going...to..." but she doesn't finish because she always goes silent right before she climaxes and this time is no different. "Fuck!" she yells as the pleasure crashes and my hands grip the flesh of her ass to hold her steady. When she begins to tremble I pull back and flip her over, pulling her knees close to me before impaling her on my dick.
"Shit...you look good, baby..." I should say more but I'm totally transfixed on the fact that she's wearing pants and I'm inside her. Because I tore them. It looks fucking awesome. Animalistic. With each thrust she cries out and pushes back, meeting me for each connection. My eye catches movement but when I look up all I see is us in the wall to wall mirrors. Damn, this will totally make me come. But I can't stop watching because holy shit is it hot. "Look at us, Ana. Watch while I take you."
She squeezes her eyes shut and then reaches behind her to grasp my forearm. "More," she grunts out, her hair wet with sweat and sticking to her neck. "Harder, I need it harder, Christian."
She's going to kill me. One day, she's going to look like that and feel like this and say something so damn hot it will kill me on the spot. But not today. So I do exactly that and really start pounding her, grabbing her hair and yanking her back so that I can watch her breasts shake beneath her. I can tell by the way she tightens around me and her eyes start to glaze over that she's about to climax so I let myself go and fuck her so hard it hurts my balls. But then the pain is replaced by tingles and then by the heaviness of an impending release.
"Yes!" she shouts, falling forward as the pleasure takes over and I moan out a 'fuck yes' as my gut turns inside out and I empty into her. It takes a few minutes to recover from that but when we do she giggles and rolls to her side so that I slip out of her. I hate that part.
"I like Pilates. Had I known what it entailed, I would have taken your class sooner, Mrs. Grey."
"My class, huh? You did mention something a few months back about me opening my own studio..." I laugh at the mere idea and stand to lift her in my arms and carry to our bed.
"This is your own studio and I'm your only student. Ever. Because that? Those moves you just did in the clothes you were wearing, that is for my eyes only."
"About my clothes, Mr. Grey," she chastises, giggling as she takes off the tattered workout pants I've destroyed. "You can't go ripping through them every time you want to have sex with me."
"Yes, I can. I'll buy you a hundred pair of pants just so I can tear them off of you."
"Actually, in your rush to get rid of everyone, you sent five of my new workout outfits with them."
"Six," I say, lightly smacking her ass as she walks in front of me down the hall to our bedroom.
"Six? There were only five of them."
"That blue one piece Devin had on?" She stops, turns and drops her jaw in disbelief. "Yup, that was yours too."
Author's note: Hi there! I posted a new story, Fifty Shades Fast and Furious. I hope you go ahead and check it out. I'll keep updating S&S as the muse hits me but right now she's taking some time off!
You can thank my friend Stephanie for the whitewash comment and mitzijem who reminded me that today is ONE YEAR since I hit publish on this story so I busted my ass to get a chapter out for you today.