Chapter 6

Caught on Fire

Day Five - Morning . . .

My day was supposed to be all about painting but since I hit Christian's car, I had to spare my last two hours tonight to pay for the damages.

During my day off, I tend to practice my paintings the entire day. Well, I did eat snacks and roll on my bed in between breaks, but I made it a priority to make my brushstrokes looked better. I stared at a bunch of black canvas by my window and gave it a warning stare. Tomorrow. I'll start painting them tomorrow once Gail arrives from her vacation and my $1000 is paid.

Oddly though, I felt this twist in my stomach. The thought about not spending a night at Christian's place sounded sad for me. It wasn't just the arcade; it was the way he conversed with me. He seemed to be the opposite of what I thought he was from when I first met him.

Okay, no, Ana, you're not crushing on this guy. No, no, no . . .

Speaking of the devil, my phone vibrated and it popped an envelope icon.

From: Christian

Hello.

Yes, I changed his name now. He was no longer a stranger. This seemed odd though. Just a hello at 8 in the morning? What did he want?

Replying to: Christian

Hi. :)

It didn't take long before he replied and started a conversation.

Christian: How's your morning?

Me: Real fun! I dreamed about going on a yacht trip with Richard Gere so I danced to Pretty Woman when I did Zumba earlier. Yours? :)

Christian: Pretty Woman?

Me: You don't know that movie? :O

Christian: No.

The blasphemy! I gasped at that. Okay, I accepted that he hasn't watched Pretty Woman, but for him to say that he didn't know what that it even existed! That's manifesting the existence of the devil! Plus, the way he texted with no emojis made him sound so serious.

Me: How could you not know what Pretty Woman is? That's like one of the best romcoms that ever existed! :'(

Christian: I am not a fan of that genre.

Me: WHAT?! _

Christian: Romantic comedies are a cliché.

Okay, I was offended. Romcoms were my thing ever since I was twelve. I was about to reply in all capital letters, but Christian sent another message diverting the topic. He wasn't gonna get away with it though. I'll make sure.

Christian: Thank you for asking about my morning. First off, my brother, Elliott managed to convince the investor to set a placeholder for a new pitch on the company's vision. Next week, we will meet up with him once more to discuss how AI is the future. AI has a vast market across industries and through this, we can gain a significant advantage over other competitors. If they choose not to evolve, then they won't grow.

I really didn't get that.

Me: AI? American Idol?

Christian: Artificial Intelligence

For the first time ever, he used an emoji and it was the face palm icon. My cheeks reddened. Why did I have to be so stupid?

Me: Sorry about that. As you can see, I'm not smart. The only AI I know is American Idol. LMAO.

Christian: Let me tell you about AI

He sent five text messages talked about the nature of Artificial Intelligence and it shed light on me. To be honest, I wasn't really much of a reader or a techy person. All I knew was how to paint and draw. Somehow, the world made sense when I did that. Christian, however, had this skill that emphasized why he's one of the best businessmen in the corporate world and also a former journalist.

The way he explained things to me made it seem like AI was so easy to understand.

Me: Has the investor explained why he doesn't like your pitch? :)

Christian: Data and Privacy concern bullshit. We don't buy it. Elliott has this whole thing plotted out with our Risk and Security Department.

Me: Christian, I'm not really smart when it comes to these things, but you did mention about the investor being interested in a traditional company, right? I mean, this AI thing sure is brainy and all but, as an employee myself, I'm scared that it will replace me. Maybe you can look into that?

I sent that along with the quivering blue emoji.

Christian: Ana, that's genius! You just pointed out a disadvantage of AI which is the change in structural organizations. With this new advancement in technology, other jobs can be done by robots instead of people. Elliott and I will have to talk about this when he comes back from New York. We will have to find the balance and make that our pitch.

Me: Wow! I'm glad I helped you out. :D ^_^

Christian: For the record, Ana, you are smart. Who told you you're not?

Me: Josh.

Christian: Oh, the astrophysics ex? The smart ex but great sex?

I cringed at that. I shouldn't have been that detailed on the plane. Before I can even reply, Christian sent me a message that warmed my heart.

Christian: Forget about what he said. You may not know all about science and technology, but you know about visual art. You're intelligent. You're smart. Promise me that you'll forget about what he said.

I was so touched that all I replied was: :')

Christian: I don't know what that means but I guess that means you agree. By the way, I know it's your day off today. Would you like to come over early and play in my arcade?

Shit! I instantly regretted what I did. I didn't have the rest of the day for myself because I stupidly agreed to go on a date with Brady! With Brady from Risk!

Christian: Ana?

Me: Sorry, Christian. I have a date today.

Christian: Oh, I see.

Me: I have a date with Brady.

Christian: The cybersecurity guy from Lotus?

Me: Yes. He's taking me to the Sycamore Hotel. But no, we aren't getting a room, okay? Just the restaurant.

Christian: I wasn't thinking about that but okay, well . . . enjoy. I better check my email anyway. Thank you again for your idea.

Me: No biggie :)

Christian: *thumbs up emoji*

I sighed deeply. Why did I have this gut feeling that he didn't feel good about my going with Brady for a date? Well, who could blame him? I didn't feel good about it myself.

I blamed Kate for this.

Three Nights Ago ...

"Kate, what's so funny about it? He just saw my boobs! He thought I was seducing him!"

"Weren't you?" Kate just laughed harder. Times like this I wished she wasn't my best friend. Her face was completely red when I narrated how I'd forgotten to wear a bra the whole day and how it escalated to being misunderstood with having seductive motives to a guy I owed $4000 too.

"You know what's worse? This man said there's nothing to look at! Kate, you saw me in a bikini, right? Every surfer lost their balance when I ran on that shore!" Okay, I was exaggerating. It was just one surfer.

That's when Kate laughed so hard she fell of my couch and started crying.

"Ouch, my stomach aches from all this. Ana, girl, you've had a rough day!" She wiped her tears and sat on the couch again.

I crossed my arms, but this time I had a bra. I rolled my eyes.

Kate optimistically said, "The whole experience is awkward and all, but Ana, can't you see? Maybe this guy's not so bad at all. I'm pretty sure he just wanted to make you feel better. You know what? Maybe he even had a boner!"

My eyes widened at that, "Stop it! Don't say that! That's gross!"

"If he asks you out, will you go out with him?"

"That will never happen!"

Kate insisted, "If it does, will you?"

"No, because I-"

Kate immediately shifted to her nagger mode, "Because you're not over with Jose yet? Ana, I know it hasn't been that long since you went to Paris, but a lot has happened. Surely, you must see now that the world's so wide. You have a great job that keeps you busy, you met new friend, and you keep on bumping into Christian Grey and now you're cleaning his house. Don't you think it's time to move on?"

"I know, but it takes some time and-"

"And what? You'll say you're going to focus on yourself but deep inside you're thinking about these scenarios of him coming back to you on his knees-that's why you're so keen to reject every guy who's asked you for a date and before you know it, life passed you by and no guy will ask you out for a date because you're already fifty. Because you know, when a woman is single by fifty, then she's mean and selfish, but if a man's single by fifty, then he's an eligible bachelor."

"Where's all this coming from?" I was frustrated.

Yesterday Morning . . .

I wasn't just frustrated because Kate got into my head, but I was frustrated because of this copying machine. The paper kept getting stuck. I did my best to stop myself from kicking it.

"Good morning, Ana," Brady greeted with a sniff. He looked like a pastor with the buttons on his shirt.

"Good morning, Brady," I said.

"So uhm . . . what's your favorite number on the photocopier?" He asked such weird things.

"Depends on how many copies I need so usually, more than ten," I smiled.

He scratched his head, "Ana, listen uhm . . . would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow?"

Was Brady my type? No. Did I sincerely want to have lunch with him? No. But, was I desperate to prove Kate that she was wrong? YES.

"Sure," I tried to sound excited.

Brady's face lit up and he told me the location and time.

Present Day . . .

Upon arriving at the Sycamore Hotel, I took a deep breath and forced a smile. Brady wasn't really a bad guy. He's just awkward and a bit quirky. I was positive that I'll survive this day. Sure, he'll ask his weird questions, but that seemed tolerable.

I wore this cute plaid blue dress that reached below my knees and I paired them with white sneakers. I didn't want to look pretty for Brady, but Sycamore was one of the most expensive hotels we have in Seattle. I didn't want to look like I didn't fit in.

"Ana, you're here!" Brady was already waiting in the lobby.

"Hi, Brady," I greeted.

He wore this white shirt that's buttoned all the way up (as usual) and his pants didn't seem to fit. He was grinning and I tried hard to match the enthusiasm by forcing a huge grin on my face too. For some reason, he seemed so giddy today.

"Thank you for coming. You don't know how much this means to me."

Oh, wow. I didn't know the liked me that much. "Thanks for inviting me, Brady," I replied.

"Follow me," he said. We greeted some staff along the way and I was ready to go inside the restaurant when all of a sudden, Brady said, "Ana, not there! Here."

I was so confused.

He led me to a . . . conference room? What the fuck? He opened the door and there were about fifty people inside. What the hell is going on? Barely processing anything, I mindlessly followed after Brady and it didn't help that everybody started to socialize with us. There were around a hundred people inside!

"Nice to meet you!"

"Wow! A new face!"

"We definitely are expanding!"

"Congratulations for bringing a potential recruit, Brady!"

Potential Recruit?! Right in front of the round tables with chairs was a platform with a podium and there was a banner: TED BRANSON REALTY: ARE YOU OUR NEXT TOP REALTOR?

What was I doing in a realty group's conference? I grabbed Brady's elbow and dragged him in the corner.

"Ana, I-"

"Brady, can you tell me what's going on?!"

The fucker smiled. He fucking smiled! "Ana, you're going to meet Ted Branson today!"

"Who is that?!" If it were Gerard Butler, I'd be worshipping Brady but now I just wanted to kill him.

"The number one realtor in Seattle! It's his realty group and he's looking for new recruits. Sure, my job's great but this is my lifelong dream: to be one of his agents and I'm pretty sure you're going to be too when the day ends." He shamelessly added, "He's giving free mugs to those who brought another potential recruit with you today so yes, I'll get that mug."

I stared incredulously, "But you asked me out for lunch!"

"This is lunch. They serve lunch while he's instructing!"

I was about to storm on him, but the host called us out with the microphone. Everyone stared at us and I didn't want to cause a scene so I just sat next to Brady in one of the round tables.

Sooner than later, Ted Branson appeared and he was this man in his mid-40s. He was charismatic and clearly smart. He talked about real estate and how being in the business can help you change your career. I looked at the people we're seated with and they looked younger than me. They looked really eager to learn from this dude. Meanwhile me? I just ate lunch.

In all fairness, his lecture about real estate was informative and his tips on salesmanship were spot on. This was great, but I tried selling stuff before and it didn't work. I'll stick with painting and drawing.

The only annoying part about the whole thing was Brady. He kept interrupting Ted Branson by asking questions. It was so bad that the host had to remind him that there's a question and answer part at the end. I smirked at that. I loved how everybody in the room looked like angry mobs and he was the ogre.

Ted Branson continued despite Brady's disruptions, "There should be a connection with you and your client. You have to be professional yet you still have to form rapport with them. Start conversations that make them feel like they trust you to make a huge decision of buying a home and property.

For example, you have this suburban house by the cul-de-sac and the clients are a gay couple who have a son. You show them inside: the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom with a double deck bed. Aside from advising the factual features of the house. What can you talk about?"

As expected, Brady raised his hand pretty urgently.

"Yes, you," Ted Branson sounded so annoyed.

Brady stood up and was in character, "First of all, you're a cute gay couple. Second of all, you'll love this bedroom. As you can see, double deck. So, either you like it top or bottom, this room's for you."

The whole room fell silent and I covered my face. It's so embarrassing to be seen with him.

"That's an example of a bad conversation," Oh, Ted Branson went hard on him. Brady sat down and looked like he wanted to cry.

"Now tell me, what was wrong about that type of conversation?" When Ted asked everyone, they all took the opportunity to gang up on him.

"He sounded stereotypical."

"It seemed sexual."

"It sounded awkward."

"If I were the client, I'd take a photo of him and post it online to tell everyone not to trust this real estate agent."

I failed to hide a smirk. Brady looked defeated. Literally, he looked like he wanted to cry.

The rest of the afternoon went on with Brady never daring to interrupt Ted Branson again.

Everything was going well until we all flinched when the door loudly opened and the staff screamed, "FIRE! FIRE! THE HOTEL IS ON FIRE! GET OUT NOW! GET OUT!"

Then, it all happened so fast. Everyone in the room panicked and the screams were so loud. I was being nudged here and there. The group of young people in our table lost their chill. They were panicking too and literally ran.

"Brady?" my voice sounded like a plea for help.

But the fucker screamed like a first grader and he ran in so much panic and fucking left me. He. Fucking. Left. Me.

I tried my best to run outside but the people kept bumping into me that I fell on the floor.

Everybody ran and turned into blurry figures and I could smell and see smoke.

I was coughing. I tried to get up, but I was struggling with all this crowd.

"Ana, come here," all of a sudden, I heard a worried yet calm voice. A pair of strong hands held both of my arms and helped me stand up.

I coughed and coughed, but I let this man lead me outside. We were able to make it out of the room and out of the hotel too. The fire looked so bad. If the staff did not warn us, we wouldn't have a clue. All of it was chaos. There were firetrucks outside and ambulances too.

"Ana, are you okay? Are you okay?"

When my vision was clearer, I turned to look at the man who led me out of that place and saw Christian. He saved me. Christian was there and he saved me!

He was in his business suit but he slightly looked disheveled from all the running from the burning building.

"Please tell me if you're okay," he sounded so desperate.

When his hands cupped my cheeks, I lost it. I was shaking. Tears sprung freely from my eyes. I didn't know I was this scared until he was standing before me. What if he weren't here? What would have happened.

His thumbs wiped my tears away.

"It's okay now. It's okay. We got out," he assured.

"W-what are you d-doing here?"

He sighed, "When you told me that you're going on a date with Brady at the Sycamore, I had this gut feeling that I should be there for you and that cunt just left you when the hotel was on fire! He fucking-"

He stopped when I wordless wrapped my arms around him and pressed my trembling body closer to him. I pulled him in for a tight embrace.

I inhaled his scent and with all the smoke, he smelled like the relief of an escape. A musk to take your breath away.

His hands hesitantly ran up and down my trembling back as he hushed, "You're safe now. You're safe now."

Despite the burning building, the echoing screams for help, and the grueling sirens, I believed him. I believed Christian. I was safe because of him. I was safe with him.

Author's Note:

Lately I've been receiving more positive reviews and you don't know how much that means to me. I read FSOG fanfictions and I know this genre isn't really common, but I'm really glad that you are enjoying this.

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