Chapter 22: The Gates Foundation Gala, Part 1

"Christian! Over here, son!" Grace Trevelyan-Grey called out as her son entered the front lobby of the hotel where the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation fundraising dinner was being held. Grace was shocked to see a very pretty brunette on her son's arm. That explained why the photographers outside were in such a frenzy.

"Hi, Mom," Christian greeted his mother with a small peck on her cheek, which was unlike him. Christian never showed any kind of affection, even to her.

"You brought a date," she pointed out the obvious, smiling curiously at Anastasia.

"Yes, Mother," Christian replied with the biggest smile she'd ever seen on his handsome face. "This is Anastasia Steele. Anastasia, my mother, Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey."

Both of them greeted each other politely. Grace had so many questions she wanted to ask her son and his date. Were they dating? How long had this been going on? Was Christian actually straight? Why hadn't he ever dated any other women? Who was Anastasia? Was she with Christian for the right reasons? Was she a good person? All of these questions went through Grace's mind, but she didn't have a chance to ask any of them, not that she would have been so impertinent as to have asked some of them. But she wondered.

But before Grace had a chance to really engage Christian and Anastasia in any form of conversation, they were joined by her son's friend BB, and his husband Jose. Grace had been certain that Christian and BB, who had been friends for many years now, were secretly more than friends, which would have explained her son's seeming disinterest in women. It would have also been fine with Grace and Carrick if Christian had liked other boys. They just wanted their troubled son to be happy. Plus, they liked BB. But apparently, they'd been wrong about Christian and BB's relationship, which had become obvious when BB married another man, Jose, and Christian had served as BB's best man. Apparently, they really were only close friends.

And now, it appeared, Christian actually did like women. The beauty on his arm had his attention, and it was obvious that they were lovers. Christian looked absolutely smitten as he smiled at the pretty girl, who blushed and smiled back at him. Grace was shocked but delighted.

What Grace didn't realize was that Christian had just activated the vibrating egg. It was on a low setting, but it was purring inside Anastasia, hitting her g-spot just right.

"You're looking ravishing as usual this evening, Mama Grey," BB told her charmingly. That was the nickname he'd given her when he was fifteen years old, and it had stuck. He gave her a peck on the cheek, but that wasn't unusual for BB. He was a real charmer. "I see you've met our girl Anastasia," BB told Grace, smiling fondly at Anastasia, who smiled happily back at him.

Grace didn't catch the glare that Christian gave BB for referring to Anastasia as "our girl." He pulled Anastasia towards him and held her a little more tightly. She was HIS girl. Only his.

They moved into the large ballroom where people were standing around chatting. There were tall hors d'oeuvre tables scattered throughout the room. Christian handed Anastasia a glass of white wine, then took one for himself.

"So, tell me about yourself, dear," Grace said to Anastasia. She was unable to hide the surprise and curiosity in her expression. Her son had a date! With a woman!

Anastasia answered, "Well, I'm the founder and CEO of Bennington Steele Publishing House. We're a small independent publisher…"

"Of course, I know who you are," Grace interrupted with a smile. "Your offices are in the same building as Coping Together, the non-profit where I volunteer once a week."

"That's right," Anastasia affirmed. "I've seen the sign for Coping Together in the lobby."

Grace said, "Come to think of it, I've probably seen you in Miles To Go. I thought you looked familiar. Do you eat there often?"

"At least once a week, sometimes more," Anastasia answered. "That's my favorite cafe in Seattle."

"Mine too!" Grace exclaimed.

Meanwhile, a few feet away, BB and Christian were chatting while Jose stood close-by and listened silently.

"Your girl seems to be getting along well with Mama Grey," BB commented amusedly.

"Of course she is," Christian responded. "I knew Mom would love her."

"Your mom seems pretty shocked that you're out of the closet now. As a straight guy," BB added.

Christian laughed, which got Grace's attention. Her eyebrows rose in surprise. She couldn't remember hearing her son laugh like that before.

More quietly then, Christian told BB, "I learned today that Anastasia and Jose have an interesting history."

"Now don't you even think about getting jealous of my boy," BB warned.

Jose looked frightened. He didn't say anything, but this wasn't unusual. Christian had noticed that Jose rarely talked around him, and he didn't think it was odd because of Jose's submissive nature. BB was right. Jose wasn't a threat. Anastasia needed a Dominant.

"I'm not jealous, just surprised," Christian insisted.

BB gave him that "yeah right" face, but Christian ignored him. "Is everything set up for tomorrow night?"

BB smiled. "Yep. Bee's spreading the word, just like you asked her to. 9 p.m. sharp. Everybody's going to be there. When word gets out, people we haven't seen for months are going to turn up just to see you doing something you've never done."

"Princess will like that," Christian commented fondly. "She wants to be seen."

Meanwhile, Anastasia asked Grace, "What about you…? Christian introduced you as Dr. Trevelyan-Grey. Was that medical doctor or PhD?"

"Medical doctor," Grace replied. "I'm a pediatrician at Seattle General. Your necklace is lovely. Are those pink sapphires?"

"They are," Anastasia affirmed, fingering her necklace again. She loved how it felt on her neck. Meanwhile, the egg was still vibrating away, keeping her in a constant state of arousal, but it wasn't unbearable.

"Oh, look, here's Carrick," Grace announced. "Carrick, come meet Christian's date!" Grace called out. Christian just smirked at his mother, who was making a spectacle of herself. She was also drawing even more attention to him than usual. People were very curious about his date.

Carrick blinked and looked surprised, but then he schooled his expression. He greeted Christian, BB, and Jose and waited for Christian to introduce Anastasia.

"Dad, this is my girlfriend, Anastasia," Christian announced.

Grace and Carrick's eyes both popped. Girlfriend? Wow!

"How long have you been seeing each other?" Carrick asked casually.

"It's new," Christian answered. "We've known each other for several months, but we only recently decided to take things a step further."

Well, all of that was true.

They stood around making small talk for a few more minutes. Anastasia deduced from the context that Carrick Grey was a lawyer, and that BB was his and his wife's investment banker. They both seemed very fond of BB, which didn't surprise Anastasia at all. BB was a charismatic guy that most people liked. She also noticed that Jose was very quiet, only speaking when spoken to. She knew this wasn't just because of his submissive nature. The truth was that Jose was very insecure in settings like this, but BB had used situations like this to boost his confidence, so Jose had come a long way from the shy guy he'd been as a teenager. He smiled at her, but they didn't really have a chance to talk because Anastasia's attention was taken by Christian's parents, who were both very curious about her.

They chatted for a few minutes about the publishing industry and how it had changed with the popularity of electronic materials. Anastasia also revealed to Carrick and Grace that she and Jose had been best friends for years. She'd become friends with BB through Jose, and then friends with Christian through BB. She and Christian had served as maid of honor and best man in BB and Jose's wedding. Anastasia didn't tell them that she and Christian hadn't gotten along at the time, as they didn't need to know that tidbit of information.

An announcement was made inviting the crowd into the dining hall, so they went and found their table. Anastasia was happy to see that she was seated between Christian and Jose. Good. She really needed to catch up with her best friend, and she knew that he would probably feel even more insecure if she asked him a question in front of everyone.

When they sat down, Anastasia was able to whisper to Jose, so nobody else could hear, "You're not going to believe what I'm wearing right now."

Jose's eyes were curious. He waited for Anastasia to tell him.

Anastasia whispered, "I have inside me right now a vibrating egg. It's on its lowest setting, and it's driving me crazy. I don't know what I'm going to do when he increases the speed."

Jose laughed out loud in shock. He couldn't believe Christian had done such a thing on the night she was meeting his parents, but he could see that Anastasia was enjoying it.

On her other side, Christian turned to her and quietly commented, "You and Mom seem to have hit it off. I knew she'd like you."

"You didn't tell me how beautiful she is or how young she looks," Anastasia responded. "I never would have guessed she was your mother."

"She'll love that," Christian told Anastasia. "How are you doing?" He looked at her pointedly. She knew he was checking in with her about the egg.

"OK for now," she answered. "If it gets to be too much, I'll find a way of subtly using a safe word in conversation. That way, it'll be our secret. Well, other than Jose. I just told him about it."

Grace interrupted their whispering from across the table. "Anastasia, I just remembered something. Do you ever publish memoirs?"

That got the attention of BB, Jose, and Christian as well. There was a particular memoir that was still too fresh on everyone's mind, but there was no way it was the one Grace had in mind.

If Anastasia was reminded of Memoir of a Submissive, she didn't show any signs. "Of course," she answered Grace. "I'm always on the lookout for a good memoir. Do you know someone who's written one?"

"I do," Grace answered. "My friend Mandy, a fellow volunteer at Coping Together. She grew up on the streets of Seattle, and she spent most of her teenage years being bounced from homeless shelters to foster homes. But her birth mother got help from Coping Together, and they were able to get into suitable housing. In her late teens, Mandy started using drugs and even worked as a prostitute for a short time. It's a miracle that she was able to escape that life, but she did, and it's a very inspirational story."

"I'd like to read that," Anastasia agreed. "How well do you know the author? You said she's your friend?"

Grace answered, "Yes, we know each other well enough that she trusted me enough to read her story. She's been a volunteer with Coping Together for a few years now. Her mother died a couple of years ago from breast cancer, and I was there to support Mandy through it, just as a shoulder to lean on. My own mother went through breast cancer. She beat hers, thankfully, but I knew firsthand the toll it can take. Anyway, that's how Mandy and I really got to know each other. She's a dental hygienist, with a good job, husband and two kids who are in their early teens now. When her youngest was a baby, she took a couple of years off to be a stay-at-home mom. She wrote her life story during her son's nap times. She's an excellent writer. It's very poignant."

Anastasia looked in the little pink clutch that Christian had given her before they left his penthouse. It was also Jimmy Choo, matching the shoes. She got out one of her business cards and passed it across to Grace. "Tell Mandy to contact me. I'll take a look at it personally. It sounds like just the thing we're looking for."

Grace was clearly pleased with that response. The conversation was interrupted then by the arrival of their first course. Anastasia was glad she hadn't eaten any of the hors d'oeuvres outside because the caramelized figs topped with bacon looked much more interesting than the stuffed mushrooms and deviled eggs that had been on the hors d'oeuvre tables. Anastasia loved trying new things. But she didn't want to overdo it tonight.

Just as she took a bite of the fig and bacon dish, she felt the vibrator speed increase. She closed her eyes, pretending to savor the taste of the appetizer. "Mmm. Delicious," she muttered.

"I didn't know you liked figs," Jose commented.

"I do now," she told him quickly. Talking would be difficult, she realized, and would become even more difficult if Christian kept increasing the speed of the vibrator. She had a single focus at the moment: to avoid having an orgasm while at a fancy dinner with her Dominant's parents seated across the table. She ate the rest of the appetizer without even realizing it, her mind was so focused on her sexual arousal and impending orgasm.

Mercifully, just as the next course was being placed before them, Christian lowered the speed. She glanced at him, smiling gratefully, but he was casually looking at the dish in front of them, acting as if he didn't know what was happening with her. She could still feel the purring deep inside her, but she could breathe again. She glanced at BB, who was seated on Jose's other side. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she knew he was asking if she was OK. She nodded at him and focused on the lentil soup in front of her. BB then gave Christian a knowing smirk. No doubt, Christian had told him what he was up to.

While the others were all engaged in a discussion led mostly by BB and Carrick about the stock market and fears of a recession, Christian turned to Anastasia and asked her quietly, "Are you enjoying your soup?"

"It's OK," she replied. "I enjoyed the appetizer more." The soup was just an average lentil soup, nothing out of the ordinary. But Christian knew there was a deeper meaning to Anastasia's words. He knew exactly why she'd enjoyed the appetizer more.

"Eat up, Princess," he told her. "You aren't going to be eating much of the main course."

The threat behind his words was more delicious than those figs had been.

The main course was a choice of roasted chicken or eggplant parmesan. Anastasia asked for chicken, and she wasn't too disappointed when it turned out to be somewhat bland. The roasted potatoes with red peppers were the best part of the meal. But, true to Christian's word, she didn't eat much of them. She had only taken a couple of bites when he increased the speed of the vibrator again. A moment later, he increased it even more. Now, Anastasia was completely unable to eat or speak. She was going to come. How the hell was she going to avoid it?

"Anastasia, are you OK, dear?" Grace asked concernedly from across the table. She had noticed the seeming distress on Anastasia's face, and the fact that she'd laid down her silverware and closed her eyes.

Jose knew exactly what was going on, and he was very quick to cover for his best friend. He asked her, "Did you eat those figs, Ana? You realize they were stuffed with goat cheese, right? And doesn't goat cheese always make you sick?"

Anastasia nodded appreciatively at Jose. She loved goat cheese, but it was the perfect explanation for her current state. Christian began to rub her back, appearing to his parents like a concerned boyfriend. His touch, however, had its intended effect, turning her on even more. She was so close to orgasm now that part of her wanted to just give in and let it go right then and there, in front of everyone.

Instead, Anastasia found the strength within herself to look up apologetically at the rest of the table. Unable to focus on any one person, she told them all, "I am sorry. This reminds me very much of a scene from Hamlet. Please excuse me. I… need the restroom."

"Through those double doors, second door on the left," Grace pointed out quickly and worriedly.

As Anastasia quickly left the table, Grace pondered aloud, "I wonder which scene from Hamlet she was referring to. She must truly be a Shakespeare fan if she could think of his work at such a time."

"She was a literature major," Jose explained. He and BB both knew, of course, about Anastasia's safe words.

Christian had stopped the vibrator the moment Anastasia had used her safe word, even though it had been her yellow, not her red. He only waited a moment after she left the table to say, "I'd better go check on her."

"Good idea," BB agreed.