Chapter 20: How to survive a Marine
AKA: Montesano, fishing and shooting
He took one look at her,
and he knew she was the perfect kind of trouble:
a good girl who knew
exactly when to be bad
Saturday morning was the same as usual, yet completely different in the most important way: Anastasia and I woke up in our bed, got dressed in our room, and left our apartment together to go for our customary run.
Since we lived in Seattle, it was a typical grey and rainy morning. The streets were wet and slippery, but we had good shoes and were used to jogging through the rain. Nonetheless, Anastasia kept slipping and had a particularly close call in a wet corner, but I managed to catch her. God knew how she'd managed to survive jogging alone in college.
After the run, we returned to our apartment, had sex in our shower, and ate breakfast in our kitchen. Then, Anastasia insisted on unpacking by herself and putting away her clothes in our soon-to-be overflowing walk-in closet. She insisted she'd rather take the time to arrange things to her liking then, rather than spend the next few weeks trying to figure out where Gail had placed whatever she wanted to wear that day.
While she dealt with her clothes, I worked from my office. After a few hours, I went to find her, as we'd been invited to my parent's house for lunch. Ever since the incident with Charlie Tango, I found myself willing to spend more time with my parents and siblings. Luckily, my girl liked my family as much as they liked her, and she was happy to accompany me to Bellevue.
I found Anastasia inside our closet, surrounded by a bunch of half-full bags. There seemed to be little to no space left on the garment rods and shelves, and I wondered if we should move our winter clothes to another bedroom until they were needed.
Anastasia was already dressed for the day in jeans, a black shirt, and a matching flowery cardigan, so she was ready to leave immediately. Still unwilling to leave for the day without personal protection, Reynolds drove us to my parents' home. We arrived immediately after Kate, Elliot, and Ethan, who were already walking into the house while we parked.
My mother was waiting for us in the doorway when we got out of the car. She and Mia were excited to see us, and I lamented having spent so little time with them in the past, yet also thanked the universe for sending Anastasia to me.
While I stepped further into the house, my girl was held back by my mother. She wrapped an arm around Anastasia's shoulders and smiled at her as she whispered. I wanted to slow down and eavesdrop on their conversation, but my parents had taught me better than that. The next time I looked at them from behind my shoulder, my mum was still beaming and my poor Kitty was blushing.
"—reminded each other to live a little." I caught the end of Anastasia's words.
"Well, then I'm glad you've grown together. That's a sign of a happy healthy relationship," my mother answered, making Anastasia smile shyly.
After my mother's worry over our relationship during the masked ball, I was relieved that my mother approved of Anastasia, especially since we had good news to share.
Lunch was not quite done yet, so we assembled in the living room. It was a heartening sight: the familiar faces of my loved ones, happy and relaxed in the warm environment of my parent's home, looking forwards to spending a few tranquil hours in good company. A month or two ago I would have felt on the outside looking in, but now I felt bathed by their soothing presence.
Carrick handed a glass of wine to me and another to Anastasia. Elliot and Kate had already sat down together on the largest couch, so I sat down on the opposite end, leaving room for my girl between me and her friend. Greetings had just been exchanged and no one was chatting yet, so I made good use of the silence and said, "Anastasia and I have good news."
Mia's eyes focused on Anastasia's left hand like a hound on a hunt. Not quite yet, little sister, but hopefully soon.
"I asked her to move in with me, and she agreed," I stated with a beam before Mia or Grace could take the wrong guess. Excited, I beamed at Anastasia, and she smiled at me shily.
"Oh, that's great news!" my mum exclaimed as she sprang up. We arose to meet her and she hugged us. "I'm so happy for you both!"
Everyone else congratulated us in turn, although Mia scolded me for making her think we were engaged. It wasn't my fault she'd counted her chickens before they'd hatched.
"Slow down, Mia," I muttered.
I'd rather she didn't go around counting my chickens either, lest she scared Anastasia away. She'd only just agreed to move in with me, and I knew I had to give her time to see that she belonged with me in every way, now and forever.
"Have you moved in already? Have you told your parents?" Grace asked Anastasia.
"Yes, and no. Christian and I will go to Montesano to visit Dad next weekend. I'll tell him then, and afterwards, I'll call Mum. If I tell her first, she'll spill the beans. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic, though."
"And your Dad?"
"He still sees me as his baby girl."
"And he carries a gun, doesn't he?" asked Elliot with amused glee.
"I'm sure Anastasia won't let him shoot me," I said and Anastasia laughed.
"It's this one you should be worried about," explained Kate. "I've seen her in a shooting range. She's got great aim."
Kate elbowed her playfully.
"Ouch!" exclaimed Anastasia before caressing the spot Kate had hit.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
Anastasia lowered her cardigan's sleeve slightly to take a look at her arm as she said, "I don't kno—Oh!"
The skin on her upper arm was yellowish and blue, in an odd pattern I couldn't discern. I frowned.
"What happened?" Kate asked horrified.
Anastasia grimaced as she rose her cardigan back into place.
"Christian saved me from cracking my skull against the pavement this morning."
"Did I hurt you?" I asked worriedly. The odd pattern must have been my fingers.
Had I been too rough with her? I'd been so concerned about her falling and injuring herself that I'd grabbed her too forcefully and caused her harm myself.
"I'm fine," she answered unconcernedly. "Just bruised. You know I get marked easily."
"But does it hurt?"
"Only when I touch it, love. Otherwise, I would have iced it earlier today."
I pursed my lips, hoping she was being honest.
She exhaled in frustration. "And to think I was just about to suggest we go playing paintball sometime."
"I'm game! Women against men!" exclaimed Kate.
"I don't like seeing you marked," I whispered as the conversation flowed around us.
"You know I'm bruised all over, handsome. You fell in love with a klutz." She wasn't wrong, but the bruises scattered on her legs and arms were small, from bumping against different surfaces.
"But I especially hate it when it's my fault—unless I've just reddened your ass," I whispered as an afterthought.
It was one thing to give her a nice spanking as a punishment, and it was another one to bruce her. I loved Anastasia and didn't want to see her hurt. If she were ever to decide she wanted to experiment with canes or belts—not that I thought it could ever happen—I wouldn't be able to agree.
She smirked at my last comment and shook her head playfully in response.
"Now's not the time for such thoughts, Mr Grey. But maybe I'll be a bad girl later," she replayed just as softly.
My mother's help arrived right then to inform us lunch was served. I began leading Anastasia to the dining room, but Kate held her back. I turned to look at my sunshine, but she gestured at me to go ahead.
I knew Kate was still digesting what she'd learnt about our lifestyle and she was probably worried about my girl, but I didn't feel comfortable with Katherine being pervy of such details. Still, I understood she and Anastasia were good friends and I couldn't very well interfere.
They both returned soon enough, too tense to have fully reached a satisfactory conclusion.
LINEA
The first week with Anastasia as a permanent resident in Escala went great. It was comforting having her around every day. We'd spent enough weekends together, and it was easy to find a routine that worked for both of us. We danced around each other in the bedroom, bathroom, and closet without bumping into each other, as if we'd been doing so forever. We walked down the kitchen side by side and had breakfast together; I read the news in between chatting with Anastasia, who wasn't talkative so early in the morning. We climbed into the elevator together and kissed each other goodbye in the garage before getting into our respective cars.
Having her around the apartment was comforting and peaceful, but it also made me weak in the knees every time I walked into the room and she was already there, comfortably at home and smiling at me.
Tuesday morning, Anastasia volunteered to meet Claude and I in our private gym upstairs. She was a bit inexperienced, but Claude went easy on her and she took it all in stride. I did receive a few emails throughout the day complaining about sore muscles and stairs.
That evening, I was swarmed with paperwork concerning a new merger, and Anastasia went to visit Katherine and clear the air. The blond was still wary about what Anastasia had got herself into regarding BDSM—and probably me—so they'd made plans to meet through the week.
I knew Anastasia would be returning home tonight, but I still pouted while she got ready to leave. I wanted her in Escala with me, not back in her old apartment.
The rest of the week went peacefully, with an additional morning workout with Clause on Thursday morning and my standing appointment with Flynn in the evening.
The break in the routine came Friday, when I drove us straight after work to Mr Steel's home in Montesano. As I'd begun leaving behind the terrifying experiences with Lyla and Hyde, I decided our CPOs wouldn't be needed in a small town where not many people were likely to recognize me.
The trip was lengthy but enjoyable. We spoke about our day and our plans regarding Elliot's birthday. I'd already ordered the gift Anastasia had suggested with an evil smirk, and it should be arriving on Monday. My brother was first celebrating his birthday Friday night with us and his friends on his building's rooftop, and then we'd be taking a family trip in The Grace Saturday afternoon.
It was a little after seven when we arrived at Ray's house. It was small but well-kept. The man I'd met at Anastasia's graduation ceremony seemed the kind who liked to work with his hands, fix everything as soon as it got broken, and repaint the house by himself as frequently as necessary.
Anastasia had mentioned her father and her life with him fondly, but hadn't spoken much about the town itself. I knew it to be small, with a limited number of people for each age range. There was a single High School and, much like myself, Anastasia hadn't fit in. Unlike me, it was because she had been a good girl who hadn't dared yet to be bad. She'd preferred books over peers, and staying home reading over sneaking out at night to go partying and drinking. She had briefly been involved with a boy during her last months as a senior student but hadn't dated much. Their loss was my gain.
Ray opened the front door the instant I'd parked on his driveway.
"Annie!" he exclaimed as Anastasia climbed out of the car.
"Hi, Dad."
I gave them a minute to hug and greet each other as I took our bag out of the trunk.
"Mr Steele," I said then as I shook his hand.
"Christian, do call me Ray. It was nice of you to drive my Ana all the way here."
"It's no problem, sir. We're not that far away."
Ray guided us inside the house. Anastasia led me through the living room, which had a TV, a large brown couch and a black leather recliner, and to her old bedroom. It still surprised me I wasn't being relegated to the couch by Ray, but I knew my Anastasia could be quite insistent. I hoped her stubbornness would save us trouble when informing her father we were now living together.
Anastasia and I quickly removed our work clothes and put on something more comfortable. Then, I paid a visit to the bathroom and gave father and daughter a few minutes alone.
"—and the best ones, of course. But I truly enjoy what I'm doing," I overheard Anastasia say as I walked into the small kitchen. Like the rest of the house, it was outdated, but clean and well-taken care of. It wasn't obsessively organized like my mother's or Escala's kitchen after Gail had cleaned it up, but rather like ours during the weekend, when Anastasia kept everything she needed at hand. On the table, there were three cups of warm tea—one for each of us.
My sunshine spoke some more about her experience at her new job before standing up to begin cooking dinner. I was pleased to notice she walked as comfortably around Ray's kitchen as she did at Escala's. While she put some water to boil, Ray and I sipped out tea and discussed some of the breakthroughs GEH had achieved during the last year regarding green technologies. I relaxed as I spoke about my pride and joy, and was pleased to realize Ray was honestly interested in learning more about my enterprise's achievements.
Soon, we were chatting about the environment, which in turn led to a talk about fishing and our plans for the following day. Ray volunteered to take us to Lake Sylvia State Park, and as Anastasia was enthusiastic about the idea, I agreed. While I knew she wouldn't be getting anywhere close to the fishing rods, Anastasia did enjoy a trip to nature as much as me—although she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the most adventurous aspects of it, like Elliot and me. Indeed, Anastasia stated right then she would not be taking a boat to the middle of the lake, so we'd have to fish from the bridge crossing over it instead.
The conversation slowed down once we started eating, and Anastasia began to fidget like a Daddy's girl who was about to tell her father she was living in sin with a virile man. It wasn't until we were nearly over with dinner that Ray asked, "So what brings you all the way here? Something tells me it's not just a social visit. You've been fidgeting."
Both Anastasia and I tensed up.
"I do have news to share. I'm… moving in with Christian."
He nodded. "I can't say I didn't see this coming. I'd ask you if you're sure about it, but you don't own one impulsive bone."
I relaxed then. Ray of course knew how much of an over-thinker Anastasia could be, and he trusted her to make the right life choices.
"Are you calling me boring?" She asked playfully, with narrowed eyes. I barely managed not to snort. If walls could talk, they'd call her anything rather than boring. "We've been making an effort to go out more."
"You know that's not what I meant. You've got a good head on your shoulders, so if you think this is what's good for you, then I won't interfere." Then, he turned to look at me. "And I trust you'll take care of my girl."
"Of course, sir."
"He doesn't need any encouragement for that," Anastasia informed him. "And I've already told you about my new best friend."
"New best friend?" I asked.
"Sawyer, of course! He follows me everywhere," she said with a smile. "Except for the bathroom that is." I frowned. That was an unexpected security breach. "Don't even think about it."
"I was just considering a female CPO—"
"No. You need to relax."
Ray snorted.
"It's good to see you bicker like an old married couple instead of lovesick teenagers. It means you're not walking blindly into this."
"I don't know. I didn't expect her to take over the bathroom as she did," I joked.
There was no doubt living with Anastasia was delightful, but sharing a bathroom and closet with a woman was something I still needed to adapt to.
"It's a huge bathroom, anyway. It's got two sinks! And Kate owns like three times as many things as I do. I bet so does Mia."
"I don't even want to know what Mia's bathroom and bedroom look like." I hadn't stepped into that pink monstrosity for over a decade.
"I don't think we've ever been blindly infatuated anyway," added Anastasia.
She wasn't wrong. We were in lust before we were in love, but never infatuated, and never ignorant of the other's flaws. We'd gone from crazy chemistry with a side of hesitation, to utter desire, to headaches and frustration, before we'd even started truly getting along. By the time we'd fallen in love, we'd shared more conflicts than kisses.
"He really annoyed me when we first met," my Kitty added as she smirked at me. I briefly recalled our dinner at the Heathman, and how much we'd irritated each other.
"You weren't Miss Sunshine, either," I reminded her. She'd been a shy kitten or a wild tiger, but she hadn't been my sunshine yet.
"Yet now you think that I am," she said as she raised both eyebrows, probably trying to lift only one. Amused by her antics, I smiled. I'd tried to teach her how to raise a single eyebrow, but she truly had no control over those facial muscles.
"You joke and laugh more," I whispered, entranced. The playful Kitty that now stood at my side making me smile was not the Nymph I'd met in Portland.
She had become my sunshine in my times of pain. Her brilliant smiles were a balm that could make anything bearable.
"And you're less frustrating."
"You warm my heart, Miss Steele."
LINEA
The next morning, we found ourselves in the local park. We'd woken up as early as usual and prepared some sandwiches for the day before leaving the house.
Per Anastasia's wish, we first hiked through the trials. My clumsy girl felt unsteady in the terrain, so we took our time and enjoyed the landscape. The green forest was thick on one side, while on the other, we had a perfect view of the lake. Anastasia looked like the ethereal wood Nymph I always accused her of being as she walked among the aged trees, bathed by the green hue caused by the sunlight striking through the leaves.
"The view is beautiful," I said, meaning both the landscape and my girl. "It's been a while ever since I've hiked in someplace other than Forest Park in Oregon. We should go there sometime." I wanted to show Anastasia the world, but home seemed a good place to start. Washington was beautiful, and I wanted to re-experience it with her. "But we ought to keep the trip private this time around," I muttered.
"We barely spent time with Ros and Gwen in New York!"
"And I hope Ros had fun, because I'm not letting her anywhere near you again." The flirt.
Anastasia snickered. "She was just trying to rile you up," she informed me unnecessarily as she rubbed my back rather condescendingly.
"I know she was just joking, but—"
"I don't know if I'd go as far as calling it joking. I'm sure they'd have been happy to let me join them," she said with a mocking frown.
Of that, I had no doubt. Anastasia was gorgeous, and Ros and Gwen had good taste—or at least Ros did; God knew what Gwen had been thinking…
"I know they would have. And that's why I'm keeping Ros away from you," I answered with the same overdramatic tone.
"What about Elliot's birthday? Won't she be there?"
"I had forgotten about it. I'll ask Gwen to keep her on a short leash."
"I have a hard time picturing it."
"Gwen tamed the beast. Ros used to be as much of a player as Elliot—she was his wing-woman until she left him for Gwen."
"Would you look at that? You learn something new every day."
Soon afterward, we arrived back at Ray's truck. Anastasia grabbed the sandwiches and a folding chair, while Ray and I took out the fishing gear.
Lake Sylvia was unusually narrow, resembling a river, and a bridge had been built towards its south-eastern area. It led from the road to the parking lot and the recreation area, which had bathrooms, typical picnic tables, and a jungle gym. Thus, the bridge, which was just wide enough for a car to cross, didn't have much traffic. Even then, it had a sidewalk of sorts on one side, and that is where we settled down. While Ray and I fished in comfortable silence, Anastasia sat down with a book on a folding reclining chair.
We returned early in the afternoon to Ray's house, and after the fish had been put away in the freezer, I drove us to a shooting range on the outskirts of Hoquiam, about half an hour from Montesano.
I was against the use of guns, especially by civilians, and didn't shoot for fun like Anastasia. Nonetheless, Taylor had insisted I know how to defend myself with a gun, and I knew I could use the practice. Also, I appreciated the opportunity to bond further with both my Kitty and her father. Anastasia was pleasantly surprised by my capabilities and insisted we had should paintball sometime soon.
"Three against three sounds boring," I answered.
"I'm sure Elliot will be able to find some willing players."
She was probably right. He was a social butterfly and had plenty of friends around Seattle.
There was some work I needed to get done before Monday, so after dinner, I secluded myself with my laptop in the kitchen while Ray and Anastasia sat down on the porch to enjoy the starry night, the tranquillity of a small town, and the comforting presence of each other.
Anastasia looked pensive when they walked back into the house. I didn't inquire about what was on her mind until we were getting ready for bed.
"A penny for your thoughts, beautiful?"
"They're worth more than a penny."
"I'm sure I can pay you with something appropriate enough, once we get back home. I'm not getting on your dad's bad side."
She chuckled. She had already tried to get into my pants the night before, and I'd insisted I wouldn't be fucking Mr Steele's dear daughter under his own roof.
"You're a tease," she said. "I was just thinking about how much I've changed ever since I lived here. I owned less than half the hair and skin products I do now, I used no make-up, wore no dresses… had no sex."
"Well, you're a woman now. All woman," I whispered, caressing her curves from above her pyjamas. "A beautiful one."
She blushed. "If seventeen-years-old me could see us now!"
She fell asleep the instant her head hit the pillow, while I reflected on her words. I knew I had changed for the better because of having Anastasia in my life, and I hoped the situation was mutual.
I knew that during the last few months, I had encouraged my Kitty to embrace her sexuality further by opening her mind and body to new experiences. Ironically, I had once tried to turn her into the perfect Submissive for me, but instead, she had become even worse of a Sub.
She misbehaved whenever she felt like being spanked, she cued me when she wanted to get tied up, and she guided me into making her come when she needed it the most. I now allowed her to wear whatever she wished in the playroom because those sexy outfits of hers pleased me, even if they breached the direct order of wearing only panties. In hindsight, she topped from the bottom more often than I realized, as most times I got too distracted by her allurement.
That is not to say Anastasia was manipulative. She just wasn't quite as good at following orders as I'd first assumed. If anything, she had been upfront about it from the very beginning, insisting she wasn't Submissive in nature, but only in the bedroom. How self-centred and foolish I'd been, thinking my Nymph was yet to fully embrace her own dark desires. I had seen a Kitty where there was a tiger; a meek flower where there was a Goddess.
But once I'd met the real Anastasia and realized she wasn't the Sub I'd been looking for, it was too late: I was too entranced by her body and couldn't take a step back.
And then I fell in love with that tiger, brave, protective, and persistent.
I fell in love with a woman with a strong inner Goddess that liked to be tied up and fucked hard. A Nymph that only pretended she liked to be bossed around, but rather preferred to rile me up and make me believe I was in charge as I tried my hardest to please her the way she liked best.
How could I not, when she brought out the best in me? When she inspired me to be faithful, respectful, protective, rewarding, and loving?
She had turned me from a cold Dom and CEO to the best boyfriend I could ever be, and I knew that if she gave me the chance, I'd be the best husband I could ever be.
And maybe Anastasia was the worst Sub I'd ever met, but she was an amazing girlfriend and I knew she'd always try her hardest to be the best companion and wife she could ever be.
LINEA
We spent Sunday morning in Montesano and returned home after lunch. The next couple of days were uneventful while we kept adapting to our new routine and basked in living together.
Wednesday greeted me with one cancelled and one postponed meeting. My workload was suddenly lighter than usual, and I found my thoughts drifting towards Anastasia. Her smiling in our living room as the sunshine filtered through the windows; her having breakfast with me every morning on the kitchen island with sleepy eyes or eating dinner by my side as we spoke about our days; her working in her office; her getting ready in the mornings; us dancing around the bathroom as we got ready for bed…
She was under my skin, always on my mind, and now all over our apartment. I saw her in every nook and cranny she had visited, but she still felt like a new addition to an old impersonal apartment that had seen women come and go countless times.
I wanted to build a home with Anastasia. I wanted more than walls and windows, even if the rooms were now filled with laughter and love. I wanted to feel her on every surface: on the colour of the walls; on the soft couch in which we'd lay down together; in the kitchen that smelled like pancakes; in a home office she could truly make her own; in a dining table that held stories about good and bad days; in a bed in which we would make love till we were too old; in a backyard, like the one in my parents' home, with a dog or two running among the flowers…
I found myself looking into real state, searching for large affluent homes in the safest and nicest areas of Seattle, without getting too far away from GEH or TWCS. There weren't many houses on the waterfront for sale in Seattle, but I found three large ones in Madison Park, Denny-Blaine and Mt Baker. All had several bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as a pool, and two already had their own dock in which I could berth The Grace. They were also in excellent neighbourhoods and appeared to be secluded.
Still, the one in Mt Baker seemed too… opulent and grand; more like a palace than a home. I was sure that if I found it too luxurious, Anastasia would think so tenfold.
The inside of the house in Madison Park was astounding and had been recently renovated. The outside, on the other hand, was rather unpleasant to the eyes. I didn't like the roof and the windows, or even the shape of the house, and it wasn't something Elliot could easily fix.
The house in Denny-Blaine on the other hand… It was a large but unimposing townhouse, with a classic look that could be adapted if it went out of style—indeed, the outside was currently painted in beige and dark grey separated by clean vertical lines, giving the house a modern look. The place looked more like a big home and less like a museum turned into a manor. The inside seemed comfortable and spacious, like my parent's home, even if it was outdated and needed some work. If anything, that was perfect, as Anastasia and I would be able to build a home together to our specifications; to make it into a place that was ours.
I hesitated before requesting a tour for the Saturday after the next. That gave me nearly ten days to figure out an action plan regarding Anastasia. Should I surprise her with the tour? Should I go beforehand by myself? Should I ask her to marry me first, or afterwards? Should I even be thinking about this when she hadn't turned twenty-two years old yet?
Oh, or should I surprise her with a house for her birthday? No, no. That was way too much.
I had several days to figure it out.
LINEA
Elliot turned thirty on Friday. He celebrated it that very night on his condominium's rooftop with his friends, in an electric group that included our sister, Anastasia, me, and others.
The Emerald, the condo in which Elliot—as well as Ros and Gwen—resided, was only four blocks away from Escala. Elliot owned an apartment on the 30th floor and had an impressive view from both Seattle and the Sound. It was modern and spacious enough for a single man, albeit nowhere as large as my penthouse. Ros and Gwen lived only a few floors above him.
It was a different experience getting ready to go out at night with Anastasia. She was all over the place, walking around barefoot in one of my T-shirts as she chose what to wear, hesitated over which pair of black shoes to pick, combed and arranged her hair in the bathroom, returned to the closet to exchange the shoes for lower ones, spent nearly fifteen minutes doing her makeup, and then finally got dressed.
She chose one of the dresses my personal shopper had acquired for her. It was just tight enough to showcase her waist and reached her mid-thigh. The front was completely covered in sequins coloured white, black, turquoise and light brown. The back was plain dark grey, in a similar shade to the shirt I was wearing.
Considering the condo was so close, we decided to go on foot with Ryan. Someone would be picking us up by car afterwards.
I had never been to Emerald's rooftop before. The area was vast and scattered with couches, tables and chairs, giving everyone enough space to both sit and walk. The view from the floor-to-ceiling windows was just as impressive as the one from Escala. The outdoors area was similarly furnished albeit more scarcely, and there were a couple of fire pits and an open bar.
There was plenty of space with only twenty guests present. I knew Elliot was expecting another forty guests, but even then we'd fit comfortably.
Music was bursting from the speakers, but it wasn't blasting so loudly as for conversation to be impossible. A few people were dancing, but most were standing by the balcony's railing, close to the bar.
Anastasia led us to a group of dancing women, who I immediately recognized as Katherine, Ros and Gwen. I cringed internally. That was one explosive combination.
"Hi, girls!" Anastasia exclaimed before hugging her friend.
"Ana!" they cheered back.
After greetings had been exchanged, I asked about the birthday boy's whereabouts. Kate pointed us to Elliot, who was having a beer with a few friends on a couch.
"Hey, Elliot! Happy birthday!" said Anastasia with a warm smile as soon as we were close enough.
"Ana Banana! Christian! You survived Montesano!" he exclaimed with a matching grin, standing up to greet us.
"I did. Happy birthday, Lelliot."
"Oh! A present!" he celebrated with childlike cheerfulness.
My Nymph grinned at me wickedly and I returned the gesture as Ros, Gwen and Kate joined us. Great! Public for Elliot's humiliation.
Inside the bag, there were three objects. My brother first took out the dark blue sweater that had been skilfully placed by Anastasia to hide the true gems. Elliot's eyes widened as he noticed the other presents and hastily returned the sweater inside, nearly ripping the bag.
Anastasia and I burst out laughing as his cheeks and ears pinked like they probably hadn't since he'd been a misbehaving kid.
Her idea to get him a whip and collection of five different-sized butt plugs had been brilliant. Every time he tried to tease me in the future, Elliot would probably recall this moment and blush before even opening his mouth. If not, I could just remind him of my superlative birthday present.
"What is it, baby?" asked Kate, stealing the bag from his hands.
She pushed the sweater to a side and her eyes widened in horrified fascination. "You bitch," she muttered as she glanced up at Anastasia.
Our laughter intensified.
I hadn't asked for details, as there was information I'd rather not be privy to, but Anastasia had implied the gift was as much of a favour for Kate as it was a prank for Elliot.
The fiery redhead, never being one to stay out of things—especially if they involved embarrassing a Grey brother—struck for the bag like a cobra. Kate tried to hold onto it, but Gwen joined forces with her partner and they managed to take a peek at the toys, which led them to burst out laughing too.
Elliot's flushed face and horrified eyes had no precedent. He looked considerably more embarrassed than Anastasia on my birthday, and Kate looked only slightly better composed.
"You're welcome," I eventually managed to say as out laughter died down.
We decided to give Elliot a respite after that and made a stop by the bar. As we walked towards one of the empty tables on the inside, just by one of the windows with a view to the waterside, Anastasia caught Mia and Ethan climbing out of the elevator.
We stuck together as we mixed among the growing crowd and chatted with a few of Elliot's friends I'd briefly met through the years, or that Ros introduced us to. She knew exactly with which kind of people I didn't mind socializing, and I trusted her not to introduce me to any buffoon. Anastasia seemed to enjoy in particular the presence of Peter, Ian and Sue, some of Elliot's college friends who had moved to Seattle after graduation.
It was a couple of hours into the night when Kate was ready to pretend she hadn't seen the butt plugs and came looking for Anastasia. She towed her and Mia onto the dance floor, and I followed them, much preferring to hold Anastasia between my arms as we danced rather than to speak with virtual strangers.
"Elliot seems to be avoiding you guys like the plague," commented Mia as she swung with the rhythm of the music.
"He got a taste of his own medicine," I answered.
Mia frowned and opened her mouth.
"You don't want to know," said Kate hastily.
My sister pouted.
"It was payback for the gift he gave Christian for his birthday," Anastasia explained and Mia grimaced.
"Oh. Got it. I don't need the details."
At half past eleven, a decadent chocolate cake was brought to the largest table. After the birthday song had been intonated and we'd shared a large piece of cake, Anastasia and I made our escape.
LINEA
Saturday morning, we slept in until later than usual, although according to Anastasia, it was still too early for people our age. Considering both she and I had always acted more mature than Elliot, who was now officially not in his twenties anymore, the point was moot. After jogging and bathing, we got ready for a day at The Grace with my family.
When we arrived at the marina, we found my parents already relaxing in the cockpit.
"You're early," I said after greetings had been exchanged.
"Blame it on your sister," answered my father. "She wanted to get started on lunch. She's in the kitchen, kneading the dough for the pizza."
"Oh! I'll go help her," volunteered Anastasia as she left.
"Did you have a pleasant time last night?" my mother asked me.
I told her about Elliot's birthday: the good food, the friendly company and the cheerful music. My mother gushed about how glad she was both Elliot and I had got to celebrate our birthdays this year with lovely girls on our side. I merely nodded.
I wonder if she thought, much like I did,
that hopefully, all my future birthdays would be just as full of love and good company.
And who would have thought that for my very next birthday
I'd already have a bundle of joy in my arms?
Before Grace could keep rambling, Elliot arrived with Kate and Ethan in tow.
"Elliot! Happy birthday, my darling!" my mother exclaimed as she reached up to hug him, followed by Carrick.
"Let us head inside," I suggested after hellos had been exchanged. I was ready to get my boat deep into the Sound.
"It's great to see him so happy!" I could hear Mia exclaim as we walked into the main saloon. "I'm not going to lie—for a while there I thought he'd never fall in love and he'd be a bachelor forever."
I'd need to have a serious talk with Mia. First, she babbled about my fighting as a teenager; then, she assumed I'd got engaged with Anastasia and almost revealed this to her; now this.
"Not to mention celibate!" added Elliot.
Mia and Anastasia jumped, startled, and turned to look at us.
Our mother berated Elliot as I glared at the asshole.
Hadn't he learnt the night before that if he teased me about my sex life, I'd make him pay tenfold?
Carrick intervened before the argument could escalate and suggested we get The Grace ready to sail. Both my father and brother knew how to navigate, even if they weren't as experienced as me, and soon we were anchored close to Point Jefferson, with a beautiful view of the blue water, the city of Seattle, and the forest surrounding Indianola. Anastasia had been ecstatic to keep the curse and cut the engines once again, while Carrick, Elliot and I worked on the ropes.
We spent the morning relaxing on the sunpads on the foredeck and then had lunch in the main saloon.
The afternoon was full of nothing but the sea, the wind, chatting and joking with family and friends. There was no anxiety. No feeling like an outsider. No mother worrying about the social life of her children. No dirty secret waiting for me at Escala.
Life was looking up.
LINEA
Monday found me in a reflective mood.
The following day would mark three months ever since Anastasia had walked into my office, a confident tiger with deep blue eyes that had shed the Kitten clothes and turned my word on its axis. And now there I stood, staring at Seattle from my office in Grey House, an engagement ring hidden in my safe, a grand house by the lakeside in sight, and the beginning of a proposal written in a notepad: 'Anastasia Rose Steele. It took me a while to figure out I loved you, but when I did, there was no turning back for me,' in between a dozen crossed-out sentences.
I realized I had never actually read the article Katherine had written about me. It took me more than it should have, but I eventually found it in the University's online newspaper. I skimmed through most parts: while it was well written—Katherine did have a talent with words—there was nothing in there about myself that I hadn't already read.
Although something did catch my eye. Kate had recited my favourite quote from Carnegie, which I briefly recalled mentioning in the interview: 'A man who acquires the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.' But she had given it a different interpretation. Instead of focusing on one's capability of owning whatever it is one wished to possess, she had centred her reflection on seizing every opportunity school and college had given the readers, and taking possession of every knowledge, experience and criteria they could, thus making the best of said opportunities to achieve great success in life.
That was different.
The next half hour had me researching other interpretations and thoughts regarding the industrialist's words. I even stumbled upon what would become my new favourite quote: 'The mind like the body can be moved from the shade into sunshine.'
There were no better words to describe what Anastasia had done for me.
Gone was the man hiding in the shadows, isolated from his family and keeping an emotional distance from any new woman in his life. Gone was the man whose body could bear no loving touch. Anastasia, my Sunshine, had bathed me with her light, her warmth and her love. She had touched my soul and body like I had allowed no one before her and dragged me under the sun.
I was changed for the better, mind and body, feeling healthier and happier than I ever had, and I owed it to Anastasia pushing me down the right path.
I grabbed my notebook again.
I had a proposal to write.