A/N:
Content warning for those of you who'd like to skip: Hinting at scuffle at the end of this chapter.
Have fun with the new one and thank you again for your support, follows, favorites and reviews. x
Blame it on the Christmas Tree
by
Ava LeBeau
Chapter 6 – Swimming with the Sharks
"Why are you so stoked for Anastasia Steele in this? I mean, she's fresh from university, what do you see in her, Jerry?" he balled his fist, letting out a harsh breath, trying to still his anger.
"As I said, I want Ms. Steele's face. Her energy. For this new project and the advertising campaign," Roach said flatly.
"This is insane, she's gonna screw up the whole project."
"We need people with personality."
"She's green as hell, she's gonna fuck up big time, Jerry. I mean we can't pour shitloads of money into a project that's led by someone this inexperienced as her. Why can't you see that?"
"If we spin this right, Jack, we can make this deal."
"You're crazy, Jerry. The whole idea is insane."
"All I care about is profit, Jack."
"If it's what I think it is, then all this is goin' to be one big fucking mistake."
"There are no mistakes, Jack."
Jack Hyde drew in a long breath.
"If it backfires, Jack, I'll put the blame on you."
"You want me to make a fool out of myself if young Ms. Steele fucks up?"
"You'll guide her every step along the way and I know you will not disappoint me, Jack."
"Throwing me to the sharks, huh?" he gave a bitter laugh, "So, this is what I get for saving your ass for years now, Jerry? Well thanks for nothing, I guess," Jack Hyde's voice trembled with anger.
"You do splendid work, Jack. This project is an investment in the future of SIP. In our future."
"Grey is behind all this, right?" Hyde blurted out, "What about me? You promised me a senior position after all I have done for SIP this year... and now this?! What the fuck, Jerry?"
"Can't you see that I'm grooming you here, Jack? I want you to endorse her. Regard it as one final test."
"Endorse her, Jerry? Let me tell you what's going on here. Grey's fucking her and now he's throwing his weight around, tryin' to pull the strings in her favor."
"Jack, I'm in no mood-"
"No, Jerry, it's four months, four fuckin' months and he's already trying to fuck you over. You're gonna lose the company. You're gonna lose everything. He's ruthless, Jerry. Fuckin' ruthless."
"Mind your tone, Jack."
Roach pushed a key on the intercom, "Janine? Get me Anderson on the line. Oh and send for Ms. Steele. I want to talk to her. Thank you."
Roach turned his attention back to Hyde again.
"I expect cooperative behavior at all times, Jack. As for the report, I want it on my desk tomorrow morning."
Jack Hyde glared at Roach.
"Well, this is the part where you leave, Jack." Both men stood, Jack Hyde raked his fingers through his hair and left without a goodbye.
The sound of the heavy soles of Jack Hyde's shoes on the floor was echoing from the walls as he made his way towards his office without so much as looking at Ana and Hannah, who sat at their desks typing away at several documents.
Hannah turned to look at Anastasia, arching her eyebrow. Ana gave her a half shrug in return.
Jack had been carrying a pile of manuscripts under his arm and the sound of them being flung onto one of the cabinets in his office made Anastasia jump.
Moments later Jack left his office again and walked up to Hannah's desk.
He pointed a slender index at their gift, still wrapped in newspaper, "I s'ppose this was your witless gift for me?"
Hannah furrowed her brow, studying his flushed features, "Yes. Are you okay, Jack?"
"Oh, I'm feelin' marvelous, Hannah," Jack's voice was heavy with sarcasm.
He held out his hand, "Be a doll, Hannah, and give me the bottle."
"Why, yes," she eyed him warily and handed him the present.
Jack unwrapped it and smirked, "Great choice."
"You're welcome," Hannah replied, a strained smile ghosted across her features.
"Anyway … uhm... I will be away from my desk for now," he observed the bottle in his hand and mumbled, "I have a meeting with... with Mr. Daniels here."
His gaze darted to Hannah, who furrowed her brow, saying, "A'ight."
Anastasia blanched when Jack Hyde looked back at her, his eyes boring into her.
"See you later, Anastasia," she froze when his fake smile faded and his expression hardened. Pressing her lips together she nodded quietly, but Hyde was already stomping off.
Hannah glanced at her and rolled her eyes, "Jeez, what a charmer," she whispered and both laughed.
A new chat window popped up on Anastasia screen. Janine, Jerry's assistant. She asked Ana to come to Mr. Roach's office.
"Roach wants to see me," Ana looked puzzled and Hannah arched an eyebrow. Anastasia rose from her seat, flattened down her skirt and grabbed her notepad.
"Good luck," Hannah smiled as Anastasia hurried to get to Roach's office.
Roach's door was open and Janine smiled and nodded, motioning for her to walk right through to her boss's boss.
"Sir."
"Ms. Steele," he offered her a seat.
"Claire from HR has already briefed you in the run-up, and I'd like to give you more in-depth info on the project my management team has earmarked you for."
Ana nodded in response without saying a word.
"In the upcoming year, SIP intends to explore new markets. We are also planning to expand our portfolio, as you already know. People from both emerging and developing world countries have little to no access to literature and other mediums of information. Hence, the management team has made a proposal to the Board of Directors to conduct a market exploration. The proposal was met with a great deal of approval. We have also decided to give young talents in our company a chance to prove what they are capable of... We have decided to assign you the project."
"Thank you, sir," Ana didn't know what else to say even though she had so many questions.
"Jack Hyde is a fierce advocate of yours, and with his many years of expertise, he will be there to advise and assist you every step of the way. He has assured me of his full support. Please have a meeting with him to create a project plan. I would also like you to define goals and performance measures. Janine will schedule a meeting for us to discuss your first results. Any questions?" Roach's face was neutral.
"Yes, sir, is there any reason why I -"
"Talent management, as I mentioned earlier." Roach didn't seem to appreciate insecurity all that much.
After a moment of silence, he said, "You have everything it takes for this project, Ms. Steele."
Janine peeked into the office and let Roach know that his next appointment was waiting on the phone. Roach nodded, then looked at Ana,
"I await your first report on Friday, Ms. Steele."
Moments later Anastasia let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding in and entered the elevator to return to her office.
"You're reporting to Mr. Roach on this? Oh my god, Ana," Hannah beamed at her coworker, but Anastasia looked rather puzzled.
"And he said Jack is my mentor," Anastasia frowned, reaching for her phone when it buzzed.
"Oops," Hannah replied and Ana nodded, glancing down at the phone in her hand.
A message from Christian Grey, Mr. Taylor would pick her up in fifteen minutes at SIP to meet Christian for business lunch.
Ana moved to rummage around her purse, looking for the lip gloss Kate had left behind.
"Gotta go, Hannah," she said and reached for her coat.
On the way down she reapplied the lip gloss in the elevator, unsure if it was too much already. Staring at her reflection in the mirror she stroked a strand of hair behind her ear and drew in a deep breath.
Smiling, she left the building, walking up to Mr. Taylor who was already waiting.
After a short ride they had reached their destination.
Inside the restaurant the maître d' greeted both Taylor and Anastasia and led them to a private dining room.
Christian was on the phone, his back turned to the door, his voice sounded rather stern,
"Remember the indemnity clause in the contract, Ros? Let's make sure that we're rock solid on this. Sometimes things look only good on paper, you know. Is there anything else I need to know? I hear silence and don't like the sound of it..."
Anastasia looked around. The private dining room looked expensive, traditional but with a contemporary twist. Everything was impeccably customized, all the furniture in mostly walnut and chocolate hues.
"I'll be right back with you," Anastasia could hear the maître d' say as he turned to leave. Taylor closed the door behind him.
The line between Christian's eyebrows didn't go unnoticed but his face lit up when he saw Anastasia.
"Anyway, Ros, talk to Fisher. I'll call you later. Bye."
"Thank you, Taylor," he said and walked over to Anastasia.
Taylor nodded, "Sir," and left.
"Hi," Anastasia's lips curved into a smile.
"How good to see you again," Christian leaned forward to kiss her.
All at once, there were those butterflies again and Ana closed her eyes when their lips met, their kiss gentle and innocent.
Christian ran his hands up her back, he stroked her upper arms before his hands finally came to rest on her shoulders. For a moment Anastasia thought he was about to pull away, and so she let out a small whimper and leaned into him, unwilling for this to end already. But Christian kept kissing her, cupping her face with his hands now.
There was a knock on the dining room's door and Anastasia's breath hitched while Christian let out a harsh breath and straightened himself.
Anastasia folded her arms in front of her chest, forcing a small smile as the waiter said, "Mr. Grey."
"Just a moment," Christian said, his voice sounded raspy.
"Yes, Sir," the waiter said while they sat down.
Prix Fixe Menu
$125
Anastasia bit her lower lip as she studied the choices of entrées.
She had never been seated in a private dining room of a restaurant. Also, she had never had such an expensive meal.
"Salad or rather the Duck Foie Gras with Strawberries and Pistachios?" Christian glanced at her over his menu.
"You have to try the red snapper with mango butter and herbed fries. You won't be disappointed," he continued.
Anastasia licked her lips.
Then she glanced up at him, "Christian, I-"
"Not hungry?" he furrowed his brow.
"No, it's just..."
"Oh, don't worry, my treat," Christian smiled.
The waiter had returned with their drinks, ready to take their order, when Anastasia chuckled, "Oh dear."
She moved to reach over the table.
"What is it?" Christian's brow creased again.
"You have something..." Anastasia's lip were slightly parted as she studied his features. Gently, she stroked the pad of her thumb across Christian's lower lip, careful not to knock over the glasses as she leaned over their table.
"Oh," he laughed and took the napkin to dab his mouth.
"I'm sorry," Anastasia pressed her lips together, taking a mental note to throw away the lip gloss for good.
Christian had been right about the main course, the red snapper was superb.
Anastasia took a bite while listening to him talking about his latest Educational Project in a developing country. It was designed to empower self-advocacy skills among those affected.
"What are you working on currently?" he asked Anastasia all of a sudden.
"Market exploration in emerging countries with regard to literacy and other sources of information," she toyed with the stem of her water glass and looked at him.
"Sounds interesting," he smiled softly and suddenly Ana wondered if he was behind this work assignment.
"Mhmm," she replied.
"Something wrong?"
"No, it's just... Did you know about any of this?"
"About what? Your project? No."
Christian placed his cutlery neatly on his plate and dabbed his mouth with the linen napkin before he reached across the table to take her hand.
"What makes you think that?"
"Well your current project... And your venture with SIP...," her face darkened.
"Whatever this is between us, Christian. Please do not get involved in my job."
"Whatever this is between us?" Christian arched his eyebrow and laughed hoarsely, "I'm not doing anything."
"Promise me."
"I promise," he said and she wondered if he was annoyed in some way.
"Look at me when you say it," she demanded anyway.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, his gray gaze met her dark blue and he said, "I promise."
"I will hold you to your word, Christian," Anastasia said sternly but he just let out another laugh.
"You know, I... uhm... I want to succeed myself. I know it would be a cinch for you ... But ... I-I've worked so hard for everything, and I don't want -"
"Ana, there's no need to explain yourself," Christian stated matter-of-factly.
He took a sip of his white wine and looked at Anastasia over the rim of his glass.
His thumb gently stroked the back of her hand while he held her gaze.
"When do you have to be back at the office?" he glanced briefly at his Omega.
"'Bout 1:30," Ana replied and drained her glass.
While Christian settled the bill, Anastasia took another look around the room. She would probably never see or experience anything like this again.
A short time later, they were both sitting in the rear seat of the Audi while Taylor steered the car through the streets and back to SIP.
"May I see you again?" asked Christian.
"Why not?" said Anastasia, more gruffly than intended.
"I don't know. You seem distant," Christian stated.
"I'd be happy to see you again, Christian," Anastasia looked at him and smiled.
"I'm leaving for Washington later today. I have a fundraiser to attend."
"When will you be back?"
"You'll know when I get back," he said vaguely, giving her hand, which he had been holding in his the whole time, a gentle squeeze. Meanwhile, Anastasia wondered if his vague answer was some kind of security measure.
"Okay," she said without questioning it further.
Taylor pulled up outside SIP. While he walked around the car to open the door for Ana, Christian leaned closer to kiss her again.
"Call me sometime," he said as he pulled away.
"I will," Anastasia replied, stealing another quick kiss before she got out of the car.
When Ana returned to her desk, Jack was sitting in his office, feet up on the table, talking loudly on the phone.
"Well, what can I say, Vance? It's Christmas … and we're all in misery...," Hyde laughed out loud.
"Yeah, exactly... It's always the same, Vance. First they twist them all around their little fingers, sashayin' around with their... their short skirts and perky butts, looking at you as if butter wouldn't melt in their pouty mouths. But deep down, it's nothing but a devious little game. And when it all goes to shit and we're all about to get fired, then they expect you to come and save them. Be their knight in shining armor."
Jack Hyde guffawed.
"Trust me, I won't have it, Vance. Not this time. I've told him to count me out. I've fuckin' had it."
Hannah looked at Anastasia and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, let's grab drinks this week. Bye."
Anastasia opened one of the emails that had flooded in while she had been out for lunch, a futile attempt at trying to look busy.
"Anastasia? Would you please come to my office for a moment?" Jack's voice was sickly sweet.
"Of course," Anastasia grabbed her notepad and got up.
"Have a seat, please," Jack said as she stood in his office.
He himself rose to close the door.
When the door had snapped shut, Jack stepped closer and let out a mocking laugh.
"Well, well, Anastasia...," his voice was low and threatening, "Already swimming with the sharks? At the top of the food chain? That was quick."
His hands came to rest on the armrest of Anastasia's chair, he was leaning closer to her and she could smell the whiskey on his breath, "They'll eat you alive, Anastasia. That's a promise, not a threat."
Anastasia looked at him in horror.
"I've always meant well by you. I really wanted to further your career. You have great talent," Jack said, his voice full of self-pity, "But this... this is way out of your league, young lady."
"Excuse me?" said Anastasia indignantly, gathering all her courage.
"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking, Anastasia," he said snidely, slurring his words ever so slightly, as he began pacing his office.
"Let's get one thing straight here. You are never going to tell me what to do. Never."
"Jack, I would never-"
"Two words, Ana. There's only two words I want to hear from you. Yes and boss. Understand?"
"With all due respect, Jack, but stop talking to me like I'm a child," Anastasia stood.
"Touchy, touchy," Jack sneered.
"You can talk to me like an adult."
Jack Hyde glared at Ana.
"Watch your mouth, Anastasia. I can make you walk right into their trap. Just because," he came closer again, a wry grin plastered on his face.
"You're drunk, Jack. Let's talk another time."
"Talk? I'm done talking," Hyde snapped and Anastasia's eyes grew wide.
The office door opened and Hannah peeked inside, "Jack, got a minute?" she looked alarmed.
"What is it?" Hyde drawled.
"I wanted to show you something...," Hannah tried to sound calm. Anastasia inched closer to the door.
Hyde looked at Anastasia and took a step towards her, "I'm sure it can wait."
"And there's... there's somebody who wants to talk to... uhm... Ana," Hannah continued and Anastasia furrowed her brow.
"We're not through yet," Hyde insisted.
"Oh, yes you are."
Anastasia gasped when she heard a very familiar voice from somewhere behind.
"Ana? Hannah? Get out!"
"What the hell?" Jack hissed and planted himself in front of the other, grabbing the front of the other's jacket while Ana and her coworker pushed their way out of the office in a sudden hurry.
Hannah gasped when Jack took a swing at his opponent, not scoring a hit.
The counter punch, however, was swift and painful, flanked by Anastasia begging, "No. No!"
Drawing first blood the opponent raised his fist to land another blow.
Jack stumbled backwards, holding his nose, while Ana shrieked, "José, stop! Are you crazy?"