Hi guys! Thanks for being here, I appreciate all of your follows and favourites. Sorry if I didn't reply to some of you, I just recently worked out how to do that using the app! Yeah… really. Awkward. I promise to get back to each one of you.

Having finished my other fic, I have more time to focus on this one. Good news! This fic will be rather long (by my standards) and I hope you're looking forward to the ride! I'll be on an extended break after this chapter, but after that we will get on a regular schedule. Sounds good?

xx

I haven't heard from Christian in almost two weeks. Dutifully I had send him a copy of my Elite Escorts contract. He had replied with a thank you note and that was it.

I didn't dare to reach out to him. At this point in whatever kind of relationship we were I was sure of one thing.

This man freaked me out.

But more than that, I just wasn't prepared how to respond if he decided to reject me. Sadly I am a chicken through and through.

We parted our ways in an unresolved state. How were we supposed to see each other under these circumstances. Of course we could just risk it like he said. What could EE even do about it. Alas, he just didn't understand.

Sheila was my roommate. After Kate fell in love with Elliott it was only a matter of time when the two of them would move in together. I was happy for her, of course I was. Kate was my best friend and I wanted the best in life for her. And Elliott was exactly that.

The only problem was that in housing matters I became the third wheel. Something I never ever wanted to be. When she moved into his place I couldn't afford our apartment on my own so I needed a new place to stay.

That's how I met Sheila. Actually very standard way of meeting a room mate. She had put up a flat advert looking for a female roommate and the rest is history.

We got along just fine. She was a pretty girl next door, very smart but an awful cook. Sometimes she reminded me of Kate. However, she was profoundly different. Kate came from a wealthy family, had a bachelor degree and a job. She never knew what real hardship meant and let's just say life was very good to her. Almost every door flew open at the mention of Kavanagh. That's just how the world works. In those matters I related more to Sheila, as being from an unsteady family and never having much money. Sheila dropped out of school as she got with the wrong friends and was expelled, her relationship to her parents got less and less over the years, leading to an almost estranged state. Technically they were still her parents who just never called or visited. I also never understood what she did for a living as she didn't have a daily routine. There were weeks where she stayed home and did her recreational work or went from party to party. Then there were weeks where she'd be going out almost every night. In between she went on long and expensive vacations. What I did notice was that she never missed on rent and had different men pick her up to an outing from time to time.

I never asked because it never was my business anyway. Not until I found her staying at home more than usual. I couldn't put my finger on it.. She was acting strange.

When I asked her about it she only said 'Men' and shook her head. Lovesick then. A few weeks later her mood had shifted completely to the opposite, head over heels in love as it seemed, she told me almost everything about the man that had captured her heart.

Good looking. Rich. Married.

And he had confessed his love to her, promising to leave his wife and be with her.

I didn't approve, she knew that. I wondered how she even met him and that's when she introduced me to the world of Escorts in all of its glory. I was appalled and fascinated at the same time. Selling oneself? But I knew Sheila, I actually genuinely liked her. I just had to deal with my own stereotypes and grow up.

All of this would have been educational and fine if Ray didn't have that accident. Him accumulating hospital bills and unable to provide me the financial aid he used to give me, I saw myself in a real financial squeeze. I couldn't talk to Kate because I knew she would go ahead and give me the money. I just couldn't let that happen. I knew myself. Our friendship wouldn't be the same if that happened. Actually, it would lead to it's end sooner or later.

So I confided in Sheila and she promised me to help the best she could. And she did. She placed me into the highest paying Escort Agency and helped me trick them into believing I was experienced. Sheila knew all the tricks and pitfalls. She even wrote my list of soft and hard limits. I only knew what some of them meant after she had turned it in. It took a hell lot of research for me to understand the variety of sexual practices she had written down.

Up to this point everything was fun and games. I still wasn't under contract with EE and therefore hadn't had a booking, although hoping that would happen soon as my financial buffer was coming to an end. The Escort thing was just an abstract idea at the back of my mind. It took a while for me to be accepted by EE but when they did, Sheila didn't react like I thought she would. She was rather worried for me which I didn't understand.

"Just play by the rules and don't fall for any clients" she had said. "Otherwise it could become really ugly" she just said.

"How ugly?" I asked.

"Threats and blackmail to be exposed." she shrugged. I definitely wasn't planning to cross any lines and I was desperate. So, I certainly would only do as told and stick to the rules. What could go wrong?

And then days later Sheila came home. Crying furiously. I asked what had happened but she just shook her head. Saying his wife had found out and threatened to expose her and the agency. I was so confused. She locked herself into her bedroom for almost two days. When she left our apartment she never came back. She just vanished. All of her belongings, every personal thing of hers left behind. I just couldn't understand what had happened to her. I reached out to her elderly parents who hadn't heard from her in months. I even went to the police to file her missing. I didn't know if she wanted to leave or someone had made her leave. Maybe the angry wife? I played all kinds of scenarios in my head just to realize that I never really knew her well enough. Two days after I filed her missing, I got a postcard without a stamp, written by her. She was sorry that she left and wouldn't be back. She had found someone new and wanted to start over. There were instructions what to do with her stuff. 'Don't look for me." She had written and I found the way she had drawn her D very odd. Several of her calligraphies were hanging on her bedroom wall and none of them looked like that. Still, I went back to the police station and she was declared as 'found'.

I just saw myself in the same dilemma that brought me here in the first place. Me with an apartment I was unable to afford on my own. Already I had spent too much time looking for Sheila and unable to find a new roommate in time, I vacated the place and put her belongings in boxes for her parents to pick up and sort out. Two broadly shouldered men came to pick them up instead. Maybe paid movers? What did I know.

All this led to me finding an affordable place to stay on a short notice. A.k.a. The rathole.

Fast forward to now where Kate and Elliott are packing up to live in Miami for a year. She has asked me again and again if I would want to move into their home for the time. Somehow like a house sitter. Of course I was intrigued to agree. But I refused. Slowly I'm realizing I have a real problem accepting other people's help. Maybe that's a trait I got from Ray. He also fights all the nurses in rehabilitation where he can.

So it isn't a surprise I told Christian about the Elite Escorts policies. The more I talked to him about it the more I grew uncertain of Sheila's way of disappearing. And it makes me even more nervous how I would be able to see him again. Why did I fall for the most complicated, unreachable man there is? It feels like the universe is working against us.

My phone rings and it makes me jump out of my thoughts.

It's Claire.

"Hello?"

"Anastasia. You've have an inquiry to meet from Friday afternoon till Sunday. Are you available?"

Oh God. No chance in hell would I meet up with anybody else than Christian. And the whole weekend too!

"I.. I don't think so."

"Anastasia, if you want this to work in the long run you should be more flexible. I've already had to appease Mr. Grey once for your unprofessionalism."

Mr. Grey? It's him! He wants to see me again!

"Oh no Claire, I.. Only meant I'm not available on Friday night . I can mange the weekend though." My hearts skips a beat.

"Good. I'll send you the details as usual." Without a goodbye she hangs up.

Christian! But he hasn't reached out to me in any other way, hasn't texted or called me. I contemplate picking up the phone. I look for it in my tiny apartment. But the moment I open our chat, I hesitate.

Maybe he took my recent revelations too seriously and didn't want me to get in trouble. I should accept that. What am I saying, I should thank him for that. He was willing to pay 10000$ for my company after I had left him confused with a shit ton of revelations.

Another thing I have to make up to him. The list just grew longer and longer.

It was only Wednesday. How could I survive till Saturday. I'm going to die from anticipation.

Friday comes and I am still living. I've decided to make an effort and go to the salon to get a hair cut. Nothing special just a nice trim. On my way home I pass a store with a French lingerie brand. Never heard of it. For a moment I wonder if he would expect me to sleep with him tomorrow. Not that I don't want to. My body was aching to be close to him. Still, it would be different if he had certain expectations of me, knowing that we both are under these forced arrangements.

I sigh. I am such a hypocrite. For the sake of my sanity I should just stop overthinking. My life is complicated enough just the way it is. I'm going to treat him like he didn't pay for my company. Simple as that.

Timidly I enter the store. What kind of underwear he'd like to see on me, I wonder. Pictures of his playroom come to my mind. For weeks I had pushed those thoughts into a drawer in my head. 'To be assessed later in time'. Well, later never came. That man had a whole room dedicated to BDSM and still I had seen none of it in action. I wonder why?

Back to reality I find myself looking through displays of sheer pink negligees. Probably too romantic for him. Although that flowery satin thong is kind of cute, I might buy that for myself.

Some of their stuff looks very complicated to put on. A lot of straps in the weirdest places. I settle for something simple. A black set made of lace. It's alright. Something I could easily wear under my work clothes if I wanted to.

Why do I feel like an actual Escort out of sudden? Hadn't we agreed to leave the labels aside and just get to know each other? Yes, but then I had to drop the bombshell on him, hadn't I? Confused I return home, I need a good night's sleep for whatever is about to come.

It was supposed to be a warm day when I head out the door. Unfortunately it isn't. My thin wrap dress leaves me freezing. What the hell was I thinking not taking a jacket? 8 a.m. on a Saturday.. What I would give to be able to sleep in. But Christian had asked the agency for me to be at his place by 8.30. So here I am. An older man gives me wide grin and a whistle while walking past me. Creepy. I look down at myself. My nipples are greeting any bystanders through the thin fabric. That freaking expensive bra is doing nothing to cover me, instead it's leaving a trace of its pattern on my dress. Leaving even less to the imagination. Great. Everything is just going great.

I cross my arms and head for my car.

"Aren't you cold?" he asks when he sees me enter his apartment. Yeah, I get it. My nipples are on display.

I just shrug. He is about to say something but seems to change his mind.

"You look lovely." Christian puts his hand on my cheek and leans in. Stopping just an inch from my lips. I lean up to kiss him and all of my shitty morning is forgotten.

We're both smiling when we lean back. It feels like we just saw each other yesterday, forgotten that two weeks have passed. Still there's so much left untold. I don't know where to begin.

"Did you have breakfast?" he asks. I nod, still feeling the tingling on my lips. Maybe later will be a better time to talk.

"Good. I have some plans for today. You probably need some clothes to put on." 'I'm wearing clothes' I want to retort but bite my tongue.

".. otherwise you'll catch a cold."

"Where are we going?" I ask and wonder why we're not staying at his apartment. Surely it was the most convenient for sex?

"Ah, what kind of gentlemen would I be to give away your surprise?" he taps his nose with his index finger.

"But first we need to.." fuck? I hope so!

"Talk." He finishes his sentence and smirks at my disappointment. Funny, how I initially wanted to do just that.

"About what?" I say and realize we are still standing in his foyer, in an half embrace.

"Come." I take his hand and we walk into his study. Here again? Feels like a déjà vu. We sit down by his desk, I wait for him to start talking. Surprisingly he seems.. Nervous?

"I want us to go out in public. And for that to be possible I'm going to introduce you to my family and friends."

My mouth falls open in shock. Is he out of his mind?!

"Christian.. As I said. I don't want anyone to know what I'm doing… "

"I know. I don't either. So we won't tell anyone. You're just going to be… my girlfriend."

"That's fucked up!" I blurt and regret it instantly. His brows furrow in annoyance.

"Why? Is being my girlfriend an abhorrent idea to you?" He's definitely out of his mind.

"Don't be ridiculous, Christian! What I mean is.. What are we going to tell them? How we met? And everyone will wonder how someone like you ended up with someone like me!"

"Now you're being ridiculous. Why wouldn't I date someone like you?"

"I mean look at me." I snicker.

"I am." He says and holds my gaze. My smile freezes. He's serious about this!

"Christian, what is going on. You're trailblazing me here."

"Ana. I've read your contract. Apart from that fucking clause that makes our life a shit ton more complicated it doesn't state that we have to keep this secret. Quite the opposite. There was a whole paragraph about social outings."

Maybe I should have read it a bit more thoroughly. Shame on me, being a literature graduate and not reading stuff properly.

"And what are we going to say?" He shrugs to that.

"I gave you my number on Kates birthday party so you could call me that you've made it home safely. You called me the next day to thank me for saving you and that's where we hit it off."

At least it would fit the story I had told Kate when she had gotten suspicious about that night's events.

"Alright. Maybe that would work. But why would we do that in the first place ? I don't get it."

"We are already fairly limited in our interaction by this EE business. I thought it would give us more freedom to see each other. It would be another first for me too.. " he says.

"You've never introduced a woman to your family?" I ask. He smiles at that.

"No. Never wanted to."

I want to hug myself with glee.

"And now you want to?" I just need more reassurance. Somehow him declaring our exclusivity makes an unknown ache in my heart go away.

"I had two weeks to think about…us. This is what I want to try with you." I can't read what his gaze means. He's like a mystery to me.

"Okay." I say and bite my lip before another thought crosses my mind. "Speaking of EE. How is that going to work? "

"I've spoken to them. I can book you for months at a time which will make us exclusive. If we do, we can basically forget that all of this is under some arrangement."

"How could we forget that? You'll be paying thousands of dollars for that amount of time. No."

"Why not? Are you planning on seeing someone else?" I roll my eyes at that. This. Again.

"Christian, I've told you already I'd toss this job aside if it wasn't for you. So please stop these… accusations!"

He purses his lips.

"Fine. What's holding you back then?"

"I'm not comfortable for you to spend any more money on me than necessary. And besides that… how is this supposed to go? You cannot pay these sums for an undefined amount of time.."

"I was thinking of three months actually."

Heat rises to my face.. Had I just proclaimed that I was up to a long-term relationship? How could I be so sure of myself. After the shame comes the sadness. He wants me for three months. Use me as he pleases and then? Go for the next one? I'm unable to speak. My mind is flooded with a wave of emotions.

He assess my silence.

"We'll see how it goes and hopefully my lawyer will find a way out of this contract of yours by then. After that we'll just see."

I nod. Okay.

"Can we agree that you just book me on every other weekend then?" I ask.

"I'm not sure I can stay away from you for prolonged intervals. I can barely manage now. " He says.

Without wanting to I'm grinning like an idiot. And a few days ago I thought he didn't want to see me again.

"I suggest every weekend. You still have plenty of time to yourself. In fact there will be several business trips where I won't be here on the weekends. Just.. For my peace of mind I'd want a regular schedule with you."

"Why? Afraid I'd slip through your fingers?" Oh my God when did I get such a loose mouth?

"Maybe. I just want to see you.. I thought that feeling was mutual."

I blush again. Girl, with everything you're putting him through he's still around. Take whatever he's offering.

"It is." I say.

"Great. That's settled then." He's about to stand up.

"Christian, there's something I wanted to talk about." He sits back down his attention all on me.

"You've shown me your red room upstairs. You said you wanted to do that with me. How.. does that fit in?"

"It doesn't." I'm confused again. He rubs his face.

"Listen. When I showed you that side of me I had a completely different idea how our relationship would look like. And then you decided to turn my life upside down." We both smile knowingly.

"But it's already too complicated. I'm not sure adding another contract to the mix would be beneficial."

"Another contract?" I stammer. What is going on.

"I'll show you." Swiftly he walks to one of his cupboards and pulls out a few sheets. He places those in front me.

I take a rough look through them, unable to read it all in such a short time. Attached to the end of it are my EE introduction documents, my photographs and my provided list of soft and hard limits.

"I don't know what to say." My brain feels like it's about to explode. Wasn't it bad enough that I was stuck at being his Escort? Now he wanted me to be his submissive? A contractual one!

"I know. I felt this isn't the place or time to bring this up. I've said it before.. I want you. Anyway I can have you."

I let that sink in.

"Did you just stop enjoying that lifestyle all of sudden?"

"No."

"So you miss it then?"

"It's the only way I know." He doesn't look at me.

"The only way…of having sex?" That cannot be?

"Yes."

"How can that be? I mean you surely didn't loose your virginity at a leather party?"

"No. That's a story to be told on another day. If you ask me we had enough serious banter for today."

"What about the contract then?"

"You can read it, we can discuss its possibilities some other time."

"So…are we going to make love now?" I ask into the silence. No sense in denying my arousal for him at this point.

"Always so eager, Ms. Steele." He gives me a predatory look. "As intriguing your question is.. No. We have to be going. Don't want to be late."

With that we head out of the door, leaving the contracts behind.

Of all the places where he could have taken me and all the things we could do, never would I have guessed we'd be going soaring. Soaring!

Sometimes I forget how rich Christian really is.

The sun has already set when we are on our way back from the restaurant . Funny how we had spent the whole day doing recreational activities, soaring in the morning, lunch at a hip location before going for a long walk, talking about everything and nothing, when he certainly had paid for sexual services.

"So where are we going now?"

"Escala." He simply says.

Oh finally his apartment! That means…

"For dinner." He continues.

"Only dinner? I thought.. "

"Ana, if you ask me just one more time… even if you just think about asking me to fuck you, you earn yourself some serious spanking. I mean it." Why not? Does he want to be the one to initiate sex all the time?

"Well then I might have earned plenty at this point." I murmur and look at him. Spanking?

He eyes me half amused, half pissed off.

"You don't know what you're saying."

"You're right. I don't. Enlighten me, Sir." I bite my lip to keep from laughing. This part of the contract I had read already.

"Anastasia, I like your smart mouth but I'm serious." He says.

"I'm serious too." I say and contradict myself by chuckling.

He has the audacity to roll his eyes at me. "Listen. I'm a trained Dom and actually pretty good at it. A part of my lifestyle includes aspects like obedience and punishments. For crossing the line. And we haven't agreed on going that route." he says. I have to admit this spontaneous affair is making me curious to find out.

"We could make a detour, just to see where it goes. Show me your punishments." I say overly confident without having a clue what I'm talking about. I make being horny responsible for that. And all the adrenaline from our outing. And the rush of emotions from his desire for us to be a public couple. And maybe he stirred up a need in me I never knew I had. Wow, the list goes on and on.

"Fine." He says and sharply pulls right into what seems a smaller alley. He rear parks between two other cars and turns off the engine.

"Now what?" I ask confused.

"Get out." He says. I begin to panic, would he abandon me in the streets? What kind of punishment is this? Before my mind goes into overdrive he opens the door and steps out. Alright, false alarm.

To my surprise he opens the back door and gets inside again. It's pretty dark there, the streetlights shine mostly into the drivers seat.

"Ana, do as you're told. It will only get worse if you don't." Why is his voice different? Is that what people call the Dom space? How did he switch so fast?

Even more confused I get out the passenger seat and like him sit in the back seat. It's surprisingly spacious.

He pulls me towards him and we kiss passionately. Okay. This is familiar.

One minute we're kissing, the next he's pushing me slightly away.

"Kneel." Where? Here?

"Don't come at me with your smart mouth." He says but I can hear his amusement in his voice.

I do as told and squeeze myself into the foot well. Thank god it's a big ass car. He pulls my torso into his lap.

"Ana, I'm going to spank your ass. Six times. And you're going to count with me."

I have to admit his words confuse me as much as they turn me on.

"Are you going to hurt me?" I ask with a small voice.

"Punishments normally aren't for enjoyment. That's why they're called this way." I swallow audibly. "However, we're just going to test the waters. So I'll go easy on you."

He pushes my skirt up and peels down my panties. Oh wow. This is really happening. Just hours ago I read some paragraphs about it and now I'm actually asking him to do this to me. What if someone walks by and sees us? I hope the back windows are tinted.

He really is going to spank my ass!

"Do you really want to do this?" he asks while he begins to fondle my backside. It's already hard to concentrate.

I solely nod while looking up to him. Our eyes meet and he has the most loving, kind gaze. I'm trying to find a position for my arms to be comfortable while grasping the idea of sexual spanking. I've gotten a slap or two on my butt before. If I remember correctly even Christian had done that once. It was kinda hot.

Smack!

"Yes or no?" What the heck. Where did that come from. I had already given him my consent by nodding. Did he want a written letter or what? Or is this that courtesy thing?

"Yes!" I stammer.

"Good girl." He says and gives my head a stroke. Oh God, he's serious about this. My ass throbs in disagreement. I thought he said he'd go easy on me? He grabs my hair in my neck and pushes me down. "Tell me to stop if you can't take it." I nod.

Smack.

Ow. Fucking hell. That hurt. I jolt in surprise.

"Count Ana!" he growls.

"One." I stammer and press my eyes closed. After the third slap I see a pattern. Spank, stroke, massage my backside and spank again. A mixture of pleasant and painful sensations. For the last one he pushes my legs a little apart and smacks me onto my mid. I almost hit my head on the door out of surprise.

"Six." I say and I'm surprisingly out of breath.

He doesn't let me go, instead without a warning he pushes two fingers inside of me. Again I jolt at first contact but quickly push against his hand to take him a little deeper.

"Oh baby. See how much you enjoyed that. You're so fucking wet."

I moan a little, closing my eyes to his skillful movement. How can I be so close? That spanking hurt, there's no logical reason for me to be aroused right now.

"I do think you deserve a reward, you've been very good."

With that he pulls his fingers out and pushes them firmly onto my clit. His movement takes me completely by surprise. However my own body's reaction shocks me more. I combust on the spot, clinging to his thigh to help me ride out a hell of an orgasm. How can this be, it's taken so much preparation in the past to get me just close to an orgasm, let alone have one. Christian though, reads me like an open book and plays me skillfully like a piano.

While I catch my breath he leans down to pull my panties up and adjust my skirt. I get back on my knees.

"Welcome to my world." He says and grins. Oh my God, he just.. spanked my naked ass for punishment and I had enjoyed that? My head is spinning.

"A world where you're in a dry spell?" I ask, looking at the bulge in his trousers. At least my brain is functioning again to be able to speak. I'm so tempted to pull down his zipper and take him with my mouth. Then I realize we are in a car and we were lucky to stay unnoticed with what we were just doing. He gives me a knowing look.

"I'm into delayed gratification."

"What does that even mean?" Who denies a blow job?

"Are you okay?" he asks and pulls me into his lap. The mixture of rough spanking earlier and this gentle cuddle now actually makes this whole experience even better.

"Yeah. That was weird." My cheeks feel very warm. Weird. It's not the most accurate description of how I feel. Christian has seen and touched all of me before. Fucked me like no other has. But we never cuddled after having sex. This is new. I wonder if it's part of the deal. I take the opportunity and run my hands through his hair. He seems to enjoy that.

"Is this part of the punishment?" I ask and shift in his lap to indicate what I mean.

"No. But it's part of the deal if we want to act out our fantasies. Aftercare is important to keep this pleasurable in the long run, emotionally and physically."

"I look forward to it." I say because I do.

"You better brace yourself then. I might whip out some trick or two for you tonight." And with that he steps out and takes his drivers seat again.

What the hell. So he really doesn't want to be jerked off now? This man is the master of self control.

I sit down next to him in the passenger seat.

"Ow, dios mio. I hope I don't go to hell for enjoying that." My butt really hurts. And that asshole laughs at that! His laugh makes me grin.

"Something amusing you, Mr. Grey?" Go on, dig your own grave.

He shakes his head and continues laughing. I hope he'd live up to the expectations tonight. But given by my fair share of knowing him, I know he would.