Chapter 39: Friday Night Double Date

Friday, March 14, 2019

"How do you like your new apartment, Princess?" Christian asked.

"I love it, but it's much bigger than I need," she responded. They were in the friend zone, so she didn't call him 'Sir.' "Two bedrooms would have been fine. I don't really need four."

"You will if Prescott needs to stay overnight, which she will if we have any orange or red level threats. And with my life being what it is, it's more likely than I wish it were for there to be threats against you that we have to take seriously. Hopefully not anytime soon, but nothing will surprise me. You know being with me is dangerous, right?"

"I know," she assured him. "Both professionally and physically. But as far as professionally goes, I knew when I became Princess Rose that it could be hazardous to my career, even before I became your sub. The danger was part of the appeal. Not that I want to be outed, but if it happens, I'll survive. I'd hate to lose authors over it, but if I do… there are so many great writers out there who have been rejected by so many publishers, and not because they don't have potential best sellers, but just because their work hasn't gotten seen yet by the right person. I'll survive it if I'm outed."

"Not that it doesn't concern me if either of us is outed, but it's the physical danger that scares the shit out of me," Christian said. "You're likely to have death threats and even kidnapping attempts just because of me."

"I know," she repeated. "We talked about it during our contract discussion, remember? That's why I agreed to move as quickly as I did. I'm still not sure what that has to do with my apartment size, or why I needed four bedrooms."

"One for you, one for your home office, one for security, and one for guests," Christian explained.

"Oh, OK," she responded. "I've never needed a guest bedroom. Dad's the only guest I've ever had, and he never minded sleeping on the sofa. It'll be nice to have a room for him. OK, I can see how four bedrooms are useful. You're right that I need a home office. My office was in my living room at my old place."

"I noticed," Christian said. "Your home office here is much nicer. It suits you."

She smiled. "I'm still not sure how you managed to get me new office furniture and bedroom furniture for the two extra rooms without my knowledge, but I love all of it. Thank you. And for the record, you were right about the security at my old place. I wouldn't have been safe there."

"I'm glad you realize that," Christian said. "It's a miracle you didn't get swarmed by the vultures or worse this week while you were packing."

"I know," she agreed. "I can only guess that they hadn't found out my address, which is hard to believe. Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm here now."

Christian smiled happily. "You're here now. Just a floor under me."

"I like being under you," Anastasia quipped.

Christian responded by pushing Anastasia down on the sofa and climbing on top of her. They made out until Anastasia's phone ringing interrupted them. When she didn't answer it right away, Christian's phone began to ring. When he didn't answer it either, Anastasia's phone rang again.

As they broke their kiss, Anastasia was laughing. "You know he's just going to keep trying until one of us answers."

Sure enough, Christian's phone rang again.

"What, asshole?" Christian snapped as he answered the call.

"Well, it's about time you let our girl up long enough to catch a breath," BB snarked. "We're in your garage. Are you at home or at Ana's?"

"Ana's," Christian answered. "You're already on her approved visitors list, so George will bring you up. Number 294."

"Got it. See you soon," BB responded.

At Escala, guests could only access the apartments by either being accompanied by a resident or by being on an approved visitors list, which involved photo ID. BB and Jose would both have to show their IDs, and since they were both on a list that included their recent photographs, the lobby security guard would approve them, and the elevator security guard would escort them to Ana's apartment. If they'd been visiting Christian, he or Taylor would have needed to answer a call from the lobby guard before the elevator guard would have used a key to access the penthouse's private elevator. Even the guard didn't have Christian's private code, which was also required for access. Only his personal security staff and very close inner circle had it. Yes, security was tight, just the way Christian wanted it.

A few minutes later, BB and Jose arrived at Ana's apartment just as she was putting the moussaka that Gail had made into the oven for reheating. They had tzatziki with fresh pita for their first course, along with a tray of olives. A Greek salad followed that before they got around to the moussaka, so it had plenty of time to warm. Anastasia was thrilled with the effort that Gail had put into making this meal.

As they ate, the four of them caught up on their hectic workweek. BB and Jose's weeks had been boring compared to Christian and Anastasia. BB wished he could have been a fly on the wall when Sally Jacobson got handed her lunch by their favorite girl. Anastasia was still worried about Sally running her mouth, but so far, she'd been quiet as a church mouse. BB wasn't happy with Christian for outing Geoffrey Jacobson to his wife, even if the asshole was a louse. It didn't matter; outing another Dom just wasn't done, no matter the reason. Well, it had actually been Anastasia who'd outed him, but only because of Christian's plan. Christian wasn't losing any sleep over it. He had evidence, thanks to Barney, that Geoffrey Jacobson had purchased a 14-year-old girl, used her for a few weeks, and then sold her to another asshole.

"As far as I'm concerned," Christian told BB, "the lifestyle code of ethics doesn't apply to child predators like Geoffrey Jacobson or Elena Lincoln."

"Thank fuck you finally realize that bitch is a predator," BB responded. "Now spill the beans. All I know is that she's behind bars because your brother reported her, but I don't know how it went down."

Christian smirked as he answered, "It couldn't have gone down any better if we'd set her up. Which we didn't. All we did was install a camera earlier this week, so we knew she was going to get caught, and it was epic. I was worried that some asshole would give her a heads-up that the police were on their way to search her house, but no, she didn't have a clue. Carson had told them how to find the secret door to her dungeon, and she was in there beating an underaged sub half to death when the police found her. Arrested her on the spot, and it was all caught on camera thanks to Barney. And Dad says the footage can be used by the prosecutor."

"I'd like to see that," BB said with a smirk that matched Christian's.

Christian sobered. "No, actually, you wouldn't. The kid was beat up pretty bad. Just as bad as Carson, if not worse. He was in the hospital, but I think he went home today. Anyway, she's locked up at least for the weekend. I won't be surprised if her asshole ex-husband bails her out on Monday, but she's one less thing to worry about this weekend."

BB was disgusted but not surprised that Elena had targeted Carson, and he was glad Grace and Carrick finally knew about Christian's own abuse. He'd been trying to get his friend to tell them for years, and now he finally had. BB shared Christian's concern that his mother was going to do something reckless to get revenge. He liked Grace. Sure, she'd turned a blind eye to Christian's issues that had arisen after that woman got her talons into him, and the same thing almost happened with Carson, but BB knew Grace loved her children. She'd simply been hoodwinked by her best friend, who by all appearances was an upstanding citizen. Nobody who knew Elena Lincoln outside of the BDSM circle would have guessed the evil shit she was into. But BB had known better, even then, because of Christian. Now, he was thrilled that the bitch was behind bars where she belonged, and finally everyone was going to know the truth about her.

"You know what I don't get," BB told Christian. "Last week at Down Under, the bitch freaked out because you kissed your sub. That was what made her flip out. Not because you put a fucking training collar on her neck, which you've never done. Not because you claimed her ass in a public scene, which you've never done. Not because you ate her pussy, which you've never done in a public scene either. You kissed her lips. So fucking what?"

Christian shrugged. "Who knows what was going on in her depraved head. But if I had to guess, I'd say she thought she should have been the only one to kiss me. And she never did. Thank fuck for that."

"You think she was jealous?" Anastasia asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I think," Christian answered. "That, and she wanted to keep me under her fucking thumb. Well, fuck her. I hope she rots in prison."

BB said, "I'm glad you're finally out from under the witch's thumb. I thought you'd never wake up and smell the shit she's kept you in all these years."

Christian shook his head, feeling disgusted with himself. "It took finding out she was doing the same shit with my brother before I realized she'd violated me," he confessed. "What the fuck's wrong with me?"

BB answered, "You were already fucked up, man. She just used your weaknesses and manipulated you. I wish I'd been braver then, too. I didn't try hard enough to convince you that she was a predator."

"I wouldn't have listened," Christian said. "I'd have assumed you were jealous of her because you wanted to fuck me."

BB frowned. "I was, but I also hated what she was doing and felt like there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it."

"I know how you feel," Anastasia confessed. "I felt the same way about Jose. When you're a kid, you don't feel like you have any power. The abusers have all the power. You feel like if you say anything, you'll only make things worse."

Christian looked confused. "What do you mean about Jose?"

BB took Jose's hand. "You want to tell him, Baby Boy? He's safe."

Jose nodded. He didn't look up, but his words were directed at Christian. "When I was a kid, my dad physically abused me. And a guy at my mom's church sexually abused me when I was a teenager. It went on for years, until I left. Ana wanted me to report the sexual abuse, but I didn't think anyone would believe me. My own mother knew about it, only because she caught the asshole in the act. She threatened me to keep it quiet."

"She what?" Christian asked incredulously.

"Threatened me to not tell anyone. She thought that asshole was a 'man of God,' and I was supposed to just take it like a good boy. In hindsight, I think she was probably abused, too, so she probably thought it was normal."

"Do you think she thought it was normal for your dad to beat the shit out of you while she stood there and watched?" Anastasia asked angrily, with tears in her eyes.

Jose shrugged. "Yeah, probably. She was weak like that."

These were the most words Christian had ever heard Jose speak, and he was horrified. "I'm sorry to hear that happened to you," he told Jose sincerely.

BB's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, did you just say something empathetic? Who the hell are you, and what have you done with that asshole Christian Grey?"

Christian snorted. "Hell if I know. But seriously, how did I not know? It's… fucking horrible. I hope the assholes got what was coming to them."

Jose shook his head. "I have no idea what happened to the asswipe who molested me. As far as I know, he's still there in Monsanto, probably still doing the same shit with other kids. My dad's still there, as big an asshole as ever. I only know that because Ray keeps Ana updated. I haven't seen either of my parents in years. And I don't plan to."

Christian made a mental note to get his security team to check into both of Jose's tormenters. He couldn't stand the thought that a child molester was still free, hurting other kids. And Jose's father deserved a beating of his own for how he'd treated his son.

"Can we talk about something happy?" Jose asked, surprising Christian once again. "I don't like to think about my past."

"Why don't you show Christian and Ana some of your work from Paris, babe," BB suggested. "It's fantastic."

Jose got out his phone, where he had digital files of many of his photographs. They spent the next several minutes just looking through them. Christian and Ana were both impressed with the quality of Jose's work, but neither was surprised. They knew how good their friend was at his work.

Christian and BB waited until Anastasia and Jose were in their own bubble, chatting away across the open-concept living area while they did the dishes together, to discuss what had happened at Down Under the previous weekend.

"Are you going tomorrow night like usual?" BB asked, already guessing the answer.

"No," Christian answered, as expected. "After getting outed, I think it's best I create some distance, not just for me but for Ana, too."

"Bee and I both knew you'd say that," BB revealed. "We also agree, even with the downsizing we've done, getting rid of all your fake bitches, the club's grown too large. Bee and I aren't as concerned about being outed as you are, but still… we both prefer an intimate gathering. Bee doesn't like performing for strangers. Neither do I, frankly. Not that I think of it as performing, like Bee does. I know my boy doesn't like the crowd."

"What are you planning, then?" Christian asked, knowing something was up.

"How do private play parties on Mercer Island sound to you?" BB asked.

Christian knew that Beatrice owned a home on Mercer Island, so he rightly assumed BB was referring to her home.

"How often?" Christian asked.

"Probably not every week. Bee said she'd still like to show herself at the club a couple of times a month. She hasn't decided yet if she wants to host the play parties once or twice a month."

"How many people is she thinking of inviting, and who?" Christian asked, sounding intrigued.

"She suggested twenty-five to thirty at most. Well vetted. People we know well, who've been at Down Under for years. Unlike the club, it would be her call as the host. Not like the club, where all three of us have a say. But I trust her discretion."

Christian rubbed his chin pensively. Yeah, he liked Beatrice, but he didn't really trust anyone. "Masks?" he asked.

"She knows you'll insist on it," BB answered. "But you know that Bee's never liked the blanket requirement. She thinks if people want to show their face, they should have the freedom. If they want to wear masks, they should also have the freedom."

"You sound like you agree with her," Christian noted. When BB nodded, Christian asked, "Why didn't you overrule me if you agree with her? It's two against one."

BB explained, "I knew how important it was to you. So did she. But this isn't Down Under we're talking about now. It's her home."

They were silent a few moments as Christian thought over Beatrice's plan. Finally, he told BB, "Tell Bee we're probably in. Princess isn't going to be happy if she has to give up public scenes, especially not now that she's been seen. We're both concerned about the crowd at Down Under, but a private party… yeah, that could work. I'd like to get back into Shibari, and even I like the idea of an audience for that."

"Princess will eat that shit up," BB agreed. "She mentioned you tying her up. Was it Shibari?"

Christian answered, "We've only done Shibari once so far. I've restrained her more times than that. Not always, though." He paused a moment, and then he dropped the bombshell. "I don't need to restrain her. She can touch me, Bear. My chest, my back, all of it. I've even had her licking my fucking nipples. She can kiss my scars. They don't burn for her. It's… I don't even have words for it."

BB gaped at Christian. "Holy shit," he muttered.

"I don't know what the fuck is happening to me," Christian told him quietly. "But damned if I don't like it. I'm… happy. I'm not sure I've ever been happy in my entire miserable fucking life. It freaks me the fuck out because it's so… different."

BB continued to gape for another minute, and then, a deep laugh rumbled from his chest. "Hot damn," he said. In a lower voice he added, "You're in love with her."

Meanwhile, across the room, Anastasia and Jose were having a much needed private chat as they loaded the dishwasher. "Tell me the truth," Anastasia said. "How long have you known who the Gray Wolf was?"

Jose answered, "For as long as he's been the Gray Wolf. But I couldn't tell you, Ana. You understand that, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I get it."

"Are you worried now that people know who he is that you're going to be outed, too?" he asked.

"Well, yeah, it's always a concern," she answered. "But if it happens, it happens. That worry doesn't keep me awake at night. There are worse things."

Jose shrugged. "Daddy said if it weren't a club rule, we wouldn't wear masks at all. He's not all that worried about people finding out. Neither am I. I'm safe with him."

Anastasia pondered that thought. Yes, she trusted her Dom, but she was just as insistent as he was that they should wear masks, and keep their lifestyle a secret for as long as they could.

"OK, now it's your turn to tell me the truth," Jose told Anastasia. "How are you really doing, girlfriend? Is he a good Dom?"

"The best," she answered without hesitation. "And he's more than my Dom, Jose. I love what we do in his playroom and what we did at Down Under last week, and I also love just hanging out with him. I love how he makes me feel just by looking at me, before he even touches me."

"You realize you just used the L word not once but, what was that, three times?" Jose observed.

Anastasia smirked. "What, you think I'm falling in love with him?"

Jose raised his eyebrows. "No, honey, I don't think you're falling. I think you've already fallen."

Anastasia's shocked gaze met Christian's across the room at that moment. For some reason, he also looked like a deer caught in headlights.