Author's Note: Sorry for the delay. Life's been busy. Hope you enjoy this, and thanks for the encouraging reviews.

Chapter 35: Movie Night at Ana's, Part 1

Dealing with Sally Jacobson had taken a good chunk out of Anastasia's early afternoon, so she was behind on responding to her editor's reports. If she didn't finish them today like always, she'd be behind tomorrow, which would throw the entire week off. The best solution was to plug away and finish the reports today, so that was what she did.

It was after 6 p.m. when Anastasia finally left Bennington Steele with Prescott. At some point today, Taylor had gotten someone to drop off a black Audi SUV. It wasn't as nice as Christian's Mercedes, but it was a top-of-the-line newish car. Anastasia assumed that it was one of several cars he owned for his security. She was thankful for his loaning it to Prescott today as there wasn't time to take the bus or walk home like she normally would have before her relationship with Christian made both of those options impossible. She had an important errand to run, then she had to get ready for their date night, so she had no time to spare.

As soon as she got in the car and directed Prescott to Target, she opened an app on her phone and ordered a pizza to be delivered at 8:00 p.m. She reasoned that if it arrived the same time as Christian, it would still be hot when they wanted to eat it. When she'd asked him, Christian had said he wasn't picky about pizza toppings. Since he already knew what she liked from her conversation with Elliot at dinner the previous night, he suggested they go with peppers, onions, and mushrooms, which she did.

She kept her fingers crossed as Prescott stopped at Target that she could quickly purchase a bathrobe so she could follow Christian's directions and wear it when opening the door to him at 8 p.m. Alas, it was not to be. That particular Target didn't have a single bathrobe in stock. She even checked the men's department, but no luck. She gave up and headed home. There wasn't time to drive to a shopping mall and search for a bathrobe. She'd have to improvise.

They arrived at Anastasia's apartment after 7:00 p.m., and Prescott escorted her upstairs, happy to see that there weren't any paparazzi hanging around, as there had been outside the office. They'd managed to escape them there by going straight to the parking garage, which couldn't be accessed without a permit. Anastasia's apartment building didn't have that luxury, so escaping the vultures here would have been more difficult.

"You don't have security in your building?" Prescott questioned.

"Umm… There are cameras," Anastasia pointed out. "And you can't get in without a key, or by being buzzed in by a resident. But there's no security officer, no. I've never needed it until this weekend."

Prescott raised her eyebrows. "We're lucky there aren't any paps around tonight," she commented. She'd need to report this to the boss. Her shift ended once she dropped Anastasia off at her apartment, and she worried that Anastasia didn't have enough security while at home alone, even with the coverts stationed outside. She did a walk-through and made sure Anastasia was safe before she left for the night, and she called Taylor on her way home.

Once Anastasia was alone, the first thing she did was strip off her clothes, tie up her hair to keep it dry, and take a steaming bubble bath. She made sure her legs and bikini area were smooth. Getting out of the tub, she generously rubbed her honey vanilla lotion all over her legs, arms, and torso. She then took a look in the mirror and decided to keep things simple, with just some tinted moisturizer and her pink lip gloss. She took down her hair and combed her fingers through it. Her chestnut curls fell just below her breasts and looked sexy, if she did say so herself.

She walked to her bed, where she'd already placed the soft gray lingerie Christian had requested, the last thing she'd worn at Down Under before becoming his submissive. She slipped into the lacy teddy and immediately felt a little sexier. She hadn't been lying about buying it with Christian in mind. She'd wanted to get his attention, or at least the Grey Wolf's attention before she knew who he was, and she'd succeeded.

She glanced at her clock and saw she only had ten minutes until Christian would arrive. She expected him to be right on time. She didn't have much time to figure out what to do about the missing bathrobe. When she moved to her new apartment, she'd gotten rid of a bunch of shit she didn't need, like the ratty old bathrobe she'd worn in college. Living alone, she didn't need to concern herself with nudity after her showers or baths. This little problem had certainly been unforeseen.

Looking in her closet, she grabbed her raincoat. It was nothing fancy, just a beige knee-length waterproof hooded jacket that was perfect for Seattle's typical downpours. She slipped it on, went back into the bathroom, and looked in the mirror. This was so NOT the look she was going for, but she was out of options. It was this or nothing. She had no doubt that Christian would punish her if she opened the door in just her lingerie. Then again... the look on his face would be priceless.

A knock on the door forced her to make up her mind immediately. Shit! He was early! Besides, she'd expected to have to buzz him in, and then wait for him to take the elevator to her floor. Somebody must have let him in. Shit! She threw off the raincoat and bolted towards the door. She glanced through the peephole and saw his handsome face glaring back at her. Shit, he already looked angry. Was getting rid of the raincoat a bad idea? Too late now. She unlocked the door and opened it for him, being careful to stand behind it as he walked in, and then closing and locking it immediately behind him.

She was not disappointed by the look of combined shock and lust on his gorgeous face as he got a good look at her. But this quickly turned to anger, still mixed with lust, and he was on her like a tick on a dog before she knew what was happening. He pinned her against the door and kissed her, hard. It was a demanding kiss, and it got even more demanding as it continued.

She was completely out of breath when Christian finally released her and asked her menacingly, "What the fuck are you wearing?"

She gulped in a breath of air and continued panting as she managed to get out the words, "The... the... lingerie... you... t...told me... to wear. Sir."

"You answered the fucking door almost naked. Where the fuck is your bathrobe?" he asked angrily.

"I... I'm sorry, Sir. When I moved here... I umm... downsized. I don't have a... bathrobe. I stopped by Target tonight on my way home to get one, but they didn't have any. I... I'm sorry. I started to wear a raincoat, but... it didn't seem... appropriate."

Christian would have laughed at her if he hadn't still been so pissed off, not only by the fact that she'd answered her door in that sexy as hell lingerie, but also because she lived in a shit-hole dangerous building. Who the hell was the crackhead who had let him in downstairs? And why the hell wasn't there a security guard? Christian could have been anyone, and he'd managed to get all the way to her door without anyone asking him any questions. And she'd answered the door in almost no clothes! It was one thing to be nearly naked at Down Under, but this was a cheap apartment building in Seattle, and she wasn't safe here.

"What was wrong with the raincoat?" he asked.

"Sir... I wanted to look... a certain way for you," she explained, keeping her eyes downcast.

"You didn't think I'd find you sexy if you answered the door with your body covered?" he asked her menacingly. Didn't she realize she could have been wearing a paper bag and he'd still find her sexy?

"No, Sir, I didn't," she answered truthfully.

"Why didn't you tell me you didn't have a fucking bathrobe?" he asked.

"I thought I could get one before I saw you," she replied. "I thought I could quickly run by Target on the way home."

"You deserve to wear something better than that cheap shit anyway. After this, I'll make sure that you have a fucking bathrobe. Do you think you deserve to be punished for opening the door in nothing but that sexy as hell lingerie?"

"Yes, Sir," she answered. She tried to tap down the excitement she felt, but she wasn't successful. Her eyes were still downcast, so she hoped he didn't notice.

Christian warned, "I'm going to spank your pretty little ass for not telling me you didn't own a fucking bathrobe, and also for opening the door nearly naked."

"Whatever pleases you, Sir," Anastasia responded demurely.

But before Christian could act on his threat, there was a loud buzzing sound. Anastasia went to the intercom next to the front door and answered the call.

"Pagliacci pizza delivery," the delivery guy told her, and she buzzed him in.

"What the fuck did you just do?" Christian asked her angrily. "How do you know that was really a pizza guy you let in? Does he know your apartment number? Is he headed here now?"

Anastasia looked confused. "Yeah, I buzzed him in, and he's bringing it to the door."

"Shit," Christian spat. "Where's your fucking raincoat. Put it on!"

Anastasia obeyed him without speaking even though she didn't understand why he was so angry. He'd made it clear that his staff would see her naked. He'd showed off her tits in his car, and given her orgasms in public. He'd stripped her nearly naked and claimed her at Down Under. Why was he so upset about the pizza delivery guy?

A moment later, there was a knock at the door.

"Stand over there," Christian ordered her. "I'll get it."

"I've already paid and tipped," Anastasia informed him as she moved to the corner.

Christian opened the door, took the pizza, and closed the door in less than ten seconds, without even speaking to the delivery guy, who didn't care one way or another. Once the door was locked, Christian opened the box to make sure it was really pizza. It smelt good, and he realized he was hungry. He put the pizza on Anastasia's dining table and told her, "Take off that fucking raincoat. Let's eat now."

She stripped off the raincoat and asked him if he wanted a glass of wine.

"Fine," he answered gruffly. She poured each of them a glass of Merlot and got some plates and napkins for them.

As he took a bite of pizza, Christian realized that he wasn't really enjoying being a Dominant at the moment. He felt more like an angry asshole than a controlled Dominant, and he didn't like that at all. He wasn't happy about so many things, and more than anything, he wanted to talk with Anastasia the way they had on the Grace the previous day. He truly didn't understand what was happening to him, and he pondered it as he finished off the first piece of pizza. But then, he decided to just go with his gut. And for the first time since he'd become a Dom all those years ago, even after the stressful afternoon he'd had, his gut wasn't craving a scene. He realized that much, but he didn't yet realize that it was intimacy that he was craving.

"I have a question," he told Anastasia, sounding calm for the first time since he'd arrived. "How would you feel if we have dinner in the friend zone? I'll still spank your ass later and fuck you hard. I need to be rough with you, but it can wait. It's been a long fucking afternoon, and… Can we just talk?"

"Of course," Anastasia answered. "I can do friend zone and switch back whenever you need me to. Why was it a long afternoon? What happened after you left Bennington Steele?"

Christian smiled gratefully, but he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked sad, and Anastasia wondered why. But when he started talking, she quickly learned why. My God, he hadn't been exaggerating about the difficult afternoon.

"She's got to be stopped," Anastasia said in reference to Elena once Christian had told her all about Carson and Gabriela and their mother's reaction.

Christian agreed. "Yeah, without anybody in my family going to prison for her murder. Anyway, how was your afternoon after you got rid of that bitch?"

"Quiet and tedious," she responded. "I finished responding to all my editors." She filled him in on a few of the manuscripts they had under consideration, and he listened intently, happy for her to tell him about something so mundane after the heaviness of the entire day. But there was another important thing they had to discuss while they were still in the friend zone, and it was going to be heavy again. After Taylor's report on their way here tonight, followed by the crackhead who'd let him into the building with no questions asked, he couldn't let it go.

He decided to just rip off the band-aid, so he told her, "We need to discuss this shit-hole that you call home."

"Excuse me?" Anastasia snapped defensively.

"You run a successful business, Anastasia. I know you can do better than this."

"When I moved here, I was a measly assistant to an asshole editor at SIP, an entry level job which I didn't keep long. It was my first time living on my own after Jose moved in with BB. Then, after things blew up at SIP, I was unemployed until I started Bennington Steele. I had no way of knowing how quickly things would take off. I've done better this past year than I'd prepared myself for. So yes, I can afford a better place, but if I moved, I'd have to find the time to search for a new place, pack, move everything, unpack... Do you have any idea how much time all of that would take?"

"Not if you hire someone to do it," Christian answered simply.

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "Sure, you make it sound so easy. Not everyone has your bottomless resources."

"Don't roll your fucking eyes. And stop arguing with me. I won't tolerate your defiant attitude, even in the friend zone. You're moving, Princess. Either start packing your shit, or I'll hire someone to do it for you."

Anastasia was astounded. "Moving...? When? Where?"

"As soon as possible. I can't keep you safe here. I walked all the way to your fucking door without anyone stopping to ask me who the hell I was or why the fuck I was in the building. Some crackhead who was leaving let me in without asking one damn question. I can station a security guard in the lobby, but this isn't my building, so I'm not sure how well that would go over. I'd rather have you in a building with 24/7 security. Can you imagine what might have happened if there had been paps outside tonight when you arrived home? Prescott told Taylor it'll be impossible for her to keep you safe, and I can see why."

Anastasia felt shocked. "I guess I haven't... thought about all of that."

Christian told her, more calmly, "It's not your job to think about it. That's why you have a Dom. Your job is to obey me without question."

She didn't disagree because this was exactly what she wanted. "When do I move?"

Christian couldn't hold back, and before she knew what was happening, he was kissing the shit out of her lips again. He couldn't keep his hands off her beautiful body any longer, and he loved how soft her skin felt.

"You are perfect, do you know that?" he told her when he finally broke the kiss. He continued to stroke her arms as he told her. "I own several apartments in Escala. I live in the Penthouse, but I own all the apartments on the 28th and 29th floors. The 29th floor is just one level down from mine. There's a four-bedroom apartment there that I want to move you into. I want to have easy access to you." He wondered for a moment about moving her into his penthouse, but he knew he wasn't ready for that yet, and even if he were, he knew she wouldn't be.

In fact, she was already looking uncertain. "Will I keep the lease... here? I mean... what happens if... you know…?"

Christian answered, "If for some reason... I don't even want to say it. Anyway, I'll provide another apartment for you if that happens. Somewhere other than Escala."

"OK," she agreed. "Can I just have a few days to pack my own valuables? I… If you want to hire movers for the rest of it, I won't argue."

Christian replied, "You'll have Sawyer here while you're packing, and then he'll bring you to Escala when you're done until you get moved. Is Thursday too soon to bring in the movers?"

Anastasia realized that Christian wasn't going to agree to her spending another night alone in her apartment. For that reason, the sooner she got everything moved, the better. "Wow," she said, feeling overwhelmed. But if this was what she'd agreed to when they'd signed their contract, then so be it. She wanted 24/7 TPE eventually, and this was a step towards that. "OK, Sir."

Christian smirked at her. He had expected more of a fight as he completely upended her life. She really was a perfect submissive. And it was time to get to the fucking. "On that note, I think we're done with the friend zone for tonight. Stand up."

Anastasia obeyed immediately, standing in a submissive pose. She hadn't expected them to watch a movie anyway, and this was what she preferred to do.

He ordered her, "Now, slowly strip. Let me see those beautiful pink nipples first."

Anastasia obeyed, slowly removing first the thin soft gray top, and then the barely there thong, but there was so little to her lingerie that she had it all off within seconds. She loved the lustful look in Christian's eyes, which she only quickly glanced at. She was doing her best to stay in a submissive pose as he gazed at her naked body.

Christian said, "I think it's time to move this party to the bedroom."

Anastasia led the way since they were in her apartment and Christian had never been in her bedroom before. He enjoyed walking behind her because of the view he had of her luscious naked ass.