CHAPTER 2

Sunday came and Christian pulled his Spyder R8 into the driveway in Bellevue. He got out and went inside.

His mother approached and said, "Hello sweetheart." He kissed her cheek. Another car was pulling into the driveway.

Christian said, "Good evening, mother."

His mother opened the door and said, "I'm so glad you got here. Come inside, my dear." She stepped out on the stoop and took a big chocolate cake inside. Anastasia Steele walked into the vestibule.

Grace said, "Take off your coat and come into the kitchen, Ana." Ana took off her faux red fox fur coat and was wearing a velvet burgundy bodycon midi dress with matching pumps. Christian took her coat from her and she thanked him. He hung it up while admiring the view of her walking away.

Ana said, "Is there anything I can do to help you, Grace?"

Grace said, "No, no. I'm just glad you could come spend time with us. You can go into the living room and say hello to Cary and the rest of the family." Ana walked out of the kitchen and followed the voices down the hall.

Carrick smiled and said, "Hey there Ana." He hugged her and kissed her cheek.

She said, "Hi, Carrick, how's the firm doing?"

Carrick smiled and said, "Just great. Keeping me busy of late working on two big cases."

Ana smiled and said, "That's good, if you're busy it keeps you out of trouble."

Carrick chuckled and asked, "Would you like a drink?"

Ana said, "A glass of wine would be fine, thank you." He patted her on the shoulder and left the room. Christian already had a glass of wine in his hand and sat down on the sofa watching her.

Mia said coming into the room, "Ana is that your blue car out there?"

Ana said, "Yes?"

Mia said, "It's just like Christian's car, only prettier."

Ana smiled at her and said, "Thanks."

Elliot said, "How can you afford a car like that on an event coordinator's salary?"

Carrick walked in the room handing Ana a glass of wine and said, "Because son, Ana is not just a great event coordinator but CFO and sole owner of Steele Enterprises."

Elliot said, "Oh you're just like Christian then."

Ana said, "Perhaps more in the financial executive position. I have a very good friend of my father's in the CEO chair right now and his wife is my COO. I'm in the third top position but we work together as a team to make it all meld. Our area of business is in electronic circuitry and software. Your brother is leaning more into green technology and manufacturing. Sometimes we have had similar acquisition targets and compete but it's not often. Friendly competition is all that happens."

Grace came in and said, "Elena called and is joining us for dinner tonight everyone. You can get seated, dinner is ready." and she heard Elliot and Mia groan and roll their eyes.

Ana sighed because the night was just totally shot in the ass with that snob coming and Christian was the other one from the Coping Together Gala. Ana told herself that she wasn't going to say a word, but if the bitch wants a fight she will get one. At least, Christian keeps to himself.

Everyone went into the dining room and Carrick said, "Sit next to Christian, Ana." Ana sat down next to Christian and sat her wine glass on the table. Elena came into the room and hesitated seeing Ana sitting next to Christian. She stood behind Ana and turned to start talking to Grace and started moving her hands around wildly on purpose with a bourbon on the rocks.

Christian shouted, "Elena don't you dare do it!" Elena actually turned her drink upside down, dumping her whole drink on Ana's head and her dress. Ana stood up and glowered at Elena.

Ana seethed and shouted, "You did that on purpose, just because I got the seat at the family table at the gala? You approached me after and spat venom berating me at the end of the gala, but that was not enough for you, was it? You had to come over here and make sure you got rid of me again by pouring your drink on me deliberately?! Didn't you?!"

Elena said, "Oh please, you just sat in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, a little nobody event coordinator can't afford fancy cars and dresses like that. Who did you sleep with to get that car and dress?" Everyone gasped at what she said. Ana cold cocked Elena in the face. Ana marched from the room to the kitchen and grabbed a kitchen towel and tried to sop up as much bourbon as she could from her hair and her dress.

Mia ran after her and said, "Let me get you a towel Ana." Mia came back and handed it to her. Ana thanked her. Mia said, "I can't believe that mean old cow did that deliberately."

Ana said, "Can you go get my fur coat in the entry closet, Mia? I'm going home." Mia went to get her coat.

Elena said from the kitchen door, "You got what you deserve you low class little gold digging bitch!" She reached out and clawed down Ana's shoulder tearing and slicing the skin, also tearing the sleeve almost off her dress. Ana screamed in pain and then she punched Elena in the face again, breaking her nose and knocking her backwards into the floor out of the kitchen into the entry hall. Elena was sprawled out on her back holding her nose.

Grace screamed at Elena, "Elena, what the hell are you doing to Ana again! Get out of my home, Elena! How dare you do this to her! We are done! I don't want to ever see you again and stay away from my family too!"

Elena's nose was pouring blood and she said, "But she punched me twice!" Ana's arm was bleeding profusely.

Grace screamed, "Get out!" Elena glared at Grace and Ana, as she was lumbering out the front door to go to her house just down the street.

Ana said, "Somebody better watch our cars, especially mine."

Elliot went out on the porch and shouted, "You better back off or you're gonna get sued, you old hag!" Elena was ready to try to damage the blue Spyder. She hesitated at his warning with his phone out recording. She turned and walked home.

Grace put a wet washcloth to Ana's arm and she hissed in pain. Ana said, "What does she do, file them to sharp points like a vampire? It burns."

Grace said, "I need to disinfect it and your hand too."

Ana looked at her hand and said, "I didn't even notice my hand."

Elliot grinned and said, "You're little, but mighty, Ana. You cold cocked her twice like a boxer."

Ana laughed and said, "You wanna be the next contender to the title in the ring?"

Elliot starts dancing around jabbing the air and says, "I bet I could take you. I just need to give you a fast moving target." Mia pulled his chest hair by his neck real fast.

"Ow, Mia, you big meanie!", he whined. Ana starts dying laughing. Christian chuckles at her laugh because Ana's laugh was cute with a tiny snort.

Grace grins and says, "Elliot, quit getting beat up by girls. Ana, some of these gouges are pretty deep, but they will have to heal from the inside out." Grace used peroxide on Ana's shoulder and she whimpered as it boiled out.

Ana said, "Oh great, scars. No off the shoulder dresses anymore. I'm wounded and I smell like a brewery. Geez, if a cop pulls me over, he'll think I got into a bar fight tonight."

Christian smiled and said, "I can follow you home tonight and make sure you're safe."

Ana looked at him and said, "That's awfully nice of you Christian. Did you do a background check and find out where I live?" Christian looked at the floor and then at her alarmed and she giggled.

Ana winked at him and said, "Any CEO worth a damn would have done it, especially being I was around your family. I forgive you." He smiled at her. Grace bandaged her shoulder.

Christian asked curiously, "What kind of cake did you bring tonight, Anastasia?"

Ana said, "A Triple Delight Chocolate Cake. Devil's food chocolate cake with chocolate chips and chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate sponge cake on top. It has chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache over it. I even put shavings on top."

Grace said, "It's homemade?" Ana nodded. "I looked at it and it was so fancy, like a store bought one. Christian is the big chocoholic in the family. It sounds so rich and good."

Ana said, "It's lighter in texture than you might first think. Grace, you are going to need to get your carpets professionally cleaned after tonight. All that booze and blood."

Grace patted Ana and said, "You're more important than some silly old carpet." Ana kissed Grace's cheek when she finished.

Everyone sat down at a cleaned up table and had a late dinner and a piece of cake. Christian followed Ana home and walked her up to her door. Ana kissed him on the cheek and thanked him.

Christian asked, "Will you go out to dinner with me this Friday night?" Ana looked at him surprised. She thought he was playing aloof with her all this time.

Ana smiled and said, "Of course I would, Christian." He smiled at her and gave her a light kiss on the lips. Ana smiled at Christian while looking in his eyes and went inside waving to him as he got back in his car smiling.

Christian went home and emailed his sub Kelsey to meet him at Escala at 7 o'clock Monday night. He was canceling her contact. She had been his sub for five weeks now and he wanted to start pursuing Anastasia and see how it goes one step at a time.

—--

Friday rolled around and Ana got dressed in a ruched mid thigh bodycon teal velvet dress. It had a square neckline and long sleeves with Manolo Balhnik teal velvet jewel buckle pumps. It matched her crossbody Gucci Dionysus Bag in teal velvet. Ana had her hair up in a chignon updo. She put on her makeup perfectly in a smokey eye and deep burgundy lipstick and her oval diamond studs and pendant set. It had a blue diamond in the centers of each oval surrounded by pavé white diamonds.