CHAPTER 7
The next day, Christian came by in his Spyder and picked up Ana in front of her building lobby. He helped her into his car. She was dressed in a long sleeve, dark navy blue velvet ruched off the shoulder midi dress. She had on her diamond sapphire jewelry with matching Gianvito Rossi 105 velvet navy pumps and a Kate Spade navy velvet crossbody bag. She wore her hair in a french braid with a velvet bow on the end and her Snow Lynx faux fur coat. Christian thought she looked very beautiful.
When they arrived with both SUVs following them, Christian helped her out of the car and they went into the house. Christian proceeded to hang up both of their coats and got himself an eye full of just how very lovely she looks in dark blue. Grace came up to them smiling and said, "Merry Christmas. Go right into the living room everyone is there. You look beautiful Ana. I'm glad you could come." Grace patted Ana's arm.
Ana smiled and said kindly, "Thank you for inviting me."
Christian took her hand and led her to the bar and poured them both a Cabernet Sauvignon and walked with her into the living room. Elena was sitting in a comfortable chair filing her nails acting bored until she saw both of them.
Elena put on a fake smile and said, "Hello Christian, darling." He ignored her. Carrick and Mia got up and went over to the two of them. Mia said while hugging Ana, "I'm so glad you came."
Ana said softly to her, "I couldn't miss seeing you on Christmas." Mia smiled and squeezed her arm.
Carrick said smiling, "I'm Carrick, Mia, Elliot and Christian's father. I didn't get a chance to meet you last night because I was so busy around here. Grace filled me in on things later. You're a most impressive young woman. Is it true you have four degrees?"
Ana replied, "Yes sir, I started very early in college."
Carrick asked, "Do you mind if I ask what they are in?"
Ana said seriously, "I got two bachelor's in Econometrics and the other in Statistics at Harvard. I got two masters degrees in Business Analytics and Business Administration at WSU."
Carrick asked curiously, "You're a very accomplished young woman. Where are you employed?"
Ana said honestly, "Nowhere as of yet. I want to start using my degrees in the business world but haven't gotten around to it yet."
Carrick said to Christian, "Christian, she can come to work for you can't she? Your company could use someone with those types of degrees couldn't they?"
Christian said, squeezing her waist a bit, "Yes, I've asked her already but she hasn't said anything in response yet." She looked up smiling and nudged him. He smiled down at her.
Ana said smiling coyly looking at Christian, "I said I'll think about it." Christian smiled at her flirting with him. Carrick was happy to see his son interact with her like the young man that he is at twenty eight years old.
Mia said seriously, "Ana, we should go over to your place one day this week and help me finish up the business plan for my bakery. We are so close to finalizing it. Then I can submit it to you, Christian."
Ana said thinking, "How about 3 o'clock Wednesday afternoon?"
Mia said smiling, "Cool, I can cook us dinner too for after." Ana smiled at her and nodded. Elena listened and thought, 'That Ana girl is making plans with Grace's spoiled party girl daughter. That bakery or whatever is doomed to fail with that feather brained child running it. Too bad the little bitch didn't drive her car separately here. I'd love to hear of her crashing somewhere so she will leave my Christian alone. That's what she gets for not listening to me. All that bullshit she was saying doesn't scare me. I'm the bigger and better bitch here anyway. She makes me sick with her sucking up to all of the Grey's.'
Elena stood up and walked over to Christian and put her hand on his forearm. Christian flinched. Elena said simpering, "Christian, darling, can I have a word with you in private about a business matter?"
Carrick took Ana's hand and said, "You should try my killer lemon martini. It's so much better than that frog water." He led Ana over to the bar.
Christian went to the back of the house in the utility room where the washer and dryer was. He turned around, closing the door and said, "What do you want, Elena?"
Elena said, "I want you to leave that girl alone. Did you vanilla fuck her?"
Christian spat, "That's none of you goddamn business."
Elena smuggly said and coyly, "I didn't think you could. She's not like us. She will never satisfy you like I can."
Christian said, "Elena, shut the fuck up and leave me the hell alone. I'm tired of your meddling in my life. I know what you did last night, by the way." Elena looked intensely at him. He continued, "You think your so much fucking smarter than everyone else, don't you, Elena? Ever heard of cameras? Yes, I saw the video after Anastasia left last night. Your little sub, Marty, the one with a slight limp, that made it obvious, was sent there by you. He cut her brakes and put that tracker on her car. You are so fucking ridiculously transparent. You're the only one who knew she would be there with me in the first place. Attempted Murder is so fucking becoming on you, Elena. I can truly say you stepped so far over the line that everything you get back is karma coming to bite you in your ass from now on."
Elena said, fishing for information, "What do you mean about karma, Christian? I had no idea about her car. What are you even talking about?"
Christian said sinisterly, "I want you to live in fear, because when it all comes for you, you're going to know what fear is. It won't be me doing it either."
Elena narrowed her eyes and said, "What's that little bitch gonna do to me? She was just all threats and talk."
Christian chuckled and said, "Wait and see." He turned around and left her there in the utility room pondering. He went back to find Ana giggling at something his dad said while drinking a lemon martini he made for her. Eventually, Elena came back into the room.
Grace came to the door of the room and said, "Come on everyone, let's go sit down to have dinner." Everyone got up and walked into the dining room.
It was a beautiful laid out table of fine silver, crystal and porcelain dishes. Christian kissed Ana and had himself on one side of the table with Mia on Ana's other side. Elliot and Elena were on the other side and his parents on each end. The servers came out with a beautiful succulent ham with tons of brown sugar and honey crystallize glazed all over it slightly burnt from roasting in the oven. There were buttery marshmallow sweet potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, caramelized roasted potatoes and carrots, ham gravy, buttery brussel sprouts with bacon and fresh baked rolls. It smelled wonderful.
After dinner, Christian and Ana were sitting on the couch talking to each other. He was looking in her eyes intimately close and put a piece of hair behind her ear that escaped. He said softly, "So I was thinking that starting Monday it will be a regular work week. Why don't you come to work with me and shadow me for a day? I'm sure you'll find it interesting. We can go out to lunch in the afternoon. You can look at a few projects for acquisition that Roz and I are working on."
She said softly back, "Whose Roz?" They were totally oblivious that his whole family and Elena were watching them.
He said caressing her lips, "She's my COO. You'd like her because she doesn't take shit from anyone. We do all the evaluations and breakdown the data to get it ready for negotiations."
Ana said interested, "I get the negotiating part. What do your Economic Analysts and Accounting Forensics people gonna do for fun at work if you're doing all this evaluating and cost breaking down they should be doing? You should only be concerned with data accuracy and negotiations. You're doing their job. Who's your CFO?" He leaned down and kissed her softly.
He said, breaking the kiss distractedly, "We don't have one."
She said caressing his chin, "Not even an Executive Assistant?" He shook his head no.
She whispered and caressed his cheek, "No wonder you're so busy and stressed from work, Christian." He smiled at her concern.
Elliot couldn't take it anymore and said, "Hey, Christian, come up for air bro. You dive into her too quickly and deeply you're gonna get the bends." He couldn't believe Christian was losing himself in this woman so fast, even if she was a complete knockout. It was just so weird and out of character for his little brother.
Christian looked over at Elliot and said, "Lelliot, believe me when I say that I have seen you with women and my behavior is tame and subtle compared to yours."
Mia started laughing and said, "Yeah, you big old butthead. You would be dragging her off to the bathroom or your room by now."
Grace said, "Mia, hush. Elliot leave your brother alone. Would everyone like to start opening presents?" They all said yes. Mia jumped up and grabbed a present and gave it to Ana. Ana smiled at her and started opening it, seeing various styles of five different designer sunglasses.
Mia said, "I know you said you broke your Saint Laurent sunglasses. I thought it would be a choice to go with different outfits. I know it is not as big as your gift last night." It was a set of different designer sunglasses: Valentino, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior.
Ana smiled and hugged her putting on a pair. She said, "Thank you Mia. It's not about the price tag. It's about the thoughtfulness behind it. Besides, you are the one gift I focused on so much this year. I don't have many people to buy for, only a select few that are special." Mia smiled back at her feeling better about it.
After everyone opened their gifts, the one Christian had got from his mother and father was for three soaring flights. His brother gave him a season set of passes for four to the Mariners as long as he takes him with him. Mia gave him some crazy color ties. Ana thought, 'I don't think Christian would be caught dead in loud neon colors.' Ana almost laughed and stifled herself at the look of horror on his face when he saw the neon green, pink and yellow ties in paisley and psychedelic patterns. Ana thought, 'It was a joke….it had to be, right?'
Elena got a bottle of her favorite expensive scotch and a pearl diamond bracelet. Ana noticed she was acting overly gracious. She could spot a phony from a mile away and Elena was an unkind and ungrateful bitch. Ana thought, 'What did she expect to get a brand new car or diamonds and a fur coat? It ticks me off that Elena thinks so much of herself, "as a friend to the family" to get more than the family gives each other as parents and siblings.' Ana was hating the evil creature by leaps and bounds the more she was near her watching the transparency going unperceived by them all.
Ana helped Christian put all of his gifts together in the tie box. Christian muttered so nobody but Ana could hear, "I hope those ties don't give my tickets and certificates some strange STD just being in the box together." Ana laughed and snorted at him. She gave him a fake shove in the shoulder. He started laughing. Christian leaned in and kissed her. Elena huffed from across the room loudly. Ana and Christian decided to ignore her all night because she was gonna get her Christmas gift later from both of them. Christian's audit this week and whatever Ana whipped up for tonight.
Ana said, breaking the kiss, "You're so naughty."
He smiled slyly at her, winked and said, "I know." She giggled. She put her box on top of his with her sunglasses. Grace was smiling as she went to the kitchen to make sure everything was put away and found Elliot with his head in the refrigerator.
Elena came in and said, "Really, Grace, are you going to let Christian see that girl? She's such a homely little creature. She'll be after his money before you know it. You know how inexperienced he is with girls, someone has to reason with him to slow down." Elliot stood up from being in the fridge pulling out the bread, ham and dijon mustard.
He put it on the counter and couldn't resist joining the gossip club going on in the kitchen. He shrugged and said, "I don't know, he seems to be doing pretty darn well. He is charming the pants off of her. If he didn't know how to do it, then I'd say he's a natural at it. Now if it was me I would have had her by now somewhere on the property. You shouldn't say such mean things about Ana. She's as far from homely as you are from young Elena." Elena gasped in shock that he would say something like that to her.
Grace said condescendingly, "Now, Elliot, you hush." Grace knew Elena deserved it for that remark about Ana.
Christian walked into the kitchen and said, "Ana and I are getting ready to get our coats. Thanks for…." Elena slipped out of the kitchen and found Ana coming out of the bathroom towards the back of the house.
Elena stepped in front of her to block her and said, "Christian said you are going to try to harm me in some way. You better watch yourself, you little bitch. You don't know who you're messing with."
Ana looked her in the eyes and said calmly, "No, you child molesting sick fucking selfish twisted narcissistic old hag, you have no idea what happens next. You'll be paying for that little stunt you pulled last night and it's gonna hurt like a mother fucker. You'll discover that you are not the know-it-all queen in power you think you are. Watch your six, bitch because the ride gets bumpy from now on." Elena was shoved to the side of the hall so quickly that she couldn't respond. Ana walked to the kitchen and then the vestibule to join Christian as they got their coats.
Grace was smiling and said, "You come back anytime you like Ana. It was nice having you over."
Ana shugged on her coat Christian was putting on her and said smiling, "Thank you Grace, it was good food and I had a good time with your family."
Mia said to Ana while hugging her, "I'll see you Wednesday afternoon. Merry Christmas, Ana."
Ana said, "You bet, Mia. Merry Christmas to you also." Ana liked Mia because of her manners and genuine friendly demeanor. It made her a rare find.