Chapter 18: Who Needs Bad Friends
I Only Own The Plot
CPOV
Seattle Nooz
Breaking Nooz: We have an exclusive clip from the office of Sexy CEO Christian Grey at GEH. In the clip (which you will find attached at the bottom of this article) you see has been CEO Leila Williams trying to seduce and then blackmail the MARRIED Mr. Grey. Also in the clip, Mrs. Grey walks in with what appears to be the couple's late lunch and immediately bursts into cute giggles at the scene that is unfolding in front of her. Mrs. Grey then gets on the phone with their security and once security arrives, they all laugh at the maniac that is Leila Williams. Well, all except Christian Grey. He looks more entertained with what is in the lunch bag Mrs. Grey brought in. We are told it was from his favorite Chinese restaurant. Who knew the hotshot CEO enjoyed common folk food?! Anyway, can we all agree that Seattle's newest sweetheart handled this perfectly? She was so secure in her marriage that she laughed that wench out of the office. Word in the Nooz is that Williams has not been able to find a buyer for her company and they are in the process of going bankrupt. Let this be a lesson to all of you girls out there trying to come in between the Grey power couple.
I sit my tablet down on the breakfast bar satisfied with what the Nooz printed. I knew we did a good thing by giving them the scoop first. The clip of Leila screaming and storming out of my office is now viral and the outcome is hilarious if I do say so myself. Enough about Leila, I need to go find my sexy wife before I head to the office. She is working from home today and I am trying not to be upset about it. I have gotten used to her being near me all day since she has moved her office into my building.
"Beauty, where are you? I am about to head into the office," I call out from the foyer.
"What did I say about yelling, Mr. Grey," she says with a smirk on her face and arms folded across her chest as she is walking over to me.
"I am so sorry, Mrs. Grey," I say while giving her a mock bow and it sets off her giggles.
"Have a great day, Baby," she says while pulling my tie to bring me closer to her so that she can kiss me. I try to deepen the kiss by wrapping my arms around her waist. I can be a little late for my meetings today.
"Go," she says while laughing and pushing me to the elevator.
"See you later, Beauty," I say turning to step into the elevator. The doors are about to close when I see Ana stick her hand into the doors to stop them from closing.
"I forgot to ask if you would meet me at Mile High for lunch today instead of your office. Kate asked to meet and I didn't want to break lunch plans with you and I think this would be a great opportunity for you two to get to know each other," she is rambling because she thinks I will say no. It's so cute to me that she thinks I would ever tell her no.
"Of course, Beauty. I will see you there at 12," I say cutting off her rambles. She breathes a sigh of relief.
"I apologize in advance for Kate. She kind of has a mouth on her," she says and she starts to blush. This has me intrigued, but I will observe her for myself.
"No apologizing for someone else's mistakes," I say while leaning down to kiss her.
"We'll see," she mumbles. I just chuckle as the doors close.
****NEM****
I have been going to meetings since I got in today. I want to fire an employee from accounting, but Ana has taught me I need to allow them to fix their mistakes before trying to fire them. I suppose she is right. I need to remember that my employees are people and not machines.
"Jason, is Ana already at the restaurant? I haven't heard from her since I told her that we were on our way," I say to him.
"It seems as if she is just pulling up as well, Christian," he says pointing to her getting out of the car. I guess Luke noticed us as well because he pointed in our direction and Ana turned to look at us. Paparazzi are always outside of my restaurant and today is no different.
"Hi, Baby," she murmurs as she reaches up to kiss me. Cameras start to flash.
"How is married life," one asks.
"Ana, has he driven you crazy with his mood swings yet," another one asks and I frown.
"Ana is he a messy husband," this one actually makes my Beauty laugh. Seeing her laugh always makes me smile.
"No, he is actually not a messy husband. Every Sunday, he throws on sweatpants and a teeshirt to clean in while I cook Sunday dinner and bake his favorite chocolate cake," she says while they eat up her every word. They can't get enough of her.
"We are giving interviews on the street now, Beauty," I ask once we got into the elevator, amused about the whole situation.
"Dad always says if you give them something, they will generally leave you alone when you most want it. They will see that we are just a normal couple who love each other," she says with a firm nod at the same time Luke did. It still freaks me out how much they are alike, but I don't ever say that to them. They would deny it and then chew me out saying the same thing at the same time and then start yelling at each other for it. It is pure entertainment.
The elevators open and I see a blonde woman with her back to us. As we get closer she turns around and grimaces when she sees our group approaching.
"Anastasia, I thought it was going to be just us for lunch. And of course that hunk of a brother you have. Hi Luke," she says while twirling a piece of her hair. Luke looks like he is about to throw up. Jason and I are looking at each other trying to hold our laughter in.
"Christian and I have lunch together every day and I didn't want to miss seeing him today. Also, this would be a great time to get to know each other," Ana says wrapping her arm around my waist.
"I suppose so. Anyway, I have been waiting to be sat. They said the owners were on the way in, so I would have to wait to get a table," Kate says while looking grumpy. This brings a smile to my face. She doesn't know that Ana and I are the owners.
"Come on Beauty, let's go get our usual table," I say grabbing her hand and leading her to the podium. The hostess automatically stands taller and straighter once she sees me and Ana.
"Mrs. and Mr. Grey, welcome back to the Mile High Club. Your regular table is ready for you and your guests," she says while gathering up some menus for us.
"Thank you, Sally. How did your mom's surgery go," Ana asked. I am baffled by how personal she is with anyone she interacts with.
"It went excellent Mrs. Grey. Thank you so much for paying for it. It saved us from going into a lot of debt," she says while looking misty eyes. She quickly shook it off and went back to professional mode.
"Think nothing more of it," Ana says patting the young woman's arm.
When we make it to our table, Sally lets us know that the waiter will be right with us. I grab Ana's attention and just raise an eyebrow at her. She shrugs back and that's the end of it.
"Why do you bother mingling with the help. It's in poor taste. Honestly, Anastasia, paying for her mother's surgery is too personal," Kate says with her whiny voice. She is already getting on my nerves. I don't think I want to get to know her. Ana just rolls her eyes.
"So Moneybags, Elliott still being a whore," Kate asks. I am taken aback that these were the first words she has spoken directly to me.
"Kate! That was absolutely uncalled for. Just because you decided to sleep with Elliott on the first date, doesn't make that Christian's fault. You knew the reputation that Elliott had and Elliott knows of your reputation, so don't fault him for having fun just like you did. Don't disrespect my husband again. Final warning," Ana says and then picks up her menu looking it over. Jason and I are in shock. Luke is coughing to hide his laugh. Kate is enraged.
"Look at you Steele, got yourself a backbone now," Kate says with a snarl.
"It's Grey," Jason, Luke, Ana, and I say at the same time. I lean over to kiss her deeply.
"Luke, why don't you treat me like that. You know we are meant to be together," Kate directs to Luke.
"No," Luke says without even looking up from his menu. Oh, we are so going to rib him once we get in the car. The waiter comes and take our orders.
"Kate, if you keep harassing my brother we will leave. Let the man breathe," Ana says once the waiter is gone.
Our food is delivered shortly after and we all eat in comfortable silence. Ana and I steal food off of each other's plates often.
"Baby, I am going to ride back with you to the office. I forgot some paperwork. Luke can follow us in my car so he can take us back home," Beauty says in between bites. I just nod.
"Anastasia, when are you going to let moneybags get you pregnant so you can cement your spot as a Grey," Kate asks nonchalantly. She didn't even look up from her lunch. We all paused, staring at her. She looks up then.
"What? Anything could happen. He could fall in love with someone else. Best to have an insurance policy," she says shrugging.
"Let's go," Ana says standing up. We all quickly follow her lead.
"Ana! Ana, come back," Kate calls after us.
"Luke, the list," Ana says when we get in the elevator at the office.
"About time, Ana. Now I won't feel naked every time she looks at me," Luke says with a shiver and I burst out laughing. Ah, the proscribed list.
"Shut the hell up Chris. You know how it feels to have women staring at you, picturing you naked," he says seriously. I just keep laughing.
"I wish I never met you," he says shaking his head.
"Aw, come on Luke. You know we are meant to be together," I say bringing a piece of Ana's hair closer to my head and twirling it as Kate did. We crack up laughing.
"Have a great rest of your day, Baby," Ana says after we make it to the top floor.
"I'll see you at home," I say leaning in to give her a chaste kiss before I head into my afternoon meetings.
The afternoon moved by a lot quicker and now Jason and I are making our way home.
Something has been bothering me since lunch. I was finally working up the courage to talk to Ana about starting a family, and Kate goes and ruins it. By her reaction, I don't think she wants kids anytime soon.
"Jason, how do I tell Ana about something I have wanted for quite some time. I feel as if she is going to react in the negative," I say in a quiet voice.
"Honesty is the best policy, Christian. It may be a tough conversation, but it's best to keep it honest with her. Can I assume this is about wanting kids," he says. I chuckle at how well he knows me.
"What gave it away," I question looking at him in the rearview mirror.
"For the past couple of months, every time you and Ana are out and you see a baby or pregnant woman you automatically glance at Ana before realizing what you're doing," he says. I think about that for a minute and then I just nod.
"I'll talk to her tonight over dinner," I say.
We make it to the underground garage and head up to the penthouse. It's dark, but we see a lot of candles around the foyer and living room leading up to the dining room. I follow the trail of candles and it leads me to Ana sitting at the dining table. She stands when she sees me.
"Welcome home, Baby. Sit, let's eat," she says. I look and see she has made my favorite, mac and cheese.
After saying thank you and kissing her, we tuck into a quiet dinner. I see her fidgeting and pushing around her food.
"Talk to me, Beauty. Let me in," I say softly putting my hand over hers. She looks at me and smiles softly.
"I want to start our family," she says quietly.
AN: Well Babes, I am going to leave off here. I will probably update again sometime this weekend. Probably Sunday. Review! It makes me happy :).
