A/N: Thank you all for reading my story so far! Enjoy this next chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 2: Red Velvet Dreams

~The next morning~

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Ana's alarm clock blared loudly from her cell phone lying on her bedside table, and she groggily pulled herself awake. Her room was still pitch dark, but that was typical for 4:30 in the morning: being up at the ass crack of dawn was all just part of her glamorous life as a baker.

Wishing (as she always did) that she could stay in her warm, soft bed a little bit longer, Ana reluctantly pulled her covers off and dragged herself to her feet, yawning sleepily as she shuffled into her kitchen. Her tiny one-bedroom apartment was a converted attic, so it was a little dilapidated, as demonstrated by the creaking floorboards under her feet and the lack of heat as she shivered in the early morning cold. This place wasn't perfect, but it was hers – and the fact that it was located directly above her bakery made it the best possible situation for her.

Ana made a pot of coffee, and as it brewed, she went over to her bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. As she waited for her water to warm up, her mind drifted to yesterday at the small business expo, and she smiled to herself. She felt she had gotten a few people interested in utilizing The Royal Treatment in some catering events, but the one she was really excited about was from Christian Grey at Grey Enterprise Holdings. A part of her still couldn't believe such an important executive and his CFO happened to be at the expo, and she felt incredibly lucky to have been noticed by them.

Ana couldn't help but remember Christian Grey's piercing gray eyes and handsome face as he looked at her, and her heart beat a little faster. How could a man who was already so rich and famous also look like a sex god? Life really wasn't fair sometimes.

Ana finished up her shower and got dressed in some leggings and a long-sleeve tee, which was her usual outfit when working in the bakery. She clipped her hair back into a cute yet functional French twist before putting on a little makeup, hoping to look at least a little presentable for the day. She then poured herself a cup of coffee in her favorite travel mug – a white Yeti with the word's 'Sugar Momma' written in gold script along the side and her company logo underneath. It was a gift from Kate in honor of the grand opening of The Royal Treatment, and she adored it.

Ana then grabbed her keys before stepping out her front door, locking behind her. She stood on a small landing, where a narrow staircase led down to the first floor to where her bakery was located. This little area was rather cramped, but at least Ana didn't have any annoying neighbors to deal with.

She hurried down the narrow steps and unlocked the door that led to the back of her bakery's kitchen. Once inside, she flicked on the fluorescent lights, which lit up her small, yet clean and orderly kitchen.

She set her keys down on a nearby table and smiled to herself. It was time to get to work.

~/~

Several hours later, after Ana had been baking away in the kitchen, Kate arrived to help open up for the day. She greeted Ana with a tired yawn and a wave, her Starbucks cold brew in hand.

"'Morning Ana," Kate slipped off her coat off and hung it on a nearby rack. "It smells great in here."

"Thanks," Ana said, drizzling some chocolate on a tray of croissants on the counter. She gestured to the table next to her, where all the other baked goods she made were sitting in their trays. "Wanna help me get those bagels and danishes to the display cases?"

"You got it, boss," Kate said, dutifully walking over and starting to load up a nearby cart with the trays. "So how was the expo yesterday? You mentioned you got some leads?"

"Maybe," Ana said, concentrating on her croissants. "Would you count the CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings as a lead?"

"Wait – what?!" Kate yelped, nearly dropping the tray of bagels in her hands as she gaped at Ana in excitement. "You're joking! Christian Grey himself was interested in our bakery?!"

"He was. And no, I'm not joking," Ana looked up and grinned at her friend. She knew Kate would be shocked and delighted by this information, which was why she decided to hide it until now. "He and his CFO Ros Bailey were at the expo, and they both stopped by my booth. I thought I was going to faint, I was so shocked."

"Oh my God, that's incredible!" Kate squealed happily, setting down her tray so she could run over and hug Ana excitedly. Ana hugged her back, grinning. "But you're so mean for hiding this from me! So what are we doing for them? A catering event for a fancy soiree?"

"Well, no. Not exactly," Ana said, her smile fading. "I actually didn't get a firm offer from them or anything. Mr. Grey wanted his sister to vet us before they utilize our services."

Kate stopped, frowning at Ana. "What? His sister?"

"I guess she works for him," Ana shrugged. "She apparently vets all his company's food vendors. If she likes The Royal Treatment, then he'll consider using us for some GEH events."

"I suppose that makes sense," Kate said thoughtfully, walking over to continue loading up the cart. "But how do you know he wasn't just being polite? Maybe he isn't actually interested in our bakery and he's just passing us off to his less-important sister."

Ana felt her heart sink slightly at the thought, but quickly pushed it aside. "It wasn't like that. He and Ms. Bailey seemed genuinely interested in our bakery."

Kate grimaced. "I hope you're right."

The two of them were mostly silent as they continued opening up for the day, filling up the display cases with baked goods, opening up the cash register, wiping down the tables, and writing today's specials on the little chalkboard hanging behind the counter. The sun was out today, with beautiful morning light filtering through the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the bakery.

Once they were open, a few customers came in and ordered some baked goods. However, it was pretty quiet this early in the morning, and things likely wouldn't pick up for a couple hours.

Once the store was empty again, Kate was on her phone and googling Christian Grey and GEH. "It would be seriously cool if we got a catering deal with them," Kate said, thumbing through some images of the GEH building she found. "If Christian Grey's sister would reach out to us, we'd have it in the bag."

"He gave me her card, so I could reach out to her first if I wanted to," Ana said, reaching into her apron pocket and pulling out Mia Grey's business card. "I just figured it would be more polite to wait a day or two before I did."

"Probably smart. But the last thing we want is for Christian Grey to forget about us," Kate said, setting down her phone and leaning a hip against the counter. "What was he like, by the way?"

"Tall. Intimidating," Ana said, thinking back to when his gray eyes bored into her own. She blushed. "And way too handsome to exist."

Kate let out a laugh. "I know, right? I'm surprised the guy didn't make his fortune as a GQ model."

"I guess the rich and famous are just more blessed in the looks department," Ana giggled. "If his whole family is rich, then I bet his sister is beautiful too."

"Or maybe he doesn't even have a sister," Kate threw up her hands. "I mean, what are the odds of a famous CEO like Christian Grey having a sister who happens to be an expert in the culinary arts?"

"Pretty high, actually."

Kate and Ana turned just as a young, dark-haired woman entered the bakery, smiling at them. She was dressed quite fashionably this morning, in a dark green day dress, a gold necklace and brown suede ankle boots.

"Hi, I'm Mia Grey," The woman introduced herself. "And yes, I am Christian Grey's sister."

She smiled in a friendly manner, but Ana felt mortified that they were caught talking about her. "Oh my gosh, I… I'm so sorry," Ana apologized to her quickly, her face going red. "W-we were just talking about me meeting Mr. Grey and Ms. Bailey yesterday. We didn't think… I mean, uh…"

"Don't worry. It's totally fine," Mia Grey waved off, still smiling. "Trust me – living in this city, I'm very much used to overhearing people talking about my brother."

"Still, we're sorry about that. I'm Kate Kavanaugh, by the way," Kate introduced herself quickly before gesturing to Ana. "And this is Ana Steele. She owns The Royal Treatment and baked all these amazing treats you see before you."

"Yeah, I've heard a lot of great things about your baked goods," Mia said kindly, walking forward to shake Ana's hand before shaking Kate's. "Christian and Ros said they were some of the best they'd ever tasted."

Ana couldn't help but beam, feeling delighted that her food had made such an impression. "That's very kind of them. Mr. Grey had mentioned that you vet his company's food vendors?"

"More or less," Mia said with a shrug, her eyes roving over all the baked goods in the display cases. "I don't work for GEH or anything, but I like to help out when I can."

Ana and Kate glanced at each other, not sure how to respond to that.

"Ooh. Those red velvet cookies look divine," Mia said, pointing at the dark red cookies sitting near the top of the display case. "Could I have one of those? And one of these chocolate croissants too, if possible."

"Of course," Ana said professionally. "Would you like them for here or to go?"

"For here, please."

Ana grabbed a white stoneware plate from under the counter and then picked up a pair of tongs. She plucked up a red velvet cookie and a croissant before arranging them nicely next to each other on the plate.

"What do I owe you?" Mia asked, rummaging around in her purse for her wallet.

"They're on the house," Ana said with a smile, handing her the plate. "Enjoy."

Mia raised her eyebrows, though she smiled as she accepted the plate from Ana. "Really? Wow, thank you so much."

"You're very welcome."

Mia took her plate and walked to a small two-top table near the front window and sat down, pulling out her phone and taking a quick picture of her treats. Ana, not wanting to look like she was spying, went in search of her wallet so she could pay for the cookie and croissant she had given to Mia.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Kate whispered to Ana, who rang up $12.75 on the cash register.

"If she likes them, then it'll all be worth it," Ana whispered back, slipping her change back into her wallet. She hoped so, at least.

For about thirty minutes, Mia sat at her table, taking careful measured bites of her treats while jotting down notes on a small notepad. Several other customers walked in and out while she ate, which was a nice distraction for both Ana and Kate. Ana felt her heart pounding with nerves as she continuously glanced over at Mia, wondering what she thought about her food.

Finally, Mia got up from her table and walked back over to the counter with her empty plate. "Here you go," she said, handing the plate to Ana. "Thank you so much. I'll be in touch, okay?"

Ana blinked, a bit surprised. "Oh. Okay."

Mia waved goodbye before turning and leaving the bakery. Ana and Kate simply watched her walk out the door.

"So… did she like the food?" Kate asked, looking bemused as she stared at the closed door.

Ana glanced down at the empty plate, feeling her heart sink down to her stomach. "I have no idea."

A/N: So what do you think Mia thinks of Ana's treats? :) Leave a review and let me know!

I actually got a lot of new followers after I posted my first chapter – thank you all so much! For those of you unaware, I go by the author name Rae Trescott. You can follow my work on Facebook and Amazon, and my self-published books are available on both Kindle and Kindle Unlimited!