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En route he informs me that the Audi A3 has been delivered to The Heathman. Now I just have to give it to Ana. No doubt this will involve a discussion, and deep down I know it will be more than just a discussion. Then again, she’s agreed to be my submissive, so maybe she’ll accept my gift without any fuss.
Who are you kidding, Grey?
A man can dream. I hope we can meet this evening; I’ll give it to her as her graduation present.
I call Andrea and tell her to put a WebEx breakfast meeting into my schedule tomorrow with Eamon Kavanagh and his associates in New York. Kavanagh is interested in upgrading his fiber-optic network. I ask Andrea to have Ros and Fred on standby for the meeting, too. She relays some messages—nothing important—and reminds me I have to attend a charity function tomorrow evening in Seattle.
Tonight will be my last night in Portland. It’s almost Ana’s last night here, too…I contemplate calling her, but there’s little point since she doesn’t have her cell phone. And she’s enjoying time with her dad.
Staring out the car window as we drive toward The Heathman, I watch the good people of Portland go about their afternoon. At a stoplight there’s a young couple arguing on the sidewalk over a spilled bag of groceries. Another couple, even younger, walks hand in hand past them, eyes locked and giggling. The girl leans up and whispers something in the ear of her tattooed beau. He laughs, leans down, and kisses her quickly, then opens the door to a coffee shop and steps aside to let her enter.
Ana wants “more.” I sigh heavily and plow my fingers through my hair. They always want more. All of them. What can I do about that? The hand-in-hand couple strolling to the coffee shop—Ana and I did that. We’ve eaten together at two restaurants, and it was…fun. Perhaps I could try. After all, she’s giving me so much. I loosen my tie.
Could I do more?
BACK IN MY ROOM, I strip down, pull on my sweats, and head downstairs for a quick circuit in the gym. Enforced socializing has stretched the limits of my patience and I need to work off some excess energy.
And I need to think about more.
ONCE I’M SHOWERED AND dressed and back in front of my laptop, Ros calls via WebEx to check in and we talk for forty minutes. We cover all of the items on her agenda, including the Taiwan proposal and Darfur. The cost of the airdrop is staggering, but it’s safer for all involved. I give her the go-ahead. Now we have to wait for the shipment to arrive in Rotterdam.
“I’m up to date on Kavanagh Media. I think Barney should be in on the meeting, too,” Ros says.
“If you think so. Let Andrea know.”
“Will do. How was the graduation ceremony?” she asks.
“Good. Unexpected.”
Ana agreed to be mine.
“Unexpected good?”
“Yes.”
From the screen Ros peers at me, intrigued, but I say nothing more.
“Andrea tells me you’re back in Seattle tomorrow.”
“Yes. I have a function to attend in the evening.”
“Well, I hope your ‘merger’ has been successful.”
“I would say affirmative at this point, Ros.”
She smirks. “Glad to hear it. I have another meeting, so if there’s nothing else, I’ll say good-bye for now.”
“Good-bye.” I log out of WebEx and into e-mail, turning my attention to this evening.
* * *
From: Christian Grey
Subject: Soft Limits
Date: May 26 2011 17:22
To: Anastasia Steele
What can I say that I haven’t already?
Happy to talk these through anytime.
You looked beautiful today.
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
And to think this morning I was convinced it was all over between us.
Jesus, Grey. You need to get a grip. Flynn would have a field day.
Of course, part of the reason was she didn’t have her phone. Perhaps she needs a more reliable form of communication.
* * *
From: Christian Grey
Subject: BlackBerry
Date: May 26 2011 17:36
To: J B Taylor
Cc: Andrea Ashton
Taylor
Please source a new BlackBerry for Anastasia Steele with her e-mail preinstalled. Andrea can get the account details from Barney and get them to you.
Please deliver it tomorrow either to her home or to Clayton’s.
Christian Grey
CEO, Grey Enterprises Holdings, Inc.
Once that’s sent, I pick up the latest Forbes and start to read.
By 6:30 there’s no response from Ana, so I assume she’s still entertaining the quiet and unassuming Ray Steele. Given that they aren’t related, they’re remarkably similar.
I order the seafood risotto from room service and while I wait I read more of my book.
GRACE CALLS WHILE I’M reading.
“Christian, darling.”
“Hello, Mother.”
“Did Mia get in touch?”
“Yes. I have her flight details. I’ll pick her up.”
“Great. Now, I hope you’ll stay for dinner on Saturday.”
“Sure.”
“And then on Sunday Elliot is bringing his friend Kate to dinner. Would you like to come? You could bring Anastasia.”
That’s what Kavanagh was talking about today.
I play for time. “I’ll have to see if she’s free.”
“Let me know. It will be lovely to have all the family together again.”
I roll my eyes. “If you say so, Mother.”
“I do, darling. See you Saturday.”
She hangs up.
Take Ana to meet my parents? How the hell do I get out of that?
As I contemplate this predicament, an e-mail arrives.
