"Seriously? You're making me go to this?" I complain as I pace back and forth in front of Colton's desk. He sighs and sits back in his chair.

"Yes, you have to go. One of us has to show up and I can't make it cause I'm working on a case. It's only a weekend trip to Los Angeles. You'll be there for the two days and be back Monday morning, which gives you plenty of time to get ready for opening at Trouble. You can even take the company jet."

"I have my own jet." I mutter, taking a seat.

"You're a name partner Christian, it's a small part of your job here."

"I don't have a date."

"You don't need one."

"You know I hate socializing with people."

He sighs again. Ana walks into the office at the moment to hand Colton some paperwork. He looks from his assistant to me and back to her. "You can take Ana."

She stops besides me and looks between us. "Um…take me where?"

"My dear brother has booked me a table at one of our client's charity event in Los Angeles this weekend; no matter how much I don't want to go and trust me, I don't."

Colton turns to me. "And my dear brother is too much of a shithead to go alone. I want you to go with him to keep him in line. Knowing him, he'll say something that will make our client fire us."

I flash a smile at her. "But I don't have anything fancy to wear." Ana replies.

"No worries, I can have Gabriel hook you up. He has a remarkable sense for fashion."

"Uh…"

"Please Ana, don't let me die in misery this weekend. I don't even like Atlas."

"Wait, you're going to the annual Atlas charity event."

"Yeah, you know about it?" Colton intervenes between us.

"Yeah, Matt Atlas hosts this event every year, drawing in hundreds of people and those hundreds are the only ones who get invited. There's very expensive trips and prizes that gets bid off every year."

"So you want to go or not?" I butt in and she hesitates to answer again.

"You'll get to fly on a private plane with me." I add and she rolls her eyes at me. I've come to respect her wish on making our relationship strictly professional but that doesn't mean I can't tease her every now and then.

"If I have to." She finally answers and my smile gets wider.

"Great, you can have Friday afternoon off to get ready for the trip." Colton responds and Ana nods before heading out of the office.

"Now, you need to behave." Colton directs at me.

"Oh don't worry about me little brother."

Colton snorts. "I was born five minutes after you."

"Still my little brother." I smirk at him and leave his office. My weekend plans just got a whole lot better.

Saturday morning rolls around a lot faster than I anticipated. I had Andrea put in a call to Gabriel to pick out an evening gown for Ana and a matching black and white suit for me. I know I'm supposed to wear a tux but bowties annoy me.

I had called ahead to Johnny to get the jet ready by 10 so we can get to L.A around 1. That'll give us enough time to get ready for the actual charity part of the event. I've given Taylor the weekend off. He very much deserves it.

In fact, his last job today is to fetch Ana and then me and head over to the airport. My bag had already been packed since last night as Gail is very good at her job. I straighten out my collar before checking myself in the mirror.

I'm dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a dark gray button up; topped with a leather jacket. "Mr. Grey," Gail calls from the doorway.

"Yes Gail?"

"Jason is downstairs."

Sometimes I forget that Taylor and Gail are dating. I'm so used to calling Taylor by his last name and not his first.

"Thank you Gail. Has Gabriel sent over the clothes?"

"Yes, they're in garment bags and all set to go."

"Great," I walk over to Gail and kiss her on the cheek. "You have a wonderful weekend Gail."

"You too Mr. Grey." She calls after me. I grab my bag and head for the private elevator to take me down to the garage where Taylor and Ana should be waiting. Ana. The brunette beauty that I can't have. Well I've had her once but I want her again. However, I must respect her wish and my brother's. I need to keep things professional.

The double doors open and I step out. I toss my bag in the back of the SUV and slide in the passenger seat.

Ana is sitting next to me, her hands clasped in her lap. "Morning Miss Steele." I greet her and she gives me a tight smile.

"Morning Anastasia."

"Please we're not on the clock, call me Christian. Are you excited?"

"I guess so."

"Have you ever been to L.A?"

"No, this'll be my first."

"Wonderful city. Full of life and celebrities. However, I prefer New York." Taylor pulls us out of the garage. "Ever been there?"

"Can't say I have."

"Shame, so how do you know about the Atlas Charity Ball?"

"Well I studied up on him when I got hired for the job; just in case Mr. Grey ever asked anything about him. Not to mention, my best friend is like totally in love with the man. She knows everything there is to know about him."

"Ah yes, Matthew Atlas, boy genius and multi-millionaire. It's a wonder how no one has snatched him up yet."

"Maybe he's just not ready to settle. He is only 25 and still in his prime."

"Do you find him attractive?" I ask her and she gives me an inquisitive look.

"Um…I guess."

"You guess?"

"He's not really my type."

"And what is your type Miss Steele?"

She blushes and doesn't answer my question. "We're here Mr. Grey." Taylor announces and I drop the conversation.

We step out. Taylor grabs our bags. I'm surprised to find she had only packed one bag.

I allow her to climb the stairs to my private jet first. She does so and I follow her. Johnny is sitting on the couch when we enter. "Johnny," I greet him and he stands up to shake hands with me.

"Hey boss."

"Johnny meet Miss Anastasia Steele. Ana, this is my pilot Johnny."

"Pleasure ma'am." He shakes her hand.

"Nice to meet you Johnny."

"Let's start her up. We've got a long flight."

"Right away boss."

Taylor sets our bags down and bids us farewell. The door closes and I take a seat across from Ana. We belt in and wait for the plane to lift.

Once we're in the air, it's silent among us. I peek over at Ana and she's taken a book out to read.

We land in L.A.X. three hours later. The car I had requested is sitting idly outside the terminal.

"Good afternoon Mr. Grey," an older gentleman greets me and I nod at him. I had pulled on my aviators since L.A tends to be a little sunnier than Seattle. "I've got your car ready for you, sir."

"Thank you." I take the keys from his extended hand and open the trunk. I put both mine and Ana's bags in before shutting it. Ana is gawking at my rented car.

"Just wait till you feel her purring underneath your feet. Come on. We're going to be late." I usher her into the passenger side. I get in and start her down towards the exit. Once we get into traffic, I put her into drive and Ana nearly screams in excitement.

The girl loves a good sport car. I'll remember to take note of that. Within minutes, I pull us up front of the Mondrian Hotel. I get out and Ana follows suit. "Don't scratch her, she's a rental." I toss the keys to the valet and he nods enthusiastically.

The bell boy grabs our bags and heads upstairs while I check in at the counter. "Hello Mr. Grey, so nice to see you again." The girl at the check in counter smiles at me.

"Always a pleasure to be here."

"Two suites coming right up."

I turn to look at Ana over my shoulder. She's taking in the view, at awe of the modern luxury hotel. I'm so concentrated on taking in her beauty that I almost didn't hear the girl calling my name. She hands me the two suite keys and I thank her.

I start towards the elevators and Ana follows quickly. Once we're in I press the button for the suites.

"We're in adjacent rooms. Here's your key. Be ready by four. The limo will pick us up at five. The charity bid event starts at 6. Wear the blue dress; save the black one for tomorrow."

She nods her understanding as the elevator comes to our floor. I get to my door first and sneak a glance as she enters hers. I enter mine after I hear her door close. I shed my jacket and lay over the back of the chair in the living room. I walk into the bedroom and open the blinds to let in the sunshine. The sight of the city never ceases to amaze me.

I start unbuttoning my shirt. There's a knock at my door and I go to answer it. Ana is standing there and she's taken aback when I pull the door open. I watch her as her eyes move down to my open shirt and naked torso.

I clear my throat and she immediately shifts her gaze to meet mine. She blushes at being caught and I smirk. "How can I help you Ana?"

"Um…your brother is trying to reach you." I retreat my phone from my bag on the couch. 10 missed calls from Colton. I roll my eyes as I approach the door again.

"Thank you Ana." She nods and disappears back into the room, still red as a tomato. I unlock my phone and call Colton.

At 3:50, I'm knocking on Ana's door. I wait for a couple seconds as she hurries to the door to answer it.

When she opens it, I'm the one whose floored. I take my damn time looking her up and down. The floor length dark blue dress hugs her every curve and the hidden heels gives her some added height to bring her to just below my nose.

"You look beautiful Anastasia." She smiles at me.

"Thank you. You…uh…look good too." I look down at my gray suit and shrug. I raise the matching dark blue tie in my right hand.

"I need help. Do you mind?"

She lets me in and I walk over to the closest mirror. I turn to face her and hand her the tie. I flip my collar up and wait for her. She slides the blue tie over me and start to work.

"How can a lawyer who wears expensive suits not know how to tie a tie?" she asks as she finishes the knot and pushes it up to my throat before collapsing the collar of the white button up.

"Oh I know how, I just wanted to see if you did. Plus, I wanted an excuse to come see you before we leave." I turn to the mirror to check her handy work. "Nice job Miss Steele."

She rolls her eyes at me and walks over to the coffee table to grab her silver clutch. "Well you can thank my dad. I had to tie his every morning before he went to work; got a lot of practice."

"What did your dad do?"

"He was a business man."

"What kind of business?"

"Trade although he never really talked about it." I can tell she's lying but I don't push her on it.

"Are you ready?" she asks and I walk over to her.

"Ready as ever." I led her out of her suite and down the elevator to the lobby. We wait outside for the limo driver to pull around. I hold the door open as she steps inside.

I sidle up next to her as the driver pulls us into the traffic. "You know; I think I might enjoy this event." I smile at her and she blushes.

We pull up and step out, the party had already started. We skip the red carpet and walk immediately inside the event.

We check in. As soon as we step in, a waiter offers us champagne. I grab one for Ana and steer us towards the bar. I'm more of a whiskey guy. I order my drink and watch Ana take in all the high end people.

"God, I stick out like a sour thumb. I have no idea how to interact with these kind of people."

I grab my drink from the bartender and take a sip. "The key is to let them do all the talking. Nod here and there and give a few comments. The conversation will flow nicely if you let them talk about something they enjoy. No worries, I won't let you out of my sight. Besides, Colton said you're supposed to keep me in check." I wink at her and she smiles.

"Christian Grey," I turn to face whoever was calling my name. Matthew Atlas was standing beside me with his current flame on his arm.

"Atlas." I extend my hand to him and he clasps it firmly.

"You don't usually show up to these things." He waves at the room.

"Well, somebody had to show up and Colton was lucky enough to be busy." Atlas chuckles and turns his eyes to Ana. I watch as he looks at Ana with those beady little eyes. Even with a girl on his arm, he still looks at Ana like she's going to be his next conquest.

My blood boils but I keep my temper at bay. No need to explode on one of our biggest clients.

"Who must this be?" he asks for Ana's hand and she sets it in his. He brings it to his lip for a long kiss. I take a sip of my drink to prevent anything bad from happening. I don't like Atlas and he knows it. However, I've never wanted to deck the guy so much before in my life.

"Anastasia Steele, Mr. Grey's assistant." She introduces herself and Atlas smirks at me.

"A very pretty assistant you have Christian." I want to clarify that she's actually Colton's assistant but I like the idea of Atlas thinking she's mine.

"She does her job well. She got me here." I reply and Atlas nods.

"Well if you ever get tired of the Greys, please come my way. I could teach you a few things." Atlas comments.

My jaw tightens. "I'm pretty happy where I am Mr. Atlas. Besides, it looks like you already have a handful of employees to do your bidding." She nods at the arm candy besides him and I smirk. Miss Steele can certainly throw down.

Atlas doesn't reply but bid us a farewell. I finish my drink and look down at Ana. She looks up at me. Damn how much I want to kiss those lips.

I turn back towards the bar to prevent anything from happening.