UNDECLARED

All credit to ELJ.

APOV

I take one last look in the mirror and take a moment to smooth out the little black dress that I decided to wear tonight. It was a last minute purchase. I had decided to wear something that was already in my closet, but when I walked by the little boutique and saw this short, lace number, I had to try it on. It fits me perfectly. I turn in front of the mirror and let out a giggle. I'm even happy with how the dress makes my ass look.

I slide on my red stilettos and I was ready to go.

Tonight is going to be the night.

I've waited long enough to tell this man how I feel about him, and to finally hear how he feels about me. We've known each other for three years now. We met through his sister. She and I have been friends since she did her one semester at WSU Seattle.

Mia Grey comes from a rich family, and they are always having parties. That's how I met her brother, Christian. I noticed him immediately that first night even though he looked right through me when we were first introduced. I can still remember what he had on that night even though I can't remember what the hell the party was for.

He had on a gray suit, no tie, and his shirt had the top two buttons undone. Even through the white shirt, I appreciated the width of his shoulders and his tapered waist. He had the most intense pair of gray eyes I've ever seen. I swore he saw my soul when he finally looked at me, but that only lasted a second before the bimbo he was with pulled him away. He was the finest specimen of the male form that I've ever seen, and I've been infatuated with him ever since.

Unfortunately, he barely noticed me. He had some skinny chick, whose name I can't even remember, wrapped around him the entire night.

I spent the rest of that first night watching him. The way he laughed. The way he drank his champagne. The way he had his hand on the small of that bimbo's back whenever they were walking somewhere. I felt such a pang of envy because I wanted to be that bimbo. Well, not a bimbo. I wanted to be the woman on his arm.

Mia invited me to several more family events that first year of our friendship. Each time we would lock eyes for a brief moment, he'd be polite but dismissive of me. Each time he'd have a different bimbo. Each time I would think of all the different ways I could torture his dates for being lucky enough to with him, while I was forced to watch from afar.

Things finally changed between six months ago when I graduated college. I was offered a job at SIP, which GEH had just acquired. Due to the restructuring of SIP, Christian Grey had to spend a lot of time there before SIP could be moved to GEH.

Because I have the worst luck, the position that I was hired for was eliminated when they had to fire the editor who hired me. I called and cried to Mia one night, and the next day, Christian found me and said he could use an assistant while Andrea Parker was on medical leave. He promised he would find me something in GEH by the time Andrea came back.

Over the next few months, we learned that not only did we work well together, we also developed a bit of a friendship. I've never worked as a personal assistant before and it's amazing what you can learn from a person. I know how he takes his coffee. His favorite brand of clothes. His size. The people he has little patience for. His net worth, and it's staggering. His favorite place to take dates. His preferred drink, cologne and brand of suit. I also know that he is never with the same woman for longer than thirty days. That's his limit. They don't always last that long. Only a lucky few do.

The events that led up to this night started six months ago. It's taken us six long months to get here since that night.

SIX MONTHS AGO

"So, you'll be gone for one week? What the hell am I supposed to do without an assistant for an entire week? I should have had you train a temp this week. Fuck! It's too late now," my boss says while running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Seeing as though it's Friday at six pm, it's definitely too late," I remind him.

"Where are you going again? I told you, you could use the company jet. I don't feel right about you going off by yourself and flying commercial." That's another thing about my boss that I've learned. He is the most protective and giving human being I've ever met. Hands down. He's totally selfless and he doesn't even know it.

"Thanks, but my flight has been booked. I'll be ok. I've flown by myself before. I'm a big girl," I say with a bit of sarcasm. I even do that thing he hates and rolls my eyes at him.

"Do that again and I'll fire your ass," he threatens.

"You threaten me with that once a week. I'm not scared of you. You act tough, but you're a big softie." I realize what I said a little too late. He gives me this mischievous grin that makes my heart rate accelerate.

"Definitely not soft. I'd show you, but I wouldn't want you to file a sexual harassment suit on me. Don't want to make you part of the me too movement."

I take a paperclip and throw it at him.

"Not funny, Grey!"

"Sorry, my little activist," he chuckles at me and I know he's remembering that fact that Mia and I both went to the Women's March. I ignore him.

"Trust me, I don't want to see because I'm sure it's not that impressive. I know I've seen bigger and better." I finally get up and start packing up my bag to go home. I have an eight am flight and I still need to go home and pack.

With my back turned to him, I didn't realize he was standing right behind me. I slam into him as soon as I turned around. Before I can go around him, he pulls me to him and traps me between his body and his desk.

"I don't think you have seen bigger and better, Ms. Steele,. In fact, I don't remember the last time you even had a date," he says against my ear. I immediately start to feel moisture between my legs. I try to push him away, but he won't budge.

"There are cameras in this office. When I sue your ass, my lawyer will get the footage during discovery," I threaten him.

"Bring it on. My lawyers are better than your lawyers."

"Since I have no lawyers and you have about a dozen, you're probably right."

He doesn't say anything else, but he continues to hold me against his body. His very hard body. Another tidbit I know about him is that he works out five days per week.

"What are you doing, Christian?" I ask him. He holds my gaze and pushes a stray piece of hair behind him ears. That's the moment that I fell in love with him. That's the moment that the crush bloomed into an all consuming love. Before that night, I was in lust, but that small thing of putting a stray piece of hair behind my ear while gazing into my eyes made me a goner for this man.

"I'm holding you. Keeping you here. I don't want you to go to Savannah to visit your mother. Does that make me selfish?" He asks.

"Yes."

He gives me that smile again. I try to push away from him, but he only holds me closer. He holds my gaze again before slowly lowering his head. When he gets as close to my mouth as possible, he stops waiting for me to acquiesce. I give a quick nod before he brings his mouth to mine.

I've thought about this for the past three months that we've worked so closely together. I've dreamt about this. I've dreamt of his mouth on mine. I've fantasized about how his lips would feel, how he would taste, but my fantasies aren't even close.

The kiss is not gentle. He immediately puts pressure on my lips, forcing them open. As soon as I give him entry, his tongue takes over my mouth. His taste is one I can't describe. It's clean and crisp and I can't get enough of him. He pulls me closer and he puts his hands on my ass, grinding his erection into me. I let out a soft moan as I continue to lose myself in this man.

I lift up my arms and stick both hands in his hair, running my hands through it and making it a worse mess than it usually is. I have my hands in his hair and he has his hands on my ass, as we continue to devour each other with our mouths.

The kiss goes on until we are brought back to reality by the ringing office phone. I jump out of his arms, and he takes a step back from me, running his hand through his hair again.

We just stand there staring at each other, ignoring the ringing phone.

I grab my bag and throw it over my shoulder.

"I gotta go," I say quickly, heading towards the door.

He catches up with me and grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. He pulls me into his arms again and rests his forehead on mine.

"I'm not sorry. I've wanted to do that for months now," he confesses.

"Me too."

"Let's talk when you get back from Georgia."

"Talk about what? Work?" I ask. Please say you don't want to talk about work.

"Fuck work. Talk about us."

"Ok," I quickly agree.

"Have a safe flight. I'll have Prescott pick you up tomorrow at six to take you to the airport since you won't use my jet."

"That's not necessary. I can call a cab."

He gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Prescott will pick you up. Be safe."

I left after that and spent the next week with mom and Bob. Christian and I don't communicate the entire time I'm away, but he's never far from my thoughts. Even though I had a wonderful time with Carla, my mind belonged to Christian that entire week.

I arrive back to Seattle on Sunday and by Monday morning, I'm eager to get to work. I texted him as soon as I arrived, letting him know I'd landed. The only response I got back was a thumb's up emoji, which was not like him at all.

Unfortunately, I had a conference that I had signed up for when SIP initially hired me. It's an editor's conference. One I'm excited about and didn't want to miss.

I didn't get back to GEH until four pm on Monday. I made sure to wear a fitted pencil skirt and a tapered light blue shirt. I looked both sexy and professional for the talk I was going to have with Christian Grey. By the time we both leave her tonight, I'm hoping we leave together, holding hands.

When I opened his office door, I was shocked by what I found, and I realized then and there that we would not be leaving together.

There he was. The man who kissed me just over a week ago. Now he had another woman in his arms as he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips.

He looks up when he hears the door. Our eyes meet, and I know he sees the anger and the confusion in my eyes. He clears his throat before beginning to speak. Another thing I learned about Christian Grey is clearing his throat only means one thing. It means he's nervous.

I stand there, hold his gaze and waiting for an explanation. I don't get one.

"Anastasia, welcome back," he says formally. "I want you to meet Bambi Montgomery, my girlfriend." I think a slap in the face would have hurt less. I involuntarily take a step back, and stand there for a few seconds totally speechless.

I finally catch myself and extend my hand to Bambi.

"It's a pleasure, Bambi. I am Mr. Grey's personal assistant." I feel him flinch beside me. I've never called him Mr. Grey.

"Nice to meet you as well. Christian and I were just discussing the launch party on Saturday." The launch party for his latest acquisition. The one I thought would be our coming out party as a couple.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to that as well. We all worked hard on that acquisition. How did you two meet, if you don't mind my asking?" Christian clears his throat again and runs his hand through his hair. The bastard is definitely nervous.

"We actually met last month at the Governor's ball, but I never heard from him. He called me out of the blue last week." She giggles. The bitch actually giggles. I look at her. She's attractive. She's tall with long dark hair. She has brown eyes, and clear skin. She's dressed professionally in an expensive looking gray pantsuit.

"Well you must have been on his mind this entire time then. How sweet." I say with fake sweetness and a fake smile. I look over at Christian, who is now completely red in the face. I look away from him and turn back to Bambi.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. I've been away for a week and need to catch up on some work. Isn't it amazing how much stuff can go on in a week, Mr. Grey? You think you're coming back to one thing, but in actuality you come back to the complete opposite." I don't wait for him to answer. I simply walk out of his office and close the door. Once I take my seat at Andrea's old desk, I look up Bambi Montgomery. With a name like that, I expected her to be a porn star, but Ms. Montgomery is from old money. She's a lawyer who works for the Governor. No wonder they met at that fucking ball. We'll see if you're still here in thirty days, bitch!

I lay my head on my desk and resist the urge to bang it repeatedly on the damn thing.

"Get a hold of yourself, Ana," I say out loud.

It was just one kiss. Thank goodness that's all it was. He's already screwed me over and it was only a kiss. What if things had gone further? God, I was an idiot for even contemplating being with this man. A man whose relationship max out at thirty days. Is this what I wanted? To be left a broken hearted mess after just one month? Absolutely not! I was worth so much more than that, and I was going to get it. Just not with that Grey asshole. Fuck him! He can live his lonely pathetic life by himself. That kiss wasn't even all that good. That's a total lie, but one I'll tell myself over and over again until I believe it.

Just as I open up my work email, asshole and Bambi walk out of his office. He walks her to the elevator and gives her a kiss on the cheek before she leaves.

As soon as the elevator door closes, I turn back to my email, ignoring him completely.

"Anastasia?"

"Yes, Mr. Grey?" I respond professionally.

"Can I talk to you in my office for a minute, please?"

"Yes, sir." I get up and grab my iPad, expecting him to talk business.

He takes his seat behind his desk. I stand in front of his desk, waiting for him to give me a rundown of his day. He clears his throat before he begins talking.

"I know that must have been uncomfortable. I was expecting you a little later so I could explain Bambi to you in private," he stammers. Once he finishes talking, he clears his throat three times.

"There is nothing to explain, Mr. Grey. Your private life is your business. Is there anything else?"

"Stop with this Mr. Grey bullshit. I'm sorry. I care about you and I'd only end up hurting you. That kiss shouldn't have happened."

"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Grey. That kiss was the biggest mistake of my life. Do me a favor and never bring it up again. If we're done here, I have work to do." I don't wait for an answer. I just turn my back on him and walk out.

The rest of the week is just awkward. Where we used to have a friendly, easy going relationship, things are now strained. I feel so betrayed by him when I shouldn't. But maybe I should. He led me to believe that we had a future, and then as soon as I leave he seeks out another woman. Why? What led him to do that?

I guess the answer is simple. He decided he'd be a fool to be with me. I was nothing, and Bambi is on the same playing field as him. Rich family. Lawyer. Connected. Three things I'm not. Fuck that and fuck him. I'm young, smart, relatively attractive and there is no way I'm going to allow Grey or any man to fuck with me and my self esteem. Anastasia Steele will not wallow for any man!

I say a small prayer in gratitude for dodging that bullet. Who needs all that shit? I much prefer the simple life, and not the complications that someone like him would bring down on me.

By Wednesday, I receive a call from Charlie Becker, an executive I met at the conference. We exchanged business cards for networking purposes. In my simple mind, I thought that since I was about to start a relationship with my boss, I'd have to quit. Charlie is an executive at Sapphire Publishing and was a complete gentleman. He told me that he might have something that would be a good fit for me, and we exchanged business cards.

When he called me on Wednesday, he said that he gave my information to a hiring manager, who would be in touch with me soon.

I almost told him no since the romance I was counting on will never happen, but I thought better of it. Editing is what I want to do, not be an assistant to a two timing snake like Christian Grey. I told Charlie how excited I was at the opportunity to work for Sapphire.

He then floored me by asking to take me to lunch the next day. Charlie was tall and broad shouldered. He had green eyes and his hair was thinning a bit, but he was still good looking. And he had kind eyes. Unlike that gray eyed bastard I worked for.

Even though he didn't have crazy red hair, or piercing gray eyes, I agreed. If Grey can move on, so can I. Not that there's anything to move on from. It was just one kiss. One earth shattering kiss. One kiss that had me so fucked up.

I was locking up my workstation the next day to go meet Charlie for lunch. We had agreed on a small bistro down the street from GEH.

Just as I was standing up to leave, Grey walks out of his office, looking a like a runway model in a dark blue suit.

We both stand awkwardly in front of the elevator. I've avoided all non-work related conversation with him since the Bambi fiasco, and I'm not about to change that now.

When we step inside the elevator, I feel this pull. I almost take a step towards him, but I don't. I hear him clear his throat and watch as he adjusts his tie. I hope you choke, asshole.

He looks at me and I feel his gaze darken. I turn my head and look directly at the door.

"Interesting dress you have on. Not your usual office attire," he says. I have on a red wrap around dress with a pair of open toes sandals. It's a bit on the sexy side, but I have a date. Not that he needs to know that.

"This is professional. If you have a problem with it, talk to HR."

"Will you look at me, dammit? You've ignored me all week and I hate it! Us getting involved is not a good idea, Ana. Can't you see that?"

"Oh, I know. I'm looking for a relationship, not a thirty day fling. And it's Ms. Steele to you." Thankfully the elevator opens to the lobby and I quickly walk out in the July heat.

It's only about a five minute walk to the bistro, and Charlie is waiting for me when I arrive. We are quickly led to a private table, and I feel his hand on the small of my back as we follow the hostess to our table. His hand is not unwelcome.

Lunch is lighthearted and fun. I learn that Charlie is from Oregon and is the youngest of five children. We compare childhoods, and I'm shocked to learn that his parents are still together. He pulls out his phone and shows me a family picture taken last Christmas. Everyone is wearing matching sweaters and a Santa hat. It's the cutest and funniest thing I've ever seen.

I'm so caught up on the picture, I don't see the shadow looming over our table.

"Ms. Steele," I hear him say. Unlike how contrite he was in the elevator not too long ago, his voice is not cold and full of venom. I look up and if looks could kill, I'd be dead. He then turns his angry glare to Charlie before turning back to me.

"Mr. Grey," I say back. I move my gaze from him and smile at Charlie.

He clears his throat

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" That's when I look up again and see he has his arm wrapped around Bambi.

"No," is all I say, but he bypasses me.

"Christian Grey. Ms. Steeles' boss. This is my girlfriend, Bambi."

"Charlie Becker. Ana's lunch date."

"And maybe more," I add.

Charlie looks at me and we smile. He shakes hands with Grey and Bambi. I notice that he shakes Charlies hand a little too forcefully and holds on to his hand for a tad bit too long, like he was sending him a message.

"I'd appreciate if you got back to work immediately, Ms. Steele. Since you were gone on your vacation, there's a lot of work that piled up. Maybe you can limit your personal life to after work hours."

I close my eyes and count to ten before I say something that I'd regret. Since I'm trying to get a job where Charlie works, I decide to play nice and not tell him what I really think of him.

"I'm pretty sure I get an hour for lunch. I'll be back on time. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Grey," I say coldly. I decide then to turn towards Charlie and ignore him and his date completely.

Thankfully he gets the hint and they leave but not before Grey gives me the death glare. I glare at him right back. If he thinks he can intimidate me, he's got another thing coming.

It's then that I get an idea.

"Charlie, GEH has a launch party on Saturday. It's at the Ritz Carlton and really fancy. Do you want to be my date?" He eyes light up and he immediately agrees. Once lunch is over, he walks me to GEH, kisses my cheek and promises to call.

I return to my desk, and start typing a company wide email as I was instructed to earlier. Once Mr. Grey approves it, it can be sent. I'm in the middle of my draft when he gets off the elevator and stomps past my desk without a word.

I continue the memo, with details of the new acquisition and how it will affect GEH. I send the draft to him waiting on his approval before sending it out.

"What is this crap, Ms. Steele," he says. He walks angrily towards my desk and dumps the printed memo on my desk.

"It's the memo you requested that I type, Mr. Grey," I say as professionally as I can muster.

"Well, it's garbage. I found two typos and you didn't include the list of new hires. Maybe your head is in the clouds over your balding boyfriend, but I need you to actually do the job I pay you for. Fix this now!"

"Well, it's just a first draft. I would have read it over and fixed the typos. And as for the list of new hires, that's already been sent over by HR. All I have to do is provide the link to the website in the email. I believe HR has already sent it to you, and you've approved it." I say this with as much professionalism as possible. "And as for my boyfriend, his hair might be thinning, but at least he doesn't have a giant pair of fake tits. You might want to tell her to get them checked. They looked kind of lopsided to me. Maybe you should check the person you're with before you comment on mine."

"You better watch your tone, Ms. Steele."

"Or what, Mr. Grey?"

We stare each other down for several seconds before he turns and stomps back to his office without saying a word. The slam of the door is the last thing I hear before I resume my work.

The audacity of that man!

I found the two typos and fixed them. I also included the list of new hires. I triple checked it before sending it to him again. He approves it and I don't see or hear from him again the rest of the day.

"This is some fancy party, Ana. Just know when you come on board at Sapphire, we don't do it up like this," he says with a wink. I had an interview yesterday, and it went great. Charlie has let it slip that I'd be getting an offer very soon.

"Fine by me. These things can be exhausting." He offers me his arm and we go grab some more champagne.

Mr. Grey is over by the bar talking to Ros and some other executives. I don't miss the fact that Bambi is stuck to him like a cheap suit. When I look his way, our eyes lock briefly before he looks over my entire body. He even licked his lips and pulled on his tie. I look away and talk to my date.

I look up again, and Grey is looking at me. I notice that his eyes linger on my cleavage. He's probably forgotten what a pair of real boobs look like. I purposely chose this dress because it's sexy. It's another red dress. It's fitted at the top, with a flared skirt and is extremely low cut.

He turns and whispers something to Bambi and she laughs. He then turns and looks back at me. I'm sure he saw the anger in my eyes, because he gives me small victorious smile. I grab Charlie's hand and go to the other side of the room, but Grey continued to watch me for the rest of the night. Every time I looked his way, I caught him looking at me.

At one point, I grab Charlie's hand. He looked at me, smiled and kissed my hand. He finally let me hand go when a server came around with champagne, but he then draped one arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. I leaned in and smelled him. He smelled good, but not Christian Grey good.

A few hours later, Charlie leaves my side to use the rest room. I'm looking at my watch, ready to get the hell out of here when I feel him next to me.

"You look beautiful. I can hardly keep my eyes off of you," he says. He doesn't look at me, but he stands next to me.

"Shouldn't you be saying that to your date?"

"You won't give me an inch, will you? I already explained why things have to be the way they are."

"Yes, you have. We both agree the kiss was a mistake. I've moved on, so why do you keep on bringing it up? Are you so arrogant that you think that I have feelings for you or something?"

"Don't you? You're dating Sir Baldilocks to make me jealous. It's working." Good, I think to myself.

"Sir Baldilocks? I never realized you were so petty and childish. I'm dating Charlie because I like him. It's not about you. Why don't you get back to Bambi and leave me alone?"

"And these disgusting displays of hand holding and kissing. Can you be more obvious?" He asks.

"If you had kept your eyes off of me for just a brief moment, you might have missed these so called obvious displays of affection. You think everything is about you, don't you? I really dodged a bullet. Thank you, God," I say as I pretend to look up at the heavens.

I grab another glass of champagne and down in in one gulp.

"You're going to have a killer hangover. You've had too much."

"Not your problem. Charlie will take good care of me tonight. In fact, pretty soon I won't be your problem at all."

"What is that supposed to mean, Ms. Steele?"

"It means I won't be around when Bambi's thirty days are up, and you bring in a brand new bimbo." I think back to that kiss, the feeling of falling in love and having hope and having it all dashed by this man. He had the gall to call another woman, and make her his girlfriend, after he told me he wanted to talk about us. He's the one who flirted and kissed me that night. He told me he didn't want me to go to Georgia. He played with my emotions and continues to do it by flaunting Bambi in my face. And now he has the nerve to act jealous over Charlie?

"Bullshit. You're not going anywhere. You need this job."

"Well, what you fail to understand is that GEH is not the only game in town. I quit!" I don't wait for him to answer. I see Charlie walking towards us, and I just go to him, grab his hand and leave.

He drops me off at home, and I invite him up to make out. We kissed for several minutes before he tells me he better leaves. I ask him to stay, but he says he'd prefer to take things slow, and would love to come pick me up in the morning to take me to breakfast.

As soon as he leaves, I change out of my clothes and go to GEH. It's quiet and the night security just lets me in. I go to my desk and clear out all of my personal belongings, leaving GEH and Christian Grey behind.

After breakfast with Charlie, I drive to Montesano and stay there for the weekend.

He tries to call me, but I ignore him. I've already told him that I quit and I have nothing else to say to him.

By Monday, when he realizes I've cleared out my desk, he sends me a nasty text.

How utterly unprofessional of you, Ms. Steele. I hope you're not expecting a good reference from me. Good riddance! Christian Grey.

I ignore him and block his number.

Thankfully by Tuesday, I had an offer from Sapphire. The money was less, but I'd be away from him, so I accepted and agreed to start the following Monday.

Things at Sapphire were great, but things with me and Charlie fizzled out after about a month. He said he still had feelings for his ex-girlfriend and wanted to give it another try. I agreed to stay friends since I never had any feelings for him to begin with.

Now, I was only focusing on my career. If I met someone interesting, great. If not, that would be fine too.

I was a junior editor and my boss was a woman who had been with the company for fifteen years. She was a great boss and mentor.

Things could not have been better. Until four months later when we found out Sapphire was bought by another company. I had a nagging feeling in the back of my mind when I heard that, but I pushed it aside. He wouldn't, would he? No, of course not. That would be foolish. He already owned SIP.

A day later, all employees were called into the cafeteria to meet the new owner, and I found out my instincts were right. There he stood, arrogant as ever. What I wouldn't give to smack that smirk off his face. He finds me immediately and stares me down. I refuse to be the one to break the gaze. He walks over to me.

"Well, well, well, Ms. Steele. It appears that you won't be able to ignore me anymore. I have big plans for you. It looks like GEH might just be the only game in town."

"You did this to get back at me? To get me under your thumb?" I ask, incredulous.

He looks at me, before putting a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I jump back, not wanting him to get any closer.

"Yes," is all he says before he walks away. He gives a speech and talks about merging Sapphire with SIP and relocating us to the GEH building in the new year. I stand there fuming at the thought of having to work for him again.

He opens the floor up for questions, but I just leave. I don't want to hear anything more from him. I contemplate looking for a job at a publishing company on the east coast, but all of my friends and family were on the west coast. I was not going to let Christian Grey push me out of Washington. Besides, I loved my job at Sapphire. Grey can go fuck himself.

I go back to my desk to work on one of my manuscripts, but after thirty minutes, he approaches my desk and sits on it.

I refuse to look up.

"Are you going to fire me?" I ask without looking at him.

"Now, why would I do that? To get even for the way you just quit on me. I was in a quite a bind for about two weeks after that. That was very unprofessional of you, but no. I'm not going to fire you. I have plans for you. In fact, I have your desk already picked out. Will you look at me, dammit?"

I finally look at into his gray eyes, and all of the feelings I tried to suppress during the past few months just come flooding back.

"Bambi is gone."

"Don't care, but of course she is gone. It's been four months. You've probably had four other Bambis by now."

"Must you always be such a smart ass? There has been no one. What about you and Baldilocks?" I roll my eyes at the name.

"None of your business."

"Everything about you is my business. I already know," he says with a secret smile.

"Know what?"

"That you're not with him. He's back with an ex. I know everything about you, Ms. Steele."

"Well good for you. The only thing I know about you is that you need a new hobby. I also know that I'd rather work at McDonalds than work for you if you're going to be a jerk. Are you going to buy them too? What about Amazon or Starbucks or Microsoft? You're not the biggest fish in the pond, Grey."

"No, I wouldn't buy them. But, I'm not worried about you going to any of those places. Connections and all that."

He then grabs my chin and forces me to look at him.

"I've missed you. You've only gotten more beautiful."

"The feeling is not mutual," I say and look away. I hear him sigh before he clears his throat.

"I made a mistake, Ana. One I regret every damn day since you've been back from Georgia. What I said was true. I didn't pursue things because I was afraid I'd hurt you."

"We've been over this many times, and frankly, this conversation bores me. But, let me remind you how things went because you seem to have a warped sense of reality. You flirted with me, kissed me, told me you were going to miss me and wanted to talk about us as soon as I got back. I was gone one fucking week and walk back into the office to see you in the arms of another woman. A woman who is much better suited for you than I am. Then I find out that you pursued her as soon as my back was turned. Not only that, you tell me our kiss was a mistake and it's better if we never discuss it again. Fine. I accepted that. I found another job. I moved on and got away from you. Now you buy this company. Why? Because you can? Because you want to fuck with me? It's not fair." I take a deep breath after I finish my speech. The last thing I want to do is cry in front of this egomaniac.

"That kiss meant everything. You mean everything. You know my track record, Ana. Thirty days. That's the limit. I didn't want to do that to you, but I know that I never would."

"It's too late, Christian. You hurt me and I'm not going to give you the opportunity to hurt me again."

"I know I did. I was a stupid asshole, but not a moment has gone by without me thinking about you. I've been kicking myself since I saw that look in your eyes when you walked in on me and Bambi. I've lost countless hours of sleep over that look. That look has haunted me since that day. Let me make it up to you. Please."

"How? I'm not looking for a fling. I'm not that type so if that's what you have in mind, there's the door."

"No. Nothing like that. Let's go out on a date. Tonight. I'll take you out and I'll explain things," I look up at him.

"Those words are similar to what you said to me before I left for Georgia. That didn't turn out so well, Christian. You toyed with my emotions and I don't know if I want to give you the chance to do that again."

"Well thank goodness you're no longer calling me Mr. Grey. Nothing like that will happen. I promise. I have a lot of things I want to say to you, but I can't say them here. I have a meeting at the end of the day, but let's meet at Canlis at 8. OK? Give me a chance to make things right. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway." I look in his eyes and see he's sincere, so I nod. He breathes a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, baby." I'm taken aback by the endearment, but I say nothing. I actually love it. The feminist in me is not happy with myself right now.

He leans down and gives me a chaste kiss on the mouth. He does it quickly and it takes me by surprise.

"I've thought of nothing else but that mouth and that ass. And those tits which I know aren't fake. I can't wait until tonight." And with that he takes off.

Canlis Is just about a mile from my apartment. I'd normally walk, but my heels are too high. I'd drive, but I want an excuse to get in the car with Christian after our date. I call a cab and I arrive right on time.

It's October, so I take my coat off and check it at the coat check. I walk inside the main restaurant and tell the hostess that I'm meeting Christian Grey. She tells me he's waiting for me at the bar. I take a deep breath and make my way over there.

I come to a complete stop when I see them at the bar.

It's like fucking déjà vu all over again, and I'm pissed.

Right there at the bar is Christian and fucking Bambi Montgomery. I clench my fists and start to seethe. She gets on her tippy toes and kisses his cheek before he takes her into a hug.

I can't believe that this shit has happened to me again. Did he set me up for this? Of course, he did. He lied to me this afternoon and I fell for it. He just wanted revenge for me quitting on him the way I did. I turn around, and bump into a waiter, causing him to drop his tray of drinks. Everyone stares, and I'm mortified. I look around and I see him mouth oh shit when he sees me. I start running out of the restaurant.

"Ana! Wait! It's not what it looks like," he yells but I quickly run out, leaving my coat behind. I see him running behind me, but because he has to go around the mess on the floor, it slows him down. I dodge into the alley as soon as I get outside.

My chest is heaving and I'm panting like I just ran a marathon. Just as my tears start, I hear a clap of thunder, causing me to jump. I look up just as the sky opens up and rain pours down on me.

I think of how appropriate this feels. All of Seattle is crying right along with me. I stand in the alley, under the heavy rain and let my tears drop. I cry for feeling so stupid as to fall for his pretty words again. I cry for letting myself have hope once again that we could have something together. I cry for losing the relationship I had build up in my head.

I cry because I was such a fool. I quickly wipe my tears. No more. I've let this man play with my emotions for far too long. Enough is enough.

I take off my shoes and start to walk home. I'm so numb that I don't even feel the cold rain falling on me. I don't feel the brisk wind cutting through me. I take the back roads home and enter my building through the back door. Instead of going to the lobby to get on elevator, I take the back stairwell to the third floor and go into the rear door of my apartment.

Like a zombie, I undress. I shiver, but I welcome the coldness. I'm as cold on the inside as I am on the outside. I dry off as best I could with a towel, put on my nasty woman tee shirt and climb into bed.

I lay there for a few minutes before I hear a pounding on my door.

I know who it is. The Ana from just this morning would have opened the door and given him a piece of my mind, but not now. Not today. Maybe tomorrow. Right now, I just want to sleep.

The pounding continues. I secretly hope he hurts his hand, then I feel shame for feeling that way.

"Ana! Open this fucking door right now before I break it down! It's not what you think! Let me explain! Please!" The pounding continues, but I ignore him. I get up and close the door to my bedroom. I still hear the pounding and his demands for me to open the door, but I ignore him. I just close my eyes and fall asleep.

THE NEXT DAY

I groan when I wake up. My throat feels like a swallowed a handful of nails. I'm totally congested and my stomach feels like it's turned upside down. I cough, but it hurts so bad, I had to stop. I stand up and run to the bathroom. I make it just in time to empty my stomach contents into the toilet.

When I look in the mirror, my head is a bird's nest. My nose is read and my skin is paler than usual. I grab my thermometer. The 101 temperature tells me that I'll be spending the rest of the weekend in bed.

I try to drink some orange juice, but my throat hurts too much. Thankfully, I'm able to fall asleep again.

When I wake up hours later, I think I'm hallucinating. I rub my eyes, but that doesn't help because I still see him.

"Get a grip, Ana," I say to myself. "Crazy is not sexy." I get up to use the bathroom and take my temperature again. My throat feels like it's no fire. I wash my face and brush my teeth.

I'm ready to call the men in the white coats to come and get me when I see him through the mirror. He walks into the bathroom, grabs the thermometer and puts his hand on my forehead. I jump back when I realize that I'm not hallucinating. Christian Grey is in my apartment.

"Before you ask, I got the spare key you gave Mia. It required some explaining, but she finally gave it to me," he says as if that would explain everything.

"Get out," I mutter. That's all I can say with how painful my throat is.

"No. I'm going to stay here and explain, but first it looks like you need a doctor. My mother is on her way." He doesn't say anything else. He just picks me up and puts me back in bed.

"Don't touch me," I manage to say to him. I'd hit him, but I'm too tired.

"We have to talk, but it looks like you can't. Does your throat hurt?"

I don't answer. I just turn my back to him and point to the door.

"Not leaving." There's a knock on the door and a minute later, Grace Grey walks in. After several minutes, she declares that I don't have the flu or strep, just a bad cold. I'm told to drink fluids and some over the counter cold medicine before she leaves for her shift at the hospital.

"I'll run to the pharmacy and get you some NyQuil. I'll have Mrs. Jones make you some soup. I'll be back soon. Try and get some rest." He leans down and kisses my forehead. Being to sick to fight, I simply fall asleep.

I find him sitting on a chair next to my bed, typing something on his laptop. He must have heard me stir because he looks up.

"Welcome back, sleepyhead," he says. He pulls out the thermometer and takes me temperature.

"100. It's gotten better, but not good enough. I'm going to warm up your soup." Before I can respond, he leaves the room and comes back with a steaming bowl of soup. My stomach growls since I don't remember the last time I ate. I don't even know what time it is.

He sets a tray in front of me. I don't recognize the tray so I assume he brought it from home.

"Eat," he commands.

As hungry as I am, I become annoyed. How dare he tell me what to do.

"Not hungry," I say. "Don't want anything from you." I swallow and regret it immediately.

"It's nice and hot and will help with your sore throat. It's lemon chicken orzo soup. Your favorite." He smiles at me and I fight the urge to smile back. It's my favorite soup.

"How did you know?" I ask.

"I know everything about you, Ana. Especially your love for all things lemon flavored. You like lemon in your tea, lemon cake from Starbucks, lemon chicken orzo soup even in the summer time, lemon gelato, lemon meringue pie. Why do you think all of a sudden the GEH kitchen started keeping lemon wedges? For you, Ana. I know I haven't always acted like it, but almost everything I do has been for you."

"Bambi was for me too?" I find the strength to roll my eyes at him.

He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair.

"I know you giggle when you're nervous and you blush whenever there is too much attention on you. I know how you always bite your bottom lip when you're concentrating. I know how you curse like a truck driver when you get frustrated. I know all of your favorite places to shop online, and I know you have hundreds of romance novels downloaded on your kindle."

I shake my head at him. I'd tell him where to go, but my damn throat won't cooperate. How dare he say something like that to me when he's treated me like shit? He's right about my love for all things lemon flavored, but I refuse to acknowledge it.

"Nope. You're wrong. Take this soup away," I say, pushing the bowl away from me. Damn, it smells good. "You go away, too. Liar." I cross my arms.

"I deserve that, but I'm not leaving. You're sick and I'm going to take care of you."

"I don't need you," I say.

He comes and sits on the edge of the bed and lifts the spoon to my lips.

Like a spoiled child, I purse my lips shut. He continues to try and push it into my mouth, but I swat at the spoon, causing some of it to land on his shirt. He jumps up, grabs a napkin and wipes his shirt. I use that opportunity to push the tray down and hop out of bed. As fast as my sick legs can take me, I run into the bathroom and close the door, cursing at the fact that there's no lock on the bathroom. I lean against the door to prevent him from coming in.

"Anastasia, open the door, baby. I know you're mad at me, but you need to eat so you can get better."

"I don't want anything from you," I manage to say.

"Open the damn door, woman, before you piss me off. We need to talk, but you need to be well before we do, but I did not invite Bambi to Canlis last night. It was just a coincidence. In fact, I told her you were meeting me there that night." Was it also a coincidence that she was hugging and kissing you? That's what I want to say but my throat won't let me.

"Don't want to talk," is what I manage to squeak out instead.

I hear him turn the knob and push the door open. My weight against the door is no match for him. I'm pushed to the side and he walks in. He starts to walk towards me, and I grab a can of my shaving cream and hold it in front of him like it's some sort of protection. He rolls his eyes but continues his approach. When he gets close, I squirt shaving cream all over his face.

"Fuck! You got some of that in my eye, Ana!" He grabs a towel and wipes his face. As quickly as possible, he grabs the can from me, throws me over his shoulder and puts me back in bed.

"You're really working my last damn nerve, woman." He pulls the covers over me and puts the tray back in front of me. "I love you, but right now I don't like you, and you don't like me. But you are going to eat this chicken soup and go back to bed or so help me God, I'm going to drown your ass in NyQuil. Eat, god damn it." He hands me the spoon and takes his seat by my bed.

My stomach betrays me by letting out a loud growl at the smell of the soup. I put a spoonful in my mouth and it tastes heavenly.

He comes back and sits on the edge of my bed, and takes the spoon from me. He spends the next few minutes feeding me until every bite is gone. Then he gives me a dose of Nyquil before laying me back down.

The soup was soothing to my throat while I was eating it, but now it feels like it's back on fire.

I'm laying comfortably on the pillow when I quickly sit up, remembering what he said before feeding me.

My eyes find his, but my throat hurts too much to talk. Fortunately for me, he knew what I was asking.

"So, it finally dawned on you that I said I loved you? I do, you know. And yes, I know I'm an idiot and I fucked it all up, but I'm begging you to listen to me and give me a chance. You're sick right now, and I want you lucid when we talk, but Anastasia Rose Steele, I'm madly in love with you and I'm going to do everything in my power to convince you of that."

A/N: This is my story from the Sisterhood challenge. I've decided to make this a two shot. The next and final chapter will be updated soon. Thank you for reading and reviewing.