“Relax—it’s a wet room.” I roll onto her, pressing her into the mattress once more and kiss her, quickly. “I’ll switch off the faucet.” Feeling far more relaxed than I have for days, I get up, saunter into the bathroom, and turn off the water. Sure enough, the bath is overflowing, which will make for a fun time with my wife. She follows me in and gapes at the floor.
“See?” I point to where the water is circling the drain. She grins, and together we climb in, laughing as the water splashes out around us. She’s piled her hair into an impossible topknot perched precariously on her head, tendrils falling around her face.
She looks lovely.
And she’s all mine.
We sit at opposite ends of the overflowing tub. “Foot,” I command, and she places her left foot in my hand. I start massaging her sole with my thumbs. She closes her eyes and, as earlier, tips her head back and groans. “You like?” I whisper.
“Yes,” she breathes. Tugging each of her toes, I watch her lips pucker as she absorbs the pleasure. I kiss each toe in turn and graze my teeth along her little toe.
“Aaah!” she groans once more, and her eyes pop open.
“Like that?”
“Hmm.” I start massaging again, and she closes her eyes. “I saw Gia in town,” she says airily.
“Really? I think she has a place here.”
“She was with Elliot.”
My hands still, and Ana opens her eyes.
“What do you mean ‘with Elliot’?”
“We were in a boutique opposite a jeweler. I saw him go in alone, and I thought he must be buying the watch battery. He came out with Gia Matteo. She laughed at something he said, then he kissed her cheek and left.”
Maybe Gia helped him select a ring?
“Ana, they’re just friends. I think Elliot is pretty stuck on Kate.” Unfortunately. “In fact, I know he’s pretty stuck on her.” Though why, I have no idea.
“Kate is gorgeous.” Ana bridles, and I wonder once more if she can read my mind.
“Still glad it was you who fell into my office.” I kiss her big toe, pick up her right foot, and begin the process over again. Ana lays back once more as I lavish attention on her sole and we stop talking about Elliot and Gia and Kate.
I wonder when he’s going to propose?
I leave Ana to get ready for dinner while I head down to my study to check my e-mails. I sit down at my desk and open my laptop. As I go through my inbox, there are a couple of irritating work issues that I need to deal with, but I shelve them for the moment. It’s the e-mail from Leila that stops me in my tracks. My scalp tingles with apprehension. What the hell does she want?
From: Leila Williams
Subject: Thank you
Date: August 27 2011 14:00 EST
To: Christian Grey
Sir, or should I just call you Mr. Grey?
I don’t know anymore.
I wanted to say thank you.
For everything.
In person.
Please.
Leila
I scowl at the screen, and at Leila’s audacity. I’ve asked her, via Flynn, not to contact me directly, and yet she’s sent me this e-mail. I send it on to Flynn and ask him to remind her of my precondition to paying for her treatment and her tuition fees. Hopefully she won’t contact me again.
To add to my annoyance, there’s an e-mail from Ros telling me that the Taiwanese would like to talk tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. their time. On a Sunday? What time is that here?
I google it—shit. That’s half-past midnight, tonight.
What the hell?
I call Ros.
“Christian, hi. How are you?” She sounds upbeat, which only adds to my annoyance.
“Pissed. Can you change the time of this call?”
“I know. It’s ridiculous. But no. One of their execs is only available then.”
“On a Sunday?”
“It’s something to do with them having to be off-site when they make this call.”
I sigh. “Okay.”
“I’ll be on the call, too,” she says, in an attempt to mollify me, I suspect. “And we’ll have an interpreter.”
“Okay, I’ll speak to you then.” I hang up, irritated.
To hell with this.
I head into the den, where Elliot and Ethan are playing pool and drinking beer. I join them for a drink. Taylor has booked a table at a local restaurant for the six of us, but they have time for a game.
“So, what’s the deal with you and Mia?” Elliot asks Ethan.
Ethan chuckles. “You’re as bad as your brother.” He eyes me. “Like I said to Christian, we’re just friends.”
Elliot raises an eyebrow and directs a look at