Freed (Fifty Shades as Told by Christian #3) - E.L. James Page 0,274

mouth. She parts her lips, and the tip of her tongue toys with the strawberry, then sucks it into her warm, wet mouth.

I feel it in my groin. “Tasty?” I whisper.

“Very.”

“Had enough?”

“Of strawberries, yes.” Her tone is low.

Ana, no one can see us here.

Grey, behave.

I grin. Enough. I change the subject. “Mrs. Jones packs a mighty fine picnic.”

“That she does.”

God, I miss my wife—all of her. I lie down, gently resting my head on her belly, and close my eyes, trying not to think of all the things I’d like to do to her right now. Her fingers caress my hair.

Oh, this is bliss.

My BlackBerry starts buzzing again.

Shit. It’s Welch. What does he want?

I answer, a little grumpy at the interruption. “Welch.”

“Mr. Grey. I have an update. It was Eric Lincoln of Lincoln Timber who paid Hyde’s bail.”

Fuck.

That motherfucking asshole.

I sit up. My senses switch to high alert as my anger takes hold.

“I’d like to place him under watch, unless you have any objection.”

“24/7,” I snarl in agreement.

How dare Lincoln get involved with Hyde?

This is a declaration of war.

“Will do. I don’t know what else he might have planned, or how the two of them are connected. But I’ll find out.”

“Thanks.” He hangs up, and I can barely contain my fury. Gripping my phone, I realize now is the moment for payback. My plans were laid long ago, and as the saying goes, revenge is a dish best served cold. I give Ana a cool smile and call Ros.

“Christian. I thought you were enjoying your day off?”

I kneel up—I’m not calling for chitchat.

“Ros, how much stock do we own in Lincoln Timber?”

“Let me just check.” She’s all business. “We hold sixty-six percent between all the shell companies.”

Excellent.

“So, consolidate the shares into GEH, then fire the board.”

“All of them? Has something happened?”

“Except the CEO.”

“Christian, that doesn’t make sense.”

“I don’t give a fuck.”

She gasps. “There’ll be no company left. What can the CEO do? If you want to liquidate this company, this isn’t the way.”

“I hear you, just do it,” I growl, keeping a lid on my anger.

She sighs, sounding resigned. “They’re your shares.” She’s not going to argue further.

“Thank you,” I reply, feeling a little calmer.

“I’ll get Marco on it.”

“Keep me informed.”

When I hang up, Ana is wide-eyed. “What’s happened?” she whispers.

“Linc.”

“Linc? Elena’s ex?”

“The same. He’s the one who posted Hyde’s bail.”

Ana’s mouth drops open in shock. “Well—he’ll look like an idiot,” she says, dismayed. “I mean, Hyde committed another crime while out on bail.”

As ever, Ana has a smart response. “Fair point well made, Mrs. Grey.”

“What did you just do?” She kneels up to face me.

“I fucked him over.”

She shivers. “Um, that seems a little impulsive.”

“I’m an in-the-moment kind of guy.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“I’ve had this plan in my back pocket for a while,” I explain.

A hostile takeover.

“Oh?” Ana tilts her head, her gaze demanding answers. I debate whether to tell her.

Hell, she knows everything about Elena anyway. I take a deep breath and shoot her a warning look. This is rough, Ana. “Several years back, when I was twenty-one, Linc beat his wife to a pulp. He broke her jaw, her left arm, and four of her ribs because she was fucking me. And now I learn he posted bail for a man who tried to kill me, kidnap my sister, and fracture my wife’s skull. I’ve had enough. I think it’s payback time.” My mind drifts to that awful moment when he beat me, too—I thought he’d dislocated my jaw. My hand moves to my chin as I recall the disturbing incident. I lost consciousness for a few minutes and it was enough time for him to do his worst to Elena.

And I did nothing. I was too shocked...too dazed.

Damn. Grey, stop. Now.

Ana’s face is pale. “Fair point well made, Mr. Grey,” she says.

“Ana, this is what I do. I’m not usually motivated by revenge, but I cannot let him get away with this. What he did to Elena—well, she should have pressed charges, but she didn’t. That was her prerogative.” My jaw tenses. “But he’s seriously crossed the line with Hyde. Linc’s made this personal by going after my family. I’m going to crush him, break up his company right under his nose, and sell the pieces to the highest bidder. I’m going to bankrupt him.”

Ana gasps.

“Besides,” I add, trying to lighten the tone, “we’ll make good money out of the deal.”

She blinks several times, and I wonder if she’s seeing me in a whole new light.