chapternine
wheniwakebeforethealarmthefollowingmorning,christianiswrapped
aroundmelikeivy,hisheadonmychest,hisarmaroundmywaistandhis
legbetweenmine—andhe’sonmysideofthebed.it’salwaysthesame,if
wearguethenightbefore,thisishowheendsup,coiledaroundme,making
mehotandbothered.
oh,fifty.heissoneedyonsomelevel.whowouldha一vethought?
thefamiliarvisionofchristianasadirty,wretchedlittleboyhauntsme.
gently,istrokehisshorterhairandmymelancholyrecedes.hestirs,andhis
sleepyeyesmeetmine.heblinksacoupleoftimesashewakes.
“hi,”hemurmursandsmiles.
“hi.”ilovewakingtothatsmile.
henuzzlesmybreastsandhumsappreciativelydeepinhisthroat.hishand
tra一velsdownfrommywaist,skimmingoverthecoolsatinofmynightgown.
“whatatemptingmorselyouare,”hemutters.“but,temptingthoughyouare,”
heglancesatthealarm,“iha一vetogetup.”hestretchesout,untangling
himselffromme,andrises.ilieback,putmyhandsbehindmyhead,and
enjoytheshow—
christianstrippingforhisshower.heisperfect.iwouldn’tchangeahairon
hishead...well,exceptwhenhishairgetstoolong.
“admiringtheview,mrs.grey?”christianarchesasardonicbrowatme.
“it’samightyfineview,mr.grey.”
hegrinsandthrowshispajamapantsatmesotheyalmostlandonmyface,
buticatchthemintime,gigglinglikeaschoolgirl.withawickedgrin,he
reachesdown,pullstheduvetoff,putsonekneeonthebedandgrabsmy
ankles,pullingmetowardhimsothatmynightdressridesup.isqueal,and
hecrawlsupmybody,trailinglittlekissesonmyknee,mythigh...my...oh
...christian!
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“goodmorning,mrs.grey,”mrs.jonesgreetsme.iflush,embarrassed
rememberinghertrystwithtaylorthenightbefore.
“goodmorning,”irespondasshehandsmeacupoftea.isitonthebar
stoolbesidemyhusband,whojustlooksradiant:freshlyshowered,hishair
damp,wearingacrispwhiteshirtandthatsilver-graytie.myfa一voritetie.i
ha一vefondmemoriesofthattie.
“howareyou,mrs.grey?”heasks,hiseyeswarm.
“ithinkyouknow,mr.grey.”igazeupathimthroughmylashes.hesmirks.
“eat,”heorders.“youdidn’teatyesterday.”
oh,bossyfifty!
“that’sbecauseyouwerebeinganarse.”
mrs.jonesdropssomethingthatclattersintothesink,makingmejump.
christianseemsoblivioustothenoise.ignoringher,hestaresatme
impassively.
“arseornot—eat.”histoneisserious.noarguingwithhim.
“okay!pickingupspoon,eatinggranola,”imutterlikeapetulantteenager.i
reachforthegreekyoghurtandspoonsomeontomycereal,followedbya
handfulofblueberries.iglanceatmrs.jonesandshecatchesmyeye.i
smile,andsherespondswithawarmsmileofherown.shehasprovidedme
withmybreakfastofchoiceintroducedtomeonourhoneymoon.
“imayha一vetogotonewyorklaterintheweek.”christian’sannouncement
interruptsmyreverie.
“oh.”
“it’llmeananovernight.iwantyoutocomewithme.”
ohno...
“christian,iwon’tgetthetimeoff.”
hegivesmehisoh-really-but-i’m-the-boss-stare.
isigh.“iknowyouownthecompany,buti’vebeenawayforthreeweeks.
please.howcanyouexpectmetorunthebusinessifi’mneverthere?i’llbe
finehere.i’massumingyou’lltaketaylorwithyou,butsawyerandryanwill
behere—”istop,becausechristianisgrinningatme.“what?”isnap.
“nothing.justyou,”hesays.
ifrown.ishelaughingatme?thenanastythoughtpopsintomymind.“how
areyougettingtonewyork?”
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fiftyshadesfreed
“thecompanyjet,why?”
“ijustwantedtocheckifyouweretakingcharlietango.”myvoiceisquiet,
andashiverrunsdownmyspine.irememberthelasttimeheflewhis
helicopter.awa一veofnauseahitsmeasirecalltheanxioushoursispent
waitingfornews.thatwaspossiblythelowestpointinmylife.inoticemrs.
joneshasstilled,too.itryanddismisstheidea.
“iwouldn’tflytonewyorkincharlietango.shedoesn’tha一vethatkindof
range.besides,shewon’tbebackfromtheengineersforanothertwo
weeks.”
oh...thankhea一vens.mysmileispartlyfromrelief,butalsotheknowledge
thatthedemiseofcharlietangohasoccupiedagreatdealofchristian’s
thoughtsandtimeoverthelastfewweeks.
“welli’mgladshe’snearlyfixed,but—”istop.canitellhimhownervousi’ll
bewhenhefliesnexttime?
“what?”heasksashefinisheshisomelet.
ishrug.
“ana?”hesays,moresternly.
“ijust...youknow.lasttimeyouflewinher—ithought,wethought,you’d..
.”ican’tfinishthesentence,andchristian’sexpressionsoftens.
“hey.”hereachesuptocaressmyfacewiththebackofhisknuckles.“that
wassabotage.”adarkexpressioncrosseshisface,andforamomenti
wonderifheknowswhowasresponsible.
“icouldn’tbeartoloseyou,”imurmur.
“fivepeopleha一vebeenfiredbecauseofthat,ana.itwon’thappenagain.”
“five?”
henods,hisfaceserious.
holycrap!“thatremindsme.there’saguninyourdesk.”
hefrownsatmynonsequiturandprobablyatmyaccusatorytone,thoughi
don’tmeanitthatway.
“it’sleila’s,”hesaysfinally.
“it’sfullyloaded.”
“howdoyouknow?”hisfrowndeepens.
“icheckedityesterday.”
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eljames
hescowlsatme.“idon’twantyoumessingwithguns.ihopeyouputthe
safetybackon.”
iblinkathim,momentarilystupefied.“christian,there’snosafetyonthat
revolver.don’tyouknowanythingaboutguns?”
hiseyeswiden.“um...no.”
taylorcoughsdiscreetlyfromtheentrance.christiannodsathim.
“weha一vetogo,”christiansays.hestands,distracted,andslipsonhisgray
jacket.ifollowhimintothehallway.
hehasleila’sgun.iamstunnedbythisnewsandbrieflywonderwhat’s
happenedtoher.isshestillin—whereisit?eastsomewhere.new
hampshire?ican’tremember.
“goodmorning,taylor,”christiansays.
“goodmorning,mr.grey,mrs.grey.”henodsatusboth,buthe’scarefulnot
tolookmeintheeye.i’mgrateful,recallingmystateofundresswhenwe
bumpedintoeachotherlastnight.
“iamjustgoingtobrushmyteeth,”imutter.christianalwaysbrusheshis
teethbeforebreakfast.idon’tunderstandwhy.
“youshouldasktaylortoteachyouhowtoshoot,”isayaswetra一veldownin
theelevator.christiangazesdownatme,amused.
“shouldinow?”hesaysdryly.
“yes.”
“anastasia,idespiseguns.mymomhaspatchedupsomanyvictimsofgun
crime,andmydadisvehementlyantigun.igrewupwiththeirethos.isupport
atleasttwoguncontrolinitiativeshereinwashington.”
“oh.doestaylorcarryagun?”
christian’smouththins.
“sometimes.”
“youdon’tapprove?”iask,aschristianushersmeoutoftheelevatoronthe
groundfloor.
“no,”hesays,tight-lipped.“let’sjustsaythattaylorandiholdverydifferent
viewswithregardtoguncontrol.”oh!iamwithtayloronthis.
christianholdsthefoyerdooropenformeandiheadouttothecar.hehas
notletmedrivealonetosipsincehefoundoutthatcharlie177|page
fiftyshadesfreed
tangowassabotaged.sawyersmilespleasantly,holdingthedooropenfor
measchristianandiclimbintothecar.
“please.”ireachacrossandgraspchristian’shand.
“pleasewhat?”
“learnhowtoshoot.”
herollshiseyesatme.“no.endofdiscussion,anastasia.”
andiamachildagaintobescolded.iopenmymouthtosaysomething
cutting,butdecideidon’twanttostartmyworkdayinabadmood.ifoldmy
armsinstead,andglimpsetaylorregardingmeintherearviewmirror.he
looksaway,concentratingontheroadinfront,butshakeshisheadalittle,in
obviousfrustration.hmm...christiandriveshimcrazy,too,sometimes.
thethoughtmakesmesmile,andmymoodissa一ved.
“whereisleila?”iask,aschristiangazesoutofhiswindow.
“itoldyou.she’sinconnecticutwithherfolks.”heglancesatme.
“didyoucheck?afterall,shedoesha一velonghair.itcouldha一vebeenher
drivingthedodge.”
“yes,ichecked.she’senrolledinanartschoolinhamden.shestartedthis
week.”
“you’vespokentoher?”iwhisper,alltheblooddrainingfrommyface.
christianwhipshisheadaroundatthetoneofmyvoice.
“no.flynnhas.”hesearchesmyfaceforacluetomythoughts.
“isee,”imurmur,relieved.
“what?”
“nothing.”
christiansighs.“ana.whatisit?”
ishrug,notwantingtoadmittomyirrationaljealousy.christiancontinues,
“i’mkeepingtabsonher,checkingthatshestaysonhersideofthecontinent.
she’sbetter,ana.flynnhasreferredhertoashrinkinnewha一ven,andall
thereportsareverypositive.she’salwaysbeeninterestedinart,so...”he
stops,hisfacestillsearchingmine.andinthatmomentisuspectthatheis
payingforherartclasses.doiwanttoknow?shouldiaskhim?imeanit’s
notlikehecan’taffordit,butwhydoeshefeeltheobligation?isigh.
christian’sbaggage,hardlycomparestobradleykentfrombiology178|p
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eljames
classandhishalf-assedattemptstokissme.christianreachesformyhand.
“don’tsweatthis,anastasia,”hemurmurs,andireturnhisreassuring
squeeze.iknowhe’sdoingwhathethinksisright.
midmorningiha一veabreakinmeetings.asipickupthephonetocallkate,i
noticeane-mailfromchristian.
from:christiangrey
subject:flattery
date:august23,201109:54??
to:anastasiagrey
mrs.grey
iha一vereceivedthreecomplimentsonmynewhaircut.complimentsfrommy
staffarenew.itmustbetheridiculoussmilei’mwearingwheneverithink
aboutlastnight.youareindeedawonderful,talented,beautifulwoman.
andallmine.
christiangrey
ceo,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
imeltreadingit.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:tryingtoconcentratehere.
date:august23,201110:48
to:christiangrey
mr.grey
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fiftyshadesfreed
iamtryingtoworkanddon’twanttobedistractedbydeliciousmemories.
isnowthetimetoconfessthatiusedtocutray’shairregularly?
ihadnoideaitwouldbesuchusefultraining.
andyes,iamyoursandyou,mydearoverbearinghusbandwhorefusesto
exercisehisconstitutionalrightunderthesecondamendmenttobeararms,
aremine.butdon’tworrybecauseishallprotectyou.always.
anastasiagrey
commissioningeditor,sip
from:christiangrey
subject:annieoakley
date:august23,201110:53
to:anastasiagrey
mrs.grey
iamdelightedtoseeyouha一vespokentotheitdeptandchangedyour
name.:d
ishallsleepsafeinmybedknowingthatmygun-totingwifesleepsbeside
me.
christiangrey
ceo&hoplophobe,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
hoplophobe?whatthehellisthat?
from:anastasiagrey
subject:longwords
date:august23,201110:58
to:christiangrey
mr.grey
180|page
eljames
oncemoreyoudazzlemewithyourlinguisticprowess.infact,yourprowess
ingeneral,andithinkyouknowwhati’mreferringto.
anastasiagrey
commissioningeditor,sip
from:christiangrey
subject:gasp!
date:august23,201111:01
to:anastasiagrey
mrs.grey
areyouflirtingwithme?
christiangrey
shockedceo,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:wouldyourather...
date:august23,201111:04
to:christiangrey
iflirtedwithsomeoneelse?
anastasiagrey
bra一vecommissioningeditor,sip
from:christiangrey
subject:grrrrr
date:august23,201111:09
to:anastasiagrey
181|page
fiftyshadesfreed
no!
christiangrey
possessiveceo,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:wow...
date:august23,201111:14
to:christiangrey
areyougrowlingatme?’causethat’skindahot.
anastasiagrey
squirming(inagoodway)commissioningeditor,sip
from:christiangrey
subject:beware
date:august23,201111:16
to:anastasiagrey
flirtingandtoyingwithme,mrs.grey?
imaypayyouavisitthisafternoon.
christiangrey
priapicceo,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:ohno!
date:august23,201111:20
to:christiangrey
i’lbeha一ve.iwouldn’twantmyboss’sboss’sbossgettingontopofmeat
work.;)
182|page
eljames
nowletmegetonwithmyjob.myboss’sboss’sbossmayfiremyass.
anastasiagrey
commissioningeditor,sip
from:christiangrey
subject:&*%$&*&*
date:august23,201111:23
to:anastasiagrey
believemewhenisaythereareagreatmanythingshe’dliketodotoyour
assrightnow.firingyouisnotoneofthem.christiangrey
ceo&assman,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
hisresponsemakesmegiggle.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:goaway!
date:august23,201111:26
to:christiangrey
don’tyouha一veanempiretorun?
stopbotheringme.
mynextappointmentishere.
ithoughtyouwereabreastman...
thinkaboutmyass,andi’lthinkaboutyours...ilyx
anastasiagrey
nowmoistcommissioningeditor,sip
183|page
fiftyshadesfreed
~o0o~
icannothelpmydespondentmoodassawyerdrivesmetotheofficeon
thursday.christian’sthreatenedbusinesstriptonewyorkhashappened,
andthoughhe’sonlybeengoneafewhours,imisshimalready.ifireupmy
computer,andthere’sanemailwaitingforme.mymoodliftsimmediately.
from:christiangrey
subject:missyoualready
date:august25,201104:32
to:anastasiagrey
mrs.grey
youwereadorablethismorning.
beha一vewhilei’maway.
iloveyou.
christiangrey
ceo,greyenterprisesholdingsinc.
thiswillbethefirstnightwe’vesleptapartsincethenightbeforeour
wedding.iintendtoha一veafewcocktailswithkate—thatshouldhelpme
sleep.impulsively,ie-mailhimback,althoughiknowthathe’sstillflying.
from:anastasiagrey
subject:beha一veyourself!
date:august25,201109:03
to:christiangrey
letmeknowwhenyouland—i’lworryuntilyoudo.
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eljames