I do not own FSOG or the characters in this story. All credit goes to EL James.

CPOV:

I scan the various work emails that have trickled in within a ten minute span of me leaving work. I sigh at the thought of the Chinese deal falling through as well as a possible attempt at having to do a hostile takeover in New York. I am mentally preparing to-do lists in my head of how to execute both properly while handing a million other things that have appeared over the last week. The world of mergers and acquisitions seem to never sleep, at least for me.

"Mr. Grey, we have arrived." Taylor says stoically as the SUV rolls to a stop outside of my next destination. A new restaurant has opened downtown and my mother has all but acquired for me to attend with them. I am already thirty minutes late and I have completely exhausted all attempts to bypass this meal all together. I straighten my tie that I loosened earlier and wait for Taylor to open the door for me.

I step out of the open door and make a quick retreat inside the restaurant. My eyes adjust to the lighting as I scan my surroundings. Beautiful, is the word I choose to describe the restaurant. Classic and rustic seem to mold perfectly together inside one space and I silently commend the person creative enough to pull it off. However, I plan to leave after three strikes of not meeting my standards. I'm judging this place from head to toe and plan to make a quick escape before the arrival of dinner.

"Hello, welcome to Blue Magnolia. How many?" The younger man in front of me says so surely of himself as he stares down at his list of names and wait times. Well, the first strike of the night goes to his unprofessional behavior. I clear my throat and his eyes go wide when he takes me in. Yeah, asshole. Bet you didn't expect Christian Grey standing in front of you while you peered down like an idiot at your paper. "I'm sorry, Mr. Grey. That was incredibly rude of myself. If you will please follow me, I will show you to your designated table." Damn, professional behavior and an apology. Fine, the strike is removed and this place still stands in the clear.

Who am I kidding, if it wasn't for the chef opening this place, I truly would have never stepped foot in this restaurant. I need his help hiring an excellent chef to replace my current one. Also, a new creative mind to help me revamp my restaurant. I've interviewed several but none seem to fit the essence of the Mile High Club.

The host delivers me to the table my family is seated at. My mother is the first to greet me then everyone else follows suit. I take the seat left open for me in between my mother and sister. I give Elliot a glare and he chuckles in response. I have no doubt that my ears may be bleeding by the end of the night from being situated in between two chatty-cathys.

My sister starts rambling about some world renowned pastry chef and I zone out in order to take in more of the ambiance this restaurant offers. I notice the rustic vibes that seems to go hand in hand with classic theme. Beautiful farm tables adorn the space yet a few glass ones do as well for the smaller tables. The wooden, hand crafted tables don't overpower the room which is the exact opposite of what they normally do. The chairs are a light taupe and provide a casual comfort for the guests. The chandeliers are strategically placed throughout for the perfect amount of overhead lighting while candles are placed at each table to set off the cozy personal glow. It's romantic and familial at the same time. We are seated in a private area and placed around a hand crafted circular farm table. It's a dark wood stain that gives off an elegant vibe. I'm really liking this place and cursing myself mentally for not thinking of something like this sooner.

"Right, Christian?" Mia's high pitched voice brings me out of my trance and I nod my head in agreement even though I haven't heard a word she actually said. Elliot chuckles before taking a sip of wine and I stare daggers in his direction. The waiter appears and takes our order. I haven't skimmed the menu but it only takes me a second to realize this is all southern based dishes. I hear Elliot order shrimp and grits and place my order for the same. I have never had such a combination before and I must admit: it sounds extremely appetizing.

"Here he comes, here he comes." Mia whispers while nudging me in the side. I look at her in half anger and half amusement. She is fixing her hair and fidgeting nervously like a schoolgirl. Who the hell is she talking about anyways? I look up behind my father just as a man in possibly his early 40s walks up to the table. I'll admit, he's a good looking man to be older. He has dark chocolate hair with tan skin. His green eyes pop out once he steps under the lighting the chandelier provides.

"Well, they told me the Greys were here, but I am just now finding time to step away from the kitchen." He says while my father and mother stand up to greet him. He embraces both parents warmly. Ah, this is the owner I will need to get into his good graces in order to secure his help with my restaurant. I frown as I realize I have never seen an actual picture of him. That could have been disastrous.

"It is so lovely to see you again, Gabriel." My mother gushes as my father nods his head in agreement. "Let me introduce you to my children. This is my oldest, Elliot, my youngest, Mia, then my middle son Christian." My mother shares brightly and I can feel the love seeping from each word she speaks while pointing each of us out. "Children, this is the owner of the restaurant, Gabriel Reed." I stand to shake his hand and Elliot follows me. Yeah, I'm clearly the one with manners - not my gruff of a brother. He greets Mia with a kiss on the cheek and a blush covers her from head to toe. I do a double take to make sure I am seeing this correctly. Is she attracted to him? She's not even 21 yet and he is clearly over 40. Aww, shit that's gross.

Grey, are you forgetting the fact you're 30? Not much younger than him. I roll my eyes at myself.

"Sit, sit. Don't stand on my account." He orders of us. We all comply and sit back down. He stops a waiter and they bring him a chair. He fits perfectly in between my father and mother. I say a silent prayer to whoever may be listening above. Perfect opportunity to talk business.

"I love what you've done with the place, Reed. It's the perfect mixture of rustic and classic." My father states while scanning his eyes across the room and I find myself doing the same.

"Thank you, Carrick. I found this place easy to decorate as it's been a vision of mine for quite sometime now." Gabe states proudly with a smile that reaches each ear. "I cannot take all the credit though." Before he can finish his thought, Mia jumps in with a question about the chef she mentioned earlier.

"Ah, yes. Miss Steele is in attendance tonight. She should be out momentarily from the kitchen. Her desserts are divine and will be served here at this very restaurant. So, feel free to order all your future dessert needs from here. I promise you, her cakes are a gift from God." We all chuckle at the end of his praise of this woman's cakes.

"You know, Christian has a restaurant not too far from here. You should check it out on your visit." My mother states proudly and I smile at her boastful words. Thanks for the opening, Grace. Business time.

"I do, in fact I was hoping to pick your brain sometime soon over possible chefs and a new layout." I state in my CEO voice that makes even strong, powerful men cower to me. He nods his head while sipping a glass of water, completely unaffected.

"Of course! I would be honored to help in anyway I can." He says it so honestly I find myself kind of shocked. I thought it would take a lot more convincing than that. We are technically rivals in the restaurant world even though it's clear we are serving two different types of style. "We can set something up before you leave tonight, sound good?" He asks me and I agree to see him before I make my way home.

"Ah, there's that famous chef you were inquiring about earlier Mia." He stands while stopping a waiter, who removes his chair. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as if I have just been electrocuted. I scan the room for what has caused this sudden spark and I cannot believe the sight of an angel walking towards the table. Our table to be exact. An angel with beautiful chocolate shiny wavy hair, long legs, and sun kissed skin is walking towards us. She is wearing a fitted black dress with fuck me thin matte nude ankle strap heels. No doubt Louboutin. She steps under the lighting and her bright blue eyes connect with my gray ones. Blue to gray and I forget anyone else is in the room for a second. I'm entranced by this gorgeous woman standing behind my seated brother and to the side of Mr. Reed.

"Everyone, this is Anastasia Steele. Ana, this is the Grey's. This is Carrick, Elliot, Mia, Christian, and Grace. I have known Carrick and Grace for a little over ten years now." I can't take my eyes off this gorgeous woman who is taking all of us in. My brother rises to kiss her cheek and I almost flip over the table with my nervousness to greet her as well. Mia looks at me funny and I will myself to pull it together. You don't do this shit, Grey. Especially over a petite brown haired girl. Fuck, she's just my type.

"Miss Steele, it's a pleasure to meet you." I say when I make my way to her. I lean in for a kiss on her cheek and I feel as if I have been zapped. Electricity courses through me at her touch and I find myself craving it again. What the fuck, Grey? You don't let anyone touch you. Not even your family. I wait for her response but she only smiles at me. A smile, only a smile? Elliot got a response. I stare at my brother as I make my way back to my seat. He is making total googly eyes at her. Hell no, Elliot. Miss Steele is mine.

"Ana is a world known chef, but she is specifically known for her cakes and sweet treats. This restaurant will sell her sweets exclusively and is the only location on the West coast." Reed exclaims so proudly I wonder if she's his daughter. I mean they both have brown hair and tan skin. I remember reading that he has children… But something seems off about the way he is looking at her.

"You are going to make my head big, Gabe." She giggles so sweetly that I'm afraid I could have a cavity from hearing it. God, I could listen to that sound every day of my life.

"I love your pumpkin cheesecake! I had it while in New York a few weeks ago." Mia shares excitedly with the beautiful woman.

"Thank you, that seems to have been a hit this year." Ana replies shyly.

"It is magnificent. I must share a secret though." Gabriel says while encasing Ana with his arms and leaning over her towards the table as if he is sharing a secret not even the president knows.

"Gabe, don't." Ana warns playfully. He smiles a brilliant smile down at her and it's the first time I take in her actual height. Even with heels on, she still seems so petite next to the man standing at 6'1. He places a hand on her hip and pulls her back into him. Why is he touching her like that? Stop touching her like that - of course I shout it in my head rather than sound like a lunatic sharing it out loud. Something catches my eyeat that moment...a gold band situated on his ring finger, left hand.

"My sweet Ana here hates the taste of pumpkin. In fact, she has only tasted her recipe once. I was her test taster the rest of the way. If only I had a camera when she tasted the cheesecake the first time. Her face mimicked pure disgust." He laughs at the end and she places her hands over her face in embarrassment. I find it very cute.

Cute? No Grey. We don't do cute. Cut that shit out.

"Now that I'm officially embarrassed, I'm going to make my way out. It was lovely meeting each of you and I look forward to seeing you all again." She smiles warmly at everyone and I fight the urge to take her on this table right in front of everyone.

"I'll go with you. I hope you all enjoy your meal. Here's my personal card, Christian. Give me a call and we will arrange a time to talk." With a kiss to my mother's cheek and a hug to my father, Mr. Reed and Miss Steele head towards the kitchen. Our meals are delivered shortly afterwards and we all dig in while enjoying casual talk.

"I have to admit, that was absolutely fabulous." My father admits and I raise my eyebrows at his response. It's extremely hard to please Carrick Grey.

"Oh, I am truly and pleasantly stuffed." My mother says as the waiter takes our dishes away. "Is it terrible that I am dying to try one of Miss Steeles desserts?" We all chuckle and I agree that I'm feeling the same way. I don't share that I'm dying to have something Miss Steele made in my mouth.

"Oh my goodness. Is that…" Mia trails off and my eyes catch sight of what she is referring to. What looks to be pumpkin cheesecake is placed in front of us all. Mia is near tears exclaiming how Anastasia just 'gets her' or whatever that means.

"Miss. Steele asked me to bring these slices over for you. They are on the house as well as your meal. If you'd like me to grab another desert for you, I'd be pleased to do so." Everyone shakes their head no in absolute awe. All I can think is Miss Steele just opened the door for me to personally say thank you and to see her again. Oh how I look forward to seeing her again, but first a background check will be ordered to give me the upperhand. I want to know every single detail about the delectable Miss Steele before making her mine.