I'm back! For those of you that still may have me on author alert for the Fifty Shades Fandom, I will be re-posting all of my Fifty Shades stories here again. I have decided to close my wordpress account and move everything back here. I also have opened another blog where I will be featuring my own original stories. You can find them at craftyrivers dot com. As of now only two chapters of one of my novels is available, but more will come.

Chapter 1

Anastasia PoV

"Ana, you simply must come to this benefit," my mother begged. I knew she was affiliated with this charity because of me and my siblings, but I didn't want to look into the eyes of the other benefactors who knew my story. I didn't want their pity.

"Mom, you know how I feel about that," I told her. "Every one of them knows that you and Dad adopted us, what we were like before you did. I don't want to deal with their pity nor their curiosity."

"It won't be like that, dear," she replied. "It's a masquerade ball. No one will even know who you are! And there's a very select few people who know the circumstances of your adoption. The Greys don't even know much about it." Oh. This was news. And it changed things.

"Okay, Mom," I relented. "I'll be there." That gave me exactly three hours to find a dress a matching mask and get ready for the benefit. Perhaps Kate, my dear sister, would have thought ahead for me. I hated shopping. Mom was squealing in delight on the other end of the call. Once she calmed down, she said she'd meet us there.

"Kate!" I bellowed. "I need your help." I knew she had to be somewhere in this cavernous house. Being CEO at Steele Designs definitely had its benefits. This house, the staff, and the cars we all drove were only a few of them. My youngest sibling, Kate, was our top interior designer, and our brother Ethan, the middle child, our top architect. Those two coupled with my fierce business skills made us the number one remodeling and construction company in the Pacific Northwest. It was in essence, the family business. Neither of them wanted the responsibility of being the CEO, so they left that to me. That and the fact that I was the eldest of the three of us.

"I knew Mom would Shanghai you into coming tonight," she said, popping her head out of her studio. "Come, I've picked out a dress for you." I followed her through the studio and into her bedroom, which was attached. "Here, go try this on," she told me, handing me a black garment bag.

I shuffled into her en-suite and closed the door behind me. Despite our being sisters, I was still much too shy and modest to be okay with changing with the door open. Besides, she'd always get sad when she saw my scars, I didn't need to show her on purpose.

Once the dress was on, I turned around, appraising myself in the mirror. It was a floor length silvery blue satin dress with jeweled embellishments over the breasts. The satin kissed the floor swaying back and forth with each movement I made, and the blue sheen to it brought out the color of my eyes. It was beautiful. I turned around to see the back and gasped. "Kate! This dress is backless!" I hollered. I'd never ever worn a backless dress, and for good reason.

"I know, but it'll be dark most of the evening, and I have a silk wrap here for you, no one will notice your scars unless they touch you, which you never allow anyway." Her tone was sheepish. I forgave her instantly and she handed me the matching mask with a shy grin on her face.

I let her curl and style my hair, leaving it in soft ringlets down my back. She pinned back a few locks in the front, to keep it out of my face and helped me don the mask. I slid some bangles on my wrists to cover those scars in lieu of wearing gloves that would surely get dirty before the evening ended. Kate went back into her bedroom to put her own dress on. It was a jade green number with a scooping neckline and backless like mine. It matched her green eyes perfectly.

Out in the foyer, our brother Ethan was waiting, looking debonair in a black tuxedo. "Ladies, you look lovely." I looked at the two of them and wished I could have their looks. I was the black sheep of the family in more ways than one. Dark chocolate colored hair, blue eyes and deathly pale skin, while they were perfect blondes, with striking green eyes, and tan skin that stayed golden year round. We all had the same mother, but doubted that any of us shared the same biological father. I must have inherited my looks from whoever that man was.

Ethan kissed our cheeks, careful not to touch any part of my body but my face. He learned well over the years. Holding out an elbow for each of us, he escorted us out of the house, down the steps, and into the waiting car.

Reynolds, our driver and head of our security team, drove us to the Greys' house on the other side of town. Grace and Carrick Grey had three children, all of whom were adopted, much like our family. Only, from what I knew, their children weren't biologically related. Coping Together was the charity they created for children whose parents had afflictions with drugs and alcohol. At least one of their children came from a home like that, which triggered their desire to help others. This is where they met our parents.

Miranda Steele, our mother, became fast friends with Grace, and soon they became co-chairs for this charity, and now were having their third annual benefit to raise money for the cause. Kate and Ethan had attended in the past, but I was always conveniently away on a business trip. This year, I wasn't so lucky.

"I can't wait to see Elliot," Kate murmured. Oh yes, that's right. She had developed quite the crush on the Greys' son Elliot.

"You know his company is our biggest competitor," I whispered back. Elliot Grey owned a construction company that was very nearly as popular as ours. He specialized in ecologically friendly building, which was where we were trying to go, and unfortunately, he held a lot of the patents on materials that we wanted to get our hands on.

"Yes, I know. If he and I get together, we could merge Grey Construction and Steele Designs, Ana. Think of the possibilities!" She got all excited, going on and on about merging our companies together. That would entirely be my decision, and I was less than unenthusiastic about the idea.

Finally we arrived at the gates of the Grey home which was even more monumental than our own. Our parents lived in a penthouse apartment in downtown Seattle, while the three of us kids lived in my mansion. Kate and Ethan each made more than enough money to live in their own homes, but we liked being together. We were very close-knit, despite my inability to let them touch me ever. I couldn't even count how many times Kate wanted to hug me, but always hesitated, instead reaching for my hand. Perhaps someday I would be able to let her be closer.

A valet collected the car from Reynolds and he strolled off to where he would be posted for the evening. Kate and Ethan donned their masks and into the party we went. There were beautiful silk tents everywhere. Thin enough to see the stars through. It was still dusk, so the stars weren't quite visible yet. As we continued our stroll, we spotted our parents. They waved us over to come and meet the Greys.

"Ana, I'm so glad you came," my mother said, reaching her hand out to mine and squeezing it gently. I knew she wanted to embrace me and it broke my heart a little bit every time I saw the sadness in her eyes when she realized I'd never let her. "This is Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey," she introduced. "And her husband Carrick Grey."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," I said, shaking their hands. "You have a lovely home, Dr. Trevelyan," I added looking at the gorgeous monstrosity that stood behind them.

"Thank you, dear. And please, call me Grace," she replied. "Your dress is simply lovely; I do hope you'll join the dance auction." I didn't answer her question, but instead, smiled once more before making my way through the party. Kate said a short hello to the Greys before dragging me off to help her find Elliot.

"There he is!" she hissed at me, pointing across the dance floor to a rather burly young man. He was standing next to another man equally tall, but less broad. "I think that's his brother Christian next to him," she added.

"Wait, Christian Grey is from this family? The Christian Grey?" I asked, astonished.

"Yes, of course. I've told you this, Ana," she retorted. I didn't remember her telling me that, but either way, it was very interesting information. Christian Grey was the CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings. He had amassed an empire in the past six years that rivaled Microsoft. I had dreams of Steele Designs being that big, but we weren't there yet. "Come on, let's go say hi," she insisted. Kate was bound and determined to get me out of my shell. To get me to a point where I could stand to be within three feet of other people and possibly let someone touch me. I didn't see that ever happening, but she had other plans.

She dragged me across the dance floor where I promptly tripped on a puddle of spilled beverage and launched myself into the arms of the man standing next to Elliot. I froze in fear. Clamping down the blackened memories, I steeled myself and pushed myself away from the man. "Oh god, I'm so sorry," I said, suddenly mortified. I could feel my blush rising. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the man said, sounding slightly annoyed. Who wouldn't be? "Are you?"

"Yes, someone must have spilled a drink on the dance floor, and my shoes are apparently very slippery when wet," I replied. He and Elliot chuckled. Kate gaped at me as if I'd committed some heinous crime. Smoothing out my dress, I gazed up at the man who caught me and froze again. He had the most beautiful gray eyes I'd ever seen. Even behind the black mask, I could tell he was dangerously handsome. "I'm Anastasia Steele, not normally so clumsy," I greeted, holding out my hand.

"Oh, Miranda and Ray's daughter?" he asked, squeezing my hand gently. I nodded, smiling shyly, and trying to ignore the zing that went up my arm as soon as his hand touched mine. "I'm Christian Grey, Carrick and Grace's son. This is my brother Elliot." I looked to his right, somewhat reluctantly and shook hands with Elliot. Sparing a glance at my sister, Kate was gazing at Elliot like she was seeing the sun for the first time. I couldn't tell if he was equally interested in her. "I'll call someone over to clean up that spill, wouldn't want anyone else to fall, now would we?" I blushed at his joke.

Within moments, a young man arrived with supplies to clean up the mess. I still couldn't believe I tripped on a bloody puddle in front of Christian Grey. "So, Ms. Steele, what do you do?" he asked me.

"Ana please," I replied. "And I'm in interior design and architecture."

"Oh, would you be part of Steele Designs by any means?" he asked.

"Yes, that's my company."

"Oh, are you an interior designer or an architect?" he asked.

"Neither," I replied. "I meant it's my company. I'm the CEO." His eyebrows shot above his mask and his mouth dropped open. Clearly our parents hadn't divulged much information about us to the Greys.

"I've um, heard great things about Steele Designs," he said. "You're up and coming in the eco-friendly department while also maintaining style and keeping with the times as far as what people want in their homes. I read that the other day in the paper, anyway."

"Yes, we're doing well. Your brother's company has us in the eco-friendly arena though," I replied, shooting a glance at Elliot who was listening intently. "Kate's designs are unparalleled though, and our brother Ethan is the head of the architecture department. They're making leaps and bounds in maximizing the strength and longevity of a structure while minimizing cost and amount of materials used."

"Kate, would you like a drink?" I heard Elliot ask my sister. She nodded enthusiastically and took his proffered elbow and followed him away from us. Effectively leaving me alone with the wealthiest and most successful man in all of Washington State.

"Would you like anything to drink, Anastasia?" Christian asked me.

"No thank you, I'm not a drinker," I replied.

"Not even a glass of champagne?" he asked.

"I might have a sip or two if there's a toast later, but otherwise, no. I don't indulge." Please don't ask me why; please don't ask me why, I kept thinking.

"Fair enough," he replied, dropping the subject, thankfully. "Would you care for a stroll around the grounds? I'd be happy to give you a tour."

"Certainly, thank you," I replied. He held out his hand, which I took gratefully and he showed me the Grey Estate both inside and out.

Christian PoV

It took every ounce of self-control I possessed to not lash out at the clumsy woman who fell into my arms. She seemed just as shaken as me when we touched, though, and I quelled my anger. Apparently she'd slipped on a spilled drink and that's what launched her into my arms. If I couldn't see the alleged puddle and the smear of it that led right to me, then I might not have believed her. I called Gretchen over and told her to fetch someone to clean up the mess. She obliged immediately, blushing all the way back to the house.

The woman turned out to be none other than Anastasia Steele, CEO of Steele Designs. Her company was on the fast track to becoming the biggest name in home décor and design in the nation. My brother may have had the drop on her in the ecological department, but his designs were nowhere near as interesting as hers. Plus he outsourced all the architecture work to a different company, as well as the interior design. Miss Steele's company had it all together in one.

She kept a safe distance from me and didn't try to throw herself at me like so many women did. Well, she did quite literally throw herself at me, but it wasn't for the reasons that most women did. When I shook her hand, she was the first to pull away and clasp her hands back together, back inside her own bubble. I could tell the signs from a mile away. She was like me; she didn't like to be touched.

Her face was mostly obscured by the garish mask, but she had beautiful blue eyes, and full luscious lips. Her skin was peaches and cream, not a single freckle to flaw it. As she turned to look at the young man cleaning up the mess on the dance floor, I noticed she had a head of long chestnut hair. My very favorite shade. All I wanted was to reach out and caress it, running my fingers through the curly tresses. But I stowed my twitching fingers in my pocket and remained still.

I led her on a tour of the grounds, showing her the boat, the inside of the house, and introducing her to a few people I recognized, despite their masks. "Oh are you Christian's date?" Elena asked, as she greeted us. I glared at her. I did not have dates. She knew this. And she certainly knew I would never bring one of my submissives with me to a family function.

"Um, no, he's just showing me around. I came with my family," Anastasia replied, pointing to her parents who were still standing with mine. "I'm Anastasia Steele."

"Oh! From Steele Designs! You designed my latest salon! I just loved the work your company did." Elena looked like she wanted to give Anastasia a hug, but the girl's stance gave off the opposite vibe.

"I'm so glad!" Anastasia replied. "I'll pass your compliments on to my siblings. They do most of the design work, I just oversee everything. A glorified nanny is really all I am most of the time," she joked. We nodded our farewells to Elena and headed back towards the party.

I noticed that Anastasia kept her silk shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders at all times. Other women left theirs with their husbands, dates, or draped over chairs. It wasn't a chilly evening. Her dress was backless, I could tell, and I wanted nothing more than to see the creamy expanse of skin, run my fingers along it.

This realization shocked me. I hardly knew this woman. Had no idea if she would even be interested in an arrangement with me, and there I was fantasizing about caressing her skin. And she didn't like to be touched. How would I ever make it work with a woman who hated touching the way I did?

You won't, that's how. I knew it to be true. While I couldn't stand to be touched, I lived for the moments when I could touch my submissives. Feel their soft skin warm and turn pink from my hands and various implements.

"Ana! There you are!" her sister Kate called out, strolling across the lawn to meet us, my sister Mia in tow. "Come on, we're about to start the first dance auction." Kate grabbed Anastasia's free hand and tried to pull her along.

"Kate! Are you crazy? You know I can't do that!" Ana replied, her voice laced with fear and some other emotion.

"Can't means won't," Kate replied. "Come on, you're doing this. You need to and you know it." It seemed like Kate was referring to something specific, though I didn't know what. I had no idea why Anastasia was not into being touched, so dancing would prove difficult. Her sister seemed to be okay. I resolved to ask my parents about them. All I knew was that the Steele children were adopted, but I had no idea under what circumstances.

If Anastasia did join the first dance auction, I'd be sure to get her myself, no matter the cost. I suddenly knew that I didn't want any other man near her.

Thank you for reading. Please review!