Chapter One

Christian

Christian began to merge his R8 into the Seattle traffic heading south into downtown, toward Escala. But at the last second, he turned the wheel abruptly and cut across three lanes of Friday evening commuters. This earned him some exasperated expressions and one middle finger, but he really didn't give a shit. He turned up into the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood onto the tiny residential street. He pulled into a tight spot on the street and cut the engine.

He could hear the party from here... people laughing, music pumping. Damn Elliot and his stupid friend Dan. They had set up a blind date for him with a co-worker of Dan's - an art history professor who apparently had great legs.

What was he doing here? He should be at Escala by now, where the delectable Leila was waiting for him.

But he couldn't face Leila and his playroom, not tonight. Not on his tenth wedding anniversary...

...

Ana

Damn it, Kate Kavanagh. I should be home studying, but she has dragged me to yet another cast party. Once again, she is the star of the show - both on and off the stage. She is the golden girl of the theater department, and it's our senior year, so of course she is the center of attention. All curvy and blonde, in a tight silver dress, she's in the kitchen doing shots with the guys from the crew. "Ana! You gotta have a shot… come on! Celebrate with me!" She holds out a the tiny glass, half full with amber liquid.

I take a sniff. "Ugh, what is this? It smells foul."

"Tequila, baby!" The guys join her in chanting, "Chug… chug… chug…" I roll my eyes. Here goes… I tip it back and it burns down my throat. Nasty! I grimace and wave my arms and they all laugh. "Get her another one!…"

I humor them by putting down two more, but that's it… the room is spinning. I am such a lightweight. This is not my thing. "Kate, that's it… no more… I need some air."

I stagger out through the back door, and I'm on a concrete patio. There are a few small groups of people out here, beer bottles in hand, but it's quiet and mellow. Yes, this is better. The patio is large, with an outdoor fireplace and cushioned chaises. And the hot tub, as advertised, is steaming away in one corner. Hmm… at least the party is at a nice house for once. Dr. Baird - the head of the theater department - is hosting in celebration of wrapping up the spring musical. He's young - maybe thirty - and Kate is always bubbling on about how he's amazing. Deep down, I suspect that they've probably… NO. Don't go there, Ana. It's none of my business.

It's a cool, April night in the heart of Seattle and the hot tub looks tempting. I'm already wearing my suit under my clothes. Finding an - um - unoccupied place to change at these parties is not a sure thing. Well, the suit is borrowed from Kate - she wouldn't let me out in my trusty one-piece. So I am in her canary yellow bikini, chosen because it ties into place and we could tighten it to fit me. Over it, I have on my "Bookmarks Are For Quitters" t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. I look down at myself and sigh. I am skinny and flat-chested. With my straight, brown hair in bangs and braided pigtails, I'm sure I look like someone's little sister.

The hot tub does look tempting. There are already five people in there, but I think there's room for one more. "Ana, come on in!" one of the girls says. Her name is Nicole, and she had a small part in the production.

Here goes nothing… I slip off my shorts, t-shirt, and shoes and place them on top of my bag, which holds all of my essentials, including my book. I am a librarian, after all - well, almost - and I like to be prepared. I climb into the hot tub quickly, and slip into the steamy, bubbling water. It comes up to right below my bikini top, which is - mercifully - staying in place. Nicole starts chatting with me animatedly about the show. It's mostly a one-sided conversation - my favorite kind - and soon I relax and shut my eyes.

Suddenly, Nicole stops chatting. "Ana! That guy is totally checking you out. God, he's hot. He looks like he wants to EAT you."

What? I open my eyes and I'm staring back through the sliding glass doors into the smoldering eyes of the sexiest man I have ever seen. My body immediately clenches - down there. Holy shit! I blush and look down, and when I look up, he's gone.

"Omigosh, Ana!" Nicole gushes. "That wasn't just a guy, that was Christian Grey! I think he's friends with Dr. Baird… they were at college together or something. He's - like - one of Seattle's most eligible bachelors!" I'm only half listening to her chatter. My heart is thudding in my chest. Okay, calm down, Ana, and get a grip… he probably wasn't even looking at you. But he was.

Once my breathing returns to normal, I clamber out of the hot tub, muttering a "Nice to see you Nicole," over my shoulder. I grab my towel out of my bag and dry quickly, slipping my t-shirt back on and wrapping my towel around my lower half. I spot an unoccupied chaise with a polar fleece blanket draped over its back. Perfect. I make a beeline for it, grab the blanket, wrap it around my shoulders and settle in. I take my tattered copy of Jane Eyre out of my bag and start to read. It's my go-to escape novel. After a few minutes, I'm aware of someone - a large, male someone - towering over me. I look up, and it's HIM. The one who wants to eat me. I blush and immediately look back down.

"Mind if I sit?" he asks. His voice is warm and deep… confident. Of course it is.

"Um, no… sure," I squeak. I slide my legs over to make room for him at the foot of the chaise.

He sits. "You're reading a book. At a cast party." He sounds amused.

"It's not my party - Kate, um, the lead? - she's my roommate," I say.

"Ah, that explains a lot. It's not my party either. Dan - er, Professor - Baird is a good friend of mine. He likes to get me out of the house now and then. Sorry, I should introduce myself… I'm Christian Grey."

"Um, Anastasia... Ana Steele." I squeak again - jeez!

"So you're in theater as well? A senior?"

"No… I mean yes, I'm a senior… but I'm in library science. Do I look like a theater major? I mean, look at me."

"I am."

And there it is again. Our eyes meet and there's that clench and pull deep down in my belly. Oh my. This is not me. I don't do this. And I am way, WAY out of my league here.

"So, library science?" He asks.

"Yes, um… Books are my thing, I guess."

"I'm a numbers guy - business and engineering. I guess control is my thing. And my best friend was a theater major too." He grins - a full-on, megawatt smile. Wow, it's stunning.

And we are off… we have found common ground in our crazy, theater-loving friends. We swap stories about all the trouble they've gotten us into over the years. And we talk, and talk… and laugh. I have never talked like this with a guy. Ever.

We finally fall silent, and he reaches out and strokes his thumb along my jaw, to my lower lip and skims it across. Oh, I feel it like electricity - radiating all the way down to my toes.

This time, it's his turn to blush. He's actually blushing! He smiles slowly and chuckles. "Oh I am way out of practice. I really want to kiss you… but not here. Take a walk with me?" He stands up and holds out his hand. Hmmm… yes. I uncurl from the blanket and grab my stuff, including the blanket. I take his hand - and even though warning bells should be going off, they aren't. I trust him and I would follow him anywhere.

He leads me to the back of the large yard, and there - back in the trees - is a little gazebo. It looks old and unused - just a small structure with a rough, wooden floor. He takes the blanket and spreads it out and we sit, like at a picnic, but with no food. It's dark back here in the trees and I can only see his outline, but I can FEEL him. He runs his fingers up my arm to my shoulder, across and up to my chin. Then he pulls my chin forward and his mouth is on mine. I gasp and open my mouth and he takes advantage - thrusting his tongue in and grabbing my pigtails with his free hand. I have never been kissed like this before, but I answer back - meeting his tongue with mine and suddenly we're a tangle of tongues and teeth and limbs and sensation - electricity pulsing between and around us.

Suddenly, he stops and pulls back and I am left panting and tingling - everywhere. "Christ, Ana… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump you like that."

"Don't apologize." I grin. "That was… nice."

"Nice?" He laughs and lies back on the blanket and I join him. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and I put mine across his chest. Wow. Now this is nice. And we start talking again… Favorite books, movies, music, where we're from, where we've been. He's from Bellevue and his mother is a retired teacher. His father was a doctor, but he passed away - from a heart attack - when Christian was in college. Luckily, I am able to keep it vague on my own family stuff - sticking to chatting about my hometown and my friendship with Kate.

I realize that as we continue to talk, he's running his free hand lightly back and forth across my belly. Then he lifts the hem of my t-shirt and slips his hand under it, doing the same on my bare skin. Oh my, now this is distracting. My skin starts to tingle where he touches it, and then his hand is moving up, toward my bikini top. "Okay?" he asks.

I squirm at little, but say, "Yes." Oh, his touch is divine - intoxicating. His fingers travel up across the fabric and he cups my breast, squeezing a little while his thumb skims my nipple. Ah! My back arches reflexively, and again the feeling travels all the way down to between my legs. I can feel myself start to pulse and swell down there. Oh, this is something else... I don't do this. What is happening to me?

Then his hand leaves my breast and travels back down my belly. He pulls back my towel, and his fingers find my bikini bottoms. Oh, I am not even wearing pants! How does this even happen? He skims his finger along the top of the fabric - that skimpy triangle of damp Lycra - ohh my. My groin clenches and my hips flex. He chuckles softly and says, "You're very reactive... and your skin is milky white, so soft. I want to touch every single inch of it." Oh, yes please... touch away. His fingers travel down the fabric and he palms my sex, pushing and squeezing. Mmmmmm. Then, all of a sudden, he flips and he's on top of me, pressing me into the hard floor. I feel the hard ridge of his erection through his jeans. Ohh, I am not the only one who's reactive... and he wants me. Me! He presses it against me and begins to thrust - hard - sliding up and down against the fabric of my bikini. Ahh! I am sopping wet... and it isn't all from the hot tub. He lifts his hips and moves his hand down between my legs, hooking his finger inside the fabric of my bottoms.

"Okay?" He asks again.

"Yes," I whisper.

His hand moves inside and travels to the opening of my sex. And then he slips one finger inside - there. "Oh Ana, you're sopping wet. Oh, I like it." He presses against me again, and I can feel his erection against my belly. His finger moves in and out of me slowly, and then it starts to circle. He moves his other hand back up to my breast, where he tugs the fabric down and slips his hand inside. He circles my nipple with his thumb, echoing the finger inside me. Then he grabs my nipple and pulls - hard, jabbing his finger further inside me at the same time. Oh! Then he repeats the pattern - circling and pulling, circling... - And I start to feel a burning, a tightening. It's centered in my groin, but it's pulsing and radiating through my body. His fingers are relentless, and I feel myself start to quiver, and my thighs clench. "Come on, Ana," he whispers. "Come for me."

And I do. A first-rate, all-consuming orgasm rips through me and I shatter into a million pieces. I cry out and then I collapse, back onto the blanket. My limbs feel like jelly, and I am sated and spent. Now I know what all the fuss is about! He lets out another soft chuckle. "How was that?"

"Good," I whisper. I cannot manage more than that. His erection is still digging into my belly, but he's stopped moving. Oh gosh, it doesn't seem fair. I take a deep breath and reach up to unfasten his jeans, my fingers shaking and fumbling. I reach my other hand around to his ass and pull him close in to me, so that he's positioned between my legs.

"Ana, I can't. I don't have a condom." He says.

Oh, right. Well, he said he wanted to feel every inch of me. "It's okay," I say. "Just be careful... you know, don't..."

He pauses for moment... two, then makes quick work of his button and zipper. He tugs his pants down over his hips, and I feel his erection spring free against me. Ohh... this is really happening. He unties my bikini bottoms and slips them off, tossing them aside. Then he positions himself, prodding against my slick opening.

"Okay?" He asks, checking one last time. "I won't... you know... inside you."

"Yes," I say. I don't want him to stop. Not now. He thrusts his hips and I feel him rip into me, tearing open my virginity. Ah! It smarts for a second, but then it's not really painful, just... full. He feels me tense, and he freezes. "Oh baby, you're so tight... you feel so..." And then he thrusts again... and again, picking up the pace... and I start to climb. Again! But then suddenly his breath catches and he stops, pulling out abruptly. I feel a warm gush of fluid on my thigh. And it's over. He collapses on top of me and we just lie there, coming back down, our heart rates slowing, matching beat for beat. Then he rolls off me and says, "Oh my... I made a mess. My apologies."

"I don't mind... my towel..." I whisper, my eyes still closed. I hear him shuffle around and then he's wiping me down with my towel. He stops all of a sudden and I hear him take in a sharp breath. I open my eyes and he's staring down at me. What?

"Ana," he says softly, "there's blood on the towel... were you... was that your first time?"

Oh, shit. I shut my eyes again and cover my face with my hands. If I can't see him, maybe I will just disappear.

"Ana." He says more sharply, "Answer me."

"Yes," I whisper.

"Oh Ana, you should have told me. I never would have... Well, not here anyway... not like this."

"It's okay. I'm fine... I didn't want you to stop," I say. And then he's pulling me into his arms and kissing me - softly this time.

"Come. Get dressed," he says. "I want to take you home with me... make it up to you."

I dress quickly... yuck, I'm all sticky. I don't want to mess up my only clean pair of panties. So I tie the bikini bottoms back on and tug my shorts on over them. I am still dressed on top - sort of. I tug the bikini top back in place and pull my t-shirt down. I stand up and grab my Chucks out of my bag and push my feet into them - no socks. I run my hand over my hair... my pigtails seem relatively in place. I shove my offending towel into my bag and I am ready to go.

I look up and Christian is eyeing me with an amused expression on his face. Jeez, has he been watching me the whole time? I mean, he looks totally cool and composed. Well, he did manage to stay almost completely dressed. Hmmm...

He picks up the polar fleece blanket and shoves it in my bag. "I think I'll wash that and return it later," he smirks. "Ready to go?" He picks up my bag, takes my hand, and we walk back toward the house.

Shit, Kate!

"Um... I came with Kate. I have to let her know. Two minutes." I let go of his hand and dash inside. Please don't follow me... this is too embarrassing.

Where is she... Kate? Not in the kitchen... Oh, she better not be... Ha! It's not like I can judge... not anymore. Aha, there she is - on one of the couches in the living room. She's sitting next to Jake from the lighting crew. I can tell he wants to put his arm around her, but he hasn't made his move yet.

"Kate!" I gesture for her to come over to me. She does and I whisper, "Um... I'm going to... you know... go home with someone?" Ugh... don't make it a question! I'm not asking her permission here.

Her eyes widen. This has never happened before. "What?"

"I'm going... I mean, are you okay to get home? You'll take a cab?"

"Ana! Are you serious? Who are you going with?"

Oh, I am not telling her. Not now. "Kate, it's fine. I have my phone. I'll stay in touch. Promise." And just like that, I turn and leave. I have just blown off my best friend... left her standing there... Don't think about it! Just keep walking.

Back outside, he's still there... yep, he's really, um, real. He takes my hand again. "Okay?"

"Yep," I say, "Let's go."