We called the police and explained the situation. Christian pulled some strings and got basically the full force of the Seattle Police Department on the case. My phone was taken for the tech team to try and trace the call or text. Christian and I stayed at the station, him trying to offer me comfort while I counted down the minutes to the deadline.

We got an update at 9:00 Monday morning. I hadn't slept a wink. "These men knew what they were doing," said the police captain. "The text was untraceable. And we can't get a lock on your father's phone. We tried to remotely turn on the GPS for his phone, and nothing came up. Either they destroyed the phone right after talking to you or they have it stored in a container that blocks the signal."

"Should I just pay the ransom?" Chrsitian asked as I got up and started to pace.

"Let's keep that as a last resort. There's no guarantee these men will let Mr. Steele go if they get their payment," the captain said.

24 hours later, and things were looking much more desperate. SPD had coordinated with the Montesano department. Ray's door had been found forced open, but otherwise there were no clues where he was or where the kidnappers had taken him. It looked like the police were just spinning their wheels waiting for some clue to show up while the clock ticked inexorably down to Ray's execution.

"Fuck this," Christian said as I hugged him desperately for comfort. He pulled out his phone and called one of his banks. "Julius… yes, hello… I want to make a substantial wire transfer… $500 million… yes I'm sure, it's my money, damn it…" Christian relayed the account number I'd been texted, which he'd written down.

20 minutes later, my phone rang. The police captain handed it to me, the tech guys setting up a trace in the background. "Yes?" I asked as I answered.

"You made the right choice. Your father will be found handcuffed and blindfolded in an empty warehouse." The man relayed the address. Then he hung up, well before the trace was complete.

The cops made themselves useful and went to the warehouse. An hour later, Ray was brought into the police station. I all but tackled him to the ground. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," I sobbed into his chest. Sleep deprivation might have made me a bit loopy.

"Not your fault, Annie," he assured me.

"The hell it isn't. If I wasn't with Christian you wouldn't have been kidnapped and ransomed," I argued.

"But you are with him, and he makes you happy, which is worth a little kidnapping," Ray chuckled. He was like Teflon, the bad things in life just didn't stick to him. He was probably already over the whole episode.

Ray was led away to give the cops a description of the kidnappers. I watched him go and then returned to where Christian was seated and rested my head on his shoulder. "Sorry you had to pay all that money," I said.

"It was a bargain at twice the price. I hope we catch the fuckers, but if they vanish into the wind I won't care. Your dad is safe and sound, and that's all that matters."

"This is why you wanted Prescott assigned to me. So it wouldn't be me being ransomed. Too bad we didn't think and realize my dad was a way to get to me, and I'm the way to get to you."

"Yes, that was an oversight. But we'll correct it. Ray will have a CPO, and I'll arrange for security for your mother."

"'Kay," I said, suddenly feeling how tired I was. I opened my mouth to warn Christian, but it hit me like a blow to the head.

Next thing I knew, I was tucked into my and Christian's bed at Escala. I was nude, so I knew Christian had been the one to do it. I soaked up the warmth of the bed and expensive mattress, sheets, and comforter. Then I slid out of bed and checked the alarm clock. It said it was 8:00 pm. I'd slept through the whole day. I went to my own chest of drawers that Christian had gotten for me and slipped on an old pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

I wandered towards the main room of the penthouse, my ears catching piano music. I snuck into the main room and saw Christian playing the piano. It was beautiful, but sad. I waited until he'd finished his song before walking over to him. "Hey," I said, taking a seat on the bench next to him.

"You alright?" he asked with such concern after he kissed me tenderly.

"I'll survive. Where's Ray?"

"I put him up in the Four Seasons again. He wanted to just go straight back to Montesano but I talked him into staying while we have his front door repaired and a security system installed."

"He'll just love that," I chuckled.

"It's necessary to ensure something like this doesn't happen again."

"Did anything exciting happen after I conked out?"

"Ray sat with a sketch artist to describe the three men who kidnapped him. The sketches were spread to every airport, train station, bus station, and car rental company in Washington. They're also watching the Canadian border. But they seemed like real pros, so they probably had an exit strategy."

I sighed. "I still can't believe this actually happened."

"I warned you what being with me would entail, how you'd become a target for people that wanted my money. I'm still so sorry that it happened to us," Christian said with a frown.

"Wasn't your fault, my fault, or Ray's fault. It was the kidnappers' fault, and that's the end of that discussion. Now, did Gail leave a plate for me to reheat or something?"

Christian led me to the kitchen where he pulled a plate of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and broccoli from the fridge and put it in the microwave for a couple minutes. I ate the tasty food while chatting innocently with Christian about ordinary topics. By the time I finished I was yawning. I'd gone two days without sleep, I had some serious sleep debt to make up for. Christian and I took a nice, relaxing shower and then we went to bed, cuddled together like we never wanted to let the other go.

The alarm clock woke us up. I checked the clock as I turned it off. It said it was Wednesday the 8th. We'd missed two days of work thanks to the hostage crisis. I leaned up into Christian's still sleeping ear. "It's time to get up, Christian," I told him.

"Workaholic," he groaned.

"Pot, kettle, black," I countered.

"Fair point well made, Miss Steele," he said, one of his little catchphrases when it came to me.

We used the bathroom one after the other, and got dressed for the day. I felt like showing off my femininity and wore a dress. I put on my watch on my left wrist, my right occupied by my love bracelet. I grabbed my phone from where it was plugged in near the bed and checked news articles while Christian got into a suit.

We went down to breakfast with Gail. The house manager asked if I was okay after my ordeal. I just nodded. Ray was safe and sound, and that was all that mattered. We finished our breakfast and then Christian drove us to Grey House in the Spyder.

"Oh, in case you forgot, we're leaving for New York Friday night," Christian reminded me in the elevator.

"Oh, right, the NYC trip. You're working four days and then we get to spend three doing touristy stuff. And I suppose I'll be working too, giving you and your team massages when you're not in meetings," I mused.

"Yep. And no one will probably recognize us, we can be ordinary for a while," Christian grinned.

I kissed him and then got out on my floor. I prepped my room and got ready for the day. The kidnapping fiasco was over, time to return to normal.

I went through Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday without anything out of the ordinary occurring. I massaged my clients, had lunch and/or dinner with Christian as his schedule allowed, and made love to him each night in our bed. Friday night, after my last massage, Christian picked me up at the elevator and then drove us to the airport. Gail had packed our suitcases for us, I was told, and arranged for them to be transported to the GEH private jet. Christian drove his Spyder right onto the tarmac, driving us to where his large yet sleek plane was waiting.

I watched as Christian handed the keys to Taylor and then joined me in standing on the red carpet leading up to the steps into the jet. "We designed her from the ground up. She's the best to ever fly," Christian said with pride.

"Cool. How long will the flight be?" I asked.

"3 and a half hours," he said. "A normal plane would take 5," he told me. He took my hand and guided me up the steps into the jet.

It was like walking into a long, cylindrical hotel room. Certainly different from what I expected of the inside of a plane. Christian let me to an actual sofa, and sat us down. A blonde flight attendant came to us with a practiced smile. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Grey, Ms. Steele. Would you care for any refreshments?"

"I'll have a Perrier, Michelle," Christian said with easy authority.

"Coke or Pepsi?" I asked.

"We carry Coca-Cola products," Michelle answered.

"I'll have a Sprite, please. And what do you have for snacks?" I asked.

"Potato chips, honey roasted peanuts, and a variety of chocolate bars."

"I'll take a Hershey's too, then."

She nodded and went for wherever they kept the refrigerator and pantry on this plane.

Other GEH executives came aboard over the next 15 minutes. Ros plopped into a chair near us and asked Michelle for a vodka rocks. "Ever been on a plane before, Ana?" she asked after knocking back her alcohol.

"I visited my mother in Georgia once, so I flew there and back," I said. That had just been a waste of money.

"Well, this is a far cry from Economy class, isn't it?" she chuckled.

"You could say that," I grinned.

When everyone was aboard, the captain spoke over the speakers telling us to put on our seatbelts. Christian showed the buckles hidden between the seat cushions. We taxied to the runway and then there was the buildup of speed that led to us taking off into the air.

The 3 and a half hours passed easily enough. I mostly chatted with Christian or Ros. When we touched down at Newark, it was 2:30 local time. A legit stretch limousine was waiting to take all of us to the hotel. I kept one hand clenched around Christian's as we and the GEH team loaded into the luxury vehicle. I stared out the window as we drove into Manhattan, marveling at the lights and the height of the buildings.

We pulled up to the Waldorf Astoria. The night manager personally greeted our party and handed us all the keys to the 3 penthouse suites Christian had rented for the team. Christian and I were getting the Penthouse, Ros and a man introduced to me as August Tait, the CFO, got the Royal Suite, and the rest of the team was squeezed in the Cole Porter Suite.

We took the elevators to the top floor and went to our respective suites, dragging our suitcases that had been in the limo's trunk. Christian opened the door to the Penthouse, and I gaped at what awaited us. "All this is ours?" I asked as I wandered around the expansive collection of rooms.

"You get your money's worth," Christian shrugged. "Now, my team's got an early day tomorrow. We should go to sleep now."

"Okay. What'll I be doing all day while you're at the New York office?" I asked.

"Enjoying the amenities of the hotel. I had Gail pack you a few swimsuits, you can go to the pool. When we get back before dinner, you'll give us foot or shoulder massages as requested," Christian spelled out.

"Very well. Good thing I brought my laptop, I can stream Netflix," I made my way to the bedroom and began to disrobe.

When we were both naked, we slid into the huge bed. I messed with the alarm clock to wake us at 7:00 local time, and cuddled into Christian's embrace. When he leaned down to kiss me, I sensed where this was going.

"I thought we needed to sleep," I protested half-heartedly, already dripping. All Christian had to do was touch me and I was primed and ready.

"Sex is a very effective sleep aid," Christian grinned, rolling on top of me.

So we didn't get as much sleep as we should have. But it was worth it.

The alarm woke us, a different tone than the alarm clock at Escala. As always, I was the one to turn it off. "Christian, time to get up," I said in his ear, giving his lobe a playful bite.

"I'm up, in more than one sense of the word," he said and I glanced down at his crotch to see he was at full mast under the shower.

"There's no time for proper sex, but how about I give you a blowie in the shower?"

That got him out of bed.

20 minutes later, we were ordering room service for breakfast, dressed for the day. "So, when can I expect you guys back?" I asked after we hung up.

"Anywhere from 3:00 to 7:00, depending on how stupidly they've been running things out here," Christian said with a sigh.

"Well, I'll keep myself busy while you're gone," I promised.

Our food arrived, and we ate the top-notch meal. "Did you know the Waldorf was the first hotel in America to offer room service?" Christian asked.

"Nope. Cool," I remarked.

When we were done, we left the plates outside our door and then I kissed Christian goodbye for the day. He walked off, no doubt to rally his team, and I closed the door. I plopped on the sofa in front of the TV and checked if it had Netflix. It did, so I settled in for an all-day 'Friends' marathon.

I ordered lunch through room service again. It wasn't outright stated by Christian, but I got the sense I shouldn't leave the hotel. I didn't have Prescott with me, after all. I played on my phone with half an eye and ear on my favorite show on the screen. At 5:45, Christian came in through the door looking exhausted. I greeted him with a kiss. "So, how big a mess was it?"

"Not as bad as I feared, but still not great," Christian sighed. "And people wonder why I micromanage everything back home. Anyway, they're hosting us at Gallagher's Steakhouse tonight at 8:00. It's high-class, you might want to wear your necklace."

"Sure. I think Gail packed it." I went digging through my suitcase and indeed found my Cartier Agrafe necklace. I laid it on the bed for later, and then went to Christian. Technically, I was brought along as the massage therapist, not Christian's girlfriend. I eased off his shoes and then gave him my best foot massage. He gave an almost orgasmic groan.

At 7:15, I went to get dressed, hearing Manhattan traffic was a nightmare. I slid on the same grey silk gown I'd worn to the ball where Alicia Nelson had confronted me. I put on my necklace and looked down at my love bracelet. I was wearing jewelry that cost more than my yearly income when I'd worked at Kneading Knots. Life really had taken a major upswing ever since I'd met Christian.

Christian marveled at my appearance, kissing me lovingly as I wrapped my hands around his waist. "You look stunning," he said, like he couldn't believe his luck that I was with him. The feeling was mutual.

We joined up with the GEH team, Ros whistling when she saw me. "Damn, Ana, you look like a fucking queen!"

I blushed, and was reminded I again had forgotten to apply make-up. But Christian thought I was pretty even without it, so I decided not to worry about it. I hated having to wash the stuff off anyway.

The limo was back, taking us to Gallagher's Steakhouse. We were a little late, but it's not like the restaurant was going to throw away a billionaire's reservation. We were led to the biggest table in the place, where the New York GEH office team was already seated. Christian pulled out the chair to the right of that at the head of the table, and I sat down so that he could take his own seat. We were all handed menus and Christian ordered several bottles of wine for the table.

I got the Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail for an appetizer, and Christian and I decided to split the Porterhouse with sides of sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and Gallagher potato chips. I mostly talked to Christian and Ros, though a couple of the New York execs tried to get to know their boss's girlfriend. I kept my replies short and to the point.

We took the limo back to the hotel, where we all retreated to our rooms. I got undressed, put my necklace back in my suitcase, and hopped in the shower alongside Christian. He held me in the roomy shower and said "You looked so fucking beautiful tonight." And that's how we wound up having our first round of shower sex.

The next three days passed in a similar manner. I'd have breakfast with Christian, occupy myself for the rest of the morning and afternoon until he and the team returned. I would massage him, Ros, and any of the other members of the team who asked. Then it was a fancy dinner, the New York office really wanting to make a good impression on their boss. After the dinner on the 14th, Ros and the rest left for the airport for their midnight flight back to Seattle. Christian and I were staying an extra three days to be tourists.

On the 15th, we had a full day. After breakfast, we took the limo (which was very roomy with just the two of us) to the Empire State Building, where we took the elevator up to the top and admired the views of the city. After that we went to the Met, and Christian arranged for a private tour, just the two of us, as we admired the diverse collection of art. We got lunch from a hot dog cart, and then drove to the dock for the ferry to Liberty Island. Christian somehow used his money to bypass the line and we got to leave on the first ferry to leave when we got there. We reached the island and did the touristy thing of taking selfies with Lady Liberty in the background. We took the ferry back to Manhattan and Christian and I got a quick dinner of pizza before we saw Wicked. I had to resist the urge to sing along as I saw the actual musical for the first time instead of just listening to the soundtrack. When we got out, it was the limo back to the hotel. We made love after a shower and then passed out.

The 16th, we agreed we were too pooped after our big day yesterday, so we decided to lounge in the hotel. We went to the pool, and Christian was downright lethal in a pair of swim trunks. His muscles were perhaps a tad less defined than when we'd met back in September; he'd been blowing off exercise much as I had to spend time with me and we'd been eating like kings. I determined that after Thanksgiving we would start working out together. After a morning of playing in the pool, we returned to the room and ordered room service for lunch. Then we cuddled on the couch to watch 'How I Met Your Mother'. We wound up ordering room service for dinner too as we got sucked into the show. We finished the seventh season and Christian's jaw dropped. "So Barney gets engaged to Quinn but ends up somehow marrying Robin? How's that work out?"

"We'll find out when Season 8 finishes on TV and ends up on Netflix," I shrugged.

"Well, next on our binge-watching list is 'Game of Thrones'," Christian said as I turned the TV off.

"We can do that tomorrow. Right now, I want my sun and stars to ride me like a Dothraki," I said naughtily.

That was our first dip into roleplay, him as Khal Drogo and I as Daenerys. It proved surprisingly fun and sexy.

We flew home on the 17th, a Friday. We took the day off and just enjoyed staying in Escala. Christian had already bought the Season 1 DVD set for 'Game of Thrones'. We watched all 10 episodes in a row, only interrupted by Gail bringing us lunch and dinner.

"Okay, HBO did a pretty good job adapting the book," Christian admitted once the scene where Daenerys was found alive with the three dragons transitioned to the credits. "When's the second season air?"

"April 1st 2012," I said, looking it up on my phone.

"So we need a new show to watch," he mused.

"We can decide that after work tomorrow," I yawned. I had jet lag, having just adapted to East Coast time by the time we flew back to the West Coast.

We went to bed, and went to sleep a good while later. We were addicted to each other, I swear.

We got through the next few days until Thanksgiving Thursday normally enough. On the morning of Turkey Day, Christian and I dressed in casual clothes and drove up to his parents' place in Bellevue. We were welcomed warmly by Grace at the door. As Christian went for wherever they kept the TV in this palace, I asked my potential mother-in-law "Anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, no dear, Greta and I have everything well in hand. You just enjoy the parade until the first football game starts," she said with such a radiant smile. She really was like an angel.

I followed the sound of people talking to the Greys' own media room, almost identical in layout to Christian's at Escala. So this is where he got the inspiration. Christian was talking with Carrick as they sat on the sofa. I took my seat in Christian's lap, leaning back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me without even having to look away from his father. They were talking corporate law, bo-ring. I focused on the Macy's parade on the wall-sized screen.

Elliott announced his presence with a shout of "And the party has arrived!" He held up a plastic bag filled with bags of chips in one hand and a 12-pack of Budweiser in the other.

"And for the people who want something a bit more sophisticated than Frito-Lays, I brought the famous Kavanagh Spinach dip," Kate said, laying a platter on the table between the sofa and the TV. I leaned forward to grab a chip and dip it into the green and white mix. I bit and almost moaned. "Kate, you can cook?"

"Are you kidding? I once burned a boiled egg. Don't ask me how. I say 'Kavanagh' but it's really made by my parents' personal chef, Cassandra. So I suppose it's technically the Papapoulos Spinach dip. Now, Elliott, sit down so I can sit down on you like Ana and Christian. You two are so freaking adorable, it hurts," Kate commanded her boyfriend.

Elliott opened all the bags of snacks he'd brought and grabbed a beer before sitting on the couch, letting Kate seat herself in his lap. Elliott grabbed the remote and changed to the pregame, which I found only slightly less boring than Carrick and Christian's talk of corporate law. I was definitely not a sports girl. I watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and halftime show but that was it. But I had my phone, so I could entertain myself.

The hours passed, the three Grey men hooting and hollering with every touchdown of their preferred team. I ate more of Kate's spinach dip and played Candy Crush, using the hack of changing the time on your phone to get a full round of lives whenever I crapped out. Christian's warm presence at my back was a source of comfort. Mia came in around noon, apparently a late sleeper on holidays. She, to my mild surprise, grabbed a beer and got as involved as any of the men. Well, power to her if she found football entertaining.

At 3:00, Grace came and fetched us to come to the dining room. A true Thanksgiving feast was laid out. Turkey, already carved. Stuffing. Mashed potatoes with a gravy boat fill to the brim next to the bowl. Green bean casserole. Butternut squash. Rolls with butter. Sweet potato casserole. Everyone got seated and Grace had us join hands. "For what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful," she said simply. Grace having said grace, we started loading our plates.

"So, Ana, you and Christian went to New York last week? What was that like?" Mia asked.

"I spent most of the time in the hotel. We had one big tourist day and that was about it. It'd take a month for me to do all the things I really want to do in New York City," I confessed.

"I'll see what I can do," Christian said with a grin.

"No, no, no. You are not inventing a work reason to take us to New York for 4 weeks. I had a taste, that'll last me like it lasts most American tourists who only visit the city once," I told my boyfriend who was prone to extravagant gestures.

The pout he gave me forced me to kiss him.

We ate until we were absolutely stuffed. Then the pumpkin pie and whipped cream came out and suddenly we all found room. We drove home with our share of the leftovers, thanking Grace and Carrick for a wonderful time. We got to Escala and collapsed into food comas on our bed. That was one of the rare nights we didn't have some form of sex.

It was back to work the next day, and then time started to fly. I blinked and it was Christmas Eve. I'd gotten presents for all the Greys plus Kate and Ethan, who was invited to Christmas at the Grey mansion by Mia. Christian's line to get me into bed that night was "Have you been naughty or nice?" I'll let you wonder which I ended up being.

The next day, Christmas morning, we took all our presents and drove up to the Grey mansion. Christian had a secretive smile on his face. I knew him as well as I knew myself by this point. "You're planning something," I said with narrowed eyes.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said with a straight face.

"Uh-huh," I said, unconvinced.

We got to the mansion and brought in all our gifts. We placed them under the tree in the family room and waited for Mia and Elliott and the Kavanaghs to show up. Grace was dressed like an elf and Carrick like Santa Claus, which was apparently tradition.

Everyone showed up and we started picking one gift at a time from under the tree and seeing its intended's reaction. I made out like a bandit, Christian's family showering me with jewelry, clothes, and other gifts. "You guys are too much," I chuckled as the last gift was opened by Mia and it turned out to be a diamond tennis bracelet from Christian.

"Well, that's all of them," Carrick said, making a show of looking under the tree from multiple angles.

"Actually, I have one last present for Anastasia," Christian said standing up from his seat.

I turned as he walked up to me. "What is it?" I asked, not seeing anything in his hands.

"A lifetime of happiness," and then he pulled a ring box out of his pocket. My jaw dropped as he got on one knee and opened it to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. "Anastasia, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way. Anastasia, will you marry me?"

Damn him, he'd used Chandler's speech to Monica from 'Friends' when he'd proposed. As if I was ever going to say no, but that little touch clinched it. "Yes," I answered, tears coming to my eyes.

He slid the ring on my left ring finger. The main solitaire diamond was huge, at least 5 karats, and was flanked by other, smaller diamonds on the platinum band.. Christian only bought the best when it came to me. We kissed, and I heard the Grey family start to applaud.

"My bro's getting hitched!" Elliott exclaimed in half-joy, half-shock.

"Oh, this is amazing," Grace said, getting choked up. Carrick wrapped her in a hug.

Christian and I dealt with congratulations from his family and then we had a huge Christmas lunch. I couldn't keep my hands off Christian, brushing his shoulder or holding his hand or rubbing his thigh. We drove home after another round of gushing over our engagement.

"So, when do you want the wedding?" I asked, admiring my ring. Part of me still couldn't believe I actually had one of these things.

"Tonight in Vegas," my fiance said, entirely serious.

"We will not elope. I want Ray to give me away," I protested.

"Then just set the date and I'll have everything ready by then," he promised.

I mused on it. "The first day of spring." I checked my phone. "It's a Tuesday, March 20th, is that okay?"

"Of course. We can get everything set up by then. I'll look into wedding planners tomorrow," Christian grinned.

We got home and went straight for the bedroom. We needed to celebrate the fact we were getting married, after all. When we emerged for dinner, Gail heaped congratulations on us when she saw the ring on my finger. We went to the media room after the meal, I wanted to watch Christmas movies.

I passed out halfway through 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas', and vaguely remembered Christian laying me in our bed. He kissed my brow, said "Goodnight, Anastasia Grey."

Anastasia Grey. I liked the sound of that.