Fifty Shades Of Grey: My Years With Elena #Explicit [Fifty Shades] #fanfic

CHAPTER NINE

August 1999

"...and...Stop." Excellent Mrs. Lincoln! You are really getting the hang of those kick and punch combos."
Elena steps back from the punch-bag and drops her sweat-glistened arms to her sides.
"Thank you, Claude," she pants. "Although my body feels like it's disagreeing with you right now!"
Bastille grins. "Make sure you take time to warm down." He looks across at me, where I have been warming down gently on the treadmill for the past twenty minutes. "Can I trust you to see Mrs. Lincoln through that, Grey? I have another appointment to get to, unfortunately."
"Sure," I respond coolly. "I'll take care of her." Elena's eyes start to gltter and I smirk at her, as Bastille begins to pack his stuff into his holdall.
He grabs his diary and flips it open. "If you keep up with your basic training, Elena, I can come and see you again on Tuesday?
Elena takes a swig of cold water and shakes her head. "Sorry Claude. My husband is back for a few days from tomorrow and he tends to take up all of my spare time! Can we say...Friday?" She turns towards me. "Does that suit you, Christian?"
"Yes." I say tightly
If that's my only option to be able to see you, then I don't have a fucking choice...
"Excellent!" Bastille beams, his teeth glowing white in his handsome dark face. He scribbles a note, then throws his diary into his bag, zips it closed and throws it over one of his broad shoulders
"I'll see you out, Claude." Elena smiles.
He nods and grins over at me. "Keep up the hard work Grey," he calls over to me. "I expect you to give me more of a challenge next week."
"I'll make sure of it, Bastille." I snap.
Arrogant bastard! Thankfully he is an excellent trainer...and such a genuine guy...Makes it really hard for me to dislike him.
He walks off towards the door with Elena. "Thank you for adjusting your sessions to do one-on-ones with us in here, instead of at the sports centre."
Bastille grins. "It's a pleasure to train in such an excellent facility. Besides," he glances over at me. "It seems to have a calming effect on him. It's very decent of you to take him under your wing and allow him to use your gym. The less time he spends with another sparring partner the better - I don't call him 'Knock-Out Grey' for nothing!"
Elena smiles. "His mom is an old friend. I'm doing it as a favour to her, really. At least she doesn't have to worry about him when he's here."
She pulls the door open.
"He's a very lucky boy," he smiles as he exits the building. "See you next Friday."
"Bye, Claude."
She pushes the door closed, turns the key, and slams into me.
"Is that why you did all this?" I ask angrily. "As a favour to my mom?"
She pushes at my shoulders. "Of course not!" She snaps. "You know I did it for us!"
I close my eyes, warring with myself. I feel her hands grab my jaw.
"Oh Christian, Christian, Christian!" She chastises gently.
I slide my eyes open and look warily at her.
"When will you believe in yourself more? When will you accept that you are a decent person and people do nice things because they actually like you?"
I shrug, as I feel that familiar twist in my gut.
"What else did you expect me to say to Claude?" She continues. "Actually I built it so I could tie him up and have my wicked way with him anytime I damn-well please? Besides - it's a half-truth. You know how grateful Grace is that you are using this gym now and not the one at the sports centre, where half of Seattle hangs out."
I nod, as I think back to the day I told mom that Elena had turned the extension into a gym so that she could keep fit, and had also given me a key as a thank you for all my hard work. Mom had been delighted that I would now be working out somewhere she trusted and where I wouldn't get into trouble. I'd then asked Bastille if he'd be interested taking Elena on as a private client and fitting in my training at the same time, at her gym. Once Bastille saw the facility and how much Elena was prepared to pay him for the privilege, he was only too happy to comply. So I actually had the best of all worlds - I had my own private gym where I could work out and train in peace, mom and dad were happy I was somewhere I could stay out of trouble and Elena got to tie me up, flog me and suck me off on a regular basis.
"You need to warm down," I say softly. "I don't want you getting stiff later."
She grins wickedly at me. "Mmmm...Only one thing I'm interested in getting stiff," she whispers, as she cups me intimately through my sweatpants and gives me a squeeze, taking me by surprise.
Wow!
I practically convulse into her hand as I begin to throb.
"Elena..." I groan, fighting my desire. "I'm serious. You've put yourself through a hard-core workout. You need to warm down. Bastille will beat the shit out of me if you're not fit to train on Friday."
"Fine," she says with a reluctant sigh and drops her hand. "Maybe you could put me through some stretches first?"
"Sure."
I lead her over to the wall behind the weights where a wooden ballet-barre stands. I stand beside her and face the bar, resting my hands on the smooth wood.
"We'll do some squats first," I instruct as I slowly lower myself down. Elena follows suit. "Breathe in, hold for a count of five...And breathe out slowly as you rise. Good."
We do a few squat repetitions. Her hands are adjacent to mine and her diamond solitaire ring glints in the sunlight, streaming in from the skylights. It reminds me that Linc will be back tomorrow and I'll have to wait almost a Goddamn week before I can see her again, without fear of being caught.
"What time does Linc fly in tomorrow?"
She stutters slightly in her squat and I know she wasn't expecting my remark.
"Eleven in the morning." She turns to look at me. "Why?"
Because it bugs the fuck out of me that you'll be spending time with him.
I shrug.
She stands up straight and glares at me.
"I've told you Christian, our marriage is purely for appearances only."
"Do you still fuck?"
SHIT...
It's out of my mouth before I can stop it, but the thought has bugged the crap out of me since the first time she tied me up.
"HOW DARE YOU!" She snarls.
Fuck! I'm in so much trouble...
"I'm sorry, but it's always in the back of my mind." I say apologetically. I instinctively lower my arms and drop my eyes to the floor.
The silence stretches between us and I daren't lift my gaze.
"Linc and I haven't shared a bed in five years," she begins in a menacingly low voice. "I was faithful to him until I met Adam two years ago, who first introduced me to Domination and Submission."
Ohh...This is news...
"So...do you still...umm..."
The thought sickens me.
"I had to stop seeing him last August."
"Why?"
It all goes quiet again.
Shit...I've gone too far. I have no right to ask about her private life...
"Do you REALLY not know the answer to that?" She asks softly.
Fuck...I'm so confused...
Taking a deep breath, I lift my head slowly and look fearfully into the icy blue depths of her eyes.
She lifts her hand and I prepare myself for the slap, but she grasps my chin instead.
"I. MET. YOU."
HOLY CRAP!
I gasp and gaze at her in wonder.
"Did...Did you really stop seeing him because of me?" I ask in disbelief.
She nods slowly, not taking her glimmering eyes off mine.
"Wasn't he mad?"
I'd be as pissed as hell!
"The arrangement wasn't exclusive. I knew that before I got involved."
I stare at her dumbfounded.
"What is it now?" She snaps.
"I wouldn't want to share you with anyone."
She strokes my chin. "Is that why you get so annoyed about Linc?" She asks softly.
I nod again as I fight the automatic bubble of anger that rises within me every time I hear his name.
"I fell out of love with Linc a long time ago. What I feel for him now...is hard to articulate. It's somewhere between friendship and a business acquaintance. I sometimes forget we're actually married."
"But you still wear his rings...still enjoy all the material trappings..."
It's as far as I get before I am soundly slapped across the cheek, taken so by am surprise, I stagger backwards.
"I don't appreciate being judged, Christian!" She spits angrily. "Not by you and not by anyone else! Now either grab your stuff and leave, or go and lie down on the exercise bench."
I clutch my smarting cheek.
Shit! I've really pissed her off this time!
I stand there feeling like the world's biggest idiot as I ruefully rub my cheek. I have never seen her this mad and I know I have totally over-stepped the mark. The decision I make now could make or break us...
I drop my hand, take in a large breath...
...and walk over to the exercise bench.
"Smart choice, Peachy." She hisses. "Lie down facing upwards and drape your arms behind you over the bar."
I do as she asks. The seat of the exercise bench is at a 45 degree angle, making it look like a dentist's chair and the top edge rests on the bar I've draped my arms behind. Elena marches over to the storage unit, unlocks it and rustles inside. I keep my head down and my mouth shut. There is no way I am antagonising her any further.
Suddenly, I feel her behind me as she roughly grabs my right wrist and something cold and familiar wraps around it. I know immediately it's a handcuff. She cuffs the other end to the exercise bench and then does the same to the left wrist. I am held tightly in an uncomfortable position and I know I will be aching in the morning.
She then stalks around to my front and a swift movement catches the corner of my eye, making me cautiously lift my head.
HOLY...
...FUCKING...
...SHIT.
She stands at my feet and flexing in her hands, is what caught my eye.
A wooden cane.