Fifty Shades Bound

Chapter Nineteen

I leave Christian in the bedroom while I go to the library. This by far is one of my favorite places. The surrounding books put me at ease, and all the stress I am under is definitely not good for Blip. I sit down at the desk and turn on my computer, scrolling through the many emails I have gotten from work. I hate not being at the office. How does Christian expect me to run the company if I'm never there? Fortunately, my co-workers have been incredibly understanding, especially after the news of Jack came to light.

I involuntarily shudder. I need to forget about him. He's locked away. I'm safe.

I respond to an email from my assistant, Hannah, telling her that I will hopefully be in the office tomorrow. I download the digital manuscripts she sent me and begin reading, admiring her diligent note-taking. The first one I go over is about a boy's journey through Europe in search of his sister. It's actually pretty good. The imagery reminds me of Christian and I's honeymoon. The way the author describes France is identical to what I saw when I was there. Man, this guy is good. I spend a few hours on it and then move to the next. By the time I'm finished, it's nearly 8 o'clock. I turn my computer off and stand up to stretch. I walk out of the library and the scent of pizza welcomes me. Oh Mrs. Jones. What would I do without you?

I wander into the kitchen to find her taking out a perfectly round pizza smothered in vegetables and sausage. The woman is clearly trying to kill me. I definitely don't feel nauseous now. I take a seat on the bar stool and watch her slice it into eight pieces. She quickly takes out plates and forks and serves me the mouthwatering meal. Christian likes to eat his pizza with a fork, but I just dive right in with my hands. I sink my teeth into the hot cheese and I feel like I'm in heaven. I love food a little too much these days. I'm working on my second slice when Christian emerges from his office. He smiles when he sees me happily eating my pizza and takes a seat next to me, pecking me on the cheek.

"Fancy meeting you here," he says in a deep, sexy voice. I roll my eyes and take another bite of the pizza, chewing the sausage and green peppers slowly. This is amazing.

"Did you get some work done?" He asks, putting a piece of pizza on his plate. I nod my head, my mouth still full. I quickly swallow and take a sip of the water Mrs. Jones put in front of me.

"I did. I'm going to have to go to the office soon though, Christian," I tell him slowly, not knowing what his reaction may be. He chews on his pizza thoughtfully before answering.

"Okay."

Okay? That's it? No fight? I stare at him in shock. He glances at me and gives me a tight smile.

"I know that work is important to you and I don't want you to be stressed out about missing things," he says smoothly, taking another bite of his pizza. I study him for a minute before returning to my food.

"Thank you," I say softly. He leans over and gives me a quick kiss on the head.

"No thanks necessary. After all, I can't have you running my investment into the ground," he teases. I hit him on the arm playfully and laugh.

"We can't have that, now can we Mr. Grey," I tease back. I stand up from my stool and bring my plate to the sink. I'm growing tired and would love nothing more than to sleep, but there's a few things that are bugging me that I need to talk to Christian about.

"Can I ask you something?" I ask timidly. He looks up at me and smiles, nodding his head. I take in a deep breath and collect my thoughts.

"Why have you been working so late recently? I'll wake up in the middle of the night and you're gone. What's going on?"

Christian's smile slowly vanishes and a frown replaces it.

"You know how time consuming GEH can be. I just have a lot of work to do," he says swiftly. Immediately I can sense he's not telling me everything.

"Christian, I want you to tell me what's been going on. Is this because of the night the fire alarm went off? I know how on guard you've been since then. I want to understand," I plead, walking around the counter to where he is sitting. I reach out and lay a hand on his. His eyes meet mine and something flickers through them, something that looks an awful lot like fear.

"Ana," he breathes, clutching my hand tightly. I wait for a response, and after a moment of silence, he finally speaks.

"Jack Hyde is out of prison."