7 Days to Christian Grey

Day 7: Endgame

Always wear red when you're trying to seduce a man. An older woman that I trust told me that once, but I can't quite remember who it was. It may have been one of my aunts. Or perhaps my grandmother.

And so, on Saturday evening I choose a tight red dress with a low back, dangling earrings, and a gold necklace that highlights my cleavage. I spend an hour curling my hair, and another hour on my makeup. I even utilize a few precious sprays of my $150 department store perfume. I double back to look in the mirror at least three times before I throw on jacket, and head out the door.

Conveniently, Thomas is out drinking with friends, so I don't have to worry about him seeing me leave. I should be back before he does—especially since my rendezvous with Christian will be cut short—but I take a change of casual clothes and prepare a story about my own night out with my friends, in the event that I'm not there when he returns.

My Uber arrives quickly, and the guilt only really starts to set in on the long ride to Christian's place. I've spent a solid twenty-four hours being so consumed with my revenge against him, that I've hardly considered my boyfriend of four years, my college sweetheart. Thomas and I are going to get married and have kids one day. We're meant for each other. Thomas has always been there for me, getting coffee during all those overnighters I spent stressed out and anxious as I worked to get a design agency off the ground. Thomas was there to give me good counsel about whether I should still hire Zara even though she didn't have a college degree ("What does it matter, babe? Her portfolio is spectacular."). Thomas was there in our apartment with a pencil in his teeth and a drill in his right hand, balancing precariously on a stack of Amazon boxes to hang the blinds in our living room (he'd never used a drill before in his life). Thomas has done everything for me. And now here I am, dressed up like it's senior prom, riding to another man's house to sexually tease him out of a deviant sexual arrangement that I potentially would have followed through on before being turned down by his company.

I wouldn't have done it anyway.

But would I have...? I seriously consider that, trying my best to be honest with myself. Before I'd had that phone conversation, my answer to Christian's proposal had been a resounding NO. No had been my answer when I was in the mind of Rational Everyday Leila. Now, Sexually Aroused Leila, on the other hand...had been known for getting me into some trouble before I met Thomas, and on more than one occasion. But isn't everyone like that? Don't we all say and do things we wouldn't when we're in that state of mind?

I wouldn't have taken Christian up on his offer. With or without the rejection from Mitchell. I'm sure of that.

"We're here." The Uber driver says, a little annoyed.

I snap out of my reverie. We're parked in front of Christian's condo.

"Sorry!" I say, and get out of the car.

The man clearly likes to be up high; the building looks to be about forty stories. There's a doorman and a security counter. Just like at Catalina, they both immediately let me through, and give me directions to his condo. Getting to his floor requires a special keycard.

The elevator ride up to Christian's place is too long. It's like climbing a roller coaster, stomach flutter included. This is over, I tell myself, nodding along to my own thoughts. Internally, I rehearse all the snappy remarks I'm going to say. I am going to make sure that he knows that I know it was his influence that caused Mitchell to give the contract to Kilgore.

After what feels like a full hour, the elevator finally comes to a halt and the doors open. I move forward, expecting to walk out into a hallway. Instead, I step into a plush sunken living room. It takes me a moment to recover from the shocking of walking directly into someone's home, and I survey my surroundings. It's like a modern editorial out of Architectural Digest. Everything is sleek, chrome, and angular. The wall on the other side of the room is floor to ceiling glass, providing a window to see out onto all of downtown Seattle.