Fifty Shades: Submission and Strength

Chapter 20

Ana awkwardly slipped on the satin cream gown that fit her like a glove, staring at the unrecognizable woman in the mirror. The dress looked stunning. She felt like a fraud.

She tried to gather her limp hair into some kind of ponytail, but she couldn't get the ends to stay in the rubber band she found.

Who the fuck goes to a gala with a rubber band in their hair anyway? Crap! I should've just accepted Christian's offer to have a stylist come do my hair and makeup. Now I'm left accessorizing with cherry-flavored lip gloss from the pharmacy on campus and a rubber band I found in the kitchen drawer. Maybe I can put some mousse in it? Wait, don't you have to do that after you've showered? Maybe I just need more rubber bands? Why did scrunchies go out of style anyway? I thought they were pretty nifty and they came in all kinds of colors.

Ana whipped around when she heard the door creak open — Christian's salacious gawking interrupting her scrunchie analysis.

"You look breathtaking baby," he said, walking up to fold her into his arms.

"I don't know what to do with my hair." Other than brush it.

"Just leave it down. It doesn't matter," he murmured, sucking on the delicate flesh of her collarbone. His hands skated down her bare back before coming to rest on her satin-covered derriere. Christian hummed in appreciation as his erection began poking her belly.

I guess he's more an ass man than a hair man. If he doesn't care about my hair, hopefully no one else will notice it then.

An unbidden thought suddenly sprung into her head.

"What if they ask how we met?" she asked, alarmed.

He chuckled, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "Relax baby. GEH sponsors a number of scholarships and fellowships at the University of Seattle. I'll just say I was visiting the school when I bumped into you on campus."

"Oh OK. That makes sense I guess," she said meekly.

"Ana relax. For the umpteenth time, your very active imagination is overthinking this," he reminded her, tapping her lightly on the head. "It's just a night out with some colleagues. In fact, I think this will give you just the shot of confidence that you need."

Ana frowned at the undercurrent of condescension in his remark.

"I don't know Christian. I'm not sure talking to a roomful of your colleagues is exactly going to inflate my ego."

"They're the ones with the egos — not you. And you're going to wow them. Trust me baby. You'll see. But listen, while we're on the subject, there's something I need to talk to you about," he said, guiding her to sit on the bed next to him. Now is as a good time as ever Grey. She's bound to start recognizing a stocky, six-foot-tall bodyguard lurking in the shadows at some point.

"I'll keep the paparazzi away from you, but I do have to consider the fact that my business associates will see us together. That means people will know you're a part of my life. That in turn means I have to take some added measures to keep you safe," he casually informed her.

Ana jaw went slack as she gaped at him in confusion.

"I'm a very wealthy man Ana, and there are all kinds of people in this world. I'm merely proposing is to put some security on you — to protect you and protect my peace of mind." Well, not quite proposing, since it's a done deal and Sawyer has already been watching you, but there's no need to quibble over trivial details.

Christian interpreted her ashen appearance as a bad sign.

"It would be just one person, a military man that Taylor has thoroughly vetted. He'll be in the background. You won't even notice he's there baby," he reassured her, his knuckles stroking her upper arm, eliciting a trail of goose bumps.