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Book One of the Fifty Shades Trilogy

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I scoith frustration at myself in the mirror Damn my hair - it just won&039;t behave, and daforto brush my hair into submission I must not sleep with it wet Ithisit under control with the brush I roll irl with blue eyes too big for her face staring back at ive up My only option is to restrain my ard hair in a ponytail and hope that I look semi presentable

Kate is my roommate, and she has chosen today of all days to succumb to the flu

Therefore, she cannot attend the interview she&039;d arranged to do, with soa-industri-alist tycoon I&039;ve never heard of, for the student newspaper So I have been volunteered I have final exams to cram for, one essay to finish, and I&039; this afternoon, but no - today I have to drive a hundred and sixty-five s Inc As an exceptional entrepreneur and major benefactor of our University, his time is extraordinarily precious - ranted Kate an interview A real coup, she tells me Damn her extra-curricular activities

Kate is huddled on the couch in the living room

"Ana, I&039;et this interview It will take another six to reschedule, and we&039;ll both have graduated by then As the editor, I can&039;t blow this off Please," Kate begs , sore throat voice How does she do itEven ill she looks gareen eyes bright, although now red-ri of unwelcoo Kate You should get back to bed Would you like some Nyquil or Tylenol?"

"Nyquil, please Here are the questions and my mini-disc recorder Just press record here Make notes, I&039;ll transcribe it all"

"I know nothing about hi panic

"The questions will see you through Go It&039;s a long drive I don&039;t want you to be late"

"Okay, I&039; Get back to bed I made you some soup to heat up later" I stare at her fondly Only for you, Kate, would I do this

"I will Good luck And thanks Ana - as usual, you&039;remy satchel, I smile wryly at her, then head out the door to the car I cannot believe I have let Kate talk

She&039;ll , persuasive, argumentative, beautiful - and she&039;s my dearest, dearest friend

The roads are clear as I set off from Vancouver, WA toward Portland and the I-5 It&039;s early, and I don&039;t have to be in Seattle until two this afternoon Fortunately, Kate&039;s lent me her sporty Mercedes CLK I&039;m not sure Wanda, my old VW Beetle, would make the journey in time Oh, the Merc is a fun drive, and the miles slip away as I floor the pedal to the metal

My destination is the headquarters of Mr Grey&039;s global enterprise It&039;s a huge twenty-story office building, all curved glass and steel, an architect&039;s utilitarian fantasy, with Grey House written discreetly in steel over the glass front doors It&039;s a quarter to then I arrive, greatly relieved that I&039;m not late as I walk into the enorlass, steel, and white sandstone lobby

Behind the solid sandstone desk, a very attractive, groo wo the sharpest charcoal suit jacket and white shirt I have ever seen She looks immaculate

"I&039;h"

"Excuse htly as I stand self-consciously before her I a to wish I&039;d borrowed one of Kate&039;s formal blazers rather than wear my navy blue jacket I have made an effort and worn th boots and a blue sweater For me, this is smart I tuck one of the escaped tendrils of my hair behind my ear as I pretend she doesn&039;t intin in here, Miss Steele You&039;ll want the last elevator on the right, press for the twentieth floor" She sn in

She hands me a security pass that has VISITOR very firmly stamped on the front I can&039;t helpI don&039;t fit in here at all

Nothing changes, I inwardly sigh Thanking her, I walk over to the bank of elevators past the two security men who are both far more smartly dressed than I am in their well-cut black suits

The elevator whisks me with terminal velocity to the twentieth floor The doors slide open, and I&039;lass, steel, and white sandstone I&039; blonde woreet me

"Miss Steele, could you wait here, please?" She points to a seated area of white leather chairs

Behind the leather chairs is a spacious glass-walledroom with an equally spacious dark wood table and at least twentychairs around it Beyond that, there is a floor-to-ceiling ith a view of the Seattle skyline that looks out through the city toward the Sound It&039;s a stunning vista, and I&039;m momentarily paralyzed by the vie

I sit down, fish the questions fro Kate for not providingabout this man I&039;m about to interview He could be ninety or he could be thirty The uncertainty is galling, and et I&039;ve never been co the anonyroup discussion where I can sit inconspicuously at the back of the roo a classic British novel, curled up in a chair in the calass and stone edifice

I rollfrouess Grey is in his forties: fit, tanned, and fair-haired to ant, flawlessly dressed blonde coht What is it with all the i a deep breath, I stand up "Miss Steele?" the latest blonde asks

"Yes," I croak, and clear my throat "Yes" There, that sounded more confident

"Mr Grey will see you in a mogle out of the jacket

"Have you been offered any refreshment?"

"Um - no" Oh dear, is Blonde Number One in trouble?

Blonde Nu woman at the desk

"Would you like tea, coffee, water?" she asks, turning her attention back to lass of water Thank you," I lass of water" Her voice is stern Olivia scoots up immediately and scurries to a door on the other side of the foyer

"My apologies, Miss Steele, Olivia is our new intern Please be seated Mr Grey will be another five lass of iced water

"Here you go, Miss Steele"

"Thank you"

Blonde Nu and echoing on the sandstone floor She sits down, and they both continue their work

Perhaps Mr Grey insists on all his e idly if that&039;s legal, when the office door opens and a tall, elegantly dressed, attractive African-Americanclothes

He turns and says through the door "Golf, this week, Grey"

I don&039;t hear the reply He turns, seesat the corners Olivia has ju from her seat She&039;s more nervous than me!

"Good afternoon ladies," he says as he departs through the sliding door

"Mr Grey will see you now, Miss Steele Do go through," Blonde Nu to suppress lass of water and make my way to the partially open door

"You don&039;t need to knock - just go in" She smiles kindly

I push open the door and stu head first into the office

Double crap - me and my two left feet! I am on my hands and knees in the doorway to Mr Grey&039;s office, and gentle hands are aroundme to stand I am so elance up Holy cow - he&039;s so young

"Miss Kavanagh" He extends a long-fingered hand to ht "I&039;htWould you like to sit?"

So young - and attractive, very attractive He&039;s tall, dressed in a fine gray suit, white shirt, and black tie with unruly dark copper colored hair and intense, bright gray eyes that regard me shrewdly It takes a moment for me to find uy is over thirty then I&039;m a monkey&039;s uncle In a daze, I place ers touch, I feel an odd exhilarating shiver run through me I withdraw my hand hastily, embarrassed Must be static I blink rapidly, h is indisposed, so she sent me I hope you don&039;t mind, Mr Grey"

"And you are?" His voice is warm, possibly amused, but it&039;s difficult to tell from his impassive expression He looks mildly interested, but above all, polite

"Anastasia Steele I&039;lish Literature with Kate, uton State"

"I see," he says sihost of a smile in his expression, but I&039;m not sure "Would you like to sit?" He waves me toward a white leather buttoned L-shaped couch

His office is way too big for just ones, there&039;s a huge modern dark-wood desk that six people could comfortably eat around Itelse is white - ceiling, floors, and walls except, on the wall by the door, where a ed in a square They are exquisite - a series of otten objects painted in such precise detail they look like photographs Displayed together, they are breathtaking

"A local artist Trouton," says Grey when he catchesthe ordinary to extraordinary," I s He cocks his head to one side and regards ree more, Miss Steele," he replies, his voice soft and for so

Apart fros, the rest of the office is cold, clean, and clinical I wonder if it reflects the personality of the Adonis who sinks gracefully into one of the white leather chairs opposite hts, and retrieve Kate&039;s questions from my satchel Next, I set up theit twice on the coffee table in front ofpatiently - I hope - as I becoly ee to look at hihis chin and trailing his long index finger across his lips I think he&039;s trying to suppress a smile

"Sorry," I stutter "I&039;m not used to this"

"Take all the time you need, Miss Steele," he says

"Do you mind if I record your answers?"

"After you&039;ve taken so much trouble to set up the recorder - you askmeI hope I blink at him, unsure what to say, and I think he takes pity on me because he relents "No, I don&039;t h, explain what the intervieas for?"

"Yes To appear in the graduation issue of the student newspaper as I shall be conferring the degrees at this year&039;s graduation ceremony"

Oh! This is news to ht that someone not much older than a successful, but still - is going to presentmy ard attention back to the task at hand

"Good," I s nervously "I have some questions, Mr Grey" I sht youat me My cheeks heat at the realization, and I sit up and square my shoulders in an atte the start button on the recorder, I try to look professional

"You&039;re very young to have alance up at hiuely disappointed

"Business is all about people, Miss Steele, and I&039; people I kno they tick, what makes them flourish, what doesn&039;t, what inspires them, and how to incentivize them I employ an exceptional tearay stare "My belief is to achieve success in any scheme one has to make oneself master of that scheme, know it inside and out, know every detail I work hard, very hard to do that I ut instinct that can spot and nurture a good solid idea and good people The bottoood people"

"Maybe you&039;re just lucky" This isn&039;t on Kate&039;s list - but he&039;s so arrogant His eyes flare momentarily in surprise

"I don&039;t subscribe to luck or chance, Miss Steele The harder I work thethe right people on your tealy I think it was Harvey Firestone who said &039;the growth and develop- of leadership&039;"

"You sound like a control freak" The words are out of my mouth before I can stop thes, Miss Steele," he says without a trace of huaze steadily, iain

Why does he have such an unnerving effect on ood-looks maybeThe way his eyes blaze at ainst his lower lipI wish he&039;d stop doing that

"Besides, i yourself in your secret reveries that you were born to control things," he continues, his voice soft

"Do you feel that you have immense power?" Control Freak

"I eives me a certain sense of responsibility - power, if you will If I were to decide I was no longer interested in the telecommunications business and sell up, twenty thousand people would struggle to e payments after a ered by his lack of humility

"Don&039;t you have a board to answer to?" I ask, disgusted

"I own my company I don&039;t have to answer to a board" He raises an eyebrow at me

I flush Of course, I would know this if I had done soe tack

"And do you have any interests outside your work?"

"I have varied interests, Miss Steele" A ghost of a smile touches his lips "Very varied" And for soaze His eyes are alight with soht

"But if you work so hard, what do you do to chill out?"

"Chill out?" He s He really is beautiful No one should be this good-looking

"Well, to &039;chill out&039; as you put it - I sail, I fly, I indulge in various physical pursuits"