Okay, so when it comes down to it, maybe I'm not ready for this.
After Elliot left, Christian, Kate, and I shared another bottle of champagne. And now it's empty. There's no legitimate reason to delay heading to Escala, so we're going to be heading to the car any minute.
Of course now is when I start panicking. Are we really going to have... a threesome?
I'm a good girl. I can't do this.
"You ready?" Christian asks me.
No. No, I am not.
"Um, just a moment," I blurt and run for the restroom as fast as my Louboutins can carry me.
Once I get there, I do just what Christian suggested I do an hour ago – I splash water on my face. I look at myself in the mirror and blink for a full two minutes, my mind reeling at the prospect of doing this incredibly depraved, hot, sick, tempting, immoral, sensual, free, experimental, reckless...
Well, this thing.
My phone rings. It's Christian.
"Are you alright, Ana?" His voice is soft and concern colors it.
"I'm sort of freaking out." Honesty is the best policy, right?
"Do not freak out," says Christian Grey, the Dominant. I hesitate for a moment but I decide to trust him.
I take a steadying breath. "No, sir."
"Kate will be in to fetch you from the restroom while I pull the car around. She'll bring your jacket. Hold her hand on the way downstairs, but do not touch her beyond that."
"Yes, sir."
There's a pause before he says quietly, "Don't overthink this, Ana."
"No, sir."
He sighs heavily then hangs up.
I look down at my phone. My hands are shaking. Can I really do this? I want to, but sometimes that's just not enough.
The door to the ladies' room opens and I hear Kate's heels click across the floor.
Her finger reaches under my chin and tilts my face up to face her.
"Chris told me to tell you," she says, taking a deep breath. She drops her voice to her lower register and does an absolutely abysmal imitation of Christian's voice. "'Do not freak out.' He told me to say it just like that."
I can't help it. I guffaw. I laugh so hard I snort. I wonder momentarily if Christian knew that her horrible impression of him would make me laugh so hard.
"Why were you doing a British accent? He's not British," I gasp, wiping away moisture from my eyes.
"What?" Kate looks almost offended. "That was not a British accent!"
"Oh yes it was," I say as she thrusts my jacket into my arms.
"That's what he sounds like," she insists, grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the restroom and into the gyrating crowd.
Meanwhile, I'm laughing so hard I can hardly keep up.
"He does not sound like that... at all," I shout over the music.
"See, this is why I don't like being the messenger," Kate mumbles, smashing the elevator call button three times. A hot couple walks up beside us to wait, whispering in each other's ears and feeling each other up. "The messenger always gets shot." The doors open and she pulls me inside.
The couple untangles itself long enough to take a step towards our elevator, but then a door behind them pings open. They choose the privacy of their own elevator and our doors close, leaving the two of us alone together.
Before I even know what's happening, Kate grabs my jacket from me and throws it, with hers, on the floor of the elevator, then she locks her lips over mine, stifling my laughter completely. Her right hand reaches around to my back, pressing me against her, her left reaches down to the hem of my dress and kneads the back of my right thigh. I'm so lost in the moment and the sensation I moan loudly into her mouth and squeeze her ass tightly with both my hands.
God, she has a spectacular ass.
Our kissing and groping quickens, frenetic, my mind completely devoid of thought. We're ripping at each other's dresses, hair, bra straps, bare skin. She tilts my head away and bites down the side of my neck, pulling at the barely-there straps of my dress, working it over my shoulders.
That's when my phone rings.
Oh fuck! Christian said just hand-holding.
I scramble, swatting Kate away and adjusting the right strap of my dress which she's nearly managed to work over my breast.
I try to steady my breath, checking my reflection in the still-closed elevator doors, and smooth down my hair before answering the phone.
"Hello," I say as cheerily as possible considering I'm still huffing and puffing. Kate rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest.
"I thought I said to hold her hand." At least he doesn't sound too pissed. "Let me talk to her."
I look over at Kate and make an apologetic look then slowly extend the phone towards her. She takes it apprehensively and puts it to her ear.
"Chris?" she says meekly. I can't hear what Christian is saying but he's definitely using that flat, disappointed tone I've become so familiar with.
"Got it. Okay we're just at the lobby now. See you in a minute." She hangs up and hands the phone back to me. She bends and picks up our jackets.
"What did he say?"
"He said I'm not being fair. And he's right. If we're doing this, we should discuss everything first." She holds my hand again and squeezes it reassuringly. "Feel better, though?" The doors open and we walk out into the marble lobby.
I nod. Between the hysterical laughter and the sneak attack elevator action, I'd completely forgotten to be nervous.
Christian is out front, leaning against a blue classic sports car with white racing stripes. Where did that come from? We drove here in a Range Rover. It's a freaking hot car, though, I'll say that. Christian gives me a soft peck on the cheek and opens the driver door for us to climb in the back before sliding the seat into place and positioning himself behind the steering wheel.
"Buckle up, ladies," he says, starting the car and revving the engine several times.
"You have a '67 Shelby? Gah, this is my dream car. I've always wanted one," Kate shouts over the roar of the engine.
"I have two. But I prefer blue," Christian says simply, winking at me in the rear view. He punches the car into gear and squeals the tires a bit, taking off like a sprinter towards Escala.
There's no conversation possible while we're driving with the windows down, the engine roaring like a tiger. I let the sound pour over me, the night air whipping my hair around my head.
After just a few minutes, we arrive at Escala's underground parking lot, then Kate and I are piling out of the backseat and into the private elevator.
Suddenly I'm self-conscious of every inch of my body, careful not to touch either Kate or Christian and they seem just as wary of me. The air is electric in the elevator as the three of us ride up, none of us daring to look at the others.
We arrive at Christian's apartment where he leads us out into the foyer and then the massive great room. He takes our jackets silently and disappears momentarily to hang them up, returning in just his white v-neck and black jeans.
There's a long moment where we all look at each other. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife.
"I think it best we establish some ground rules," Christian says casually, turning and slouching onto a giant white leather sofa.
"Yes, let's," Kate says, slumping onto another white leather sofa. "First rule: Tell me why the fuck Ana calls you 'sir'."
I walk over to the wet bar and pour myself a whiskey. This is going to be a long chat. "Please try to keep an open mind, Kate," I say, sitting on yet another giant white leather sofa.
"What Anastasia and I have is a very specific type of relationship. It's completely consensual and we have, much like this, laid down some simple rules for our relationship based on our preferences." More like a 12-page contract, but that's just semantics I suppose. "I prefer she address me as 'sir' or 'Mr. Grey' whenever possible given our social surroundings."
That was far simpler an explanation than I imagined was possible. He probably rehearsed that.
"I hope you don't expect me to call you that," Kate says, snorting slightly.
"Not unless you'd like to, Kate." He leans in towards her. "No one should be doing anything they don't want to here. That defeats the point. Pushing our comfort levels? Sure. But this is why we have rules."
There's a long moment before Kate answers.
"Are you two?" she hesitates and thinks better of whatever question she was about to ask. "Okay, I don't really know where to start with these rules."
"Why don't we have a safeword?" I ask.
Both of them whip their heads around to stare at me; Christian with a bit of what looks like warning and Kate with shock.
Christian grinds his teeth slightly when Kate whips back around to him. "Better safe than sorry," he explains.
Kate opens her mouth to lecture him but, again, thinks better of it. "Fine. Any suggestions?"
"'Yellow' means stop escalating, like a warning. 'Red' means stop," I say.
"Immediately," Christian clarifies. "It doesn't matter what's happening, everything stops. Try to avoid 'red'."
"Easy enough to remember," Kate says. "What else?"
"Well," Christian starts. "Are you, for instance, comfortable with oral sex, manual sex, coitus, anal sex, rimming, fisting, sex toys..." he trails off.
"Jesus, you get straight to the point, don't you?"
"I don't like to pussyfoot around, Miss Kavanagh," Christian says with a grin.
"Hey, pour me a drink, will you, Ana?"
I stand up and head back over to the bar. When I turn around, Christian and Kate are sitting right next to each other, heads bowed in deep conversation. I put a coaster on the coffee table in front of Kate.
"That sounds fine with me," she says, leaning forward and taking her bourbon from me with a smile.
"Tonight will go a bit smoother, I think, if we take things slow. We don't have to aim for the stars and call it a failure if we land on the moon," Christian says calmly, rubbing Kate's shoulder with one hand as she takes a long draught from her glass. I stand awkwardly for a second or two, watching as Christian works the tension out of Kate's arm.
Kate is definitely enjoying this and I find myself wishing I was the one massaging her.
As if he can read my thoughts, Christian looks up at me and says, "Here, you take over. I'm going to put on some music."
I kick off my heels to climb onto the back of the couch so I'm sitting above Kate and place my feet on either side of her thighs. We've done this exact thing a hundred times - it's the best way to get a good angle for her shoulders. But this time seems so different, so filled with meaning, with heat.
I begin by kneading my fingers into the sides of her neck and gently work my way down to her shoulder blades. She, in return, is rubbing the back of my knee, by her shoulder, with her thumb. When my fingers work past her neck, she turns her head to the side and kisses the inside of my knee wetly.
I let out a low groan just as music surrounds us. A slow melody on piano; a languid, easy rhythm. Christian saunters back over, walking behind the couch until I can feel the heat of him against my bare back. He reaches his hands up and starts rubbing my shoulders with his steady, reassuring grip.
Before long, I feel his lips against my ear.
"Take off your panties, Ana."
I feel a flood of warmth from my knee straight up to the pit of my stomach.
A little louder he says, "Stand up a moment, Katherine."
Kate turns to look at him, then twists to stand, facing us.
"Now," Christian breathes in my ear.
Locked by Kate's intense gaze, I reach under my dress to hook my fingers into the straps of my tiny underwear and work them down slowly. Shit, this is really happening.
"Give them here," Christian says. I hold them up for him to take. He takes them and pockets them then buries his head in the crook of my neck. "Thank you, Miss Steele," he hums, kissing my neck and shoulder.
Kate moves forward onto her knees on the seat of the couch, easing herself between my legs and running her hands slowly along the tops of my thighs, under the skirt of my dress.
"Relax," she says softly. She leans in and kisses me softly, her eyes open, holding mine. My hands automatically find her ass and pull her even closer into me. Christian hums pleasantly behind me, easing the straps of my dress off my shoulders as I work the hem of Kate's dress over the apple of her ass.
My kiss with Kate deepens, Christian's hands run from my shoulders down to my breasts, squeezing and lifting them, then finally popping them free from my dress. The straps constrict my arm movements now, so I'm unable to reach all the way behind Kate. Christian takes my chin and tilts it up towards him, kissing me hard, biting my lip, making me gasp. Kate takes the opportunity to slip her dress off over her head and toss it behind her.
When I turn back to her, my jaw nearly drops open. The bra she's wearing is little more than white elastic straps with a couple of pasties thrown in. The panties seem utterly pointless: as far as I can see, there's no actual fabric to them, just some criss-crossing elastic banding that doesn't cover anything important.
She presses her nearly nude body against me, bending just enough to pull me into another long kiss. I feel feverish, my skin tingling all over. Christian's fingers are circling my nipples, pinching, pulling, twisting the tender flesh while Kate's hands are slowly roaming from the tops of my thighs around to my hips, then to the backs of my thighs...
I can feel the rumble of Christian's chest against my back when Kate straightens herself, breaking our kiss to address him."You, sir, are wearing entirely too much clothing." I reach my hands back and tug at his belt, but he steps away from me and pulls his t-shirt over his head. He presses his front into my back again and runs his hand through Kate's hair to pull her toward him. Her breasts just graze my face and his erection presses against my ass as the two of them share their first kiss. I hesitate, not wanting to ruin their shared moment, when I realize — this is it. We're in the middle of it.
I'm in the middle of it. Literally.
I reach my hands behind me again and squeeze Christian's cock for all I'm worth, biting the underside of Kate's left breast gently at the same time.
Their simultaneous intake of breath is so satisfying to me, I feel myself getting even wetter. Kate must have had the same idea because she breaks their kiss and I feel her run her hand along my opening, dipping just the tips of her fingers inside of me. I'm momentarily dizzy, but as I'm firmly wedged between Kate and Christian, I'm confident I won't be falling over any time soon.
Christian grabs Kate's wrist, lifting her hand to his mouth, and sucking my juices from her fingers.
"Mm, I'd say she's ready, Miss Kavanagh," he says, letting go of her wrist, but grabbing both of mine. "Enough of this topping from the bottom, Miss Steele," he whispers in my ear, lifting my arms above my head. "Stay like this."
He works my dress up until it's covering my face, blocking my view but leaving the rest of my body naked and exposed. "As punishment for your ride in the elevator," he says so quietly Kate couldn't possibly hear. I squirm at the suggestion, my whine muffled by the heavy fabric.
I feel a breeze between my thighs and know Kate has stood up from the couch.
"Put your hands behind my neck," Christian says and I comply, locking my fingers around his neck, stretching my body slightly. "Good. Very good. Just like that."
I feel his hands cup my stretched breasts and his fingers tweak my nipples. I can hear Kate rustling around in front of me. Then Christian lifts and pushes my breasts together and I feel a tongue between them, teeth biting the fleshy undersides of them, lips suckling my nipples. Christian bites my neck and I scream just a little. Kate's fingers run up the insides of my thighs, converging just shy of that tiny bundle of nerves at the center of me.
She scratches her nails lightly down my torso next as Christian continues his ministrations upon my breasts, caressing them until I lose my breath.
"She's close, Miss Kavanagh," Christian breathes.
"I know," she purrs back, her kisses trailing over my belly button, working their way slowly, too slowly, down to my sex.
I can feel my knees shaking when Kate stretches them wider. She runs her hands back up from my knees once more and this time she lets her hands grab at my ass, pulling me forward just a little so I'm leaning against Christian's chest. I feel him nod under my hands, pinching my nipples hard.
Kate eases her fingers inside of my as she kisses my clit, sending wracking waves through my entire body.
"Oh god, I'm going to come," I cry.
"Good," Christian and Kate whisper simultaneously.
Christian releases his hold on my nipples and Kate sucks my clit into her mouth, pumping her fingers in and out of me.
I was not prepared for this.