Fifty Shades of War

Ana began to speak, "We..."

However, Grey cut her off, "No, no we don't."

Ana's heart sank to hear him deny what she had suffered so much to give him and held so dear. Sitting back in the chair she drank down the last of her glass and, without thinking, held it out to her husband for refilling.

Ordinarily Grey might show a bit of aversion to the thoughtless act but Alena's gray eyes were piercing straight through him. It was as if she knew everything there was to know about him and his marriage and she was not afraid to call him out on it. "Here you go, sweetheart," he filled the empty glass then tipped the bottle toward his guests. Alena held hers out and let him pour. At first he found it odd she'd take anything from him but then saw the wicked satisfaction in her eyes at having so easily, if temporarily, turned him into her bitch as he went through the civilized motion of giving her more wine. Putting the bottle back on the table resolving not to let her twist him around her little finger like that again he turned to her brawny husband, "So, Ari, your family made its money the old fashioned way they tell me."

"For a Greek," Ares nodded, "Yes, in shipping." He had told the same old cover story for three hundred years whenever it became necessary. The only thing that changed was the names he used. Twenty years ago, he was known as Adrian Papadopoulos. The recently departed. God rest his Immortal Soul. The money came down from one uncle or father to a nephew or son whose identity he assumed such as the recently born Aristotle Papathanassiou and his lovely wife Magdalena.

Grey took in the story offered to him and then asked, "How did the two of you meet?"

Ares looked at Alena with a wide winning smile, "She washed up on my shore. It was as though Poseidon himself gifted her to me." His dark eyes shifted to his host who was looking back at him with curious puzzlement.

Alena filled them in, "He makes it sound so poetic. The truth is I was on a boat and there was a storm, it capsized. All hands were lost but me. The sea was so rough and cold; I thought for sure I'd drown." She shivered at the memory but was warmed by Ares' arm around her shoulders. "I made it to the shore of a small island and turns out it was his island."

"Imagine my surprise when I found her on the beach, I rolled her over thinking she was dead but she opened her eyes and stole my heart." Ares chimed in giving her a kiss on the cheek as he reached for his wine. "Your turn," he motioned toward Grey for the man to tell his own story as he drank.

"It's not quite that dramatic, I'm afraid," Grey uttered before the telling the tale of their accidental meeting. He was grateful when the waiter came to take their order. "Ana will have the seared scallops and I'll have the slow roasted beef."

The waiter looked to Ares and waited to be acknowledged but he wasn't. Instead, Ares spoke to Alena, "What would you like, my love?"

"It all looks and smells so good, I'll have the lasagna pink door," she politely informed the young gentleman standing there so patiently and then handed him her menu. "And an insalta misticanza with olive oil and balsamic."

"The lava lake lamb porterhouse, make it pink and make it two salads alike." Ares handed over his own menu. "Bring us another bottle of that wine, if you please."

"Of course, sir," he gave a respectful nod and walked away with their dinner orders.

"So, a journalist, what a noble profession," Alena complimented the woman who was looking down at her empty plate.

Ana looked up and then over to Christian who again gave a nod but this time it was a little more forceful, "If you're not working for FOX News or the Enquirer I guess," she tittered and felt the mood lightened when Alena laughed with her. "I publish a few times a year in respectable magazines mostly some human interest stories."

Alena tipped her glass to Ana, "That's good, very good."

"And you, Mrs. Papathanassiou? What do you do?" Christian asked gazing at her from over the top of his wine glass.

Alena leaned slightly forward to give her reply, "I'm a teacher, Mr. Grey and a very good one. I've taught some very hard lessons to the unruliest of children."

Before Grey could let slip what was already in his eyes Ares added, "It's true. She does."

While Grey eased back in his chair and picked absently as his suit collecting his thoughts, Ana's eyes scanned upward for the first time to meet the dark stare of the man next to her. He was most handsome and, if truth were told, his deep resonating voice was making her a little moist as she sat here so politely. He smelled like the deep forest; rich, earthy, and clean with just the lightest undertone of fire. For years, she thought Christian was the epitome of masculinity and the male form but she was wrong. Yet, for all of his raw energy the silver-haired woman seemed to have tamed him and to have attained that which she could not with Christian. Ana wanted to know how she did it. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Christian stop fidgeting and lowered her eyes knowing he would be angry to catch her making eye contact with Ari.

Alena did not miss it, she knew Ares caught the young woman's eye, "Very good," she mumbled into her wine glass.

More small talk was made through dinner and desert. Ana asked to see pictures of the children, Alena said she'd left her wallet back at the hotel. Ana quietly ventured a question about a cellphone and Alena couldn't help but roll her eyes thinking their cover was not totally complete. To her astonishment, Ares pulled an iPhone from his breast pocket and handed it over to Ana who looked down at images of Raven and Rose along with those of the happy couple sitting at the table with her.

"He looks so much like you," Ana marveled at the pictures of the striking olive skinned young man with long jet black hair hanging well past hit shoulders. It had a wide swatch of gray running from just over his left eye all the way down his back. It set off his big gray eyes with their amber pupils. "His eyes, they..."

"He gets that from me, I'm afraid, it's a genetic condition," Alena offered sweetly. "Other than that Raven is his father's son."

"And Rose is her daddy's girl," Ares added with certainty. "We are very blessed."

"Yes, you are," Ana whispered wistfully as she handed back the phone, "Truly blessed."

With dinner over and no business having been discussed, Christian couldn't leave the fate of his company to wait until morning. "What do you say we go back to our apartment? We'll have a nightcap."

Ares expected Alena to say no and was on the verge of answering for her when Alena spoke with grace and ease, "We'd love that Mr. Grey. Thank you for the offer."

Ares wasn't sure what Alena had up her sleeve but he was nearly certain that he would not be the one teaching Christian a hard lesson tonight although he'd probably enjoy immensely every second of watching Alena tear him to shreds. Chapter Seven
Sunny Came Home

The Apartment

With the exception of a few touches, the luxury apartment of Mr. & Mrs. Grey was exactly what Alena thought she would find when they walked in the door. It was big. It was wide. It was open. It was overly bright. It was spare decorated. The major colors were white, grey, and red with smatterings of chrome gleaming off the ultra-modern furniture. The only thing that managed to surprise her was the baby grand piano in the middle of the living room. The deep shine of the black wood stood in stark contrast to the blinding floor and white furniture.

Turning to Ana, Alena grinned sweetly, "Do you play?" She expected the young woman to cast those stunning blue eyes to her husband in silent asking of permission to answer the question posed to her. It was then that Alena got her second, but last, surprise of the night.

"No, I do." Christian Grey answered as he sauntered over to the bar with its finely cut crystal decanters shimmering under the recessed lighting and in the highly polished mirror behind them. "Drink?"

"Whisky, single malt, straight up, double shot," Alena replied as she slipped her wrap from her shoulders without looking knowing that Ares would take it from her. "Why don't you regale us, Mr. Grey?" As she took the glass with its amber content from his hand, she waved the other toward the piano. Without being asked or told, she glided over to the white sofa with its gray and red pillows to lounge upon it as though she owned the place.

And him.

Doing his best to hold back the blush flooding color into his cheeks while at the same time hold back the urge to tell the politely rude woman to go to hell. There was so much money on the line that it was almost easy to keep his tongue—and, in her gray eyes, his place--. "Ari, what'll you have?"

"I don't suppose there's any Ouzo in there?" Ares asked standing back taking in his wife setting the scene and beginning to guide the self-assured Christian Grey in the directions she wanted him to go. It was very exciting and if the night did not end up with him, Alena, and Ana in a sweaty heap then it was bound to party on well past dawn back at the Four Seasons without the little girl.

Christian thought he found a saving grace, "Actually, I do, straight from Athens, I'm sure you'll like it." He reached to mini-fridge below the decanters and crystal glasses into the freezer to pull out a frosty bottle of Tolis Nikos. He turned the bottle to the imposing man standing next to him and watched Ari's eyes widen along with the expression on his youthful but somehow wise face. Grey poured two glasses, "Gia ti̱ zo̱í̱," he held his glass up a little higher.

"To life, Mr. Grey, to life, may she never deal out punches of which we are undeserving," Ares drank down the cold licorice liquor in one gulp and held the glass out for a refill. "Please, that song you were going to play for us, please." Like his wife, Ares gestured toward the baby grand.

Taking a sip off the glass of strong alcohol, Grey wandered over to the piano, took off his dinner jacket and neatly laid it over the arm of the couch. Standing at the piano, he stretched his fingers by lacing them together and pushing his arms forward as he pulled his strong shoulders back craning his neck to ease any tension in those muscles. Then he sat at the bench, put his long strong fingers to the black and white keys and began to play.

Ares stood by the bar watching Alena on the couch knowing exactly what she was thinking as Grey played a flawless rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. It was perfect, technically there wasn't a single thing wrong with it other than the piano itself sounded a little flat as though it were slightly muffled. There was no passion in his playing. No ad-libbing at all, of course not, if one played off-the-cuff then one risked making a mistake or showing a card they meant to hold close to their vest. They lost control and Christian Grey was not one for losing control but being in command of it. Note for note, fingers flying over the keys, he nailed the symphony other than that he failed Alena's test miserably.

When he was done, Alena clapped for him, "Very nice, Mr. Grey," she turned to Ana and waved a hand in front of her body to fan it, "is it hot in here or is it just me?" Downing the last of the glass, she stood up, "Never mind, dear, it's probably just me, my age, you know." She tittered as she slid down the zipper of the lace covering on her dress. Opening it to the fullest showing it for the outer jacket it was, she let it fall off her alabaster shoulders until it was gathered in one hand and her slender body still before Christian Grey in nothing but the satin underskirt of her gown. "That's better." Swaying her way across the open room to the bar where Ares stood she slipped an arm around his waist as she poured another glass of single malt. "Another song, Mr. Grey? Perhaps something we can dance to, Ari and I love to dance. Do you know Let's Get It On? That's our song." She did a little shimmy next to her husband pushing up close against him as she rocked into his flank.

Grey's mouth began to water watching her grind on the big man, "I'm classically trained," he mumbled.

"Really? How interesting," she cooed, "Jazz then? Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl, do you know that one?"

When Grey took the last gulp of his Ouzo, Ares turned his head toward the bar, away from the man to whisper, "You're so bad."

Keeping her gray eyes fixed on the man at the piano, Alena reached up to grab Ares' tie and pull him down to her with a good yank, "Yes, well, I'll just have to punish you for my bad behavior later."

Ares' knees went weak and he almost fell to the floor as his strong legs bobbled out from under him. It was unlike her to be so bold anywhere but their bedroom, or the Throne Room, or the Parlor, or the island. He liked this little game she was playing and thought he'd kick it up a notch, "Yes, mistress." To his delight, Alena let out a little shudder as she gave him a sly but genuine grin.

Christian sat silently observing believing he was getting a good drunken glimpse of the inner workings of their marriage and thinking that Aristotle Papathanassiou, the richest and probably largest, man in the world was pussy whipped by the merest wisp of a wife. It made him want to teach her that harsh painful lesson all the more. The thought of her strung up in chains, her arms stretched over her silver head, and her feet spread wide held just inches off the floor ran behind his steely eyes unabated and unveiled.

"Well, why you're deciding what to play next, Mr. Grey, my dear," she turned to Ana sitting there watching the scene playout her young face white, "where's the ladies room? I need to freshen up a bit."

Ana didn't wait for Christian's silent permission, "Down the hall, around the corner, to the left."

"Thank you," she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss Ares' bearded cheek as she reached down to grab his firm ass with meaning. "I'll be back." In her own inimitable way, Alena nearly floated out of the room ostensibly to find the bathroom.

Ignoring Ana, Ares looked at Christian Grey, "She's quite something, isn't she?" He poured another glass of the expensive Ouzo but this time it was four fingers deep and rose nearly to the rim of the crystal. He took a long drink, "You have no idea how lucky I am, Christian."

"I think I'm beginning to understand," Grey replied noticing his own glass was empty. He crossed the room to the bar to stand next to his biggest investor, "But you won't let her determine your financial future, will you? Good pussy's one thing but money, tons of it, that's quite another, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Ares turned his stare to the nearly horrified young woman, "what's good pussy worth to you, Mr. Grey?"

II

Alena didn't go to the bathroom, instead she wandered the apartment until she found what she was seeking; Christian Grey's home office. If the man were hiding anything, it would be in here. It did not take her long to find it simply because the little man was so easy to read. Except to the innocent and inexperienced, men like Christian Grey were so damn predictable as to be laughable. Opening the center draw of his desk she felt below it and found a hard piece of plastic inside an envelope. Alena pulled it out to see it was a keycard for apartment 1408.

"Got'cha," she said cheerfully as she tucked it into her bra. "You little prick." Fearing only for the young woman in the living room and how her life was about to change, her illusions shattered, Alena licked her lips and sauntered back into the living room thinking of that slightly muffled and flat piano Grey played with perfect precision but without passion. She dropped the straps of her under gown from her shoulders to her forearms, let her silver hair down from its bun until it cascaded over her milky shoulders and then gave it a good tousle to appear more intoxicated than she was when she came back into the living room. Like Ares, it would take a lot more than Mortal alcohol to get her three sheets to the wind the two of them only drank it for the taste, not for the buzz. However, Grey didn't have to know that and neither did his sweet little wife.

III

Weaving an unsteady path as she slunk around the corner back into the living room, when she spoke her words were slightly slurred as she let the smoke of desire go unveiled in her stormy eyes. "Did you find that song, Mr. Grey? I'd really like to dance tonight."

Grey took two steps out from his place at the bar to be seen past the big man next to him, "No, we're here to discuss business Mrs. Papathanassiou, not for pleasure."

Alena frowned letting her bottom lip puff out and quiver, "Pity, but it's your choice."

Grey turned back to the man behind him, "Ari, why don't we step into my office?"

Ares nodded, drink in hand, he began to follow the man out of the room. As he passed Alena, she gave him a sly look as she winked at him and reached into her bodice. He stopped next to her.

"While you're in there, perhaps the two of you can discuss what's in apartment 1408?" She pulled the keycard out of her bra with as much flourish as a practiced magician. Holding it between two fingers, she turned around for Grey to see, "I found this under your desk, Mr. Grey."

Instinctively, Grey went for the bait, his hand snatched out for the keycard while the other raised up to slap her across the face. The silver haired woman took one step back and two the right, away from her husband, and out of Grey's reach. "Give it to me." He demanded through gritted teeth trying to comprehend how swiftly and gracefully she'd moved away from his attack on both fronts.

"I told you, I want to dance tonight," Alena whispered heatedly as she dangled the keycard in front of him, "don't you like to dance, Mr. Grey?"

Rage boiled within Grey's slender frame all he wanted to do was choke the smug bitch, wrestle her to the ground and then to his will. The shadow looming over him was large and when he looked up, he saw Ari's smoldering eyes staring back at him. The big wiggled a finger back and forth in the air as he clucked his lips indicated it would be a very bad idea for Christian to take one more step toward his woman. "You wouldn't be so brazen without him," Grey hissed.

"Oh, is that so? Well, then, my darling, take a load off."

Knowing Alena could take Grey down any time she wanted but preferring that she let him handle the situation from here on out, Ares played along. As he sauntered back to the couch, Alena held up the keycard and he plucked it from her fingers. Standing next to Ana who was herself beginning to rise, he held it out for her to see, "Are you moving, my dear? Out of this extravagant penthouse to a luxury apartment?"

Ana was thoroughly confused, "No," she took the plastic card being offered her, turned it over and over in her hands, and then looked up at her husband, "Christian, what is this?"

Feeling trapped by the weight of the question and the unwavering stare of the woman in front of him, he offered, "It's nothing, just a new office space. I need more room so I rented an apartment for business. I thought we'd turn this office into a writing room for you."

Alena leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Nice save."

Grey didn't just balk; he flinched and took a step back.

"Let's go see this new office, shall we?" Alena cooed and turned to Ana, "I'm sure you'd love to see what he's done with the place, wouldn't you, dear?"

"It's not finished," Grey grunted and began to sweat.

"Well, that's perfect, isn't it? You'll still be able to provide decorating tips," she looked around at her surroundings, "I see you didn't get much input here." Putting her arm through Ana's and turning the young woman toward the private elevator Alena guided her to it, "Come on, let's go see what Ari's money has bought."