RACHEL’S POV

When I get to work on Friday, there is a new computer being installed on my desk. I’m surprised, isn’t it a little early for IT?

“Miss Carrington,” one of the IT guys greets me.

“Hello,” I say. “What’s all this?”

“Mr. Grey has ordered a computer for you, Miss Carrington. We’ll have it set up in no time.” I nod, place my purse in the bottom drawer and set off to start a pot of coffee. Where is Andrea? She’s always here before me. Seriously, sometimes I wonder if she sleeps here. Not last night, I guess.

Once I’ve got the coffee started, I grab a banana out of the snack drawer and head back to my desk, remembering: The submissive will not snack between meals, with the exception of fruit.

Andrea’s at the desk when I get back.

“Thanks, Gus,” She says as the IT guy walks away and her eyes snap up to me. She looks weird for a moment but then she smiles. She’s been acting weird this week, I wonder what’s up? Maybe something’s going on at home and that’s why she was late this morning. Is it too soon for me to ask a personal question like that?

“Good morning, Rachel,” she says. “I’m sorry I was late.”

“No problem, I got the coffee started. What’s with the computer?” I ask again.

“Oh..” She frowns. “Mr. Grey ordered it. He said he didn’t want me sharing an email program with you.”

I smile, oh yes. I’ve got him.

“He’s so weird sometimes,” I say with false bemusement. She narrows her eyes at me. Oh no, Andrea, this is one thing about Mr. Grey that I’m going to know and you aren’t.

The elevator pings and we both turn to greet Mr. Grey as he steps into the lobby.

“Good Morning, Mr. Grey,” I say, beating Andrea to the punch.

“Good Morning, Rachel,” He says, his voice is darker than usual, heady. My breath hitches as I realize he’s addressed me by my first name for the first time. He glances over me sending a shiver up my sigh. He’s so damn beautiful.

“Get me some coffee,” He commands, and he nods at Andrea before he enters his office.

“Huh…” Andrea says. “I was Miss Parker for a year before he started calling me Andrea.”

That’s because you can offer him what I can, Andrea.

He knows. I know he knows its me now and he’s… intrigued.

“Rachel!” Andrea snaps. “What are you doing? Coffee, now!”

Oh, right. I hurry to the break room and get a cup for… Master. Hmm. I like that. I wonder how this is going to work with Mrs. Grey? I know he has two houses. Will he meet me at his apartment and keep Mrs. Grey at home with the baby? Well, that’s for him to figure out. All that matters at the end of the day, is that I have him.

I smile with satisfaction as I stride purposefully across the lobby to the double wooden doors to Grey’s office. I straighten my skirt and walk inside. When I enter, his eyes glance up and he watches every step I take across the room. There’s something different about the way he looks at me. I’ts.. possessive almost. Oh yes, he wants this.

“Your coffee, Sir,” I emphasize the last word.

“Miss Carrington,” He says. “Have a seat.”

I move to the chair across from him and slowly sit down, his eyes following me as I go.

“What can I do for you, sir?” I ask.

“You’re fired,” He says simply, and my stomach drops. What? Shit!

“M-Mr. Grey?” I stutter. Fuck, I’ve read this whole thing wrong. He can’t be firing me for the -S stuff… he has no proof it was me. Does he?

“This is you, isn’t it?” He asks, turning his monitor towards me. “Stealing confidential documents of the GEH server?”

It’s a video of me at the desk, the day I found the contract. Cameras, fuck! Why did I look around?

“I-I,” I stutter. I don’t know what to say.

“I found a lot of interesting things on this video. You know, I never did get those contract revisions Mrs. Klein dropped off on your desk. And going through my phone? Miss Carrington…” he clicks his tongue disapprovingly at me. He’s mocking me. Well, Grey, if that’s how you want to play it.

“I don’t think you want to fire me, Mr. Grey,” I say softly.

“Oh, don’t you?” he asks.

“No, because what’s to stop me from sending that contract out? I’m sure Harvey Levin would love some personal information on the elusive Christian Grey.”

His eyes narrow and he brushes his finger over his bottom lip. “I’d rather hoped you planned on signing that contract.”

I breathe in deeply. I wasn’t wrong. He does want this. “You mean, you’re looking for someone to fulfil the terms of that contract for you?”

“I’m saying that just because our professional relationship has to end, doesn’t mean a contractual one can’t exist.”

I stare into his stone gray eyes. He reaches out and presses the intercom button on his handset.

“Yes, Mr. Grey,” Andrea answers

“Fax me the contract, Andrea. I need it by this afternoon.” He doesn’t take my eyes off of me.

“Yes, sir,” she says.

“We’ll need to set up a meeting place, so I can have you sign the contract this afternoon,” he tells me.

“There is coffee shop right around the corner from my apartment,” I tell him and he nods.

“I’ll have Taylor meet you there at 1:30.”

I smile. “Well, if that’s all Mr. Grey. I shall speak to you very soon.”

His mouth curls into a half smile and I turn to leave. Well, I’ll need to find a new job, but I’ve gotten what I want. Besides, I’m sure, after our first night together, Mr. Grey will give me an excellent reference.

Later that afternoon, I walk from my apartment to the coffee shop on the corner. I order a latte and sit by the window. I see Taylor walk in at 1:28.

“Miss Carrington,” he says, and he pulls out a manilla envelope and hands it to me. I reach inside and slide out the contract and read over it again. The only revisions he’s made has been to input my information. I sign my name on the bottom and date.

Taylor takes the contract back and hands me an envelope with the address to Escala, a time to meet him there, and a code to get inside.

Before heading home, I decide to stop by the salon. Per the contract, Mr. Grey will reimburse me for the services I have done and I want to make sure I’m perfect when I meet him this evening.

At exactly 7 o’clock I pull into Escala, parking in the spot the information Taylor gave me tells me to. I punch the code in the elevator and am whisked up to the 31st floor. I’m released into a beautiful foyer and walk out into a vast, modern looking living room. I don’t see anyone… Strange. I was sure he’d be here. Maybe he’s late? It doesn’t sound like him, but I guess he does have to get here without his wife knowing.

I’m distracted from my worries by the beautiful view of the Seattle skyline. Wow, I can see the whole city from up here. There is a noise behind me and I turn to see a girl with long light brown hair coming down the stairs behind me. Shit, Mrs. Grey? No, this girl is taller than Mrs. Grey. Who the hell?

“Hello,” She says to me. “You must be Rachel, or do you prefer to be called S?”

“Who are you?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.

“Uh, uh, uh,” she says. “Rule number one, no questions. A good submissive does as she’s told and never asks questions.”

I stare back at her blankly. What the fuck is this? Her eyes narrow slightly.

“We’re here to help, Rachel. You’re inexperienced and Mr. Grey will be very intimidating for a first timer. We’re going to… help you through the basics.”

“We?” I ask. She motions for me to follow her with her finger and heads back up the stairs. When I’m in the upstairs hallway, I see another brown haired girl standing outside an open door that pours light into the hallway. She’s standing with her head pointed down to the ground.

“It’s okay, Susie. You can look up,” the brown haired girl who led me up the steps says and the other girl, Susie, snaps her head up. She smiles at me too.

“Oh, Lulu, she’s overdressed,” Susie says. Lulu? The first brunette nods and Susie turns to address me.

“Strip,” Susie commands. Fuck she’s serious. No! Where is Mr. Grey?

“Uh, oh, Susie. It looks like Miss Carrington here just disobeyed a direct command. What would Mr. Grey do?”

“I bet Sophia knows what Mr. Grey would do,” Susie says. I hear the crack of a whip from inside the room and the sound of high heels clacking against hard wood. What?

Another woman, again a brunette, walks out of the room, brandishing a whip.

“Does there seem to be a problem, Leila?” Sophia asks and she glares down at me wickedly.

“It doesn’t look like Miss Carrington wants to wear the appropriate attire for the playroom, Sophia.”

“Oh dear, that is a problem. I think five lashes ought to cure that.”

“Mr. Grey would do six,” Susie says. Sophia raises the whip, shit!

“Okay, okay,” I say, and I strip down to my panties. Fuck, this is humiliating.

“Follow me,” Leila says and she leads me into a dark red room. I’m floored, there must be ten brown haired women in here. Who are these people? Ex-submissives? It would explain why they keep telling me what Mr. Grey would do. There is a girl on the floor next to the door, her hands on her knees. She too stares down at the floor.

“Amanda here is demonstrating submissive pose,” Leila tells me. “Get on you knees.”

I crouch down, nervous now. What are they going to do to me?

“Do you have a blindfold, Julia?” Susie asks.

“Absolutely, Susie,” another voice answers. I look up.

“Uh oh..” Lelia says. “She looked up without being told.”

“I don’t think she’s scared of the whip, Sophia. Better grab the cane,” Susie says, she looks down at me. “Mr. Grey loves the cane.”

One of the brown hair girls throws a long wooden cane across the room and Sophia catches it. She twirls it in her hand and then brings it down, hard, on my back. I scream as I feel the bite of the cane. Pain ricochets through me and my skin feels like it’s on fire. Fuck that hurt. That really fucking hurt.

“Have you had enough?” Leila asks, and I nod my head profusely, unable to speak as my skin is still blazing where I was hit.

Sophia bends down to my level. “Mr. Grey would do six,” she says again. I’m shaking.

“Get her up,” Leila says and Amanda and Susie pull me to my feet. Leila walks across the room, and stands in front of a large wooden cross.

“Here will do,” She says, and I’m dragged across the room by Amanda and Susie. They push me against the cross and my hands and feet are attacked by the woman who wrap leather straps around my wrists and ankles, restraining me. I can’t move.

“Which drawer, would Mr. Grey choose?” A girl sitting on a large wooden cabinet asks.

“She doesn’t have any limits,” Leila says. “I say, go broke or go home.”

The girl on the chest smiles and reaches down into a drawer, pulling out some horrible looking metal object. Where does that go? Fuck, what does Grey have in those drawers? She approaches me with a malevolent smile.

“Wait!” Leila says. “We’re forgetting something. Addison?”

The girl against the far wall approaches and pulls out a camera. She brings it up to her face as Sophia hits me with the cane down again. I scream and the camera clicks. It’s a polaroid camera and I hear the picture begin to print. It clicks again and again as I try to regain my focus after the second blow.

“Insurance policy,” Leila whispers in my ear.

I can’t do this. I’d imagined kinky sex with a hot man, with Mr. Grey. Not being tortured and tied up by a group of crazy women. Is this what he’s into? More than handcuffs and ball gags? Sophia’s voice rings in my head: Mr. Grey would do six. I think back to the contract:

Which of the following types of pain/punishment/discipline are acceptable to the Submissive?

• Spanking
• Paddling
• Whipping
• Caning
• Biting
• Nipple clamps
• Genital clamps
• Ice
• Hot wax
• Other types/methods of pain

Fuck, that was serious? I look around at the canes and whips on the wall. No. I was thinking spanking, maybe a slap or two. This is some heavy shit. I don’t want that… I don’t want any of that.

“Stop!” I scream.

“That’s not a safe word, Rachel,” Leila says. “Mr. Grey only stops for safe words.”

Fuck… what was the safe word?

“Red!” I yell.

“Take her down,” Leila says, and, in seconds, I’m released. I look into the eyes of the women around me, staring at me, glaring at me.

“You’re all crazy!” I scream.

“No, we’re all submissives. This is what Master wants. Is it what you want S?” The girl with the camera, Addison, says. I need to get out of here, now!

I move quickly for the door, picking up my clothes, and begin to sprint for the stairs.

“Oh, Rachel,” I hear Leila call after me once I’m in the living room. Remember, you have the contract but we have pictures. I’d hate to hear anything about Mr. Grey on TMZ. Almost as much as I’d hate for everyone you know and love to see pictures of you tied to a cross, along with anything else Taylor can dig up…”

“I won’t!” I yell and I reach in my purse for the folder I keep the contract in. I dump it on the ground and run.