Chapter 1 part 4

“Excuse me?”

“If you believe the tabloids – quite a few of them owned by you – you’re often seen in the company of beautiful women but not with a steady girlfriend or even a wife. Is there a special someone?”

“Miss...” “Call me Anna, please.” I smiled, hopefully in a way that could be described as sweet. “I recall having my assistant discuss this with Ms Montgomery. No questions about my personal life.”

“Well, Ms Montgomery is very, very ill and it came on so suddenly, she must have forgotten to mention it when she sent me here” I lied through my teeth. Now Gray smiled. He didn’t seem to make an effort to appear sweet, it was more like the view you had on animal planet when the camera did a close-up of a shark’s mouth.

“I understand, Anna. You see, a man of my position...” – I had actually made a secret bet with myself on the way here how early in the interview he would use that phrase – “needs to keep his private life private.”

“That’s an interesting position for someone who owns several tabloids whose editors obviously think that nobody deserves any privacy at all.” I was treated to another lightning fast frown. Katie would strangle me with her bare hands when she listened to the tape. Mr Gray didn’t seem used to people daring to criticize his publications. What’s he gonna do, spank me? I had a quick mental image of him on the intercom, demanding a cane from the attentive blonde and her hurrying in to deliver it on a silver tray.

“I simply own the tabloids, and I trust my staff. I regret to hear that you think so little of them. And may I add, a lot of the people reported on not only enjoy the attention but provoke it and need it to stay successful. I on the other hand am a business man and I don’t enjoy such attention – or need it to conduct my business.”

“Still, I think our readers would enjoy a peek into your personal life” I insisted.

“Well, then, Anna, there is a special someone. His name is Charles and he’s been my companion for over a year now.”

“So, you’re gay?” I raised an eyebrow.

“No.” I got another view of his shiny teeth. I was seeing altogether too much of them. “He’s a rescue from a local shelter, a Great Dane. Would you like to see a picture?”

Well played, Mr. Gray.

“I would love to see a picture, Mr. Gray. I am sure our readers would love that also. Maybe we can do a photo shoot of the two of you together? Perhaps at your Seattle home?” Where did that come from?

“Call me Christian. Unfortunately my Seattle home is under construction right now and Charles and I are living in a hotel.”

“How very disappointing.”

There was a short pause in the conversation while we observed each other, a little like boxers in a ring, waiting for the other one to make a move.

Chapter 1 part 3

The blonde’s face stayed completely impassive as I placed my order. If I had insisted on heart shaped ice cubes she probably would have gone to work with an ice pick straight away. She had that air of merciless efficiency about her. Mere seconds later she returned with my drinks and I spent another thirty minutes enjoying the excellent cappuccino and one of Gray’s publications. It was a tabloid with loads of unflattering celebrity photographs and stories of earth shattering scandals.

After about 45 minutes waiting in total the first blonde returned. She looked a bit flustered and apologized repeatedly for not having offered me a beverage before. Obviously Blonde Nr. 2 had given her a good seeing-to. That is NOT how you treat visitors, even underlings like her, yadayadayada. I was let into what I presumed was the anteroom to Gray’s office. Aha! So I didn’t even reach lackey status – no anteroom waiting privileges for me.

The blonde disappeared into the office itself, probably to introduce me. Finally, I was allowed to enter the inner sanctum and meet Mr. Gray in the flesh. He introduced himself, shook my hand, smiled and had the decency to apologize for letting me wait. He led me to a sitting area in a corner of his large office, taking an armchair with his back against the windows. They covered an entire wall and offered a spectacular view. It meant that I had to blink into the light while his facial expressions stayed mostly hidden. I was sure he always took that seat.

I sat down opposite of him and asked permission to tape the interview. I explained how Ms. Montgomery was indisposed and I was only the replacement, inexperienced and not part of the student paper – or at all familiar with stenography. He gave me permission to run the tape and I started on the questions Katie had given me. He answered politely in a way that seemed rehearsed. I had to concentrate very hard on not yawning. He had been a poor student, went to WSU on a scholarship, worked his way up, incredible success as a broker, made loads of money, always dreamed of owning a publishing house, bought one, turned the company around, donated to charity all the time, treated his employees very well, dabbled in Buddhism (my, my, how original). His advice for graduates? Work hard. Now I really yawned. He frowned for a split second but immediately regained control of his face. I bet he was excellent at playing poker.

I decided I’d had enough of this bullshit. I was finished with the questionnaire anyway so Katie had gotten what she wanted. I decided to change the line of questioning. “So, Mr. Gray, what does your personal life look like?”

Chapter 1 part 2

I was to interview Christian Gray. He was a 28 year old millionaire who, after a short but very successful time as a stock broker bought a failing publishing house and managed to turn it around in less than a year. He went to WSU Vancouver on a scholarship and made large annual donations to his alma mater as a sign of gratitude. Katie had planned an article about him with an exclusive interview. She was full of admiration for this self-made man. She had prepared a number of questions about his background, his time at WSU, his business, any advice he could give to graduates? It all sounded quite boring but apparently Gray’s secretary had called ahead saying any personal questions or indeed any interesting topics were strictly forbidden.

Katie also included a photograph in her care package. It showed a well groomed man with dark wavy hair and blue eyes in a suit that looked extremely expensive. A man too well groomed for my personal taste although Katie had mentioned something about “voted Washington State’s most handsome bachelor in 2011”. I snorted. Being a casual dresser myself Katie lent me a cream blazer and paired with a grey tank top, black jeans and black suede ankle boots I looked semi presentable for a visit at the Gray Publishing headquarters and pretty damn good for someone who got 5 hours sleep the previous night and was suffering from a serious hangover

It was almost 2pm so I finished my coffee, threw some change and a generous tip on the table and entered the intimidating skyscraper across the street that housed Gray’s office. It was all steel and glass and phallic symbolism, as I had expected. At the door I was greeted by a security guard with a stern face and a taser at his hip. He obviously doubted my honourable intentions and insisted on calling Gray’s office to confirm the appointment and ask about the switch of interviewers. They didn’t know about the switch yet so the guard called “Ms. Montgomery” (Katie to her friends) to confirm I wasn’t an impostor who hid her body in the trunk to gain access to the building and assassinate his employer. I was afraid of a pat down but apparently that wasn’t company policy – yet.

Finally I was permitted to step onto the elevator and go up to the 12^th floor. As the doors opened I was greeted by an elegant blonde whose stiletto heels clicked on the marble tiles as she led me to a waiting area. It was outfitted with soft chocolate leather couches and a beige carpet you could lose a small dog in.

I expected Mr. Gray to be a very busy man who probably secretly enjoyed letting humble journalists from student papers wait so I grabbed one of the glossy magazines from a nearby table and settled in. After ten minutes I was approached by a blonde again. At first I thought it was the same one as before but it turned out it was just someone who looked extremely similar. Maybe Gray had a secret laboratory somewhere in the woods where he created these Barbie clones to serve as his personal assistants. She asked me if I was offered something to drink and after I said no, hurried to recite a long list of beverages she could provide me with. I decided to indulge myself and asked for a cappuccino and a glass of sparkling water with a wedge of lime – no ice. If I was going to wait here like a lackey in the anteroom of Louis XIV. I was going to make the most of it.