The Curious Kinky Person’s Guide to Fifty Shades Darker, Chapter 18

Christian takes Ana to see the house he would like to live in with her. More class porn.

They go to one of Christian’s supper clubs. Christian starts up the kink again by having her take off her panties before dinner, then feeding her oysters while teasing her. Later she tries seducing him back. It’s all pretty cute and harmless. Christian is definitely playing Ana like a harp, but she’s enjoying it and he’s not doing anything physically dangerous or non-consensual. I could be churlish and criticize the ethical issues of public play in front of strangers, as when Christian fingers Ana in the elevator with other people present, but after everything else that’s very small potatoes.

More importantly, Ana brings up the non-disclosure agreement over dinner, and Christian says she can tear it up. He says he trusts her.

There is a Bluebeard moment when Ana is poking through Christian’s things, ostensibly to find one of his neckties, and finds a collection of undescribed photos from the playroom. This leaves a nagging bit of insecurity in Ana’s mind, which is aggravated when Christian gives her the cold shoulder over email about Ana seeing her friend Jose.

Just so things don’t get dull, Christian goes missing in his helicopter.