The lead character in Fifty Shades of Grey was reportedly inspired by an Italian real estate agent named Alessandro Proto, who received some outrageous messages for his connection to the book. 

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The former encyclopedia salesman met the book's author E.L. James in 2010, a year before the successful trilogy was released. The two allegedly spent two days traveling together from Milan to Lake Como.

Proto, 39, revealed several similarities he shares with Christian Grey, during a recent interview with The New York Daily News.

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"The firm Grey runs in the book is called Grey Enterprise Holding. Mine is called Proto Organization Holding," he said. "My office is located at the 8th floor. It is the highest in the building. I came from nothing, so I see top floors as a metaphor for achievement and success." 

He also said that his media-shy personality and his level of success are also traits of Grey's.

"Christian Grey doesn't like speaking to reporters, so he builds up a mystery that surrounds him," he said. "Everyone knows he made it, but nobody knows how he reached success. Same with me."

However, there's one major difference between Proto and the story's protagonist - their sex life.

"Everything that has to do with S&M is pure imagination, I assure you. I'm an old fashioned man when it comes to sex, I'm not into that kind of fantasies," he said.

Proto, who admitted that he's only read a few pages of the book, also said that he's received a ton of fan mail for his connection to Christian Grey.

"When they told me I couldn't believe my ears. I started receiving lots of indecent proposals on my work mail," he said.

Despite his dislike for fame, Proto may even have a cameo in the movie set to come to theaters on Feb. 13, 2015 with Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele.

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