This is my first stab at writing fanfiction and I'm still searching for a beta who might be interested in working with me on it. I hope you all enjoy and please review! I'll never know what the readers think unless they tell me [:
Next chapter should be posted by next weekend, Nov. 12, 2010 (though I might jump the gun and post another chapter this weekend).
Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own nothing.
"Come on, Bella, don't be chicken," Alice complained at me through the dressing room door.
"It's just... so... revealing. Can't I just pick something else out?"
"Revealing is kind of the point when it comes to lingerie, Bells."
She was definitely onto something. It was only a couple days until Halloween and Alice and I had decided to search for the perfect costumes today, which is how I found myself in this shabby, poorly lit lingerie shop in downtown Seattle. I looked at myself in the mirror again, pushing my hair up in a ponytail. I currently had on a light blue bustier and matching bottoms. The outfit was completed with a pair of rabbit ears. I sighed and cracked the door open while I positioned the ears on my head.
"Now that's what I'm talking about! You look freaking hot! What about me?" Alice squealed.
I now saw that she had on a pink baby doll, a long tail trailing behind her attached to the spankies that matched and a pair of cat ears perched carefully in her hair.
"You look great, but I don't know about mine Alice, it's just too much. Why don't I just call the party and tell them that I'm the Blair Witch, that way I won't have to go at all." I looked at myself in the mirror again and cringed at the cotton ball tail on my butt.
"Well, what about this?" She held up a corset top and bottoms that came with a cape and fangs. "Halloween-y and scary, but sexy and you can even cover yourself up if you feel uncomfortable," she smiled at me. I could tell she was trying her best to make me feel less awkward.
I came out of the dressing room a bit more and reached for the costume to inspect it a little closer. It was a deep blood red with black detailing, and though the cape was shorter than I would've liked, I would at least be able to cover up my midriff a bit better than if I went as a frisky bunny. I nodded to her and smiled.
"It's decided then!" she laughed and went to try on another outfit for me to critique.
...
Happy with our purchases we finally left half an hour later. Alice settled on a maroon colored burlesque style corseted mini dress with a black feather boa. She looked like she had stepped right out of a saloon from the Wild West. We said our good-byes and I headed back to my car.
I got in my beat up truck and rolled down the windows, glad to finally be alone. I love Alice like a sister, but sometimes she can get a little overbearing. Especially when she wants to do girly things with me, like today. I know she means well though, which is why I go along with it.
I took a deep breath of the crisp October air and pulled onto the freeway. Driving in silence, I made it home quicker than I normally would. Glad I missed the traffic, I pulled into my parking spot and headed up to my apartment. Outside the door was a package for my roommate Emily, I brought it in expecting her and her boyfriend, Sam, to be hanging out in the living room but saw they weren't home.
Knowing an opportunity when I see one, I went into my room and locked the door. Pulling my vampiress costume out of my eco-friendly shopping bag, I set it on the bed and stripped down to my skivvies. Putting the costume on for the first time, I headed into my bathroom, sure that I would be disappointed and end up returning the outfit the next day. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror and gasped. I wasn't me anymore. This person looking back at me was definitely not awkward and plain Bella Swan; this was a confident woman, a vixen who had power and sex appeal. I felt a blush creep up my neck and color my cheeks. I was hot. When in the hell did this happen?
Suddenly I heard the clinking of keys coming from the hallway outside the apartment. Quickly, I took my costume off and threw on my pajamas.
"Bella, are you here?" Emily called from the living room.
"Yeah, gimme a sec!" I shouted, pushing my outfit back into the bag and shoving it under my bed. I sprinted over to the door and flung it open, stumbling as I did so. Blushing, I walked into the living room in time to see Emily open the package I'd left on the table.
"Hey girl, thanks for grabbing this, it's just some books for school," she said as she pulled the brown wrapping off the textbooks. Emily is a Pre-Med major at the University of Washington, where we both go to school. I'm an English major and I definitely don't envy Emily's late nights studying anatomy and biology.
I smiled at her, sympathizing, "Did you have a good time with Sam tonight?"
"Yeah, he was really sweet, he got me roses," she said, pointing at the vase she had already placed the flowers in. I walked over and inhaled their aroma. Sam did a good job tonight.
"They're beautiful," I sighed, "When are you going to see him again?"
"Tomorrow night. A friend of his is in a band and we're going to their first gig. You should come with us," she said as she walked into our room.
"That sounds great," I said as I followed her in. I rounded the corner and saw Emily pick up a pair of plastic fangs from my dresser.
"Did you get your costume today?" she asked excitedly.
I sighed again. I really should have hidden it better. "Yeah... Do you want to see it?" I cringed, knowing her response ahead of time.
"Of course!" She plopped on my bed waiting patiently.
I picked up the bag from under my bed and headed into the bathroom. I took a deep breath while I put my costume back on, once again admiring the transformation that took place right before my eyes. I opened the door and stepped out so Emily could see me from all angles.
"Oh my God, Bella, what have you done?"
Looking down my body I considered Emily's question. I shrugged and gave her another spin, my short cape flapping behind me. She whistled. "Well, whatever you did, you did it well. You look stunning," she smiled.
I blushed and muttered some version of thank you and excused myself to change back into my pajamas. I wasn't used to this kind of attention on my body. I've always been accustomed to men looking at the next girl beyond me. Unless you count the few years I lived in Forks with my Dad, Charlie, but those high school boys were starved for new female meat in that small town, what I looked like had nothing to do with it. It's not that I'm ugly, it's that I'm normal. Average. But, for some reason, in this vampire costume I didn't look so average anymore. I had curves and I looked... sexy. The red in the corset brought out the deep auburn color in my hair. The black lace distinguished a sharp contrast with my naturally pale skin. And I had cleavage (cleavage!). I felt myself blush again; here I was ogling over myself. I needed to get a grip. I changed with my back to the mirror, ignoring myself.
I came out of the bathroom to find Emily back on her own bed with one of her new textbooks open in front of her, her glasses on and a highlighter in her hand. She glanced up when I entered and, looking back at her book, said, "I think you got a text, Bells."
I snatched up my phone and checked it:
Alice 10/25/2010
How does the vampire costume fit?
Geeze, couldn't I get a minute away from that costume? I quickly typed a response:
Bella 10/25/2010
It's perfect. Thanks for going shopping with me today. :)
She responded just as quickly:
Alice 10/25/2010
I know I liked it more than you ;) You're welcome anyway, though. What are your plans tomorrow night?
I looked up at Emily, "Hey Em, would you mind if Alice came to the concert tomorrow too? I don't want you and Sam to feel like I'm a third wheel, and that way you two can hang out after and not feel like you're ditching me."
She agreed it was a good idea and I told Alice to meet us at our place the next day at 8. It was getting late so I decided to hit the hay. I said good night to Emily and crawled in bed, dreams of hot vampires and roses dancing under my eyelids before my head even hit the pillow.
...
The next day was a lazy one. I hung out in the apartment and tidied up, then watched a couple sitcoms until Alice arrived. Of course she was going to do my hair/makeup/God knows whatever else I needed to have done. And like the good best friend I am, I let her. Like always she did an amazing job. She had brought a dress for me to try on (I swear she knows my dress sizes better than I do), which I did dutifully. It was a deep blue mini with a long rectangle cut out of the back. Once again Alice had outdone herself, and I knew this dress had been more expensive than she would admit to me. I thanked her profusely while she touched up her hair until Emily decided I'd thanked her enough and ushered me out to the living room, handing me a beer.
We got to the La Push Club at 9:30, meeting Sam at the front. The bar was an upscale joint, classy and cool. Blue lighting offset the black and metal furniture scattered around and a large stage jutted out onto the dance floor. We were pretty early for the show, so we decided to grab a couple pitchers of beer and shoot the breeze at the bar. After a couple minutes chatting with Sam about whether or not Pride and Prejudice and Zombies should be made into a movie I got the distinct feeling that someone was watching me closely. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I looked past Sam along the bar, but saw no one looking back at me. Before I could turn around and inspect the other half of the club, the bartender interrupted my search for the culprit.
"Hey ladies, how's your night going?" Alice, Emily and I glanced at each other and murmured it was good. "Good to hear. What would you all say if I told you I'm about to make it better? Or should I say the man at the end of the bar is going to make it better? He's offered to buy you all a round of drinks, so what are your orders?" He smiled.
I looked down at the end of the bar, but the man's face was obscured, his face in shadow. I could tell he was looking at me though, and my scalp tingled again. Bingo, I found the mystery man.
During my mini-revelation Alice and Emily had placed their orders of a Cosmopolitan and a Greyhound. I was about to give my order for a Gimlet when the bartender spoke again, "Oh, sorry, he said all the girls except you," he smiled un-apologetically and started preparing their drinks.
I looked at Alice in disbelief. I knew I was plain and boring looking, but did he really have to rub it in my face? She rubbed my arm in a comforting sort of way and glared in the direction of the stranger. "Want me to go ask him what the fuck his problem is?"
"No, I think I'll ask him myself," I said, chugging down the rest of the beer in my mug, letting the liquid courage carry me off my stool and towards the end of the bar. The stranger didn't move at my approach until I was standing directly behind him. I cleared my throat, waiting for him to turn around.
"Yes?" he asked. His voice was silk, caressing my eardrums. I had to steady myself on the stool next to him to keep my knees from buckling just at the sound.
"Well? Why did you do that? Why did you buy my friend's drinks and not me?" I asked in a rush, embarrassed at the entire situation.
He turned then, his face coming into full view, and I had to stifle my gasp. He had piercing green eyes, high cheekbones and full lips. His look was so intense I immediately felt myself blush "I... um..." I stuttered.
"I bought them drinks and not you because I wanted them to be satisfied while I stole you from them for a little while. Why don't you sit with me?" he gestured to the stool I was clutching for dear life.
"I... okay." I was obviously not thinking straight. Did I just say 'okay' to sitting with the jerk (albeit sexy jerk) that didn't buy me a drink because he was cocky enough to know I would approach him about it? I silently chastised myself for being so predictable as I climbed up onto the stool.
"I'm Edward Cullen, what's your name?" he asked, a half smile playing on his lips.
I managed to choke out my name, "Bella Swan," he chuckled. "I don't see what's so funny about that," I spat.
He looked up at me through his lashes, his eyes apologizing and domineering at the same time. Feeling a slight throb between my legs, I pushed my thighs together trying to ease the feeling with pressure. "I was actually laughing at your friend over there. She seems to think I'm holding you here against your will." I looked over at Alice who was not so subtly signaling me to come back by waving her hands at me. "I'm not holding you against your will, am I?" he asked me.
"What do you want?" I asked, ignoring his question.
"I just want..." he began, but was cut short when a man came on the stage and began speaking into the microphone.
"Hey everybody thanks for coming out tonight to hear us play. I'm Jasper, and we're called Imprinted. We'll be starting our set in ten minutes." I took this as my cue to leave and began to get up from my stool. No matter how hot Edward was I was definitely not leaving with him tonight. Apparently, Edward seemed to disagree. He grabbed my arm as he asked, "Where are you going?" a disappointed look on his face. Just the feel of his hand on my elbow was making my heart jump out of my chest.
"I'm not just some girl you can pick up in a bar. It was nice meeting you," I relinquished my arm from his hold and walked away, proud of my self control.
I walked back over to Alice, Emily and Sam had headed to the front to be closer to the band. "Well? What did he say?"
I told her what happened with Edward and rolled my eyes. I went to look back at him, but he had disappeared. Good riddance too, he was a creep. A very attractive, smooth, creative, creep, but a creep, nonetheless.
A tap on the microphone brought my attention to the stage and lo and behold, Edward fucking Cullen was on stage, staring straight at me, a bass guitar slung low across his hips, holding the microphone in both hands. "As Jasper said, our band is Imprinted. I'm Edward. On drums is Leah, on lead guitar is Jacob and Jasper is playing rhythm guitar. I hope you enjoy." He began to slap a low sultry beat, to which Leah then picked up expertly. The guitarists then came in, Jacob riffing lightly and then all four of them slammed into harmonies, to which Edward began to croon to the audience. Or more specifically, croon to me, our eyes locked as he sang the words:
I'll take your kisses and your knocks
Your tender words mean nothing
Unless you give them to me
You've abused me again but I like it
So what the hell would I know?
The band came back together and launched into the chorus, all the while, Edward staring me down, as though I was his prey.
Oh oh oh oh
Baby lick the wounds you've inflicted on me
oh oh oh oh
Touch me there so passionately
I've never known love could be sooo
The music stopped for a millisecond and Edward pushed it back in with a strum of his bass.
What if it's love? You ask me
You've turned the tables around again
Can't concentrate when you
Slip your hand down into my pants
Looking for something my-my dear?
Oh oh oh oh
Baby lick the wounds you've inflicted on me
oh oh oh oh
Touch me there so passionately
I've never known, love
I've never known, love
I've never known, love
By the end of the song I was sweating, my hands were shaking and my body was on fire. I had thought his voice was sexy when he was just talking; his singing voice had me completely incapacitated. That mixed with the words he spoke had me wetting my panties in an oh-so-good way. I looked at Alice and neither one of us could speak. They played another four songs, all of which everyone in the packed bar cheered for enthusiastically. When they said they were done for the night I took it as my chance to approach Edward again, I was beginning to have some misgivings for turning him down earlier. Alice came with me to the front of the stage so she could find Emily and Sam again. There were so many people that by the time I was able to push through the crowd Edward had disappeared again. A crushing disappointment began to fill my chest. I had been given the opportunity of a lifetime and I'd passed it up because I was too proud.
I began to search the crowd for Alice and spotted her talking to the guitarist, Jasper. He was sitting on one of the amps on stage, packing up his guitar and she appeared to be gushing over his performance. I decided to give her a couple minutes and find Emily instead. I finally found her and Sam near the stage entrance talking to the other guitarist, Jacob.
"Dude, we totally owned that stage!" Jacob was saying, grinning like a puppy.
"Yeah, man, you were awesome," Sam clapped him on the back and saw me approach, "Jake, this is Bella Swan, Emily's roommate. Bella, this is my close friend Jacob Black."
I shook Jacob's hand, "It's good to meet you. Your music is so tantalizing." So is your lead singer, I thought to myself.
Jacob laughed, "You'll have to tell our songwriter that yourself, he'd totally get a kick out of it. Hey Ed!" He called through the door behind him, "I found your biggest fan!" Jake winked at me and I felt myself begin to turn an unflattering shade of red.
Edward came out and saw me standing there, fighting the urge to run away from embarrassment, "Jake, I think you've got it wrong," he chuckled, "Ms. Swan is definitely not my biggest fan."
And that was when I blacked out.
So what do you all think? Do you like Edward? What do you think about the vampire costume? Please let me know if you had any favorite lines or favorite parts in a review! (Constructive criticism is always nice too!)
Also, for those who may be interested, Bella's dress was inspired by this dress I found on : .?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=19204767&parentid=W_APP_DRESSES_CUTOUT&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+&navCount=90&navAction=poppushpush&color=&pushId=W_APP_DRESSES_CUTOUT&popId=W_APP_DRESSES&prepushId=&selectedProductSize=