Chapter One
BOPV
I walk down the spiraling staircase, my hand placed firmly on the railing. I was not risking taking a nose-dive down these treacherous stairs. Especially not in the heels Alice had talked me into wearing. For some unknown, god-given reason Little Pixie Alice had decided to take charge of HBS Law Firm's wardrobe. Skirts and dress pants with a fancy shirt and taunting high heels that were just waiting for me to fall flat on my face. Rose and I were force to wear the exact same top as Alice Brandon herself, but in different colors. Luckily we got by with different shoes and skirts, but it came with a cost. We had to wear the same drapey cardigan she had brought us when we last went shopping about a week ago. Mine had sat staring at the wall in my closet until this morning when she had let herself in and I was rudely awakened by a Pixie. Not something I wanted to see first thing in the morning. Alice may be small, but she sure is dangerous. Especially when it has to do with shopping, friends, or guys.
I made it to the landing without so much as a slip down the stairs, which on my part might have been a first. I stood staring at the people who bustled around the court house before straightening my agonizingly short skirt. It wasn't short per-say. It was just shorter than I was use to. Why Alice had insisted on me to wear something I clearly was not comfortable in was beyond me, but who was I to argue with someone who owned a third of our law firm. Rose and Alice-my partners in crime. Alice, Rose, and I invested in the law firm and now we each own a third of the company.
"Bella!" I tilt my head in the direction my voice had drifted from and smiled at Rose. She was shoving her way through the on growing crowd of bystanders. She huffs as she glares at the people staring at her annoyingly, her glares narrowing on Jessica Stanley. Jessica was one of our opposing competitions. She wasn't much of a lawyer, but most guys didn't seem to mind about that scant fact. After all who cares if a lawyer gets you off when you get an eyeful? "Fuckin' people." She mumbles as she stops short of me. I can't help the smile that overtakes my face. It was just like Rose to be as beautiful as a rose and as deadly as a torn. "Good job today."
"Thanks." I tell her honestly as we begin to walk towards the glass doors that will take us towards Paymont Ave. "I couldn't have won without you and Alice helping me short through those files."
"Honestly Bella, you never give yourself enough credit." Rose counters as a young man opens the door for us, swaying a little on his feet as Rose flashes him her famous Rosalie Hale smile. It's enough to drive any boy crazy over her if they haven't fallen victim to her looks that is, which might I add is highly impossible. "You would have won regardless if Alice and I helped you organize your papers,and gather facts." I roll my eyes at her blunt response. If it hadn't been for Rose or Alice I might not be where I am today. Never having been one for being social, Rose and Alice were the only friends I had ever had and that was in High School when I moved in with my father. The three of us clicked and got accepted to the same University as far away from Forks as we could and decided to open HBS Law Firm, otherwise known as Hale Brandon & Swan Law Firm in downtown New York. "In fact that's all we did was organize your papers, and gather a few simple facts."
"Whatever floats your boat Hale, whatever floats your boat." I tell her as we stop short of the street. We continue down the sidewalk to the parking lot reserved for lawyers and clients behind the court house. "Have you seen Alice today?" I ask trying to take the topic off of myself. I hated being the center of attention. How Alice and I became friends when she was an attention holder was beyond me, but life has a strange way of working as does fate.
"Actually I haven't." Rose answers as she digs around her purse, I assume, in hunt for keys. "Not since before you got out of court. She's probably out planning how to spend your big win." I groan at just the thought of what Little Pixie Alice could be up to. With her mind she'd probably haul me away towards a bar and have me get shit faced drunk and wake up in some strangers' bed. I shivered at just the thought. "Thinking about your last Alice adventure?" I glared at Rose for even bringing it up. She just laughed in my face. The last time Alice had dragged me out of my apartment after a win I was dancing with this guy named Mike. Needlessly to say I ended up in his bed by the end of the night and it took one full month for him to take a hint. One month of dodging face to face encounters, twenty-seven phone calls, and fifty-five text messages till he got the picture and found someone else to annoy.
"That's not even funny." I reply as I unlock my car door. I throw my suitcase in the passenger seat before glancing back up at Rose who was smirking slightly. "How would you like dodging a guy for a month?"
"Hey, it's the price I pay for the looks I've got." Rose replies smugly. I roll my eyes as I slide into the driver seat. I listen as her footsteps drift away after telling me she'd see me later, which I had no doubt meant tonight.
It didn't take me more than twenty minutes to make it home and that was without traffic. Luck must have been on my side because very few cars were out and about this evening compared to the shit load of vehicles that were usually out and about this time of day. I park in my usual space and slide out of the car. I grasp tightly onto my suitcase and pull it out with me before shutting the door shut behind me. I jingle the keys around in search of my house key as I walk up the steps towards the lobby of my apartment building. I enter the large building and poke at the up button until the elevator arrived with a ding. Two other people, Angela, who lived in the apartment below me, and Lauren Mallory, who lived a few apartments down from me, where in the elevator as I enter it. I smile politely at them while I click the sixth floor button. The ride up to my apartment was a silently one, not that I was complaining. I rather like the quiet.
The elevator stops on my floor and with another polite smile I exist the elevator and head towards my apartment. Apartment 605. I unlock my door and walk right in. I close the door behind me and toss my keys on the black table next to the door. I lay my suitcase leaning against the table before walking towards my old tan couch. I didn't have much, but then again I never had much to start with either, but to me it was home, a place where I could be me without having to worry about anything at all. I groan as Alice Mary Brandon-the one and only- sat on my couch nosing through my magazines.
"For someone who's a big time lawyer, I'm amazed you haven't moved into something a little more accommodating." Alice says as she lowers the fashion magazine down onto the table. I roll my eyes as I take a few steps closer to her. It was just like Alice wanting the best for everyone-even if it wasn't what the person wanted. And I did not want a bigger place.
"I'm content living here thank you very much." I tell her as I take a seat beside her on the couch. "What are you doing here anyways?" She grins mischiefly at me. That no good sparkle was glinting in her eyes. I swear each time she gets that sparkle in her eyes someone is in for one hell of a ride, and that person is ninny-nine percent of the time me. Not something I'd look forward to after just winning a big case.
"Oh you know the usual." Alice answers mysteriously unknowingly proving my theory about her being up to no good. "Make-up, dresses, clubbing." She waved off as if it didn't matter. It may not have mattered to her but it did matter to me.
"Please tell me it's not what I know is going on through that messed up mind of yours." I plea to her. I knew it was pointless, but it never hurt to try. Although with Alice you never really seem to know. Maybe this time I'd get me way.
"I can't because it is." Alice replies nonchantly. She stands from her place on the couch and looks down at me as if expecting my corporation. We both knew sooner or later she was going to win and I would lose so it was pointless to argue. Mize well give in now.
I sigh as I stand up and follow her into my bedroom. My bedroom was connected to the living room so it wasn't much of a walk. The walls were a nice pale yellow shade. It had a queen size mattress over by the window and a dresser off to the side. Across from where Alice and I stood was my walk in closet. Why I had one was beyond me, but it did come in handy when Alice dragged Rose and I shopping. My dresser which was hardly used accept to hold my other articles of clothing was left all alone on the other wall.
"Nothing to fancy is all I ask Ali." I tell her with a sigh as I take a seat on the edge of my bed with a prayer that she would do as I asked. Not that I had faith that she would. After all this was Alice. Fancy was her middle name. Not really it just came with the territory of being Alice Brandon's friend.
She smiles and nods her head in fake confirmation before bustling around my room in search of clothes in my closet that I had yet to wear. She frowns as she takes in my endless amount of clothes I had just pushed to the side in hopes I never had to wear them, but my hope was futile as I see her pull out many dresses before examining them. My guess was determining which one she would force me in this time and the one she would force me in next time. Just the thought of what was to come sent shivers through my body, and not the good kind.
Alice bounces over towards me with a dress in her hands and shoves it in my hands before pulling me up from my bed and shoving me into my bathroom. I glance anxiously at the dress before slipping it on and glancing at myself in the mirror. A groan slips unintentionally from my lips as my eyes wonder of my body through the full length mirror hanging on the back of my bathroom door. The dress was black with a one shoulder strap that extended towards my hand. Along the strap were silver sequences that extended the entire length of the sleeve in three weaving circles. The dress went just pass my knees, and was not something I would normally wear but I could live with it considering the other dresses in my closet she could have forced me into.
I slide out of the bathroom and into my bedroom where Alice was overenthusiastic. She was literally bouncing in the spot she stood with her hands folded together and her eyes bugging out like Bugsbe from that movie Bedtime Stories.
"What do you think?" She asks excitedly. I knew it was hard for her to contain her excitement, and the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings. So I did the only thing that came to mind. I fibbed.
"It isn't something I would normally wear, but it isn't totally unbearable." I tell her calmly. It was all worth dressing up to see the grin that spread across her face the minute the words slipped from my mouth.
"Glad you like it." Alice says as she holds back the squeal I know she desperately wants to let out. She takes a few deep, calming breathes before she talks again. "Rose will be here soon."
"Aren't you wearing anything?" I ask hoping I wasn't the only one who as wearing something fancy to the club. She scoffs at me telling me how ridicules I am for even suggesting anything of the kind. "Sorry." I whisper as I watch her grab something from the edge of my bed and pushes pass me towards the bathroom. I fold my hands together as I search around the room for something to do. I knew the minute Rose walked through that door she was bound to do my hair. Now that was a nightmare of its own accord.
Minutes later Alice walked from my bathroom in a light pink dress. The sleeves were spaghetti straps with a collar around the neck area. Coming out from the collar were two thin straps that connected the chest area to the dress. It shaped her body nicely and showed every curve. It was a little shorter than my dress but it suited Alice. She spun around in a circle silently asking me what I thought.
"That dress has Alice Brandon written all over it." Same words I speak every time she asks me what I think. Each time I mean it, though I think she thinks it's just something I say to get out of the store quicker. Not that that isn't entirely true.
"Hey peeps." I hear Rose's voice drift throughout the apartment.
"In here Rose." I reply as I make my way towards the door way of my bedroom. Rose struts down the hallway wearing a tight white dress with black straps. A white clutch with diamond encasing was grasped firmly in her hand. Gold high heels weaved around her feet and wrapped around her ankles. Her natural curly hair was let loose in waves. I swear she always looks like a model. She could be given a mud bath and she still would look the way she does now. Death in Heels. "You look nice." Though I wouldn't say nice would be the right word to use.
"Nice?" Rose asks with her "what the fuck" look. I hold my hands up in defense.
"Alright. You look better then nice." I reply trying to save myself from whatever they were bound to do to me tonight. She smiles at me as she soothes out her dress of its wrinkles. Rose may look like a model but she has the capacity to fight like a man. Comes in handy when you consider the fact that the minute they feel the wrath that is Rose people run for the hills never to be heard from again.
I slide on my black high heels and barely have time to grab my clutch before being hauled out of my apartment. I barley locked the door as I get dragged against my will down the hallway, down the stairs and into Rose's car. I grumble all the way to wherever the hell they planned to take me. Most likely it was some place where I'd get lost, have sex with a stranger, or make a foal of myself. Probably all three.
"Lighten up, would ya?" Alice tells me grumpily as she turns in her seat to glare at me. "You're seriously downing my high."
"Pardon me." I mumble as I cross my arms over my chest like a child. "But unlike you, I don't like being dragged out of the house and taken god only knows where by my friends who seem to think it's a good idea to keep secrets from me." I rant. I let out of breath of air as Alice just stares at me.
"Are you done yet?" Alice asks with a smirk. I roll my eyes at her. Alice and Rose were used to my random rants or childish behavior. I couldn't help it. I got it from my mother. Alice laughs at me before turning in her seat.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I ask her as Rose pulls into a parking space.
"It's entertaining." Alice says as she shrugs her shoulders. Alice and Rose clambers out of her car and I follow closely behind them. I glance at the club and groan. Eclipse. I wonder if I have enough time to run in the other direction. "Don't even think about it Isabella Swan." Alice points her finger at me as she speaks. "Grow some balls."
"I'm rather content with not growing balls." I reply as I am force towards the velvet rope. I pray that they won't let us in, but my attempts are futile. They smirk in the direction of us as the unclasp the rope and let us by sending a wink as we pass them by. I roll my eyes. For once couldn't the say no to Rose or even little pixie Alice?
I scowl as I am dragged into Eclipse. My eyes dart around, taking in the club. Eclipse has earned its name. The lights were strobes flashing on the dance floor. Blue, black and white like an eclipse. The tables were off to both sides giving plenty of room for both the bar and the dance floor. Purple strobes of light surrounded the bar giving off the illusion of mystic. The club glowed from top to bottom with strobes of flashing lights, but they suited the club. The ceiling was littered with strobes of blue and white lights matching the black walls that encircled the club. The VIP section was up a winding staircase on the left side overlooking the dance floor. The railing was the same shade of black as the walls with white orbs embracing it. Another staircase lead to a different room, but wasn't sure what it was.
"Not bad, is it?" Alice asks with a smirk. Of course she would rub it in my face I acted like a child most of the way here.
"Very funny." I tell her as I follow her and Rose to a nearby table. We take a seat and look around, taking in the club and the night timers who were dancing or mingling among one another.
"Not as crowded as I thought it would be." Rose mumbles. "Not many cute guys to dance with." She adds shortly after scowling at some of the strange guys undressing her with their eyes. "Hello." I glance in the direction she's looking and see a bulky man about three feet taller than her. He had short brown hair with brown eyes to match. He might have looked demeaning, but the smile on his face and the booming laugh I heard made me think he was just a big old teddy bear. I lift an eyebrow at her and she shrugs. "He's hot." I shake my head as she stands up, soothes out her dress and makes her way towards him. She struts over towards him and I can practically see the droll leaking from his mouth. Alice and I watch as he fixes his mouth and a conversation starts to brew before he hauls her over to the dance floor and they began to grind on each other. I glance over at Alice who shrugs her shoulders. I watch as her eyes become hazy as she gazed off. I turn in my seat to see a young man about our age with dazzling blonde hair cut short. His blue eyes sparkled with laughter as he talked to a few people across the dance floor. He was fairly taller. Taller than Alice was, through most people were. I glance over at her and shake my hair. She waves at me as walks towards the man. I groan as I watch her drag him off to the dance floor leaving me sitting by myself at the table.
EPOV
It had been a rather long day. Emmett, Jasper and I had just gotten back from taking care of business a few hours ago. It was hard to find people to trust in our line of work. We're always forced to take action when being betrayed and that happened too many times to count.
I was currently sitting in my office above the dance floor in Eclipse. It was the club Carlisle had granted me when I took over the mafia in his place. My mother, Esme, constantly worried about me. Thinking I would be killed off like so many of the people in our line have been, but there was one thing I had the others didn't have. Emmett McCarty and Jasper Whitlock.
"Edward?" Jasper asks as he knocks lightly on the desk trying to gain my attention. I glance up at him through the stack of papers currently littering my desk. "Em and I are gonna head down to the club." I nod my head letting him know I didn't mind. Traitor. He'd rather spend time with a stack of girls then addressing these papers.
He gave me a short nod before gathering Emmett and making their way down into the club. It wasn't really noisy seeing how my office was sound proof, which came in handy for important meetings or entertaining. Hell it even came in handy when I wanted to be left the hell alone or to even think.
A few hours later I glance outside the darkened window to see Jasper dancing with a short spikey haired woman who came off looking like a pixie in my eyes. Across the dance floor was Emmett dancing with his type of girl. The curved blonde amazon type who's afraid to break a nail. He never seemed to get the independent type of girl. It's always the clinging ones for him. Always had been. Though I guess I'm no better considering the girls I've been known to convert with. No wonder my mother refused to give open access to the ladies I brought home. Not that they were much of a lady to begin with.
I roll my eyes as they openly grind on each other, refusing to hide the lust evident in the way they were dancing. I walk away from the window and make my way towards the door. Mize well enjoy a night or two before I've got to be all business again. After all I can't concentrate after what I just saw. I'd have to find a way to ease that vision, and fast.
I make my way down the stairs and towards the bar. I freeze in my motions as I catch sight of the most goddess like creature on earth. She was sitting all alone at one of the far end tables, across the bar from where I was standing. Needless to say I had a pretty good view too. Her burgundy hair escalated down the back of her dress and around her face. Her dress was magnificent and brought out the light tone of her skin almost giving her the appearance of being vampirish. It was a short, but not too short black dress with circles embedded on the one long sleeve of the dress in diamonds. Her dark brown eyes were wide with wonder and almost doe like as she glanced my way. I wanted to move, hide from her innocent gaze. For some strange reason I was terrified that just standing in her line of vision would corrupt her. Snap out of it Cullen.
I shake my head clear, and glance back up to see my goddess had disappeared through the crowd, and for a minute, for a rather difficult minute, I was afraid she was part of a fantasy. That she wasn't real, that she never was. As the crowd clears away from her table I know it wasn't a dream. She wasn't a dream. She was real and sitting alone in my club. Of all the nights I had come to the club. It had to be tonight.
Before I can stop myself, my feet are dragging me in her direction. The closer I got, the more anxious I got. What if she had a boyfriend? What if she didn't want to talk to me? Before I know it I'm standing there in front of her sending her one of my prize winning, panty dropping smirks.
"Hello." I say to her. I clear my throat as I point to the seat across from her. "May I sit down?" She looks down at the table and nods her head. I can faintly see the red blush that covered her face and unintentionally smiled. It made her look even more goddess like, innocent even. "Are you enjoying yourself?" I ask desperate to hear her voice, to know her name. Who was this goddess in my club? Did she fall from the heavens? Alright Cullen now you're just being a pussy.
"This isn't usually my style." She answers her voice mixing with the music as she waved her hand around the club. Her voice was like a thousand bells ringing in my ears. Bells? Something was differently wrong with me. "You?"
"Could be better." I reply truthfully. She raises an eyebrow at me as if waiting for my explanation. Aright two can play at that game. "I haven't danced with a pretty woman yet." She lets out a chuckle, throwing her head back as she did so. She gave me a perfect view of her long slender neck just asking-begging to be sucked.
"What's so funny?" I ask before I can stop myself. I didn't take well to being laughed at. Though I never had been laughed at except for Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, or Esme. Others were just flat out petrified of me and the Cullen name.
"I find it hard to believe you haven't danced with a pretty woman yet." She replies coyly.
"And whys that?" I asked curiously as I lean closer to her. It wasn't just because the music began to pick up. I felt a strange urge to be closer to her, to feel the warmth radiating from her.
"Cause you obviously know how good looking you are." She replies blushing bashfully, but refused to lower her gaze from mine. I found that very fascinating. Bashful at mentioning good looks, but stands her ground. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. "After all you did flash me that smirk I assume gets chicks to roll over in your bed." So she thinks she has me pegged.
"Is that so?" I ask nonchantly as I study her. There was just something about her. It drew me in. The more she talked the more curious I got. What the hell is wrong with me?
"I'm not like most girls." She replies meeting my gaze with a challenging one of her own. I kind of liked the dominate glint that passed through her eyes as she looked at me. It was new. Not something I was use to. Refreshing would be the best word to use to describe the feeling. "I don't fall for that quite as easily as a normal girl would."
"Bella!" Her eyes dart up towards the dance floor, and the direction the name had come from. Bella? Was that her name? I glance over my shoulder to see the pixie Jasper was dancing with earlier waving towards us or more like her. Jasper, Emmett and the Amazon that he was dancing with earlier were sitting at a different table a little ways down from where we sat. "Come on!"
"Excuse me." I turn at the sound of her voice to see her standing up and pushing her chair in. "Pleasure talking to you." I watch as she walks towards her friends and smile at them as she meets Jasper and Emmett.
"You too Bella." I whisper. "You too."
I sit staring at her as she laughs with the Amazon, the Pixie, Jasper and Emmett almost the whole night.I wanted it to be me making her shake with laughter. To hear her say my name. To have her wrapped in my arm. What the hell? I couldn't understand what was going with my mind, or why these thoughts were rushing through it. All I knew was I felt a pull towards this so called Bella.
"Hey there Edward." Tanya Denali says as she rubs her hands across my chest. I couldn't even remember when she walked up to me, or began running her hands down my chest causing me to shiver in displeasure. Which was a first for me. Maybe I should talk to Carlisle about seeing a doctor. "What do you say about going up to your office and having a little fun?" It was hard not to miss the double meaning behind her words.
"Not now Tanya." I reply coldly as I remove her hand from my chest. "Maybe you should find another guy to have a little fun with." She stares at me as I push past her and began to make my way towards the table Emmett and Jasper were sitting at with Bella, Pixie and Amazon. I reach the table and glance at Emmett and Jasper who looked flat out shocked that I was out and about. Inside my club. Without a woman. With no meeting scheduled for the night or anything of the sorts.
"Edward?" Emmett asks as he looks behind me and the direction of my office before looking back at me. "What are doing out of the cave."
I shrug my shoulders as I glance unconsciously at Bella. "Figured a break wouldn't kill me." I watch as she lifts an eyebrow, but says nothing.
"Now Bella here can have a dance partner." Emmett says pointing at Bella who blushes, her eyes glaring playfully at Emmett. "And get you to lighten up! Everybody wins."
"I told you Emmett I don't dance." Bella whispers so low I almost couldn't hear her.
"I Don't need to lighten up." I glare at Emmett. I did not need to lighten up. If anything he needed to back off from trying set me up with different chicks. Cause obviously he forgot what kind of line of work we're in and how much it can harm us, our family and anyone even remotely close to us. Cut all ties. That was rule number one my father had set in place. The only reason I'm standing here is because my mother group up in the mafia and dad got to in one. A loving wife who he loved dearly and loved him in returned and an extra family until to watch his back. More power was granted to the Cullen, making the Cullen name even more feared. "A fling is one thing Edward, but being in love is another." My father had said to me when I took over as the Mafia Boss.
"Care to introduce us to your friend?" Pixie asks raising an eyebrow at the silently Jasper.
"Edward this Alice Brandon-" Jasper points at the Pixie. "Rosalie Hale-"He points to the Amazon. "And Bella Swan." Now I have a first name and a last name. Convenient. "Ladies this is Edward."
"Hear you don't get out much either." Bella says with a smirk in my direction.
"Same as you I'd say." I reply with a smirk of my own. I can feel the others looking between us, but my eyes were locked on to Bella's doe eyes.
"You two know each other?' Amazon. Damn it. Rosalie asks her eyes narrowing on me.
"We meet rather briefly." Bella answers turning to smile at her friend. "He tried to ask me to dance, but didn't get very far. As a matter of fact he didn't get anywhere."
"Is that so?" Jasper asks smirking at me. I'd never hear the end of this. I'd be mad fun off till I pulled a gun on their asses and then get reamed for it by Esme.
"As a matter of fact, Bella would you care to dance?" I ask holding out my hand for her to take. She raises an eyebrow at me but says nothing as she takes my hand and lets me lead her onto the dance floor.