Thanks all for the reviews! More reviews means more updates! I love hearing your opinions. They make me smile! This chapter is last chapter from Edward's point of view, I know you want me to get the ball moving. But I need to get the backstory understood then we can start moving on with all the juicy goodness about to happen in this story!
Paychecks, Prettygirls, and Partytalk
E POV
The day began as usual: waking up to a freezing apartment in the middle of November. Since when did snow start falling in October and not in December? I whipped the many comforters I have, all worn and ragged, and headed to the furnace. I started shaking it with my annoyance.
"C'mon, you piece of crap!" I hissed at no one. The furnace started shaking and then made popping sounds like popcorn was about to pop out of it. I could feel the heat coming out and starting to warm the frigid, cold Flat I had. When I get my first paycheck, it's going to get me a better apartment with at lease 30 furnaces so I'm never cold.
I stretched, putting my hands up in the air reaching for air and let my muscles crack and pop in alert. I was wearing blue pajama pants and a flannel shirt. I had socks with holes in them and my apartment was just as fancy as I was. It was a two-bedroom flat; I had a medium-sized kitchen, a crappy family room that consisted of a used couch I got at a garage sale, an antique TV, and a lamp that wasn't a pink or an orange, it was something in-between and it was purchased at another garage sale. I'm not going to lie, I had a crappy flat, but it was better than living like a Hobo and not having a roof over my head. Besides, realty in New York was not cheap; you had to be Donald Trump or Mike Newton himself to get a fairly great house.
Aw, Mike Newton, my new employer. He was a big-shot, and he was the head of a gang or mob. No one really knew, but if you worked for him, you did everything not to piss him off. He could make you or break you in this town. But I had some friends who worked for him put in a good word for me. The next thing I knew I was hired and was being a "messenger" to other "companies" Mike was involved in. I didn't ask questions, I just did my job so I could get paid. I was sure I'd get paid any day now, and my two best friends Jasper and Emmett told me it was worth the wait. Apparently, Mike was not a cheap guy, he paid you on what he thought was fair but he was still generous. I wasn't going to argue with him; I heard one guy did and ended up being in the hospital for two weeks for "psychological damage and dementia"
I walked into the kitchen, still folding my arms and blowing hot air into my clamped hands. I grabbed some coffee out of the freezer and started a fresh pot. I put some cereal in my bowl; Fruit Loops, my favorite. They had a nice sense of home and childhood in them, and I had been eating them since I was four years old.
I grew up in New York City with my mom and dad, we grew up poor and as soon as I was eighteen I was out in the big wide world by myself. I didn't really have a back-story, or anything interesting about me.
I turned my head to the clock and realized I needed to be leaving soon; I headed back to my room, putting on long-bottoms underneath my jeans, a sweater over a jersey-knit top, and then my coat. I put on two pairs of hole-y socks and then put them in my boots. I went to the kitchen grabbed a cup of coffee and drank it while I stared around my empty apartment, thinking about all the things I would want in my next, beautiful, massive apartment. I was going to keep with Mike, doing whatever I needed to do, until I got what I wanted. Mike was the ticket out of this dump and I was taking it.
I headed down the stairs, not relying on the elevator that could be frozen in place, and started my way to work for Newton.
The air was crisp, cold, and you could see your breath whenever you exhaled. I walked quickly with my eyes alert on passer-bys. In New York, you had to be careful where you were going or you were either going to get mobbed or land on your back from being slammed by people who didn't give a damn about you.
The walk to work was easy, short, and cold. I headed to the flat that Mike usually used for parties; this is where I usually got my assignments and was told, by Mike, of what I needed to accomplish. Mike never let anyone else tell his employees what he wanted. He was the head haunch-o and liked to take control. What he says, goes.
I headed up the four flights of stairs and knocked three times on the wooden door. Emmett appeared at the door and opened it a crack to see if I was wearing any explosives. Emmett was usually a well-liked, big, comfortable guy; but when he was at work, you leave him to be his serious, macho-self. He realized it was me after the once-over and opens the door to let me inside. When I take a few steps forward I stop and spread my arms out and legs. There were about seven to ten people in this "lobby" standing or sitting around; waiting for their job assignments. Emmett pats me down, making sure I'm not carrying a bag on my person. I was uncomfortable with this at first, but then saw everyone had to go through it and let it go. I got teased a few times from Emmett and Jazz from my facial expressions when Emmett would touch me, it wasn't pretty.
"He's clean," Emmett said in a husky tone. I knew better than to make a joke about him not checking my pants pockets, he would do it. Then I'd never get to doing work for I had to deal with being stripped search. They took no chances or jokes at Newton's place. I put my arms back down and started walking toward the door that was labeled "MIKE NEWTON" and Emmett let me in. I had proved myself to Mike before, I went on a few "dangerous" missions for him and he liked what he saw. I was beginning to make a name for myself in this company, or group. Mike was impressed with my skills, and hopefully today, I'd get paid due to those skills.
The room was a clean, fashionable place. It had a few paintings on the walls, including one of my favorites by Goya. I think the name was "Mountain View" but I wasn't particularly sure. Mike was sitting at the desk that was in front of two chairs. I knew my place and went and sat down at the chair in front of him. He was smirking, something that I would love to smack off, but I knew the rules. You had to play the game if you wanted to get anywhere.
"Edward, nice to see you again," Mike gave me a dirty smile. Any girl would cringe at it, it was simply creepy.
"Nice to see you too, Boss."
"Let's get to business," Mike said, clapping his hands together. I had see Jasper's girlfriend do that a couple of times, but I had only met her once. "I need you to run this package over to Pino's on 149 Sullivan St, don't look in it, just deliver it and leave, got it?" His voice became serious and something told me I could get in a lot of trouble if I didn't follow his exact orders. "Don't doddle. Hand it to a man named Paul and get the hell out. Then come back here, tell me how things went. Got it?"
"Got it, Boss," I nodded. I stood, Mike handed me the package and I turned to leave.
"Cullen?" I whipped around to him. He threw a black square at me and I caught it, looking at it confused. I realized it was a phone; I had never had one before. "I think it's time you got one of those," Mike said with another creepy smile.
"Thanks, Boss," I said. I had never needed a phone but if Mike was going to give me one, then I'd take it. I knew that subconsciously, it meant that Mike could call me whenever he needed me and I would have to come. It put even more power over me that Mike had.
I turned and stepped out of the room; Emmett stayed in with Newton and was discussing new "weapons" that they should invest in. Emmett was talking about grenades and explosives; Mike was dismissing them, which I thought was a great idea. No need to blow people up. There are terrorists for that.
I walked quickly out of the apartment, seeing men watch me in jealousy as I had a job now and a new guy being patted down by another of Mikes' goons I put the package in my black side-bag that I had on my shoulder. Emmett had quickly looked through it and found that it was empty; I just carried my work in so it wouldn't get damaged.
I knew the job. Get in, get out. Piece of cake. I started down the steps, helping my mind get in the zone and be prepared. I walked outside and hailed a taxi. The sooner I got this job done, the faster I could get paid.
"149 Sullivan St," I spoke mechanically to the driver. He started pulling away from the "office" and headed towards my destination.
"Sure is cold outside," the taxi driver said, trying to make small-talk.
"Sure is," I agreed. I was mentally preparing myself. Like a guy before a big game, I was getting myself psyched. The small talk continued for a couple of minutes and then we were at Pino's. I paid him with some cash I had and headed into the meat store. The store was like any other meat store in the World, smelled like steak, bacon, and hamburger. There were a few people sitting and eating sandwiches, a man behind the counter helping customers. I started toward the counter, not allowing myself to "doddle".
"Can I help you, sir?" A meaty guy said behind the counter. He wore a white apron and it had blood all over it.
"Can I speak to Paul?" I asked in a serious tone.
"That's me, what can I do you for?" He asked curiously. I pulled out the folder from my pack and handed to him, he wiped his hands nervously on his apron and grabbed the folder from me. He looked scared when he saw what I had in my hand, and looked faint when he peered inside the folder. He cleared his throat and nodded at me, that was my sign to get out. I returned the nod and then got the hell out of there. As soon as I reached the outside, I started walking quickly away from the store. I reached about two blocks away and I called Mike.
"Cullen?" He asked.
"Yea, Boss, everything is done." I stated.
"Good, head back to the office, I want to talk to you about something," he was all business. I hung up and hailed another taxi, I gave him the address and then we headed back to the office. The taxi driver was much quieter and wasn't up to speaking. I was not trying to get in the zone, so I was bummed that I didn't have anyone to talk to at the moment. We pulled up to the apartment and I handed him the money and got out. I wasn't sure if I was done on my messenger-duty for the day, but I wondered what Mike wanted to talk to me about.
Again, I walked up the four flights of stairs and got patted down by Emmett. I walked into Mike's office and sat down in the same chair.
"Good job, I just got off the phone with Paul, it looks like he'll be paying me sooner than he said he would," I didn't want to know what was in the package, I didn't ask. Probably a blackmail photo that reminded the "customer" to pay Mike or have this plastered everywhere on the internet. I didn't involve myself in dealings; just the message or the package to be delivered.
"Thanks, Boss."
"I've been happy with your work, Cullen. You've showed potential."
"Thanks, Boss," I repeated.
"That's why I'm giving you another job to do; I want to see how you do. You do alright, and then we'll promote you. Got it?" I nodded. No need to disagree, it would do nothing. He went on, "Emmett and Jasper will be accompanying you on this job, it won't take place for a while, but we need to start making plans for it." I nodded.
"I want you to go down to this store I know, Emmett knows the way; he'll give you directions. Take a look around, assess the place. You know what I mean?" I nodded again. Less talk is always more with Mike Newton. He grabbed another envelope out of his drawer and I thought I would have another message to deliver. I groaned mentally, I wanted to get my paycheck. Mike handed it to me and I waited for his directions.
"Open it," Mike instructed. I did as he told me and pull out a piece of paper. It was a check, a paycheck. It was addressed to me and I turned to look at the amount. My mouth dropped at the number. I had never seen that many numbers since I gave someone my telephone number. Mike started chuckling, and Emmett joined in with him. I blinked a few times at the number and then looked up to Mike, Emmett by his side. Emmett was nodding and laughing; Mike had his eyes raised awaiting for my approval.
"There will be a lot more of that if you prove yourself," Mike added. I nodded and rose. I knew I needed to get this down to the bank, and then start my next assignment. I headed for the door and had Emmett on my heels. I reached the hall to the stairs when Emmett spoke.
"Looks like you're a happy man," Emmett joked. "Don't spend it all on one thing," he added.
"Does he always pay like this?" I asked incredulously.
"Only for the guys he likes," Emmett replied. "I've only heard of Jasper and I getting that much money. I didn't expect him to like you so much so quickly; you're doing a good job, man."
"Thanks, Emmett," I answered. "Oh, could you lay low on the pat downs?"
Emmett rumbled with laughter, "What's the matter? You don't like my manly hands on you? I thought we had something special, Edward," He said feigning hurt.
"When you put it like that, no. I don't like your 'manly hands' on me."
"Hey, I go easy on you. You should see what I had to do on some of Mike's 'customers'. It ain't pretty." I believed him too.
"So tell me about this job we're doing." I said, getting back on track.
"We're going to be hitting up a grocery store." Emmett said like it was no big deal. I didn't want to sound like an amateur so I went along with his nonchalance.
"So I'm going to look at what?"
"Just see where everything is located, see if there are any guards, if they're armed, see where there are security cameras. Jazz will take care of them and the cash register. He's the brain. I'll be there to handle any physical problems. I'm the brawns."
"What am I?" I asked interested.
"Easy, you're the beauty." Emmett joked. His burly laugh came out and flooded down the hall. "You'll be standing there looking pretty. You'll be the boss of the comrade. Make sure everything goes to Mike's liking."
"Are you mad that you aren't the leader?" I didn't want to step on any toes, especially my best friends.
"Are you kidding me? I'm no leader, and Jasper is too scared to lead. You're the perfect man for the job." I felt relieved he wasn't mad. "Look, I gotta get back, call me after and we'll go over the details. Mike had me program your phone with numbers you'll need."
"Thanks, Em. See you later." I waved and started down the flight of stairs. My mind started working on everything I could buy with that paycheck. A new apartment, no a house; a new motorcycle, and a big screen TV, plus much more. I never knew what it felt like to have security. I loved it. I couldn't stop smiling; there was a skip in my step, and a whistle to my voice. I knew my first stop, the bank.
The bank was a couple blocks down so I walked; it felt like the air was getting colder by the second. I shivered and wrapped my coat around me tighter. It was a leather black coat and I loved it. I'd had it for a very long time, it had been my dads. I practically ran to the bank, not wanting anything to happen to the precious piece of paper in my bag.
When I went into the bank, the warmth met me and instantly made me feel better. I went into line and pulled out my bankcard along with the paycheck I had just received. When a teller waved me forth I walked quickly to her booth. She was an average-looking girl, blond-haired, and she had rosy cheeks. She was professional-looking; her hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
"How can I help you?" Her voice was squeaky, but mature.
"I need to deposit this check into my account." I gave her my card and the check; I tightened my grip on the check. She looked at me concerned when I wouldn't let go of the check, she tried pulling harder. I let her have it and her body flew back from the release. I smiled meekly at her to apologize. She unfolded the check and looked at the amount. Her eyebrows flew up and looked at me; I gave her another meek smile. She started entering the information her computer and I tapped my foot in impatience. She printed a receipt, handed me my card back, and then placed the check underneath the desk. She called for the next person in line giving me the queue to leave. I turned on my heel and started walking toward the door. My body seemed to relax and unwind from my rigid posture.
The air outside was colder than I remembered it and I didn't take the time to let my bones get used to the chill. I hailed a taxi and gave him the address for the grocery store. It was becoming evening now, I hadn't realized that time was passing that quickly, but it always seemed to.
"How are you, sir?" the taxi driver said, I was glad he started a conversation.
"Cold, very cold," I replied. "And you?"
"Oh, just cheery," the taxi driver who was clearly British answered. "Ready for the holidays? Got all your presents, decorations, food?"
"The holidays are ready for me, but I'm not ready for the holidays," I mused.
"Got anything for the Misses?"
"Sadly, there isn't one."
"What, a nice-looking boy like yourself?" He was a gray-haired man, had crows' feet, and wore a golfer's cap.
"Just not lucky enough," I sighed. "How about you?"
"Oh, yes. I have a sweetheart. Name's Joyce. She would be pretty mad as a hatter if I didn't have my shopping done for her. I got her an apron."
"An apron?" I asked surprised.
"Yea, is that no good?"
"It depends, are you trying to be romantic?"
"Boy, I've been trying to be romantic since I met her. She is a lady who is very hard to please."
"Well maybe you should nix the apron idea. I can tell you that you'll be sorry, already."
"Well, what do you suggest?" He was very curious now.
"What about a candle-lit dinner, dancing to her favorite song, and some champagne? Don't forget some flowers, chocolate, and a card written from the heart. That's the best way to go," I suggested. It was sort of plain for me; I usually kicked it up a notch when I took a girl out. But for this old-timer, it was perfect.
"That sounds…great. She'll love it! I'll have her cook a great dinner—"
"Whoa, no. You have to cook it, surprise her with the whole thing. I guarantee you, you won't get any trouble from her if you do it."
"Oh…okay. Whatever you say, kid."
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," I added.
"It's Jerry, you?"
"Edward, Edward Cullen. It's nice to meet you, Jerry."
"The pleasure is mine, Edward." We had pulled up to the grocery store now and I handed him the amount I owed, plus a tip, and headed inside.
The grocery store was small, like a gas station's size, it had about seven aisles and on the back wall was the freezer. I started down an aisle, pretending to be looking at different varieties of chips. I turned my head to the corners of the store, scoping out the security cameras. One…two…three….four. Four security cameras, no guard, two cash registers, and looks like no security system. This would be cake. I continued to walk around the store, getting the feel and locating where everything was. This was a stocked up grocery store, I thought about using it but abandoned that thought after thinking that would just be like handing me over to the officials. There was no need for them to get a couple good looks at me. I was about to turn the corner toward the cereal aisle, Fruit Loops suddenly sounded delicious at the moment, when a small body slammed into me. I was unhurt but she was clearly rocketed from the impact. Her body stumbled backwards and I knew she was going to fall. I quickly underneath her with my hands and steadied her on the floor. On her way down, she ended up knocking down a pyramid of canned soup and almost the entire contents of this small aisle.
I took a look at the poor girl for the first time and was bewildered. She was absolutely stunning. Not in a "supermodel is hot" way, more of an angel looking peaceful way. She had chocolate brown eyes, something I could spend all day looking into and being mesmerized, her hair was a different shade of brown, like a dark oak or autumn brown. She had full, pink lips, something my mind extremely liked. Her skin was creamy and light, her body was small and fragile. She was breathtaking. I blinked in astonishment and that's when my beautiful damsel went rigid in composure.
"I'm sorry," she stammered. She started to blush, the color filling her cheeks and her perfect nose.
"I think I should be the one apologizing," I said giving a smile. This creature was staring at me with such intensity, I almost felt like I was going to melt to pieces. Her voice was a whisper, and full of beauty.
"For what?" She snapped.
"For almost creating an accident that would have made the numerous New York car accidents look like child's play," I mused, I didn't want her to be angry so I thought joking around would be the best way to keep talking to this woman. I was intoxicated by her, her voice, her looks, even her smell. Her smell was intensifying every second I cradled her in my arms, she smelled like freesias. My mouth watered when I glanced down at her lips again.
"It wasn't that bad," She mumbled. She started to try and get up and I helped her to do so.
"If you think taking out an entire aisle isn't bad, I'd hate to see what you think is a 'bad' accident," I teased. Something about her made me drawn to her, made me want to make her laugh, to smile, to blush, and even make her excited.
"I'd hate to make New Yorkers look any less dangerous," She said with sarcasm. I instantly liked her humor and was glad she was easy-going.
"I'm offended, I'm a New Yorker, born and raised." I played back.
"I rest my case." She was getting irritated, but it was amusing to watch her features. Her face would change with the levels of irritation, something I found fascinating.
"You going to be okay?" I asked, trying to hide my smile at my clumsiness and irritation.
"If I stay out of your way, maybe you won't plow over me again," She retorted. She was a fiery woman; I couldn't help but smile, and even be a little smug that this woman was talking to me.
"I'll try not to run over any more beautiful women." I mused. I liked flirting with her, started my heart to race and my blood to pulse. The adrenaline was coursing through my veins, something I always liked. I was always a fan of danger, why do you think I was working for Mike Newton? She had grabbed her basket and her box of…Fruit Loops. I knew this was a sign, a sign that she and I were destined to see each other again. I thanked whoever was watching out for me for allowing me to bump into this dazzling piece of work.
"Wait," I spoke after her, she stopped in her tracks and turned around curious with what I wanted. "I'm Edward Cullen "She looked at me with confusion, I didn't understand why she wasn't responding. I thought I would help her out. "And you are?" I said with a smile. I couldn't help but be overconfident; the woman gave the courage to do anything. I could punch Mike Newton in the nose and not think twice about it if I wanted with her by my side. She returned the smile and walked up to me, putting her hand on my left bicep, her hand was delicate and soft, she gave a tight squeeze. She smiled a devilish grin as she leaned up into my ear. My stomach was knotting in anticipation. I liked having this girl so close to me, I had to fight off the urge to grab her and bring her closer into my body.
"Your worst nightmare," She said in the most bewildering seductive voice. People weren't around; I would have taken her then. She turned her back on me, her hair slamming her scent into me once more as it was whipped around. I felt like I had just been slammed with good vibes. She giggled at my expression, which was my mouth dropping and my eyes burning with interest at this angel.
She left the store after a couple of minutes while I stood in the aisle like a statue. I bolted out of the store, hoping that the fresh, cold air would help me out of this daze I was in. Who was she? Will I see her again? I pondered over these questions as I hailed a taxi and headed back to Mike's. I kept putting situations in my head that I would see her again and planning out what I would say. By the time I was completely infatuated, if not obsessed with the woman, I was arriving at the office. Again, I paid the driver and quickly went inside, trying to get the perfect woman out of my head. I tried to get myself focused on what I needed to do next.
Emmett patted me down, once again, smirking the whole time at my uncomfortable posture. He led me, once again, to Mike's office and I sat down, once again, in the same chair.
"What did you find out for us, Cullen?" Mike asked with interest. He had a certain gleam in his eye.
"Well it's a fairly small store, four security cameras, no guard, two cash registers, and looks like no security system. It should be a piece of cake." I said confidently.
"Sounds good," Mike clapped his hand together and looked at Emmett. "Where is Jasper at with the security of the place?"
"He's still trying to break into their computers so we can get the passwords to break into the cash registers; they use an older model, so it's taking longer than usual. But he'll figure it out." I knew Emmett was trying to protect Jasper, if Jasper didn't figure the codes out, he might have to say goodbye to one of his limbs, courtesy of Mike.
"He better figure it out, and soon," Mike said, he sounded a little annoyed and smug. After a few minutes of silence, Newton spoke again. "Edward, I want you to come to a party I'm throwing tomorrow night." I had never been invited before so I was instantly curious at what happened at these get-togethers. I agreed and he gave me the details.
"It's here, starts at about 8 o'clock. Bring a date if you want, but there will be plenty of girls here for the taking," He winked when he said this. I thought about taking the angel I met at the store but snapped back into reality before I started to drool. I was not happy at my body's sudden shut down whenever I thought about her. I needed to forget that girl, it wouldn't help my job. It was time to forget her and get back to the task at hand, robbing a grocery store.
"I'll be here, Boss," I replied.
"Great, you'll be able to meet my Isabella," he said with a snide manner. I had heard about this "Isabella" person a few times from Mike, Emmett, and Jasper. All of them said she was a pretty girl, only Mike said she was the "epitome of hot." The way he addressed beautiful girls was barbaric and an insult to most women. She was apparently a best friend of Jasper's girlfriend, Alice. I didn't know that much about her, only that Mike practically owned her and she was his property. I felt bad for the poor girl; she could never belong to someone else. Mike would never let her go. I wondered if she even liked the scumbag. It wasn't my business so I snapped back to Mike.
"So we'll see you tomorrow at seven. You're off tomorrow, go spend some of that paycheck," he added with a wink. I returned an awkward smile and rose and started my way out. Emmett didn't follow me and the guys who were still sitting there, waiting for some kind of job, looked at me with envy. They wanted to do something besides sit around. We were all pawns of Mikes and there was nothing you could do about it. Once you got involved with Mike, it was hard to get uninvolved.
I walked down the stairs and headed back to the apartment, my mind still circling about the girl I met today. Besides her falling, she was a very graceful person. I wondered if I'd ever see her again.
I sure hope so.
What did you think? Hate it or love it? Let me know! The party won't be next chapter, but the one after the next. The party has to be a chapter all by itself because it will be full of interesting things happening. So keep with me! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I just think Edward is the greatest. Mmm yummy!
