First of all, thank you so much for the support you all have given me with this. The first chapter went over surprisingly well. I hope to make you just as happy with this chapter!
To my fab betas, AydenMorgan and Maggieloo402, thank you for all your help! My twitter girls, you rock my socks off. Follow me one twitter if you'd like, I'm writerinmydream.
I had the pleasure of meeting two wonderful women this weekend for a TwiFandom Getaway. It was amazing and I am a better person for knowing them. It makes me feel very lucky to have found this fandom and all of you wonderful people.
In case you didn't already know, SM owns Twilight and a crappy new book about Bree.... *grrrrrrr*
I'll stop rambling. This is BPOV of the first chapter. It's very different, don't worry! ENJOY!
"Listen to me, Bella. You have been working for me for a fucking month, that's it. You do what I tell you to do, not the other way around. Do you understand?" James spat at me from behind his desk.
I sat across from him in a cold metal chair, wishing I had never been so stupid as to think I could actually do this.
"I understand," I mumbled, watching him as he slapped a black file on his desk, motioning for me to pick it up.
"Michael Newton. Big shot lawyer downtown. He's requested you specifically," he said. "He's a new client; it's your job to make him feel welcome."
I reached forward to pick up the file, watching as James shot a quick glance down my shirt. Sitting up straight, I rolled my eyes before opening the folder in my lap.
The picture clipped to the inside cover was of a young man, mid-thirties if I had to guess. He had golden brown hair and kind blue eyes. His suit was dark and fitted against his muscular frame, finished with a purple silk tie that matched the material of his pocket square.
He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, devastatingly sleek and stylish. I didn't understand how men that looked like him needed to pay for sex. I was sure that there was a woman out there that would die to be in such a handsome man's company.
James once explained to me the logic of of his business. These men were important, the crème de la creme of Chicago as he put it. They were business owners or lawyers that didn't have the time to go out and find a woman to please them. They weren't looking for bullshit and drama, they just wanted to get fucked. They came to James for that and only that, knowing he offered the best girls around.
Somehow, I was one of them.
James had found me a month ago, working at a diner, making pennies for tips. He was sleek and suave, begging me to meet with him, insisting he could offer me a better life.
I never knew that life would come at such a price.
Now, one month later, I was looking at a picture of the man that wanted to buy me. This handsome man wanted to touch me and fuck me and God knows whatever else, and there was nothing I could do about it.
"Alice told me you have an appointment today," he started. "A repeat client?"
I nodded slowly, closing the folder and putting it back on the desk in front of me. The client he was referring to was Edward, a man I had seen three times since I started here. Today would be our fourth encounter.
"Good. I'm glad to see that. Don't be late," he said as he stood up and walked around the desk.
He stopped by my side and sat down in the chair next to me, leaning over too close to me. I felt his hot breath on my cheek as he inched his way towards me, nestling his nose in my hair.
"You smell delicious, Bella. Do you know what a tease you are?"
His cheap cologne wafted up my nose, making me swallow back the bile that erupted in my throat. The chains around his neck scratched against each other as the gold ring on his pinky finger tapped restlessly on the chair behind me.
He was trying his best to over power me, for the hundredth time trying unsuccessfully to get into my pants.
I leaned away from him, turning to look him dead in the eyes. His expression changed as he saw the disgust in my glare, his eyes narrowing angrily.
"I own you, Bella. I can have you whenever I want. Don't forget it," he hissed as he shot up from his chair and stomped out the door.
I released a captured breath, finally able to breathe without him all over me. James had a terrifying a way of making me feel trapped and under his constant eye, never able to escape him. That was one of the ways he kept all his girls in check, intimidation.
I stood from the chair sluggishly, wishing I could go home and hide under the protection of my warm blankets.
This was one of the days where I couldn't even look at myself, ashamed of what I had become. Helpless against my new life, I walked out the door and down the hall to find Alice.
"Bella, you have mail," she chirped as I rounded the corner into the front office.
I blinked against the bright lights of the massive crystal chandelier that above our heads. It was a constant reminder of how Midnight Sun was portrayed to the upper class men in this city. Perfectly clean and bright, never faltering, always beautiful and enchanting.
"I do?" I said, leaning over the side of the white marble desk.
"It's a red envelope," Alice said happily.
I looked from her to the red envelope she was waving in her hands, swallowing the thick lump that had just formed in my throat. I took in a shaky breath, noticing that the paper matched that of the pile of letters that sat hidden in my bedside drawer.
I reached up to snatch the envelope out of Alice's hand before she peeled it open herself, knowing she wouldn't hesitate if I let her hold it for much longer.
"Alice, let me see it," I snapped, trying again to get the letter from her petite hands. I was willing to take her down if I had to.
"Just fucking give it to her, Alice," a sassy voice said from behind me.
I turned to look over my shoulder, coming face to face with Rosalie as she walked past me. She approached Alice cautiously, eying me mischievously as she crept around the corner of the front desk.
I smiled lightly as I took a step in the opposite direction, around the other side. Alice giggled and held the letter high above her head and Rose and I pounced on her. Laughter erupted from all of us as Alice tried desperately to keep the red envelope from us.
What Alice seemed to always forget was that she was shorter and more petite than Rosalie or I.
"Damn it!" she shouted as I ripped the letter from her hands. "It's no fair you two have legs like the Empire State Building."
Rosalie and I laughed as Alice shrugged her shoulders and pouted, crossing her small arms tightly across her chest. It was hard not to smile when around her because pure and honest happiness seeped from her every pore.
Alice was my best friend in Chicago. I met her the first day I came to work at Midnight Sun, and from that day on we had rarely been apart. She was smart and quirky, her personality matching her pixie like appearance.
Rosalie, on the other hand, was another story. Before I came, Rose was the star. In this business you needed brains and beauty, both of which she was overwhelmingly blessed with. She was tall and thin, a perfect female specimen. So it was only natural that she would be the most popular with the clients. That was until I came along.
James had such high hopes for me when I first arrived. Rosalie fell from the spot light as James pushed me on the men that came here, knowing that someone new would enthrall them. She was naturally threatened by me, and all the newness I had to offer.
After gaining back her customers she started to open up, but it took some time. As I established myself and became less of a threat, we grew closer.
"Thank you," I said to Rose as she handed me the envelope.
I heard a sigh come from beside me where Alice was leaning over onto the desk, staring intently into the appointment book.
"Don't think you're going to get away with not reading that before your appointment," she teased.
I smiled and nodded, slipping a finger between the folds of the envelope, dragging it along the sealed edge.
"Ouch!" I hissed, pulling my hand away quickly. "Paper cut."
I shoved my finger into my mouth to lick the salty blood from my hand. Alice huffed and Rose laughed as I winced in pain.
"Open it!" Alice spat.
My mind was racing as I traced the edges of the envelope with the tip of my finger, wondering who the man was that had touched it before. Whoever he was, he had me daunted.
Majestic words shone up at me from the page, making my heart hurt from the beauty of it all. Somehow, the writer of these letters managed to make me feel real, alluring...wanted.
I opened the envelope finally, pulling the white paper from inside. I read it quickly, my heart bounding wildly in my chest. The script was always the same, long and elegant, drifting across the page beautifully. The words changed, but the meaning behind them stayed the same.
Dear Isabella,
Until then, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire.
"Who the fuck is this guy," I mumbled to myself after I took in the letter for the fourth time.
I shook my head slowly from side to side, baffled by the words before me. Each time one came, it was filled with more mystery and riddles than the one before. I was bewildered by these anonymous thoughts that left me in constant wonder.
No one had ever spoken to me the way the man writing these letters had. His sentiment rained down on me, coursing through my body like fire. Even though I didn't know him, he warmed me to the core.
"Bella, your appointment will be here any minute," Rosalie reminded me.
I looked up from the letter and at the clock on the wall. I was surprised to see I only had a few minutes to prepare.
"Who is it?" Alice asked as I stuffed the red envelope into my purse.
"It's Edward," I said quietly.
"Oh," she said, looking up at me with wide, bright eyes.
I heard Alice and Rose giggle behind me as I went to the door of my room and walked in.
0o~0o~0o~0o
The elevator shut slowly in front of me. I let out a heavy sigh, reaching out and resting one hand on the gold doors in front of me. My head fell forward and I shut my eyes, relishing in the memory of all that had just transpired.
His hauntingly beautiful green eyes floated on the back on my eyelids, making my heart skip a beat. The way my fingers weaved into the delicate strands of his brassy, unkempt hair sent chills up my spine. Everything about him was alluring, and I felt it deep down in my stomach as it twisted into a tighter knot.
His hands were like fire on my skin, teasing and taunting me enough that I thought I might go mad. The things his body did to mine when we were pressed together were more than sensational.
Not once since I had started at Midnight Sun had I been able to climax with a client. It just didn't happen. My body didn't belong to me during those times, so asking for what I needed could never happen.
With Edward, my body wouldn't stop. I was comfortable, more so than with any other man. Right from the start, he was someone I enjoyed. At times it felt like he only wanted to satisfy me, not the other way around.
From the first minute I met him, on the street outside Midnight Sun, he was constantly in my mind. Who was he, really? Why did he need to come here, of all places?
Whatever it was, it didn't matter. I refused to let myself feel anything for any man I met through my work. He was paying me for sex for God's sake. I swallowed hard, stuffing my feelings back into my body so they couldn't get me in trouble.
"Bella?" Rosalie called from down the hall.
I let my hand drop from the elevator doors, sliding down the gold plates that had separated him from me. One last glance in the reflective metal and I turned, walking through the lobby towards her.
"Yeah?" I asked.
"You okay?" she asked.
I shrugged and nodded silently, not wanting to approach the subject of Edward.
"Your cell phone was just vibrating," she informed me, pointing to my purse that rested behind the front desk.
"Oh. Thanks."
I walked behind the desk to retrieve my bag, pulling my cell phone out of its pocket. I flipped it open, groaning when I saw the number from the missed call.
"Who was it?" Rose asked tenderly.
"Fucking bill collectors," I spat as I snapped shut my phone and tossed it on the table.
There was a voice mail message to go along with the call, but I had no intention of listening to it. I already knew what they wanted.
I had spent most of my life with my father, Chief of Police Charlie Swan, in the small town of Forks, Washington. I loved the quiet and peacefulness of the mountains. There was nothing more serene than running through the woods, surrounded by nothing other than a gentle green and a wafting mist. There was no noise, no stress, just me and the wonderful silence of the woods.
But, Charlie died of cancer a year ago and I had nothing holding me in Forks. When my mother had become sick and needed me, it took not even a minute for me to pack my things and get on the fastest place.
That was almost two months ago, and I have no plans on leaving. But from the moment I arrived, I had been bombarded with calls from bill collectors. Each call was another person looking for payment for procedures my mom had received. The only problem was that there was no money to pay them.
I had no job and no money when I got here. I wandered around aimlessly, trying to find some sort of job that I could make some decent money from. Nothing panned out, so I ended up accepting a position at a diner, where money, never mind customers, was rarely seen.
That's where James found me, took me, and turned me into one of his prized beauties. A hooker.
I never understood how someone could accept money for sex. It always seemed so dirty to me. Strangers with their hands all over you. Sweating and grunting while they did ungodly things. When the hospital informed me that my mother's insurance had been canceled, it had become clear that I would go to any length to earn the money she needed. She had to foot her own medical bills… a feat which was nearly impossible for her.
The first week at Midnight Sun was agonizing. I cried all the way through my encounter with my first John, and then vomited for hours in the bathroom, Alice holding my hair and trying her best to comfort me.
Things changed when I got my first envelope of cash, and it contained over one thousand dollars for four days work. I rifled through the package, amazed by the stack of hundreds tucked securely inside. Somehow, unknown to me, it made what I was doing seem a little less disgusting.
"Why don't you just ask James for a loan? I'm sure he'd give you one," Rosalie asked with pity in her eyes, snapping me out of her thoughts.
"No," I snorted. "I'd owe him too much. He would hang it over my head and I can't have him gaining more power over me. This shit is enough," I said, motioning around the room.
Rosalie sighed, picking nervously at her nails. "I can try to come up with something," she said dully.
"It's alright, Rose. I'll think of something."
I pulled my purse from behind the counter and shuffled towards the elevator. Pressing the button for down, I looked back at my two friends leaning casually against the front desk. They were laughing at something, and despite everything, it made me smile inside.
They were two of the most wonderful people I'd ever known, and couldn't feel any luckier to have them. Looking up into the bright lights of the chandelier that hung above them, I couldn't help but wish I hadn't met them here.
I stepped outside into the hot afternoon sun, lifting my hand and waving for a cab. A yellow car swerved aggressively through traffic and slammed on his breaks at my feet.
Pulling open the door, I jumped in and directed him to my house. He sped away from the curb and ten minutes later I was walking up the stairs to my mother's old, dingy apartment.
"Mom?" I called out as I walked through the door. The smell of something burning lingered in the air. I dropped my keys and bag on the floor and darted across the living room, into the kitchen.
"Mom!" I shouted at my mother as she sat static at the kitchen table.
A frying pan was engulfed in red and orange flames on the stove. I rushed to the cabinet, pulling a box of baking powder out and dumping it over the pan. Once it was doused, I turned back to my mother.
"What's wrong, mom? Didn't you see the fire?" I barked at her.
She sat silent and as still as marble, an empty look in her eyes.
"Mom?" I said again, kneeling down in front of her.
Her chest rose and fell shallowly underneath her worn and tattered flannel nightgown. Her hair was unkempt and I could smell body odor wafting from her.
I had only stayed at Alice's for one night, thinking she was well enough to be on her own.
"Why didn't you put out the fire, mom?"
I sighed heavily, wishing that she would just talk to me. After her stroke, she had her good days and her bad. The doctors assured me she was ready to leave the hospital; that she was fully capable of taking care of herself. It was becoming more and more apparent that they were wrong.
"Mom," I said loudly, shaking her frail knees before me.
She didn't answer.
Anxiety tore through me, knowing something obviously wasn't right. She wasn't responding to me at all.
"Mom, can you hear me?" I screeched, the panicked tone of my voice giving me chills.
Still nothing.
I stood up quickly and ran to get my cell phone from the purse I had dropped on the floor. I flipped it open, cursing when it didn't turn on. I slammed it hard into the palm of my hand, relieved when the screen light finally brightened.
I dialed the three numbers quickly, my heart racing as I hurried back into the kitchen.
"911. What's you emergency?" a calm voice came from the line.
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