A/N: Thank you to Emily Masen for prereading and to Ubergeekness for betaing this chapter and making sure all of those embarrassing mistakes are out before you read it.
So I welcome to Edward's second chapter. Beware! Big Boy over here has one hell of a mouth on him.
4. Meet the Masens
EPOV
The LA sun was just what I needed after the rainy weather in Seattle. I loved rain and everything about it—the way the earth smelled afterward, the spread of greenery that followed, the slight mist in the early morning hours that wasn't really rain—but it was nice to be able to bask in the sun once in a while.
The thorn in my sunny vacation was Kate Masen's presence, or to be more precise, the somewhat ludicrous notion that both my parents and hers had regarding the two of us. Apparently, the elders were playing matchmaker, and nothing either one of us had to say in the matter made any difference.
Kate was adopted by Elizabeth and Edward Jonathan Masen when she was four and I was ten. My uncle by marriage, whom everyone called EJ to keep from confusing him with me, was the first to come up with the idea. His wife—my aunt on my father's side—thought it was a wonderful thing if we were to fall in love. God knows why she thought about it back then, but when she mentioned the idea aloud, everyone seemed to agree with her.
Ever since then, every time the Cullens and the Masens met—a fairly often occurrence, seeing as we took almost all of our family vacations together—there had been not-so-subtle hints thrown in our direction.
Kate was a sweet girl, and she grew up to be a beautiful woman, but I felt nothing more toward her than I would have felt if she were my sister, flesh and blood. Luckily, she was on the same page, loving me like a big brother, and she helped me avoid the hint-dropping parents as much as was possible.
"Kate? How about we go check out the hotel's bar?" I suggested when it looked like the family dinner wasn't going to end before the next decade.
"Sure, you youngsters go and have some fun." Elizabeth was smiling like a Cheshire Cat.
Very subtle, Aunt Beth. I rolled my eyes and noticed Kate hiding a smirk.
"Sure, Edward." Kate stood up. "Please excuse us," she said to the families.
"Of course, honey." My mother was absolutely glowing with delight. "Edward, keep our Kate safe."
Kate looked like she was contemplating stabbing my mother with her steak knife, and it was my turn to hide a smirk. Kate, having a black belt in Taekwondo, was perfectly capable of defending herself against anything, and my mother knew it well. I would never have admitted to it aloud, but Kate would probably do a better job at defending herself than I would.
"Let's get out of here before I say something that I would be sorry about," Kate murmured, almost dragging me out of the privet dining room that our parents had reserved for dinner.
—()—
One thing I could always count on when I was with Kate was that I wouldn't have to constantly chase away unwanted female attention. Most women were intimidated enough by the beautiful blue-eyed blond that was sitting next to me as to not approach me. It worked the same for Kate—having me sitting next to her chased away unwanted male attention.
We found ourselves a table after getting our drinks. It was far enough away from the speakers to allow a conversation to be held without being forced to yell.
"So, how are you, Kate?" I asked after sitting down.
"Same old, same old, Edward."
"Elizabeth is driving you crazy?"
Kate rolled her eyes. "Don't even ask. Tonight's dinner was actually tame in comparison to some of her innuendos." She paused, cocking her head to the side. She seemed to think over her words for a few moments and then spoke again. "I'm not sure you can even call them innuendos anymore, honestly. She all but told me to seduce you tonight."
I laughed, shaking my head. "How is school?" I decided to change the subject.
Kate was close to graduating from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and I knew that she had set her sights on Julliard. She was an amazing dancer, and while I didn't know much about dance, as a man, I could very much appreciate the beauty of her movement when I saw her dance on several occasions.
"Ugh, don't ask." She hung her head. "I got an audition next week. I'm so nervous I could puke!"
"Well, if you are going to be bringing dinner back up, give me a warning first, okay?" I winked. "I'd prefer not to get this shirt dirt; it's new."
"Jerk," she muttered.
"But you love me anyway." I smiled.
"Yeah, I do." She sighed. "It's your crazy ass family that's giving me hell. You, I like."
I laughed again. "Cheer up, Kate. We're on vacation."
"You're right." She lifted her glass. "I say, here's to a good vacation and to getting laid!"
"Here, here!"
"Speaking of getting laid, Professor Cullen." She put down her glass. "How is your love life? Did you get over that brunette?"
It was turn to hang my head and groan. "Bella," I murmured. "Her name is Bella."
"Oh, you've got it bad, Edward." She giggled.
"I know." I took another gulp of beer. "I just don't know what to do with her! I can't get my mind off of her."
"And you can't wait to get your hands on her." Kate winked as she drank her cocktail.
She was never a big fan of beer, and being the nice guy that I was, I eventually stop teasing her about it. Well, mostly stopped.
"That's not really possible, Kate. She's my student. I'd be thrown out faster than you can think if I even think about making a move on her."
"Oh, I'm sure you've done more than think about making a move on her."
"True," I said, unashamed. "But that's not really the point. I'm pretty sure she isn't even aware I exist. She's beautiful, Kate. Girls like her don't go after their professors."
"Just goes to show how much you know about girls."
"Besides, I'm pretty sure that at this very moment, she's at some club with her friends, getting hit on by scores of men her age."
"Men her age." Kate huffed. "I call bullshit! You're, what, five, six years her senior?"
"Nine," I mutter under my breath.
"Fine, nine. Don't you know that women prefer older men?" She smiled and her eyes held a mischievous twinkle as she winked at me. "Men are like wine; they get better with age."
"I should start calling you Kitschy-Katy." I laughed. "Men age like wine ..." I shook my head.
"Kitschy or not, it's true. I'm sure she not only noticed you, but she's probably notices every little thing about you. More than that, I'm sure she's thinking about you right now, imagining what you might be doing on your vacation." She paused for a moment, and then added, "Or should I say, who you are doing on your vacation."
"What's with the sudden interest in my love life, Kate? Is what's his name not keeping you satisfied?"
"His name is James. We broke up a while ago," she said. "And he was lousy in bed, if you must know."
"Well, not every man can live up to me." I grinned, ducking away from her slap.
"Edward Anthony Cullen!"
"What?" I asked, unfazed.
"You ... You ..."
"I'm a god in bed, and you love me." I teased.
Kate broke into a fit of giggles. "I knew there was a reason I kept going on this torture disguised as family vacation."
"Yeah, no woman can withstand the awesomeness of the Edward Cullen." I grinned.
"Unless she's family." Kate corrected with a wink.
"Nah, your mother loves me, too."
"Yeah, well, if she loves you so much, she can have you."
"Ew! Kate!" I shuddered. "Thanks for that mental image. Ugh, God, I'm going to have nightmares tonight."
"Oh, stop being such a drama queen, Cullen."
—()—
After the next round of drinks, Kate left me for a moment to go to the bathroom, and I had a chance to observe the crowd. Most of the people in the bar were well into their forties and fifties. It was understandable; this bar was one of the quiet ones, where the music didn't roar so loud that you had to shout just so that the person next to you hears you. Most people my age seemed to prefer much louder establishments.
It was a stupid thing to do, but I just couldn't stop scanning the crowed in some vain hope that she would be here. Not surprisingly, she wasn't. However, it didn't stop me from picturing her face in every brunette that was in the bar.
You are hopeless, Edward.
"What's with the long face?" Kate asked when she returned to the table.
I shrugged. "Same old, same old," I said, repeating her words from earlier.
"You know what you need, Cullen?" Kate didn't wait for my answer. "You need to get laid!"
I laughed. "Are you volunteering yourself for the job?" I winked at her.
"Uh-uh! You can't handle the awesomeness of the Kate."
"The awesomeness of the Kate?" I cocked a brow. "You've been hanging around me too much. Soon you'll be cutting your hair short, wearing ties, and joking about your big cock."
Kate burst in to a fit of giggles and I found myself joining her laughter. I loved that she was so easy to spend time with. I liked Jasper and Emmett, and our "men-time" together, but Kate knew me better than I knew myself, and she was one of the only women who was not afraid to call me out on my bullshit. She was not fake like some of the women I had the misfortune of meeting. She didn't pretend to be someone she wasn't for the sole purpose of pleasing me—or at least what they thought would please me. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to find the right man to see her for the treasure that she was.
"I might have to borrow yours for that last one." She managed to say between giggles.
"How much have you had to drink, love? I think now would be a good time to stop."
"Oh, shush!" She rolled her eyes at me. "Now, listen. Pinning over a girl is not sexy," she stated firmly.
"I've seen at least three women tonight that were drooling all over you, and you didn't even give them a second glance ... That is if you even gave them a first look."
"I saw them looking at me, alright. I feel dirty enough without taking the risk of contracting an STD tonight, thank you very much."
"Come on, they're not all that bad!" She did her best to keep her facial expression serious, but her smiling eyes gave her away.
"And I get laid enough without your pimping skills, Kate," I said, ignoring her.
"Oh, really?" She smirked, and I knew that I was in trouble. "So when was the last time you had an orgasm that wasn't self-induced? I bet your hand is well on its way to getting carpal tunnel."
"My hand is cleaner than those women you're trying to get me to sleep with." I pointed out.
"Oh my god, it's been so long that you can't even remember?"
"You're hopeless, Kate. Now stop shoving your pretty little nose into my bed, unless you intent on sharing it, of course." I winked, fully aware that she knew I was joking.
"So you say I have a pretty nose?" She batted her eyelashes at me. "Why, thank you, kind sir."
I was glad I didn't get to take a sip from my beer when she said it; I would have sprayed her from head to toe as I began to laugh. "Knew there was a reason why I love you, Kate."
"Aww, thank you. Love you, too."
I finished my beer and stood up. "How about we show those idiots on the dance floor how it's really done?" I offered her my hand.
"Finally, a smart suggestion."
Kate hopped down from the stool and took my hand, allowing me to lead her to the dance floor.
One thing about Kate, she might have studied ballet, but that did not mean she couldn't "drop it like it's hot" when the time was right. As we reached the floor, I turned her so that her back was to me. Bringing one of her hands to my neck, I placed my other hand on her hips. We began to move as the song changed and Dead and Gone came up. It was a bit slower than the one before it, but it was perfect for us. We've danced before, and while someone on the side might have thought that we were a couple, we just felt comfortable together, and we both loved music.
The songs flowed from one into another, I didn't recognize most of them, but I couldn't help but sing along when an old favorite of mine came up. "I feel you creeping. I can see it from my shadow. Why don't you jump in my Lamborghini Gallardo?"
Kate slowly rose from her crouch, swinging her hips and smirking at me, mouthing the words to the song.
"Maybe go to my place and just kick it like Tae Bo." She turned her back and ground me slowly. "And possibly bend you over. Look back and watch me smack that all on the floor."
I smirked she did as the words to the song said and slapped herself on the ass. She did that every time we danced to this song. It was quite possibly the sexiest move in her repertoire. I could see that I wasn't the only one thinking something along the same lines, so when Kate nodded toward the table, signaling that she needed a break, I made sure to follow her with my hand over her shoulder.
"I'm going to the men's room. You'll be okay here on your own?" I asked as soon as she sat down.
"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."
"See you in a few."
—()—
By the time I came back to the table, I saw that Kate wasn't sitting alone anymore. I caught her gaze as I walked closer and raised a brow in question. The smile she gave me, as well as the small shake of her head, told me that she was okay with his presence, but that didn't mean I was going to just let it go.
Kate might be tough, but she was still family, and I protected my family.
"Hey, Kate. Who's your friend here?" I asked, ignoring the evil glare she was giving me.
"I'm Garrett," the man said, holding his hand for me to shake.
"Edward." His shake was firm, and his palm wasn't sweaty. Two points to you, Garrett. "I'm Kate's cousin," I added, deciding that I didn't need to play the jealous boyfriend.
I hid a smile when I saw Garrett's shoulders relax a bit.
"And you were just leaving," Kate said pointedly.
"I guess I was." I laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kate. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Like that's even possible." I heard her murmur under her breath.
—()—
That night I discovered just how thin the walls in the hotel really were. Kate and Garret returned to her room around two in the morning, just as I was getting out of the shower and heading to bed. Kate's room was right next to mine, and I got a front row seat to their shenanigans.
Damn, if he's half as good as she screams him to be, that guy's a stud, I thought after the first thirty minutes of hearing them. I wasn't trying to listen, but damn, they were loud!
When three thirty passed and those two didn't seem to be anywhere near cutting it out, I gave up on trying to catch something on the TV to distract me and took out my iPod. Putting on my ear buds, I turned on the music as loud as I could bear and threw a pillow over my head for good measure.
I let my mind focus on the music, desperate to tune out the moaning and grunting coming from the room next to mine. Slowly, my thoughts went back to the club, to dancing with Kate. Only this time, it wasn't Kate I was holding in my arms—it was Isabella.
I could imagine her wearing something really short and tight, her sexy lips curled up in a smile that promised all kinds of sins, and her body moving against mine; we were effectively making love on the dance floor.
At some point, my imagination turned into a dream, and I sank into a wonderful dream of having my daytime temptress become my nighttime seductress.
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Alley Cat & Emily Masen.
