The entire first week of his new job flew by Jacob so fast, he was doubting any of it even happened. Every day after his classes he headed to the agency for three hours or so, before heading back home. Before he knew it the day of the fundraiser had arrived and all he could do was just go along with what everyone else was doing. The event consisted of three crucial parts (all explained by a reluctant Edward); acquire contributors, donate whatever they gain to LGBT programs and other such foundations. And finally, to help their blossoming company achieve more recognition. Hearing this Jacob couldn't help but ask the bronze-haired model why he so readily avoided these events. His response being, and I quote, "I hate large crowds." With that the man patted Jacob on the arm saying he did a good job in the shoot and left.
The event itself was…rather boring, at least in Jacob's opinion. He did however meet more new people that kept him from wanting to gauge his eyes out. For example, he met a petite, energized girl named, Alice. She happily waltzed her way over to Jacob as soon as he arrived, how she knew his name before he even got a word out was still a mystery to him, and introduced herself. As the night progressed he learned that she was actually Edward's older sister, and that they had another sister, Esme.
"She should actually be around here." Alice guessed, shrugging her shoulders.
"And, all of you work here?" Jacob asked, taking a sip of his brightly colored drink, which he hoped was non-alcoholic since he had to drive himself home.
Alice shook her head, "No, Edward's the only one. I'm actually just studying, and Esme, well, she took over the family business." Jacob nodded, taking one last look around the area noticing that Emmett was walking there way. Giving a welcoming nod to Emmett, Alice stood up and bounced toward him.
"Hello there, Handsome." She greeted playfully.
"Hello yourself, Beautiful. And, Jacob, good to see you. It's nice to have eye candy during these things." Emmett greeted, throwing a wink at him. Jacob smiled his greeting, still getting accustomed to his new co-worker. They exchanged small talk over the loud music playing for a while.
"So, did Edward decide to bail on the fundraiser early, or did he not show up at all?" Emmett inquired as he sipped his drink.
Alice shook her head furiously, "Emmett, what little faith you have in my little brother, of course he's here… somewhere, I swear I saw him earlier." As if by an act of magic the bronze-haired male appeared through the crowd, with James on his heels. They spotted the group and headed toward them. He greeted his sister with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and the other two with a acknowledging nod. James waved at them and hugged the petite girl.
"Well, my dear brother I'm glad I didn't have to lose face because of you." Alice grinned. Edward cocked his head to the side in confusion.
"If you're talking about me showing up tonight, blame this one." Edward said pointing at the grinning man beside him. Alice smiled cheekily at them.
"What you do, James, tie him up and drag him down here?" Emmett wiggled his eyebrows, clearly amused.
"Now there's an idea." James smirked, glancing over at Edward. Alice bit her lip to keep from laughing and Jacob almost coughed up his drink. At hearing those words he remembered the picture he had seen in the magazine, the one with Edward… tied… up.
Jacob had, for the most part, dispelled any and all physical attraction he had initially felt for the other model. He knew that it would just make working with the guy that much more complicated, and all he was looking for was a good way to make enough money to pay his expenses, not a fling. Nonetheless, he was still a man who was attracted to other men and slips of this nature where bound to happen, so Jacob downed the remainder of his drink and willed the images in his mind to disappear. Edward took up residence beside Jacob while James slid in next to Emmett. Edward threw him a smile that had Jacob calling for another drink.
"Is that Jasper?" James almost hollered over the heavy bass of the music playing. The group turned to where he pointed and indeed saw the blond model dancing away with another guy. Jacob smiled when he recognized the man, he was also a new model at the agency and was incredibly sweet. His name was Laurent and his soft olive-tone skin and glossy black hair contrasted nicely with Jasper's sun-kissed skin and brilliant blond hair. They both looked like they were enjoying themselves with the way they were dancing.
"I swear all that guy needs is a dance floor and good music to live a happy, full life." Emmett chuckled.
"Well, I'm not one to take pleasure in just looking. I'll see ya." James announced as he stood from his seat and walked over to the dance floor. Emmett stared after him for a moment before he too stood and shrugged his shoulders saying, "what the hell, I'm going too."
Alice giggled, "I want to go too. C'mon, you two." She said while pulling on Edward's arm. Jacob raised his eyebrows at the invitation and was going refuse when he was pulled up my pale hand. He saw Edward grin at him.
"If I'm being forced, you are too." The three headed for the floor and mixed in with the other swaying bodies. The current song had a fast tempo and was actually pretty catchy. Jacob threw caution to the wind and decided to enjoy himself; it wasn't like he didn't know how to dance. With an amused chuckle, Edward began to move to the rhythm of the music, letting it control his body. The group danced for a couple of songs, sometimes yelling over the music to converse, and by the time that Aro came out to speak to the audience Jacob almost groaned when the music was turned down.
By the end of the night the music, lights, and people were beginning to blur in Jacob's eyes. His ears felt like they were going to explode and his feet and back were aching like hell. He sat down on his chair and let out a drawn out yawn. He was far too tired to remain here, he wanted to go home.
"This is it for me." Jacob ground out as he yawned again. "Bye, everyone." With a wave to the group he turned to leave.
"Wait, I'll walk with you." The voice stopped him mid-step. Edward smiled as he reached his side. "I'm ready to get out of here too." He explained. The walk toward the parking garage was filled with mindless chatter. Jacob noticed that Edward seemed more relaxed and open. He couldn't help but be reminded of his older sister, Rebecca, who sometimes would be as happy as a clam while other days she would be so irritable that even their dad was afraid of getting too close to her. Jacob couldn't contain his laughter. Edward glanced at him questioningly.
"What is it?" The bronze-haired couldn't help but ask.
After stifling his laughter Jacob replied, "you just reminded me of someone." Edward cocked his head to the side, eyebrows shooting up.
"Oh?"
"My older sister. She always had the weirdest mood swings." Jacob smirked down at the shorter man.
"Are insinuating that I also have weird mood swings?" The man's lips pursed and he crossed his arms.
"Oh, I'm not insinuating. It was a light way of letting you know." Jacob's grin widened, white teeth showing. Jacob had found that he enjoyed teasing the other whenever he was in one of his uptight moods.
Jacob continued when a glare was thrown his way, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, man. It's just that I notice how some days your one way and other's your nearly biting the heads off puppies."
Edward bit his lip to contain the smile, "that's ridiculous."
"Doesn't make it untrue." Jacob countered.
"So, I have bad days. Who doesn't? Besides, you yourself can't possibly all happy-go-lucky every single day." By this point in the conversation they had reached Jacob's parked motorcycle, Edward's car being a few feet away.
"No, you're right. It's just that yours are more noticeable." Jacob was feeling confident.
Edward scoffed, "maybe your just watching too closely." As he said this he leaned forward toward the taller man.
"That's a possibility." Their eyes met. For a second it looked like their lips were also going to meet when they pulled away from each other.
"Right, well, that's definitely something to keep in mind." With a wink and a wave, Edward walked toward his car without looking back. Jacob stared after him before chuckling.
"Fucking tease." Jacob wasn't exactly sure of what just happened but his plan of not holding any attraction toward Edward was sure to backfire, he was certain of that, but now he didn't really care.
…
Almost a month went by before the two of them had any sort of interaction that didn't involve work. With Jacob learning to juggle his school work and new job, it didn't give him a lot of spare time. He did however, being the wonderful observer he was, noticed a drastic change in Edward's behavior toward the blond photographer. Where before there were longing glances and soft sighs, now there was nothing. Well, almost nothing. They seemed to maintain a good relationship, but whatever infatuation Edward had held for the older man was apparently gone. At least that's what Jacob thought as he glanced over at them chatting while Carlisle set up his equipment.
"Trying to figure out what changed?" The voice made Jacob jump at being caught staring. He turned to face the man he had surprisingly gotten along with after a few day of working together. James had a smirk on his lips and leaned against the wall next to Jacob.
"Uh, what?" Jacob feigned innocence.
"You know what I mean. It's no secret that Edward has a thing for Carlisle, well for Carlisle it is; the man is oblivious. And, Edward prefers to have us all keep our mouths shut about the whole thing, but you know, he seems different." James grinned when Edward caught him staring.
"I sure as hell hope he's finally moving on." With that the shorter male walked past Jacob and went to get changed. Because he had been busy watching the man walk away (contemplating the words he had shared), Jacob had not noticed how Edward had made it to his side. He jumped when he almost crashed into the shorter man.
"Whoa, sorry." Jacob apologized. Edward just smiled up at him and then made him pull back when he flung a magazine right in front of his face.
"Congratulations, Mr. Black. You're on the cover, and on your first month too." Edward's smile turned into a crooked grin when he saw Jacob's eyes widen. Jacob stared at the picture in front of him. It was the one with him and Edward. He had the shorter man with his arms behind his back while he leaned down toward the surprised looking Edward.
"We look good." Was the first thing to leave his mouth. Edward's grin widened.
"Naturally. My covers always look good."
"Conceited, aren't we?" Jacob snickered.
"Nah, simply pointing out the truth. Come on, let's go before heads start rolling. Rose hates it when we're late." Edward said as he walked toward the dressing rooms with Jacob following behind him.
After that day's shoot Jacob was grateful to finally be at home. He had just enough time to nap before he had to get started on some damn paper he had been procrastinating on. He flopped on the couch and yawned loudly. He was about to drift off to dreamland when his phone blasted out with a ring tone designed for a particularly bubbly person.
Oh, God…
He reluctantly answered the call, "What?"
"Hello, Jake-a-licious." Bella's voice was to chirpy for his liking. He grimaced at the new nickname.
"Why the hell are you calling me that?" Jacob was almost afraid to ask.
There was a giggle, "I just so happen to have in my hand the magazine my dear friend works for and, why didn't you tell me you would be in the cover, Jake. You look hot, and in great company." Jacob could practically hear her smirk. He decided that he wasn't going to get any sleep and sat up, running a hand through his messy hair.
"Why did you buy that, Bells?"
"Like I was going to miss the chance to see you pose for the camera. I gotta say this thing is really entertaining. You guys are all so hot." Bella was near squealing and Jacob knew he had to switch topics or else she would start rambling on and on.
"Yeah, thanks. Are you coming home?" Jacob asked, stifling a yawn.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. I'm finally finished with my classes, and I'm starving let's go eat, ok?" She didn't wait for a reply. "I'll pick you up in ten." The line went dead. Jacob shook his head in amusement. He was rather hungry himself.
…
Jacob was officially on his fourth month of modeling for WildLife, and he was pissed.
"There is absolutely no way in hell." Jacob ground out while crossing his arms. He pointedly ignored the seething look Tanya threw at him. She placed one hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. Jacob swore he heard someone in the background laugh at his predicament.
"Look here, boy. I'm not saying I want to shave off your pretty little head. All I want is to shorten the length, give you a more modern look, if you will." She explained with dangerously narrowed eyes. Jacob gave her a dubious look. He then recalled a time when he had been forced to sit through an entire marathon of America's Next Top Model, courtesy of one Isabella Swan, and there had been many girls that threw tantrums because they refused to cut their hair. Jacob sighed and groaned in displeasure.
"Fine, fine. Just get it over with." Tanya smiled triumphantly, picking up the scissors.
"I promise you'll love it, and you'll look even hotter." She rambled as she dove into his hair. Jacob just grunted in response. By the time she was done she was practically glowing.
"Just as I predicted, hot stuff. You look great." Jacob turned to the closest mirror and looked at his reflection. He had to admit he looked good. Tanya had left it at a good length, he could still run his fingers through his hair without immediately touching his scalp. He smiled.
"Damn. Good job, Tanya." Jacob said when he turned back toward the grinning women.
"Of course, darling. It's what I get paid to do." She winked. "Now, go get changed." She shooed him away. Jacob chuckled, heading toward the changing area.
"Looking good, Jacob!" Emmett called out from across the room when he reached the changing area. This caused the other inhabitants to notice his presence. Jacob managed a smile toward the other man and quickly walked over to the blonde women who had many clothing items in her hands. When she caught sight of him she raised an eyebrow, complemented him on his new look, and placed his outfit of the day in his hands.
"Hurry up and change." She was gone in a heartbeat. Jacob proceeded to do as he was told and changed into the outfit in his arms. It was a grey, crisp clean suit. It came with a white, long-sleeved shirt, and a wine red tie. He wasted to time in changing and was soon on his way to the studio. He felt incredible. He had always wanted to wear one of this things, but they were expensive as hell. He hummed along to the song playing through the speakers that hung in the ceiling and had a bounce in his step. When he reached the studio he saw Laurent and James already posing away in front of the camera. Then bronze hair caught his attention. He watched as Edward explained something to a fully concentrated looking Alec. The younger boy nodded here and there, not interrupting the older model. They were dressed alike, Jacob noted, they were both clad in casual clothing. Alec was sporting a red and white, checkered shirt with dark blue jeans and Edward was wearing a navy blue t-shirt with a band logo on the front. His jeans were a dull maroon and he had a studded bracelet on his right wrist. When Edward turned to face him head on Jacob also saw that there was black lip clinging to his bottom lip.
"Tanya finally convinced you, huh?" Edward smiled when Jacob reached his side.
"That women has her ways." Jacob replied, smiling in greeting to both boys.
"You look great, Jacob. It was a wise decision." Alec said then, smiling up at the taller man.
"Thanks."
"You're welcome." Alec turned to Edward, "thank you for your help, Edward. I shall be back before our turn, excuse me." The boy walked away from the two older models.
"He's really polite." Jacob mussed.
"He is. You really do look good, Jacob. The change in hairstyles suits you." Edward complemented, meaning every word.
"Just good? Not hot or something equally valid?" Jacob teased, wiggling his eyebrows. The green-eyed boy bit his lip to keep from laughing.
"I'm sorry for offending you, Mr. Black. I of course meant you looked absolutely gorgeous." Edward over exaggerated every syllable.
"Damn straight." They stopped to stare at each other for a while before giving into their laughter.
"So, what stud are you wearing today, Ed?" Jacob asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. Edward stuck out his tongue and showed off the round stud protruding from his red tongue. The base was black with a red cross in the center. The shorter male had gotten his tongue pierced about three weeks ago. The man had said he couldn't resist the temptation and decided to go ahead with it. Jacob had been with him when Aro first saw the new addition to Edward's facial jewelry. The man had gone pale from the shock and had scolded the bronze-haired model for at least ten minutes. Edward had explained to Jacob that Aro had only accepted his lip ring because he had thought that it complemented Edward's look, but had warned him not to go overboard. Jacob was glad that Edward had chosen a place where he could conceal it by just not opening his mouth, Aro had reluctantly agreed with him.
"Nice."
"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Jacob was taken aback by that question.
"Uh, no, I don't think so." Jacob replied; he was feeling nervous and he had no reason for it.
"It's just that Alice wants to drag me somewhere and I'd rather not go. So, could we go out? I know if I hide out at my apartment she'll just get pissed and she isn't an easy person to win back." Edward was refusing to look up at the taller man.
Jacob didn't think about it long before he answered, "sure, no problem." Edward beamed, finally meeting the other's eyes.
"Thank you. I'll make it fun I promise." He winked before he walked away. Apparently while they had been talking Carlisle had called him and Alec. Jacob watched the two models pose for a while. Their position were more innocent and sweet. One was with them simply sharing a hug, in another one they were standing back to back with their finger interlocked. Jacob then looked away when a thought hit him. Were him and Edward going on a date? Jacob mulled this over in his noggin. A few weeks ago they had talked about their past relationships, Jacob was still unsure of how they had gotten to that topic, and the truth about what had occurred with Carlisle came out. As it so happened the man was now engaged to Edward's older sister, Esme. Edward had confessed that that had been his breaking point and he had pushed himself to forget about Carlisle; not an easy task but one the he was slowly getting better at. Jacob had given a short explanation of his own love life, his past relationships had been short with not much to tell. His thoughts drifted back to tonight. Whether this was just an outing between friends or an actual date wasn't really the case. The attraction was there, Jacob found himself waking up to rather graphic dreams involving the other man, and he was sure that Edward was attracted to him as well. They flirted, but it was always playful, Jacob made sure of that. However, they were both free so why not…
Jacob shook his head at that thought, it would only cause problems to arise. He ran his hand through his hair and, despite himself, wished for the time to fly by until tonight.
Author Note: I'm a horrible human being, I know. I'm so sorry for the awfulness of not updating. ;_; I love this story so much, yet I find it so difficult to write. I have so many ideas for it but then I get swept away in other things. To those who have stuck by this I thank you. I strongly believe that this story has about two to three chapters left. Oh, and since this is rated M maybe you're wondering where's the smut? Well, it'll be here next chapter. I was going to include it in this chapter, but I decided against it. Hopefully FFN won't notice the smutty goodness... Ah, the OOC'ness is piling up so much I think it'll crush me, I apologize. _
I'll update soon, maybe, hopefully... ._. I shouldn't ask for reviews, I am not worthy, but if you want I'll read them eagerly.