Disclaimer: Twilight and its characters are owned by Stephanie Meyer.

Inception on a Rainy night

Chapter 4

BPOV:

I struggled to maintain my composure as I sat in the car with Jasper as he drove me to the bar from my apartment. I knew that though he kept a straight face, he definitely had something to do with the overwhelming desire I was having for him. He had tried his damnedest at my apartment to keep me from going to work. And I had almost fallen for his games.

I am beginning to realize that resisting a vampire's charms, specially that of an empath can be a torturous task, especially since you want to do nothing more than to give in. I gave myself a mental pat on the back as I remembered how I had resisted his smoldering gaze and blatantly sexual touches as I changed my clothes for work. Suddenly he sent me a particularly powerful wave of lust, making my clit ache in the most delicious way.

"Jasper," I groaned. He was not about to make this easy for me.

He halted in front of the blinking neon lights of the bar as he gave me a wicked look and sent me more lust, making my groan turn into a moan. He grabbed me by the hips and pulled me into his lap, straddling him, as he ground himself against my aching core.

"I never said I would fight fair, darlin'," he drawled into my ear.

I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine as I cupped him in my hand and squeezed. He dropped his head to the crook of my neck with a growl as he began nipping and sucking there with enthusiasm. I began to return the favor by licking along the column of his throat in long, slow strokes making him buck his hips into my hand. Finally, I bit down on his ear lobe making him groan and pulled back quickly. I opened the door but he caught me before I could step out.

"You're playin' a dangerous game there, love," he warned.

"I never said I would fight fair either, Jasper," I returned as I pulled out of his grasp and stepped out of his monstrous vehicle. He sighed and looked at me with a firm expression.

"Fine, but I want you to be careful. I'll come by after my class and then take you back when you're done, but mark my words Isabella. If I find any of those drunk assholes much too close to you, I won't be held responsible for my actions," he threatened ominously.

"Jasper, you don't need to worry about anything. I'll be fine and I'll see you later on. Have a good class, ok?"

I turned around, only to find myself staring into his face again. I gasped and took a step back instinctively, almost tripping over.

"Jasper!" I hissed, "don't do that! You scared the shit out of me. And what if someone had seen you?"

"Nobody saw anything, though I do think you're forgetting somethin' sugar," he drawled out, putting heavy emphasis on the southern accent. I now knew that something about the southern drawl turned me on immensely and apparently Jasper knew that.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" I asked flirtatiously in a horrible imitation of his southern charm, whipping an imaginary fan around my face.

He pulled me to him by my waist as he leaned in to whisper, "That would be my goodbye kiss, ma'am."

He captured my lips in a searing kiss before he latched onto my neck, sucking furiously. When he straightened and I found my bearing, I noticed him looking incredibly smug about something. My eyes widened as it dawned upon me. To confirm my suspicions, I looked into the rearview mirror, and sure enough, there was a huge red hickey on my neck, under the side of my jaw.

"You gave me a hickey! I don't even have a scarf to hide this! How am I going to fend off all the questions?"

"By telling everyone that you're taken. You're mine Isabella and I want the world to know that."

I wanted to point out that I couldn't possibly admit to having a relationship with him, since he was a professor and if word of us leaked out, he would be fired and I would be rusticated. But I didn't want to argue, lest possessive Jasper make another guest appearance and make it impossible for me to leave.

I gave him a quick peck on the lips, and a smile as I called out a 'see you later' before hurrying into the building. The more time we spent together, the less like it would be for me to get to work on time.

"Sweet ride," I heard a deep bass voice comment as I entered bar. Being a Saturday, it was already full, but I was in time for my shift, barely.

"Thanks Duke, just a friend dropping me off," I replied as I got behind the bar, tightening my shoelaces so that I didn't trip over with the floor littered in glass bottles. It had become a second nature for me to make all kinds of contingency plans regarding any potential threats, no matter where I was given my status of Miss. Klutz.

"Friend give you that hickey as well?" he asked as he casually leaned against the bar, giving me a piercing look.

No, nothing ever escaped the sharp eyes of Duke. I would have added his last name, only I didn't know what it was. Nobody did. Duke was a tall 6'9, African American, the owner of the bar, though very few people knew that fact. He worked in the capacity of a bouncer, and with his hulking frame, he looked the part. Duke was a man of steel with the heart of gold.

There were several rumors on the campus about him. He was a paroled convict, he was a part of a dangerous gang, he was a druggie… the list went on and on. It didn't help his reputation that he never defended himself against these allegations. Fact is, the only thing that kept some of the roughnecks from vandalizing the bar was his intimidating size and rumors about him carrying about a gun from his gang days. He'd once admitted that it was he himself who'd started those rumors.

I had been terrified when I had walked into the bar looking for work. I was not in the best state financially and was quite desperate. When faced with Duke, I had paled, stammered, stuttered and finally tripped before getting any coherent sentence out. He had pulled out a chair for me, made me sit on it and drink a glass of water before I continued. He'd given me the job despite me telling him about my accident-prone condition upfront. He'd told me that everything was fine with me where it mattered. I had started working at the bar the same evening.

Many people found it shocking that I worked the bar, rather than being a waitress. What they obviously didn't know that my potential for causing an accident was magnified a hundred times when I tried to carry a tray laden with drinks through a crowded bar. No, I was definitely better off working behind the counter. Sure, there were the initial crude jokes and cheap proposals, but that had quieted down with time, mostly to the angry glowers that Duke sent such men. I am relieved that that phase of my job is over. I'm sure Jasper definitely would have blown a fuse if he had witnessed something like that. And that was the understatement of a century.

Duke always strongly reminded me of Jake back home. Though younger than me, he had very conveniently slipped into the role of the protective sibling as we grew up together. The fact that Billy and Charlie were near inseparable and were together almost every weekend for with ether fishing or baseball games only strengthened our bond. I often wonder how I would have turned out if I hadn't had his influence in my life. Everybody commented on what an introvert I was here at college. If only they had known me before Jake's influence. He brought out the fun side of me, the part of me that wanted laugh and giggle and do completely crazy things, with him right by my side. Jake was my own very personal sun. Just the thought of him brought a smile to my face.

"What's with the smile, missy? Find that special someone in your life?" Duke continued to look at me unflinchingly.

Yes! I wanted to scream with joy but I figured the following questions would be impossible to answer, especially since I didn't know the answer to most of them myself. So I decided to lie, hoping to heavens that my abysmal lying skills would suffice, just this once.

"No, actually I was just thinking about Jake," I replied and turned to a guy to take his order. Thankfully, the bar only served beer, whiskey and vodka, so didn't need to mix any drinks. What drew the people to the bar was the good music, the typical pub atmosphere and yet the utter safety of the place.

"Jake suddenly come into town and left after giving you a hickey?" he continued to badger me.

"Why are you so fascinated with the damned hickey, Duke? It was just a one night stand," I lied, though I could feel the blush spreading on my cheeks.

I'd only had sex with two guys before Jasper, and I'd thought that I was in a relationship with them at that time. Casual sex just wasn't my cup of tea. Again I prayed that Duke would fall for this explanation and not push it further.

"That blush tells me otherwise, young lady," he admonished.

"Don't you dare start that young lady business with me, Duke-whoever-you-are," I snapped. "You're not my daddy and I don't even answer to him anymore so stop trying to stick your nose in where it doesn't belong!"

"Must be a hell of a guy if you're trying so hard to keep him to yourself. Just please tell me it isn't some shaggy old professor from one of your artsy classes."

My eyes widened like a hare caught in the headlights as more blood suffused my cheeks. How the hell did he know? It hadn't been less than twenty-four hours since me and Jasper began our… whatever it was.

I faced away from him, pretending to search for something at the shelves behind the counter as I mumbled out, "only you would deem a literature class artsy."

The next instant, he was behind the bar, pulling me away from the shelves, facing me, his face contorted in rage. "Have you completely lost it, girl?" he hissed. "What're you thinking, carrying on with a professor. I know you're keeping decent grades despite the hours you keep at the bar and the library, so what brought this on?"

All my embarrassment evaporated away as I realized how people could view our relationship. I had only been thinking about the rulebook when I thought about our relationship, not the reasons for why those rules were made.

Duke's firm shake pulled me out of my funk. He was still waiting for my reply. A reply I couldn't ever give him.

"Stop acting like you're my keeper, Duke. I'm thankful for you having given me this job and looking out for me, but this isn't your business. Please, just drop it," I begged him as I shook my arm free.

"Bells, I know you might think this guy is what you've been looking for, but please think about this. You're just beginning to start out your life; you're smart, bright and intelligent. You've got a real shot at having a good decent life. Do you really wanna screw it up for some guy in a tweed jacket who can spout some mushy Shakespeare?" he asked, trying to reason with me.

He couldn't have been farther away from the truth if he tried, not that I was going to correct him.

"Duke, like I said, it was only one night. I have no idea if it'll go any further. Please, I don't want to discuss this right now."

"You don't know if it'll go further, but you want it to, don't you?"

Why in God's name did he have to be the most perceptive male ever?

"Hey! What's it gonna take to get some service here?" asked a pimply faced guy, with cash in his hand.

I went to attend to him. Duke was standing right where he was when I turned back.

"Please, please, I'm begging you. Just drop it!"

He shook his head in a resigned fashion.

"I hope you know what you're doing Bells. I don't agree with what you're doing, but I'm not gonna tell on you. I'm hoping you'll come to your senses soon enough and drop this guy. And I really hope that you don't get caught sneaking around with him."

Yes, Duke was a gem of a friend. I gave him a quick hug.

"Don't worry about it. And if I need help, you'll be the first person to know."

"You do that, I'll knock some sense into the guy if he gets too thick," he winked as I smiled. "I just don't wanna see you get hurt, Bells."

Things got back to normal quickly after our little chat and as the crowds started pouring in, I forgot everything but opening beer bottles and pouring vodka shots. Before I knew it, it was two in the morning and my shift was over. Normally, Duke would herd out any lingering customers at this point, but he let people stay for another hour and a half on Saturdays.

"You go on, girl. I'll take it from here," he stated as I removed my apron and heaved a sigh of relief. That was when it struck me; Jasper hadn't turned up. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as I realized he hadn't kept his word about coming here after his class.

Kept his word? I snorted. I sounded like I was talking of my husband of forty years. What had I been expecting? For him to wait on me hand and knees and then profess his undying love to me? He'd probably high tailed out of here when he realized that he's revealed his secret to me.

I'm just gonna take stock downstairs and then head home," I informed Duke, hoping he wouldn't hear my voice choked up with the tears threatening to escape.

He nodded, but from the look he gave me, I knew he spotted something wrong with me. I was too tired and heartbroken to care. The jukebox was blaring out some recent chart breaking number as I made my way to the door that lead to the basement. The same rude pimply-faced guy who'd interrupted my conversation with Duke waylaid me.

"Hey dollface wanna dance?" he asked, leering at me. I tried to side step him but he blocked me again.

"No thanks, I gotta get going," I replied as I tried to move past him again.

"You want me to com with you there? I don't want a pretty faced girl like you getting scared in the dark basement. We could have fun down there," he added as he grabbed me around the waist."

"Hey!" duke roared, "let go of her," he thundered as he reached us. He guy had let go of me instinctively and looked ready to piss his pants. I quietly moved away and started down the stairs. I switched on the old yellow flickering light bulb, and started counting the packed crates of beer.

Suddenly, I was pressed against a pile of crates, hands held above my head with a cool, stone like hand as I felt another running down my spine. Cold lips traced the shell of my ear as they breathed a single word.

"Isabella."

A/N: Apologies for the delay in the lemon, but it's Diwali tomorrow and I won't be able to write or update for another week so I wanted to get this in while I could. I promise I'll make the next chapter worth your wait.

Thanks for all your lovely reviews.

By the way, what do you make of Duke? Does he meet your approval? And what do you think is going to happen in next chapter?

Reviews are like sweets in Diwali, I love them!

Hugs,

-KT.